Find Calm Now in Stormy Times: Some Tools and Aromatherapy

Find Calm Now in Stormy Times: Some Tools and Aromatherapy

The Highlights

  • Love yourself, Be Yourself
  • Be the Change, With Passion
  • Make Time for Family and Friends
  • Turn off the News. 
  • Play the Silver Linings Game
  • Make Earthing a Daily part of your Life
  • Use Aromatherapy to Relax

I don’t know about you, but the patriarchal world has me seriously on edge lately. Just when I think I’ve got things flowing in my life in a way that feels peaceful, soul feeding, fun, and productive, some piece of news comes in from the outside to test my ability to stay out of fear thinking. 

If it’s not some horrific news about dropped bombs destroying innocent civilians’ lives, it’s stories about things falling apart– from climate to economic systems to healthcare to food supply.  Or its stories from the election sphere that seem like scenes right out of Dystopia. Everything seems to be boiled down to a win-lose fight. And when I buy into that, I don’t feel empowered. It doesn’t make for a beautiful life.

So what’s a person to do to stay sane in these challenging times?

Love yourself, Be Yourself

man making a heart shape with his hand against a mirror

This is not about self indulgence; it is about self-acceptance and becoming your own bestie. 

Self-love means treating yourself with kindness and respect, embracing your imperfections, and understanding that mistakes are part of learning. It’s about seeing yourself as a valued part of the universe, giving yourself grace, and knowing you're here to grow. Self-love isn’t about avoiding responsibility—it’s about finding balance, doing your best, and not harming others or yourself along the way.

It’s about working with yourself to let go of negative, fear based beliefs that do not resonate with what you feel is true in your heart of hearts, deep in your soul. Start from the premise that you are worthy, that you are deserving, simply because you exist. This is really the basis of loving yourself. 

Your existence is essential; Creation needs you, and nothing in Creation is superfluous. You count, you matter, you belong. So does everyone else, no matter what their beliefs. So be yourself, because nothing else will do.

When you reach out to others from this understanding, you can  move beyond self-doubt, make connection with others and contribute to the wellbeing of  the whole. You get a glimpse of how Creation works, the ebb and flow, the give and take and the holistic integration of it all.  And you are a part of this amazingness! 

Be the Change, with Passion

cut out crumpled paper silhouettes of people's heads. on the left they are grey and white. at the middle each one on a unique colour

We each have a vital role to play in the Samhain/Belatane cycle of the Season’s Safari we are currently in. Samhain is about honouring the ancestors who brought us to where we are today, witnessing the death and passing of what no longer serves. It's also Navratri, the season of Kali Ma dancing to kill off ego hubris. That seems fitting in these times. Beltane (spring in the south) is about creating or manifesting new ways, ideas, processes. The goddesses are busy right now dancing and creating. Wherever you are, join in. 

if you prefer it in scientific language, we are in the middle of a phase change. When the temperature and pressure of a system goes behind what the system can handle, that system is at its most vulnerable, pliable and on the brink of a change from one state to another. Think water boiling into steam. The chaos of particles that vaporizes liquids will eventually reorder itself and create another, more by stable structure. In the case of water, it knows what to do; its written into its being. 

I believe we know what to do, too. It is also written into our being, our soul and DNA blueprints. As a human collective, it appears we are in the middle of the breakdown before the breakthrough. The task at the current time is to tap into our discernment and inner knowing, that truth that we know in our heart of hearts. Then we must hear that call and answer it as fearlessly as possible. 

The call you answer is one that only your uniqueness is a fit for. It is actually not a call from outside yourself. Rather it is a Soul Call. Its that part of you that just knows what you want to do, that thing that you can lose yourself in for hours or that thing that makes you happy to do, brings you joy. Or that thing that you are driven to do and you always know why. It's not an addiction or a coping mechanism. It is the beacon of light through the darkness.

You are the artist, the creator in your own life. And together we humans are creating a complex, layered work of art, full of dark, light, thrills, spills and happy endings if we so choose. As Toni Morrison says, “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

Make Time for Family and Friends

family and friends holding sparklers under a string of outdoor lights at a gathering

Staying connected to family and friends can be a powerful way to ease stress, fear, and anxiety. When you feel overwhelmed, reaching out to loved ones can help you feel seen, understood, and supported. Just talking things through with someone who cares can lighten the load, offering comfort and perspective. Plus, laughter, shared memories, or even a quick text can remind us we’re not alone and that we have people who want the best for us. These connections create a sense of safety and belonging, helping us feel more resilient and ready to face life’s challenges.

Turn off the News

mans hand holding remote control and pointing at a blurred tv in the background

I’ve found that turning off the legacy media news really helps. Instead, I decide what I’m letting into my precious energy field by scanning headlines or choosing which videos to watch. Just as you would monitor your children’s intake of content, monitor your own. You have an “I can only take so much” threshold. Discover what it is and then hold that boundary. 

One of my favourite strategies is to watch news through comedians who draw on current events for their material. They deliver the highlights and a laugh at the same time. That laugh is critical–it helps me stay out of my head and anxiety about the future. 

Play the Silver Linings Game

small group on a hill top looking at a stormy sky

My coach used to say, “Don’t react—respond. Approach situations with curiosity. Ask yourself, Why is this happening? Where might it go?

Imagine everything that happens has a reason: to teach you, help you grow, or guide you somewhere better. Reacting with intense feelings—anger, frustration, anxiety, worry—can cloud your view and delay understanding. The goal isn’t to suppress these feelings but to turn down their volume, so you can stay calm and neutral. 

Every experience has something positive, negative, or neutral to offer. By approaching it with curiosity, you can observe without getting too wrapped up in the negativity, spotting opportunities you might otherwise miss. Even when something feels misaligned with what you want, it still serves a purpose. Sometimes, seeing what you don’t want is what helps clarify what you do want.

The idea is to ask questions, feel and think things through, and shift perspectives. When you do, you’ll start to see events from different angles, seeing up-sides you may not have noticed. This doesn’t mean you’ll never feel doubt or judgment—it just means you pause, observe, and choose not to be overwhelmed by negativity. It’s about using curiosity to step out of fear and back into a positive perspective.

Ultimately, it’s not about the experience itself; it’s about what you choose to do with it. You’re in control. This isn’t about denying hard times but rather acknowledging them, then shifting to a positive perspective and mining for personal growth gold. 

I’ve always leaned toward optimism, like a true Pollyanna—not in the snarky sense, but in the original sense–recognizing hardships and counting my blessings. Looking for silver linings isn’t about ignoring reality; it’s about appreciating the good stuff when times get tough. For me, this practice has been a lifeline in dark moments, helping me rise out of fear and shift to hope. 

Make Earthing a Daily part of your Life

walking barefoot on the earth

Its always a good time to connect with Nature, no matter what is going on. She’s the ultimate calm in the storm. No matter what is going on in crazy human land, we can count on her to be there for us, as she always has, nurturing and grounding us. 

One of the most grounding things you can do is to go for a walk in nature, barefoot in the grass. Conceptually, it's the same thing we do with electricity in our homes. Electrical grounding in a house provides a low-resistance path for excess electrical current to safely flow into the ground. This prevents electrical shock and fire hazards, and also helps limit electrical interference. 

Studies show that Earthing allows us to calm our body electrical systems by getting rid of excess charge. Its all about reconnecting the conductive human body to the Earth's natural and subtle surface electric charge, an activity that stabilizes the body’s bio-electrical system. Doing so surprisingly reduces inflammation, pain, and stress, improves sleep, blood and lymph flow, and boosts overall well-being.

So how and when did we lose contact with the earth this way? Well, you’d think it might have to do with industrialization and Rural to Urban living and other big social changes. But, more surprisingly, it comes down to a really small change that humans made—wearing shoes with rubber or plastic soles. Those Soles are made from insulators that do not allow our bio-electrical systems to ground into the earth. 

So go for a walk in nature, barefoot,  wearing a pair of leather soled shoes or Earthing shoes. Or you can Earth indoors using grounding mats and patches that help provide similar benefits. Either way, Earthing can help you feel more balanced and refreshed through uncertain times.

Use Aromatherapy to Relax

woman smelling aromatherapy essential oils from an open blue glass bottle

Aromatherapy is a great tool for managing stress and anxiety because it taps into the brain’s limbic system, which links emotions and memories. When you breathe in a scent that brings calm and comfort, it can help you feel more at ease during tough moments.

Essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, and bergamot are known for calming properties and can lower cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. Inhaling these soothing scents calms the nervous system, lowers heart rate, and can lift your mood. Just a few drops in a diffuser, bath, or even on a pillow can create a cozy, peaceful atmosphere.

Using essential oils mindfully—taking a deep breath or massaging them onto your skin—makes a moment of relaxation that stores in your emotional memory. Each time you revisit that scent, your brain recalls those calming feelings–and voila, relaxation!

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Body Butter
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