It will hardly have escaped your notice that we are living in changing times, indeed, rapidly changing times. Depending on your mindset, we are either going to hell in handbasket or we’re seeing the last dregs of a corrupt and elitist world, floating to the surface to enable something new to be born. I wanted to write today about the practical ways in which we can look after ourselves as we ride these rapids of change.
Those of us that follow the astrology of the planets draw some comfort from the understanding that all of this change is mirrored by the reorganisation of the entire backdrop to our daily lives. As each of the greater planets moves into a new star sign, pieces of our familiar scenery are switched out. Usually, these changes happen spread out over much longer periods of time, but now we have had five major shifts in just over a year.
We are like actors on a stage, in the middle of a piece, experiencing that the scenery, the plot and even our lines are changing as we speak. No wonder we are all feeling discombobulated!
This, and the speed of change, has been having a huge impact on our individual and collective nervous system. We are all struggling with concerns about what lies ahead, and wondering whether we will be okay?
And so I wanted to focus on small and practical ways in which we can take better care of our nervous system. We find ourselves collectively in this frightening birth canal to some unknown future. A future that at the unconscious level we are co-creating. But not in control of. However, we can control simple actions that keep our fear levels to a minimum, assisting in a positive co-creation, and keeping our sense of wellbeing high.
Reassessing purpose and vision
Now that the scenery has changed, we need to ask ourselves what we are choosing to structure our lives around. This is not about setting goals and following through, but more of a gentle meditation on your vision for the world, for your place in it, your family, your friends. What gives your life meaning? Those moments of clarity are both real and fleeting, but at a time of regulatory transformation, more important than ever to sit with.
It is said 2025 is a dress rehearsal for 2026, and the summer will have given us some insights, while the autumn now introduces a time for reflection. We’re not ready yet to push the ‘start’ button, things are slowing down, but our focus needs to stay clear.
Practical ways to focus
More and more people find that keeping a journal is a way that they can keep track of their changing moods, their shifting inner sands. The more you allow yourself to write freely and from the heart, the more you will open yourself up to connecting with the deeper and wiser aspects in yourself that help you take a more disidentified stance.
I once started writing a really angry letter to what I perceived to be ‘my God’. The first paragraphs were full of pain and disappointment. But as I wrote, something else in me began to show me that the things I was holding God responsible for, were choices I myself had made. And while the divine is not some curling parent that stops adversity from coming to your door, it is there to hold and comfort us through the pain of being human. It ended up being so much more; a letter from my frightened ego-self to my deeper wiser self.
Sitting, walking, dancing or singing meditation
When I ask my clients if they meditate, more than half will sigh deeply and say that it is not for them. However, when I enquire a little more, they have a concept of sitting still on a cushion trying to empty their minds. Believe me, your mind will never empty itself. Your mind is like a constantly overflowing bowl of insights, analyses, hypotheses, arguments, etc. The trick is to find a way of stepping out of that flow and observing it, instead of taking each thought and running with it.
So for the people for whom sitting has not worked, try walking, preferably in nature, and rather than listen to the noise in your head, actively listen to the sounds of the forest. And actively experience the feeling of taking each new step. And actively allow your eyes to take in the sights around you. And smell the smells. As you practise opening up your senses to the world around you, and shift your awareness from inside your head to the world you inhabit, you will automatically open up to the sixth and the seventh senses of your deeper and wiser self.
And I used to practise Qi Gong to help me ground, others have enjoyed Tai Chi as an active meditative practise. These days I empty my head by going to a weekly Kirtan, mantra singing with a small group of people. It lifts my spirits and makes me feel more connected to the world around me.
Relationship review
Another form of nervous system regulation is a relationship review. Are there relationships that need some more space, are there issues of co-dependency and toxicity that need to be addressed? And don’t turn it into a mind game, just feel into your body and your emotional field; does this relationship make me feel stronger, seen and empowered, or does it make me feel drained, diminished and alone?
Ask yourself, how have I been maintaining my boundaries? Give yourself permission to seek the relational space that you need.
Getting enough downtime
The importance of downtime is underestimated, especially when people have gotten into the habit of displacement activities to get away from their overactive and fearful minds. But the more you exhaust yourself, the less strength and resilience you have to counter the mind chatter with a gentle ‘thank you for sharing’.
Practise being still, watching the rain fall, the sun rise or set, children playing in the playground, or listening to your favourite music while stretched out on the floor. Or dancing like a mad person, whatever rocks your boat. But give your nervous system a break from worrying about the world, about your world, and just let go for a moment or two.
The mind cannot distinguish between real danger and the danger that we are catastrophising about. Your central nervous system will be on high alert and go into overdrive if you are constantly imagining the worst. So give yourself a break.
Things are happening so fast, and it is easy to think we need to adjust our own inner pace to keep up. We’re constantly connected to media, social media, and with AI we can do things way quicker than we ever could. But sometimes we just can’t keep up.
When I think about taking a break from the noise and the chatter of a world gone mad, I think of that lovely song from Jesus Christ Superstar
Try not to get worried, try not to turn on to
Problems that upset you, oh.
Don’t you know
Everything’s alright, yes, everything’s fine.
And we want you to sleep well tonight.
Let the world turn without you tonight.
If we try, we’ll get by, so forget all about us tonight
Eat healthily
Make sure as we approach the autumn that you eat your vitamin D supplements, your magnesium, and if you need it, your probiotics. Make yourself a green goddess juice once in a while, or make a whole batch, with ginger, spinach, rucola, parsley and a fruit of your choice, and drink a glass every day.
The future
Remember that we are consciously and unconsciously helping to co-create a new world. And we need to be resilient about our hopes and expectations, holding a high frequency of trust and love. Losing ourselves in fear and catastrophising only adds to the negative pool of collective energy that is already out there.
I believe we are co-creating a reality that could exceed any expectation we’ve ever had, but that comes with the responsibility to be disciplined about the energy we put out into the world, and the gifts that we share and the love we feel for humanity as we struggle forward into these new times.
Life is a gift and a joy, and we are here to celebrate that, not because we are uncaring and cut off from the suffering in the world, but because the only thing we can control is our own attitude, our own nervous system regulation and our own output into the world. We have a big role to play, to be in service to one another and to figure out and live out, what we’re devoted to.
If you’re inspired by reading this and want to talk through some of these points with me then you can always book an introductory session or sign up for package of ten sessions and get a nice 10% discount.
And make sure you look after yourself, properly, because that is the most important thing we can do right now.
Lysanne Sizoo, international Mental Health specialist
With over two decades of experience, Lysanne Sizoo specializes in assisting expatriates, international professionals, and global nomads facing mental health challenges. Her professional journey has taken her to the United Kingdom, Sweden, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. In 2023 she relocated from Holland back to Stockholm for the second time around and meets clients both online and in her office on Södermalm.
Living away from one’s native country comes with its unique set of psychological hurdles, alongside the everyday ups and downs of life. This holds true for global nomads, cross-cultural adults, and children alike.
In these articles Lysanne writes about the different challenges that face us in life, as expats and as ordinary human beings. She uses her own experience as a jumping off point for reflections on how to use the lessons from therapy to live a more contended and congruent life.
If you have specific topics or issues that you’d like Lysanne to explore in her articles, please reach out via the contact form on this website or directly through her personal website. Rest assured, your privacy and confidentiality will be upheld.
