These resources were collected as we were navigating the pandemic. I hosted weekly calls to bring people together and provide support. On each Creating Our Way Forward call, I shared ideas and resources, and attendees generously contributed others, as well.
I hope you find tools and practices here to help you thrive — at any time in your life.
4x4 Box Breathing
This is a wonderful way to get grounded and to quiet your nervous system. You may want to do a few rounds of these to ease into meditation, or to simply pause when you feel stressed, impatient, or flustered. Here’s how to do it:
Inhale to the count of 4
Hold for 4 counts
Exhale to the count of 4
Hold for 4 counts
Repeat
Butterfly Tapping
This is another soothing way to calm yourself, any time you feel anxious or upset. This simple and pleasant technique signals energy meridiens that calm you. Here’s how to do it:
Put your right hand on your heart (as though you were going to pledge allegiance) and then place your left hand crossed over your right, on your upper chest. The tops of your fingers will sit a bit below your clavicle bones. Next, keeping your hands in place, lift the fingers of one hand and tap them gently back to your chest. Next do the same with the other hand. Simply repeat this rhythm, one hand and then the other, and tap as long as you wish.
Go on a News Diet!
If you limit your exposure to news (on TV, radio, social media or newspapers) to no more than two short check-ins per day, you will feel much better. The media’s job is to provide wall-to-wall coverage. We can be up to date with everything we need to know — and distance ourselves from the intensity of the incessant coverage — by limiting our exposure to a bare minimum.
4-Part Daily Practice
This wonderful process was shared with me by my colleague, Whitney Bishop. Whitney starts her day this way, but you can use some or all of it any time you wish. (And, the amount of time you spend is up to you — expand or adjust as you wish.)
Preparation: Choose a quiet space where you will not be interrupted. You may want to light a candle. First, place your hands on your heart and get quiet. Then begin.
Part 1 — Read something inspiring, or listen to a recording of inspiring word, for 5–10 minutes.
Part 2 — Meditate for 5–10 minutes. You may want to put some soothing music on, or you may prefer to sit in silence.
Part 3 — Write. Start and do not lift the pen off the paper for 5 or 10 minutes. Anything is fine — just start and keep writing.
Part 4 — Put on music and move, or dance. The physical movement integrates the practice.
My addition: End with gratitude. Slowly write or think about a few things for which you are grateful, and — here’s the special part — pause for a deep breath after each statement of gratitude, so that you feel it in your heart.
Finally, set an intention for yourself for the day, and gently move into the rest of your day.
Create to Cope
Whenever you feel overwhelmed, sad, angry, frustrated, or any other difficult emotion, you have the opportunity to use it as fuel for something creative. Why is that a good idea? Because when you “exercise” the emotion through creativity, it has a place to go. You get to use it, move it, and ease it out of your system. And, sometimes you can actually transform it.
For example, you might like doing something with your hands, like a craft project or needlework. You can get absorbed in the activity, choosing colors and materials. When you get into flow as you create, the emotion can ease off.You might want to vigorously chop vegetables and then create an interesting dish. Or you might dance to music with the volume turned up high. You might want to dig in the garden. You might want to draw or paint a hideous picture to wring out the emotion. You might pour your emotion into writing a poem.Experiment and see how this works best for you. You will discover the ways of creating that satisfy you most when you are dealing with challenging emotions, in varying situations.Will it clear the troubling emotion forever? No. But you can experience real relief, and as you continue to create the emotion will have less hold on you.
Use my book, Live Big:A Manifesto for a Creative Life, as a resource.
I have been hearing from people far and wide that Live Big is helping them now in deeply meaningful ways. These chapters in particular have been mentioned by many: Embrace Change, Live without Fear, Listen to Your Intuition, Live in the Present, Carry On, Create!, as well as others. All have exercises and practices you can use now to help when you are feeling stressed or shaky. And, the book includes advice about starting a meditation practice, as well as gifts of guided meditations that you can download.
Daily Energy Routine
My colleague, Rachel Rice, filmed this excellent 6-minute Eden Energy daily practice. It is easy to do along with her, and it’s wonderful for grounding, centering, getting out of overwhelm, unscrambling your brain, increasing coordination, improving vitality, increasing health and well-being, improving thinking, and staying energetically protected. I have loved it.
Ask yourself this simple question:
“Where are the gifts?” Whenever you consider this question you can find answers. See how many ways you answer it as you continue to ask it day by day.
Read this insightful article
I am so grateful that this article in The Atlantic was shared with me, and that I can offer it to you. There’s a lot we can read right now, but this captures a big picture. And it includes ideas that are closely aligned with, and affirming of things I teach and deeply believe. Let me know if it lands in a big way for you, too.
EFT Tapping
My colleague, Paige Hamilton, has guided me through EFT tapping, and I have experienced the way this practice can relieve stress, calm the body, and help you to get past limiting beliefs. She offers a guide, the 15-minute Mindset Makeover, to help you learn about this process and get started. You can request it here. And, in this video she explains the way it works. In her second video she demonstrates how to do the tapping. Her third video goes further, with things to keep in mind. After that, you will want to follow some guided tapping approaches, to get comfortable with how to do this for yourself. Paige is offering zoom calls on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, to guide you. You can reach out to her and ask that she include you on her announcements.
Nick Ortner, The Tapping Solution, has many “tapping meditations” you can listen to, and has an app (that I have not used, so I cannot recommend it). This meditation was offered at the start of the pandemic, and he has created versions for kids dealing with stress, and many others. And in this new interview Nick did with Marie Forleo, he demonstrates the tapping technique, provides lots of info to help you understand the power of tapping and how it works, and also guides you through a helpful tapping sequence.
I have also found a good EFT guided meditation for better sleep. Check it out if you are having trouble getting to sleep or sleeping soundly. (You will want to review the basics of the tapping points from Paige Hamilton or Nick Ortner before following this meditation.)
Feel the Love card deck
Choosing a card from a deck with inspiring messages is a great way to start your day, to find a writing prompt, or to get a supportive message when your spirits are in need of a boost. My colleague, Susie Murdoh, has a great one, called Feel the Love. In addition to being filled with wonderful and encouraging ideas, it is beautiful — a great combination.
Get creative with a camera — with a kid in your life, or do it yourself!
Lisa Berglund is a brilliant filmmaker, who has created a great series of lessons for kids to learn to take great photos. Her goal is to document this historical moment in our history through the eyes of our children.
The series of lessons is fantastic, and the results I have seen so far — from kids as young as 7 — have been wonderful. Check it out and bring it into the lives of kids you know, or use the lessons for your own enjoyment.
And, I have been posting a photo each day on Instagram, with the hashtag #dailydelight. I welcome you to join me! It’s a lovely daily practice to look around you, even if you are cooped up inside, and spot a moment of beauty or wonder. You can see my posts here.
Download some adult coloring book pages
Here’s a page with nice options, and if you do a google search you will find many others. If you don’t already have a set of colored pencils, perhaps a friend has a spare set to share, or order some online (a set of 12 or 24 colors is perfect). This is a relaxing and lovely way to create.
Use writing prompts
If you find that writing in a journal is a good way for you to process emotion, relax, or unburden yourself and move into an open frame of mind to allow new ideas to show up, you may still feel stuck about getting started from time to time. A great way to move into writing is to begin with a writing prompt.
Where can you get some? You might pull an inspirational card from a deck like Feel the Love (noted above), or another deck like the Soul Coaching Cards, that I use with my clients and everyone loves. The message on the card you pull is always a great starting point.
Or, write your own writing prompts. Try things like these:
If I change my perspective now…
When I envision myself in my most special place…
If my favorite literary/movie character called now, I’d love to talk about…
If anything were possible…
The gift in this moment is…
You can always create a way to jump into writing. Play with it and see what happens!
Practice Gratitude
No matter what is happening, there are always things for which to be grateful.
Create a daily practice of thinking about, and writing down, 3 or more things for which you are grateful. They can be tiny things and still significant. There is affirming scientific evidence of the power of a gratitude practice to positively impact both physical and mental health. (You can find details about that in my book, in the chapter about gratitude.)
You might start or end your day with a focus on gratitude, or keep a journal handy to note things as you think of them. And, for each entry, take a moment to savor what you noted. Breath in the gratitude as you think about why it’s meaningful to you. And the cherry on top? Finish each entry with a small smile.
Have a joyful conversation
Ingrid Fetell Lee wrote the book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. Her newsletter is always a welcome sight in my inbox. Her latest blog post is about having joyful conversations. Check it out, and more of what she has to teach us all.
Try these acupressure techniques to reduce stress
Acupuncturist Loocie Brown, in Lexington MA, is sharing great tips for things we can do on our own to cope with stress and the impacts it has on our bodies. She recently sent these suggestions for taming cortisol:
Massage your ears top to bottom until they feel warm. This not only calms the nervous system but lowers your blood pressure when stressed.
After washing your hands, you can massage the spot between your eyebrows. This is often referred to as the "third eye." It is exceptional for calming the mind.
Massage the bottom of your foot at “Kidney 1”. This point is located on the top third of the foot. It is in the middle and to the inner side of the ball of the big toe. You should feel an indentation here. KIdney 1 is very helpful for taking worry and fear out of your head and sending that energy to the ground where you can then squish it like a bug. I call this the anti-cootie point for all you boomers.
Enjoy an adult coloring book, or download pages to color
There are lovely adult coloring books that you can order online and many artists are generously making their work available for download for free. If you do not have a set of colored pencils order a set of 24 and you’ll be all set.
Coloring is a delightful way to create, as you choose colors and watch the page come to life. You may find this calming, and a way to move into a meditative state, as well as a way to feel inspired.
Make walking conversation dates
Invite a friend to walk with you virtually! Make a date to get outside and walk, and share a conversation with a friend — who will walk where she/he is. You might make this a weekly time to connect, as you both get exercise and fresh air (whether you live in the same town or many miles apart).
Start your day with intention
As you begin your day, do a short scan of your body and heart to assess how you are feeling. Would it help to create to process or download some heavy emotion? If so, choose a way to do that that works best for you (it could be a plan to dance, do some writing, pull out watercolors, etc.)
Then set an intention for your day. What do you want to make your focus? How will you balance time for work or projects with time to nurture yourself?
Decide where you want to put your attention today. You may want to see what happens when you add a step, envisioning how you want to feel at the end of the day.
What we focus on expands. Being intentional about how you spend your days can help you to have a better day, each day.
Free Franklin Method yoga classes
This resource was contributed by a great woman who joined our call on May 2. She highly recommends a special series of 30-minute Zoom classes, 3 times per week that are offered by Intelligent Body Movement Studio. The Franklin Method is designed to reduce anxiety and increase wellbeing, and the classes are offered at no cost.
Invite friends for an online cooking party
Is there a friend, a small group of friends, or a sibling you miss and would enjoy spending time with — but want a change from chats on Zoom calls? Why not make a date to cook together?
Choose a recipe, allow time for everyone to gather the ingredients, and when the date begins, add some music to make it festive. This can work with audio alone or on a video call. Depending on the cooking time, you can “share” the meal at the end or after the dish has cooked. Compare the results you all got, and how you like what you prepared.
You might choose a nostalgic favorite, or try something new that appeals to everyone. Or, someone can share her/his expertise about how to make a special dish, so others can learn.
Free laser-coaching sessions for frontline healthcare workers
If you are a medical worker on the frontline in a hospital or elder-care facility, The Hero Hotline was established to provide free 25-minute laser-coaching support for stress, overwhelm or any other challenge you are facing. I am proud to be among the meany coaches volunteering my services.
It just takes a minute to book a confidential session.
And if you know of someone who would welcome this support, or a facility looking for resources for their staff, please spread the word.
Add a bit of whimsy to your day
This clever animated online New York Times feature was shared with my by a friend. It will provide a minute of fun to your day.
Be inspired by Brené Brown’s UT commencement speech
Treat yourself to the wisdom of the commencement speech Brené Brown gave to the class of 2020 at UT. It includes parts of her story many of us have never heard, as well as lessons learned from the life she has lived and the research she’s done. It will enrich and inspire people everywhere, at any stage of life.
