Overwhelmed? Go Small.
I just want to live in precedented times.
This quote has haunted me for months. It addresses our collective weariness as the result of forging ahead amidst ongoing current events so disturbing, we can feel adrift in a sea of headlines tossing us about.
The whiplash-nature of present circumstances may culminate in an unanticipated side-effect: your once-helpful tools for wellbeing — sanity — may seem fractured. Your traditional go-tos for self-care — like Reiki, yoga, or breathwork — might not have the same instantaneously effective results they once produced.
The aforementioned lineages were never intended to be a quick fix. Yet, there was once a palpable, jubilant sensation after leaving an inspiring yoga class, for example. A post-class floaty sense of being united in mind-body-spirit used to carry you for days. Now, you: leave class; check phone; read news; perceive a cloud of dread; re-traumatize self; repeat. As a Reiki practitioner and yoga teacher, I’ve witnessed clients and students whose Reiki sessions and yoga asana-practices have recently been unmasking hidden layers of stress etched from the previous 2 years.
Our spiritual disciplines didn’t stop working. Rather, they’re being tested in a way we’ve never experienced in our lifetimes. We’re asking them to carry us through more severe and traumatic events than ever before.
Well, that’s heavy.
Yes, at first.
When we are in a world of pain…it’s easy to think that the feeling will be evermore. - Rachael Nixon for Elephant Journal
The trials you’re facing may seem like a suffocating dust-storm, but they will eventually be the grains that polish you back into the diamond you always were.
We are in a marathon, not a race. Do not give up.
Instead, substitute the grind of frantic movement of “doing and chasing” to sustainable moments of being. Swap longer, detailed practices for simple, repeated, accessible habits that build resilience.
More being; less doing.
Go small.
All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow…And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time. ― James Clear, Atomic Habits
Rather than stressing over attending a certain amount of yoga classes a week, or thinking only an expensive, overseas retreat will bring mental peace, instead access your available, accessible resources.
Go small = 1% improvement each day in creating sustainable practices.
This may look something like:
yoga class < 1 minute of silence 3 times/day
Reiki session < 1 Reiki precept as your intention for the day
busy schedule < “schedule” 10 minutes for a phone-free walk outdoors once a week
hours of doom-scrolling < read something inspirational for 10 minutes/day
…improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable—sometimes it isn’t even noticeable—but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run. The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done (Clear).
I’ve been resourcing more available actions, including: stopping to pause at my altar upon waking, and taking a few quiet breaths before I enter or leave any situation, like picking up groceries. These small but meaningful gestures help me — often even more than blocking out an entire hour for a class or session. I’m using the foundational aspects of the lineages I teach and promote — meditation, self-inquiry, self-study, reflection, and gratitude — to honor the marathon of life. These small steps create resilience and pave the way for more meaningful, transformational experiences when I consciously create time to step on my yoga mat, practice self-Reiki, or receive channeled Reiki from a practitioner.
We are dynamic creatures, and our practices have to shift, evolve, expand, and sometimes simplify. The sustainable, repeatable care we nurture ourselves with can make profound shifts each day, better preparing us for the long road ahead.
