Happy August, dear readers! I hope you are taking care of yourselves and thriving through this year and all the stress and turmoil it’s brought so far.

Back in January I wrote this article, “A Diet You Can Stick With in 2025: Treat yourself with Mindful Self-Compassion and surround yourself with goodness to stave off stress and negativity in the New Year.” In it I shared some thoughts on how we can be mindful about our consumption of news and social media, so it doesn’t damage our mental and emotional well-being.

It’s a theme worth revisiting in this time of politically fueled social media and news-induced stress. How can we stay true to our principles and speak out on the injustice we see around us without living in a state of constant anxiety, worry, and tension?

I’ve shared how I use mindfulness, poetry, and time in nature to heal. And remember SNAP, your go-to method when you feel alarmed, angry, fearful, worried, or otherwise upset.

Here’s a quick refresher:

S

Soothing touch

When you feel anxiety or other troubling feelings arise, place your hands where you find it soothing. Try placing your hands on your heart, your belly, cheeks, upper arms in a hug, hands holding hands — whatever you find most comforting.

N

Name your feeling

“I’m feeling frustrated. I feel upset. I feel scared. I feel angry.” Labeling the emotion engages the thinking brain and calms your system down. Drop into the emotion and see what’s there. Avoid judging it. Simply observe with curiosity. This is the heart of what mindfulness is all about. It takes practice, but soon you’ll be able to tune in and notice what’s happening inside you. Once you notice these feelings, you can work with them, giving yourself room to breathe and changing your relationship to them.

A

Act

Ask yourself:

1. What do I need to hear right now?

Then tell it to yourself.

2. What do I need to do right now to shift my mood?

Then do what you can reasonably do in the moment. You might try a breathing exercise, breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of six, doing this for three to five breath cycles. This will lower your heart rate and blood pressure. After that, you will be in a calmer state to choose another tool to make you feel good!

P

Praise

I thank my practice for giving me the tools and the power to pull myself together. I thank my teachers for showing me the path. I might thank the universe. If you are a religious person, the Praise step is the time to thank your deity. This praising piece allows gratitude in, and gratitude is good medicine.

Think of your self-care practices as preventative maintenance, just like you would do on your home — things you can do to shore up your spirit, the fountain and foundation of your well-being. That’s kind of the idea behind this poem I wrote:

A Home Inside Myself

By Julie Potiker

I don’t need to make a home inside myself

For I have one

A home, a house, a place

Some rooms need work
Nails, hammers, spackle
must be hauled in

Some rooms are filled with sun, even in winter

In the basement, nooks and crannies
that hold remnants and scraps, the detritus
of 60-plus years of human interactions

In the attic, the ancestors blow and hover about
Keeping watch
A vigil
In my house of love

One of my favorite ways to stay calm, joyful, and resilient is to follow and subscribe to sites and newsletters like Positive News, which is filled with uplifting and inspiring news that often gets overlooked. On Facebook, I came across a page that’s right up my alley called Quotes & Coffee. They had a poignant post that said:

“A strange part of adulthood that no one talks about is, we’re all homesick for a place and time that no longer exists, and that we can never revisit.”

How true, and as long as live, we carry memories of that place with us!

That post captured an idea I wrote about in another poem. I was asked to provide a biography by a group offering training in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. I was so surprised and delighted by how my answers unfolded that I kept it and added it to my poetry collection:

Where I’m From

By Julie Potiker

I am from The Random House Dictionary
on its own built-in desk in the library
near the gold-colored flokati rug –
a rug that could tell tales.

From Fig Newtons and Grandma Claire’s
oatmeal cookies, delivered in an oatmeal
cylinder box covered in brown paper
and sent through the mail.

I am from the flagstone and wood house
with two blue spruce trees in the front yard,
two apple and pear trees in the backyard.

I am from lilac bushes running the length
of the hedge, and my mom’s green thumb
making magic in colors, textures and scents –
reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and purples –
which I sometimes helped push into rich soil.

I’m from matzo balls and brisket
and: Be dressed in the foyer by 5 p.m.
From the Jacobowitzes, and the Scherrs.

I’m from whoever guesses the color
of the door at the next motel
gets a treat from the vending machine,
and always keep your options open.

From Cs are not acceptable in this house,
and you won’t be in trouble if you tell the truth.

I’m from the scholarship of the Chachem Zvi
to the atheists and everything in between.

I’m from Cleveland, Ohio via Poland and Russia.
From Chocolate Ice Cream and Black Licorice.
From my parents eloping at age 18, together
for 67 years until death did part them.

From my father supporting my mother
in her career aspirations in the 1960s,
before men did those things – she soaring
in healthcare administration, authoring five books,
and lecturing around the globe with him.

From dozens of photo albums in storage –
but my mom’s perfume bottle collection,
cow collection and owl collection
gracing my shelves. My Dad’s cashmere sweaters
and throw blankets keeping me warm
and connected, and a pile of his shirts
lovingly made into a quilt
that my eyes and heart both love.

I am a link in the chain –
going backward through time
and forever forward.

Wishing you peace and joy no matter where (and when) you are from!

Please share your thoughts. . .