The Intensity of Uncertainty â itâs real.
Weâre living through a really interesting period of time right now. When you think things canât get anymore intense â they somehow do. Iâve always understood that change is the only constance in life â but as a friend of mine recently said, âcan the intensity please pull back?â.
Swimming in Uncertainty
Until recently, the bulk of the past 5 years have felt like I was flailingâ at times drowningâ in a sea of uncertainty.
Starting with my momâs passing1, I was thrown into a journey of grief so overwhelming, it was debilitating. Soon after that, the pandemic2 emerged like a beast on a mission to eat up the world, forcing everyone to take cover, not really knowing how long it would take to kill or tame the beast. Then, literally, right after the beast emerged, my husband and I had to vacate our house and I had to unexpectedly close my online store, which had us diving deep into trying to understand what was next for us, and my workâall in the midst of still grieving. (The silver lining here was that we got to spend the lockdown with my sister at her house). The constant unknowns of the beast continued, and we all then were witness to the jaw dropping, scary3, political craziness4 that ensued for far too long. After that, my husband and I moved across the country to be greeted by the newest astronomical hikes in the cost of living in California, all while my husbandâs work plans fell throughâŠ.these are just a few of the many experiences that made our tsunami of uncertainty and intensity feel like it would never end.
Although what I just shared is my storyâ Iâm pretty sure many of you may have experienced parts of it in your own way, along with your own personalized encounters of uncertainty, intensity or both.
Changing Skies, Changing Tides
Going back to theme of astrology I started last week, everyone's charts are unique. How the current patterns in the sky affect me, could be wildly different for you.
For example, during the pandemic there are people I know that LOVED their time through lockdown. Their jobs pretty seamlessly moved to being remote, they no longer had a commute and it was the first time they really were able to enjoy being at home with their family without the pressures of work travel, juggling kids extra-circulars, family obligations, etc. etc. They had spare time to renovate parts of their home, indulge in new hobbies, catch up on sleep, plant a garden, cook, workout and connect with the ones close to them in a whole different way. I have to say, I was pretty envious of those people :).
Iâm relieved to share that over the past year, we (my husband and I) have started to feel things shift. We both feel a little lighterâlike weâve finally been able to catch our breath and are starting to feel a little sand (ground) under our feet. Not only are our stars (astrological charts) changing, but through the prolonged intensity of uncertainty, weâve grown and continue to grow exponentially.
Thankfully weâve had and continue to have a lot of support and grace to lean on. And from the beginning we were fortunate to have in practice a few priceless tools we knew would help us stay afloat. However tsunamiâs have a way of submerging you so deeply. And in those moments you have choice of holding your breath and trying your best to ride it out. Or you can consciously put into practice tools you have, tools youâve had but never used and/or you can actively seek out additional new onesâ tools that could potentially help you breath under water, techniques that could help you navigate the choppy waters and practices that could help you stay connected to your true north. The choice is always yours.
The Common Humanity of It All â whose turn is it?
In talking with several family and friends over the past few weekâ itâs clear that the current changing skies are creating changing tides. Which means, the common humanity of it all, is that while some us might personally be feeling a little relief, others may just be beginning or in the midst of swimming in the deep seas of uncertainty and intensity. And, just like during the pandemic, I think we all feel the global intensity and effects of uncertainty that raging wars, political disharmony and changing economies createâso in some ways, weâre all encountering these murky waters, just in different levels of intensity.
So how do we deal with daily stress and angst of the current times we live in?
Stress & Angstâ the effects of uncertainty and intensity on the human body + mind
The beauty of the human body is that it is designed to deal with stressâ acute stressâ NOT CHRONIC STRESS. Acute stress in healthy doses is actually good for helping us thrive and survive. But overtime if we find ourselves living in a constant state of stressâ we will begin to feel it, mentally and physically. It will affect our sleep, our digestion, our energy levels, our reactions and our attitudes. And eventually prolonged stress has the potential to manifest into more serious physical and mental health issues. (This could be whole post in itself!)
Stress activates our sympathetic nervous system â our primitive stress response that is grounded in the survival instincts that kept our ancestors alive. It was designed to activate our adrenal glands to help us fight, take flight or freeze in emergency systems; like when a hunter would come face to face with its prey or even now when weâre put in dangerous and life-threatening situations. The physiological changes the body undergoes during stress is what gave hunters the ability to run if they were being chases, and can give a human the ability to lift a heavy object like a car off another human â feats that generally seem almost impossible. When these stress hormones are released they suppress other functions in the body, like digestion and increase your heart rate, by having your heart pump faster so that that energy can be redirected towards your limbs â so one can respond to danger â fight, flight or freeze.
Then, after an acute, stress-induced crisis is over, our body naturally activates the parasympathetic nervous systemâwhich helps facilitates the recovery of the body, so that those suppressed functions can turn back on and your body can recover from the intensity. This is also known as rest and digest.
However, these days â daily stresses of life and the effects of constant uncertainty and intensity seem to trigger our nervous system into a constant state of fight-flight-freeze. And since our body was not designed to be a chronic state of stress, we see a rise in physical and mental illnesses âdigestive issues, heart issues, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety disorders, insomnia, obesity, autoimmune diseases, etc, etc. âbecause when our mind-body units are stuck in a constant state of stress, our body is not able to naturally activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Itâs too busy activating the adrenal glands and suppressing other major functions of the body â so that we can get through our never-ending âemergencyââ which means the body is never given an opportunity to naturally facilitate the recovery of the mind-body unit it needs.
Be Prepared: daily tools to help you stay afloat.
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