PHYSICALLY separated
Spiritually Connected
by Shanna
There are many things that make us unique, and sadly these differences often cause separation. Over the past few years I have felt strongly to speak against it. With an awakened heart and eyes, I now see how separation in cultures and around the world especially here in the US, has been a battle for generations to overcome. It is my hope and prayers that we are moving into a new world, where we are one!
Faced with such difficult times of uncertainty and fear, due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve worried how we would do, day after day, being stuck indoors with the same faces? One can get sick of even the cutest of faces. As this drags on, we’ve all tried our best to adjust. Slowly, this reality has seem to become our new norm.
Recently, I’ve had growing concerns about the negative affects that separation can have on a person.
This past February around Valentine’s Day, Mande and I did a Sense of Soul Podcast episode on “Love”. To our surprise that episode took us to a place neither of us had planned on going.
We learned about the “love” hormone oxytocin, and how important this feel good hormone is to our wellbeing. We discovered that a lack of oxytocin can cause anxiety, fear and many other negative emotions and issues that can compromise your mental and even physical health. We also learned that this hormone is produced, when we are touching, hugging, high-fiving, socializing, group drumming, bonding… when we are connecting!!
We are wired this way, we are human beings, it is natural to want human contact. To be social, with our family, friends, to celebrate with them, hug, shake hands, give a pat on the back (or the butt), be there for each other, mourn and grieve with one another.
This past weekend, it really hit me as I drove past Mande standing on the curb in the front of her house, yelling “happy birthday”, in a long line of cars during her birthday parade.
Later on that same day we also celebrated in our front yard, for my youngest daughters 8th birthday. As we watched our family and friends drive by, it was fun and exciting, but bittersweet. You just couldn’t help but to want to hug family and friends, you wanted to invite them in your home, have kids run around and play again, shit I’ll even take the mess that comes with it.
Sure the weather has been beautiful, great for a walk “around” the park she use to play at. It’s almost like we are all grounded.
My kids miss their friends, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think they miss school! As much as I hate homeschooling the Zoom meetings have helped them stay connected.
Talk to them about their feelings and concerns about what’s going on and share you’re own fears, don’t pretend to not be affected, let them know it’s perfectly normal to be worried in a time as this, and explain what you’re doing to keep them safe. Children are far more empathetic and wiser than we realize, be relatable.
Our oxytocin is getting low and when this happens, it can look the same as withdrawing from drugs. No lie, your brain craves it! It’s dangerous, and could lead to anxiety, depression and can lower your immune system, exactly what we don’t want. We must find healthy ways to raise the love chemical in our brain.
Perhaps parents, let up a little on social media, just keep an extra eye! They say social media actually raises your oxytocin. Besides social media, there are many fun online interactive games and apps that you can set up to play with your family and friends. I’ve done Zoom bingo, meditation, talks and I can’t wait till game night next week.
Get some art projects to do as a family, we did a 5D Diamond painting over two weeks, I was so proud of it as we all contributed, I want to do another, it was so relaxing.
The weather is gorgeous, work together out in the yard. Take off your shoes and connect to the earth. Don’t be confined and grounded inside, be spiritually grounded outside and connect to Mother Nature and if you can’t got outside, then go within. Meditate and go inward, visualize and visit your favorite places, there may be places within that are waiting for you to discover. Get creative, stay connected. Go outside at 8pm and howl to the moon!!
Let’s not forget…energy has no distance! Spiritually, we are all connected, we are one and remember that everything is impermanent, this too, will pass!!
Check out our Sense of Soul Podcast Episode “The Chemicals of Love” and discover what is happening in your brain while we are social distancing. Below is a link to this episode on Apple Podcast, however it’s available on all listening apps.