“How do you navigate the storm? You choose to live from within it today.” – Lee Harris
Last year around this time, I was running on low.
I was deep in a mycotoxin detox, the unwelcome souvenir of a mold problem in our home, and my body had basically taken the wheel and pointed it straight toward stillness.
For this Doer, It was hard. It was frustrating. AND it turned out to be one of the most clarifying experiences I’ve had in a while.
Constraints have a way of cutting straight to what’s essential.
Rather than fixating on everything that was on pause, I found myself anchoring into what was right in front of me.
Savoring a delicious meal.
Being inspired by my favorite podcasts.
Truly being with my son, sharing quiet, unhurried time together.
Watching shows that made me laugh because it felt good.
Resting. Fully. Without guilt.
These things didn’t feel small in that season. They felt like lifelines to healing, not just my body, but also the way I see everything.
Here’s what became clear to me: We cannot control what is happening in our lives or in the world. But we always have the power to see the duality in any situation and to make choices that actually empower us.
Yes, it was a trying time. AND slowing down gave me something I didn’t know I was missing, the chance to feel genuinely alive inside the stillness, rather than just rushing through it.
That was not nothing. It was everything.
So here’s a question I want to leave with you:
What if your daily goal wasn’t productivity, or getting through your list, or holding everything together…
What if it was simply peace? Or joy? Internally, regardless of what’s happening outside in the world?
Because here’s what I know to be true:
There will always be storms.
But you get to choose where you place your energy inside them.
You can feel peace, joy, beauty, and love even within the chaos, not by denying what’s hard, but by actively cultivating what feels nourishing and good.
So before the bad news pulls you under, can you give yourself a moment of that?
A moment of peace. Of joy. Of beauty. Of love?
I bet there is more in your life then you think.
Because sometimes this is genuinely hard to access when life feels heavy, I made you a video with a simple exercise to help you open the specific energy circuits that make it easier to embody these feelings. These exercises promote peace, joy, beauty, and love in your body.
The more you practice feeling them, the more naturally they arise. Even in the hard moments. Especially then.
You can receive the Exercise Resource Sheet, with pictures and descriptions of each exercise, so you can choose the emotion you want to embody and access it in just a few minutes each morning.
Please share this with anyone you think might need it:
Much love!
One Reply to “Inner Calm, Outer Chaos: How to Cultivate Peace and Joy No Matter What ”
Thank you Lara!
This came to me just in time. I am having issues with my boyfriend’s failure to call me back and feeling overwhelmed with relocating and setting up a greenhouse at a new location. I also have a medical procedure coming up next week. Even with these stressors I managed to enjoy my ride home yesterday along a beautiful forest road along a river that runs to the sea. I took my little Schipperke dog, Seala to the beach this morning where we ran and played while I studied seabirds, and harbor seals and saw two bald eagles while we hiked along the cliffs going back to the car. I used many of the images and feelings from this today for the exercises I just did. I do feel much better, much calmer and happier in my life. It does help to change the focus and this exercise works wonders. Thank you so much Lara.