Something Quite Personal. My Resilience Go-To-List of Six for You...

Hi there,

I feel compelled to share something quite personal today – I think it might be of help right now.

When meditating earlier this week, I was overcome with a deep sense of hopelessness and sadness about what’s been happening in the world lately.

I felt it physically and profoundly – and I just sat with the feeling and let it all come out. Feeling for my fellow human beings – children, women, men, families - and what so many are enduring right now.

And then, when I was ready, I changed gears - reminding myself that in challenging times like this, and with so much out of my control, I needed to turn inwards and take time to build my strength and resilience. 

For me that means things like time meditating, time walking in nature and time journaling. 

When I do those things, I’m better able to cope and be my best for those who rely on me.

In case it resonates with you and is helpful, here’s my resilience go-to list of six:

(1) Meditation daily:

There is something magic about meditation. It can be hard to get into the swing of it but if you don’t meditate, give it a go. In my experience it can be so refreshing and life-changing – taking time to suspend thoughts, escape from the world and just be.

(2) Go for a walk in nature:

When I’m not feeling great, feeling the weight of sadness in the world or struggling for motivation, walking in nature works a treat.

I have never come back feeling worse. Always feeling better. Sometimes I’ll listen to a podcast but often I’ll walk in silence. And sometimes I’ll focus while I walk on only one challenge – with the aim of find a breakthrough before my walk is done.

(3) Journaling:

This is another life saver! Putting thoughts on paper randomly - just following my stream of thought without needing to make any sense at all –  always clears my mind and helps me deal with challenges. To find out more about how I do it, read this here.

(4) Reading over my ‘WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?’ document:

This is an approach I’ve developed for documenting my ‘WHY?’ for various things I do. You know, my core reason or purpose for doing them.

I use it frequently for a lot of things. Like, writing down WHY I started my new business The Dream Life Store. WHY I started a new daily habit. WHY I’m chasing each dream that I’m chasing.

"It’s really refreshing and valuable to bring me back and ground me in the simplicity of what is really important in my life – and WHY."

I’ve designed an A4 format for the document as a downloadable and have made it available here. It’s so helpful in challenging times – or if I feel a bit lost - to read over it and refocus.

(5) Call a friend:

Sometimes we all just need to talk – and all we need is someone to hear us. So call a friend, a mentor, a coach or a therapist.

(6) Practice gratitude:

Regardless of what is happening around us, there is still so very much to be grateful for. Fresh air. Food. Clean water. Family. A good nights sleep. Our fingers and hands. A cup of tea. An inspiring book. A smile from someone.

The list is endless.  Taking time to sit with thoughts of sincere, genuine & focussed gratitude for even the smallest things brings perspective and keeps us aware of the true beauty of life.

"Focussing on this go-to list of six does wonders for me – and I hope it inspires you or someone you want to share it with."

And in this week’s episode of my Dream Life Podcast, I talk thru this list in more detail. You can listen here. 

So instead of spending hours scrolling social or lost in news, invest time in refreshing your beautiful self by doing some or all the things on my list.

Love, 

*Elise is the founder of Mindful in May and we’ll have her coming in to do a live meditation with us in one of our weekly GROW Live Zooms as well as taking any questions. And we’ll also be doing Mindful in May together in GROW if you want to. If this is for you, sign up to GROW here.