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How are you going to find God in your everyday life today? How will you reach out to someone different everyday to stay in touch? 
How are you going to find God in your everyday life today? How will you reach out to someone different everyday to stay in touch? Some things you could do while at home:
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This may feel like the end of the world for you. You don’t get to see your friends, go to school, play sports or do your favorite extracurriculars, or see your family members. You may feel a sense of uncertainty as to when things will go back to normal again. You may feel afraid for yourself or your family members, and for everyone’s safety. You may feel angry, confused, anxious, depressed, sad, or just a big jumble of all of these emotions. That’s ok. These are valid feelings, and while this may not make you feel better, I will say everyone copes with this differently. You are not the first person to feel this way about this time, and you won’t be the last. While these feelings may be unavoidable, you can try to center yourself around what makes you happy. It may be doing your favorite activity, watching TV or listening to music, going outside, FaceTiming your friends, or being with your family. More importantly, try to find God through all of this. Say a quick prayer when you are feeling stressed out or need to refocus. Look for signs of God in the people in your life right now. Admire the creation God has made for us, and really take some time to meditate on his love for us. These won’t prevent how you feel, but you can control how you react to these emotions. Everyone is in this together, and we will get through this. Just remember that everyone is suffering uniquely right now, and it’s ok to be not ok. Just live everyday here and now.
Something important to remember about this is that everyone is in pain somehow, someway. Some days, I find myself questioning my faith and what God’s plan really is for this. A constant question I ask myself is why did this happen? I am upset that I have to miss out on things now too. No one else wants to hear about other people’s suffering, but it is important. I need to remember that too sometimes. When I have these feelings, I like to think of the things I am grateful for. Gratitude is a humbling thing, and it is so easy to practice in your daily lives. I am thankful for essential workers, my family and friends, my house. Most importantly, I am thankful for my faith. I have God, who will lead me through this time. He will give me strength when I need it, hold me up when I am crumbling, give me love and reassurance when I seek it. He is only a prayer away. I try to remember to not only reach out to my family and friends, but to reach out to God. To connect with him spiritually, through prayer and meditation. It helps me to remember that there is a purpose of this, and my faith being tested of part of God’s plan for me. I try to look for God in myself and in others. It is important to reach out to God to lean on as we tend to do with our family and friends. He is always there, just maybe not as obvious as someone we see a lot in person may be. How will you connect with God everyday? How will you allow yourself to “lean” on God?
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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6-
Steps forwardIn this new normal- make sure you prioritize being gentle with yourself. You need some time every day to refresh and nurture yourself, whether you used to do this before or not. Build it into your routine. Routines bring peaceI’m pretty sure I’m known as a boring person! Routines and a strong rhythm or consistency to my days have always soothed me. Creating a new routine and structure for your days- no matter how basic- can really hold you up! The things I try to fit in my days include, hot coffee and good food, work, exercise, friendship, joy or laughs, spirituality, mind challenges, creativity and discipline (something that is hard for me to do or an annoying job). I don’t do everything every day, but I try to fit it in throughout the week and shift things around if I notice I’m out of balance. New additions for your routineA new day is a good time to add new parts to your routine or ways of thinking. -Dax Shepard’s podcast Experts on Expert-with Michael Gervais- a high-performance psychologist for sports teams and corporations can be listened to here and more on Michael Gervais here. Other new routines- getting outside rain or shine, yoga online, Fr Tom McCarthy or Old St Pats online, mindfulness. I really like Louise Shanagher - a children's therapist & mindfulness teacher from Ireland who's work can be found here. Understanding emotions through moviesGreat movies about hope and creating a new day for yourself: Undefeated - (we just found this movie and LOVED IT!) A list of inspirational football movies available on Netflix can be accessed here. Peanut Butter Falcon Good Will Hunting Plus- you’ve got to try to keep laughing. Funny shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm or Modern Family. Mindfulness hackI love the idea of mindfulness hacks. Hacks are the idea that when you are doing everyday things- like washing the dishes, or your hands- that you use the moment to notice the sound of the water, feel the water on your skin, breathe slowly in and out and get lost in that moment. Another idea is noticing the weather for a moment, or pay attention to your breath and thoughts while you walk outside. Use these moments to get outside of your head for a minute, breathe and notice your thoughts. You can also notice and name what your are grateful for in that moment. Science shows that when you experience these moments you become happier and it also leads your brain to rewire for more happiness later! |
I feel like this is a new day. Life was very much changed - at least in the short term- and there’s not really anything we can do about it, except respond. I’m just hoping to do that with grace and positivity. To get back on track and keep moving forward.
In a way this seems familiar to me. Due to a lot of family challenges, life changed a lot and in drastic ways pretty often my whole life. When you are a child, or teenager, or even young adult, your universe is kind of set by the people around you. You might love your home or school, friends or new job...but then someone you love does something that can’t be taken away. They died, or broke down, or quit their job, or got arrested, or did something awful and had to leave. And suddenly life was changed for you. You had to move, or not see them anymore, or couldn’t just have a care free time because life was filled with real troubles that worried you. You were not able to undo what happened or change the outcome. It was a new day. So I feel like my life re-started a lot of times. In a way, it’s almost best when forces outside of yourself cause these problems. It means at least you don’t have to get stuck in the why did this happen part of this shock. It just happened. It’s a shame. But today is a new beginning. All we can do is our best. Acknowledge your hurt, but then be positive and move forward. Welcome those who are helping you. Notice the hope all around you. Every glimmer, no matter how small. You’d be surprised how powerful tiny spots of light are...think of how you can feel the warmth of the sun when it shines on your face, even on a chilly day. It's a choice... facing a new dayIt takes a lot of courage to move ahead when life has changed and face your new reality. But the opposite of awareness and growth...Is complacency. There is often a strong urge to react to a big change by clinging to the “before”. Forgetting that this major shift has happened and trying my best to cling to my old life works for awhile usually, until it doesn’t. Complacency means getting “overly comfortable” and you end up getting stuck in a place that doesn’t work for you anymore. Embracing hope and change means moving forward. More on the science of development https://trainugly.com Great video explaining The Growth Mindset for sports or learning here. 3 questions to help get clarityA good friend of mine sent a letter out at the beginning of shelter in place. She was a temporary foster mother to over 50 babies over 10 years and then started her own venture - a beautiful, free playspace in Woodlawn to honor families and create community in an area often devoid of a lot of hope. There was so much momentum and joy built up there in the 3 years since Debbie opened the doors. We are collaborative partners and I loved going to Hellobaby every week. She’s had to suspend Hellobaby until we all figure out a way to play together in a way that is safe for everyone. In the letter, she shared her heartbreak and worries, as well as hope for a return to each other and celebrating how she could continue to honor Hellobaby families through the crisis. Her letter opened with: Friends, What are you grieving? What are you accepting? What are you celebrating? This letter and 3 questions have been an important starting point for me to face this new day. Please explore Hellobaby by clicking here. Music that helps you face a new dayI’ve always loved traditional Irish music - to listen to and play. Because it’s been a constant in my life since I have been little, plus it has been passed down for generations, I think it relaxes me. It is kind of a security to me, like a life force that will always be around.
Raina by Peter Himmelman was written as a “hopeful lullaby for his daughter’s birth. Himmelman is an awesome musician, but also very funny and soulful. “When my daughter was born, it was one of those moments when the world of television and Madonna and Heinz ketchup wilts away. There’s been a lightning bolt, a miracle, and you can see that God really exists in the world. It’s a gift, and then it closes up. You’re (back to everyday life), wondering how you’re going to make it to your agent’s by 4:30. When I sing it onstage, it’s possible that I can get back to that (miraculous) place. That’s the motivation for that one.” - From LA Times
Besides his music, he’s got a recent book about bringing your ideas to life, artwork, kids books, and podcasts. They can be found here.
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