NAVIGATING THE UNKNOWN
Try as we might to manage reality, things often don't go as planned. Navigating the unplanned was the topic of our conversation this week in our Tuesday Self-Care group. We looked at which emotions come up in the face of the unknown and how to keep going even when life repeatedly knocks you down.
Unexpected loss
As a Raregiver you will experience more than your fair share of unexpected loss. Maybe your Rare child’s condition is worsening and they are losing more control over their body. Or maybe your spouse dies of a heart attack leaving you temporarily lost, and alone. How do you continue to show up and open your heart to new love?
Giving yourself space
When life takes someone you love, give yourself the space to feel things as they come up. If possible, interrupt any urge to fix whatever is happening, and try not to override your feelings, or go into overdrive. Compulsive overdoing is a way of avoiding your feelings. You might feel angry, or that something you should have, could have, or would have done might have changed the situation. Trust that life has its own plan, which very often does not lineup with what we had imagined.
Take breaks
Make sure that you learn to take breaks even if they are just five or ten minutes long. Trust that it's OK to take time for yourself and that in fact, you are not the only one who can do something. Others might not do it exactly the way you do it and, they will get done.
Receive
Learn to receive help and acknowledge the truth that you can't do it all. Work gently toward your goals rather than pushing through. Although it may sound strange, it can be very helpful to schedule unplanned time where you care for yourself by relaxing or organizing the garage if that is how you relax.
Trust
Trust that life has your best interest at heart, breathe deeply, and your capacity to be in the unknown will grow. Take care to leave space open for what wants to be revealed because if you fill it all up, there's no room for magic to appear.
Coming up next week: The Places we Go When It’s Beyond Us
When we are deep in the throws of struggle, tightness, or control, it’s easy to forget or not even believe in surprise, curiosity, wonder and especially not awe. Yet, they are still possible and available to us. The irony is that many of these experiences are still out of our control, just on the other end of the spectrum. Come shift your lens to include these beautiful thoughts, that might allow us to be open to more.
Please Join Us
You may not realize how much you need the Angel Aid community until you find it.
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We look forward to being with you soon.
