While states, counties, and communities around South Bend begin to open, it seems that the notion of “stay home. save lives.” will soon become passé. We suggest there is a new meaning of staying safe at home. What does it mean to step inside while stepping out?
Can the idea of home live inside of us? Sure, our home is the place we live, but it is also a destination of where we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually. While we manage the difficult task of navigating through the pandemic, post-stay-at-home orders, our entire being is our home. Every artist that we’ve encountered routinely has stepped inside themselves to create a space of love, empathy, and trust.
It is time for the arts community to recognize the home inside themselves, and care for it, so they can then release their best selves to the world, just as artists strive to do every day of their lives in their careers.
It can be difficult during a crisis, while so much chaos is happening around us, to turn inward and focus our energy on our well-being. That is why we’re here to walk through some of the most important first steps of finding a path to healthy mindfulness during tumultuous times and beyond.
Below are some simple steps to encourage mindfulness, full body connection, and exploration of the soul before stepping outside.
Maintain an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’
It’s good to make this the first step in order to feel gracious and move forward. Acknowledging ourselves within the context of history is both humbling and energizing. To know we are more than our present or future is something that we shouldn’t take for granted. It is never too late in the day to practice gratitude, and it takes little effort. Start with one idea that provides joy or comfort to our life, and then say a quick “thank you” for its existence in our world. This can easily become a part of our routine at the beginning or end of our day that adds no unwanted pressure or time. Try it the next time you brush your teeth, sip a cup of coffee, or get dressed for the day,
Start from the Ground Up, Literally!
After this acknowledgement, we should then begin our physical routine. We start on the ground and work our way up to standing in whatever shape feels right. Again, acknowledging our roots and working our way through rediscovery is important to finding ourselves. Working from the ground up connects us to gravity, acknowledges the wonderful earth that takes care of us, and pushes us up to become fully energized people.
Take Up Space
Once we have gotten to a standing position, it is essential to recognize the space we take up as an individual in relation to our surroundings. Noticing space is a great way to begin to re-discover relationships with other persons, and start new relationships with people we have never met. Spatial recognition is one of the most influential aspects of innovation, creativity and awareness.
Go Out Into the World
Right now, the most important idea is to look inward first. Let’s check-in with ourselves and then move outward, with caution. It is imperative to instill in ourselves a sense of healthy well-being and mindfulness in order to have meaningful, innovative relationships during this time. Globally, we are all reconstructing what it means to be alive while history is being made. There is little we do have control over, but we can control our interaction with the outside community in relation to our inside “home.”
More Exploration!
In addition to these thoughts above, all of this will be explored much more from our community members and special guests in our new WAKE-UP WEDNESDAY social media series! Starting JUNE 3, join us every Wednesday morning on Facebook to engage in all of the four pillars above, plus more! During this, we will learn how professional artists and community members are engaging their mindfulness practices, and how we can adopt theirs into our own! We hope you will join us in this exploration for the summer!
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