Everyday Courage

Dear ,

As social creatures we pick up on collective emotional qualities. We fall into resonance and can even end up amplifying whatever the “vibe” is. This has incredible benefits in terms of social cohesion, but for those of us who are more sensitive, or more porous, we can end up awash in the milieu of the collective emotional experience and out of touch with ourselves.

When I started acupuncture school, I became anxious. I would feel overwhelmed and have difficulty focusing. I’d find myself ungrounded and worried and with a spinning mind.

Until one day, after an acupuncture treatment in the student clinic, something shifted for me dramatically. I remember it so clearly. I felt calm, grounded and relaxed inside my own body, but I also saw and sensed around me a tremendous amount of anxiety fluttering around. It was as though anxiety was oozing out of people’s pores, and if mine were open, I would “catch” it.

I share this now because I recently realized that this has been happening for me around the election and COVID. Yes, being in the unknown is uncomfortable. Yes, there’s a lot at stake. 

But I belong to a legacy of human beings who have been through much more. We all do. Humans who have survived famines, and wars, and hardships we might find hard to even imagine.

I’m a courageous person. No, I’m not necessarily one to run off onto the battlefields with my sword bellowing “FREEDOM!”. But when it comes to facing the slings and arrows of day to day living in the modern world, I’m good. I’ve got this.

I don’t mean to invalidate anyone’s feelings or experiences. But I do hope to invite people to check in with themselves. It seems as though everyone is feeling anxious right now.

People who have given birth are anxious. People who have faced cancer and come through it, are anxious. People who have lost loved ones and healed are anxious. 

So I have to stop and ask, is this anxiety coming from US? Or is something out there transmitting a frequency that we’re tuning into? 

What happens when we go inside and find our strength and fortitude and courage and LOVE? 

Let’s Transmit that!

Sorry if I’m on a soapbox this week. I hope it helps. I hope I spark something. 

If you need support reconnecting to your courage or finding your way in these strange times, please reach out.

If you're up for a little dance party with yourself...here's a funky little playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.

With Fierce Love and a strong heart that’s been broken and will surely break again,

Noah