Inspirations

Spring is upon us in the Northeast. This new season, more than any other, brings new beginnings. The birds begin to chirp, the trees begin to bud, and the flowers begin to bloom. Spring is also a time of transition; the cold dark nights fade away into warm sunny days. Hopefully, the warmer weather and longer periods of light are reducing your vulnerabilities to emotion dysregulation. Accordingly, Spring is a time of possibility and opportunity.  Can you see the new opportunities?  Do you find yourself with a renewed interest in movement and self care? It is important to bring intention to the present in order to benefit from the current seasonal change.

During this season of movement and transition, do you rise easily? After a long winter during a pandemic, many can find the new season a welcomed change. Have you had to use your radical acceptance skills to transition into Spring?  Have you cultivated a beginners mindset in order to be as willing as possible?

We are officially rolling into Spring this week, and the weather is showing it. Along with the added sunshine, there have been some horrific events of hate in the news recently. It is safe to say that all of us are saddened by these acts of violence. Sometimes fear can lead to negative judgements. We take this week as an opportunity to remind everyone why it is important to challenge our fears and judgments of others.

When we notice fears pop up in ourselves, it is easy to feel alarmed. Instead of following fearful judgments, we can try stopping and slowing down. In DBT, we practice loving kindness in our mindfulness exercises. In this practice, we actively send love and compassion to ourselves first, then others, in an effort to let go of judgements.

Can you think of a recent time when something scared you? Can you remember the last time that you had negative judgments that led to hostile feelings? We hope you can use your STOP skill, slow down and practice loving kindness. How can you practice more love and compassion this week?

We are three weeks away from declaring one year in a pandemic. For many of us, this anniversary prompts grief, loss, and sadness. For others, it can be an opportunity to reflect on progress, change, and perspective, and may motivate us to set goals.  Both of these states of minds are valid. In the next couple of weeks leading up to the one year mark, we are reminded of an important dialectic; being mind versus doing mind.

Being mind is the awareness, acceptance, and curiosity of your physical and emotional self. In this state of mind we practice mindfulness of our current emotions as a way to notice our experiences without an agenda. In doing so we are able to focus on the uniqueness of each moment and allow our thoughts, emotions, urges, and sensations to be as they are. Being mind can be challenging. At the same time, it allows us to discover what is needed for our bodies and our minds.

There are several ways we can practice getting into our being mind. First, we allow ourselves to be present with our current emotions, thoughts, and sensations. Our goal is to notice without judgment and to focus on feeling versus doing. As a way to help guide us through this practice, we use our breath. Breathing serves as an important grounding agent to help us fully participate in the present moment. While in being mind, try breathing in for five counts and out for seven.

As acknowledged previously, amidst the upcoming one year mark of the pandemic, we honor that there may be an urge to plan, make changes, take action, and set goals. While this is a beneficial state of mind, we want to also acknowledge the importance of leaning into our being mind and tapping into the mindfulness of our current emotions. How are you finding stillness in your day? How are you stopping to notice how you are feeling? What is it like to be aware of your current emotions? Lastly, how are you using your breath to stay in the present moment?

With Valentine’s Day this past weekend, we figured love is in the air. What does love mean to you? Of course, love means different things to each of us. For many, love is a deep commitment and connection to someone or something. For some, love originates from within.  For others, love can be experienced from others or by oneself. Love isn’t only a feeling; it is an active experience.

How do you show love? Maybe its in the way you cook. Maybe its in the calls you make to check in. Love can be found in doing homework with kids or zoom calls with grandparents. Perhaps you show love by volunteering at your local food pantry. Some of us love ourselves in meditation and mindfulness disciplines.

Where do you love? We hope you have found at least one area of your life to build love. Over time, love can be found in your heart, in your homes and in your behavior. Love is a knowing beyond walls and specific relationships. Love is the mindful participation in your life that may lead to expanding your own experience in the world.

This week, as you experience love, we invite you to practice the DBT skill of mindfulness of your current emotion. When we practice this skill we can stand back and let go of distractions. Using this skill can increase our practice of kindness and compassion. Mindfulness of love can have the added benefit of reducing distress.

The National Weather Center said last weeks winter storm was a “powerful nor’easter”. Six days later the East Coast of the United States was blessed with, yet again, a nor’easter. Such storms have always been a part of winter in the Northeast. For some, two significant storms result in a great snowball fight and larger than life snowmen. For others, two nor’easters in one week, during a pandemic, feels particularly overwhelming.  The forces of nature are providing many of us significant challenges.

For some the challenges we face are external. Our commute is slower, our heat is more costly, and our sidewalks need to be shoveled. For some the forces of nature push up against our internal obstacles. Our mood is lower, we are noticing more loneliness and our movement is minimal.

How do we manage our mood when nature and the environment are so intense? We use the opportunity to practice mindfulness of the energy, formidability and color of our environment. It can also be a time to soothe ourselves with warmth, playful activities and cooking.  Above all we should practice radical acceptance of the normative forces of nature and take on the challenges it presents.