Monday Mindfulness
A pandemic care package
In April 2020, this page was created. My idea: give people free resources to “get through.” Now I realize we’re not “getting through,” we’re living with this pandemic. We’re inside it for an undetermined amount of time. This page is a refuge—a place where your mind and heart can rest. (New themes posted each month.) Choose the medicine you most need right now:
Looking for a different topic? Please contact me with ideas.
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letting go and filling up
MEDITATION
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
EVERYDAY AWARENESS PRACTICES
During this difficult time of pandemic, it’s natural for old, unhelpful habits to sneak back in. It’s also natural for nourishing habits to be at the bottom of the (endless) to-do list. It’s a good time to re-evaluate. What fills you up? What depletes you? Even during a pandemic, we have choices. They may be micro-choices but they’re still empowering. Instead of moving on autopilot, you can consciously let go and fill up.
Notice how you spend your time. Notice the people around—who feels real, helpful, and life-giving (and how can you spend more time in their presence, even via Zoom)? Notice the activities that nourish or energize you; notice the activities that drain you or leave you anxious. For example, what is your relationship to your phone, food, news, social media? When we look externally for approval, we often need internal acceptance and care. Feed your heart hunger: Choose an activity that fills you up.
Not sure what fills you up? Make a list of nourishing activities. Themes to consider: exercise, nutrition, sleep, friendship, connection, nature, creativity, rest, therapy, play, gratitude, art, technology breaks, giving, receiving, meditation, reflection, talking, listening, laughter, morning and evening routines, quiet time. Think broadly and write anything that comes into your mind or heart. When you think you’re finished, pause and write a little more.
If you hear yourself say (or think) “I should”, “I must”, “I have to”, or “there’s no other way,” try to pause. Pay attention to the ways you limit yourself. Look for new choices. Even micro-choices are helpful.
We play many roles in life, some of which we do on autopilot. It’s helpful to notice and question the different roles we play. What roles are important and heartfelt? What roles feel authentic? Which roles do I need to let go of? In which roles am I willing to change the way I act? Take one small step in this direction.
In your journal, draw a vertical line down the page. On the left side write, “What I need less of in life.” On the right side write, “What I need more of in life.” Write expressively (from your heart). Use bullet points or sentences. When you let go of something, there’s an open space. It’s important to fill that space intentionally, otherwise it’s filled on autopilot. After creating your lists, consider one small, doable step you can take to let go of something and to bring in something.
Nothing is permanent. Each day—each moment—we can begin again. Set an intention for moving forward (less of, more of) and when you forget, take a 3-breath pause, smile, and be willing to begin again.
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resting in gratitude
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
The world is filled with sadness and heartbreak: a global pandemic, stress on hospitals, mean-spirited politics, loss of sacred connection, loss of hugs, and loss of choices. But despair (or anger) is not a place we can sustainably inhabit. It eats us alive inside. Gratitude is a place of refuge: It’s a place we can live and breathe and rest. Not as a way to ignore what’s difficult but as a way to buoy our hearts in difficult times.
Find a gratitude buddy. Each day, exchange emails or texts with this person. You’re accountable to each other—you’re committed to practice gratitude—but you’re not required to reply to each other. It’s a low-stakes commitment. Each day, you share an ordinary gratitude. Each day, you receive an ordinary gratitude. What a wonderful way to connect during a pandemic!
Many of us practice gratitude every so often, when we remember to remember. The practice is most helpful when it’s intentional and regular. Choose a gratitude pathway that works for you. For example, write in your journal each morning or evening, share during a family meal, find a gratitude buddy, or reflect on three gratitudes as you lie down to sleep. Commit to a doable practice for two weeks and notice how you feel.
All of us experience bad moods. It’s part of being human. If you’re feeling sad, mad, lonely, anxious, or blue, use gratitude to shift your mood. This can be hard! When we’re feeling crappy we often want to stay feeling crappy. But give it a try: write down 10 things for which you’re grateful. And then let yourself smile. And then maybe laugh or dance or twirl. Any minor shift in a bad mood is a good thing.
Use gratitude phrases while walking outside. With each step, “thank you, earth,” or whatever appreciation phrase feels most natural to you. Thank you, earth. Thank you, trees. Thank you, snowflakes. Each step can be a gentle (or playful) gratitude practice.
Give a genuine “thank you” to service people. Wearing a mask can bring us inward during our errands. Yet making eye contact with a service worker, pausing, and giving a genuine "thank you," can connect us in ordinary yet deep ways during this pandemic. Instead of rushing through the store, pause at checkout (or wherever service workers are) and give a wholehearted thank you.
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Calming the System
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
We’re living within a global pandemic and a heated election looms. We’re inundated with visual stimuli, information, and distractions. It’s natural to feel anxious. Yet it’s also possible to calm our system. Not a 180-degree shift from anxiety to complete spa-day relaxation, but a 5-degree shift from anxiety to a bit more ease (and then a little more). Small steps toward calm.
Pause regularly throughout the day (just a 3-breath pause). Notice what you’re doing, how you’re holding your body, and if there’s room for ease. Breathe naturally and then slowly extend your exhalation. When our out-breath is longer than our in-breath, it activities the parasympathetic nervous system (our rest-relax system).
Take a walk outside without your phone. Let nature calm you. Feel the softness of the earth, perspective of the trees, and listen to sounds. Unplug from technology and surround yourself with the natural world.
Create space in your daily schedule. Place a 1, 5, or 10-minute break between meetings, appointments, or tasks—use this time not to get things done or check your phone, but to pause and reflect. (Note: You can take a pause with other people. Invite them—and yourself—to sit quietly for 1 minute of deep breathing.)
Notice the people you surround yourself with. Who feels real, helpful, and life-giving? Spend more time with these people. Additionally, notice the people who share gossip or spread fearful news. Limit your time with these people (set firm, kind boundaries).
When we’re especially activated, it’s difficult to settle and calm. (Think of people who’ve said to you, “Just relax,” and how hard that is when we’re in a tough space!) Sometimes movement can calm our system. Walk around the block. Stretch your body. Dance, twirl, or sway. Shake out your limbs. Allow energy to move through (and out of) your body.
In your journal—or on a scrap piece of paper—make a list of all the activities that calm you. Think broadly (be creative!) and write freely. When you believe you’ve listed everything, write and reflect more. Create a big list of relaxing, nourishing activities. Remember these are available to you. (Optional extra: Draw or color the list and post it prominently in your home.)
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Healing our relationships
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
Relationships are a rich place to pay attention. People are complicated! (And all of us are meeting our edges during this pandemic.) It’s an interesting paradox: we need other people so we can commune, connect, and thrive, yet other people disappoint and hurt us, intentionally or not. The dance of relationships is both graceful and clunky; joyful and humbling; beautiful and messy. We all lose our s**t. And we can begin again. Pause, breathe, make amends, and move forward.
Often, we think we know everything about people close to us. Yet people can surprise us, especially if we’re willing to be surprised. Choose one person in your life and really listen to them. Notice three new qualities about this person. Look for their light.
Use “touch points” to stay grounded during conversation. Soften your belly; feel your breath. Notice your feet on the ground. If it’s a difficult discussion, place your hand gently on your heart.
Listening is a great mindfulness exercise. Let the other person be your “anchor.” When you notice you’re lost in thoughts, bring your attention back to the other person. Give yourself permission to listen deeply. Don’t fix or solve or prepare your answers, just listen.
Do you consistently take care of others yet ignore yourself? Create a basic self-care list and attend to it each day. (When we ignore our own needs, resentment builds.)
Boundaries are helpful! “Boundary setting” can be viewed as a last resort in troubled relationships, yet it’s a vital piece of healthy relationships. What boundaries do you need to set? Where can you say “no” in order to say “yes”? And how can you honor the boundaries of others?
What is your relationship with yourself? Notice your inner-speech and judgments. When we forgive ourselves, we’re more willing to forgive others. When we’re patient with ourselves, we’re more patient with others. Compassion outward begins from within.
Take a 3-breath pause. If you’re about to speak from anger, pause. If you’re about to say something critical (especially about something insignificant), pause. If you feel overwhelmed, pause. Take a 3-breath pause (or walk around the block). Give yourself space.
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The Power of Kindness
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
Kindness is more than “being nice.” There’s a strength, vulnerability, and courage that inhabits kindness. We recognize our shared humanity—how life is difficult for everyone—and choose to practice kindness. It’s not mushy nor numb. Kindness is active, engaged, and intentional. As a society, we have large-scale, painful issues. Many people say to me, “Joy, we need more than kindness. It’s just not enough.” Agreed! And still, kindness makes a powerful impact. When love or forgiveness feels far away, kindness is more accessible. When we begin difficult yet important conversations, kindness paves a path. When we’re feeling helpless and hopeless, kindness shines a light. Kindness inward, kindness outward.
If you feel frustrated, disappointed, or just need a break, look for the good in people. Compliment a coworker. Give a genuine thank you. Listen deeply to a friend. Do some small act of kindness. (Sometimes, the person who most needs your kindness is yourself.)
True generosity opens the heart, yet we often have expectations about our giving—we want to be liked, seen, and appreciated. Be creative and practice anonymous acts of kindness—they feel radical, in a beautiful way.
If you feel overwhelmed by big, difficult things in life, try to shift your view. Focus on the person or task right in front of you. How can you bring kindness to an interaction or a project? How can ordinary kindness transform this moment?
When you participate in a virtual or in-person meeting (e.g., work, family, volunteer effort), see what shifts if you assume the best intentions from people. Instead of leaping to blame, defensiveness, or over-explaining, practice curiosity, kindness, and presence. Often, we take things personally when they aren’t about us (at all!). Kindness helps soften that edge; it opens our mind and heart (and allows others to do the same).
In a global pandemic, we can wonder, “What can I do to make a difference?” We can’t change the world, but we can have impact within our little square footage of space. Check in with an elderly neighbor, friend in need, or coworker who lives alone (one kind text, email, phone call, or postcard can change the outlook of someone’s day). Look essential workers in the eyes, give thanks, and ask how they are holding up. Write colorful, kind, chalk messages on your sidewalk (this is a welcome reprieve from election signs—spread kindness). Little acts of kindness make us—the giver and receiver—feel better.
Often, we judge ourselves more harshly than anyone else in our life. It’s vital to practice self-kindness. Loving ourselves might be too great a leap, but being kind—that’s accessible. Just like everyone else, you deserve kindness, respect, and care. When you make a mistake, see if you can pause (maybe even smile), forgive yourself, and begin again. When you’re having a tough day, how can you be kind to yourself? One small step.
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Getting Better Sleep
meditation
When you cannot fall sleep or when you wake in the middle of the night, allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
Everyday awareness Practices
This global pandemic disrupts our daily lives. Work routines and expectations (perhaps our jobs) have changed. Health and financial worries weigh us down. News and social media spread fear and blame rather than hope and love. Our usual human, in-person connections are limited. There’s little that is normal about this “new normal.” So it’s natural to have disrupted sleep. If you’re not sleeping well, there’s nothing wrong with you. Be kind to yourself as you bring awareness to sleep:
When we can’t sleep, we make things worse by not liking the situation—we try to “force” ourselves to sleep, which doesn’t work. It’s okay if you don’t sleep well (the sky won’t fall the next day). Releasing worries, even a little, can create space for sleep.
Try to move attention out of your thoughts and into your body. Start at your head and move slowly downward to your feet. Tense your muscles and then relax your muscles. No rush. Tense and release. Eventually, allow your whole body to relax into the bed.
Bring attention to your breath. First allow your breath to be as-is. Don’t make changes, just feel your inhalation and exhalation. Then begin to elongate your exhalation. If you breathe in for 4 beats, try to breathe out for 6 or 8 beats. Gently counting your breath gives your mind something to do. Elongating your exhalation soothes your nervous system.
If you’re lying in bed, awake, for more than 30 minutes, get up and do something that you enjoy. Make a cup of tea, read a book, gently stretch, draw or write in your journal. Once you feel tired again, return to your bed (with kindness and care).
Be intentional about your before-bed routine. What activities relax you? (What activities make you tense?) Choose restorative actions—or non-actions—before bed. Create a caring, calm bedtime ritual.
Sleep experts agree that wake-up time is the most important part of good sleep. Choose a realistic wake-up time, given your daily responsibilities, and set an alarm for the same time every day. (You can turn off the alarm on the weekends.) Commit to this practice for a few weeks.
Remember that you’re human. We all experience difficulty during this pandemic (during regular life!). It’s natural to have trouble sleeping. Again: There’s nothing wrong with you. Self-compassion is not selfish, it’s vital to our well-being. On nights when you have trouble sleeping, treat yourself like you’d treat a good friend. Be kind.
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Moving Forward with intention
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
Though we wish otherwise, the world pandemic continues. Still, we’re allowed to make new decisions based on lifted restrictions. This is a time for reflection and patience. We each have an inner compass. If we get quiet and listen, we know how to move forward with intention.
There’s a lot of noise in the world (loud voices and opinions); take regular pauses and listen to your inner compass: what matters most? What’s the next most skillful step?
We get updated information each week and our inner processing evolves. It’s okay to change your mind (if you said “yes” to something, you can switch to “no” or vice versa). This pandemic is teaching us to be flexible—what’s most important is to stay true to yourself in any moment.
It’s easy for judgment to arise in these situations: we judge ourselves and we judge the decisions of others. Try to open your heart and mind (there could be hundreds of reasons for someone’s actions—many of which are under the surface).
Within uncertainty, there isn’t a “right” or “wrong” decision—there are many difficult, complex decisions. Take your time—don’t rush to a decision (and, again, be willing to change your mind).
What are your core values? How can you embody these as you move forward? How can you create intention and meaning at the start of each day?
At a local retreat center, there’s a sign: “Life is so difficult, how can we be anything but kind?” Kindness is a beautiful guiding principal—kindness inward, kindness outward. Forgive yourself (and others) and be willing to begin again.
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Looking for the Good
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
When life is uncertain, and stressful, it’s important to honor the difficulty—to feel what we feel. And it’s also vital to pause, notice, and savor our good experiences; to fill our heart with gratitude. This isn’t in denial of what’s hard: it’s an acknowledgement of what’s good. A light in the darkness; a buoy for our spirit. Often, we think, “there’s so much suffering in the world, I can’t allow myself to be happy,” yet this causes more suffering! Happiness, creativity, laughter, play, ease, and gratitude help us live in a complicated world with a more open, loving heart. It’s okay to not be okay. And it’s okay to be happy (even during a pandemic).
Notice the positive experiences in your life (small moments of natural beauty, satisfaction, ease, or connection)—stay with these positive feelings for three breaths. Experience the good within your body, within your whole being.
Consider your morning routine: What do you most need in your life right now (e.g., peace, rest, satisfaction, meaning, or connection)? How can you bring this—even in a small way—into your morning routine?
Look for the good within yourself and other people: try to see beneath fear or anger to the shared humanity within us all—our innate goodness, lovability, and worth (this takes patience and a willingness to begin again and again).
Schedule a “play date” with yourself (put it on the calendar): make art, walk in nature, write a poem, do cartwheels in the backyard, or dance in your living room—whatever brings you lightness and ease.
In a rush, good experiences brush past you; in a pause, you notice more moments of beauty, kindness, and grace—slow your pace and look for the good.
Create a daily gratitude practice: share at a meal, exchange texts with a friend, write in a journal, or reflect before you go to bed—choose a practice and do it daily for a week (notice how you feel).
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honoring loss and grief
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
The world pandemic rattles us to our core, and we feel a complex mixture of emotions. A common emotion is grief. Though we often minimize our pain (“other people have it far worse then me”), it’s vital that we honor our losses. Grief lives within us all. Sometimes it presents as anger, rawness, or depression, but underneath is vulnerability: Loss of loved ones, jobs, experiences, human touch, external resources, independence, routine, privacy, in-person connection, or livelihoods. It’s important to honor grief—to feel what we feel—yet not get consumed or lost inside it. Mindfulness helps us make more skillful choices.
Practice self-compassion: when you feel sadness, honor this as a natural human emotion. Place your hand on your heart and send kindness inward.
If the grief feels too overwhelming, then utilize external resources: call a friend, make a cup of tea, talk with a therapist, walk in nature, or listen to soothing music.
We often get into comparing-mind (“my loss isn’t as bad as this person’s loss, so I shouldn’t feel so bad”), but all our griefs (even micro-griefs) are worthy of care and attention. Let yourself feel what you feel—be a loving witness to what’s going on inside you.
Though it’s important to honor grief, it’s not helpful to get lost in it. If you feel at sea in grief, turn your mind toward gratitude, not as a deflection but as a way to buoy your heart: for what are you grateful?
Our culture encourages independence and strength, yet one of the most courageous acts is to ask for help (our vulnerabilities connect us, and we all need help). Also, notice your habits around receiving: Are you more comfortable giving than receiving? In what ways can you practice receiving with more grace and ease?
Grief is different for everyone. We share a general rawness and vulnerability, but the grief process is different for everyone—honor your own path (remember: there’s nothing wrong with you!). Also honor the path of others: sometimes, angry words or fearful actions come from a place of deep loss.
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Loving-Kindness Inward and Outward
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
This pandemic is outside our control. Though we wish it were otherwise, we can’t save the world. Still, we feel the suffering, anxiety, and grief. It’s important to let ourselves feel what we feel. Yet it’s equally important to buoy our spirit, so it's resilient, hopeful, and brave. Through loving-kindness practice, we move energy from the worrying mind into our open, spacious heart. May we all be free from fear; may we be peaceful; may we embody love and acceptance; may we live with more ease.
Consider someone you love and respect; someone who inspires you; someone who's had a meaningful impact on your life, and then write that person a letter, postcard, or heartfelt email or text: tell them why and how you love them.
When you’re overwhelmed with worry about people, take a loving-kindness pause: bring someone (or the world) into your heart and repeat phrases/well-wishes/blessings—whatever they need to hear.
True generosity opens the heart, yet we often have expectations about our giving—we want to be liked, seen, and appreciated; be creative and practice anonymous acts of kindness—they feel radical, in a beautiful way.
Bring loving-kindness into your outdoor walks: as you pass people (on the other side of the street), silently say inward, “May you be safe; may you be happy; may you be healthy; may you live with ease.”
Loving-kindness phrases can also be used while washing your hands (for 20 seconds!): bring someone into your mind and heart, then send them loving wishes as you gently rub your hands together.
Life is complex, especially right now. We’re going to “lose it” at times: speak unskillfully, burst into tears, or express frustration. Our most important choice is what we do after we lose it: pause, reflect, apologize (if needed), forgive yourself, and begin again.
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What matters most?
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
We’re in a huge (yet strange) societal pause. This global pandemic invites us to simplify and reconnect with what matters most. In ordinary life, the greeting “How are you?” morphed from a genuine question to just another way to say “hi.” But now, amid COVID’s fierce impact, the question returns. We genuinely care how everyone else is doing. This pause, enforced on us, can provide space to change habits, find meaning, and live life more true.
Even though “normal life” is paused, we can still get in a frenzy of doings, thinking everything is important. Start each day with intention: write down your three most important tasks—revisit your list regularly.
We believe we can multi-task (and do it well!) but we really “task switch” and this depletes our brain power and causes anxiety; try to do one thing at a time.
Pause throughout the day and ask yourself, “What am I doing?” This re-orients us to focus on what’s right in front of us.
For any project or task, take breaks: set a timer for 45 minutes and when the timer goes off, take a short break (walk around the block, make a cup of tea, or simply pause for 3 deep breaths).
At the end of your life, as you reflect on your choices, you won’t say “I wish I’d worked more” or “I wish I’d spent more time on social media,” but you might say, “I wish I told everyone how much I love them” or “I wish I’d lived life more true to myself and what matters most to me”—allow your inner compass to guide your daily actions (what matters most?).
Again, thinking about the end of your life, how do you want to be remembered? What do you want people to say and remember about you? What’s most meaningful? Try to live life—right now—according to how you want to be remembered.
When you get distracted by the news or your thoughts or a sense of achievement=worthiness (it doesn’t), take a 3-breath pause: forgive yourself and be willing to begin again.
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practicing self-compassion
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
When life is difficult and uncertain, we feel a wide range of emotions. We often push away our uncomfortable emotions, but as Carl Jung said, “What you resist persists.” The true medicine is moving toward our emotions with self-compassion. First, we must notice “what’s up” (do a regular check-in with your emotional landscape). Then place these emotions in a larger container. They’re not personal (it’s not a story of “me”); they’re human (it’s a big community of “we”). All humans experience the emotions you experience. It’s vital to tend inward with kindness and care. You are worthy of your own love and compassion.
Pause regularly throughout the day and ask a genuine, “How am I in this moment?”
If you notice difficult emotions, try not to personalize them (there’s nothing wrong with you)—all human beings on the planet experience the same emotions as you.
When life is hard, pause: Place your hand on your heart and say a caring word/phrase/mantra inward.
Reflect on the kind acts you do for friends and loved ones—practice doing these for yourself.
We cannot love, give, and serve when our “joy cup” is empty—schedule heart-nourishing activities into your day and week.
Take a gratitude pause: reflect on three things for which you’re grateful. Let your mind and heart rest in what’s good about the world.
When you make a mistake, feel pain, or act unconsciously, what do you say to yourself? What’s the tone of your inner-voice? Try to soften the tone and flip untrue statements into helpful reminders. Be aware of limiting beliefs that replay in your inner-speech. Can you replace these beliefs with messages of self-compassion?
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Working with fear and anxiety
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
We’re in a global pandemic. Fear and anxiety are normal human responses. If you feel anxious, there’s nothing wrong with you. Fear is not personal, it’s human. When fear feels overwhelming, it’s because we propagate it with thoughts. Instead of feeling the fear—sensations in our body—we think, worry, and plan, and this makes the anxiety last longer. While we can’t stop our thoughts, we can interrupt them in kind, helpful ways. Try these practices:
Notice what anxiety feels like in your body—scan the sensations.
Notice how you relate to your anxiety—if you “hate” the anxiety, it becomes stronger; if you allow for the anxiety (little bit by little bit), it softens.
Meditation provides inner resourcing to work skillfully with fear, yet sometimes fear is too big, and then you need external resourcing: call a friend, walk in nature, make a cup of tea, take a hot bath, hug your pet, or listen to soothing music.
Physical touchpoints bring us back to awareness and presence: feel your feet on the ground, feel breath at the belly, feel tiny sensations inside your hands.
Reduce your news consumption and move your body: walk, stretch, dance, do yoga, run;
Turn off non-essential alerts on your smart phone (shut off alerts from social media—those pings keep you in an urgent, anxious mode).
Be kind to yourself (remember: there’s nothing wrong with you): What’s something kind you can do for yourself when you’re feeling anxious?
When your mind is spinning, redirect it: write down five things for which you’re grateful; write about something good that happened in your day.
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a refuge from information overload
meditation
Create comfortable conditions, remove distractions, and allow yourself to rest in this meditation:
everyday awareness practices
During “normal” times, our culture is saturated with information and stimuli. During a pandemic, the saturation increases. It’s important to stay informed, yet it’s detrimental to overload our system. When we absorb difficult news but cannot take action, it sits in our psyche. This creates energy (often fearful) that has no place to move, so our thoughts spin. More information isn't always better. Try these practices:
Find one or two news sources that provide the basic, accurate information you need.
Read the news with intention: Expanding your awareness, wisdom, and compassion.
Limit the number of times you check news each day.
Turn off non-essential alerts on your smart phone (shut off alerts from social media—those pings keep you in fight-flight mode).
After you compose an email message, take a 3-breath pause. Then reread the message from the receiver’s point of view. How will they receive your words? (You can also do this practice with texts and other messages.)
Move your body: walk, stretch, dance, do yoga, run.
Engage with nature—walk in the woods or the prairie—without your cell phone.
Consider the patient, wise, thoughtful people in your life; talk to them when you’re feeling overwhelmed by information.
pause and breathe.