“Tell me what you’re gonna do when the shadow comes creepin’ in your room”
-Bob Dylan
“Tell me what you’re gonna do when the shadow comes creepin’ in your room” -Bob Dylan These lyrics above from Bob Dylan’s Song, Whatcha Gonna Do? are really resonating with me especially now that we are at a milestone week of one year since this Pandemic started. This past year, seems to have brought up so much. I know for me many shadows, and hard truths have come to the surface. Do you feel this way too? In my experience navigating the shadows involved using active acceptance, which is a term I use to describe responding to challenge realistically, proactively, and optimistically. There have been shadows that have come up regarding the reality of my health from a holistic perspective, and what I need to do, and continue to need to do to make decisions that are in the highest good for my health and overall well-being. This has been the case throughout this past year navigating this Pandemic and it is still true now. The specifics have shifted a bit, but the reality remains there are challenges and shadow sides of having a complex health history when navigating a global health crisis.
How have I navigated my shadows?
- Shifting my mindset time and time again to focus on the positive. I choose to refocus and focus on what is working rather than what is not.
- Learning how to rely on, and relate to my support team in a new way than I have before, since each and every human has had to deal with challenges this year in their own way. It is only natural to not be able to fully support someone else as you are simultaneously navigating the same trauma but each in your own unique way. I found a way to vary who I reach out to when, and in what capacity. This has been very beneficial.
- Using self-advocacy skills of finding, owning, and using my voice to advocate for myself and my loved ones as we navigate through each obstacles with grit, tenacity, determination and willpower.
- Responding with resiliency to the change and challenge by using perseverance to continue to show up, and do everything in my power to find opportunities in the obstacles.
- Problem solving skills help me to look for and find ways to make the big and small NOs closer to a YES!
- Continue to hope, cope, and deal by using my go-to strategies that I have used to cope, deal, and rise up to previous challenges. I also looked for and have found new strategies to cope and deal as well as resources to support me during this time. Continuing to check in with myself and feel my feelings as they come, and ask for help and support as needed enables me to deal with what is to create what could be possible.
All of the above helps me continue to show up and say YES! to myself and YES! to my health as I navigate this challenging time where I am facing my shadows. While I am dealing with the shadows that come up, I am looking for and finding a metaphorical rainbow time, and time again as I continue to live feeling empowered and inspired!
