REACH -OUT AND REACH -IN

HEALING OUR SOUL WOUNDS AND MORAL INJURIES

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Harnessing Inner Strength in Times of Distress April 3, 2025

As many of you know, I have a daughter, son in law, and grandson who live halfway around the world in New Zealand. Rumi just turned 5. It is challenging to live so far away from both of our kids (our son is in California)! However we are blessed with a pretty powerful connection that transcends miles, time zones, oceans, continents. This ongoing connection continues to astound me. AND I give thanks daily for FaceTime and Zoom.

Last week, Rumi needed to talk. So, somehow he got his mom’s phone and called. He just had things he really needed to talk about. He had a bit of 5 year old distress. So, he reached out, called me, and we talked. Afterwards,  we played an online game. Laughed a lot. Just before we hung up, he wanted to see the bulbs we planted last year which I told him were starting to come up. So, I took my phone outside to show him.

Well, it was 2:00 am my time (7pm tomorrow his New Zealand time).  And it WAS DARK!!!

Somehow that really bothered him for the first time. It is like he realized we were VERY far away from each other.“Luna, what happened to your sun? Is it ever going to come out again?”

So we had a little science lesson and by 7:30 pm his time, when his mom came into his room to find him talking with me, he was able to proclaim, “Luna, it is amazing that the sun will always come out. It just happens at different times for different people”.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT US TO FOCUS ON IN THIS BLOG POST TODAY.

Friends, we must seriously consider the impact of current distress on our lives. When our souls are hurt and we deeply feel moral injury, it can resemble Rumi's question: will the darkness ever fade... will the sun ever shine again? It's a profound question espesially when it seems overwhelming and hopeless.

WE HAVE ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT, ONE SOUL, ONE BRAIN, ONE LIFE. It is up to us to balance the input and energy that brings us light and life. In my last blog post, I wrote about soul wounds and moral injuries. They are real. And it is up to us care for ourselves during this incredibly challenging and draining time. Like Rumi, we need to remember that the sun will always come out…even when we feel distant, alone, and far away from its warmth. There is hope, even when we cant quite experience it.

So how do we get to that hope? Well, it takes intentional effort. Our energy will not shift if we are passive in how it impacts us. We can easily become overwhelmed and wounded by the intensitiy we experience. This is especially true when we have developed a moral compass and belief system that deeply cares about each other and our world.

My best word to you is to first take stock of your own well being. Then experiment with what brings light, peace, joy back into your balance of living. Below are some things to think about and try:

When you are anxious and spinning with worry, despair, confusion,

slow it down and shift the energy!!!.

Great ways to do that are:

• Keep aware of what is happening in our world, but limit your news input

Slowing down the stimulus helps our balance. Too much input and we are overwhelmed.

• Practice Gratitude:

Focus on the positive aspects of your life and express appreciation for what you have. Every day, and especially when you are feeling overwhelmed and worried, stop. list what you are thankful for. Speak it outloud. It helps.

• Be Kind to Yourself:

Acknowledge your feelings and practice self-compassion. Your feelings are imortant. Not to be judged by anyone, including yourself.

• Connect with Others:

Reach out to friends, family, or community members for support and connection. Share your feelings. Support each other. It helps to connect with others who are also needing support.

• Engage in a calming experience:

Engage in activities that promote relaxation and focus, such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises. A favorite of mine is simply walking outside.

• Do something creative.

Whatever feels creative to you. There is a HUGE list of possibilities. What works for you? When do you feel creative?

• Try to be present in the moment!

It is hard to not stay present as we tend to ruminate when worried or angry. But the present moment can be healthful. That includes sleep! Try to get the right balance of sleep each night. This will help you grow well, stay healthy, and keep clear thoughts.

• Find tools to help you sleep.

One of the things that I have found super helpful is memorizing scripture or an important writing. I do this when I'm struggling to fall asleep. I will repeat a verse or passage over and over. When I get to the place I can't remember, I start again. It is how I fall asleep. It is truly helpful to fall asleep to reciting The Lord's Prayer, The 23rd Psalm or Twas the Night Before Christmas! That is not a bad way to head off to dreamland!

• Laugh

I have a reel on my desktop of just an absolutely, somewhat inappropriate, HR response to current times. It cracks me up. Always helps me shift energy. Tell jokes. Watch comedies. Tease each other. Laugh. Humor ALWAYS changes energy.

• Look For Beauty Each Day

It is all around us.  Crocus are coming up. Buds are forming and starting to bloom. Take a walk and look for it. Beauty always blesses us. And like the sun, there is a rhythm in nature that reminds us of constancy and hope.

Have you felt the energy shifting even in reading some of these ideas? Which experiences help move YOUR inner distress? Pay attention to that, and repeat, repeat, repeat!

LASTLY

If you are aware of your SOUL feeling deeply wounded…of your moral compass having taken a huge hit, here are some other thoughts to help with your healing on a deeper level:

• Remember the best spiritual moments of your life. (All of us remember our “high places” with God). Just like gratitude, relive these moments and give thanks for them.

• Get in touch with the condition of your soul. 

• Ask God to heal your “soul wound”.

• Ask God to turn on a light in the darkness.

• Your connection with God, or your higher power, enables you to not be alone but plugged into a greater power/energy.

In parting: community and well being is essential in times of distress.

We are not helpless or hopeless.

Reach out and reach in.

Be well. Breathe. Remember who you are.