Belonging as medicine
Last weekend, I taught a 2-hour workshop on mindset and how our inner chatter may get in the way of creating space in our lives for what matters to us.
It was magical to carve our the time to just attend to ourselves.
Taking 2 delicious hours to focus on internal barriers to being present and fully engaged in the LIFE part of work + life was a treat for these highly driven female entrepreneurs.
No time
Often we tell ourselves that we “don’t have time” to take care of ourselves in the busy midst of it all. That’s just our scarcity mind talking… the one that keeps us small.
and it’s bullshit.
Scarcity mind stops us from reaching out. It isolates us from who we really are in an attempt to keeps us safe.
Belonging
As we explored various mindfulness and mind-body exercises, a powerful theme began to emerge. What was important to this high-achiever group was CONNECTION and BELONGING.
After all, they weren’t creating businesses and side-hustles to work at the exclusion of what gave them joy in life. They were looking to connect all of the parts of their work and life in a more integrated fashion.
Being
They were looking for time to BELONG and just BE. They didn’t want to race through and miss it all.
They longed for more time to feel connected to their own bodies and spirits
in the middle of busy days and lives.
….as do we all.
They loved the depth of connection that they had with their friends, supportive partners, families and clients/patients. AND they wanted more of it….
That sense of community and connection was what drove them to create mission-driven businesses.
Connection and Community
We all have this need to build connection and community.
Perhaps at no time in our history have we become more acutely aware of this deep need for belonging than this last 18 months (and counting) of the pandemic.
Recent lifestyle medicine articles point to social isolation and loneliness as independent risk factors for adverse health and mortality and the importance of social connection as a protective factor. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276211009454.
Somehow in our western culture we lose this idea of connection and belonging at times.
We somehow believe that we’re “supposed to” be independent and figure things out on our own.
another bullshit scarcity myth… that somehow we don’t need each other.
That couldn’t be further from what our bodies, minds and spirits need.
We crave belonging and the company of trusted others.
Belonging ratchets down our nervous system and allows us to relax into a more connected and creative state.
We can lower our armor and be more open to the ideas, feelings and contributions of others.
Plus, we just do better overall- mentally, physically and emotionally.
Moving forward with resolve
We all left the workshop with renewed resolve to be more deeply present for ourselves and for those that we love and serve.
We created one action step to find more connection to ourselves and to those people that are important to us.
Here were the goals
A Daily mindfulness practice;
Focused time with supportive loving husband
Boundaries around time for self-care
Intentional time in nature
Time with girl-friends
others planned to carve out time for intentional goal-setting in their businesses that aligned with their LIVES
Next steps
As we move into a new season of returning to school and this continued pandemic uncertainty, there are opportunities to create a plan for engaging in community.
There are student organizations, informal study groups, online communities and the Friday night hangout. There are meet-ups and book clubs and SO many lively online groups with Zoom.
There’s that group that looks like they are having fun at the gym or that yoga class that you’ve been meaning to try- even with a friend in the living room.
Reach out
It takes a little courage to reach out but it’s your NATURE to belong and be a part of the whole.
How about YOU?
What’s your GOAL for creating belonging & intentional connection in YOUR life?
If you need ideas, or a soft place to land, PM me.
Stop by the office of your favorite worker, friend or faculty member. Grab a cup of coffee or let’s take a walk. You’re not alone and you’re never a bother.
How will you BELONG to yourself AND to others?
