Cultivating Trust
This time of Covid 19 and social (or what I prefer to call physical) distancing is what's being called 'unprecedented' in our history. There are waves of emotions moving through the collective human race right now. Like the tide as it moves in and out, influenced by the fullness of the moon and it's proximity to earth. We are being rolled along with these tidal waves like the stones and the shells on the beach not really sure where we are going to land.
We are also now at home, our routines disrupted, finding new ways of existing in a world that was such a short time ago, 'normal'. Fear, uncertainty trickle down and through everyone's lives in one way or another. In this uncertainty, there is a calling for the need to know that we are going to be ok. And this truly can only come from a place of Trust. To trust that we are ok just as we are. Trust that we will land where we need to. Trust that we can make the appropriate choices for ourselves and our families.
What is Trust?
On a very human and biological level, trust is an experience that you can only feel in the cellular makeup of your body. It is a very physical sense of knowing. It is a calm nervous system. It is an experience that is learned and remembered over time. Using the incomparable intelligence of your human mind to remember the felt experience in the wild innate instinctive nature of your body.
Trust is also poetic and spiritual in nature. It is in the miracle of the flower that blooms because the sun shines on it. It is in the moment where you lean into the chance of another human being. It is in the waiting, the breathing, the dreaming. It is elusive. It is a feeling. It comes from within. Trust only truly exist within your Self and from your connection to Spirit, God or Mother Earth. For me personally, Trust is a leaning backward into an unknown force that I know will hold me.
Trust will come and go like the ebbing of the tide as we react to the world around us and within us.
It is a practice.
To cultivate and nurture trust, you need to combine the biology of your body with the intelligence of your mind and your unique spiritual connection. It is a coming together, a trinity, that creates wholeness. A felt sense within yourself where only truly you will know what it's like for you. And it is different for everyone.
7 Ways To Cultivate Trust
Cultivating Trust is a practice. It is an experiential practice of trial and error. There is no manual on how you trust. My sense of trust may be significantly different than yours. And I encourage you to find what works for you through your own discovery.
As you begin to practice connecting to body, mind and spirit, I encourage you to track the different ways you experience these steps below. Discover what works for you. You will be unique in what works for you. What resonates with one person will not resonate with another. Discover your unique way that you can connect to Trust within yourself.
Get in touch with your body. Exercise. Move it. Yoga. Dance. Notice how you feel afterward. Bring awareness to the physical movement of your body. And listen to what it wants. Yoga may feel good for one person and dance may feel better for another. It's so important to do what feels good to your body.
Journal. Get a book that is simple or grab some blank pages and just write. I think of it as body writing. Write with your whole self. Don't worry what it looks like, your spelling, what you say or even if it makes sense. Get everything out. Write until you feel complete. And then notice how you feel when you're done. What are your body sensations? What emotions are there?
Breathe. In for 4 counts, Out for 7. This calms your nervous system. It communicates to your brain that your body is safe. The Breathing App is a great, simple app to get you in touch with your breath. I invite you to try this once a day for 5 minutes to begin.
Come back to the present moment. A wandering mind often creates anxiety. It jumps into the future, it tries to predict what's going to happen next. We interrupt the minds wanderings by bringing it back to the here and now. Place your hands on your belly. Notice your feet on the floor. Bring your attention to your seat and how your body is resting. Notice if your body feels relaxed or tight. Notice how your clothes feel on your skin. Bring all your awareness right into your body. And as your mind wanders back to the future or your to do lists, gently bring it back to your breath and your body in the right here and right now.
Look for Magic. The world is full of tiny little miracles and huge gigantic ones. Look for them. Look for them in the way the hummingbird flies or the way the sun reflects against the clouds. Look for the miracles in the kind eyes of the person working in the grocery store or the moment that your friend texts you right around the same time you were thinking about them. Acknowledge the Magic!
Practice deep compassion for yourself. It's very difficult to trust yourself if you are in judgement of yourself, your decisions or your feelings. I invite you to imagine you are speaking to your best friend, your child, your niece or nephew. Practice giving yourself the same level of compassion as you would to them.
Connect with Spirit or God. Just start talking. It doesn't need to be fancy. You don't need to be in meditation. Simply begin to talk. Give Spirit or God or Mother Earth your worries, your regrets, your struggles. Ask questions. Ask for help. And then notice how you feel afterwards.
I'd love to hear what you think and what works for you. Drop me a line at julana@uniquelyyou.ca
Much love.