Day 92/366 Days Towards Self-Mastery. Mood: courageous
It was children that I was thinking about as I read today's challenge. What do you do with children all day, everyday when you are used to them going to school?
There's talk about homeschooling which I imagine, for someone who has never done that, is quite a challenge.
Here's what I think. Right now your priority must be to stay in your happy place. And not just you, but your children as well.
Your immune system will need all the help it can get, and your happy place is the very best place to find that help.
There's a raft of hormones and chemical changes in your body that I'm not going to get into, that are the consequence of staying in a joyful frame of mind. That's not to say that you should deny what's going on around us with CV-19.
Here's what I suggest. Stay updated by checking in with reliable news sources daily. Then spend the rest of your time figuring out how to have fun, stay close and connected with your family, lighten the tension and settle into quality family time.
What you do now will build resilience for future catastrophic events for you and those who look to you as a role model, so no effort on your part is ever wasted.
There's no way on God's green earth that staying at home with children would look like home-schooling to me.
Sarah has a great suggestion for an activity.
When you've got some time and energy for fun, play dress-ups!
Take out your favourite and maybe some of your wackiest glad rags that you keep especially for costume parties, and dress up in fun ways.
Maybe you decide on a theme. Maybe you mix everyone's clothes up and you all take turns at creating a fun costume.
Having fun right now is a priority. Of course, you first must have spent some time and energy on resourcing yourself for this CV-19 challenge. Once you're happy with your efforts and have outlined a plan for the time ahead of you, now it's time to focus on fun.
Fun activities like this not only have a very beneficial effect on your stress response, and your immune system, they also lead to a cascade of other shifts that will benefit you and your family greatly.
You'll create stronger bonds together. You know what they say about the family that plays together? They stay together. That means that this time builds connection and trust within your family unit.
You'll create wonderful memories together. Some time down the track those memories will hold each of you individually in good stead as you navigate future difficult times.
With fun and stronger bonds comes a sense of stability and security in the family unit. This is so important for children and other dependents. When we can sense that we are important to those closest to us, we're able to breathe well and relax. This opens space in our minds and hearts to begin to think about other things...
...things that leads to greater creativity. We're able to access our imagination, dream a little, imagine a future that is successful and healthy.
Imagination is responsible for more profound discoveries than learning ever will be. Even Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."
Have fun, be imaginative, stay well!
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?) I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
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