🔍My Top Priority: Practicing Calm And Stillness

I’ve been reading a lot lately, including Brené Brown’s book, “The Gifts of Imperfection.”

There are so many, so many beautiful gems in this book. I absolutely love what Brené shares about so many topics. With all that has happened in the last few weeks and the election. I’m not going to delve into it. We all know what went down. I took a day to sit with all the emotions and process them.

There are so many, so many beautiful gems in this book. I absolutely love what Brené shares about so many topics. With all that has happened in the last few weeks and the election. I’m not going to delve into it. We all know what went down. I took a day to sit with all the emotions and process them.

Thinking about what’s happened with the results. Who’s going into office? The cabinet appointees? Every time I even attempt to look at a news article, I immediately get anxious about it. So I’m taking a break from reading the news. Not, you know, for the rest of my life, but I’m taking an intentional break from news media at the moment because I just get so much anxiety. I’m intentionally reducing my anxiety.

Brené Brown talks about cultivating calm and stillness and letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle. Anxiety has been a super big part of my existence for the last couple of years, especially with Covid. So I have been actively practicing letting go of anxiety and trying to become super aware of what things in my life make me anxious, how it manifests physically and emotionally, the things I need to do to cope with that, and how to do that in a way that’s healthy, not destructive and numbing.

Because I know there are a lot of times when it’s easy just to numb and eradicate that. Take any of the vices that you know anyone can choose from—alcohol, drugs, pain, anything. I don’t know, whatever it is that can easily numb you. But I’m trying not to go that route.

So, Brené Brown talks about defining calm as creating perspective and mindfulness while managing emotional reactivity. And I think that is really a great definition of what calm can be.

I know in the past I have been super reactionary towards things, and I know that’s an easy thing for me to do right away—just to react quickly about something, and then that induces anxiety. So, in these moments of practicing this, I am working to be slower to respond and quicker to think.

That is super intentional in where I’m going with this. Calmness is not to be quick to react but to sit with what is happening at the moment and think about it. And give it a more curated response that’s not met with anger, fear, or pain, but openness.

Practicing Stillness

Brené also talks about the concept of stillness.

And it’s not the same as calmness, but they’re connected. Stillness is what she mentions as opening up an emotionally clutter-free space, allowing ourselves to feel, think, dream, and question. Wow. I really, really love reading that.

So.

Practicing stillness in my life is:

Sitting. Sitting with my thoughts.

And listening to music. And

Taking a walk by myself or biking by myself. Avoiding caffeine.

I see myself experimenting with stillness and quietness. This phrase that she mentioned—”emotionally clutter-free”—oh my God, that’s just amazing. And how to practice being emotionally clutter-free.

That’s the practice that I am working on every day. And I would invite you to see how in your life you can be less emotionally cluttered. And what calmness and stillness mean for you. How does that translate into your life? I would be curious to know, and I would love to hear your thoughts and your stories on that.

What is your daily intake of calm and stillness? I would say check on your friends, check on your family and how they’re coping in these times, these moments with so much destruction and pain. So many, just horrific things that are happening around the world. I am absolutely aware of, you know, all of the things that are happening.

However, if I put that in my heart at all times, I will just fall apart.

So I think, sometimes you have to—it’s not being selfish. I don’t think. I think it’s knowing what you can handle or what you can’t handle and taking space for it in your life. And it’s, taking some of that out of your life for the moment and focusing on other things that can bring your heart and soul more stillness and calmness.

Key Takeaways

• Practicing Calm: Taking breaks from stressful triggers like constant news updates can help manage anxiety.
• Brené Brown Insights: Embrace calm and stillness to handle emotions better and reduce anxiety.
• Personal Approach: Quick reactions can fuel anxiety. Practicing pause and reflection before responding is key.
• Stillness Defined: Creating space for thoughts and dreams. This might involve quiet activities like solo walks or enjoying music.
• Daily Practice: Commit to being emotionally clutter-free. Explore what calm looks like for you.
• Community Support: Check on friends and family. Everyone’s facing challenges and supporting each other matters.
• Setting Boundaries: Know your limits, make space for mental peace, and embrace calmness.
• Invitation to Share: Encourages sharing experiences with others, fostering a sense of community and understanding.

If you read “The Gifts of Imperfection,” I would love to hear your impressions, I am almost finished with it, but I’m probably going to reread it again. There are just so many wonderful pearls of wisdom and information. Ways of living that align with where I’m going in life.

Hugs, and love to you all.