The year is drawing to its close, with an unfortunately all too familiar sense of anxiety and unease. Mindfulness for reflection can help you navigate the uncertainty.
When this pandemic overtook us, I thought it would all be over in six months. Clearly my crystal ball was malfunctioning.
So many times, I have had to recalibrate my plans in the past 24 months. And may yet have to do so again. Human beings like certainty – that is why we create habits and routines. But uncertainty is what we live with even when there’s no Covid.
For my last blog of the year, here are some reflections on how you can use the attitudes of mindfulness to support you as you move towards an uncertain 2022.
Mindfulness for reflection – start with kindness
However you think you are doing, you are doing the best you can. You have made it through the year. If you are reading this then you are still breathing – there is more right with you than wrong with you.
Accept what you cannot change
You can waste a lot of valuable energy fighting what you do not like. Most of what happens is beyond your control. Give yourself the gift of finding peace within yourself. Your inner world is about the only place where you do have control.
Neither good nor bad
Labelling anything as good or bad is normal, but unhelpful. Most events, situations and feelings just are. Get into the habit of noticing when you make judgements, especially of yourself. Make 2022 the year you tell your inner critic to sit down and shut up.
Be patient with yourself
You are on a journey, and you cannot always see the path. Or the end point. It is not a race to get to some perceived finish line. If others seem to be going faster than you, so be it. Allow yourself to progress at your own pace.
Trust your own experience
So called negative emotions, such as anger, or fear, are your body’s way to talking to you. Learn to listen, to tune in. Use your experience to guide you on what is right for you, and which direction you want to go.
Let go of what you think should be
A lot of stress can be generated when you cling to how you think your world should be working out. See if you can be at peace with how things are working out. Assume that where you are, and how things are, is how it is supposed to be.
Take the pressure off
If your plans for 2021 have not come to fruition, take heed from nature. When you plant the seed is not when you harvest the fruit. And no one is ever guaranteed a particular outcome to a particular timeframe. Reflect on how far you have come. And take time to congratulate yourself on that.
Bring a fresh perspective
No moment is ever the same as any other, and each morning, never mind each year, is a chance to look anew. If you find yourself stuck in repeated habits and patterns, invite yourself to stop, breathe, observe. Then wait. Allow your unconscious mind to tell you how to proceed.
End with compassion
Bringing a sense of compassion and understanding to yourself is not weakness. It is strength. And a well-earned gift for yourself that you can access any time. When in doubt, ask yourself how would your best friend talk to you? Then adopt that tone in your own head.
Wishing you as much grace as you can muster for the end of 2021. And a peaceful, healthy, and happy New Year.
