Do Not Disturb

The year of 2020 has been pretty disturbing. Can I get an 'amen'?

I want to think that, as the clock turned midnight on the eve of this new year, everyone held excitement in their hearts, expecting the days, weeks and months to come to hold new hopes and fulfilled dreams.

However, what we have entered seems to be a Mary Poppins bag full of challenges; each challenge trying to outwit the one before.

There are good days and there are bad days.

There are challenging days and there are sad days.

Despite the ones that have come before, today is a good day. There is peace in the air that has been lacking.

You see, with all the chaos swarming around the world, the phrase 'do not disturb' has, over the past couple of weeks, become freeing to me.

As someone who has been increasingly impacted by the weight of a common mental illness called generalized anxiety disorder, disconnecting from all types of media has been an important part of the healing and recovery process. Just like my phone automatically activates the "do not disturb" setting at night, I have had to manually mobilize my "do not disturb" setting by logging off social media and disconnecting from the news.

It has been refreshing to focus more on myself and less on those around me.

You cannot fill anyone else's cup when your own has a thin layer of film that used to resemble some kind of prosperous fluid. And it is wrong for anyone to expect you to add to others' cups when your own has been less than full for much too long.

I am starting to believe that a part of refining your own mental health is releasing negative thoughts and negative people from your life. Empowering your own self to detach from the negative mindsets that tie you down will help enable your breakthrough; this, I believe, is a constant work in progress as one journeys through adult life, navigating challenges such as mental illnesses.

Harnessing a "do not disturb" mindset is more than just turning off and tuning out the things that hold you back from your exponential growth; its channeling forward motion to take the next step which will lead you to the next step.

It's forgiving that family member whose selfishness has wounded you.

It's pushing through nurse burn out.

It's quitting your toxic job.

It's not knowing exactly where your future is going to take you, but taking a step anyways.

What is holding you back during this season of your life?

This year has been full of chaos and opinions; division and isolation; disease and death. People are telling you what is right and what is wrong and if you have even the slightest difference in point of view, you are told to shut up.

Disconnecting from the world and listening to your own soul has become something that of a distant world; truly listening to the souls of others is something that of an ancient art.

And I am excited to continue walking down this journey of "do not disturb."

I encourage you to self reflect and harness the special power of releasing negativity and channeling forward motion.

xoxo,

Elizabeth