Hi 2021, I’m still overwhelmed.

Hi 2021, I’m still overwhelmed! 

As of 2020, being overwhelmed was my default state. It’s 2021 and I’m still overwhelmed. As familiar as this feeling is for me, it still shocks me. Every morning when I wake up, I splash cold water on my face. I have become used to feeling the jarring rush of ice-cold water abruptly hitting me in the face, kind of like 2020.

The self-talk that goes into this before I turn the water on, goes like this: “Maybe I can just do a lukewarm splash?” or “Are you sure you want to splash ice-cold water on your warm little face?”

When I was little, I shared a bathroom with ten people. One bathroom with ten different schedules. By the time I would get ready for school, there was no warm water left in the water heater. Back then, I felt the rush of cold water on my face and was extremely upset by it. Now, I do it by choice. I haven’t actually thought about that until now. I used to take ice-baths when I was training for the L.A. marathon and encountered the same internal coaxing. 

Why do we do things we hate but know they’re good for us? On a health level, I know that ice-cold water can be used as a form of hydrotherapy to improve circulation, increase endorphins and hype up your metabolism. On a physical level however, doing things that aren’t pleasurable creates opportunities to feel something new or show yourself that you can do difficult things.

I use the cold splash a to reconnect and re-align to what I’m doing. It gets me right back to being here, in the present moment. Creating new rituals after the tumultuous path of 2020 has been difficult. I found that many teachers had a hard time adjusting to the new normal. Like everyone else, I fell off my daily rituals and routines and had to take things day-by-day, moment-by-moment. 

The podcast, and my weekly classes on Wanderlust TV helped keep me on task. In one of my moments of overwhelm, I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face just to remind myself that I was here. I wondered how everyone else was coping and if someone out there had a better quick fix that didn’t involve being jarred awake. That was the idea that birthed “The Radically Loved Summit.” I thought, “Since I already talk to some incredible people, What if we gather them all and have an event for everyone to join in to share their best fixes?” So, I did it. 

I gathered an incredible team and made it happen - a free event for everyone. I am constantly reminded of how the process to inner growth requires consistent attention.  On this week’s podcast, Coach Mike Bayer said to me, “What you’re saying to others has to be congruent with your inner truth. Be honest and lean into what you want to do.” He is absolutely right. 

For me, this means creating small rituals that keep me coming back to the present moment. Even if that means, a cold-ass splash in the face.