Happy Thursday Watchers!
Last week my friend Laura wrote me a note that has been really helpful over the last few days. I want to share it with all of you.
āWeāre all experiencing sustained trauma in mild or extreme ways right now.
In the āright now,ā this triggers our deeply-engrained coping mechanisms and patterns. These are the emotional equivalents of āknee jerksā and look different from person to person.
And in āthe later,ā this trauma affects how we view and react to the world. As Iām editing this, I can hear gunshots (or hammering that sounds very much like gunshots) from Benās parentsā house. I can feel my heart rate increase and my focus splinter; these sounds remind me of the traumatic day we landed in Christchurch last year. Trauma does that. It reshapes you.
All of which to say, this is an extraordinary time that calls for extraordinary love and kindnessātowards yourself and others. Weāre in a traumatic āin-betweenā state; weāre in between our old normal and the coming new normal. Weāre looking at a global shattering wondering, āwhat just happened?ā
And while we uncomfortably sit there, in the hard questions and harder realities, we need to choose our tools wisely. Love and connection are the tools that heal traumaānot shame, guilt, or fear. (ThoughĀ allĀ of these emotions are worth noting and paying attention to when we feel them!)ā
Remember to choose your tools wisely.
Cheers from Charleston āļø
Andrew