the sky is falling!

Back in January, 2010, there was a huge earthquake which shook the city of Port au Prince, Haiti, in such a violent fashion that hundreds of poorly-constructed concrete buildings crumbled in an instant, crushing people, trapping others, injuring more, and sending the country into deeper chaos.

This is not news to anyone, but for me, it seemed like that earthquake shook my very soul.

At that time I had traveled twice to Haiti and had many friends living and working there.  That morning I had spent time on a phone call with a very close friend who was struggling with some work concerns, and so my mind was already in Haiti.

When I heard about the earthquake, it seemed like time stood still.  And, for me, here in my body, in my mind, and in my spirit, it took about a year before everything started to flow again.

I was beside myself.  I could not think about anything else.  Literally, I could not think about anything else besides the country of Haiti, my friends in Haiti, the disaster relief that was not getting to people, a country already on its knees getting hit over the head by this earthquake.

I was holding my breath all the time, I felt confused by my priorities.  Breathe for myself, or worry about Haiti seemed like my only choices.

It was a terribly unhealthy response and I learned a great deal about myself through the process.

I know it is cliche, but they say to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping any children when flying on an airplane.  I know that in order to be present to "help" anyone or to be of any use at all, I need to be of sound mind, I need to be relatively healthy and strong, I need to be vibrant and capable.

The earthquake of Haiti helped me to see that I am quick to set aside my own needs when faced with disaster, and slowly now more than 3 years later I am learning to allow myself to prioritize my own health over everything else there is to worry about in the world -- if only so that I can be more prepared to respond to it!

Currently our country is on the verge of bombing Syria.  I don't have a close personal friend living in Syria right now, but that doesn't diminish the reality that millions of people do.

When things happen that seem out of our control, what is the best way to take care of ourselves?

I learned that it was ok to have a nice hot bath, even though *most people in the world* will never be offered that privilege.  I learned that it is ok for me to enjoy a good laugh and a home-cooked meal, even though *most people in the world* struggle to feed their families on a daily basis.

These insights might seem elementary to some of my readers, but for me, it has been a big turning point in my self-care.  Many of my friends and colleagues are on the front-lines of resistance against the war machine, are putting their time, money, and resources toward environmental recovery, are giving their life-force toward making the world a safer place for people of all colors, genders, and sexual orientations.

How can we best care for ourselves in the midst of these huge global concerns?  

I know many folks don't pay attention for exactly this reason -- it's too exhausting to pay attention!  It's too depressing.  It's too overwhelming.

To pay attention and to stay healthy at the same time is my objective and my desire, and why I am launching my new business, Expand Community Wellness.

Stay tuned for more and let me know how you take care of yourself when the world throws you a curve ball in the comments below.