In the northern hemisphere, the 11th month of the year conjures images of everything fall festival. Cities and small towns share their Gilmore Girl-inspired events amidst colorful foliage, pumpkin overload, and orchards upon orchards of apple picking. 

Like years, seasons, and hormones, everything comes in cycles—and that includes elections. 

In the US, we’re deep into all things election with only days to spare before votes are officially counted (if you’re eligible, make your plan to vote). 

And, just like life, there are periods of pure joy, utter despair, happiness, longing, grief, and transition and all of them take multitudes of patience, resilience, effort, and energy to endure. 

Whether we remember it or not, as a young child, we learned coping mechanisms, including self-soothing techniques to get us through bouts of tears, anxious moments, sadness, and transitional periods. Some sucked thumbs, cuddled blankies, hugged someone, flung and shrieked on the floors of supermarkets, hid in our safe spaces, or reached for our own sensory deprivation tools. 

And then, the world told us we had to get older and strongly suggested we grow out of all that stuff. Man, was that wrong!

“You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” ~ Glinda, Wizard of Oz

Today, there’s a billion-dollar wellness industry thriving; reminding us we’ve had that power all along and showing us the way to reignite it. Adult coloring books line shelves, yoga classes are packed to the rafters, and everywhere you look someone is hawking a retreat designed to help us slow down, decompress, ditch the screen, find our inner child, calm our spaces, rekindle our love of books (that is if we ever lost it in the first place), and that self-care is anything but selfish. 

So, in these life cycles and election cycles that often trigger every fiber of our being, how do you cope, what do you practice, and what tools do you tap to endure those anxious moments?

More and more schools are incorporating social emotional wellness aspects in their curriculums. We’re beginning to see meditation, yoga, and mindfulness make their way to mainstream schools, and there are many schools in the US and globally infusing forest bathing, journaling, community connections, and volunteerism into their every day. 

Techniques that spark our parasympathetic nervous system into action triggering that slowing down response as well as those of connection and empathy remind us of the good, the meaningful, and that we have resilience tactics at our fingertips. 

Developing these aspects among our youth helps them build their effort and energy muscles along with those of kindness and compassion, all of which enhance coping with life’s potholes, our ability to adapt and navigate our emotions, and strengthen our tenacity and perseverance. 

The earlier we learn these skills, the better. 

When those students finish their official education and move onto that journey beyond the classroom, these essential qualities will play a large part in their abilities to maneuver through all of life’s adventures. 

In these times of tumult and triggers, what strengths do you summon to help soften the landings of the ups and downs? How do you showcase your endurance capacity to deal with the challenges, roll with the triumphs, and make it through nerve-wracking elections? 

As we make our way towards the close of the calendar year, as we cope with all of the everything life throws in our direction, know you’re not alone. 

There’s a community of wanderers among us all seeking to adapt, overcome, flourish, thrive, and figure it all out, together. 

4 Methods to Make it through the Madness

“Nothing can come from nothing” ~ Shakespeare

Find your zen…the app version

With multiple methods at our fingertips, today, it’s easier than ever to find a version of therapy or coaching that works for you. 

Coping isn’t an individual sport. Sometimes we need someone to help us cushion the landing until we strengthen our aptitudes to do it ourselves. Talk Space, Calm, Headspace, and Better Help are only a few of the plethora of platforms available today. Some find podcasts comforting, while others take towards the tactile benefits of coloring apps. Some glean perspective from texting with coaches or online courses, while others discover success with therapy or medicine. 

In the world of all things technology and the need for quick interactions, therapy apps, ones that teach coping mechanisms, and those that share skills to tackle all things anxiety are available at the tap of a finger. While for many, it might not replace in person sessions, the fact that these apps make therapy more available and inclusive continue to change the game.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly” ~ Robert F. Kennedy

Tough love, courage, and a kick in the tush

Taking the world by storm, Mel Robbins continues to make a splash on a variety of platforms. With her most recent book, The Let Them Theory, and her continued success on the eponymous podcast, she shows up with her distinct mode of life guidance, and encouragement to propel listeners and readers to get their butts in gear. 

Her signature line, “no one is coming,” resonates with all who pay attention—and for many, honing those skills of endurance and resilience is best delivered with a dose of sass, a whole host of empathy, and heaping helping of science-backed information. 

In today’s world where there’s a new shiny object hitting the shelves or a new artist topping the charts every minute of the day, we have our pick of options to boost our self-confidence, uplevel our efforts, and regain our courage. 

While some choose to tackle challenging yoga poses and others try their hand at learning a new craft, there is something out there for everyone. And, for those of us who benefit from a kind spirit who’s been through the ringer and came out the other side, to offer a compassionate heart and implore us to get our butts in gear and get back in the game–they’re out there, too, and Mel Robbins is one of the special ones.

“The one thing that matters is the effort”-~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Mindfulness, gratitude, & neuroplasticity

What seems like a lifetime ago now, I found a love of yoga. It took a few tries, including a first class years before that love grew…I giggled through the start of that class and couldn’t even stay. At the start, I remember only being in it for the exercise. Boy, has that changed. 

Years later, I struggled through my first meditation class and even recently worked on my patience in a breathwork course. Like life, part of the practice of all of it is learning to deal with the comings and goings of thoughts and feelings, and channel the ebb and flow of the ocean waves instead of a knee jerk reaction to get stopped in our tracks by it all. Like learning to walk, run, or build, we can change our brains to adapt to new beliefs, new ways of being, and a more positive mindset.

It was in March or April of 2020 that I first found podcasts. While it was a little late to the game, I took an interest in The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, the professor who teaches the most packed class at Yale, The Science of Well-Being. Like other shows, she often shares stories and interviews with esteemed colleagues and changemakers out to help listeners shift their focus, boost their gratitude, and dig into the benefits of neuroplasticity (our brain’s ability to change and adapt). 

Learning how to confront and disrupt our negativity bias (the fact that negative events tend to have a greater impact on humans than those positive ones) to choose ones of positivity, gratitude, savoring, and awe can not only help in those moments of struggle, but is an endurance tool we can use throughout our longevity journey. 

“Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times” ~ Aeschylus

Managing the madness with positive outlets

Whether for moments or months, sometimes life gets frustrating. There are bumps in the road, things beyond our control that derail journeys, and setbacks that force us to look deep into our innermost being and remember who we really are, what it is we seek, and how our purpose can serve. 

While life tells us that flailing on the supermarket floor in a toddler tantrum isn’t a viable option for most beyond the age of six, sometimes we all feel exactly like that. And, while we know there are definitive mind, body, and spirit benefits to meditation and yoga, sometimes, it’s the (safe) outlet for the tantrum that is warranted. 

Like with all the tools and techniques, there’s something out there for everyone. Like life, it may take trial and error, searching and signing up, or taking a leap far beyond your comfort zone, but it’s there. 

While some choose puppy or goat yoga to set free frustrations through giggles and cuddles, others choose rage or power yoga to release endorphins a different way. There are rage rooms, axe throwing, paintball challenges, scream therapy, pottery smashing, artistic expression, movement activities, exercise of all kinds and many more that safely allow us to liberate aggression to help make more space for wonder, joy, mindfulness, and awareness. 

Whatever calls to you, you can find it. 

Whatever complications, you can endure. 

Whatever challenges you to flex your muscles to manage life’s minutiae and moments that feel filled with mayhem, it’s out there. 

Keep nurturing that resilience, take time to show up for yourself, and believe you can make it through to the other side of anything (even this election).

You've got this. 

We believe in you and we’re right here walking beside you the whole way. 

Please click the photo below for a collection of my Through the Eyes of an Educator columns:

Stacey Ebert, our Educational Travels Editor, is a traveler at heart who met her Australian-born husband while on a trip in New Zealand. Stacey was an extracurricular advisor and taught history in a Long Island public high school for over fifteen years, enjoying both the formal and informal educational practices. After a one year 'round the world honeymoon, travel and its many gifts changed her perspective. She has since left the educational world to focus on writing and travel. She is energetic and enthusiastic about long term travel, finding what makes you happy and making the leap. In her spare time she is an event planner, yogi, dark chocolate lover, and spends as much time as possible with her toes in the sand.

Check out her website at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com for more of her travel musings.