I have had more anxiety than ever since COVID-19 has had us in quarantine. There are so many unknowns, and that can be so scary. For someone who loves control, this time can be a huge curveball. It's safe to say this time is a huge curveball for all of us except, maybe, the Dalai Lama.
I read that Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers trained for peace. They trained themselves to control their minds while having people spit in their faces, dirt kicked up around them, and they remained calm while being pushed around and beaten. They trained every day to let peace triumph over fear. This puts tears in my eyes.
I have had the privilege to hire a therapist and have a comfortable lifestyle to help me achieve some calm from the anxiety and fear I experience today--a fraction of what black Americans faced in the 50's and continue to face. So before I share some of the tools that have helped me with my anxiety, I'll share this: Black Americans have managed to live and thrive in a broken, oppressive society for centuries. Let their resilience and grit teach us and lead us in navigating this new world together. In the words of Maya Angelou, "And still, I rise."
With all the mental training one can undergo to relieve stress and anxiety, and replace fear with compassion, there will always be space for Mother Earth's--Pachamama--assistance on our journey. Mother Earth is a wonderful healer, and there are some things outside of therapy, meditation, breath work, exercise and a good diet that have helped Matt and me with anxiety, stress (mental and physical) and better sleep. So here are some excellent tools from Pachamama that we use to assist us:
Tinctures
Matt has been using Pachamama’s CBD tinctures most nights before bed to help with sleep. And now, our favorite CBD brand Pachamama has come out with a Vegan Hemp Gel Capsule, made with a tapioca starch and 25mg of CBD oil--a controlled amount.
Pain Lotion
I'm currently using Pachamama's CBD lotion and gel for my body aches and stress in my shoulders. (Since I'm still nursing, I haven't been cleared by my doctor to take oral CBD.) When I use the THC-free pain cream on my neck, the pain I have from holding so much stress in my shoulders disappears in seconds. I'm not kidding. I almost laugh thinking about how much I would have paid to see a doctor and go through expensive therapy or pain killers to help relieve the pain.
Athletic Rub
I also use the athletic rub on my knees before I go for a jog on the pavement, and my recovery is so much better. I usually get some inflammation in my knee that prevents me from running as much as I'd like.
I'm grateful to have discovered CBD, which is a wonderful tool that Mother Earth has given us. If your doctor has cleared you to take CBD in small doses, or add it to your self-care routine and rub onto your skin like I do, I can't recommend it enough. It has kept me moving in a safe way, and has helped Matt manage stress and achieve better sleep.
I do love and use these products every day--and they have truly helped me recover from all of my physical stress. But the big takeaway here is, training ourselves to let peace triumph over fear. Whether it's #BlackLivesMatter and peaceful protests, looting (which is so scary, deadly and has destroyed so many people's livelihoods), or the #SpaceX launch (so exciting), we must train ourselves to absorb the new world through a peaceful lens.
Our emotions, beliefs and words are stored in our bodies. It is vital, now more than ever, that we curate what goes in and out of our inner solar systems. It's vital, now more than ever, to "Be the change you wish to see in the world."-Gandhi
