Remember? No? The 90s. The Song. Salt-N-Pepa. “Let’s Talk About Sex.” Frankness. Beat breaking taboos (Who doesn’t like a bit of taboo breakage?).
So friends, come on, why not? It’s Spring! Let’s talk about . . .
STRESS
Busybusybusybusybusysbusybusy . . . Ever tried typing this word repeatedly? Right hand “b,” “u,” left hand “s,” “y” busybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusybusy . . .
Expectations? Pressure? Prejudice? All things bright and beautiful?
The Environment. The News. All this and more and . . . Never. Enough. Time.
At times, physical movement. At others, mental movement (and the “other” movement . . . well, that’s the pudding proof and no mistake).
THE EXCHANGE
I recently shared a wonderful exchange with Yoko Majima, our very own community lawyer. We talked about how we try to keep stress at bay. About having a peaceful mind. Grateful to Yoko for sharing what she did. It means a lot to me when people reach out with truth. Being open and honest about what they struggle with. It always hits home because it’s something I connect to. On a human level.
I struggle with stress too. It’s a word that comes up in conversations often. Sometimes scarily the norm.
Filing my taxes last week with Mori-san, our community tax accountant, the topic of stress came up again. Mori-san smiled. In a voice soft with warmth and crystal clear clarity, she told me how her only aim is to take as much stress out of taxes as possible. Fantastic. Her gift. Gratefully received by me and many others in our community.
“I think in today’s world, the number one reason to mediate is that we live in a world that has a lot of stress. People are constantly feeling time pressure, peer pressure, performance anxiety . . . What does this do? Physical and biological havoc…strokes..diseases..addictive behaviour…We now know that stress…emotional, psychological, physical…is the number one epidemic of our civilization” — Deepak Chopra speaking to Oprah Winfrey
(Haven’t tried their 21 Day Mediation? Try it out here — it’s free!)
THE CHOCOLATE BOX
The good news is that there are many ways to release stress. A veritable chocolate box of treats: meditation, hiking, coloring, sex (together or alone: yes!), yoga, dancing, gardening… From “woo woo” to buzz words, meditation and mindfulness are growing and attracting people from all walks of life. What I also disregarded as “woo woo” is now essential. For creating that small, still space. A place to connect to bigger and beyond. For peace of mind. For self love and knowing that I’m enough. What does my practice look like?
PENCIL, MEET PAPER
“Once, when I was struggling with a book, I signed up for a drawing class, just to open up some other kind of creative channel within my mind. I can’t draw very well, but that didn’t matter; the important thing was that I was staying in communication with artistry at some level. I was fiddling with my own dials, trying to reach inspiration in any way possible. Eventually, after enough drawing, the writing began to flow again” — Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
“Play is an antidote to stress, and this is key because stress, in addition to being an enemy of productivity, can actually shut down the creative, inquisitive, exploratory parts of our brain. You know how it feels: you’re stressed..suddenly everything starts going wrong…you can’t find your keys, you bump into things…I have seen play reverse these effects in my own children. When they are stressed and things feel out of control, I have them draw. When they do, the change is almost immediate. The stress melts away and their ability to explore is regained” — Greg McKeown, Essentialism
It looks very much like this: Pencil and Paper. Worth so much more than their separate parts.
Drawing for Reflection. (inner) Drawing for Expression. (outer)
Drawing is how I process experiences and the thoughts and feelings that come with them.
I have witnessed this countless times. Sharing drawing. Watching people light up. Discover new things. Make changes.
“There’s something there that wasn’t there before…I’m much happier about how my life is going….I thought this was just an art class, it’s so much more!…one of the reasons for my big awakening”
I can’t wish you a stress-free Spring — I’m a realist and it doesn’t exist! — I can, however, wish you a happy Spring. And should things get too much, I hope this has inspired you to try drawing. With Spring springing all around, we’re spoiled for choice.
Pick up a pencil. Start and see. The flowers make the best teachers.
Look out for my drawing workshop with over here for Part 1 of my online course, Drawing. Done Differently. – it’s free!
For inquiries: info@divyamariekato.com
Ever draws,
DMK x
