It is Wednesday and time to share short tales of the journey of peeps, as TSJ’s Solomon calls us.
Last week I reflected a bit on our need for strategies to help us when we run out of ideas or are at the “end of our rope” of patience.
I hope you checked out the links and found something helpful there, especially for you younger peeps who are in the season of life which demands constant energy drain, wisdom, and strength to shepherd your children.
I noticed that the link I originally put for help with special needs challenges such as Asperger’s Syndrome had a small error. It is corrected now. So I want to encourage you to go back and check out the links I offered. Also feel free to share others others that you find helpful.
Today’s Story . . .
Sometimes we need strategies for ourselves too, especially when we are feeling anxious or worried or downright scared. Remember no one strategy works all the time so it is good to have a toolbox full of them. Different occasions call for different tools (both figuratively and literally). For example, you have heard me share the “sip it and zip it” (Tea-God-Me) strategy several times for establishing a habit of stillness. It does not work all the time but is a great habit to develop.
That being said, I am going to share another one that from childhood until this month has helped me in tough times. I call it:
. . . The Just Look Up Strategy . . .
As an often traumatized and anxious child who lived in the country on a hill where the sky seemed so big and so close, I often drew strength from looking up at the sky. And, of course, I had done no reading in neuropsychology either. (Kids have a way of “knowing” sometimes!)
As it turns out, I have learned that our brains are wired such that if we are looking up it helps stave off tears. We usually look up when we are happy or creative. We tend to look down when we are sad, anxious or depressed.
Looking up has a physical impact on our brain’s message system which can help change (improve) our emotional state. When I was a school psychologist, I used to teach children when they were worried they would start crying in class to “just look up” for a few seconds. It works best before the tears get rolling, however!
For me, it has always been a steadying force when I look at the sky. When we look at the sky we are not paying attention to the horizon or to the scary space in between the sky and the ground. It also works when you are on a ladder, roof, ferris wheel and many other things that make you dizzy or nauseous from fear.
Recently, while waiting for Tom’s doctor to come through the door and tell me the surgery went well, I remembered this little strategy. I was feeling calm, well loved and supported by so many people, trusting of the doctor and hopeful for Tom. Then it happened. Out of nowhere I had sudden and unanticipated waves of fear that something was going wrong in there. (It wasn’t)
My stomach flip flopped. I stood up and started to pace. I talked to myself reasonably. But the waves of anxiety were threatening to pull me down. Hot tears started to surface. The future loomed bleak.
Then I noticed a small window high enough up that I had to stretch to see anything. I looked at the sky and drew in slow deep breaths. Immediately I noticed a difference. I had to repeat this several times until I was able to “let go” and find peace again. It carried me. When the doctor came out I was ready for his report. And all had gone well.
So this simple act serves as a practical, physical, spiritual and immediately handy tool when we feel the roller coaster, stomach dropping pangs that come with feeling out of control.
Solomon says looking up calms the soul and changes your perspective. I don’t know if it is his age or what, but Solomon loves the topic of perspective. He doesn’t seem to need neuroscience but he does like learning about it.
It is Wednesday, time to remember to play in the pastures….and..well…look up!
