Lifting Each Other Up
After a Week of So Many Feelings, Art and Connection Bring Healing and Movement
Last week was quite a week. Working through my own feelings about events in this country—on top of supporting clients who were working through their feelings—was a lot. I was grateful to have my client work to give the week meaning and refuge. It also felt helpful to gather with others to express, hold space for, and create strategies to deal with all of the feelings and changes to come.
It's tempting to shut down when there is disappointment or devastation. As I shared with clients this week, many of them experiencing a trauma response from the week’s events…
Keep eating.
Keep taking care of yourself.
Keep doing those not-so-little loving things that create bigger ripples.
And if you need a primal scream
or to lie down in the grass
or to cry,
honor that.
Then get back up and
Keep eating.
Keep taking care of yourself.
Keep doing those not-so-little loving things that create bigger ripples...
Because Love Always Wins.
Eventually.
Last weekend, I had the honor of performing several original modern dance works with Encore Dance Ensemble, a group of women 40+ (most of us 50 or 60+). We took the audience on an emotional ride with subjects related to mental illness, grief, empty-nesting, wonder, and joy. Audience members shared that the strength, connection, and wisdom of the movement and choreography blew them away.
Our group met this week to debrief after the show, which happened to be the day after the election. We appreciated the support of our sisterhood and talked about how much we all need art as a vehicle for expression and healing more than ever.
I hope you will keep dancing, writing, drawing, composing, creating, and being in the natural world—whatever sets your soul free and allows you to feel what is sometimes unspeakable.
In my previous newsletter, I shared a link to the entire chapter on movement and physical activity from my latest book, Nurture: How to Raise Kids Who Love Food, Their Bodies, and Themselves. This topic is so important, as adults can contribute to unwanted challenges in kids' relationship with movement and fitness.
As a lifelong dancer, I can say that I’ve had both positive and negative influences on movement and dance. As a 50+ dancer, my focus is on staying strong and avoiding overuse injuries. I wish I had been encouraged to take a longer view of caring for my body as a young person, though I also remember feeling invincible as a teen. I hope you'll check out this important book chapter, which I offer for free to anyone.
Kayla Blanton also interviewed me for this article in Prevention about somatic movement. Finding ways to use our bodies for grounding or self-regulation can be incredibly helpful, but it can be hard to connect with our bodies in this supportive way when they’ve been violated or criticized. Sometimes, significant healing has to come first.
I’ve worked with several adults who have had complicated relationships with their bodies and exercise. Finding a way to move that feels aligned with new goals of moderation, balance, and sustainability can be essential to recover from a complicated relationship with body and self.
Today, I hope you will be gentle as you care for yourself after this past week. I hope you will gather with like-minded people who lift you up, treat you kindly, and help you become the most clear version of yourself. We will make the world a better place, one kindness at a time, when we feel held by others and (more importantly) ourselves. Don’t be afraid to ask for support if this isn’t always easy to access. We were all put here on this planet together; building love and connection in our own circles is a beautiful place to start.
With love in this shared life journey,
Heidi
P.S. If this article resonated, please hit the “like” button or share your thoughts to increase engagement. I’m also always happy to hear about topics you’d like me to write more about. Thank you for reading!