âIt is a serious thingÂ
just to be alive
on this fresh morningÂ
in this broken world.â
â Mary Oliver
Weâre living in unprecedented times, and navigating this crisis often feels like trying to move across unfamiliar territory without a map. A few podcast episodes, articles, and other resources have been particularly valuable to me, helping me find words for this experience and create space to sit with the uncertainty.
To have a record of where Iâm finding comfort, strength, and a sense of direction during quarantine, I decided to set up this resources page, which I will continue to update over the coming weeks and months. Stay safe and well, friends.
For listening:
âLiving the Questions: At home, frustrated, and stressed â is âjust beingâ worthy right now?â â Krista Tippett, OnBeing
âOne of the unexpected experiences of this crisis has been the value of our presence in each otherâs lives, the value of care and caregiving. And yes, that is about healthcare workers, but itâs also about parents, and itâs about neighbors. . .I see people in every profession imagining how they can be of service with their presence; with what they already know; with where they already are.â â Krista Tippett
âGroundingâ â Rob and Kristen Bell, The RobCast
âWhatever This Isâ â Rob and Kristen Bell, The RobCast
âThat gets at how often our identity is tied up in our productivity, like, âIâm only okay if I have something to show for my life. I need to have something to point to to make me feel okay, like, look what I did.â But the danger with thatâŠis you just get caught up in this life of always moving and never having these times of reflection and asking, âWhat makes my life meaningful, what do I value?ââ â Kristen Bell, âWhatever This Isâ
âDavid Kessler and BrenĂ© on Grief and Finding Meaningâ â BrenĂ© Brown, Unlocking Us
For reading:
âWhat the Caribou Taught Me About Being Together, and Apartâ
â The New York Times
âIn the end, perhaps we arenât so different from the caribou crossing the river. As we struggle against the current, weâre buoyed by the fact that weâre not alone. We greet our neighbors on the screen, through windows, at distances that feel strained and unnatural, and exchange silent blessings, recognizing that for us, like for caribou, community is everything.â â Caroline Van Hemert
âThat Discomfort Youâre Feeling is Griefâ
â Harvard Business Review
âAnticipatory grief is the mind going to the future and imagining the worst. To calm yourself, you want to come into the present. . .Itâs that simple. Breathe. Realize that in the present moment, nothing youâve anticipated has happened. In this moment, youâre okay.â
â David Kessler
For mindfulness & meditation:
Free mindfulness resources from Calm
Free online mindfulness sessions from the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, including community meditation and mindful yoga
For creating:
Creative Bug â online arts & crafts classes and workshops
For movement & yoga:
Mary Ochsner Yoga app â offers several free yoga classes
Wanderlust TV â yoga, meditation, and mindfulness videos, currently offering a 30-day free trial.
Calm Body â available on Calmâs free resources page
Great resources, many of which I haven't heard of! I have one movement/meditation one to add - Wanderlust TV. Normally it's a paid subscription but they're giving a 30 day free trial right now that opens you up to an entire library of yoga, meditation and mindfulness talks. I've been doing one every day and loving it! Sending love.