The Art of Onward: Tired? Despairing? Check into this B&B

spiritual sustenance for April

Hello, Blue Roomies!

We’re about halfway through our Art of Onward series, so I thought I’d pause and take stock a bit:

Each month, we’ve featured two posts in this series: some kind of spiritual sustenance, followed by a live conversation (recording available afterwards) about a world-building value that helps move us toward a more just and humane society. Here’s the landing page for the entire series.

We’re moving into a high travel season for me, so our next “live” event won’t be until June. We’ll still have two posts per month, but they’ll be written or recorded to peruse at your convenience. The Art of Onward is for supporting subscribers; if you’d like to join us but are unable to pay, please get in touch. Members and friends of Trinity Presbyterian, Herndon are eligible for complimentary gift subscriptions; just ask.

As I think about what’s sustaining and focusing me right now, I wanted to highlight two strategies that are on my mind. You know how nuts I am for alliteration, so I’m going to call this one “checking into the B&B.”

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The first B reminds us to really take care of our bodies.

Photo by mj on Unsplash

Many of you attended rallies last weekend, and those who didn’t are likely doing other important soul-and-society work. That work, whether it’s making your five calls or tending a community garden or shuttling your elderly neighbor to a doctor’s appointment, requires physical and mental energy. It is not selfish to prioritize your well-being. Stress, worry and depletion are weapons, in fact, that an unhealthy culture uses against its own people, to keep us from questioning the status quo and advocating for something different.

What that looks like for me right now:

• Do nothing extra. I remember a childbirth-and-newborn preparation class I took when pregnant with my first, in which this was one of the principles. Granted, there’s this burst of nesting energy that often comes in the last few weeks of a pregnancy. But it’s also helpful not to be depleted before going into the marathon that is labor and delivery. “Do nothing extra” helps once the infant has arrived too; good enough is good enough. That mantra is helping me right now, and I’m finding that not unlike covid, it’s grounding me in the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy, and also saying yes to anything relational. I like the formulation of doing nothing extra because it’s a moving target for us to discern day by day, moment by moment. (A tidy house is definitely extra right now.)

• Move your body in kind ways. I’m signed up for the Pemberton 24 again in September, which is one of my happy places. Given past training cycles and the time needed to ramp up for that endurance event, my long run each weekend should be around X miles. The X isn’t important for the purposes of this example and would just be a distraction if I told you, and it doesn’t matter because the point is, it’s really, really not happening. I haven’t had time or energy for it. That might mean a lot fewer 5Ks in September. But that’s fine. Instead, I’m trying to do something each day, even if it’s a short walk.

• Educate yourself on how to regulate your nervous system. If you’re stressed right now, that’s not a personal failing, it’s a logical response to a regressive, anxious period in human history. That said, we’re most imaginative and productive when we’re in a restful, regulated state. (And honestly? I refuse to give the broligarchs the satisfaction of my despair.) Learn about what happens in your brain when you’re anxious, and cultivate some practices to counter that anxiety. I’m loving this wonderful stretch that feels good and also stimulates the vagus nerve, a key player in the parasympathetic nervous system.

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The second B is to cultivate bravery.