A Breath of Fresh Air
Spring has officially sprung in Seattle. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom, daffodils decorate our sidewalks, and the magnolias have unfurled their soft petals.
Is it just me, or is there something in the air? And not just pollen. Of course there is a sense of hope and excitement for sunny days and new beginnings. Yet there is also a lingering melancholy. Perhaps the lasting impacts of COVID have forever changed how we view ourselves and our world. Perhaps it is a combination of financial stress, political polarization, climate change, growing inequality, information overload, and declining health. It can feel so heavy.
By 2030, the World Health Organization predicts that the largest global health risk will be depression. This has enormous consequences to us as individuals, as family members, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and fellow human beings. How will we keep going, and how will we help each other through difficult times?
I just read Tim Burkett’s book, “Zen in the Age of Anxiety.” It offers excellent guidance on how to be more present, embrace failure, change negative thought patterns, reframe how we view ourselves, and guided meditations to increase inner peace, compassion, and love. His teachings resonate with the issues we are confronted with in our daily lives, and illustrate how changes we make internally affect our relationships, our work, and the impact we have on the world.
One lesson that spoke to me is about bringing more awareness to how we spend our time. Burkett writes, “A natural aspect of freedom is openness. When we’re carrying around a lot of habituated behaviors, there is no room for openness. We feel walled in. Many neurologists now recommend two activities to maintain brain plasticity: novelty and meditation. Novelty means learning new skills like dancing, riding a bike, or a new language - anything that you haven’t done before.”
In what ways can we create more openness in our lives? Instead of spending our weeknights and weekends on our phones, watching TV, ruminating about our past, or stressing about our future, we could be discovering a new hobby that we love, making a new friend, taking a drive someplace new, committing to a cause we believe in, getting outside into nature, or just being present. In many ways, our lives became smaller during COVID. But they don’t have to stay that way.
If you are feeling down, know that you are not alone and that there are resources to help. This list from VeryWell, “The Best Depression Resources and Organizations for Support and Treatment,” is a good place to start.
It’s a new season. It’s a chance for new beginnings, new habits, and new ways of living. May we greet the new day with a deep inhale, and a breath of fre
