My Stoicism Amazes Me

And My Fragility

Photo by Marcus Woodbridge on Unsplash

I am strong and I am delicate.

I am thick-skinned and hypersensitive.

I can be super anxious and I can be courageously brave.

I can be both in the blink of an eye.

I used to puzzle about this until I realised that I am human.

Human living in an uncertain world.  

We can even define this world that we live in as a VUCA world; volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.

No doubt this has always been true.

Every era has had its apocalyptic predictions as well as terrifying realities from Viking raiders, to the Black Death, the World Wars, the Cold War, Coronavirus and Climate Disaster.

An ocean of maelstroms interspersed with moments of calm.

Sitting on the deck of my life looking into the world I am liable to be overwhelmed by waves of information, opinion, prediction, conspiracy, fake news.

This is when I experience fragility, hypersensitivity, super anxiety - when I am buffeted by circumstance. 

Going below deck I connect to the gimbel of my soul and find anchor in strength, faith and courage.

I have learnt to prioritise time below deck, to limit my connection to social media and technology, to create space around my working hours. 

I have a daily practise of creative journalling and Vedic meditation, I have moved closer to the ocean and spend time in nature.

I am human.

I am soul.

I am surfing the waves of a new future emerging, riding the pipelines of existential angst.

Exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.

It is a delicate balance but one without the other is only a life half lived.

How are you navigating the world you live in?

#future #mentalhealth #socialmedia #soulwisdom