Hi,
My name is Emma Makepeace and welcome to another episode of Calm in the Chaos.
In this week's episode,
We're having a little chat about what calm actually means,
And perhaps even having a think about what calm feels like for you and creating your own definition of calm.
Because what calm looks like and feels like for me could be vastly different to what calm looks like and feels like for you.
And that's because we all have different strengths,
Different values,
Different ways of being in the world.
And we come from different experiences as well.
So things that are potentially going to cause stress for me may not cause stress for you and vice versa.
So creating a definition of what it feels like and looks like to be calm for you is really important.
And a great place to start is with Ed Halliwell,
Who is an author and mindfulness practitioner from the UK,
Who shares this explanation of calm.
He says that there's calm as a state,
Which we maybe think of as a feeling of peace and tranquility,
A sense of not being on high alert,
And an absence of anxiety.
It's a feeling of settledness.
Then there's calm as a trait,
The capacity to manage the inevitable difficulties of being alive.
It's important to recognize life as being difficult,
As well as having many joys potentially.
Then calm doesn't mean the absence of difficulties,
But instead is a willingness and capacity to be with the difficulties and work with them,
Rather than trying to fight them and get away from them.
So this is really,
Really a key to creating your definition and creating your own acknowledgement of what calm feels like for you.
And knowing that it's not about avoidance,
It's not about creating this idyllic situation where there is no challenge and there's no motivation,
Because when there is no stress in our lives,
Then there's nothing to motivate us.
There is no energy giving us that spark,
That divine light into what it is that we want to create in the world,
Into what we want to be in the world,
And allowing us this space to step into our greatness.
So there needs to be a certain element of challenge,
A certain element of stress.
So looking at it as though like how there are different things in the world that wanting to use good or bad,
But there are good stresses in the world.
So stress that motivates,
Inspires us,
That gets our creativity going,
But then there is stress that causes us health issues and can also cause us to go into states of anxiety and other mental health issues and just into shutdown mode because the body is overwhelmed.
The body and the mind are overwhelmed.
And so it's about knowing the difference between all of those.
And that's where I say it's going to be different for everybody.
So defining your own area of that point,
That tipping point of what is calm for you,
Where does it go from being a really positive stress that creates action and inspires you and allows growth to being a stress that's really detrimental to your health and pushing you into burnout and overwhelm.
So that's where I would like for you just to take a moment,
Maybe connect into your breath and just think about what does calm feel like for you and not just the ideally,
You know,
Lying on a beach,
Having a holiday,
But what other things bring you calm and how do those moments support you to move through challenges so that you can face them rather than avoiding them?
How can you,
What are the,
What are the tools that you have available to you to support you to not fall into a space of overwhelm and burnout,
But instead finding that balance between being completely calm where in that first instance where there is no motivation to do anything and getting to a point where you are then in the absolute chaos of everything and just taking everything that's happening around you on board and it impacting on your overall health and wellbeing.
So I would love for you to share how that's resonated with you or what maybe this has inspired or just insights that you've gained from this little,
Little look into what calm means for you in your life.
And I look forward to seeing you or hearing from you again,
Next episode of Calm in the Chaos.
