I’m a White Woman, raised in a Black City & I still have Racism within me.
When I wrote this, it was for me. Then I shared it with my Black friends. They think it’s important and should be shared to a greater audience. This is for them.
Tag: mindfulness
How Looking Back Can Propel Me Forward
I’ve been walking in and out of my studio looking at my supplies, trying to find a glimmer of inspiration to no avail. Then I saw my pencils. I pulled up some of my favorite beach photos and began drawing one. I haven’t done this in a long time and it feels like an old friend.
Shockabuku: How Sometimes I Need a Swift Spiritual Kick to the Head
Ever since the holidays, I have not been able to gain any traction in my work. Like one of those dreams when I’m trying to running but I can’t seem to build up any speed at all. At least I can say that it’s not for no reason. The past five months have been intense, and until about two weeks ago, I had not been feeling so great. Then I received a Shockabuku.
Slow and Simple Poetry from an Anxious Artist
Today I long to keep things simple. Simple mind and simple actions. Slow and simple, I say. The idea of getting into a long blog post about how I’m feeling seems a sad prospect. So, here I am, attempting a simple poem. I don’t write poems that often, but today, poetry seems to fit. So here you go.
How to Move Slowly & Mindfully Through Sadness
I don’t feel that great. Life has been challenging. It’s one of those weeks where tears flow easily and at inconvenient times. I am sitting in it. I am not frantically looking for escape. I want clarity. If the brain tornado must spin, maybe I can make it spin slower, just slow enough so I can actually see what’s happening.
Setting New Year’s Intentions Instead of Resolutions
I always want to start the new year bright eyed and bushy tailed, with confidence exuding from my pours and optimism oozing from my eye balls. AND I always find that come New Year’s Eve, I’m so stinkin’ tired from the holiday, that all I want to do is sleep. I mean, who wants to start 2020 in a coma.
How Not to Turn Crazy This Holiday Season
This time of year, I am particularly prone to “hamster wheel brain” and “chicken with my head cut off syndrome”. I mean, let’s be honest here, I’m prone to it all year long. So, add in multiple deadlines, revenue goals, holiday cards (both personal and professional), Christmas gift shopping, all the events and parties, and the one enjoyable task on my holiday to do list, pie baking, and I am ripe for anxiety overload. Self-care is important this time of year and I mustn’t let that go slack, that’s for damn sure.
Thank God for This Particular Anxiety Symptom
Anxiety often tells me that I don’t do enough and I don’t do good enough. In turn, I am extremely detail oriented and so paranoid about doing right by myself and others, that I will work myself to the bone to make sure that I am giving one million percent of myself at all times. It’s an excellent way to burn out. But it also makes me strong in a crisis situation.
Three Steps to Move Through Overwhelm and Gain Clarity and Strength
I have figured out three steps that I take when anxiety and overwhelm strike, that help me break everything down into manageable actions. Oddly, these steps have nothing to do with organizing or making lists. Those are procedures that come out of clarity. The three steps that I am referring to help me gain that clarity and in turn, strength and confidence to deal with the various shit shows that arrive unexpectedly.
How My Anxiety Strategies Are Saving Me Both Reactively and Proactively
I know that my feelings are my feelings, and they come from me. At the same time, I know that not all of my feelings are the truth, and I can call them out as false if I just engage in a little conversation with them. Sometimes, I find both truth and false in the feeling, but then I can decide what to do based on that distinction, rather than based on an overblown and sometimes imaginary feeling. Cool, huh?