8 Tips for Staying Calm in Challenging Times

We are living in challenging times.

As heart centered women with high empathy and compassion, we often experience not just our own feelings of concern, but also the feelings of our loved ones and society in general.

What helps you stay calm in these challenging times?

I asked that question of our community of heart centered women, and got some great suggestions (thank you!), which I’m incorporating into the following tips:

1) Prayer – Connecting with something greater than ourselves helps us find a sense of meaning and purpose, and can provide comfort, courage, and strength in challenging times.

2) Music – Create a playlist of music you find calming and/or uplifting.

3) Meditation – Removing our focus from all the noise in the external world and shifting our attention inward can be calming.

4) Social connection – Humans evolved in close knit communities and we need lots of social connection to thrive. Spending time with friends and family who are positive and optimistic really helps.

5) Boundaries with digital devices – Having the world at our fingertips is an incredible gift, and also can contribute to feelings of stress and overwhelm. Boundaries help.

6) Nature – So many studies have shown the healing, calming effects of nature. A walk in a park, or even just closing your eyes for a few minutes and imagining being in a beautiful natural setting can be very soothing

7) Joy and laughter – Making time for joy and laughter is one of the best things we can do to calm our nervous systems. Doing so increases our resilience and makes us better able to cope.

8) Optimism – our brains are hardwired with something called the “negativity bias”, which leads us to expect the worst (so we’ll be prepared for it). Shifting to a more positive and realistic perspective takes effort but is well worth it.

When you are calm and centered, that helps not just you, but also your loved ones and ripples out into the world.

Please take good care of your beautiful, heart centered self. Our world needs you!

Hugs,

Liz