A Heatwave, Hurricane, No AC or Internet—Lessons In Resilience

Core Article: A Heatwave, Hurricane, No AC or Internet—Lessons In Resilience

Paragraph I’m Pondering: Turning The Page on Reversing Alzheimer’s

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire: I handle setbacks with grace…

Book Review: The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

Cool Stuff: Why Did Australia end up with koalas and not squirrels?

AI Info & Resources: ChatGPT is partnering with Arianna Huffington

A Heatwave, Hurricane, No AC or Internet—Lessons In Resilience

I debated with myself on whether to send this email.

Then I realized this has more to do with mindset and how to cope when the literal sh*t hits the fan.

And the ultimate goal is how to stay sane in the insanity…

I’m a lifelong learner and am constantly trying to better myself at work and in life.

That’s why, for the past several years, I’ve been working with a coach, therapist, and mindset experts to get better at dealing with things when they go wrong cuz stuff just happens, and it’s definitely out of my control.

A side note: a short rant about experts who swear by balancing your life. The truth is that’s not life. Sure, we can get better at being balanced, yet it’s not ever going to be 100 balanced every day. You have to plan on how to deal with the imbalance.

These past few weeks we’ve been having a brutal heatwave (105-119 degrees), our AC stopped cooling, and the fix-it guy couldn’t come for a while. And now we need a new AC and it’s been 3 weeks.

Holy moly. So, I have several practices I’ve learned that I wanted to share with you when everything just seems to go wrong:

Practice R.A.I.N. – I mentioned this process a while back. You can discover more about how to “Tame Your Brain.”

Recognize what’s happening in that moment. What are you feeling?
Allow the feeling and experience to be there, just as it is. No judgment.
Investigate your feelings with interest and care. Be the observer; don’t let your feelings take you away on the crazy train. Sit with them and breathe.
Nurture yourself with compassion.

Go for a 10-minute silent walk – No phone, no music, no people, just you. Use your senses. Notice what you see, hear, smell, and feel. Notice your thoughts; you will have many. What’s the KEY? Don’t HOLD ONTO THEM or JUDGE them. Look at them as floating clouds. Be the observer of your thoughts and let them pass on by.
Your Breath—Take a deep breath in your nose and count to 4 in your head. Then, hold it for a count of 6. Then exhale through your mouth to a count of 6. Then, start over again. Do this at least 3 – 4 times. This will calm your vagus nerve and your central nervous system.
Other practices – Take a warm or cold bath. Meditate for 10 minutes. Listen to some calming music. Call up a friend.

I calmed myself and my central nervous system (mainly calming down my vagus nerve, your fight, flight, or freeze mechanism) with a breathing technique I learned, and then I moved into fix-it mode. (Want to learn about your vagus nerve? )

Then, I decided I needed to take action. I got some portable ACs and placed them strategically around the house.

It wasn’t central AC, and yet it kept the house bearable, especially when we’re having triple-digit heat. (I grew up in the sweltering heat and humidity of New Orleans. So this seemed almost like a cakewalk.)

This week, I had to go down to Houston to take care of my Mom while my sister was away. While I was there, my Mom fell and hit her head, and we had to go to the ER. Thank goodness she was fine. Then, 2 days later, we had a hurricane and lost power. No AC, no internet, no nothing.

Then, last week, our whole town lost internet for the day! Someone vandalized the fiber optic cables. I think I handled the AC going out better than the internet. Ummm, I’m sensing a pattern.

I realized everything on my to-do list required the internet. Holy moly, when did I get so dependent on the internet? I need some backups in place. (Our cell service where we live is really spotty.)

After working through my frustration, I realized that this was a total gift. Love it when I can shift into a new perspective and did what I do best—I started writing.

I had just read Dr. Heather Sandison’s book, Reversing Alzheimer’s, and wanted to write my book review. I wanted it to be about my personal experience with my Dad, who died from the disease too young. He was only 73.

I went to visit him the year before his death, and I knew I had written about it in my journal. So, I went off to find it, along with lots of other things I wrote about.

If it weren’t for the internet going down and me having to do old-school research, I would have put that off for a long while. (I will share that story in my book review next week.)

So, what have you been putting off?

Does the internet need to go out for you to do something you’ve been wanting to do but keep putting off?

Maybe this email is your reminder to take 15 minutes or more to do that thing, whatever it is. 🙂

I always have your back.

I’m home now from the hurricane in Houston. I’m very, very grateful to be back in the land of electricity and the internet. And away from hurricanes.

The AC guy gave us a temporary fix until our new AC unit arrives. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we survive the triple-digit heat this week.

Paragraph I’m Pondering

“The remarkable improvements in cognition that I have witnessed are thanks in large part to a complex systems medicine approach to Alzheimer’s treatment that supports all aspects of brain health using a comprehensive and robust set of tools, including diet, exercise, sleep, the remediation of toxic exposures and infections, and stress reduction. We’ve already lost too many people and too much time spent in fear of developing Alzheimer’s disease. By turning a page and embarking on your reversing Alzheimer’s journey, you are beginning to reclaim your focus, energy, and potentially even your loved ones from dementia. ” ~ Dr. Heather Sandison, Reversing Alzheimer’s: The New Toolkit To Improve Cognition And Protect Brain Health

Powerful Affirmations to Inspire

I handle setbacks with grace and use them as stepping stones to greater achievements.
My business is thriving, and I am creating a positive impact on the world.
I am an inspiration to others, showing that with passion and perseverance, anything is possible.

Book Review

The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer—One of my favorite books on mindfulness.

Cool Stuff

Who knew that land mammals changed dramatically during the pandemic?
This is something I can definitely get behind—safer, more ethical drug development.
And while we’re still on the topic of animals – who knew why Australia has koalas and Spain has squirrels?

AI Info and Resources

Bill Gates is now going nuclear and how his new project could power homes and AI.
How this working mompreneur is using AI to be more productive inside her business and in the kitchen –
OpenAI is partnering with Arianna Huffington and backing her on a new Healthcare App venture.

Weekly Photos

These were some of the animals I was taking care of while at my Mom’s in Houston – Charlie, the cat, and Bentley, the Great Pyrenees.
Then there’s Archer, the 8-month-old Border Collie, and me. Um, it’s kind of hard taking a picture with this dog.
Archer loves getting between your legs to entice you to throw ball. So that’s my view when I was in the kitchen trying to get a snack.
Then there’s an outtake—trying to get a selfie of an 8-month-old puppy, and well…. he has a whole lot of energy and needs some more training.
So I settled for a pic when he was under the bed. He has some gorgeous eyes.
Look at that Heron. Right after the hurricane, so many of them were in Houston.
Picture of me after I just got back, having coffee on the deck, watching the sun come up.