• Home
  • About Me
  • Home
  • About Me

Vickilicious

Tag: thinking

1 Articles
Health and Wellness, Meditation, Thinky Vicki May 12, 2020 Leave a Comment

What you’re doing is okay

I am a big fan of guided meditations, especially those Deepak Chopra offers through the lovely 21-day themed meditation experiences produced in collaboration with Oprah (the app is an actual pleasure to use). They usually include around 5-7 minutes of discussion on a topic, followed by introducing a mantra, roughly 15 minutes of meditation with ambient music, then releasing the mantra. Over the series, they build up concepts around broader themes like healing, compassion, relationships, and so on.

In February, there was a series on the body and health, and one of the most staggering points Deepak made has not left my awareness since. He was discussing the things we consume: what quality of food, drinks, entertainment, etc. we take in and how they affect our mind, body, and wellbeing.

“What you consume most, by far,” he quipped, “are your own thoughts.”

He continued to explain that how and what you think establishes and shapes your reality. If you choose to be negative and look at things through a cynical lens, your experience of life will be negative. If you dwell on anxieties and fears, your life will be lived in that state. If you look back on your past with hurt, it will keep hurting you. And if you look toward the future with anger or resentment, you will carry that forward. All of these thoughts are not only self-fulfilling, but they become self-limiting, in the deepest, most spiritual levels.

Bluebells near City Hall in Manhattan

Societies are rarely transformed through brute force or sheer will — they may be temporarily upset and reorganized this way, but the genuine evolution of culture and thinking really only comes through a change in heart. Artists have always known that the challenge lies in showing the possibilities of what may be, when those ways of being don’t yet exist in the real world. Once people adjust their beliefs to different possibilities or ways of thinking, it feels strange and cruel to force them backwards. Similarly, to get to the future we want, we have to be able to envision it, to imagine more decent ways of treating each other and living in better balance with the environment. It feels abstract or even impossible until we’ve been able to imagine it, and then it becomes the only way we know.

The covid-19 pandemic is challenging even my deepest reserves of idealism and imagination, but I keep trying to focus my thoughts in the direction I want to go. I am using anger, frustration, and sadness as tools of awareness and signposts toward the things that need to change. And I am taking the pauses I need to regroup, collect my thoughts, and consume more of the ones that push me toward creativity, discovery, and compassion.

Purple crocuses with bee

I think it is worth reminding you of some things you probably already know. Think of these as some supplemental thoughts you can add to your daily consumption.

  • Everything we are doing right now, with social distancing, quarantining, and sacrificing, is in service of the greater good. Humanity is better when we care more for each other, and every choice you make to stay home, keep your distance, and stay safe is an act of love toward your fellow humans. That is beautiful, generous, and kind. Thank you.

  • You are under no obligation to accomplish anything special during this time. If you feel pressure to tackle some big project or achieve something that will show you’ve made “worthwhile” use of time at home, it’s okay to ignore it. The great thing you’re doing is surviving and helping others have a better chance at surviving. Anything else is gravy.

  • It is okay to feel frightened, angry, scared, horny, confused, elated, hungry, and exhausted, all in the same five minute span. You’re not alone, and your feelings are normal. Almost no one alive now has lived through something like this before, and no one knows the right ways to think or feel about it.
  • If you feel isolated, remember that everyone else is in this too. You’re not carrying this weight alone. We are unified in separation and uncertainty, and there is beauty in this solidarity. If you’re reading these words, that means you know at least one person who cares about what you’re thinking and feeling (me) and wants you to feel okay. (This is always the case, but it’s nice to be reminded, right?)

  • Whatever else is going on in the world, your precious and finite time on Earth is happening right now. We don’t get a refund for this time at the end. That can be a terrifying thought, but I hope you will see it as encouragement to continue learning, growing, seeking joy in small moments and meaningful experiences, connecting with the people you love, exploring your interior life, expressing yourself, creating, and being the person you intend to be.
  • Uncertainty is unsettling and frightening, but it can also be an opportunity. You might not have chosen the cataclysmic changes that have happened in your life in the past, but what you built afterwards and how you grew in response made you who you are today. Look at trees. If nothing happened to challenge them, they would just grow up straight and even. Instead, their gnarled branches and twisted trunks tell you the story of everything they’ve overcome. You are more resilient and stronger than you know, and however bleak things may seem at times, you can become a more powerful and extraordinary version of yourself by working through them. Your character is who you are in times of adversity.

  • And lastly, there will be an After. You have survived every challenge in your life up to this point, and one day you will probably find yourself sitting with friends or family out in public, surrounded by crowds, enjoying good health, and saying, “Do you remember the pandemic back in 2020??” You may change careers, you may leave your spouse, you may move to a new home, you may lose a lot… but you will keep living as yourself and building the life you want after. Just like you’ve done with everything else before.

If these are all redundant or obvious thoughts to you, good. That means you’re consuming positive, life-affirming thoughts and beliefs about yourself and your existence.

And if you haven’t considered time or existence or your own life during this time, that’s okay too. If you are thinking of others and letting your best nature guide you, whatever you’re doing right now is okay. Just remember to be kind to yourself and others and take time to breathe.

Share via emailShare on Facebook+1Pin it on PinterestSubmit to redditShare on TumblrShare on Twitter Share

Recent Posts

  • Let’s talk about what we’re really talking about
  • I am done biting my tongue
  • What you’re doing is okay
  • A very good thing you can do today
  • Post-historical Storytelling

Vicstagram

Decorating the 2020 Christmas cookies... am I doin Decorating the 2020 Christmas cookies... am I doing this right? 😆🔥

#sugarcookies #Christmascookies #dumpsterfire #dumpsterfire2020 #icedsugarcookies
Just a reminder. I hope as many of you and your lo Just a reminder. I hope as many of you and your loved ones as possible are here this time next year. Stay safe, and look out for each other. 💗🙏

#stayhome #wearamask #pandemic #stayapart
God bless the USA!!! Congratulations to President- God bless the USA!!! Congratulations to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris! We’ve been waiting a long, long time to celebrate a return to decency, kindness, fairness, egalitarianism, justice, equity, and the true values this country stands for. The world is a better place today, and we have such great hope for the future. ✊💙🇺🇸🥂🍾
#BidenHarris2020 #GodblesstheUSA #thisiswhatdemocracylookslike #BidenHarris #outyougoyouSOB #46
Friends, please join me for this online symposium Friends, please join me for this online symposium starting at 12pm tomorrow (Friday, Nov 6)! The Zoom link is at the Pratt-in-Venice bio. 🎨🌿🌷🖌

Repost @prattinvenice with @get_repost
・・・
What can the botanical specimens in #Carpaccio’s series of paintings of the life of Saint #Ursula tell us about early modern #medicine in #Venice? 🌱🌸 Join @prattinvenice alumna Victoria Boardman (PiV ‘07, @vickiboardman) as she discusses “A New Venetian #Herbal: Depictions of #Medicinal #Plants in Carpaccio's Cycle of Paintings for the Scuola Sant'Orsola” at the #PrattInVenice35th Anniversary Research Symposium on November 6 (Zoom webinar, free and open to the public, link in bio)!

Victoria is an artist and graphic designer who earned a dual MFA/MS in @prattfineart and @hadpratt in 2010. Following her interest in the Materials and Techniques class in Venice, she had the great opportunity to assist Dr. Eleonora del Federico of @prattmathsci in art conservation science research on site in Volterra and Herculaneum in Italy. Her research on wall paintings and mosaics has been published in the Journal of Bioanalytical Chemistry and presented at meetings of the @amerchemsociety and several @prattinstitute symposia on chemistry and art.

Images: Vittore Carpaccio, the Legend of Saint Ursula (details), 1497–98, from the former Scuola di Sant’Orsola, Venice. Tempera on canvas (@gallerieaccademiavenezia) #botany #medicinalplants #historyofmedicine #arthistory #quattrocento #scuoladisantorsola #vittorecarpaccio #venetianart #arteveneziana @prattalumni @prattresearch @soartpratt @uia_univarte @veneziaunica
This felt even better than I’ve been imagining i This felt even better than I’ve been imagining it would! Our ballots arrived today, and we went together to drop them in the county box. We shared a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate when we got home, with a particularly vividly-worded toast. God bless America!
✊💙🌊✅🗳🇺🇸🥂🍾

#BidenHarris2020 #Ivoted #voting #NewJerseyvotes #BidenHarris #ridinwithBiden #MonmouthCounty #bluewave2020 #outyougoyouSOB #thisiswhatdemocracylookslike #VOTE
Please meet Sailor, @freerange_bill’s new puppy Please meet Sailor, @freerange_bill’s new puppy who joined our family last weekend and has already completely stolen our hearts! He is a rambunctious pile of energy and delightful spirit, who occasionally pauses to peer into the depths of your soul. He is a cuddly, joyful, infinitely curious little miracle of nature, and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. Navesink River Fair Wind Sailor, welcome home! 💗⛵️🐾

#Sailortheyellowdog #yellowlab #labradorretriever #dogstagram #dogsofinstagram #labsofinstagram #yellowlabsofinstagram #puppy #yellowpuppy #puppiesofinstagram #babydog #yellowlabpuppy #puppyface
A very Happy Father’s Day to @freerange_bill, my A very Happy Father’s Day to @freerange_bill, my beloved daddy and dearest friend. Of everything you’ve done for me, I am most grateful you share your kindness and sense of wonder.
💗
I don’t think many fathers could have imagined what kind of world they were preparing their babies for, but we are so lucky for those who taught us strength, courage, resilience, and compassion; those who protect us and help us learn how to protect others; those who guide us so we can be better versions of ourselves; those who keep their sense of humor to help us find levity and joy; and those who encourage us to dream big and never give up. Thank you!!!
🙏✨ #FathersDay #mydaddy #fishingwithmydad #HappyFathersDay #nostalgia #childhood #fathering
“Be like the flower: turn your face to the sun.” - Khalil Gibran

Wishing you love, peace, health, and light in your heart this solstice. 🙏🌞🌸🌿💗✨ #solstice #summersolstice #flowers #summerflowers #solsticeblessings #summergarden #inspiredbynature
It is too important to stay quiet or sit this out. It is too important to stay quiet or sit this out. We need to do so, so much better. Demilitarize the police, support active anti-racism work, demand better policies from your reps, and do everything you can to show people of color that their lives and safety are sacrosanct. 🖤
#blacklivesmatter #demilitarizethepolice #complacentiscomplicit #antiracism #nojusticenopeace #thisisAmerica #GeorgeFloyd
“Birdsong is the echo of the morning light back “Birdsong is the echo of the morning light back from the Earth.” - Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds🕊
✨
.
#robineggs #robinseggblue #hatchedeggs #newlife #springtime #poetry #rabindranathtagore #birdsong #birds #robins #alabaster #nature #spring #inspiredbynature
Moonglow, Red Bank, NJ 🌕✨🖤 (Swipe for cont Moonglow, Red Bank, NJ 🌕✨🖤
(Swipe for context)
#theskywhereIam #fullmoon #golookatthemoon #moonglow #atmosphere #moonthroughclouds #everydaymagic #auras #semiabstract #wonder
Polly’s Pond, Rumson, NJ, 95% waxing gibbous moo Polly’s Pond, Rumson, NJ, 95% waxing gibbous moon (full moon tomorrow) 🌝🌅💗💙
#theskywhereIam #golookatthemoon #waxinggibbous #twilight #PollysPond #softpinksky #wintersky #ShrewsburyRiver #tidalpond #moonandtides #phragmites #myhometown #Rumson #NewJersey
Renata Klein voice: “I will NOT not be well!” Renata Klein voice: “I will NOT not be well!” 😷😤
Doing my best to stay healthy this cold/flu/coronavirus season with zero regrets about my resemblance to a G.I. Joe character on mass transit. 😜
#facemask #paranoia #masstransit #IloveNY #herdimmunity #immunocompromised #coronavirus #coldandfluseason #personalspace #Viper
On the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Ausch On the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I think it is more important than ever to fight hate, bigotry, injustice, and cruelty wherever we see it and to dedicate ourselves to protecting and healing our shared humanity. We should not ever let ourselves become complacent in the face of dehumanizing evil, and we must honor the memory of those lives taken by ensuring we will not ever let such atrocities happen again.
🙏

#HolocaustRemembranceDay #liberationofAuschwitz #Auschwitz #ElieWiesel #wemusttakesides #genocide #bigotry #prayersforpeace #Holocaustremembrance #fighthate #remembrance #neverforget
Two versions of a Typography project combining typ Two versions of a Typography project combining typefaces, using a familiar Cheshire Cat quote (Kepler Light & Medium Display Italic combined w Optima). I’m kind of in love with serifs these days. 😻
#typography #typefaces #typecombination #graphicdesign #learningtypography #AdobeIllustrator #serifs #CheshireCat #notallwhowanderarelost #LewisCarroll #AlicesAdventuresinWonderland #Kepler #Optima #Ilovetypography
Follow on Instagram

Recent Comments

  • Let’s talk about what we’re really talking about – Vickilicious on I am done biting my tongue
  • 72.52.193.34 on Choose your hustle
  • agen joker on Choose your hustle
  • pixel scout review on Choose your hustle
  • stephanie on Healing Vibes: My First Sound Bath
January 2021
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
« Nov    

Archives

Categories

(Advertisement)

I'm All Over the Internet

Link to my Contact
Link to my Facebook Page
Link to my Flickr Page
Link to my Goodreads Page
Recommend this page!
Link to my Linkedin Page
Link to my Pinterest Page
Link to my Rss Page
Link to my Twitter Page
Link to my Website Page
Link to my Youtube Page

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

(Advertisement)

(Advertisement)

All original words and images copyright © Victoria Boardman 2006-2018, except as noted. | Theme by Bloompixel.