Inneroxygen

The tiny island of Malta in the Mediterranean, so small it often isn't visible on maps, stole my heart when I moved there on a whim in 2013 from Sydney.

I had not even visited the island on a holiday before I moved there with my one-way ticket, and didn't know a single person there on arrival.

I lived there until I moved to Berlin in 2019 for work and to be closer to (some of) my family members who live in Germany.

It was on this crazy little island that I internalized through experience the true meaning of belonging to community. I will forevermore feel at home the moment I see the island come into view through the plane window ❤️

It meant so much to me to finally take my partner Daniel there after almost three years together, and to show him the places and friends which I speak of so often.

Having started my immigration journey at only three months old and lasting my whole life has meant most of my life was filled with identity confusion, waves of longings for places and people I couldn't see, and a search for roots that seemed impossible to find.

But it has also been a life filled with beautiful memories, the most incredible friendships, and more places I call home than I know what to do with, and for that I will be forever grateful and humbled 🙏❤️

If consuming the news is causing you to experience a significant level of overwhelm, anxiety, or stress about the state of the world, there are some steps you can take to take care of your emotional and mental health.

While these tips will not make certain situations disappear, they can help you navigate your challenging inner experiences, help regulate your nervous system if it’s on overdrive, and slow down negative thought spiraling 🙏

1. Limit News & Social Media Consumption

Either give yourself special times of the day to check the news, or spend a few days off all media to recharge. After a few days take note of whether you feel any different, or whether its specific channels that are causing you harm.

2. Don't use the internet before going to sleep

Reading the news and using social media close to bedtime can negatively affect your sleep quality and increase anxiety, overwhelm, and night-time rumination. Give yourself an evening news reading cutoff time a few hours before bed.

3. Be Mindful of How Media Organisations Work

Most news outlets do not report on 'positive' news very often due to their own organisational interests which will affect your own natural negativity bias (that we all have and are wired towards).

4. Intentionally look for the good and take it in

Due to the above mentioned negativity bias of our mind, try to actively scan your experience and environment for good things occurring, however small, and take a moment to register it. This will help challenge stories you may be telling yourself that only negative things are occurring.

5. Be Proactive (But Only in Ways You Can Handle)

It can help you feel more at ease and in control by contributing proactively to improve the things that are causing you worry. HOWEVER (and I intentionally wrote that in caps!), choose ONLY what you can emotionally, mentally, or financially handle after a realistic assessment.

If you are going through a very challenging time in your life with your emotional and mental health remember that it's ok to take care of yourself ❤️

Join me tomorrow, Sunday February 27th, for a free 2.5h workshop special: 'Cultivating Friendships' - A Workshop in Mindful [Re]Connection.'

This is a practical workshop to mindfully reflect upon and actively improve the quality of your friendships 💞

The workshop will be at 10am-12:30pm CET (Berlin, Rome) and be conducted via Zoom. If you can't make it live I'll also be sending out a replay for everyone who signs up 😊

In this workshop you will:

1. Be guided in written exercises to reflect upon the quality of your friendships

2. Practice a guided meditation to help you [re] connect with and appreciate the role your friends play in your life.

3. Spend time in mindful silence to actively write messages, emails, letters, and/or reach out to those you want to [re]connect with.

Learn more & sign up via the link below to receive the Zoom link and replay:

https://inneroxygen.lpages.co/friendship-workshop/

I'm looking forward to spending a cosy Sunday morning together online for mindful practice and writing time ❤️

With love,
Carolina at Inneroxygen

Learn more: https://inneroxygen.lpages.co/friendship-workshop/

I spent months in Australia with absolutely no resemblance of a daily routine. I was constantly surrounded by people, without a private space or quiet time. My own practice turned a little chaotic, and that’s putting it mildly 😅. Formal seated meditation was simply not possible the whole time I was away.

However one thing that I did do was listen to the amazing (and sometimes completely crazy - looking at you cockatoos!) Australian birds, either by walking outside, listening to the kookaburras at dawn from my bed, or sitting on the balcony and drinking my morning coffee tuning into the bird songs.

If you are ever going through a phase (or even day!) in your life where routine is just a nice word in the 'R' section of the dictionary, and privacy and silence a concept you start to forget the meaning of, tuning into an external sound can be a wonderful way to anchor yourself, even if it's briefly.

It’s also a great option when your mind is too busy or agitated for silent or guided formal practice.

You can mindfully listen to:

• wildlife noises such as birds if you are lucky enough to live in a place where they can be heard
•the sound of the wind
• the sound of the rain
• the sound of the water while you shower
• a song without lyrics
• or any sound of your choice ☺️

All it takes is just 30 seconds tuning into the sound of your choice to anchor yourself to the present ❤️