World on Fire? Exercise.
And try this other method for coping when things get super-crazy
As weird as it sounds, exercise is a stellar PRIORITY ONE right now.
That might sound selfish (particularly in our volatile world) but if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not going to last very long.
We all know this on some level but it helps to be reminded — because many of us (particularly women) have a tendency to think we should take care of everyone else first.
But focusing only on others is a path to burnout and unhappiness.
What’s In the Box?
Try this: think of life every day as a box you get to open and select ONE glowing focal point from for that day. (Besides love — we’re going to pick that as a constant. It doesn’t need to be in the box.)
Open the box.
Inside you find:
Fear
Anger
Hope
Indifference
Now, pick ONE of those four things to carry/indulge/sink into for this one day. (Tomorrow, you get to pick again.)
Pro Tip: Don’t Pick the Same Thing Every Day
If you pick the same thing every day, life isn’t going to be so great.
Full of fear every day? That would be awful. No thanks.
Full of anger every day? Burnout City. Plus you end up with only angry friends. Pass.
Full of hope every day? This is better — but will you accomplish all that you need through hope? Nope. Not even close. Hope is lovely but, by itself, it’s not enough, even if it is a muscular hope.
Full of indifference every day? Although on the surface, this is a break … in reality, this might be the least attractive choice, even worse than anger. Because you don’t care at all. Dead. Without a soul. Is that really how you want to live life?
But you don’t have to choose one thing and stick with it.
Pick one focus for the day. And tomorrow pick another one. (And don’t be surprised when you move through all of them in micro-bursts each day.)
No Choice Is Bad
Some days, you might want anger. Listen to your anger. It tells you what’s important to you. And then go rage against the machine.
Some days you might want to be lifted by the buoyancy of hope.
Some days you might want to indulge your fears and work on making the world safer for you and those you love. Maybe even safer for everyone!
And some days you may need the psychological relief of indifference because everyone needs a break sometimes. Shutting out the world for a while is not a sin or selfish. It’s a component of survival. Shed any guilt you feel about it.
And that’s why exercise is doubly important in times of turmoil.
Turn off the world and your busy mind.
Focus on yourself.
Improve your health.
It’s not selfish and it’s an excellent (maybe the best!) way to de-stress and cope.
Dismiss any guilt that pops up around exercise. We’re all trying to get through life as best as we can. Working out can help you work out what you need to.
And, no matter what you choose out of your daily box, remember to create joy.
Nothing will replenish you faster than joy.
It’s like a thousand massages in the blink of an eye. So if your exercise creates joy in you? Even better! Get going!
"When we are joyful, our heart opens up to new things.
When we are in a bad mood, we can't be
open to new things,
no matter how wonderful they are.
Without joy in our heart,
our progress in life is slow and uninteresting."
– Haemin Sunim, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down