Lent Calendar 2020, Week Five

My theme for Lent this year is the Road to Resilience. I'm trying to build and strengthen my ability to bounce back from challenges, conflict, and calamity. My goals are:

• Resilience Habits: Resilience has lots of parts - equanimity, flexibility, resolution, tenacity, social intelligence, and optimism to name a few. I want to gradually add in some useful daily habits as a practical way to grow in recilience.
• Fast from binge eating: I try to choose something to fast from that is a good symbol of how I am trying to grow, and I think my binge eating has a direct connection to feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges.

• Educate myself: I'm reading the book The Coward's Guide to Conflict: Empowering Solutions for those Who Would Rather Run Than Fight.
• Inner work: Ground myself in journaling, meditation, and prayer to connect to my core of peace and courage. 
• Take creative action: Take decisive action on adverse or challenging situations as they arise, and use my creative super powers to grow, and make the world better.

March 22 - 4th Sunday of Lent

1. Journal queries: What have I learned so far from my Lenten fast and study? What is the next step to take towards resiliency? Ground myself in optimistic hope for the future, and become more open to the best actions to take.

March 23- 

2. Resilience habits: Last week I listed out some optimism habits, because the pandemic news is pretty depressing. Positive thinking is a productive way to approach hardships; it reduces anxiety, fosters strong relationships, and allows me to handle stressful situations better, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on my body. Optimism is a coping mechanism.

This week I'm trying these habits:

1. Focus on the solution rather than the problem: While it is tempting to dwell on the problems and disappointments of being isolated, and the threats of a raging virus, I do know that worry won't change the situation. This is happening whether we like it or not. Rather than thinking about what I'm missing out on, I will do my best to let go of regrets and negative thoughts, get proactive, and start planning for ways to stay connected, how to get my work done, and how to help those in need. 

2. Have some fun each day and laugh: I promise to do at least one fun thing each day, and laugh as much as possible. Ideas: Watch a funny movie, wear a funny hat all day, learn a new joke and share it (by phone) with 3 people, learn some new dance moves...

March 24, New Moon-

3. Have a yin kind of day: Spend one day in yin mode, not doing, but rather being. Hang out in the garden, relax in my home, drink water, read a book, daydream, go for a long walk, take a bath, take a nap, linger over dinner, and go to bed early.

March 25, Spring Navratri-

4. Altar for Mother Earth: I'm finding it hard to take creative action this Lent, because all events and meetings are cancelled. But, really, I'm feeling stagnated and dull, and taking any action at all is hard. Today I made an altar to honor Mother Earth, with my Sabzeh and spring flowers, and it feels good to create something beautiful.

March 26-

5. Study "The Coward's Guide to Conflict": Read Chapters 13-14 this week. Also, examine my usual style of listening and communicating. I suspect that I often analyze as I listen, then try to give solutions without addressing the underlying emotion, or just withdraw in order to not get in a fight. How often do I listen with empathy, asking caring kinds of questions?

March 27-

March 28-