Healthy Mind
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Reclaim Your Mojo During Stressful Times
June 2022
By Stephanie Raffelock
We are all experiencing resilience fatigue. Stressed and exhausted, we’ve limped into 2022, ever hoping for a return to a normal that, for the most part, remains elusive. The sheer volume of the challenges before us are daunting. But before we cave to hopelessness and despair, there is a way to reclaim our mojo; and by that, I mean a way to create some joy throughout each day.
Limiting the News
I’m an advocate for awareness and engagement, but too much news leaves me feeling confused, angered, and sometimes afraid. The chemicals created in the body by angry thoughts and fearful worry can do no good. They just stress me out. So, I have limited my news viewing time to one hour per day to stay informed about the issues but not consumed by them. When I find myself stressing, I remember the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. This really is the perfect prayer for our times.
What We Give
When I give of myself through encouragement and support of others, my heart opens. We are all in this human experience together, and you don’t have to scratch the surface too deeply on anyone’s life to know that everyone has suffering. Sometimes the greatest giving is bearing witness to what someone is going through without trying to fix him/her or the situation. We all have the need to be seen, to feel that we are not alone and that we are not broken.
Giving extends beyond offering support and goodwill. Clean your closet and give your gently used clothing away. Donate to a food bank. Read to a child. Do something nice for a neighbor. Give freely, without the expectation of acknowledgment, and life becomes brighter and more vital. I really do think that we are wired to help one another, and when we show fidelity to this, we nourish ourselves with peace and joy. How’s that for mojo?
While you’re at it, give to yourself. Walking through your neighborhood or on a hiking trail is a wonderful way to practice self-care, both physically and emotionally. Additional ideas: hot baths, reading under a tree, sipping tea on the porch or the patio, (some of you will want to change that word tea to wine), or doing meditative handcrafts like knitting or crochet. Consciously give peace to yourself in whatever ways that you can.
The Power of Kindness
The warmth with which we greet each other can lift us up, too. Do I live in a community where everyone is very friendly, or does the kindness with which I greet people make the neighborhood more friendly to me? I think, the latter. When I’m out walking my dog, I always wave to my neighbors and call out a good morning, even if I don’t know them. Ninety-nine percent of the time, people return my greeting. Sometimes I stop and have conversations about dogs, lawns, flower gardens or weather.
Over the past months, we’ve all heard how understaffed everyone is. Checking out at the supermarket or getting served in a restaurant may take longer. Or it might be difficult to find someone at the hardware store to help you. These understaffed situations are calling out for our kindness. What a great healing practice to be patient and appreciative of the work being done on your behalf. And, in turn, I feel uplifted.
The great screenwriter, Marta Kauffman teaches heart, humility and humor in writing. We can bring heart, humility and humor into our everyday lives, too. They are the components of kindness.
The Commitment to Unity
In the past several years, our sense of unity and inclusiveness has been eroding. The political climate has fostered an “us versus them” mentality, which has reduced many to name-calling, blaming and shaming. Until we stop being so mean about our point of view, we cannot begin to heal.
I’ve made a commitment to myself to know this: Most people want the same things - safety, prosperity, decent work, happiness and health - even though we might have different ideas about how to get there. Words like compromise and sacrifice are not bad. Sometimes to make a world that works for everyone, compromise is what’s called for. We can’t get so stuck in our personal preference and point of view that we shut out any other possibility. Communities survive and thrive when everybody gives a little to get a little.
The Spiritual Life
I’m using the word spiritual in a broad sense. To me, it means cultivating a sense of awe and gratitude. Spiritual means contemplating life and deciding on the kindest course of action for yourself and others. It means sitting quietly and appreciating the beauty in this world. It doesn’t mean to deny that these are challenging times and that we’re all stressed. The spiritual life is the practice of holding in your heart the suffering of life right next to the joy of life. And inspirational reading, whether religious or philosophical, can bring us comfort during difficult times.
The Breath of Thanks
The breath of thanks is a simple way to drop stress and appreciate life. You can do it anywhere, out loud or silently. You can do this sitting or standing, while walking or waiting in line somewhere. Breathe in the word thank you and breathe out the word thank you. Do this for two minutes or for twenty. It’s a way to feel alive and grateful. Gratitude for life is the grace that we give ourselves. It’s the grace that we give each other.
The seventeenth century poet, Rumi said Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground. I keep that poem close at hand, and here’s what I wish for you: May the beauty you love be what you do.
That’s the way to reclaim your mojo!
We are all experiencing resilience fatigue. Stressed and exhausted, we’ve limped into 2022, ever hoping for a return to a normal that, for the most part, remains elusive. The sheer volume of the challenges before us are daunting. But before we cave to hopelessness and despair, there is a way to reclaim our mojo; and by that, I mean a way to create some joy throughout each day.
Limiting the News
I’m an advocate for awareness and engagement, but too much news leaves me feeling confused, angered, and sometimes afraid. The chemicals created in the body by angry thoughts and fearful worry can do no good. They just stress me out. So, I have limited my news viewing time to one hour per day to stay informed about the issues but not consumed by them. When I find myself stressing, I remember the Serenity Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. This really is the perfect prayer for our times.
What We Give
When I give of myself through encouragement and support of others, my heart opens. We are all in this human experience together, and you don’t have to scratch the surface too deeply on anyone’s life to know that everyone has suffering. Sometimes the greatest giving is bearing witness to what someone is going through without trying to fix him/her or the situation. We all have the need to be seen, to feel that we are not alone and that we are not broken.
Giving extends beyond offering support and goodwill. Clean your closet and give your gently used clothing away. Donate to a food bank. Read to a child. Do something nice for a neighbor. Give freely, without the expectation of acknowledgment, and life becomes brighter and more vital. I really do think that we are wired to help one another, and when we show fidelity to this, we nourish ourselves with peace and joy. How’s that for mojo?
While you’re at it, give to yourself. Walking through your neighborhood or on a hiking trail is a wonderful way to practice self-care, both physically and emotionally. Additional ideas: hot baths, reading under a tree, sipping tea on the porch or the patio, (some of you will want to change that word tea to wine), or doing meditative handcrafts like knitting or crochet. Consciously give peace to yourself in whatever ways that you can.
The Power of Kindness
The warmth with which we greet each other can lift us up, too. Do I live in a community where everyone is very friendly, or does the kindness with which I greet people make the neighborhood more friendly to me? I think, the latter. When I’m out walking my dog, I always wave to my neighbors and call out a good morning, even if I don’t know them. Ninety-nine percent of the time, people return my greeting. Sometimes I stop and have conversations about dogs, lawns, flower gardens or weather.
Over the past months, we’ve all heard how understaffed everyone is. Checking out at the supermarket or getting served in a restaurant may take longer. Or it might be difficult to find someone at the hardware store to help you. These understaffed situations are calling out for our kindness. What a great healing practice to be patient and appreciative of the work being done on your behalf. And, in turn, I feel uplifted.
The great screenwriter, Marta Kauffman teaches heart, humility and humor in writing. We can bring heart, humility and humor into our everyday lives, too. They are the components of kindness.
The Commitment to Unity
In the past several years, our sense of unity and inclusiveness has been eroding. The political climate has fostered an “us versus them” mentality, which has reduced many to name-calling, blaming and shaming. Until we stop being so mean about our point of view, we cannot begin to heal.
I’ve made a commitment to myself to know this: Most people want the same things - safety, prosperity, decent work, happiness and health - even though we might have different ideas about how to get there. Words like compromise and sacrifice are not bad. Sometimes to make a world that works for everyone, compromise is what’s called for. We can’t get so stuck in our personal preference and point of view that we shut out any other possibility. Communities survive and thrive when everybody gives a little to get a little.
The Spiritual Life
I’m using the word spiritual in a broad sense. To me, it means cultivating a sense of awe and gratitude. Spiritual means contemplating life and deciding on the kindest course of action for yourself and others. It means sitting quietly and appreciating the beauty in this world. It doesn’t mean to deny that these are challenging times and that we’re all stressed. The spiritual life is the practice of holding in your heart the suffering of life right next to the joy of life. And inspirational reading, whether religious or philosophical, can bring us comfort during difficult times.
The Breath of Thanks
The breath of thanks is a simple way to drop stress and appreciate life. You can do it anywhere, out loud or silently. You can do this sitting or standing, while walking or waiting in line somewhere. Breathe in the word thank you and breathe out the word thank you. Do this for two minutes or for twenty. It’s a way to feel alive and grateful. Gratitude for life is the grace that we give ourselves. It’s the grace that we give each other.
The seventeenth century poet, Rumi said Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground. I keep that poem close at hand, and here’s what I wish for you: May the beauty you love be what you do.
That’s the way to reclaim your mojo!
Stephanie Raffelock is a podcaster, speaker, voiceover artist and writer. She is the editor of the anthology, Art In The Time of Unbearable Crisis (She Writes Press, 2022), which will be excerpted in Sanctuary in August. Stephanie is the author of Creatrix Rising, Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women (She Writes Press, 2021), and she penned the award-winning book, A Delightful Little Book On Aging (She Writes Press, 2020).
Stephanie was a guest on Sanctuary’s Coffee & Conversation show discussing the topic: Combating Stereotypes Applied to Aging Women.
Stephanie was a guest on Sanctuary’s Coffee & Conversation show discussing the topic: Combating Stereotypes Applied to Aging Women.
