My Very own Rescue Plan: Songs of Surrender
“Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound. Grace is a sound….it’s some kind of surrender”. Bono
I sometimes struggle with letting events play out- i.e surrendering. I can be averse to fully accepting reality and the twists and turns of life. As a person who wants to be at ease in the world, I’ve had to learn to be more tender with myself and others. We all have the power to develop our own rescue plan. I am sharing my “protocols” which involve listening loudly to very specific songs, really listening to the words on repeat 5 times. The main point of these protocols is to evoke strong emotion – like using a wire brush to get the feelings out. Some of them are to soothe and remind me that I am not in charge of the universe. These protocols are emotional metabolism for me and they so far, have worked.
Every. Single. Time.
When something does not go as planned, in a bad way.
Let It Be The Beatles
When I feel nostalgic for raising young children and miss having them around!
Father and Son Yusuf/Cat Stevens
When I (used to) endure breakups
Nothing compares 2 U Sinead O’Connor
When I’m not wanting to accept my powerlessness over people, places or things
Ripple The Grateful Dead
Music to calm my troubled mind
Weightless Marconi Union- Deemed the most relaxing sound in the world by many experts. Ethereal and otherworldly.
When dropping a bad habit.. and strength is needed.
I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor
What’s your rescue plan? Would love to know- Please respond below.
Wellbeing Resources
Nurse Practitioners- Fastest Growing Occupation in the Nation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics just announced unprecedented growth in and demand for Nurse Practitioners- projected to grow by 46% by 2031. There are federal programs to help nurses get educated as Nurse Practitioners (Advanced Practice Nursing) specializing in primary care, mental health/substance use disorders and maternal health. All to say, becoming a Registered Nurse at age 21 and a Nurse Practitioner at 23 were two of my top 5 best decisions of my life. I would encourage anyone interested to do it!
Feet Hurt?
When your feet hurt, everything does. Here is some great content on how to care for and prevent foot pain. These can be done at your desk or while binging on a screen. So much more can be found at the Foot Collective.
Endlessly Entertaining Humanity
Having a bad day? Want to elevate what you are letting into your life?
LookNowTV collects all the funny, captivating and unusual video clips found across the world. Much of it is captured by security cameras which record happy accidents, unlucky accidents, astounding fails, mysterious happenings, animals doing amazing things, people being kind, stupid, or extraordinarily skilled. It’s all trivial, and entertaining, but a reminder of our wild diversity.
The Modern Elder Academy
The world’s first midlife wisdom school just expanded and now has a ranch outside of Santa Fe New Mexico. I attended a session in Baja Mexico last February and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to feel fully alive and cultivate purpose at midlife and beyond. I recommend going alone. The world needs a wisdom school and this one delivers. Scholarships are available. Check it out here
Causes of Bad Decisions
Shane Parrish, host of The Knowledge Project podcast, (I am a fan) lists 5 causes of bad decisions:
- Assumptions based on small sample sizes
- Wanting the world to work the way we want rather than the way it does
- Conforming to expectations/authority/group (social default)
- Blindness to large trends (blind spots)
- Not asking, “and then what?”
Stay Well, and let us know what your rescue plan is in the comment’s below.
Eileen
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