{"id":1073,"date":"2020-04-05T10:24:04","date_gmt":"2020-04-05T09:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/towncryyers.com\/?p=1073"},"modified":"2020-04-05T10:24:08","modified_gmt":"2020-04-05T09:24:08","slug":"how-to-find-purpose-and-meaning-in-challenging-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/towncryyers.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/05\/how-to-find-purpose-and-meaning-in-challenging-times\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Find Purpose And Meaning In Challenging Times"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we take a moment to look inward, we can tap into something deeper that\nallows us to better cope with our current fears and challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Marina Khidekel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we all search for ways to adapt to the challenges and added stress of\nour new normal, we can also take this opportunity to look at our situation\nthrough a new lens. Social distancing is challenging (and for many, like first\nresponders and other essential workers, it\u2019s not an option). But for the\nmajority of us who are staying in, this time can present a new opportunity to\nlook inward and connect with our sense of purpose and meaning in new ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We asked our Thrive community to share with us the different ways they\u2019re\nlooking inward and finding inspiration during this time. Which of these tips\nwill you try?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do an end-of-day gratitude review<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore I go to bed at night, I write down a few good things that went well\nin my day. According to positive psychology professor Dr. Martin Seligman, the\nend-of-day review works because it shifts your focus from the things that could\ngo wrong to the things you take for granted that actually go right. It\u2019s been\nallowing me to look inward each night and reframe my day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slow down your morning routine <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI appreciate not having to rush in the morning. I take the time to do some\nmeditation and breathing exercises when I wake up, and take the time to prepare\nsnacks and meals during work breaks. On weekends, I am decluttering one room at\na time using Microsteps, so it doesn\u2019t become an overwhelming task. I realized\nhow much joy and peace it gives me to accomplish these little steps every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Isabelle Bart, marketing director, Orange County, CA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enjoy music<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis time of isolation has actually brought me closer to what I do on a\ndaily basis as a conductor. I didn\u2019t realize just how much non-musical\nactivities have been distracting me in life \u2014 administration, politics, and\njust the business of living. As I dive more deeply into studying the music\nitself as well as the composers who wrote it, I find myself more and more\nrefreshed, inspired, hopeful, and purposeful. I am truly grateful to be able to\nparticipate in such a fundamental form of emotional connection with others\nthrough music \u2014 even if it isn\u2019t live and in-person at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Stephen P. Brown, conductor, UK and the US<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give back <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m using this time to give back. The antidote to helplessness is\nhelpfulness. I\u2019m focusing on where I can help others in need. That\u2019s either at\nhome with my family, within my community, and if possible on a larger global\nscale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Jannell MacAulay, Ph.D., USAF retiree, speaker, and consultant, Ogden\nValley, UT<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bookend your day with gratitude<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI keep a card on my nightstand that reminds me to start each day with\ngratitude. Before I begin my workday, I do a half hour of yoga, and I wind down\nin the evening with a guided meditation, focusing on the areas where I feel out\nof balance. I\u2019m also journaling daily, reading some awesome literature, and\ndoing research. Starting and ending my day with gratitude is helping me tap\ninto meaning and purpose right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pick up an old passion project<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI started writing a book several years ago and was excited to end last\nyear having a first full draft. But once the laborious and tedious revisions\nstarted, it became difficult to find the motivation to work on it each night\nafter work. Now that we\u2019re at home, I\u2019ve decided to commit to working on my\nbook every day. Some days I only work on it for 30 minutes, but some days I\u2019ll\nspend hours on it. The commitment to doing something each day has helped me to\nmake more progress than I was making before, and has helped add purpose to my\ntime at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI find renewal in conscious breathing and appreciation. The noise of the\nnews, the enormity of the moment, and the losses humanity faces are\noverwhelming. Stopping to breathe, and making a conscious choice to draw in air\nand life force, helps me tap into inspiration and spirituality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Judith Lukomski, CEO, Dana Point, CA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Incorporate meditation into your day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m using this time to expand my intuition and strengthen my\nbody-mind-spirit connection. To do this, I\u2019m maintaining my morning meditation\nand have added an evening meditation. Our small daily habits can give us\nstrength and help us deal with challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Bronwen Sciortino, author and speaker, Perth, Western Australia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paint <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a child, I was fascinated by painting, but the passion took a step back\nas I grew up and got busy with my career. Still, I feel that colors are a great\nway to bring positivity, brightness, and happiness to our lives. When I hold my\nbrushes in my hand, they bring me joy, freedom, and creativity. Painting has\nhelped me dive deep inside myself and know myself better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014V. Rashmi Rao, writer and digital marketer, Hyderabad, India<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try a breathing exercise between meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI started a breathing practice in between my meetings. It\u2019s called the\n4-7-8 breath. It\u2019s the perfect stress antidote, and it works wonders to reduce\nfeelings of anxiety that might surface from intense back-to-back meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make time for things that bring you joy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomewhere amid COVID-19, I felt that I had become out of balance, and\nneeded a reset. On a call with my meditation teacher, she asked me where my\nheart is. Those words hit like a ton of bricks, and inspired me to bring joy\nback into my life, even in this challenging time. I\u2019ve decided to seek\nconditions that cause joy to arise \u2014 like petting my dog, FaceTiming with my\ngrandkids, or cooking a favorite dish. It\u2019s also inspired me to eliminate\nconditions that cause the suppression of joy. I turn off the news, avoid\nreading Facebook, and avoid toxic people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to find some free time to write. I remember as a\nteenager I would spend hours writing and completely immersing myself in\ndifferent types of writing projects. As I reached adulthood, I found myself so\nbusy with work, relationships, and motherhood, that it seemed almost impossible\nto find a time to isolate for a few hours and be alone just with my mind. Even\nwith my kids at home, I feel like now is my chance to write again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs we all search for the silver lining in this situation, I find myself no\nlonger setting the alarm or wearing a watch. I am enjoying the extra time for\nrelaxation, rest, and sleep. I find that these are important healing factors as\nwe build resilience in this challenging time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Trish Tonaj, author, coach, and speaker, Toronto, Canada<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spend quality time with your kids<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m using this time to play and bond with my three-year-old son who is\nhome with me because of his daycare closing. I\u2019m also taking moments to sit in\nquiet, take deep breaths, and appreciate my environment. It\u2019s amazing how these\nsimple things are clearing my mental space and decreasing anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Build little pauses into your day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do what I call \u2018slow work,\u2019 which means that I don\u2019t sit down and work\nnonstop anymore. Instead, I go from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, but I give myself\npurposeful breaks: a break to enjoy meals, a break for exercise, a break for\nthinking, and time to read the news. This makes me more productive because it\nallows me to be influenced and engaged with other things around me more often.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Ben Lamm, CEO of Hypergiant, Dallas, TX<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Repeat an inspiring mantra<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we are surrounded by so much negative information while we\nself-isolate, this is the best time to go inward and reflect on inspiration \u2014\nand affirmations are a great way to allow you to process your emotions\nconsciously. One activity you can do to find the calmness and inspiration is to\nsit down, close your eyes, take a deep breath in, clear your mind, and try to\nimagine positive outcomes of the affirmations as you repeat them in your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Neeta Bhushan, educator, strategist, and author, Los Angeles, CA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try the \u201csix-count belly breath\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI use a six-count belly breath to keep myself centered and add meaning to\nmy day. The practice has been shown to slow down your heart rate and calm your\nnervous system. Put one hand on your stomach and the other on your diaphragm.\nPicture your torso as a glass. When you breathe in through your nostrils, you\nfill that glass from the bottom to the top, from your stomach up to your\nshoulders. As you breathe out through your nostrils, empty the glass slowly\nfrom your shoulders down. Repeat the six-counts for a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Natalie, writer, St. Paul, MN<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write down your dreams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been diving deeper by spending more time with my dreams. I am\ndreaming more often and more intensely during this time, and I think this is a\ngeneral trend. Before the world turned upside down, I had started running a\nclass on how to engage with your own dreams. I am trying all of the exercises\nout on myself: journaling my dreams, sketching them, mulling them over, and\nsharing them with others. I\u2019m a bit of a stoic, but my dreams have dropped me\ninto a sense of how I\u2019m really feeling, and the exercises and sharing have\ngiven me a chance to metabolize those feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Dr. Leslie Ellis, author and teacher, Palm Desert, CA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hang up \u201cpurpose pillars\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI crafted an exercise called \u2018purpose pillars,\u2019 where at the start of the\nweek, I place sticky notes on my wall with my core values, and underneath them\nadd a couple of action points. The action points must be clear and doable,\ndepending on my capacity for the week. I find that this exercise has really\nhelped me trust my intuition better and regain focus for the week ahead. With\neverything happening around us, it\u2019s become clear to me how important it is to\nmanage our time and energy well. I\u2019ve found that leading a life through my core\nvalues has allowed me to find greater purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Trixie Angeles, research consultant and chief community builder, Makati,\nPhilippines<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focus on a goal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo tap into purpose during this time, I have focused my energy on getting\na healthy body, which I always desired. I am doing breathing exercises, working\nout, and walking everyday. I am also prioritizing a nutritious diet and good\nsleep hygiene. Putting my health first has been the silver lining for me right\nnow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Aakriti Agarwal, coach and facilitator, Hyderabad, India<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carve out alone time <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince I\u2019m on the autism spectrum, I\u2019m having an opposite response to\nsocial distancing. I happened to be staying with my son\u2019s family in Los Angeles\nwhen the shelter-in-place order went into effect, and my husband is sheltering\nin our home in Amsterdam. Being apart is a lot to process, and I\u2019m finding it\ndifficult to isolate with three other people, when I\u2019m used to isolating alone.\nI crave at least eight hours a day of alone time, which I use to walk in\nnature, meditate, and write. So in this new normal, I\u2019m having to claim space\nfor self-care, which fortunately my family supports. And since April is Autism\nAwareness Month, I\u2019m encouraging people who are isolating with a person on the\nspectrum to give him or her lots of space for regrouping and recharging. For\npeople on the spectrum, the world is always somewhat turned upside-down, and\nduring challenging times, space and understanding is even more important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014Grace de Rond, author and blogger, Los Angeles, CA and Amsterdam<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Check in with yourself each week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt the end of each week, I review my week as a whole and use my responses\nto determine how to spend my weekend. If I feel exhausted, I prioritize napping\nand extra rest. If I feel productive, I prioritize trying a new hobby or taking\nan online class. With this new practice, I am learning how to respond directly\nto how I\u2019m feeling, which is something I haven\u2019t put into practice before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you have an exercise or ritual that\u2019s helping you tap into a sense of\npurpose right now? Share it with us in the comments! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When we take a moment to look inward, we can tap into something deeper that allows us to better cope with our current fears and challenges. By Marina Khidekel As we all search for ways…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[268,267,70],"class_list":["post-1073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-challenging-times","tag-meaning","tag-purpose"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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