By taking this step back, by pulling away from the swirl of it all, I was able to connect to what I needed at this moment. I connected to a community of support. I connected to the present more acutely and consciously than I have in months if not years.

And I found myself grateful. Realizing that each morning is a gift. A precious opportunity to offer more.

We are not in a sprint right now, this is a marathon. And I believe it to be vital to take care of ourselves not as a means to "check out" from what's happening, but to charge our batteries, to nourish ourselves so that we can show up externally from a grounded, clear, compassionate and thoughtful place.

I shared this challenge with my therapist this week and she invited me to explore a different perspective. What if the project wasn't about the outcome, what if the project was the process itself?

I start to peel away the layers, slide past the news stories, untether from the short term and the long term fears. When I look deep down at what I'm feeling. When I distill it down to its core essence, I find feelings I have encountered before.

Fill your awareness with the sense of all life. Feel the abundance, the expansion and the interconnectedness of it all.

With that space, I find that I can respond, rather than react. I get less tangled, less caught up in the thoughts, feelings, emotions. I find that I can make choices and actions from a more peaceful and grounded place.

And by sitting and observing, it helps ease some of that ickiness. I find there is less resistance and more space.

So often we jam in too many things because of the shoulds. Because we believe that if we are capable of doing something then we should do it. Rather than asking ourselves, do we have the space, the resources, the support to do it?

Sometimes letting go feels good. It's energizing and inspiring. At other times, it can feel heavy, sad, difficult even.

Sometimes it's just dancing. Full body, sweaty, head-shaking, eyes-closed, heart-filled movement.

The daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal practices are what help keep my mind from spinning out or help bring me back a bit sooner if I'm already racing.

Begin to feel the ease, the calm, the peace that you feel when you are in this space bubble up.

A bit of a choose your own adventure today.

Balance does not mean that there is perfection in all of the pieces. It requires negotiation. It requires a dance of shifting priorities.

I let the plans, the dreams, the challenges, the fears evaporate with the summer humidity. I experienced a feeling of deep contentment. I felt secure, safe and whole.

It didn’t matter so much about what the practice looked like, it was more about practicing consistently.

My attention becomes so focused on the breath that the worrying thoughts slip out of my awareness for a moment. It is the way I have found to step out of the spin of anxiety.

It was then I began my relationship with restoration. Relaxation does not come from effort, from trying, from force. I’ve found that the body doesn’t respond as readily to instructions to relax. Rather, it takes time.

Rather than focusing on the discomfort, the stress, the uncertainty that might be present for you, what about bringing attention to the reality that whatever may be arising is temporary?