This season has me thinking about the cycles of the natural world, and how we are inevitably tied to them. How seasons of growth and abundance need to give way at times to rest and decay, decline and hibernation, so that we can re-emerge refreshed and energized once again.
Being misaligned with these natural and necessary patterns can cause illness, anxiety, depression. Mental un-wellness happens for a reason. It is an opportunity, a challenge, and a call to great growth through adversity. We are all capable of recovery, healing, and finding ourselves through our hardship. Yes, it’s rough. So unbelievably rough. Anxiety and PTSD are crippling, they completely change who you are and how you navigate the world. Depression is excruciating. It’s all-consuming, it’s overwhelming, and it feels like there’s no way out.
These are big, scary, and impossible calls to answer to, but there are tools available to help us. By practicing Self-Compassion, we validate our suffering, we offer ourselves support as we navigate the muck. By practicing Self-Inquiry, we dare to ask, dare to listen, to what our un-wellness is demanding of us. And by committing to caring for ourselves, to supporting ourselves on this very human journey of becoming more real, more honest, more whole — we learn to tap into the resources all around us.
Happy Spring, friends. Be well.
Madison
Check out Madison’s upcoming workshop, Self Discovery for Mental Health, May 6th from 2:00-4:00pm, and series, starting May 11th.
Want to read more? Check out Madison’s blog.