Life can feel like a lot right now.
The news, world events, our constantly on culture, rising costs, health concerns, daily stressors…
It can feel like a lot for our human selves to navigate.
Our emotional capacity as humans, which developed over time to aid in our survival, has not had time to catch up to the massive breadth of information and stimuli to which we are exposed these days.
So it’s up to us, each of us, to find our sweet spot of how to manage what can sometimes feel like a barrage of heaviness from unfathomable world events simultaneous with the daily stressors in our lives.
To navigate, there are countless avenues of self development work available in courses, books, seminars, retreats, self study opportunities and so on – including life itself.
I want to offer you a tool that has been helpful for me and so many others: reframing.
Reframing is essentially changing your perspective to allow the significance or weight of something to shift in a constructive way.
- It’s not denying the facts of a situation.
- It’s not toxic positivity.
- It’s changing your lens to something more intentionally constructive and emotionally manageable, so you can go about your life in a productive way and not feel weighed down by the world/stress/etc.
Choosing a reframe that serves you well can allow you to manage your days and experience life in a richer and more meaningful way.
These words from the writer Jasmine Wilder encapsulate it well:
- “When you step back, not dramatically, not spiritually, not in some grand cosmic way, just one small pace, the story shifts. The edges soften. The noise loses a little of its grip. You can feel your shoulders drop before you even realize how long they were raised. Nothing outside of you changes. Only the frame does. The problems don’t vanish. The world doesn’t suddenly behave. But from a little farther away, the moment stops pressing its full weight into your chest.”
Consider choosing a reframe for the next time the news hits you hard or you have a difficult interaction: step back, just a bit, allowing the edges of your experience to soften and opening the window for your thoughts + feelings to shift.
For a quick reframe, choose awe. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Go outside at night and stare up, marveling at the vast expanse of stars over your head.
- Think about how many events, chance encounters and seemingly small things had to transpire in just the right order for you to be born and be here today.
- Take a walk in nature – on the beach, in a park, in your garden, etc. – and notice how nature exists. Seeds turn into grass, flowers, trees. Plants turn sunlight into energy. It’s truly amazing.
- Contemplate this: you have trillions (trillions!) of cells in your body. Each is engaged in countless processes and biochemical pathways. Molecules are always moving around. Nothing is static, even when you’re sitting totally still.
- One more time, a different way, because it’s so incredible: Trillions of cells are doing their best to keep you alive and well at this very moment, as you’re reading this. Wow!
This blog and website do not provide medical advice. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Always check with your own healthcare provider before taking a new supplement and before making any significant diet, lifestyle, exercise or other changes. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on this site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.