Mindful Moment #12 - Shift Towards Hope

Conjuring Hope

Okay. Time out. Just. Time out.
It’s feeling pretty crazy in the world again. Another day, another space filled in on the bingo card of Pandemic Life, season 3. Not gonna lie. The anxiety is at an all time high! Did anyone have “monkeypox” on their cards? Anyone? Monkeypox? Me neither.
The good news is that I have learned some coping skills along the way. And the simplest thing I can latch on to is hope. Hope can be your life vest, even when you think you’ve forgotten how to swim. Hope is the banisher of doom. Hope is a thing you can conjure when you need it. How, though?

Mindful play
When we play, we let go of all of the pressure we carry from the day-to-day demands of adulting. It’s just playing, after all. For a finite amount of time, your brain gets to enjoy something totally unrelated to “the world.” And everyone has their own style of play, so it can be an experiment of “What fits into this hour I have?” Some people might choose a sport. Some might choose video games. I find myself keen on word games and sudoku. I enjoy the challenge of “solving” something. Other people like the challenge of “winning” something. There is also the option for wild abandon into the never-ending game that some people can abide, but you might need more than an hour to get that out of your system. The point of play is really to let go of the stress and worry that often hedges out hope. A childlike appreciation for something fun also gets the positivity vibes spinning. Go into your play with the intent of crafting a hopeful path, even if it is just in the form of a sigh of relaxation.

Embrace a creative process
There is satisfaction in being able to make something “with your own hands.” You often start with nothing and end up with “something.” Going through that process from beginning to end can plunk your little overwhelmed heart into a pocket of accomplishment. Push away any negative self-talk about not knowing what to create, because it can be as simple as making a batch of cookies. I seriously got myself through grad school with the temporary distraction of cookies. The fact that I could gather these various individual ingredients into a mixture that resulted in the joy of a nice, warm, fresh cookie somehow informed my brain that in a span of a few hours I could make something good happen. I started each batch with that hope. Hope that I could put all of my creative energy into this project to result in this physical creation that is now also an edible treat. It’s so gratifying. The same could be said of artwork, woodwork, fabric crafts, gardens, jewelry making, etc. My only advice is start at the beginning if it’s something you’ve never tried before (i.e. don’t set yourself up for defeat when you are trying to make a batch of gratification).

Educate yourself
As Confucius said, “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” When I am feeling defeated by the powerlessness of not knowing how to move forward, I commit to learning about the thing that is making me uneasy. It’s easier when it’s something that has a nice, neat summary at the end of a Google search, but when you have to really dig in and challenge yourself to learn, the end result is often seeing the solution. Knowing there is a solution is the hope I am searching for. There may be times when what you learn is bleak or clouded with shame or fear-inducing, but even then, there is hope because you have the ability to move forward in an informed way. Just like G.I. Joe taught us, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.”

Send a request to the Universe
For something a little more meditative, after playing and creating and learning, when you are ready to sit and be quiet, allow yourself to simply ask the Universe for hope.
Try saying something like this:
With the joy of fun, bring hope to my heart.
With the passing of the bread, bring hope to my heart.
With the deep knowledge of all things, bring hope to my heart.
From the breaking of the dawn to the set of the sun, bring hope to my heart.

And breathe. Remember grace. Remember wishes. Remember your survivorhood. You are meant to be here in this grand experiment right now. May hope carry us into tomorrow, buoyed and determined to make the most of this life.

Namaste.

-Amy

INSPIRATIONS THIS WEEK

We’re feeling inspired by these incredible and thought provoking pieces:

Plastic-eating Enzyme Could Eliminate Billions of Tons of Landfill WasteAn enzyme variant created by engineers and scientists at The University of Texas at Austin can break down environment-throttling plastics
The invisible Ukrainian and his dog who walked 225km to safety from MariupolWhen Russian soldiers started going from house to house, Igor Pedin set off with his dog Zhu-Zhu to Zaporizhzhia to find safety
White House says 20 internet companies will provide effectively free internet to millions of AmericansThe Biden administration announced Monday that 20 leading internet service providers have agreed to offer basic low cost plans that will be free for millions of Americans after a refund

That’s all for today, y’all – remember, taking time to focus on you is an act of love.

We hope you found this helpful – don’t hesitate to reply with any feedback on how we can improve future Mindful Moments! We can’t wait to hear from you.