Re-Connecting When You Feel Lost
“Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more important it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey.” – John O’Donohue
Ever have moments where you feel super anxious, when there are a million possibilities swirling around in your head about how to handle decisions related to family, children, relationships, jobs, health, or spirituality? Big or small, feeling unsure about what to do can wreak havoc on your self-confidence.
There are many different ways to re-connect to a place of trust and comfort when you feel lost, even if it seems as if you’re upset over a trivial matter. Trivial or not, feeling confused can affect our ability to focus on other things in our lives, so finding some way to re-connect is essential to keeping us grounded.
Here are some ways to re-focus when everything seems out of control:
- Move. Somehow, somewhere, however many times a day your schedule will allow – incorporate some movement into your day, whether it’s in the form of walking around the block, practicing yoga, climbing stairs, or anything else. Find something that challenges you comfortably and focus on it – because it’s very hard to think about anything else if you’re focused on getting through a physical challenge. Afterwards, you may find that your mind is clearer and you can reason through your dilemma more easily.
- Meditate. Yes, the dreaded recommendation to meditate! We’re saying it, along with the rest of the world – meditation can help. Yes, it may take many sessions to see long-term benefits, but you have to trust that the benefits are indeed there. Even if you spend 1 minute breathing in an out and have to re-focus your wandering mind 45 times during those 60 seconds, you’re still putting in the hard work necessary to retrain your mind to focus and tune out the white noise of your mental chatter. Over time, it will get easier and you will be less susceptible to being distracted.
- Write it out. Grab a sheet of paper and a pen and just go to town. Write down anything and everything that’s on your heart. You might see that even if you are struggling with something you consider trivial, writing out your feelings in an unfiltered, stream-of-consciousness manner can shed light on underlying internal issues that cloud your perspective.
- Talk it out. It can be hard to find a friend who will allow you to vent – but if you find one, take the opportunity. Go out to lunch or coffee (or better yet – go on a walk) with a trusted friend and open your heart to them. You may find that simply talking out your feelings is a great way to relieve some of their weight and can help you think more clearly about difficult decisions that may be clouding your focus.
- Spend time doing your favorite hobby. Channel your energy into something that you’ve always turned to when you feel down, bored, or anxious. Maybe you are a knitting machine, or an amateur master chef, or a car enthusiast, or a fan of laying in the grass staring up at the stars. Find whatever it is that calms you down and grounds you back into your element – and do it often. This is an important way to re-connect to the core of who you are, and in the process, you’ll slowly gain a better sense of how to navigate difficult situations in a way that best serves your soul.
What are some other ways in which you re-connect to yourself?
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