It feels like I am breathing in fear everywhere…observing the empty shelves at the grocery store, overhearing individual conversations, making contingency plans with friends and family as we scramble for childcare, even managing my own finances as events scheduled for months must be postponed or canceled. It is in times like these that I’m reminded that mindfulness does not solve our problems or make them go away…but it can help us cope. For the next several weeks I will be sharing free content that can help you manage fear, and perhaps even have some fun, as you are stuck at home with children, manage worried staff, and confront your own discomfort.
Fear is not a bad thing. It’s not a glitch in the system. Fear exists to promote survival. And there’s no getting away from it. No matter how brave we are, we all experience fear. After all, we are creatures with a consciousness aware of our own mortality. That’s some scary shit! Yet we go through life as though we are immortal…we do we must be done in our personal and professional lives and hopefully have a little fun too. But when disaster strikes – a death, a diagnosis, a global pandemic – we are reminded that our time here is finite. And fear makes her presence known, in our bodies, hearts, and minds.
I’m teaming up with teaming up Amanda M. Leftwich of @mindfulinlis to offer a live Meditation on Working With Fear, this Friday, 3/20 at 1 PM EST. Link for up to 100 people to join us via Zoom is https://zoom.us/j/232622992 . This is the most visceral uncertainty many of us have faced collectively. Let’s not allow social distancing to keep us from being in community. We hope to see you practice with us; may we all be happy, healthy, safe, and free.
For now, here is a webinar on compassion fatigue that I created a while back for Infopeople. Many of you who work in public service – teachers, librarians, nurses – are at-risk of compassion fatigue on the best of days. This webinar will help you name the experience and learn how self-care can prevent and even heal compassion fatigue, while guiding you through small self-care practices and helping you develop your own self-care plan. I hope it brings some comfort to you and your staff. More content will be shared daily on all of my social media channels: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Be sure to check it out.
Looking for custom distance learning to help your staff or community navigate these difficult times? Contact me!