As highly sensitive & neurodivergent people, I think a lot of us are used to navigating complexities and holding dualities.

For example: the complexity of masking to stay safe and unmasking to conserve energy, while learning who you are underneath the masks.

The duality of experiencing deep joy and deep grief, sometimes within the same hour. Or the same breath. And the whiplash of shifting between these two states.

The paradox of parts of you wanting connection, and parts of you wanting to be alone.

Being hyper-focused on one thing, while being completely unaware of all the other things in your environment. (Which is why you might cut the onions perfectly, while the potatoes burn in the oven and the sink overflows.)

Then there is the complexity of being a human in this world, in these times. Where any given day might ask us to hold grief in one hand & joy in the other.

In an art workshop I attended recently, we participants were invited to practice Tonglen. This involves:

🌓 breathing in, while being with the suffering of oneself and others

🌗 breathing out, while being with a wish for relief

We wrote down statements that expressed acknowledgment of suffering, as well as a wish for relief. Here’s what I wrote — I invite you to hold the duality with me.

🥀 I feel the sadness of witnessing the world in its suffering & inhumanity.

🌹 I feel the deep care & hope of those who move us toward a better world, through everyday acts of resistance & love.

Acknowledging both the suffering and the wish feels grounding to me. It’s not spiritual bypassing. It’s not hopelessness. It’s being with all of it, as it is, right now.

A few questions for you:

What are you bearing witness to?

What is your wish for relief?

How is it to be with both?

With care,

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P.S. The art workshop was hosted by lauren at Reinventing Creative Process, who is a wonderful guide. Check out their work & upcoming workshops here.

P.P.S. If you're overwhelmed & burnt out, but too busy for weekly therapy, I am here to support you. I offer ​Nervous System Healing Intensives​ — three 90-minute sessions, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, IFS, EMDR) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner.

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