Monday Mindset
The bigger picture
It’s the beginning of a new week, and that means I’m back in your inbox with the Monday Mindset.
I don’t know about you, but October has been TRYING in many ways. Sharing this space with you is both a highlight and a tether to keep cultivating an attitude of openness, trust, and compassion. It’s rough out there, but there are soft places to land. I genuinely hope that this is one for you.
Continuing with the this month’s theme of curiosity (here if you’ve not yet had a chance to read), this week’s intention is:
The Bigger Picture
Who of us has not gotten lost in the demands of the urgent and felt overloaded, and perhaps a bit lost at sea? When we can’t see the forest for the trees, we miss out on the grounding aspects of seeing the bigger picture.
The reality of a situation is often much larger, much more nuanced than our appraisal of it. Curiosity can help us zoom out from our own experience to see the broader picture, deepening our understanding and expanding our perception.
Sometimes, we have to take a step back, or a step outside of our circumstances, for a perspective shift. What does this look like?
It could be as simple as talking to someone from a different background. Breaking up our routine (as we talked about last week) can also help us with a perspective shift. Getting out into nature, especially big, open spaces, can help our minds reset and see how we are a small part of a much larger whole.
I went through a tough breakup a few years back, and there was one day I could just not escape the grief. Instead of trudging on through work (I am a freelancer, so I have the gift of changing my schedule), I chose to get out of town for the day. A change of scenery was what I needed. I went to the north shore of Lake Superior, a place I love and feel at home, and sat on the craggy shore. I put my feet in the icy waters and let myself remember, my pain is but a drop in the water. My experience is not isolated. It is mirrored and met in the experiences of others. Staring out over the lake where I could not see its end, I felt grounded and settled. Not healed, but somehow reassured that I would be okay. I was not alone, and my experience wasn’t unique. And I would get through.
I saw the bigger picture on that day, and I still think about it often.
When we step outside our little view of the world to how everything connects, we get a glimpse of how we connect to the larger whole. This is a beautiful effect of curiosity.
As my Lake Superior experience shows, taking a step back (or out, in this case), can help us with tough emotions. We don’t have to drive a couple hours to experience this shift. A simple practice of recognition can open the door a crack, letting the light of hope shine in.
When we feel sad, that sadness is not all that exists. Bad things happen, but they are not the full story. When we are able to detach a little from the intensity of the moment, we can allow for the full spectrum of emotion. There is still beauty in the world around us. There is still love, there is still peace, there is still wisdom. Hard days come to an end, and the sun brings light every morning. Seasons change, and they will continue to. Where we are now is not the end. There is grace to move, to change, to flow with the tide or to root to the ground. There is time today to take a step back from the intensity to see what else is possible, and what is still true.
Will you take a step back when you feel overwhelmed by drudgery, the intensity of a situation, or flooding of emotions? Being connected to your inner world does not mean being overrun by emotions, though sometimes they might try. Let curiosity lead you toward the possibility of something bigger, truer, and more expansive than you sense in the moment. And let it breathe, even if it stays in the realm of possibility for today.
Consider what has helped you to shift perspective in the past. Who or what helped you see that there was more happening than you realized?
When you feel overwhelmed by an emotion this week, zoom out a little and get curious with it. You might have to wait until the intensity passes, but give it thought. Talk to a friend about it, if you are a verbal processor. Pray or meditate if you don’t feel comfortable voicing it. There are plenty of books or art that might help you understand what you’re feeling. Still, don’t forget to actually connect to yourself, too. Journaling about it is a great option.
Let your curiosity and exploration not just lead you deeper into the problem, though. Balance it out by seeing the bigger picture. What else remains true at the same time?
May you have moments of fresh perspective right when you need them! Stay open, stay grounded, and stay gracious with yourself this week. You are doing the best you can, and that’s all you can do.
As always, I’m just an email, message, or comment away.