Handling Uncertainty

f you’ve known me for a while, you probably know that I really don’t like these storms. I will always evacuate if I have the chance. I moved to eastern North Carolina from California in 2004 when I was 7 months pregnant with my first child. I experienced my first hurricane, Hurricane Ophelia, just weeks after her first birthday.

I was six weeks into a new job it had taken me a year to land trying to navigate daycare closures, road closures, flash flooding and work deadlines. My workplace was a 50 minute drive from my home. Her dad was out of town on long term assignment in another country and I was in a bind. This was before working from home was considered acceptable but was still possible. With no prep and no experience and no one around to help, I tried to juggle work, baby, and an oncoming storm on my own.

My employer was unsympathetic to my plight and still insisted I meet my deadlines even as the power flickered on and off and my internet connection crawled along.

When the storm finally knocked out the power for good, I cried as the frozen breast milk I’d saved up over months thawed and spoiled in the freezer.

I had never been in a storm like that before. I didn’t know how to prepare and went through it completely alone (except for my baby who was sweet but obviously, not helpful).

Three weeks prior, Hurricane Katrina had devastated the gulf. That was my only point of reference for hurricanes. While everyone around me was acting like it was no big deal and telling me I was over-reacting, Katrina was fresh in my mind and I thought my life was about to end.

Every hurricane since then has triggered panic and fear in me. Sometimes it was warranted, like with Matthew and Florence, other times, the storm was barely a sprinkle or missed us entirely. But my nervous system reacted the same way: freeze, fear, panic, shock, collapse.

This year, for the first time ever, I didn’t experience any of that panic. I was on the fence about staying. I cleared out my yard, got extra gas, bought some convenience foods. Prepared my cooler and got ready to hunker down. I didn’t feel any of the usual panic or fear. I can’t help but think this new balanced, rational mindset is directly related to all the work I have done this past year on my discernment as it relates to energy and how it moves through my body impacting my thoughts and emotions.

In the end, I had already planned to have the day off work on Wednesday to drive my son to Raleigh so he could visit my brother. My daughter had plans to move back to college with her Dad and step-mom. So I decided to gather up my dog and myself in the car on the way to Raleigh, drop off my son and keep on going to Pittsburgh to visit with my parents.

Instead of leaving out of fear, I left out of convenience and stayed completely calm. I didn’t get wound up with stress and panic and as a result — just as importantly—I didn’t add stress or panic to those around me, including my kids. We hear a lot about the benefits of working on our emotional reactions, healing old wounds and clearing negative patterns for ourselves, but doing this work is also a gift to the people we love and influence with our energy.

I haven’t done all this work on my own. I have a team of support here in the physical world as well as the spiritual world. I make a regular practice to receive Reiki, Cranio Sacral therapy, go to sound baths where I can bliss out and receive the vibrational therapy. I supplement with flower essences as well as take time for meditation and exercise. And, when I need it, I will get a reading from another psychic to help me clarify my path. We can do a lot on our own but sometimes we do need to consult with an expert or receive healing from an outside healer. It’s all part of the reciprocal flow of energy.

Whatever you choose to do, don’t underestimate the power of energy healing. It may be subtle on a day to day basis. You may even wonder if it’s really making a big difference, but believe me, when you hit a triggering event, have a challenge or suffer a loss and see that you are handling it in a completely uncharacteristic, much better way, you will thank yourself for investing in.