Hey, friends. I know life is so much right now. Fall schedules and responsibilities are now in full swing amidst the transitional period between seasons, as here in the Northern Hemisphere, we move from summer to fall, which actually could have you feeling a bit off as well. And the political climate here in the United States is so much right now, it's likely and also unsurprising if you're feeling overwhelmed and drained, and as a result, you're finding yourself on autopilot or numbing out just to get through the days. It's so easy to choose one of those coping mechanisms, especially at this point of the year, because the shit that you need to do, whether you want to do it or not, requires your attention, however you can give it, plus the stuff that you actually want to show up for, matters to you too much to throw in the towel altogether. So if you're feeling drained or overwhelmed, it makes so much sense that autopilot or numbing out is the way that you're managing to get shit done, and that also means that likely your self care and nourishing practices are also taking a big hit, or maybe you've gone on autopilot there as well. Either way, there's no shade. Honestly, the hard part about all of this though, as if, like, life wasn't hard enough, right? The hard part about this approach, you know that like staying numb or on autopilot will result in is you being disconnected from the people that you want to focus on showing up for, not to mention disconnected from yourself and also unavailable to what those people that you want to serve and you need. And right now, you might be giving me this single raised eyebrow, because when you first heard me say that it might not have seemed to be a likely result, because you might be feeling like you are connecting to people the absolute best you can and making yourself available as much as humanly possible. And you are, I am certainly not taking that away from you, not at all. But here's the real mind fuck up at all, given how dire our situation is right now, how low energy is, how overwhelmed you might be, how worried or angry you might feel, how busy you are, how numb you might be, or how strong your autopilot has become, you might be missing the obvious things as well as the things that are below the surface that are really important when it comes to the needs of the people you want to serve and the causes that you want to support, and also for you, you might be missing key information, because you just don't have the time or energy to be tuned in properly, to hear or see or witness it. And I mean, again friends, please know there's no shade in this. There's no judgment. I'm just saying what is, and it's understandable if you if this has got you feeling any type of way, but know that obviously it's not your fault. Society plays a big part in this, and unfortunately, we're hamsters on the wheel, right? But my job is to point out things that we might not be realizing or realizing all the time. Another possibility in all this is that people might be shielding their real needs and wants from you because they know you're spread thin, and that's not on you, of course. And I know that you wouldn't want them to be doing that, but it's common for even for the people who rely on us to also want to protect us too, because they care about us. So just naming some options, some possibilities. But here's the thing, even though it may feel like another way of being isn't possible, what we have to realize is that we can't numb out or continue to function on autopilot, because becoming desensitized doesn't just affect one area of your life. We like to think it does, we hope it does, but in reality, it spreads to everything. It makes you generally oblivious, generally unavailable, and continue to be under resourced. And I know that these are the things that you don't want, but it feels like What other choice do we have? Right the people and causes and responsibilities you want to show up for need you to be tuned in. And actively listening with your whole self and all of your senses, especially your sixth sense, your intuition So friends, instead of numbing out or going on autopilot any longer, you need to stay present to what's going on with you and others and take care of yourself. Take care of yourself in caps, period. There isn't really any other way around it. You've tried all the other ways, and maybe you're telling me right now you have made a huge effort to take care of yourself. Of course you have but it's hard, or maybe you did let it go again, no judgment in that. I need you to remember, no matter what the reason, no matter if you tried and failed, no matter if you threw every all your self care out the window, whatever it is, because every day, one of those things might happen, and that's normal. Remember this, in order for you to show up for the people causes and work you care about the most, the way they need you to you've got to take care of yourself. And we are at a point in 2024 we are at a turning point in society where this taking care of yourself has got to be the priority. I know it can feel very overwhelming to even think about this, because there is not enough time or energy to go around, and it may seem as though what little you do manage for yourself, or might be able to manage to do for yourself won't make more than a dent in the support you need. And I have to tell you, you're probably right, given the systems we live under, and the reality of all you have to deal with, manage and balance, what little support and self care you have time and energy for won't be enough to meet your very real needs and how depleted you are. But that's not enough of a reason not to do it. I have to ask you, how would it feel to have a moment of peace, a moment of ease, a little less pressure, if the pace slowed down, even by one mile an Hour, if the overwhelm lifted even the smallest bit, isn't that little bit worth it? And I know we don't want to just have little bits. We want to have enough, I know. But you know, this society is not going to give it to us, so we've got to take it, and it's important to remember the benefits of self care build on itself every time, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, the actions, the effects they have, build on each other. And the greatest effects of any practices we can manage to do are the are benefits that we cannot see. It's the way they affect our thoughts, emotions, mood, physical body and the well being of our tissues and our cells. All of that is not nothing. The best part about this approach, however you can show up is one more way you are interrupting the cycle that is keeping these systems going. So in doing this, you are disrupting the cycle you are dismantling, and that for sure, is community care. So you might be wondering, where do you start? And I will always say, the foundational practices. So eat your meals, however many it is that you want to have, eat your meals prior. Number two, prioritize sleep. And this is not a hierarchical, hierarchical list. Whichever order you need to do them in, take some, leave some. You don't have to do all these things, but I'm just offering the foundational practices. There are four main foundational practice that I always talk to my clients about. So eat your meals. Prioritize sleep, especially getting to bed at a time, they'll be conducive to your well being. Number three, move your body, however it is that you are comfortable and feeling safe,
move your body. See if you can move your body more days than not. It's okay. If it's not seven days, you don't need to move your body seven days you. Can depending on what you're doing, but you don't have to, number four, hydrate, especially with water, and you know, limit caffeine. I know that's a hard one, because when you feel like you don't have any time or energy for things, right? Caffeine is our way to go. So again, no shade. Please know this. Okay. So those are the four foundational practices, and then I have another four for you that can be add ons. Spend time outside. Wherever it is that you are safe to can be any stretch of time. It could be literally for 30 seconds you step outside, take a few breaths and you step back inside. If that's all you've got, no problem. You can walk outside. You can, I don't know if you pick up anybody from school. Maybe walk to get them. Park and walk if you have that option. I know not every school does whatever it is. I mean, walk across campus. If you work in, you know, an office campus, or you work on a school campus instead of driving. There's so many ways, and you can definitely reach out for ideas. Take breaks throughout the day. Tend to your bio needs clear mind. Check in with yourself. Break throughout the day. Again could be 30 seconds. It could be in between emails. It could be before you leave your desk for a meeting. It could be before you get out of your car for wherever it is, you have to go number seven or the third practice in this little group make meaningful connections with boundaries. You get to say no and you get to say yes, right, say no to the things you want to say yes to the things you want to make meaningful condition connect connections. Not everybody needs your time. Not everybody gets your time. You get to choose, and you get to change your mind, even if this person you are connected to is connection from history or familial or anything else, you get to say no, and you also get to say yes. Last one time by yourself, connect to yourself, spend time with you and do something that brings you joy, ease or nourishment in that time, I know that this all seems so basic, but friends, these are the practices we need to resource ourselves. These practices are what our work needs, our causes need, our community need they all need us to do these things. So I encourage you to move through the day with mindful awareness, identify when you're feeling unbalanced, and then maybe do something small for yourself, to support what's not feeling good, or make a plan to that you'll do later if you can't do it right then and there. And it's likely that whenever you are feeling unbalanced or under resourced, one of these foundational practices will come in handy. So write them down for yourself, so that way, like when you are in a moment, it's like, Wait, shit, what was I? What were the things I'm supposed to think about doing for myself? And then you see it another option besides the foundational practices, and then the add ons is to establish more harmony within yourself by tending to the type of energy you're feeling, and that comes in the form of considering practices for when you are feeling anxious or frantic, or when you are feeling angry or frustrated or you are just consumed with needing to get a task done or achieve or be in control. And third, practices for uplifting stagnation, tending to sadness or depression, and also to tend to overwhelm as well. So it's considering, if you're feeling anxious, what's a practice that you can do to release that anxiety? Some people shake, some people scream, some people move their body and then release it, and then do something grounding for yourself, grounding you in the present moment and then remind yourself of your stability in yourself and in your community. Now, if you're feeling angry or hyper focused on finishing a task, you'll need practices for meeting yourself there, for releasing some of that energy and then doing something that will create spaciousness and fun, something light, and if you're feeling dull or deeply sad or maybe overwhelming, do something small that's uplifting and enjoy. Ball, something easy. How's that sound? How's it landing? Now, before I go, I'd like to invite you into the resource crew, a radical space for self and collective care amidst an existentially threatening moment. This is an online space for people who are feeling overwhelmed and maybe even drained right now, but desperately want to keep showing up for themselves and others in a way that's just not so taxing. We'll be working towards reclaiming our agency and recruiting energy. And the bonus, we'll be breaking the cycles of perfectionism, overachieving and overextending, as well as waiting until after the fall to take care of ourselves the way we want to. The ultimate goal of the resource crew is for participants to cultivate to cultivate safety, stability, connection, care and presence within themselves, so that they can remain grounded as they advocate for themselves and others, and resourced as they show up to the causes they care about, as well as in their day to day obligations. We begin on September 25 and you can find all the info at Steff gallante.com/the-resource, that dash crew, and the link to the site is in the show notes. Until next time, my friends, please be kind to yourself, just as you would to those who are most important to you, whether that's a human, an animal, baby or a plant. I'd love to hear your thoughts about everything I discussed today in this episode. So please feel free to reach out and share via email, Instagram, comment on a post, send a carrier pigeon, whatever. And if you've been loving the show, please share it with your nearest and dearest and leave a review or rating you have no idea, unless you have your own podcast, how important those things are, I really hope that you are feeling maybe a little bit more ease, a little bit more clarity after this conversation. I'm so glad we are here together in this space and time and remember you are a badass, and you are deserving of your unconditional love, grace and compassion. So Cut the crap, friend, get out of your own way and give that to yourself and be well. Do.
