S.O.S.
A traditional call for help.
This morning I was talking to my mom on the phone. The usual topics came up – how to feel better overall, losing those last few pounds (again), how to have the energy to keep up with life … and so on. As our conversation danced from here to there and back again, we kept coming back to one thing: S.O.S.
Sense. Of. Self.
Specifically, cultivating a Strong Sense of Self so that we can do all the things we hope and want to do – including being able to feel good enough to manage all of the things that naturally come with being human without exploding.
Life is full of emotions, people, personalities, opinions, and more. Every day we have all sorts of everything flying at us from every direction. And the last few years seem to have added fuel to the fire.
Whenever I reflect on my life, I see that every day is full of all kinds of things coming my way. Some days, I handle it well enough. On other days I explode. I’ve become curious as to why this happens … why some days I am the calm center in the eye of the storm and other days I am the storm itself.
And the answer is S.O.S.
Now listen, we are human. We were given a wide range of emotions so that we could experience life to the fullest: good, bad, and ugly. I’m not pretending that we won’t ever have hard days or days where no matter what we do we still explode. That is part of life.
What I am saying is that the more that we cultivate and nurture our S.O.S., the more that we will be able to weather the storms of life without losing our center. Or, in my case, without judging myself so harshly and shaming myself for exploding. (Those days are not pretty!) When my S.O.S. is strong, I give myself a lot more grace and compassion than when it is weak.
What does a strong S.O.S. look like for me? I’m glad you asked! It looks like this:
- Taking care of myself; mentally, physically, and spiritually
- Drinking more water than coffee
- Limiting social media
- Meditating and/or moving my body consistently (daily is ideal for me!)
- Resting when I need it
- Limiting things that don’t make me feel good (a broad category that changes often!) including people, places, and things
- Soothing my mental anxiety with action that feels good
I would love to know what a strong S.O.S. looks and feels like for you. You are welcome to share by email or your preferred method of communication.
As always, I am in awe of all that you are and all that you are choosing to become.
– Gabriela