Each day now, I hear of another person I know who has contracted Covid-19, and I hope and pray they will be ok 🙁

My days begin and end with a gratitude prayer for all those who are serving as healers and caretakers right now, and all the love and encouragement that’s being released into our world. This is the one thing each of us can do right now, even from “being stuck at home”.

—

Last week, I noticed a bit of chaos and overwhelm developing for me.

I read the news and predictions about the pandemic, I helped one of my sons work through some really difficult emotions (which brought up some of my own complex and difficult emotions), and I began to feel the pressure of needing to turn this time into something productive (after all, I do have a book that needs to be launched, gigs to reschedule, and a memoir to write).

But I knew I didn’t want to carry this feeling of stress into the week ahead.

I decided to be mindful and protective of my mindset by:

Getting news and information from a trusted source once in the morning and once after dinner. I also limit this to just a few minutes daily.
Stopping with scrolling through trending articles and videos, or keeping the radio on all day.
Tuning into how I feel and also giving myself credit for dealing with difficult emotions & permission to let go of expectations.

(By the way, did last week’s blog post about mindfulness inspire you to do anything different? Did you find yourself being mindful about your thoughts, actions and intentions?)

We are in quarantine because we are all going through something hard, not because it’s a global holiday or an extra day in which we are supposed to ‘catch’ up or ‘get ahead’ with work.

Being mindful showed me what I really needed and wanted: a sense of peace from which I can then show up for my kids and for my community as the best version of myself.

I took another step in handling chaos and overwhelm and decided to clean out and organize my office.

I’ve had a lot of stuff accumulate over the past three years…Handling each piece of paper, old cards and pictures, kids’ school work, grade reports, statements, reports, projects and journals, gave me a chance to bring up any residual emotions, process them and let them go.

Unlike so many times in the past, I was mindful not to get stuck in any emotion or with any particular object. I was also mindful of time and stopped when it was time to make dinner (in the past I’d put pressure on myself to finish the task and would drop everything else).

As a result, each evening I walked out of my (messy) office, with a bit of a deeper sense of peace.

I observed the lightness that opened up with the cleared space on my shelves and my drawers.

I’m not done quite yet but I’m loving this process. A refreshing bonus of doing this is that it also keeps me away from technology!

Eventually, I’ll have to go back into my chair and back to work. But for now, I’m mindfully accepting this as the right thing to do. Because, as Marie Kondo says: “Tidying is not a destination, but rather a tool that drops you into the present moment and helps you to discern the life you truly want.” 🙂

I actually did a short video about this process for my Patrons – check it out if you are a Patron and thank you so much for your support!

Tatiana “Tajci” Cameron is an award-winning music artist, published author, inspirational speaker, and certified transformational and spiritual life coach.

She has many passions and is dedicated to helping others while also creating an enriched life for herself and her three sons. When Tajci is not on the road performing gigs, she volunteers with local organizations dear to her heart, spends time with loved ones (often involving music!), and collaborates with other artists to bring creative projects to life.

Tajci’s most recent projects include a meditation CD, an annual retreat & sea cruise in Croatia (that she organizes and hosts), and a multimedia CD/book (Un)Broken: Songs My Father Taught Me.

I so look forward to the Saturday emails and can’t wait to get to my inbox to read them! The inspiration, music, positivity, and faith….I need all of this so badly on some days. Thank you so much!

Carol

Reader

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