I sat down this month to write and nothing came to mind… The reason being, my mind was full of “stuff” It’s funny how the fuller the mind, the harder it is to think clearly. For you to think clearly and calmly, one thing at a time, you must hush up some of that mind chatter.
I want to let you, as someone who practices daily meditation and is full of gratitude, also has times when my mind is like the inside of a washing machine. If we let the machine keep going, 24/7, eventually the wash will be ruined, and the washing machine will break down. To be able to untangle the wash we need the spinning to stop and for us to unravel what is there. Life isn’t all rainbows, peace and calm. Life is a twisty path, I like to think of it as a spiral, turning one way and then the other.
Right now, we are all navigating a map that’s not been drawn yet, so we need to be ultra-kind to ourselves and take each turn, one gentle twist at a time.
So, how to hush up that monkey mind? Well, turn your attention to what makes you slow down. We must slow our thoughts down for us to even begin to try and unravel how we feel, what direction we take and to listen to what we need. Ask yourself, “What makes me slow down and be present?”
For me, right now, the answer is nature. I am so grateful for the healing I have found this year walking amongst Mother Earth. I have put down my roots in ancient woodland, climbed several hills to stand and wonder, seen an abundance of life all around me, and sat in the glorious sunshine we have been blessed with. This year I have made a deep connection with Deer and have had encounters that have literally stopped me in my tracks. I have fallen in love with my garden and, in doing so, it has loved me back. Beautiful flowers and scents that have graced the scene. All the wildlife that has paid a visit, to feed, or just fly by, the bees, the parakeets, the butterflies, the tiny and unseen heroes of the earth, I am in wonder of them all.
My pledge to myself is to continue my walks into the Autumn and beyond. I tend to ‘cocoon’ in winter but this one I intend to embrace and openly experience what nature has in store for me.
I wish to share with you, a recommendation. I came across a book, via the BBC spring watch called ‘The Wild Remedy’ by Emma Mitchell. It is the most exquisite book of her journey through the seasons, along with her personal illustrations. Emma writes with such depth of feeling for the beauty of nature around her and takes healing for her melancholy from the land. The book touched me as I too feel healing from nature for my own mental health.
And so, whatever else we’ve all been through and have yet to come, find your peace, your calm place. Look to what heals your mind, rather than what makes it ache. Art, singing, walking, exercise, gardening, whatever it is, do it with utmost joy and abandon. Immerse your weary soul, for it can be refuelled this way.
Oh, and that washing machine mind, I took a walk and came back to this after. In making space to breathe and to be allows our minds space to lay out the clothes and see what you need to deal with. One item at a time. Clarity comes in the quiet spaces of our lives.
And so it is,
Karen x
Comments