because you are alive, everything is possible

Sometimes during a counseling session I ask "what percentage of you is in the room with me right now?" I've heard everything from 20% to 70%. No one has ever said 100%. 

Of course, I only ask when I can feel that it's a struggle for the student to stay present and really be here for what is happening in our session. But it's tough to really be here - and not just during emotional counseling sessions! 

Being present for, and experiencing fully, all that being alive has to offer us in this moment? That's way hard. Especially when your mind insists on running through all the meetings and classes and practices and office hours waiting for you later today, all the papers you need to write and exams you need to prepare for. Or the friend you just had a weird unsettling talk with, or the family member who hasn't texted you back, or your parents' expectations you fear you won't meet. 

Our minds are designed to remember, plan, judge, anticipate, and worry. That's their job, in part, and how they keep us safe. We have to go back to painful memories so that we can avoid similar situations in the future. We have to anticipate what's coming so that we don't let people down and threaten our important relationships. Our minds do their very best! But sometimes, especially when we are feeling pressured or under a lot of stress, our thoughts become colored and driven by anxiety. Our worried thoughts take up way too much room, and become much larger than the worries themselves. They crowd out the space we need for noticing what is happening in the here and now.

After spring break, time seems to pick up speed. We move towards final papers and projects, summer internships and jobs, plans for studying abroad, housing decisions...it's a lot. But when our thoughts race ahead of us, it's easy to miss the pleasures and joys of our everyday lives.

How can you slow down enough to notice and be nurtured by your own unique experience of being alive?

One good way is to bring your mind and body closer together. When our thoughts race ahead, we become disembodied. That leaves the door open for anxiety to really take over.

Some ways to come back to your body are:

*Take three deep, slow breaths.

*Name a color, and find 5 things in your field of vision that are that color.

*Listen to peaceful music.

*Take a walk and notice the sounds you hear outside.

*Feel your feet touching the floor and focus on what that feels like. 

*Talk to a friend and sustain eye contact. Ask for a hug if you'd like one.

*Run, swim, stretch, walk, dance, bike, lift, practice yoga.

I have a magnet with a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh in my office. It reads:

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

When we cultivate more presence, even in the midst of a busy time we can experience the truth of this sentiment. Life can offer us delicious flavors, beautiful sights, unexpected sounds, the faces of the people we love, all sorts of small surprises. And those pleasures make the hard stuff so much easier to manage!   

If you could use some support with managing the hard stuff, or making more space for the good stuff, we're here. Call the front desk at 717-544-9051. 

Warmly, 

Lauren, Susan, Katharina, Meagan, Alexis, Gene, and Kelly