When is the last time you took a moment to be present in your environment? Maybe moments, days or hours ago? Or was it months/years ago?
For the first time in, what I consider, a very long time, my family and I took time to disconnect from electronics and tap into our joy as a unit. And, I’ll be real with y’all… I needed it bad y’all… Real bad…
As a part of my own healing journey, I’ve tried to be more conscious about how much time I spend working (for myself and others). I used to be the person that would bury myself in my work to avoid the hard stuff that comes up in my life, and once I recognized the harm it was causing I worked hard to be aware of what I’m teaching my littles and what I’m reinforcing in myself.
Our time away allowed us all to really practice grounding and to learn to rest. I was also able to learn a lesson about finding joy through fear.
We spent a lot of time in water over the weekend and while the youngest was fairly cautious, the oldest operated in the YOLO mindset all weekend. Well in one of these experiences, bud flipped himself out of a floater, after being advised how to keep that from happening. He initially started to panic (as did I) but in what seemed like a split second, he remembered all of the lessons his dad had taught him his first few hours in the pool.
Stay Calm. Slow Down. Count it Out…
I watched our kid keep his head above water, acknowledge his fear, and with assistance adjust his response to the situation and get right back to play. It was such a beautiful moment for me because, I don’t know that at his age I could have handled it the same way, and it reminded me that slowing down (grounding, breath-work, mindfulness, etc.) makes getting through the fear less debilitating.
Free game incoming, beloved… You’re welcome…
Oftentimes, our impulses may cause us to avoid the difficult emotions rather than learning to deal with them. These natural responses may be to deflect or panic, and although we’re getting ourselves out of the discomfort we really aren’t learning how to deal with it when/if it happens again. When we slow down and sit in the moment, we are able to take time to practice identifying our reality.
He could have let his fear of going underwater unexpectedly keep him from enjoying the pool, but instead he acknowledged his emotions with a “that was really scary daddy. I don’t like that.”, counted to 20, identified what happened and what he could do moving forward so he wouldn’t have to feel that way again, and CHANGED THE BEHAVIOR. I could have let my own fear ruin the vacation too. In that moment I had to realize that we were doing everything in our control to keep the kids safe without keeping them from experiencing life and learning from their experiences.
We both allowed this to show us that we can get through the scary things as long as we learn from our choices. I hope that you give yourself an opportunity to experience joy this summer. I also hope that if you experience anything fear inducing, you don’t allow it to be a hindrance.
If you feel like fear or anxiety is keeping you from living life to the fullest, reach out, and I can teach you how to use the tool above as a way to manage the emotions (among other things.).
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Beautiful post! Don’t let fear disrupt your joy! As a new mom I’ve had moments where I was absolutely terrified however I am thankful that I had friends and the tools that I could tap into to manage my fears and anxiety. I do not want my child to inherit my fears or miss out on the joys of life because of them. I hope you and your family have the most amazing summer!
Awww, thank you so much and same to you! I’m so glad you had the support when you needed it!