We live in times of great uncertainty. The foundations beneath us are shifting, leaving us vulnerable on unstable ground.

This calls for deep reflection on what’s important and meaningful to identify and call upon those things that can truly sustain us.

Safe connections with others (even in physical distance) can provide us a refuge — a holding environment. Consider connecting with neighbors through open windows or porch to street in addition to online video connections.

Honor also your sustaining connection to life force energy with all of its manifestations in nature — animals, plants, earth, sky, water, wind, and the elements.

About those connections with energy, I’m reminded of a time, as a child, when a peaceful summer afternoon was disrupted as the earth trembled beneath my bare feet. Men on horseback shouted. My mom called for me to bring the little ones indoors to safety. The sights, smells, and sounds of livestock filled my being as they thundered down the rural highway in front of our home in route to fresh pasture.

As a 4-year-old, I was unsure what to make of this new experience. I’d recently been reunited with my family who then relocated us to the countryside. But the feeling of unstable ground felt awfully familiar. It wasn’t the first time I’d felt groundless, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

At the state fair, only a handful of years later, my nose directed me straight to the livestock barn. In contrast to the midway, the barn provided a quiet orderliness, seemingly a million miles away from the cacophony of noise and the chaos of the crowd.

And there I stood alone, enraptured by the presence of enormous black Angus and Holstein, among other cattle, all with well-deserved ribbons. Their earthy scent, mixed with hay and cow dung, permeated my senses. Any one of them could’ve easily crushed me. But, instead, their energetic presence securely enveloped me.

There my deep, slow breaths supported me as I soaked in calming sensations. There my feet felt firmly supported on stable ground. There I felt oddly free, protected, and at peace.

As an adult, I routinely find peace and freedom from a chaotic world by breathing in connection to the universal energy of nature all around me.

When times are uncertain and the earth is shifting beneath your feet, where do you go to find stable ground? How can you create a safe holding community with others? How do you find your center of inner abiding peace?

Dr. Cindy Hardwick is a Coaching and Consulting Psychologist with nearly four decades of experience. She specializes in well-being for holistically informed healthcare professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs.  Learn more about her here https://linktr.ee/cjhardwickphd and at her website CynthiaHardwick.com