There is a grounding exercise where you take a breath and list things you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch. There are a TON of free guided meditation videos on YouTube. I used to do these with my kids a lot. Sometimes focusing on the now, and just the next 5 minutes, can be what is needed.
Sometimes the caterpillar needs to cocoon for a while and rebuild.
I have been talking to a lot of caterpillars.
There will be days when breathing is enough. When thinking long term is overwhelming and it just feels like there is nothing but mountains ahead.
Advocacy is a marathon.
You will need to figure out what you can sustain and how you can sustain yourself.
Stepping away from the fight can also be self-preservation. It can also be the right decision for right now.
I know I write a lot about advocacy and systemic change. Not everyone needs to be doing this, or will be in a position in their life to be engaged in this work. It might not be right now. It might be later. After the break. After the healing. When you feel ready. Or never. Everything is temporary in life and fluid. We can’t anticipate what we will have the capacity for in the future or not.
Choosing the cocoon isn’t giving up. Sometimes staying to fight is a one-way ticket to total destruction.
Choosing to leave one lily pad and jump to a different one can be… these are the cards you have been given, and you are doing the best with what you have got.
If you need permission to leave toxic environments in search of healthier ones and live your best life, you have got it. Go ahead. Focus on the now. Make your child and yourself the priority.
For those who cannot make choosing the cocoon a significant change. Think in the now. In the next 5 min. Find 10 minutes a day where you can cocoon. What would that need to look like for you?