NEAR

I was recently listening to a podcast and heard one of the participants talk about an acronym they use to help them get and stay grounded during times of stress and tension.  I found it super helpful, so wanted to share it here with you this week.

NEAR - Nature - Encounter - Art - Ritual

Nature

There's something about intentionally spending time in Nature that can be very grounding. When we can go outside, even for a few minutes, and slow down, breathe, listen, watch - basically, paying attention to what the natural world is revealing, we can find a space of reconnection with the larger world and with ourselves in the process.

Encounter

The same way we can slow down and become more present in Nature, we can also do that with people.  Taking time to intentionally Encounter someone else can help us find a renewed sense of perspective. When we take time to be present with another person or a group of people, we can become re-grounded in our shared humanity and recognize that we are not alone in this world.  Taking time to Encounter can help us reawaken the beauty of what it means to be us!

Art

Connecting with Art doesn't mean I have to go to a museum. I may want to do that, but it can also be creating some Art myself, listening to music, reading a book, or maybe even watching a movie.  The idea here is to engage with something that requires creativity to bring it into the world. When we connect with Art we open up another side of our brains and literally allow our minds to expand.

Ritual

This final piece of being NEAR is about connecting with rhythms and patterns that draw us to something larger than ourselves. It may be engaging in some type of religious or faith practice, but it could also be establishing a new routine for a morning or evening ritual (i.e. get up, grab a coffee, sit in the same spot and journal before heading into the day). When we participate in Rituals, we open up room to see the larger spheres of the world and remind ourselves that we are part of something more vast and beautiful than just all the tasks we've got to accomplish this week.

How does being NEAR help you find a place of grounding?  Which aspects have you engaged in recently, and what kind of impact did it have?  What is one element you could add to your life this week (NEAR) that would help to open you up and find a place a greater grounding?

Here's to being NEAR this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

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