They say my home, Bali is about to go up in smoke any time now!
The problem with volcanoes (and most natural disasters) is that they actually don't really know when their grand showcases of power are going to present themselves or once they do, the magnitude or performance of it all! They can monitor certain physical characteristics about it but Mother Nature has a mind of her own and a mission to play out beyond our comprehension so we are fortunate now with our technological advancements to at least receive a warning when there is an upset.
Not knowing when something is going to happen can be incredibly infectious to one's thoughts. Worry, fear, intrigue all devour the mind. We want to know what we can do. What should we do? How can we stop it? Why is it happening?
In many cases, there is just nothing we can physically do to stop nature's course.
The problem with that for me is that I am battling severe anxiety (I share the healing process frequently) however on a mission to heal or not, stress is stress and stress stresses me out!
That kind of means that threats of natural disasters don't do me any favors! Cue hyperventilating, worrying, undue stress and irritability. Overall, it sends me spiraling backwards from all of the healing I have been doing!
Normally I never open anything like this because of my personality but I could not resists the clicky title screaming at me to read the contents... that's when I saw the warning, urging travelers to remain calm, figure out their travel insurances and reconsider their plans if they had yet to fly here. Oh how I should really stay away from the news, it never does me any good!
We all know that news agencies/websites/blogs etc choose frightening/scary titles to have us click on it, to receive more money from the ad agencies right? There's usually dramatization to instill fear in us for a myriad of reasons we aren't going to get into here. When I clicked on the first link it showed me a video of a supervolcano in CA that could "kill us all." Thanks for that, news site. Just what we all need- more fear!
Even though I know this, that article I ended up reading wasn't very reassuring to me since Bali is an island and I have read about and recently seen the movie Pompeii. You know Pompeii right? The now famous city that was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano?
I was seriously considering flying out 'just in case' when I realized that being in the air, if things were to go sour would be the worst place with flying debris and so here I am, trapped. Anxiety hates entrapment!
I have always felt comfort in learning/knowing about a situation that scares me. People say pay it no mind and distract yourself which may be effective if one was able to fully remove it from their minds but in my case, I like to know what I can and then figure out a reaction and a escape plan so to speak so if the worst is to come, I will be prepared.
I think I learned that behavior in girl scouts, always be prepared and so, I resort to learning all I can when things start to get too intense for me.
OK, so my personal, emotional drama and fear tactics of the media aside, let's talk about the facts at present here in Bali from reported news sites:
- A 5.7 magnitude underwater earthquake hit northwest of Bali shaking up the volcano
- Over 400 tremors occurred yesterday signaling heightened seismic activity, raising alert
- Evacuation has been enforced for those within a 7.5km radius of the volcano
- I live 22 km from the volcano (for anyone wondering)😘
- 2 years ago volcanic ash from the volcanoes clouded the airspace, making travel impossible and leaving visitors stranded
- The last eruption happened in 1963, emitting ash up to 10 km high with over 1000 casualties
- The governor expresses confidence in taking measures to minimize loss
- I am supposed to remain calm
I'm from Canada! I have never had to worry about a volcano casually exploding in my midst before! I lived in Guatemala and even hiked a couple of active volcanoes before but this is new territory for me!
So, the fear is here, the threat is real, the situation is coming whether I like it or not. So what do we do?
Fear's enemy is love and acceptance. When we are feeling love, we cannot feel fear because the joy of love overtakes us!
Therefore the first and most important thing to do is to express and share your love! That said, in case it's not already abundantly obvious by how many kisses and hugs I send you all, I have a huge spot in my heart for you! Those of you I interact with regularly, you have become a part of my life in a way I want you to really recognize! I appreciate you, I am passionately driven to continue doing what I do, because of your support so thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Notes to self: (I hope they help you too!)
Stay calm
Oh but that is so much easier said than done, I am the first person to admit that BUT I know that letting fear overcome and overwhelm me will decrease my ability to respond to a threat should it occur. I am trying my best to stay focused on my plans I have, guys I have really amazing, big plans coming up! I am so happy to have some really incredible content to share with you coming up here as I move forward with the dreams Steemit has been able to encourage me to pursue!Have a plan
I am managing the inevitable stress by having a little 'in case' plan ready, so when/if an event occurs, it will be so much easier to act it out and get to safety. I have been in some not so great situations before where anxiety has literally paralyzed me, causing my body to freeze and I don't want that! I learned back in fire training that families who have an exit strategy prepared ahead of time are more calm and collected at time of crisis, enabling them to escape to safety. Momma told me to have a bag packed at the door in case I need to make a run for it!Trust, finding 'center'
Meditation, breathing, prayer or the like are strongly associated with positive effects in crisis situations. Believing everything will be OK, managing doubt and anxious temptations improves mood and overall outlook, allowing increased ability to respond to the situation. I chant to myself when I get scared or am trying to convince myself that everything will be fine. I say simple things like "it's ok" over and over or "I am safe" and eventually, the magic of the words resonates and my brain starts believing it, sending a cool down over my system and allowing the anxiety to slow down.Call upon connection
Hey guys, I'm looking for some extra love right now! I'm a little nervous and I want to feel connected to people around me! I know I will be OK but still, I wish I could end up in a huge cuddle puddle with you all! Can we virtually do that please? 😘
Our relationships play a huge role in my life! Do you know that when people feel loved, appreciated and connected, they are proven to be happier and thus manage stress and anxiety with improved capabilities! Think of self-help groups- they work for a reason! You all help me feel safe! 😘
With all of my love radiating out to you and the love in return I am sure to feel come in, all of the virtual hugs and embraces, I am going to continue on, using my own advice as if nothing is wrong! I have an awesome, exciting interview lined up tomorrow and can't wait to share that with you this weekend!
You know me by now, my heart does what it wants and obviously felt the need to share this with you so thank you for being here with me! I am projecting my hugs all around the world to you all!
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