Hi, I’m Linette! Our world seems to have gone a little crazy! Actually a lot crazy! It has taken me several months to wrap my head around all of the subliminal losses that came with the Covid pandemic and now I am suddenly also processing the loss our Black communities are facing, the Black Lives Matter protests and the role I need to play within this time of raising awareness regarding social inequality. In short we are all experiencing a great deal of loss. Loss of connection, loss of jobs, loss of community, loss of touch, loss of control, loss of lives, and loss of knowledge about what our futures may hold. This is a lot to take in, process, and emotionally manage. As a Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, and Meditation teacher – I have been through years of training and have learned many practicing tools to help me manage and understand my emotions and have learned how self-compassion can really help us navigate tough times. My hope with my new newsletter, “Life Lines From Linette”, is to offer some mindfulness and self-compassion practices and guidance to you; tools that can help calm your mind and let you be more present to fully experience and respond to life events instead of simply reacting to them. I hope to get feedback from you regarding what helps and suggestions for future topics. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you feel may benefit from them and / or add their name to my email list so they can receive future newsletters.
With a big heart, Linette PS - Find more info at linettebixby.com
Learning the Art of Self-Compassion: Self-Compassion is treating ourselves the same way we would treat a friend. What do we say when a friend is feeling really overwhelmed, sad, or anxious? How do we tend to those people we love? We give them kindness and love, we give them a hug, or offer words of support. Self-Compassion is treating yourself the same way. As you try to absorb all the impacts of what is happening and how it may negatively affect your life, it is important to give yourself some grace and kindness. Ideas for treating yourself with compassion:
Put your non-dominant hand over your heart and your other one over that….
Side note: soothing touch, even for oneself, has positive impacts in the body. See below for more ideas on soothing touch.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128795325
Take a deep breath in through the nose and long sigh out through the mouth.
Tell yourself that this feels really scary, but you are going to be okay.
Know that feeling sad is okay. Crying is okay. It is our body’s way of processing information. I give myself grace to mourn with tenderness.
Ask yourself what are some words that you need to hear right now? Now whisper those words into your own ears.
.A note on soothing/supportive touch: Many of us are missing hugging our friends and loved ones. Other ways that we can give ourselves the moral lift we miss from hugging is through supportive/soothing touch. Here are a few other ways that you can experiment with touch:
Two hands over the heart.
One hand over the heart and the other on the belly. (no judgment here!)
One hand on the heart.
Place clean hands on the face as if holding yourself with care.
Gently rub your arms.
Cross your arms and offer yourself a gentle squeeze/hug.
Gently rub your upper chest and make small taps of reassurance.
Wearing Masks: How do we connect during a pandemic? Connecting to others involves reading facial and body cues. When we smile, our teeth show, our eyes squish up, and our faces light up; cues which help the people around you feel accepted and seen. Smiling is how we greet people, show them we care, or just make a gesture of rapport. Wearing masks make that connection much more difficult to establish. I have observed that people are having a harder time making eye contact in public these days almost as if when we look at one another we might spread the Covid virus. This loss of a visual smile exacerbates the feeling of loss in terms of connection and community so it is more important than ever to make eye contact and show your smile in your eyes! People are feeling really lonely right now. Let us spread kindness and connection with the small gesture of a smile. Share your smile with your eyes, say “hello” with joy in your voice and help people feel relevant. You never know the difference you can make in a person’s life with that simple connection. Let me know how it goes! Blessing: May all beings be safe May all beings feel love May we learn May we grow as we learn May we be lighter on ourselves May the lightness spread Click Here to Find More Info about Mindful Paths.
ShareTweetForward to FriendCopyright © 2020 Mindful Paths, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.
Our mailing address is:
Mindful Paths
WA
Add us to your address book
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
