These are unprecedented times. Yup, it’s been a little crazy lately across the globe to say the least. I don’t know about you but I’m no expert in navigating a global pandemic. I’ve definitely had my moments full of fear and uncertainty. Like you, I’ve been moving and adapting to the latest; I know many people are in full-blown survival mode right now, they’ve lost their businesses or seen their incomes dwindle overnight. Lives have been upended and families are scrambling to create a new normal as parents feel overwhelmed trying to work from home while homeschooling their kids, all the while trying to not lose their minds or their tempers (or maybe that’s just me? 🤔). Still, others feel isolated and lonely with too much time on their hands. Whatever your personal circumstances may be, I think we can all agree that it’s a challenging time to say the least.

For many, when we’re in survival mode the first thing we do is cut anything we deem as ‘not necessary’. Unfortunately this is often our self-care. I get it, many people are fearful and the last thing they feel like doing, or have time for is their own self-care. Especially when they’re just trying to get through the day. Most of us are stuck in a fight or flight state with our nervous systems ramped up on high alert reacting to the world around us. But I’d argue this is precisely why we NEED to be focusing on our self-care right now — especially a spiritual practice. 

I’ve written this blog to share with you what you can do to maintain a sense of well-being during this time and what I’ve found to be working for me. I want to gently remind you that this isn’t about perfection or making you feel inadequate. Let’s check the idealism at the door, pronto! We’re not looking to add stress or comparison. Honor where you’re at right now. Maybe you’re full of energy and rearing to go and have revamped your basement into a make-shift home gym and yoga studio. Or maybe you’re feeling withdrawn and fearful and have become best buds with Mr. Netflix and Mrs. Pinot Noir. Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum that’s okay, no judgement. There’s no right way to be right now. So be kind and gentle with yourself. 

The point I want to make is this; we’re experiencing a global pandemic crisis, yes, but that doesn’t mean your well-being has to go out the window. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Your ability to preserver and navigate this difficult time with intuitive wisdom and be there for those who need you the most depends on your devotion to your self-care and balancing your own energy system. 

So let’s look at the ways 3 ways you can make a powerful pivot and prioritize your well-being even now:

1. Get still and create a spiritual practice tuning into your own intuitive guidance.

There’s a lot of voices out there and many of them are caught up in a dialogue of fear and scarcity. While staying informed and aware of what’s going on is important, what’s MORE important is to limit your consumption of news and social media, especially if you’re an empath and sensitive to the energy of those around you. 

It may seem like the whole world is in a state of fight or flight, but you don’t have to be. YOU have control over your thoughts, feelings and actions and it’s your choice what dialogue you have playing in your own mind. 

Self-sovereignty is queen in times like these. Choosing to turn off the voices of fear and instead tune into the voice of love within you is the most empowering choice you can make right now. 

One thing I’ve learnt in my life having gone through many difficult things such as divorce, abuse, chronic illness, loss of loved ones and even a natural disaster, is that I can do hard things, and I’m resilient. When life gets real and shit hits the fan, I lean into my faith and my intuition like my life depends on it because, well, it does.

Responding to life from a grounded place of calm and clarity vs reacting to a situation from a place of frantic fearful energy dramatically effects not just the immediate outcome, but your long term health and well-being. 

My friend, if you do anything right now find a moment to be still and go inward. This place of stillness inside you will be your refuge.

The answers to all that you seek are found by listening to the wisdom of your soul. Whether it’s how to pivot financially in this time of crisis, how to figure out how to manage everything that’s been piled on your plate when you’re feeling overwhelmed, or even how to adopt a new perspective shifting from a state of fear to one of hope and peace. 

I’m a recovering people pleaser and spent so much of my life seeking answers outside myself. I’d run around asking everyone else, “What do you think I should do?” Then one day I realized that all the answers I sought were inside me and that I was the expert on all things me. Of course, we can glean wisdom from those around us, but nothing trumps the wisdom of your own soul. Period. 

I’ve always said that you are the expert on all things you. Please stop looking outside yourself for the answers because no one else can tell you what’s best for you other than you. Be still, go inward and listen to the voice of love and wisdom within you to find direction and confidence to take the next right action.  

If you don’t have a spiritual practice and want to learn how to create one check out my blog post: How To Create Your Own Spiritual Practice and Why It’s Essential or check out my course The Peaceful Woman Practice. 

2. Get clear on your priorities using this insight to help you pivot and adapt to how life has changed for you. 

As a result of this global pandemic the world as we know it has changed. Whether that change in your life is relatively mild or your life has completely blown-up overnight. Regardless, now is a time to get still, reflect and re-group. 

When someone comes to me feeling burnt out, overwhelmed or just wanting to create change in their life, I lead them through a blueprint I created called The Priority Playbook. If there was ever a time to sit and reflect on what truly matters and what doesn’t, it’s now and in this free online mini-course I walk you through a simple step-by-step process to get clear on your priorities so that you can adapt and create some order amid the chaos.

Now that my family is home together 24/7 my plate is FULL. Our previous family schedule no longer works for us under these new circumstances and in order to keep some sort of calm and order, I had to pivot. I used The Priority Playbook to help me do this and create a new scaffolding for our lives that allows time for what matters most — including our self-care. Give it a try for free here. 

One of the gifts we’re being offered right now is an opportunity to re-evaluate how we live our lives. What works and what doesn’t. What’s life giving and what’s draining. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and completely stressed out, it’s a time to take your metaphorical house down to the studs by becoming aware of matters most and what deserves your time, energy and attention and toss the rest. It’s time to get introspective and re-design your life in a way that fosters your well-being. 

3. Surrender it all over, grow your faith and trust that the Universe has your back. 

Surrendering is HARD but it’s also where the magic happens. I’ve spent so much of my life getting my butt kicked by this life lesson and I swear I feel like a have a PhD in the art of surrendering because it’s something I practice on the regular. Trusting in a Divine force of Love that is greater than ourselves and believing that life is happening FOR us and not against us can be difficult, especially when it feels like the cards are stacked against us. 

While trying to control things can offer us a false sense of security, the reality is that besides our own actions, we can’t control a damn thing and the more we try, the greater our suffering. The sooner we realize that and decide to trust in a force bigger than ourselves, one that has the greater good in mind, the more inner peace and faith we can experience. Releasing our attachment to how we think things ought to be and surrendering to how they actually are may seem scary but it’s where we find our freedom. 

Surrendering doesn’t mean being passive or feeling helpless. No way! To surrender means to trust life and to have faith that the Divine force of Love that created the Universe has your back all the while taking inspired action as led by your intuition and inner guidance. This is why a spiritual practice is so important as it’s a way to regularly surrender all your cares and worries to the Universe and then receive guidance and clarity on the next right action from your own intuitive soul wisdom. 

When we lose faith, we have two choices: We can get hooked into our fear stories and try to control things OR we can surrender to the Universe and welcome guidance to restore our faith. Whenever you choose the latter, you will be guided back to faith and love. Faith is always available to you when you choose to suspend your disbelief and let the Divine take the lead; even when life is scary and things seem like they’re falling a part.  By surrendering our agendas, anxieties and allowing ourselves to be open to receive support from the Divine we can relax, trust and have faith that all our needs will be met and that everything will be okay. 

If you’re reading this and you’re thinking you need some help or guidance with any of my suggestions then please reach out to me either by emailing me or DM’ing me on instagram. If you need more in-depth counseling and support, I offer one-on-one sessions online that you can learn more about here. I’m here to help you, know you’re not alone. 

As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below and feel free to share this with a friend who you feel needs some lovin’ right now. 

Here for you, 

xo M