Change, and maybe especially this rapid, uncertain collective change we are experiencing right now, can be very agitating and I know many of us are feeling exhausted, anxious, and afraid. What's been most supportive for me is focusing on the practices that cue calm and safety within myself. 

I really like Brené Brown’s definition of calm:

“Perspective, mindfulness, and the ability to manage emotional reactivity.”

It's affirming to remember that calm doesn't have to always look like silent meditation or just feeling chill. I tend toward the "shut down" response (dorsal vagal collapse) to stress, so if I just think about calm as chilling out, it can actually lead to even more depressive physical states. That's why I love Brené Brown’s definition. I can actually feel the most calm when I'm active, present, and engaged with my experience. 

What is your relationship with or experience of “calm” right now? If it's accessible for you, where do you feel most connected with a sense of calm in your body?

How do you or could you practice calm in your daily life?

Right now my calm practice looks like active stretches that incorporate diaphragmatic breathing, reflective listening with my kid, and watching the wind move the trees. I've really relied on exteroception (noticing sensations outside the body) to bring calm into moments when I'm feeling overwhelmed. My calm practice has been my primary resilience practice during this time.

Prentis Hemphil of Resilient Strategies shares this definition of Resilience: 

Resilience is the innate ability to be generative, creative, adaptive, relational. It is also the practices that restore our generativity, creativity, adaptivity, and relationality.

When do you feel most in touch with your innate resilience? What are you practicing that gives you a sense of generativity, creativity, adaptivity, or relationality?