How's your heart?
At times, the world feels impossibly heavy. The challenges and suffering we witness in our communities, in the news, and in everyday life can impact us in ways that are hard to carry. Alongside the needs of those we love, there's little space for rest.
If you feel tired, tense, or overwhelmed, know you're not alone. You don't have to brace yourself through it. Support can help your body feel safer while you continue to hold what matters.
If you're carrying a lot in this moment, here are a few practices to support your nervous system and soften your heart.
Practice: Breath and Body Awareness
Try this when you need to relieve stress and calm the nervous system:
- Take three slow, deep breaths, letting the exhale be a little longer than the inhale.
- Notice where your body is supported. Feel your feet on the floor, your seat in the chair.
- Bring your attention to your heart. Let the area soften a bit, creating space or warmth.
- Gently ask: "How can I carry this and care for myself, too?"
Even a minute or two with this practice can ease the tightness that builds when you're holding a lot. Longer exhales stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (the "rest and digest" state), and noticing support signals safety to your body.
Practice: Emotional Labeling
When things feel hard, it's easy to get pulled into fear, anger, or numbness.
Try this to acknowledge what you're moving through without getting stuck:
- Name what you're feeling: "I'm overwhelmed." "I'm scared." "I'm angry." "I'm tired."
- Add one detail: "I'm overwhelmed by the news." "I'm tired from carrying so much."
- Return to the present moment: notice your next breath in and your next breath out.
Naming the emotion helps your brain calm the intensity of it and gives you space to respond instead of react.
Practice: 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
Try this sensory grounding technique when your thoughts are spiraling:
- Name 5 things you can see
- Name 4 things you can feel
- Name 3 things you can hear
- Name 2 things you can smell
- Name 1 thing you can taste
Grounding through the senses interrupts the cycle of worry and brings your attention back to the present, helping your nervous system move out of fight-flight-freeze.
Practice: Acts of Compassion
Even small actions can rebuild your sense of agency. Your choices matter, and you're not powerless.
Here are a few ways to show up for others:
- Send a supportive text
- Listen without trying to fix
- Donate to a cause you care about
- Make a meal for someone
- Do something practical for a friend: run an errand, pick up groceries, or bring coffee
Taking action in small ways shifts your focus from helplessness to engagement. Compassion becomes something you do, not just something you feel.
Practice: Connection
You don't have to carry everything yourself. We're communal beings, wired for connection. When someone listens or shows up for you, it can make a real difference.
Here are a few ways to lean on your community:
- Tell a friend what you're carrying
- Ask for support: a call, a walk, a cup of tea
- Join a group or community practice
- If you're not ready to speak, hold someone in your heart and send them a quiet wish for ease
Even a small moment of connection can regulate the nervous system and strengthen your sense of belonging. Connection reminds us that our hearts are all intertwined.
Conscious Compassion
Staying open while holding what matters is a practice of conscious compassion. In every moment, there is an opportunity to pause, get grounded in your body, and be gentle with your heart.
Stay open and grounded with Meditations for the Heart, a six-part collection with Devi Brown, available now in the InnerNow App.