How have you been doing in recent months?

First off, please allow me to extend my deepest and most appreciative heartfelt thanks to all those who reached out to me in the months spanning my post about the sudden end of my nearly 18-year marriage and the present day.

Your soul-touching support, compassion, kindness, empathy, relaying of personal stories involving your own very difficult relationship issues and breakups over the years, and so much more have bolstered + helped me a good deal (and still continue to, for that matter).

Secondly, in the midst of everything that has been transpiring in my life lately, I completely forgot that back in the late spring/early summer, I penned and scheduled some blog posts which were originally intended to go live in either July or August.

In the midst of contending with the unforeseen events of July 2022, I ended up bumping them ahead all the way to December and then promptly (and, I think you will agree, rather understandably!) 110% forgetting that I had done so.

It wasn’t until I saw a flurry of new blog comments suddenly come in recently that I realized these long auto-scheduled posts had unintentionally gone live this month.

My bad all the way!

Not that there is anything wrong with sharing these posts now (or at any point in time). There certainly is not.

It is just that I fully intended for my first post since this past July to be a brief life update, not a project share or other type of entry.

Therefore, I sincerely apologize that things played out how they did. Just as I do to all those readers who I know were wondering why a life update post had not happened before I launched back into more of my usual type of blogging content.

With those points said, please allow me to now give you a little overview of how some things have unfolded for me in recent months.

In the time since the post about the sudden breakdown of my marriage, I was very fortunate to find housing for myself and (my dog) Annie.

After a ton of searching and applying to various rental properties across much of the Okanagan and Lower Shuswap Valleys, I was extremely fortunate to ultimately sign a lease on a lovely little townhouse all to ourselves.

It is located in a larger town roughly 25 minutes away from the small, rural community of Armstrong, BC, where Tony and I had been residing since moving there together in early 2018.

Working largely at the same breakneck speed I had undertaken throughout July and early August to get our entire house packed up, spic-and-span clean, staged for viewings, listed for sale, and so forth, from mid-August to mid-September, I quickly unpacked and set up my new home.

It was – and still is – tremendously strange, sad, and foreign feeling for me to assemble the trappings of each room of a house that is simply for myself (and Annie). Every home from the second half of 2004 onward until this summer was one that Tony and I shared as husband and wife.

As the summer wore on, the initial state of mind-blowing shock, the gargantuan sudden upsets to my life, and the intense feelings of unprecedented blindsidedness began to decrease.

Naturally, though, a vast amount of internal pain, grief, longing, trauma processing, and life rebuilding remain part of my daily world and will no doubt continue to for quite some time still to come.

One does not have the proverbial rug of a marriage they cherished and believed would be eternal – coupled, moreover, with the loss of the person they love/loved, valued, cared about, respected, desired, would have done almost anything for, and trusted more than anybody else in the world – pulled out from under them and magically bounce back with the dexterity of a rubber band.

Far from it.

The thought occurred to me recently that my initial unfathomably brutal heartache and emotional/mental/physical/spiritual pain was/is akin to a very serious acute injury. And, you know, in many ways it is.

However, as time leaps ever forward and the disbelief, marathon cries that often spanned or totaled anywhere from 5 – 14+ hours per day in the initial months (I still continue to cry frequently, though especially long periods of weeping are not, at present, as common for me as they were in the summer and early fall), and the bigger picture of the reality that is my current life all came to be, that pain has gradually morphed into a state that could be looked upon more as a chronic illness of sorts.

(As someone who has been a fighter of over 15 different serious chronic illnesses for more than two decades now, I know from which I speak.)

That does not automatically mean this state of internal health and, likewise, that of my life, in general, will remain entrenched in the deepest, darkest bowels of heartache, grief, longing, and endless reflections on the past for all of time.

And yet, that said, one never fully gets over trauma of this magnitude. A loss this hard-hitting, devastating, and brutally painful.

The experience of witnessing the person I would have gladly taken a bullet for walk out of my/our life in the blink of a tear-filled eye.

The dissipation of a future I firmly believed would be shared and treasured together and the overall pain of an ordeal this earth-shattering will remain with me – at least in part – always.

As, personally, I believe these things (and many others related to this year’s events) should.

In surviving the most hellacious, stressful, hurtful, and challenging periods of our lives, we (hopefully!) learn, grow, and come to see life through wider eyes and with an even more tender heart.

In a ton of different ways, I am a radically different person today than I was before the events of this past July.

Many positive changes have happened organically, others were a conscious decision to approach things in a better, healthier/healing light. And plenty more still were a blend of both organic and conscious efforts.

For, never have I hurt more.

Never have I grown more in the span of just a few brief months.

Never have I longed for anyone (Tony) or anything (our marriage) more in my entire life. Not by the length of the universe.

Never have I so bravely taken hold of the reigns of a profoundly difficult situation and been able to re-establish my basic needs (i.e., safe housing) again as quickly.

Never have I yearned to turn back the hands of time and with the crystal-clear clarity of hindsight alter the past (for the better) more than in the wake of this summer’s crushing events.

Never have I been stronger.

Never have I wished more that an event (the – from my perspective at least – incredibly abrupt end of our beloved, sacred, one-of-kind marriage) in my/our life had not occurred (and that it would never have occurred, in an ideal world).

Never, for months on end, have I consciously had to choose quite as hard to some-inexplicable-how keep going when I was certain that death would hurt (me) infinitely less than what I was enduring in that excruciatingly difficult moment.

Never have I pined for someone even 1/1,000,000,000 as much as I do for Tony.

I wake up every day and continue to expect him to be right there beside me (or at least under the same roof). I experience something comparable to a phantom limb-like sensation of his hand in mind, feel his strong, protective arms around my body and his tender lips upon my own.

I hear his gorgeous Italian voice and his wonderfully infectious laugh. Feel the warmth of his soul reverting joyfully in synch with mine, see the wise and witty twinkle in his deep chocolate-hued eyes, listen to him pull into the driveway, snuggle together as we watch our favourite movies and TV series, face each of life’s challenges and positives alike as a mighty, love fuelled couple.

These things and countless others echo throughout my every breath and heartbeat.

With a few exceptions, though (for example, thankfully the two of us have remained on amicable terms and do interact periodically for various reasons, so I still get to see and hear Tony in person from time to time), I am phenomenally, soul-crushingly aware of the fact that they are no more.

And that, in turn, somehow I must – and already am – find(ing) the ability to exist without them. Without Tony as my darling husband, my lover, my best friend, my rock, my soulmate. Just as I must go on without our shared existence.

Both despite and, I firmly believe, because of the highly challenging difficulties of this year, I’ve actually made massive positive strides on the mental health front.

(I have experienced major depression, various types of anxiety, and some PTSD for much of my entire life. Though, mercifully, at this point in time, I’ve almost entirely healed from the latter. )

As a result, ironically, it could be said, I am currently in a healthier, more stable place on the mental health front than I have been in longer than I can precisely recall (think 10+ years – if not more like 20+ years).

From late September (2022) onward, I have begun to experience days of zero depression (often coupled with a huge reduction in anxiety as well).

Zip, zilch, nil, nada. Not a single iota.

I had all but completely forgotten what a state of being completely free of depression felt like.

It is, in some respects, akin to breathing pure air of the cleanest and freshest variety after decades of existing on bottled oxygen.

Not every day is completely depression free (yet?). However, even when that all-too-familiar state of mental being resurfaces, it almost always does so at a drastically lower level than what had become long become my norm for many years.

Whereas countless periods throughout my life were spent somewhere between 7 – 10 on the depression scale (with ten being the highest possible level), these days when it pops up here and there, it does so in the 1 – 2.5, maybe 3, max, range.  

In fact, it is so drastically reduced that I am finding these sorts of vastly lower levels of depression/melancholy have little to no impact whatsoever as far as I can perceive on my internal state, my day-to-day life, my interactions and relationships with others, and plenty of other things both big and small alike.

I routinely stop and marvel at this previously unimaginable change (sometimes it brings me to the point of shedding tears of happiness and gratitude). This current mental health miracle and the renewed zest for life (relative to everything that has been going on as of late) that it has firmly instilled in me once more.

That said, I am very aware that mental health challenges rarely follow a linear path. Be it in terms of their development or, when possible, their treatment/lessening/remission/healing.

Therefore, I fully accept that there may be (and feel that I am now considerably better prepared to face) potential future spikes in my depression, should they occur going forward from this year.

It is safe to say that there are usually myriad factors that contribute to a person experiencing serious ongoing depression (for me, most of my depression has always been situationally caused). And likely there are just as many – if not more – that must go into its reduction for those who experience this very real, very life-impacting mental health battle.

While, OF COURSE!!!, depression is obviously not something one can turn on or off like a light switch (far from it), I do think that in a fair number of instances there are steps that can be undertaken to help lessen its severity.

Personally, I knew that if I had a snowball’s chance of not only somehow surviving, but in time (I hope and pray with every ounce of my being) thriving again, it would be borderline impossible for me to do so while living on my own if my depression + anxiety were raging out of control.

Without the aid of any harmful substances, risky or self-destructive behaviours, or various other negative choices one could opt for, as I started to gradually piece my world back together again, I reexamined not only my life + myself in general but also my mental state.

In doing so, I began to realize there were quite a few mindsets, approaches to life, thought processes, elements of my daily existence, and so forth that were contributing undesirably to my mental health that I could either part ways with entirely or reduce/alter significantly enough for them to further help improve the innermost workings of my ol’ grey matter.

Recently, I wrote something to my dear sister, which I feel fits perfectly in the course of this post as well. Thus, I am going to share it essentially verbatim with all of you as well.

Every now and then, YouTube suggests a clip from the TV show Hoarders to me and I will sometimes watch it when that occurs.

In one of them I saw somewhat recently, a clinical psychologist they have featured many times over the years (Dr. Robin Zasio) said a line that resonated with me immediately: “I don’t know why people have to get so broken to heal, but that’s what happened with you.”

She spoke these words in relation to the hoarder they were trying to help, but I feel like that statement applies immensely to me as well. 

In what surely stands as the most painfully ironic series of events in my entire life, it would take being shattered into billions upon billions of infinitesimally small pieces and experiencing pain so searing it would make swimming in molten lava feel like doing a polar bear dip by comparison to start healing/improving some of the most challenging aspects of my existence. 

The past 5.5 months have been the absolute worst, most difficult, painful, stressful, and heartbreaking of my entire existence by an enormous mile. Virtually nothing of any importance about them has felt right, familiar, normal, comforting, easy, or complete. 

Sometime around late August, however, a thought occurred to me that I had never really had before. 

Just about every time prior in my entire life when something massive had come along that shattered my/our world (or a shattered a solid chunk of it at least), my gut instinct was to immediately scramble to put the pieces back together as close to the way they had been arranged before that event occurred. 

(One example of this is how in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 arson fire, without even stopping to give it conscious consideration, I instinctually thought that I needed to start building up a vintage/repro wardrobe again without pausing to ask myself if that was actually what my heart most wanted to do at that point in time.)

Objectively, I think that this reaction and approach are innate to most humans and that they are not necessarily bad/negative things in many instances.

The thought that struck me like a million tsunami waves crashing into my mind at the same time was, “What if instead of trying to piece back together everything that is shattered, you held onto the best/most important parts and strove to rearrange, remove, or replace, as applicable, the rest?”.

It was – and is – a concept both plainly simple and extraordinarily challenging. And yet, that is precisely what I have attempted – and will continue to actively do – to the best of my abilities.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I could easily fill a book the size of which would give War and Peace a run for its money discussing elements of this year’s life-altering events.

Sometimes though, it is best to know when to put the breaks on for the present moment and I feel like the above paragraphs are a solid place to do just that.

Now, those two (again) completely unintentionally published project share posts + this one itself aside, you may be wondering about my long-term plans for this blog.

I have not reached a point yet in my healing/trauma processing/life-rebuilding journey that would even begin to facilitate engaging in our wonderful blogging community + posting at my pre-July 2022 level again (which averaged 4 – 6 entries per month).

And though my new dedicated craft space has been set up since this September, I have not created a single paper crafting project since before this summer’s devastating events.

I will not make any promises at the moment regarding my blogging plans/schedule in the near to quasi-near future. That would not be fair to either of us.

However, what I will say is that, if possible, I would like to *try* to post at least one new entry here roughly every 4 – 10ish weeks throughout the initial (and possibly longer than that) months of 2023.

So whether I one day return to a similar pre-marriage-breakdown blog posting level or opt to share entries here somewhat less frequently, in the long run, I do intend to put more new content up on this site. Yay!

That is a welcome thought which makes me smile on a great many levels (as does thinking about the day when my MIA paper crafting mojo returns).

Thank you all again beyond words for your kind, extremely caring support and understanding in recent months.

I am certain that this year would have been notably more challenging for me were it not for your thoughtfulness.

Let me wrap up this post (hey, wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a small life update? Evidently, in true Autumn form, I couldn’t stop at just a tiny handful of paragraphs ) by wishing all of you the sweetest, safest, happiest, healthiest, and most magic(k)al of holiday seasons.

Whatever you celebrate, whatever you hold dear, whatever brings you inner joy this month, may these things and many other positives number more for you than all of the snowflakes that will tumble to the ground across the world this chilly season.

Merriest festive season and nothing but the best and brightest to each of you for 2023!

The post A Big Apology to All of my Readers and a Small Life Update appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Though I’ve mentioned my birthday in passing sometime around its date in each of the previous two years Witchcrafted Life has been online, I have not yet devoted a post to the subject.

Having decided by early June that I wanted to do so this time around, I began brainstorming a slew of possible topics to write about on this front.

Various ideas stuck in my mind for a few days at a time and, I have no doubt, each would make for a lovely entry unto itself.

However, the concept at the heart of today’s post is the one that soared above the rest and as a result, is what I am sharing with each of you on this, my 38^th (GF) cake day.

While in the most literal of senses, the word “truth” is precisely that. The factual actuality of a situation, event, statement, and so forth.

Yet, we each have our own truths as well. Many are likewise factual, but in a way, when dealing with the subject of personal truths, the word “truth” can almost become synonymous with others such as “lessons”, “experiences”, or even “battles”.

To my mind, certain truths are indesputable. The earth is round, we 100% went to the moon, death is inevitable, and Halloween is the best holiday of all time!

Okay, maybe that last one is more of a personal opinion, but you can see where I am going with this all the same.

The following list is not an exhaustive one and I delight in thinking that come five, fifteen, or (if I am immensely fortunate) fifty years from now, it would be both longer and contain other lessons/truths that I have yet to encounter or which are being learned as we speak.

I am not saying that these entries apply to everyone and completely understand that some of them might not jive with your own outlook on life. That is completely okay!

After all, we often differ in varying ways from one another and this is amongst the most beautiful and inspiring aspects of the human experience.

After a profoundly difficult and very long labour that very nearly claimed both of our lives, on a sizzling hot July night in 1984 my mother brought me into this world. A few hours later, a powerful summer thunderstorm raged outside the hospital windows as a first-time mom and her early – but not quite premie – infant snuggled together. Exhausted, elated, and bonded more closely than two adjacent atoms from that moment onward.

Like many of us, at this point in my life, I could easily pen a multi-volume autobiography of my life (the last decade alone could probably fill an entire library shelf! ). This post is not the Reader’s Digest version of that.

No, it is a list of some of the most important, meaningful, impactful, and valuable things I have come to call my own truths + life lessons thus far after nearly four decades of calling this ol’ spinning rock of ours home.

And while I could, likewise, speak at substantial length about each of the following points, given that birthdays should generally be lighthearted times of mirth and merriment, I didn’t want to delve too exhaustedly.

Most, if not all, of these statements speak for themselves so the addition of just a few more words or lines to expand on them feels right to me at present.

Take what you wish from them, agree or disagree, and remember that the rapidly perishing art of civility is one that we can all do our part to keep from giving up the ghost entirely.

38 of The Most Important Truths I Have Learned in My 38 Years of Life

1. Always do the right thing, even when no one is looking. In fact, it is all the more important to do the right thing when you are not being watched. It is often easy to act in front of others in the way(s) we believe they want us to, but the true measure of a person’s character comes from what they do when there are few, if any, eyes (or cameras, for that matter) on them.

2. It is okay to help someone carry their baggage, but remember that you are no one’s porter but your own. Often in life, what starts out as innocently aiding another person with their troubles can quickly spiral into you getting trapped under the weight of someone else’s problems, stresses, or hardships.

There is rarely anything wrong with being helpful. However, it is vital to always remember you are not here to hold up the weight of the entire world for anyone else (especially, fellow adults) – no matter how much you love and care about them.

3. Sometimes failing is vastly more beneficial than succeeding. Winning or achieving our goals is fantastic, but there are time when far greater lessons lie in not being the first to cross the proverbial finish line – or, in some cases, ever crossing it at all.

Lick your wounds, if applicable, study what went off the rails or could have been done differently, and instead of wallowing in defeat or failure, use what you learned to propel you forward as a stronger, wiser human being.

4. We miss 100% of the shots we don’t take. This line comes from hockey legend (and fellow Canadian) Wayne Gretzky and, goodness gracious, is it true.

It can be scary (if not downright terrifying sometimes) to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones, to wander even a metre beyond the border of familiarity, or to risk failing spectacularly (see the above point).

Yet, at the same time, the possibility of a positive outcome lies with each shot we take in life and while it is wise to be cautious at times, we do ourselves a profound disservice by not taking a leap of faith and trying the unknown/new/scary sometimes.

5. You are going to get hurt. Likely many, many times. This is normal. While I am not suggesting anyone be a glutton for punishment, trying to hide from situations that may cause us emotional/mental/spiritual pain is like trying to avoid getting wet when you’re caught outside in an open field sans an umbrella during a rainstorm.

It is simply not going to happen.

6. Never depend on another person for your happiness. Early on in life, as I lived through a childhood of immeasurable disfunction and a litany of abuse, I innately discovered (in part due to watching many adults in my life fail to understand this important point about themselves) that I am the one who is most responsible for my own happiness.

Right then and there, before I had even hit a double-digit age, I pledged to consciously choose happiness whenever possible and to remember that I am the person who most powerfully fans the flame of my own inner joy.

That does not mean being pollyannish or naïve, embracing toxic positivity, hiding from difficulty or putting on a false emotional front 24/7, rather that because I do not expect anyone else to make me happy, I owe it to myself all the more to generate my own sense of happiness from deep within my very being.

7. Good manners – as well as kind words – go a very long way. Simple as that.

8. Healthy, loving, respectful relationships take work, but if you constantly feel exhausted/stressed out by them, they are likely not any of those things.

Great relationships are rather like well-oiled and operating machines. Sure, they need tune-ups, inspections, and general maintenance periodically, but they should not require you to work on them 24/7 in order to barely keep them chugging along.

Hard as it can be, sometimes in order to save yourself and return a greater sense of stability/wellness/freedom to your life, you will have to end (or greatly alter the dynamics of) certain relationships.

In the long run, you will almost always thank yourself as you look back marvelling over how long you endured a situation that truly was not working.

9. Learn to laugh at yourself. As someone who is extremely shy, introverted, self-conscious, and prone to anxiety, this has been a tough one for me at times over the years. However, that has only made me more determined to laugh at myself when the situation calls for it.

We all make mistakes and blunders, do silly things unintentionally, find ourselves in embarrassing situations, say the wrong words, and get egg on our face from time to time. So what!

There are far worse things in this world and berating ourselves, lashing out at others, hiding in shame, or fixating on what happened doesn’t change the past, so why fret when you could simply laugh and move on!

10. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again – but also know when to throw in the towel. Ask anyone who knows me well in real life and chances are one of the first words they will use to describe me is tenacious.

Tony even goes so far as to lovingly say I am as stubborn as a bulldog.

And you know what? I will happily take that as the compliment I know he intends it to be.

I will push myself to the extreme, fight tooth and nail to make things that matter to me come to fruition, and not back down easily.

However, at the same time, I have come to learn the value that resides in knowing when to admit that something is just not working out as it should.

There is no shame in that admission. At the end of the day, it usually far better and beneficial to give up trying to fix something that is seriously broken and instead start on a new build that might work out this time around.

11. No one is perfect. Not me, not you, not any mortal being that has ever walked the face of the earth. We all make mistakes, have bad days, say and do things we regret, make poor choices, forget important things, and hurt others (whether we intend to do so or not).

The sooner in life you embrace that, the happier, less stressful, and more easygoing the rest of your existence will be.

While it is fine to hold certain standards in terms of what you hope for/expect from others, remember that we are all just human, all learning, and that in many cases, deserving of a second (or third, etc) chance.

In recent years this point has all been thrown out of the societal window and we are doing nothing but harming ourselves as a species in the process. So, in some instances at least, let’s cut people a bit more slack, remember that the times when we ourselves have fallen short, and don’t be harsher on others for their shortcomings or mistakes than is legitimately warranted.

12. The little things matter a lot. Sure, we might remember the big events, the fabulous vacations, and the annual holidays we observe more than some random Thursday in February, but at the end of the day most peoples’ lives are filled with far more small, often meaningful experiences and joys than mammoth ones.

Value, take note of, share, and try to be thankful for the little things. They are, in fact, far bigger and more important than we often realize in the moment and help to make up the backbone of our existence.

13. Wear whatever you want! This is the 21^st century and, in many parts of the world at least, most people are free to sport anything they choose. As much as I do believe that some attire is better suited to certain settings/occasions than others, I am an even bigger proponent of marching to the beat of one’s own sartorial drum.

This was something I reiterated time and time again when I ran a vintage fashion blog for nearly a decade. This concept holds no less true for me – or anyone else – today than it did back in those delightfully fun 1940s and 50s clothing-filled days.

It can take guts to step out of the current fashion status quo and, yes, you might get some flack, unwanted comments, strange looks, or curious questions, but that is usually no reason to not dress however your heart pleases and your budget permits.

I learned a long time ago that the more I dressed in tune with the style(s) my own heart most adored at the time, the happier and less stressed I was. In speaking to others with unique styles, they have said much the same thing and I animatedly believe it rings true for a good deal of us the world over.

14. Hurt people hurt people. As touched on point #5 on this list, we all experience hurt, pain, sorrow, and negative experiences throughout the course of our lives.

However, the more a person suffers without knowing and/or having the proper outlets to help them cope, heal, process their trauma, speak about their ordeals, and (if applicable) rebuild their lives again, the more likely they are to lash out at others. Using their misplaced pain as a weapon of false power/control and/or way to temporarily block out some of their own suffering

We see this generational trauma, in those who come home from war, in bullying, in survivors of abuse, and countless others.

Some scars may never heal entirely. However, the short-lived, misguided sense of power or emotional pacification we may receive from directing our own pain unjustly at others is never the best route to healing for us and only stands to lengthen the journey for both ourselves and our unwitting victims in the process.

15. Eat ice cream for dinner. Remember when you were a kid and you used to say that when you grew up you would eat ice cream (or candy, chocolate bars, French fries, pizza, etc) morning, noon, and night?

And that you would stay up until 2 am, play video games (or whatever else your young self adored doing for fun) daily, and spend a bunch of time with your friends?

Umm, yeah, so how did those plans turn out?

Somewhere along the line, “adulting” (to use the parlance of the day) entered our lives and in the process, we forgot that a lot of the time, we have the ability to just let loose and embrace fun.

Whether that does in fact involve sitting down to a tub of Cookies and Cream for dinner or not, it is painfully easy to lose sight of the fact that as adults, we often have vastly more autonomy over our own lives than we tend to realize and that there is much to be said for keeping our inner child content no matter how many birthdays we experience.

16. Let it go. Long before Frozen made this wise piece of advice into a saccharine earworm, the principle existed and is no less true today than at any point in human history.

Seriously. Just let it go.

I know, it can hard or frightening to drop our pain, to forgive others (remember that forgiveness does not equate to forgetting and that in the act of forgiving another, we free ourselves further from the grasp of what they did to us), and to let sleeping dogs lie.

And that is all the more reason why we should try to do so. Life wasn’t meant to be easy all the time, but we can often make the road we trod a less difficult one by dropping a lot of unnecessary baggage along the way and mindfully choosing not to let the negatives/challenges/hardship/pain in our life fully define who we are.

17. We need so much less than we think/believe we do to be genuinely happy. Look, I’m not a minimalist and I certainly adore most of what I own.

That said, I can tell you having experienced multiple times in my life when all of my worldly goods fit into just one or two suitcase – and an instance when I had virtually nothing at all – that while material goods can bring us a measure of happiness and have their rightful place in our lives, at the end of the day, we cannot carry any of what we own with us when we cross over to the other side.

Be grateful for what you have. Take stock in the fact that the items you may desire exist in the world and that alone their presence is a wonderful thing unto itself whether you ever obtain them or not, and try not to fill your life with scads of possessions that you don’t actually need or love (and which *may* be transference for other things that are lacking or missing entirely from your world).

18. It is never too late to have a happy childhood. Let’s face it, not that many of us had idyllic youths – and, sadly, some of us scarcely got to experience a sense of childhood point blank.

Yet as American author Tom Robbins astutely reminds us, it is never (or at least rarely) too late to create a sense of the kind of joyful, stable childhood we wish we had later on in our in ourlife.

In the process, I have come to learn, we often do a great deal of inner healing from the difficulties of our early years.

19. Make things for the sake of making them. Not for praise, not to sell, not to flaunt online, not to try and one-up anybody, and, just as importantly, regardless of if you currently excel on a particular creative front or not.

Creating something that was not there before we spun it into being is one of the most rewarding, meaningful, and even cathartic experiences we can have.

Not everything we make will be a winner and that is completely fine. Having fun, letting your creativity take flight, and losing yourself in the moment are each worth far more than even the most valuable painting in the world could fetch at auction.

20. Listen. Really, really listen. Not because you are counting down the milliseconds until it is your turn to talk next, but because you value what the other person is saying (regardless of if you agree with it or not) and respect their right to speak.

There is often just as much – if not more – to be learned from hearing what someone with differing views of life experiences from your own has to say.

It is easy to talk, harder (for many at least) to listen. Hone and actively practise this skill. It will take you far.

21. Get the thing(s) you least want to do out of the way first. Our parents often told us that if we wanted dessert, we had to eat our vegetables first (though, I don’t recall hearing this myself very often as I was that odd kid out who would have happily traded a second helping of carrots for a slice of carrot cake ).

That is an important life lesson that extends far beyond the dinner table.

Instead of putting off or flat out avoiding the difficult elements of your day/week/month, try to tackle them as soon as you possibly can.

The sense of freedom, serenity, and happiness that comes from knowing that they are no longer looming over your head will help you succeed all the more in the other, likely preferable, tasks that lay ahead of you (plus, potentially lift a decent sized weight off of your shoulders in the process).

22. There are (usually) far worse things in life than being offended. Lest Twitter implode at the mere thought, we are going to get offended sometimes. It happens, it is normal, and it does not necessarily mean that someone has actually done anything genuinely wrong towards/against you.

An important part of being a well-adjusted adult is accepting this fact, opting to not make a big deal out of things that do not warrant it, and simply moving on.

23. Spend your money on experiences, not just things. I remember hearing grownups say this when I was little and while I understood and could appreciate the sentiment, it would not be until I was old enough to vote, have a mortgage and all those fun things that hitting the age of 18+ entails that I would fully come to realize just how profoundly right they were.

If you have the means, try to allocate some of your budget for experiences. That doesn’t have to mean lavish vacations, huge parties, or front-row seats at a concert.

It can be taking your aging father on a road trip to his boyhood town (possibly for the last time), attending classes for a skill or area of study you have always wanted to pick up, going out to that incredible restaurant you keep hearing about, or countless other scenarios where the experience you have and the memories you make trump just about any physical item(s) you could have spent that same time and money on.

24. Almost nothing truly worthwhile comes easy. Goals take hard work and time. Success takes failure and perseverance, and excelling in a given area requires dedication coupled with frustration, times when you feel like giving up, and plenty of trial and error along the way.

Good.

More often than not, the harder we work, the sweeter and more meaningful reaching (or even exceeding) our target feels when it does eventually happen.

As the classic adage says, Rome was not built in day, so why should we expect our own lofty undertakings to be any different?

25. Value your elders. Once, not so long ago in the course of human history, it was extremely common + normal for multiple generations of a family to live together under the same roof.

And while, of course, this does still happen in some cases, in some parts of the world at least, it is no longer the norm.

I believe there is often great benefit to surrounding ourselves with those of generations other than our own – very much including those who have been blessed to reach their golden years.

Chances are they’ve learned a thing or two in their time that you could benefit from hearing or being taught how to do.

Sure, you might cringe over some of what your great-grandma says or want to roll your eyes when you aging mom tells you the same story about something that happened when you were a little kid for the 50^th time, but these things are often a small price to pay for the wisdom, love, and life experience that the elderly frequently have to impart to us.

Cherish the older individuals in your life and make sure to let them know just how much they mean to you before it too late.

26. Embrace change. This is a concept that sends a cold shudder down many a spin. I get it, truly I do. However, change accompanies death as one of the only certainties in each of our existences.

You can either exhaust yourself to bone swimming against the current of change, or do your best to float in the direction that it is flowing.

I find it helpful to shift the focus from what may be disappearing or being altered when change occurs and instead on the positives (or, as the case may be, seemingly hidden silver linings) that might soon enter my life.

Plus, what fun would life be if stayed the same day in and day? Change is important, necessarily, and a great opportunity for personal growth.

27. Don’t punish your current romantic interest for the sins, so to speak, of past partners.

This is a toughie. Nearly everyone who has had one or more difficult/abusive/stressful/etc romantic relationships tends to act and respond in certain ways in their next relationship(s) as a result of what befell them in the past.

Yet, it is vital that we give people a chance to show their own true colours before we jump to any conclusions or jeopardize a great thing before it has scarcely got of the ground because of what we experienced with prior partners.

Talk to the person (or people) you are with now, be open about what you’ve gone through and the lasting impacts that/those experiences have had on you (and likewise, give them ample time to share the same with you, if applicable).

You can even ask them to help you further your healing journey and in turn, offer to be a part of theirs. The bond that can stem from this kind of mutual desire to work towards the healthiest, safest, most respectful, and happiest relationship you can realistically share with someone is often worth more than its weight in gold.

28. An eye for an eye only leaves two people partially blind. It is woefully normal to feel the need for retaliation when someone has wronged or deeply hurt you, yet that is rarely (outside of situations where the law should be involved, of course) the best or wisest approach.

Instead of giving into knee-jerk reactions or scheming about how you can get even, remember that hurting someone else to make yourself feel better is about as smart an idea as building a house on quicksand.

It might look good for a moment, but chances are nothing of lasting worth will come of it in the end.

Instead, depending on the situation, it is often far better to speak to the offending party, remove yourself from the situation, or choose to take the highroad and let what they did roll off your back.

29. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink. Most of us are familiar with this classic expression and there’s a reason for that: it is very true!

No matter how much you may try to help, support, provide for, or otherwise attempt to present a person with what they may need, at the end of the day, they will only learn/change/grow if they want to do so.

Learn how to recognize when you’ve done a reasonable amount and yet nothing seems to be working. Step back at that point and wait to see if the horse gets thirsty or not in the end.

You cannot – and should not! – forcibly change people, so why drive yourself around the bend trying to accomplish the impossible?

30. Always have something to look forward to. It does not have to be big or break bank, but do everything in your power to always have at least one thing that you will enjoy doing/be happy about to look forward to in life.

This was something that was drilled home for me immensely in the years immediately following when (in my teens) I suddenly became a multi-severe chronic illness fighter and so much of my life was turned completely upside down.

For me, no matter what, Halloween / Samhain is something that I look forward to immensely the whole year through.

If I am blessed to have other things to eagerly anticipate throughout a given year, I consider myself very fortunate and lean as much as I can into the sense of hope and positivity that these lovely upcoming events stand to house.

Try to find one or two things that you can look forward to annually and to pepper others that (may) change from year to year into the mix as well.

Knowing that something positive is coming down the pipeline can do an immeasurable amount of good for our psyches, motivation levels, and general day-to-day mood alike.

31. You are going to look back on your younger self and cringe. Likely A LOT.

Whether it was your Flock of Seagulls haircut in the 1980s, the cheesy love poems you wrote in junior high, some of the romantic partners you chose, or a trillion other things, if you have grown and matured further even a little bit over the years, chances are you will wince when you reflect back on some of things you used to do.

That is great. No, seriously, it is! You want to keep developing as a person, honing your skills, making wiser choices, and progressing in life.

And chances are, by much the same token, there will also be points from years past that you look back on and feel immensely proud of yourself for doing.

Think of it as a bit of nostalgic yaying and naying, if you will.

32. Go outside. Often. Really often. Really, really often.

I sincerely understand that access to the great outdoors is easier to come by for some of us than others and, likewise, that not everyone is keen to do their best Bear Grylls impression.

Nor do you have to! Science backs up the immense importance of spending even just small pockets of time outside and the value that doing so imparts to our overall well-being.

Whether nature looks like sitting out on the deck of your 15th-floor big city apartment, walking your kids to school along a rural road, enjoying a good book on the beach, or any other positive scenario, try to spend time outside on a regular basis.

It can do wonders for your mood, provide inspiration, stir up old memories and create new ones, bolster your spirituality, and help to remind you of the vital link between humanity and the natural world that quite literally keeps us alive.

(Note: Exceptions to this point are, of course, made in cases where spending time outdoors is either limited or simply not possible due to things such as medical reasons or being incarcerated.)

33. Try to do at least one thing daily that will make your future better. This doesn’t have to be something massive by any means, but the impact such actions may have on the bigger picture of your life can be.

Countless options fall under this broad header. It could entail setting aside 15 minutes for daily mindful meditation, giving yourself an evening of self-care each week, getting up an hour earlier to exercise before starting the work day, breaking away from toxic people in your life, forgiving yourself (and/or others), doing volunteer work, finally tackling a project you’ve been procrastinating over, writing 1,000 words of your novel each night before bed, or anything else that stands to help make your future brighter, healthier, and/or more enjoyable.  

34. Do not lose sight of a person’s intentions. Tony (my husband) has, as many of us do, certain wise statements that he says periodically. One of which is that a person’s intentions often matter as much (or more) as their words.

While it is entirely possible for someone to try and whitewash manipulation, gaslighting, deception, or other negative actions behind claiming that they had good intentions, it can often be quite easy to lose sight of the bigger picture and not value or understand when someone was genuinely doing something kind/caring/thoughtful with no malintent behind it.

Even when someone’s actions or words may seem (or be) negative, at times there can still be a kernel of positivity or goodness behind them. Not always, of course, but sometimes for sure.

Try to look at the situation through their eyes, not just your own. Assess the bigger picture of what led them to do or say what they did, and remember that almost no one will treat you the way you want every single time you engage with them.

35. Take pride in an honest day’s work. I do not care if you are a housekeeper, a brain surgeon, a kindergarten teacher, or the president of a Fortune 500 company. A hard, honest day’s worth is something to be proud of.

Respect your own work and, every bit as much so, that of other people. Someone’s worth is in no way measured primarily by their pay cheque or job title, and the moment you start believing that it is, you need to have a serious heart-to-heart with yourself and check that mindset pronto!

36. We are, as Ram Dass wisely said, all just walking each other home. In other words, go easy on your fellow human beings, try not to sweat the small stuff, and remember that everyone is fighting their own battles.

Most are trying and doing the best that they can with the skills, resources, knowledge, and abilities they presently possess. Be kind and civil, and never forget that death finds us all sooner or later.

37. It is not so much what happens to us in life, as how we respond to it that matters most. Exceedingly rare is the life lived without heartache, trauma, stress, challenges, or even the unthinkable occurring.

And while it can be scarily easy to get stuck in a state of victimhood or to use something unfortunate as an excuse to not move ahead in life, that is no way to live.

Vent, process grief, try to heal, learn from hardship, and embrace the remarkable resilience that is innate in just about all of us.

Believe me when I say that you can get through almost anything, no matter how dark the moment may seem, and that you never know just how strong you can be until difficult circumstances push you to the extreme.

38. Love.

Love often. Love hard. Love freely. Love wisely. Love for all the right reasons and none of the wrong. Love not because you expect it (or anything else) in return. Love when it is easy and, especially (circumstantially speaking, naturally) when it is hard.

Love because tomorrow is in no way guaranteed. Love for those times when you longed for it but came up empty or lacking.

Love because there is so much pain and hate in the world that could, if we finally collectively got our act together and smartened up, be greatly lessened by an abundance of love.

Love as an example to others. Love in remembrance of those who have loved you but are now gone. Love because it is free.

Love because it makes your life better. Love to help and to heal. Love for the ways in which it inspires both yourself and others.

Love who you are – or, if you cannot do so at present, vow to work at it until doing so comes as naturally as breathing air.

Love when times are good and when the going gets tough. Love for the joy it imparts and the way it makes both you and the receiver feel.

Love your interests, love places, love pets, love learning, love sharing, love the first crocus of spring and the last jewel-toned leaf of fall. Find so many things to love that you quickly lose track of them all.

Love because, for all we know, it might very well be the meaning of life. Or at the very least, a profound way to add meaning, worth, and beauty to our lives and those we bestow our love upon.

I look forward to many more truths yet to come

The moment I stop learning or stop growing as a person is the moment I should pack it all in right then and there.

The universe houses an infinite amount to be learned and experienced and none of us, no matter if we live to fifty, eighty, or a hundred and ten, can ever do more than lightly graze the merest of surfaces on those fronts.

And so it should be. Life is not forever – though our souls or the energy we are comprised of may be.

Like the title and main verse of the 1977 song We’re Here For a Good Time (Not a Long Time) by the Canadian rock band Trooper reminds us, our time on this planet is far too short not to try and make the best of things when can.

Embrace the positives, acknowledge and process the negatives, and try your darnedest to routinely have a good time on this wild ride called life.

And on that note, my sweet friends, I will wrap up here for now. The electric mixer is calling my name and before I can heed its beckoning, I have an annual birthday tarot/oracle card spread to lay out in front of my now 38-year-old eyes.

I will indeed be striving for a good time today and encourage you all to do the same, no matter how close or far away you currently are from your own birthday.

Thank you for being here with me and for the 2.5+ awesome years of blogging we have already shared together. I can hardly wait to experience the next year of my life with all of you as well.

Okay, it is time to go pull some cards, bake a scrumptious dessert, and bask in the glow of a rather sizable number of birthday candles.

The post 38 of The Most Important Truths I Have Learned in My 38 Years of Life (Shared on My 38th Birthday) appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Daily (often multiple times) for weeks now, I have been checking to see if Bloglovin’ was back up again this month. As of the time of writing, it still is not.

Prior to adopting Bloglovin, which is a free service with no cap (that I am aware) on the number of sites users can follow, I used Google’s feed reader.

This was a terrific feed reader and I would still likely be utilizing it were it not for the fact that Google shut it down ages ago now (despite impassioned pleas from users for them to keep it alive).

There are certainly other feed readers beyond Bloglovin’ out there. However, the majority of them only allow you to have a relatively small number of blogs that you can follow for free with their service (25 – 100 tends to be the norm across freemium feed reader providers).

Beyond that cap, they want to charge you to upgrade in order for you to be able to follow a greater number of sites. Such costs are typically applied monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Ideally, I would prefer not to have to pay for a feed reader. That said, if Bloglovin’ continues to be down for long periods (or never returns altogether), I will have to come up with some sort of alternate solution here – be it free or paid.

As will, no doubt, many others who have stuck with the Bloglovin’ platform over the years – even after its mid to early 2010s heyday.

To add insult to injury, not only is the feed element of Bloglovin’ down, but the very same error message (in the screenshot above) appears when I click over to the page that normally shows me the extensive list of blogs that I follow.

Nooooooo!!!

Therefore, if I cannot gain access to that list (which I do not have recorded anywhere else), I will need to refollow those of you who comment here through whatever alternative to Bloglovin’ that I end up going with.

I am hoping that things don’t come to me having to abandon Bloglovin’, but by the same token, missing out on commenting on many of your sites in recent weeks is not something I want to continue experiencing all summer (or longer!) by any means.

If I am a regular or even semi-regular commenter on your blog, could you please leave me a comment below with your site’s URL so that I can start composing a new list of my regular blog reads to use if/when I do have to switch to a different feedreader? (Thank you very much in advance!)

And by the same token, I know that a fair number of you follow this site via Bloglovin’. So that we don’t risk losing touch, please feel free to sign up for my newsletter (located on the upper right-hand sidebar of this site).

At present, this simply emails each new post I publish on Witchcrafted Life to your inbox, so you won’t be inundated with actual newsletters (though, one day, I may start sending the occasional one out) and will still be able to follow along here if you are not planning to decamp to a different feedreader yourself.

As well, if you happen to use or know of any reliable, enjoyable feedreaders that are either free or very well-priced, likewise please share it/them in the comments below.

(I will be investing a number of Bloglovin’ alternatives featured in this post on the subject, but would love to hear more about your faves and recommendations, too!)

And, as you likely deduced after reading the above paragraphs, this is the sole reason why I have not been leaving blog comments on many of your sites over the past 3 – 4 weeks. I am very sorry about that, everyone, and really hope to get this issue sorted out ASAP!

Now, on with our latest edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me.

In Leo Tolstoy’s renowned classic, Anna Karenina, he penned the line, “spring is the time of plans and projects.”

This is a sentiment that I very much agree with. However, I do feel that it usually rings even truer for me during the fall.

After all, they don’t call Samhain / Halloween the Witch’s New Year for nothing! And what new year would be complete without a few new hopes and ambitions?

As winter waned and the first telltale signs of spring returned – despite the ever-worsening state of my physical health (I do not have any positive updates to report there, unfortunately, and so will say no more on the topic for the time being) – I was suddenly struck with one of the biggest waves of creativity that I have ever experienced.

It struck me like a bolt of lightning sent down by my muse and, I am very happy to say, is still going strong.

I have been floating on a crafty cloud nine all spring long and have jotted down literally hundreds of possible project ideas over the past few weeks.

This has been a joyous state to experience and one that is doing wonders in the process for my mental health, which is a terrific added bonus.

Periods don’t like this don’t come along every day for a lot of us and I am trying to soak up and be grateful for every second of amped-up creativity.

Weather wise, despite the fact that snow stopped falling in our neighbourhood a touch earlier than most years (late March vs the usual some point in April), we had next to no proper spring this time around.

Cool weather tinted in shades of worn pavement and faded blue flannel filled the bulk of our days. Enough rain to have one wondering if Amazon sells ark kits torpedoed itself at the ground for days – sometimes even weeks – very nearly on end.

Now, to be fair, I rather adore cool, grey weather and share Wednesday Addams’ sentiment that it is, “so nice and gloomy”.

Yes, I am one of those souls who tends to find damp weather, mild temps, and the need for multiple layers well into June to be an enjoyable experience.

That said, I am not averse to sunshine and can scarcely wrap my head around the fact that with the Summer Solstice/Litha having come and gone for another year, the days will now grow shorter until winter’s rebirth at Yule.

I don’t know if I would personally go so far as to say that I feel seasonally shortchanged, but I am definitely looking at my receipt very closely as I exit the weather store.

To my mind, the best positive to experiencing a far damper and cooler spring than usual is that it has done wonders to keep the annual horrific wildfire season that consumes (quite literally) much of BC in its fiery bite each spring/summer/early fall largely at bay.

So long as I live, I doubt I will ever forget the incredibly vivid red and orange coloured skies of last year’s forest fire season, as we spent days on end hosing down our house and yard to try and keep any live embers in the air from igniting our property.

(See this post of mine for unedited photos of exactly what I am talking about.)

All the while, sitting for about a month on evacuation alert, our most important documents, electronic devices, and a few treasured items neatly piled near the front door to grab at a moment’s notice had an evacuation come in.

Mercifully, that did not happen. Nor was our home or yard damaged by the huge blazes that roared loudly mere kilometres away.

However, the record-shattering heatwaves last year did do damage to some of the lofty evergreens in our backyard, with a decent smattering of their branches still bleached a distinctly rusty brown hue.

This spring was unquestionably a nippier than usual one, but that does not necessarily guarantee that we will be in for a gentle next three months.

Few things can turn more quickly on a dime than Mother Nature’s mood and it is anyone’s guess as to where the temps, total hours of sunshine, and wildfire levels will each land when all is said and done for another summer.

In the introduction to the Winter 2022 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me, I made the war in Ukraine the focus of those initial paragraphs.

Though I was hoping beyond measure that come the next edition of MCM&M, his horrific conflict would be over, the realist in me knew that such was, objectively, quite unlikely.

And as we surely all know, this devastating sham (on Russia’s part) of a war still rages on fiercely. Its end even less certain than the outcome of a whole season’s weather report.

Though media coverage (as it is apt to do) has let up a bit regarding this bloody conflict, I continue to follow credible news sources very closely regarding the war in Ukraine and have every intention of doing so for as long as the fighting continues.

Far closer to home, this spring has not been without its fair share of serious happenings as well.

As some of you may recall for the spring edition of this series, my sister came down with Covid in the winter. Thankfully, she did not require hospitalization and was gradually able to recover. However, no sooner had she started to feel a bit more like her usual self again than she contracted this terrible illness for a second time.

Very luckily, it was milder for her than the first experience and she is once again on the road to recovery.

Still, it is almost unbelievable that she fell ill with Covid twice in such a short time frame. Though no doubt her immune system was weakened by the first bout (as surely just about anyone’s would be) and that made her more susceptible to contracting this virus a second time.

Again, while my sister is doing fairly well at this point all things considered, sadly, I cannot say the same for my paternal grandfather.

Earlier this month, completely out of the blue, he suffered two very serious strokes in rapid succession. Tests quickly revealed a blood clot in his brain which is too large to safely be operated on and so will need to be managed through medication.

Right now, his medical team is optimistically saying that in time, with PT, meds, and so forth, he may be able to regain about 70 – 80% of his pre-stroke abilities and motor skills.

Naturally, everyone in our circle is hoping and praying for that to ultimately prove to be the case, but it is far too early on at this stage to know for sure.

He and my grandma are both in their early eighties and have been married since the 1950s. They have weathered their fair share of serious health issues over the decades, but this is definitely the very worst medical situation to strike either of them so far.

I worry not only for my grandpa himself but also for my grandma and know this will, understandably, take a very serious toll on her.

Everyone who can is rallying around them and trying to help in any way possible.

Given that once a person has one stroke (let alone two), your odds of experiencing another one are quite decent, I don’t think any of us will ever feel like my grandpa will be safely out of the proverbial woods on this front.

Hopefully, though, he will be able to make a sizable recovery and continue to be active and enjoy life (including gardening, which is one of his biggest passions) for a long time still to come.

There is scarcely any good way to segue out of such a heavy topic, so instead of switching subjects again in this intro section, let us proceed with the Spring 2022 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me.

Which, for those of you who are joining this series for the first time, is a link love post featuring online content that caught my eye during the past three months, coupled with a peek into what has been transpiring lately in my own life.

Magick, Witchcraft, Paganism, and Spirituality

–How to Make Your Own Scrying Mirror: Scrying is one of my favourite forms of divination and ways to enter into a meditative state of mind alike.

Should you wish to try your hand at scrying or are already a fan who is looking to add a new scrying mirror to your spiritual toolbox, this lovely, easy-to-follow DIY scrying mirror tutorial from Moody Moons has you covered.

–How to Write Powerful Poetry Spells: Long one of my very favourite ways to utilize the written word in my spellwork, magickal poetry is a powerful, expressive, and deeply personal approach to creating spells that anyone – whether they consider themselves a poet already or not – can engage in freely.

This eloquent and insightful look at the subject is bound to have you reaching for the nearest quill and paper.

–Signs a Deity is Calling You: Not all witches/Wiccans/Pagans believe in and/or work with deities, but a decent percentage currently do or would like to integrate this element into their practice.

If you have ever wondered about how to know if/when a goddess (though the general premises laid out in this post apply to the gods as well) may be reaching out to you, this wonderfully in-depth look at the topic has got your back!

–Ten Reasons Tarot Is Super Effective and How To Make It Work For You: Over the past decade or so, I have enjoyed witnessing tarot (and oracle) cards skyrocket all the more in popularity. While, perhaps not surprising then, at the same time the general public is gradually becoming more aware of what tarot actually is (a powerful tool for insight, growth, guidance, and divination) and what it isn’t (a magical fairy tale type of way to instantly know the future).

In this post on the official Llewellyn website, author Sasha Graham guides tarot newbies through some of the wonderful perks of working with this much-beloved tool. And, by extension, reminds seasoned card slingers of some of the reasons why we are such devoted fans of this awesome item.  

–Threshold Magick for Troubled Times: A supportive and thoroughly apropos – given all the immense problems that are rife in the world these days – look at a great form of magick that can easily be utilized by just about anyone who has access to a (safe) threshold.

–The Secret Names of Magical Herbs and Plants: This enjoyable piece delves into the subject of why, historically, certain plants + herbs were known by alternative folk/magical names and how both those who may still need to conceal their practice today (as well as others who are out of the broom closet) can utilize these old school monikers for some of the world’s most magical green offerings.

–Witchy Apps to Keep on Your Phone: Truth be told, outside of a select few, I have never been the biggest of app users (or, for that matter, cell phone users, point-blank). However, there are a handful of apps that I adore and I am always open to adding more entries to that list.

Penned last October, this handy post from the blog #Lazy is a terrific roundup of some of the best and most relevant phone apps for those who veer in a witchy/Pagan/contemporary spirituality direct.

To no one’s surprise, I’m sure, given that I am a Cancer, the Moon app in particular nabbed my eye. Which one leaps out at you the most?

Cardmaking, Scrapbooking, Paper Crafting, and Other Crafts

–Altered Vintage Bottle Tutorial: As of late, I have felt a strong pull towards making altered items. While not new to the act, I haven’t created too many of them in recent years and (much as with pocket letters) have been missing doing so.

Having recently read Anna-Karin’s tutorial post for how to make a vintage-inspired altered bottle, I am chomping at the bit all the more to hopefully make some “off the page” papercrafting/mixed media project this year.

If you are as well, swing on by her post and lap up the creative gorgeousness at work there.

–DIY Farmhouse Candle Holders: It is safe to say that contemporary farmhouse décor had taken off like wildfire in recent years and that it is a trend which is fast becoming all the more of a classic in its own right.

Though my personal décor tastes don’t veer too much in that direction, I admire the style and find that smaller farmhouse-y pieces can often be a cinch to weave into a wide array of home decorating styles.

The selection that Andrea rounded up in this post is inspiring – especially since there is no stopping one from following the general premise but putting their own creative décor spin on these great DIY candleholders.

–Easy Repurposed Antique Chair Spindle Wind Chimes: Like many a crafty/artistic soul, I tend to be drawn towards finding ways to reuse, repurpose, or otherwise find uses for items of all sorts that still have life left in them.

By far one of the most ingenious projects of this nature that I have hit upon in recent months is this super creative approach to turning old chair legs into beautiful wind chimes. B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T!!!

–How to Make Beautiful Tissue Paper Pompoms: Beautiful is an understatement! These generously sized DIY tissue paper pompoms are flat-out gorgeous – while also being relatively easy to make.

You could whip up a few for year-round décor, create sets to cycle throughout each holiday season, use them for parties and weddings, or gift a bouquet’s worth of tissue paper pompoms to someone special in your life.

(On the same blog, Crissy’s beginner’s tutorial on How to Make Fabric Covered Flowerpots also leapt out at me.)

–How to Make Affordable Scrapbook Paper Wall Art: Though this post is currently eleven years old, the idea – turning beautiful pieces of scrapbooking paper into wall art – is no less at home in today’s DIY décor arena than it was in the 2010s.

–How to Make Paper Bead Jewelry: Much as with dried pasta, in our childhoods a fair number of us whipped up creative jewelry that involved making paper beads.

This resourceful type of DIY bead tends to cycle in and out of vogue a bit but has remained popular amongst plenty of crafters and jewelry wearers alike – especially when you end result is as lovely as the examples Amy shares in this great tutorial post.

–101 (free) Fall Sewing Tutorials: Much like the staff at many magazines, crafters often work on projects months in advance of a particular season.

With that thought in mind – and being a lover of all things autumn related – given that fall’s return is a mere three months away, I wanted to share this wonderful roundup post which features 101 different free autumn sewing tutorials for the sewers amongst my readers.

What’s Shaking in My Life and On My Radar

Having covered some of the heavier things that occurred in our lives this spring in the opening portion of this post, I will switch to more upbeat fare instead.

As mentioned above, my creativity has been going a mile a minute lately! And while my health does not allow me to keep pace with all of my crafty ideas, I have still managed to get in some paper crafting this season with (very realistic) plans for more as summer unfolds.

In addition, I have deep-dived again into another craft that I have adored and participated in since I was about 5 or 6 years old: cross stitching.

I love, love, love cross-stitching!!!

For me, it is relaxing, super enjoyable, and conveys a sense of the time-honoured tradition of needlework that has been an important part of countless peoples’ lives over the centuries.

Much as with the rest of my craft supplies and finished projects, the arson fire that we experienced in October 2016 annihilated my cross stitch stash and what was, up until that point, very nearly a lifetime’s worth of work. Dozens of projects spanning my childhood to my early 30s were gone in the blink of an eye.

And, though in hindsight I have no clue why I didn’t do so (perhaps because I started stitching many years before digital cameras hit the mainstream market? ), I had never taken photographs of them. Therefore, the only place they live on now is in my memories.

Life might knock me down, but I always spring back again and that sentiment applies to the majority of my long-standing passion as well.

Though I have done a small bit of cross stitching in the ensuing post-fire years, the bulk of my crafting attention has, objectively, been devoted to paper crafting. Rest assured that I do not see that changing anytime soon.

However, it can be a lot of fun to alternate between two or more different craft pursuits (which in this case, can sometimes even overlap – such with handmade cards that feature small cross stitch designs on them or stamp sets that mimic the classic Xs we all associate with cross stitchery) and I love that this recent surge of creativity has led me to connect with cross stitching again all the more.

Now, as a crafty witch operating on a very tight budget, I have been happily trawling the web for free and low-cost patterns that align with my current tastes in cross stitch designs.

Having hit upon a number of great sources (which I am thinking would make for a fun post here unto itself) and with some aida cloth and embroidery floss that I picked up a few years back, I now have a couple of fun new WIPs (works in progress) on the go.

I have also been binge-watching the cross stitchery side of YouTube as of late, where many who post about this passion tag their videos with the charming word “Flosstube”.

Doing so allows others with an interest in the subject to search for this term and be greeted with more video choices than there are colours in DMC’s current colour palette.

In time, as I have hopefully completed more projects, I plan to share some of them here with you – especially since I know that there are plenty of fellow cross stitchers amongst this blog’s readership.

In other news, this Friday was my little brother’s birthday (though as he is currently living outside of the country, it is not possible to celebrate it in person with him). A mere sixteen days from now, my own (GF) cake day will return.

Yep, we are both Cancers. Though being fairly close to on the cusp, I feel that he actually embodies a lot of Gemini characteristics.

Then, twenty-six days beyond that point, my sweet hubby will get to blow out his own set of candles.

The three of us are pretty much the only summer birthdays in our immediate family, which is a lovely point to share in common.

Fun, related fact: Hand on my heart, I was conceived on Halloween 1983.

Really, is it any wonder then that I would grow up to live a life where I #MakeHalloween365 and celebrate my most beloved (and spiritually significant) point on the calendar the whole year through?

And speaking of All Hallows’ Eve, from the day after my birthday onward, I gear up for spooky season all the more. Pretty much viewing July 11^th to October 30^th as one long, fabulously exciting countdown to the BIG DAY!

Which reminds me, with everything that has been going on in our lives and in the world at large so far in 2022, I have scarcely had a moment to sit down and ponder my Halloween costume for this year. Will I bust out a past fave again or opt for something new?

That is a question that I will hit upon an answer for in the next few months, as I prefer to have my Halloween ensemble planned out well in advance.

If you dress up for October 31^st, how early in the year do you tend to start thinking about your costume choice?

Alrighty, as few things in the universe make me as happy as Halloween season, this seems like a good place to wrap up discussing some of what’s been going down in my/our life lately.

Now, let’s hop with both feet forward into a fun mixed bag of various online stories that caught my eye, inspired me, or otherwise stood out over the past few months.

–Embroidery Artist “Paints” Lush Landscapes Using Only a Needle and Thread: Prepare to pick your jaw up off the ground when you gaze upon these stunning works of embroidery art created by the immensely talented Jade Deanna.

–Five Organization Tricks for Highly Sensitive People: Being an HSP myself, posts that relate to this topic are ones I tend to lap up with gusto. As well as often nodding along in agreement as my eyes scan from one paragraph to the next.

That was certainly the case for me when I read this Apartment Therapy piece absolute some great ways HSPs can successfully organize their homes.

–How Stanley Tucci’s Big Night Helped Kick off an American Dining Revolution: No doubt like many other people, I can clearly remember a lot of the more “grown-up” movies that my parents allowed us to watch when I was little.

For me, at the age of 12 – 13, one of those was The Big Night.

Though life (aka, my health) took my future in a different direction, growing up I was deadest on becoming a professional chef with their own restaurant(s).

As such, the plot of this now-classic film from 1996 imprinted itself in my memory all the more and The Big Night still remains one of my favourite movies twenty-six years after it was released.

This look at how The Big Night impacted something far broader – the modern food revolution – is an engaging piece that has a lot of merit to the premise it puts forth and which is apt to resonate with foodies, chefs, and fans of both contemporary dining and modern cookery TV shows alike.

–19 Ways to Get a Little Self-Care Outside: This post is a wonderful look at a plethora of different ways many of us can experience/engage in realistic self-care in the great outdoors. In addition, it is a lovely reminder to all of us that few places are more peaceful, soothing, or enjoyable than when we are in the arms of Mother Nature.

–Six Different Types of Stones Used for Graves: This one is for all my fellow taphophiles, history lovers, and family genealogists out there – as well as anyone else who may be keen to learn more about a handful of materials that were used to construct headstones throughout the centuries.

–10 Famous Authors and Their Favourite Libations: This charming post takes a gander at the favourite tipples of ten world-famous authors (from Maya Angelou to Oscar Wild) and may very well have you reaching for your own personal fave by the time you’ve finished reading it.

–13 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Anything For Your Wardrobe: Living in a small house with laughably little in the way of closet space, I try to be very mindful of what I buy as I know wardrobe real esteem is at a premium.

Though I do not follow the “one item in, one item out” approach religiously, it does come into play sometimes – as do a number of the points in this handy post that is a must-read, IMO, for fashion fans with closets of all sizes.

The Promise of Brighter Days Ahead

It has long been said that hope springs eternal. One need only look at the course of human history to see the truth in that statement.

Many of us have an ingrained sense of hope that runs so deep it might as well be part of our DNA.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that we are pie-in-sky optimists, wildly pollyannaish, or naïve. Rather, that we hold tight to the possibility that the majority of difficult/stressful/even seemingly dire circumstances we encounter will prove to be ones that can ultimately be overcome or able to be well managed.

Hope has long made me think of sunrises. Just as our good friend Sol comes barrelling back into our lives each morning, so too does hope have an incredible ability to reappear time and time again.

It is a form of comfort, resilience, and self-preservation. We need hope and, in order to exist, hope itself in turn needs us.

Hope has been out in full force all the more across many of our lives in recent years. Between the pandemic, numerous serious global conflicts, the soaring cost of living (which inflation has failed – in much of the world at least – to keep pace with for decades now), a wide array of natural disasters, and plenty more, if hope was a tradeable commodity, it would be the hottest stock on the market.

I love hope. It has genuinely saved my life on more than one occasion and is something I steadfastly hold tight to in the face of just about any situation. Worst case, it doesn’t help. Best case it does and in the process, hope makes getting through dark, difficult times a little less challenging.

Spring and summer are seasons that lend themselves all the more to hope and the ability to look at the glass (of lemonade) as being half full.

In the sun-bathed months, it is sometimes a touch easier to deal with our worries and troubles, anxieties and stresses. Now always, and not for everyone, of course. But for some of us, that is the case and no doubt plays into why we are particularly fond of the balmy side of the calendar.

I adore each season and lean into the perks of all four. While at the same time, continually growing and learning as a person thanks to the challenges inherent to every one of them as well.

Summer’s return unto itself is rarely enough to set every wrong right. Thankfully though, it can help to lift our spirits and provide us with wonderful new memories, languid days of relaxation, and, I find at least, scads of nostalgia.

Both literally and figuratively, summer comes with the promise of brighter days ahead.

Rare is the summer my mood is not lifted at least part of the time and even the most difficult summers of my life have been peppered with fantastic experiences that I look back on with great fondness.

It is anyone’s guess as to what the state of the world or of their own lives will look like when, in roughly three months’ time, the summer edition of this post will appear here.

Hope tells me that at least a few things may be better. Or baring that, not considerably worse off than they presently are.

And in the process, it enthusiastically reminds me that we are a mere three months away from the return of pumpkin season!

No matter what the coming sizzling hot weeks may throw at us, that fact alone is darn near enough to keep a perpetual jack-o-lantern-worthy smile on my face all summer long.

At the same time though, I will try to savour the present season and appreciate the blessings and challenges alike that it holds in store for us.

From the bottom of my heart, sweet friends, I wish each of you a tremendously safe, happy, wellness-filled summer that is illuminated as much by hope as it is by sunshine.

Which of the links above caught your eye the most? What are some elements of summer (or winter in the Southern Hemisphere) that you are most looking forward to experiencing?

The post Spring 2022 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me (Also, is Bloglovin’ Dead? – Please Read!) appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

In the roughly twelve weeks since the inaugural edition of the quarterly Magick, Craft Makes and Me debuted, we’ve witnessed the world endure the continued ravages, impacts of a pandemic that is still going strong, and some remarkable happenings pertaining race in America (and by extension, elsewhere across the globe).

Here at our house, and within our family on both sides of the Atlantic (all of my husband’s family lives in his homeland of Italy), I am very thankful to report that we’ve remained virus-free so far.

While certain public rules have been relaxed and various non-essential business and public locations have reopened in recent weeks in our area, we’ve opted to remain in strict self-isolation for the time being.

When the winter edition of this post appeared here, there was still an abundance of snow on the ground, icicles dangling from the roof, and daily subzero temperatures. What a difference a handful of weeks makes when it comes to the changing of the seasonal guard!

Spring began in earnest around these North Okanagan parts at the start of May and, in true Canadian fashion, by the end of that month, we were already experiencing temperatures in the low 30s Celsius.

When the next edition rolls around that the end of the summer, we’ll be witnessing the Wheel of The Year rotate into the gloriousness that is autumn.

As much as I adore fall with every last fibre of my being, I’m in no mad rush to put summertime to bed quite yet.

Though summer can be a challenging season in some respects, it’s also a beautiful, dreamy, even heady portion of the year and one that never fails to make me feel especially young at heart.

Right here and now, however, let’s take a gander at some of the witchy/Pagan/magick, crafting, and various other various links (the latter falling under the “Me” header of this post) that caught my eye during the turbulent months of spring that our world just endured.

Magick, Witchcraft, Paganism, and Spirituality

-Anytime two of my very favourite things – cooking and witchery – combine, chances are, I’m going to pounce on it like Annie on a tennis ball!

This pairing is examined through the lens of edible delights that are especially well suited to the moon in Other Worldly Oracle’s fantastic Full Moon Food Guide, which is chock-a-block with tasty recipes, food suggestions, and creative ideas.

-Candles, incense, smudge sticks – if you can safely burn it in a magickal context, a good many witches and Pagans are likely doing so as we speak.

However, there are plenty of times and/or reasons why you may want to cleanse without the need for matches or a lighter.

Willow’swonderful look at this very topic is explored in-depth in her recent post, 13 Smoke Free Ways to Cleanse, which may be of particular interest to those who are highly sensitive or allergic to smoke, incense and the like.

-Scrying is an ancient and widely used form of divination that has been practiced by various cultures around the world for many thousands of years. It remains popular to this day, particularly with some of us in the witchcraft and Wiccan communities.

One of the most common – and I would argue, effective – forms of scrying is mirror scrying. If you’ve always wanted to give it a go, but didn’t have a suitable mirror to work with, you’ll definitely want to visit this informative post that takes you through all the steps needed to Make Your Own Scrying Mirror.

-I am a firm believer that one can come to witchery and/or Paganism at any point in their life. However, there there are some of us for whom an ingrained sense that we were witches has been with us throughout our entire lives.

This topic is explored in Astrea’s insightful post, Born This Way: Witchcraft Comes Naturally to Some, which – as a “born witch” – I found myself nodding in agreement with from top to bottom.

-Spring and summer are peak seasons in many parts of the Western Hemisphere for early morning dew. If you’re keen to gather and put this potent, wonderful natural magickal ingredient to work in your witchcraft, be sure to check out Annwyn’s lovely video and accompanying blog post on How to Collect Dew.

-We in the 21^st century have a tendency to praise and elevate the act of being busy to near god-like status. Productivity is certainly important and has its rightful place, but so does the vital act of downtime and the ability to leave at least a few hours of our lives unencumbered with frenetic activity.

In The Magickal Art of Doing Nothing, Phoenix explores this topic and helps to remind us all of just how essential it is to simply be at peace with the present moment every now and then.

Card Making, Scrapbooking, Paper Crafting, and Other Crafts

-Going all the way back to my earliest collections – housed in the de rigour magnetic page photo albums of the day – back in the 1980s and early 90s, to the bevy of them that reside in my craft room today, I’ve loved and actively used stickers throughout my whole life.

You can just imagine then how much my eyes lit up and my creative juices started flowing when I recently spotted this handy-dandy post on how to make your own DIY Vintage Spring Flower Stickers. (The method for which you could easily apply – adhesive related pun intended – to a wide range of other sticker images as well.)

-Few fruits say spring and early summer better – or more iconically – than strawberries! If you’re in the mood to dish up a lovely serving of the paper variety of this fabulous produce offering, then you’ll definitely want to check out this DIY Paper Strawberry Tutorial over on Maggie Holmes’ inspiring blog.

-It likely comes as little surprise that the century which saw the invention and meteoric rise in popularity of photography would in turn produce a wide range of picture frames to help house some of the millions of photos that were taken at the time.

While real examples of Victorian photo frames often command steep prices these days, thanks to this lovely Victorian Folding Photo Frame Tutorial, with a few basic craft supplies and access to a digital die cutting machine, you can now whip up all the 19th century picture frames that your heart desires!

-Love working with alcohol markers but aren’t sure which ones to invest in or which might work most effectively for a given project? Let Ivana’s excellent and very informative comparison of The Best Alcohol Markers help ensure you find and work with the right markers for your crafting needs.

-When you think of summertime foods, what jumps out at you first? Ice cream? Watermelon? Lemonade? What about that beloved classic, a freshly made cheeseburger?

If you’ve been looking for a fun new pincushion to create, why not have a go at making this darling DIY Cheeseburger Pincushion?

It has all the look, but none of the grilling work involved with the real deal.

And of course, vegans, vegetarians, and plant-based eaters can just as easily imagine that it’s their favourite meat-free (and potentially dairy-free) burger instead.

-Valentine’s Day was a few months ago, but there’s no reason why you can’t whip up this fabulously charming Gothic Valoween Garland anytime and proudly use it as year-round décor. (An easy DIY craft project that involves both hearts and coffins it is a serious winner in my books!)

What’s shaking in my life and on my radar

Wow, I remember thinking back in March that I had scarce little of note to report in terms of what had been transpiring in our lives then.

After three more months of being in strict self-isolation, I have even less of note to share – which sounds dreadfully dull, I know!

Our days are full of the usual happenings of life, however, and goodness knows I could use about a thousand more hours in every day to get a mere fraction of what I’d like/need to accomplish done.  

As we’ve been at home around the clock lately though, I don’t have too many adventurous tales to regale you with this time around.

Looking ahead to the summer months, both Tony and I will celebrate our birthdays before the season draws to a close. Our beautiful country of Canada also turns another year older soon too, hitting the venerable age of 153 come July 1^st.

Historically, Tony and I have usually taken at least one get-away (usually a road trip somewhere within Western Canada) between mid-spring and late autumn.

However, with the very real safety concerns surrounding the pandemic so far this year (to say nothing of possible subsequent waves of it), we’ve not planned a trip for 2020.

For two souls who adore and derive a great deal of positive benefits from travelling, including the sheer joy of having an upcoming trip to look forward to, this has been a bit strange indeed!

Of course, many others are in similar boats and tons of folks have had to cancel or postpone travel plans (including one of my aunts and her daughter who were set to visit France this summer), and we’ll just make the best of things here at home for the time being.

The safer we are now and the more precautions we currently take to help stop the spread of Covid-19, the faster we might be able to return to a world where it’s safe to once again travel, visit with others, and do more activities in public point-blank.

-At the very end of April, on the six-month mark to Halloween (a date that many Halloween fans affectionately refer to as Halfoween), I shared a fun post highlighting 31 Ways to Celebrate Halloween All Year Long.

After I wrote that entry, I found myself thinking (not for the first time) about various ways to help ensure that I have an environmentally friendly Halloween/Samhain celebration.

This led me to find a very handy Guide to Greening Halloween, which abounds with tons of useful, practical and enjoyable ways to help keep your October 31^st all the more planet-friendly.

-If you think that things like cosplaying and sci-fi related conventions are a relatively new invention, Vintage Everyday is here with a slew of photos from the 1966 Science Fiction & Fantasy Costume Contestants Posing at the 24^th World Science Fiction Convention that will quickly prove these much-loved passions have been going strong for many decades now.

-It’s safe to say that one of the most important aspects to the continuation of life on this planet – the world’s oceans – is in a dire state and in need of immediate help.

An extraordinary ‘Landmark’ Study Lays Road Map for Exactly How We Can Restore Oceans to Former Glory in Just One Generation, and I know that I won’t be alone in hoping to the stars above (and the starfish below) that the approaches it proposes are able to be put into action.

-Should you happen to be a fellow lover of edible flowers, want a gorgeous dessert to serve at your next tea party or bridal shower, or an ideal sunny weather sabbat feast treat, may I present you with Lindsay and Jonas’s gorgeous Violet Shortbread Cookie Recipe.

-While the amount of TV that I’ve watched during this time of self-isolation has changed little from my usual levels, I have been making a point to view shows, movies and documentaries that really speak to me on a deep level.

One of the most stand-out titles in that respect that I’ve viewed recently is a documentary on Netflix called Crip Camp, which was just released this year.

It is a stirring, poignant and much needed look at how a mid-twentieth century American camp for special needs individuals helped to plant some of the seeds for the immensely long overdue social and political revolution that took place within the disabled community during the past century.

If you’re not already doing so, why not pop on over to Instagram and follow my account there? I post a wide range of content pertaining to witchery and Paganism, crafts, nature, history and vintage, travel, our daily life (including snaps of Annie), and more!

Summer lovin’

While fall time will forever reign supreme for me personally, I’m the first to admit that summer holds a special place in my heart as well.

Between the fact that it’s the season into which I born, the one in which Tony and I became engaged (back in 2004), and that it’s the prelude to my favourite chapter of the year, it’s hard not to adore summertime.

There’s dreamily perfect warm nights, ice cold drinks, the magick and marvelousness of both Litha and Lammas, sunsets so stunning they evoke tears, vibrant gardens, sundresses, feeling the sun-baked earth beneath your bare feet, and so much more to enjoy + appreciate about this season.

At this point, all any of us can do is guess and prepare in regards to what the summer may hold in store pandemic wise.

It would be amazing, nay, extraordinary, if the world was in a vastly safer, healthier place come the fall equinox, but the realist in me isn’t going to place any bets on that being the case.

What I will confidently do, however, is strive to have a beautiful, enjoyable and very meaningful season, whether we remain in self-isolation the whole time or not.

And you can count on plenty of fun, informative new content here, as well as on my Instagram account.

In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll cover a wide array of topics, from Canada Day to book reviews, summer sabbat posts to ones that will lead us straight into the magickal months of fall.

It is my unwavering hope that each of you will have a safe, healthy, peaceful and positive summer (or winter, if you’re south of the equator), and we can all met back here in three months for the next installment of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me.

What are you most excited about this summer? Any standout plans in the works?

The post Spring 2020 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

“There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.” – Rosalynn Carter

These words – succinct and starkly true – spoken by a former First Lady touch on a subject that many of us will have firsthand experience throughout our lifetime.

I’ve worn the shoes of each of these four roles at various points in my own life and I know that I am far from alone on that front. A good number of us are in one or more of those very roles at any given moment.

No matter how fiercely independent and self-reliant I am, as a multiple severe chronic illness warrior (a topic that I touched on recently in my detailed post Tips on How to Handle Social Isolation from a Long-Time Multi-Chronic Illness Fighter), there is always a degree of needing a caregiver involved in my own life.

To what extent that need exists has varied and changed many times over the years, but it is ever-present and I am profoundly grateful to those special, compassionate souls in my life who are able to provide me with assistance, support, understanding and care.

I’ve also had quite a few times when I myself was also a caregiver. It’s a position I’ve been experiencing again recently, as my husband has been contending with some serious health issues of his own pertaining to his kidney health.

In February, he underwent an emergency operation in Vancouver that left him virtually bedridden for quite some time, followed by another surgical procedure for the same issue a few weeks later at a hospital closer to where we live here in the interior of British Columbia (our small town itself does not have a hospital).

Tending to my honey is a meaningful honour and something I do with a heart full of love and every ounce of energy I can devote to this important job. However, be it nursing Tony or anyone else that I’ve looked after throughout my life, I know firsthand how difficult being a carer can become and the toll it can easily create on those in this rewarding, yet often challenging, position.

In this post, we’re going to explore self-care tips for caregivers coupled with some magickally and spiritually centered ideas for those who take it upon themselves to look after others in this capacity.

What is a caregiver?

While it would be easy for me to wax poetically about what it means to be a caregiver and how we shine our light, love, energy upon those we are deeply connected to, for now, I will get down to brass tacks and give you a more prosaic definition.

When we’re speaking in terms of nonprofessional and (often) unpaid individuals, a caregiver is a person who provides care for another human or animal (today’s post will focus on carers who tend to other people, though the same points largely apply to those looking after the health and well-being of animals).

There are countless possible scenarios in which one may become a caregiver and nearly as many different people that may be in need a carer themselves.

Some of the most common people that others (again, in a non-professional capacity) care for include:

-Infants and children

-Life partners and spouses

-Parents

-Grandparents

-Siblings

-Other relatives

-Close friends

Generally speaking, individuals who are not paid for the care that they provide are referred to as family caregivers or informal caregivers.

I’m not too keen, literal though it may be, on the latter term though, as I feel the word “informal” somewhat invalidates or diminishes the time, energy, effort, work, emotional, physical, and mental impact involved with caring for another person. As such, I will not be using that term from this point onward.

How many people are caregivers?

Globally, that is next to impossible to determine, but it’s safe to say that the number is sizable. A 2013 Pew Research study found that 36% of US adults provided unpaid care to others in the previous year.

With an ever-increasingly larger number of people above the age of 50, there is a high probability that we’ll a continued rise in this number throughout not only America but in many other parts of the world as well.

Who can be a caregiver?

The answer to this question is not as straightforward as it may seem on the surface.

While research shows that the highest percentage of caregivers are women, those of all genders can – and do – take on this role as well. Being a carer is by no means the exclusive domain of women.

Sometimes people volunteer to be caregivers, at other times, this position may be thrust upon them – potentially out of the blue (for example, if a loved one suddenly developed a serious medical problem, was in an accident, or while they’re recovering from surgery).

Unplanned or unexpected caregiving can be especially tough, at least initially, but all caregiving comes with challenges both for the patient and the carer alike.

Many people find caregiving, including unpaid caregiving, to be a rewarding and beautiful act, but that doesn’t mean it can’t simultaneously be difficult, stressful, demanding, exhausting, and life-changing.

Going into the myriad of potential challenges that being a caregiver can entail – from potentially needing to take time off from (or even quite) one’s job to managing another’s finances to providing hands-on medical treatment is beyond the scope of this post.

However, I want to acknowledge the incredible, compassionate work of those who are currently, previously have been, or may become carers in the future.

While looking after someone briefly may not be the toughest thing you’ll ever do, longer, more serious care may very well be one the most challenging and difficult roles you will ever take on in your lifetime.

It can feel and/or be thankless at times. If no one has said a heartfelt thank to you lately for your hard work and compassion, please accept a very sincere one from me here today.

Casual or part-time vs full-time caregiver

As these terms imply, being a casual or part-time caregiver usually means that this role is not an all-consuming, around the clock activity for you. While you may be someone’s ongoing carer for a long period of time, doing so is generally not something you focus primarily all day every day.

Fulltime caregivers generally provide extensive care on daily (or nearly so) basis, often for multiple hours of the day – if not throughout the entire day itself. This role can, and often does, become a full-time job with little to no monetary compensation.

Both part-time and full-time caregiving can be demanding and take similar tolls on those involved in this loving act, but those who are fulltime carers may, naturally, be at an even greater risk for experiencing health issues of their own as a result of caring so extensively for one or more people in their lives.

What is caregiver stress?

Even people who have a natural affinity for nursing, looking after, and otherwise tending to the needs of others are, at the end of the day, only human and like all humans, are apt to experience a limit to what they’re able to reasonably handle and cope with.

Caregiver stress – which, especially if it becomes an ongoing part of one’s life may be called caregiver stress syndrome – is characterized by extreme exhaustion that may lead to burnout.

This exhaustion can be physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual. It may lead the carer to shift too much of their attention toward the person (or people) that they’re looking after and in turn neglect their own fundamentally important health and well-being.

Feeling overwhelmed, overworked, overburdened, extremely drained, pulled too much in multiple directions at the same time, unnerved, anxious, depressed, upset, frustrated, irritable, scared, alone, helpless, worrisomely uncertain, or stretched too thin are amongst other common signs of caregiver stress.

As well, some people may struggle to admit that they feel these kinds of ways and/or to reach out and ask for help in their role as a carer. This only stands to amply the issue and may lead to a person hitting the dangerous point of burnout even more quickly.

It is not uncommon for caregivers to develop new health problems of their own and/or to have existing medical issues flare-up, worsen, or otherwise become more problematic.

In many instances, caregiver stress can be managed and reduced when it is acknowledged, addressed and dealt with in a frank and open way.

Yet even when this is done, caregiver stress can still be a substantial ongoing challenge and one that carers and their loved ones need to be mindful of and routinely tackle headfirst as much as is realistically possible.

The suggestions that follow in this post are some ways that may help to counterbalance, at least to a degree, the very real impact of caregiver stress and burnout.

What are the signs of caregiver stress?

On top of those just mentioned, the following are some of the signs that a person may be experiencing caregiver stress.

-Cognitive difficulties including, but not limited to, experiencing brain fog, short-term memory troubles, having a hard time concentrating or remembering information, difficulty focusing, and struggling to multi-task as effectively as you could prior to becoming a caregiver.

-Changes in mood and state of mental health (depression and anxiety are both common amongst caregivers and may themselves help contribute to serious medical problems such as stroke and heart disease), including mood swings, crying more often or more easily than usual, and difficulty moderating one’s temper or other strong emotional states.

-An overwhelming and/or frequent sense of helplessness, uncertainty, and/or isolation brought on from the act of being a caregiver.

-Changes in sleep habits, particularly in terms of insomnia, nightmares, and broken or restless sleep. Live-in caregivers or those who look after people during the night may find that their sleep quality is poor and sleep itself sporadic, particularly if they wake up to tend to the needs of the person they’re caring for.

-Decreased immune system health. Weakened immune systems are a well-established hallmark amongst many caregivers. This is largely due to the impact that focusing so much of one’s energy, strength, thought, and emotional resources on another has on the human body.

-Changes in eating habits, including overeating, undereating, stress eating, or the development (or worsening of existing) eating disorders.

-Excessive or abusive use of alcohol, prescription or illegal drugs.

-Engaging in, or thinking excessively about, self-harm or harming others.

-Putting your own well-being and needs on the backburner all the time, possibly with associated feelings of resentment, frustration, anger, sadness, anxiety and/or depression stemming from doing so.

-Withdrawing from your usual actives, passions, hobbies, and social activities either due to extreme exhaustion, your own medical reasons, or feeling that you simply cannot leave the person you’re caring for in order to take some immensely needed time to focus on your own health and well-being.

-Feeling like you’ve lost (or are losing) control over your own life and (possibly) not knowing when or how you’ll regain control again.

-An increase in headaches, high blood pressure, colds, flues, other viruses, and spikes in existing medical conditions, often brought on due to a weakened immune system, serious fatigue, poor sleep and/or diet, stress, and mental health concerns.

Naturally, these symptoms can be caused by a wide host of sources as well, but if you’ve started to experience them or are experiencing them more severely since you became a carer, it may be possible that they’re the result of caregiver stress syndrome.

Seek medical help and address these serious health concerns as quickly as possible. It is dangerously easy for carers to soon find themselves in need of being cared for if they aren’t proactive in terms of taking care of their own health and well-being.

Is caregiver stress the same thing as caregiver burnout?

Full-on caregiver burnout often means that a person has reached a point where they are no longer able to care for someone else and potentially may struggle to meet their own basic care needs.

It is extreme form of caregiver stress and one that is apt to require some serious recovery in order to hopefully regain a greater sense of health, wellness, balance, emotional wellbeing, and positive feelings in one’s life again.

Ideally, caregiver stress should be minimized as much as is realistically possible and caregiver burnout should try to be avoided in every safe way possible.

If it does occur, it needs to be addressed and properly managed as swiftly as can be – especially is serious mental health challenges, such as severe anxiety and/or depression are involved.

Taking care of another person’s life should not put your own in jeopardy, no matter how much you love and want the best for that individual.

Please note: I am not a medical professional. If stress or burnout of any kind is a serious issue in your life, please seek advice and support from a doctor or other trained medical professional.

Ways to help manage caregiver stress

-Accept that no person is an island unto themselves and that we all need help, support, and encouragement at times. If your family and loved ones are not able to provide this, for whatever reason(s), speak to a medical professional, join a community support group for caregivers, seek support from those in your coven (or circle, grove, etc) if you belong to one, and/or, if financially possible, hire a professional health care worker to periodically look after the person you’re caring so that you can get a vitally needed break.

-Acknowledge and allow yourself to feel proud of your accomplishments and the hard work you’re doing as a caregiver. If needed or desired, write own three or more compliments to yourself and read or speak them aloud multiple times until you feel the impact and truth of their words.

-Shift the focus onto what you are able to accomplish instead of focusing (excessively) on what you may not be able to do or feel that you’re not doing well enough. If possible, delegate some of the areas that you’re struggling with, unable to do, or not able to do as much as you’d ideally like to one or more people. This can help you a lot because it means you’ve still addressed the situation, you’re just not the person who is actually carrying out the activity in question.

-Be kind to yourself and do all that you realistically can to take care of yourself, including eating healthily when possible, spending time outside, exercising (if feasible), engaging in calming activities, giving yourself well deserved chunks of “me time” on a regular basis, engaging in low-stress hobbies, and keeping in mind that, at the end of the day, we’re all human and that means none of us is perfect or immune to stress.

-Find and use, when possible, medical aids and supplies that help make things easier for both yourself and the person you’re looking after. It’s just amazing what alleviating or reducing a few caregiving challenges can do for the psyche, emotional and physical well-being of both parties.

-Do not lose complete touch with your usual social circles and activities. Let others, when appropriate, know about what you’re going through and why you may not be as present or active as usual due to the fact that you’re currently a caregiver.

–Connect with other family caregivers. Chances are plenty of people have been in, or may currently be in, similar situations to your own. Even if they haven’t, they may be able to relate broadly to the difficulties, stresses, concerns, challenges, and heartaches of being a caregiver.

Sometimes just having someone say that they sincerely understand your situation, as they provide a compassionate ear, can make a world of difference, restore some of your hope and energy alike, and give you the strength to keep going when things get extra rocky.

-Set realistic short, medium, and long-term goals for both the care of the person (or people) you’re looking after and yourself.

-Keep lists, update them as often, and consider periodically providing yourself with small rewards for completing a predetermined number of entries on your lists. This could include things like an hour of “do whatever you want online” time, getting a manicure, taking a hike, going to the movies, or, if possible, sleeping in on a non-workday, for example.

–Ensure that your own health does not fall completely to the wayside. Try to keep up with – or establish a new – healthy living routine, see your doctor regularly, exercise and eat cleanly when possible, get as much sleep as you can (easier said than done, believe me, I know!), make time to focus on serene activities, and try to find ways to engage with your spirituality on a regular basis.

-Knowledge is power and empowerment alike. Research, though, ideally, not to the point of obsessively, the health challenges of the person that you’re providing care for.

Read relevant books and magazines, visit blogs and websites on the topic, join Facebook groups, follow relevant hashtags on social media, follow boards and create your own on Pinterest pertaining to the health issues at hand, talk to experts in the field, and fellow caregivers of others with the same or similar health challenges – as well as other patients themselves.

-If possible, discuss your concerns in a caring, nonjudgmental or hypercritical way with the person you’re looking after. Naturally, this is not always feasible.

Infants, children, those who are unable to speak, sign or otherwise verbalize; people with memory loss, some brain injury patients, and others who are not able to currently carry out a responsive conversation or who are too young to be put in the position to address and respond to adult concerns will not likely be able to do so, of course.

People who were caring and loving before their health challenges arose or got worse may still be the same way now and as much as you’re worrying and stressing about them, they may similarly be concerned for you.

If you feel doing is appropriate, talk to the person you’re looking after, express some of your inner feelings and worries, and work together to come up with viable ways to address and tackle the points that you’ve just chatted about.

-Utilize some of the terrific self-care apps that currently exist, such as those on this list of 16 caregiver apps you should use in 2020.

-Accept help from others who offer it. Assuming the person in question is competent and realistically able to provide help in a way that is suitable for you and the person you’re looking after, jump at the offer. We all need breaks, days off, and a helping hand sometimes.

Though modern society in many parts of the world no longer operates on a small tribe, community or extended family basis of individuals who support one another and share the collective load of managing life’s many needs, some of us are blessed to still have one or more people in our lives who want to help us and who may offer (or say yes, if asked) to step in and shoulder some of the work involved with being a caregiver.

Keep in mind that help doesn’t have to necessarily mean that the other person looks after the individual you’re caring for. Help can come in many different and diverse forms.

It could mean someone prepares a week’s worth of meals for you, walks your dog, cleans your health, picks up the kids from school, gives you a reiki session or massage, offers to be your workout buddy, lets you know when they’re going to the grocery store and asks if they can pick anything up for you while they are there, makes you a care package, send you a “thinking of you” or “just because” card or gift, cut your grass, babysits for a few hours so that you can have some massively needed downtime, picks up your dry cleaning, wraps your holiday season gifts, drives you to and from place of residence of the person you’re looking after, or any number of other compassionate, thoughtful gestures.

-Accept and address the fact that if and when the time comes that you are no longer a caregiver, you will likely need to go through a period of adjustment, healing, connecting all the more with yourself again, and possibly grief, too (especially if the person you’ve been looking after has passed on).

-Establish a healthy self-care routine that you assess and adjust as needed on a regular basis.

What is self-care?

Though the precise specifics of what constitutes self-care will vary to a degree from one person to the next, broadly speaking, self-care means that you consciously acknowledge what you need on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels in order to be as happy and healthy in realistically feasible ways and that you make focusing on those things a priority in your daily life.

Self-care asks that we each take charge of our own well-being as best we can. That we own our limits, make ourselves priorities, and learn to feel less negative about focusing on ourselves and what we require in order to feel positive about who we are and how we function in this world.

It is safe to say that self-care does not come naturally to everyone and even when elements of self-care are intuitive, we do not always choose to listen to what our inner dialogue is telling us we need.

Self-care invites us to make ourselves a priority, to address when we need a break or some help or simply a bit of time to ourselves.

As well, self-care is about empowerment and autonomy. The more we are able to be responsible for our own well-being and happiness, the greater quality of life we stand to experience and the less we’re apt to see ourselves as being helpless, not in control of our lives, or as victims of our circumstances.

While self-care has become something of a hashtag and buzzword de jour and not everyone shares the same opinions on what it entails and means (which is 100% okay, of course!), at the end of the day, no matter who you are, what your spiritual journey entails, and what elements comprise your daily life, we all need to look after ourselves in various ways.

Whether you choose to call this self-care or not is up to you personally. Just, I implore you, please make sure that you do take time to focus on your well-being on a regular basis. To honour your spirit, to heal, to recharge, to be calm and centered, and to make yourself as much of a priority as you would you most treasured loved one.

Self-care for caregivers

There are many different ways to practice healthy self-care. While we all share certain universal needs in order to stay alive and as healthy as possible (e.g., clean water, enough food, adequate sleep), what constitutes effective self-care can vary from person-to-person.

In this instance, we’re focusing on approaches that may be realistically doable for some caregivers. I acknowledge and understand that the complexities, difficulties and realities of self-care at the best of times, let alone when has taken on the role of being somebody else’s caregiver.

Please be kind and compassionate to yourself. Look for small, meaningful ways to fit self-care into your day (objectively, many of us could get in more self-care if we cut down on the amount of time we spend most days watching TV and being on our phones, tablets, and computers).

Aim to be at peace with the fact that your self-care routine does not need to look like anyone else’s and that you do not have to justify or explain your approach to self-care (assuming it is legal and does not harm yourself or others).

Experiment, find what presently works for you, routinely update your self-care regiment, and try not to obsess too much about self-care as that can quickly become counterproductive to what you set out to accomplish in the first place.

And remember that self-care is a bit like one of those trifold mirrors with a larger central panel that is flanked by separate, often smaller, panels on both the left and the right sides.

Self-care – can reflect and address certain elements of our past, it focuses substantially on the present, and it helps to set us up in a stronger, better equipped, more positive way for what lies ahead in the ethers of tomorrow.

-Listen closely to what your body is telling you that it needs. Sleep, more (or less) food, fresh air, medical care, more time to rest throughout the day, a chance to finally do yoga or read again for the first time in weeks or months?

If you don’t listen to the whispers, chances are they’ll grow louder and louder until they’re full-on screams that may prevent you from going about your normal daily routine until they’ve been addressed – or worst still, potentially until you’re rundown, sick, or genuinely burnt out.

-Make sure you stay hydrated. Simple as it may sound, drinking adequate amounts of water and other healthy beverages (e.g., green tea) is a key component to one’s overall health and well-being, while also supporting daily energy levels, gut health, and the condition of your skin.

-Engage in mindful breath awareness for 5 – 10+ minutes daily.

-Laughter really is an amazing medicine and it’s a wonderful component of self-care to boot. Letting yourself laugh, smile, and feel positive – even if those feelings are fairly short-lived – can have glowingly lovely impacts on our psyches, emotions, and daily lives.

Watch funny movies and TV shows, follow some humorous blogs, Facebook groups or Twitter feeds; catch a live comedy show, play humour based board games, call up a friend or relative and relive a funny event from the past, read a book of jokes – you name it! Smiles and laughter are the aim, how you get to that point is up to you.

-Relax, unwind, and help to combat stress by listening to guided meditations (apps such as Calm are wonderful for this), ASMR (which abounds on YouTube and can be found elsewhere online, too, including on the Tingles app), and soothing music.

-Get creative! You don’t have to sew the biggest quilt, paint the most impressive picture, or carve a stunning sculpture to connect with your artistic and creative sides. There are countless ways to practice mindful creativity, from adult colouring books to rock painting, whipping up paper flowers to baking, macramé to jewelry making.

Being creative is liberating for the soul and mind alike. It allows us to experience the process of birthing something new into being, lets us channel our energy and focus onto a positive and rewarding task, and is, hopefully, just plain fun.

-Put together a playlist of music that helps to foster positive moods, aids you to unwind or sleep, or conversely, pumps up your energy. Edit periodically, if needed, and don’t be shy about updating it either.

-Attend to your personal care and hygiene needs. When you’re in the throes of looking after others, it can be really easy to let these areas slide onto the backburner. They’re important though, no two ways about it, and can help you to feel more like your usual self.

-Just say no! So many of us – myself included – often struggle when it comes to saying no to other peoples’ requests at the best of times. If we’re already stretched thin, taking care of ourselves, our families, and one or more ailing loved ones, chances are we don’t have a lot of free time or energy.

Learning to say no in a straightforward, cordial way to requests that we can (realistically) turn down without feeling guilty about doing so is one of the most incredible, liberating, and empowering acts we can do for ourselves and our loved ones alike.

The challenges of being an empathic caregiver

I want to take a few moments to address the fact that those who identify as empaths, HSPs (Highly Sensitive People), Earth Angels, and other forms of extremely sensitive, compassionate, and caring people may experience their own added challenges when they take on the role of being a caregiver.

Empaths generally feel the pain, stress, emotions, fears, anxieties, and stresses of those we encounter in even the most casual of settings and relationships.

When we’re caring for someone that we hold especially dear to our hearts, these feelings are often amplified all the more and they can quickly and easily become profoundly overwhelming or all-consuming for the highly sensitive individual.

We have an innate desire to help, support, care for and look after those in need, in pain, and who are struggling in any way. Often, we want to alleviate someone’s suffering completely (or as much as possible).

The fact of that matter is, however, that frequently the kind of medical challenges that require a caregiver are beyond what even the most empathic of empaths to ever walk the earth is possible of alleviating from another person and this point can cause us great internal strife, stress and difficulty.

As well, medical settings such as hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and doctor’s offices that not only have patients who are battling health issues in them at present, but which also house the lingering energy and emotions of scores of past patients, can be staggeringly challenging for empaths at times.

I am an empath myself and I always engage in serious shielding, grounding, and releasing work whenever I visit such a setting, whether I was there for the sake of my own health or someone else’s.

On top of the suggestions laid out in this post, it is vital that empaths routinely create shields and barriers of pure white light or energy around themselves, that they take time to ground and decompress at least once a day (if not more so), that they set boundaries for themselves with the person or people they’re caring for, that they allow themselves to feel and experience the full extent of their own emotions, that they ensure they have someone or someplace (e.g., a journal) to express their own feelings and thoughts in, and that they not be afraid to ask for help or time off, when needed, from their role of caring for another person.

Magickal approaches and handy tips for caregivers

Up until now, a lot of what this post has focused on has been quite broad and applicable to most of the general population.

As I know many of my readers are fellow witches, Pagans and similarly spiritually focused individuals, I’m going to share some of my top tips and magickal ideas for caregivers.

-Listen to your intuition. This is sound advice at all times, but when you’re in the position of being a caregiver, it can become all the more important because that wise inner voice may be telling you things not only about what you and your own body needs, but what the person you’re caring for requires as well.

I am not, in any way, suggesting that you go against doctor’s orders or decide to get all Florence Nightingale on things if you’re not a health care professional. Not in the slightest. I simply mean that sometimes our intuition will help to guide us as we care for others, aiding us in anticipating needs, reminding us of critical information, and supporting us as we make a wide array of decisions – not all of which will be a cakewalk – throughout the course of our time as a caregiver.

-Cleanse yourself, both literally and spiritually, on a regular basis. It is darn near impossible to be around anyone who is unwell in any capacity and not absorb at least a degree of the strong, often emotionally charged energy that they are giving off. You need to part ways with that in order to help keep your own spirit strong and healthy.

Smudging, cleaning baths and showers, moonlight cleanses, anointing yourself with charged (skin safe) oils, energy healing, and mindful chanting or drumming to help free stagnant and negative energy are just some of the ways to achieve personal cleansing.

-Start and actively use a gratitude jar. I firmly believe that gratitude is a worthwhile and beneficial aspect of life at all times, both when the chips are up and down alike. So often when things are getting extra rough, stressful or challenging, it can be easy to forget to give heartfelt thanks for the positive in our lives, as the negatives or problems often seem to overshadow them.

In reality, most of us have countless things to be grateful for. It can do our minds, hearts and souls a world of good to take the time on a regular basis to acknowledge those points that we gladly give sincere thanks for.

If a gratitude jar isn’t your cup of tea, try a gratitude journal instead, or simply make a point of giving thanks aloud (or in focused thought) to the universe, Spirit, any gods and/or goddesses you work with, or anything else that feels right to your path.

Cultivating gratitude and opting to look at life with an appreciative heart is, I firmly believe, one of the best gifts we can ever give ourselves.

-Create an altar, or devote space on an existing altar, that focuses on healing, hope, positivity, strength, and both life and death. While, hopefully, the latter will not come calling anytime soon, the reality is that death is a natural part of the cycle of existence for us all and it need not be seen as the ultimate fear or end to everything. The more comfortable one becomes with death, the easier it may be to accept when it does occur to someone we care about.

-(Yet, by the same token, try to… ) Do things that foster life. When you’re routinely focused on serious medical issues – be they your own or someone else’s – it can sometimes feel like life has gotten stagnant or worse, as though we only see the dark sides of existence.

Yet life, in the broader sense at least, continually renews itself in countless ways and the energy of these new starts and vibrant existences is a mighty force in our witchy self-care arsenal.

This could be anything from tending to verdant houseplants to watching for baby birds or other animals throughout the year, spending time on activities that benefit your health to launching a new project, blog, side hustle, community group or anything else that fills your spirit with that unmistakable thrill of life and the possibility of what tomorrow holds in store.

-Perform health positive magick for the person you’re a caregiver to. Magickal workings pertaining to health and healing are highly personal areas. I am a firm believer in keeping things relatively general on this front in most cases, unless someone has specifically asked you to perform a particular working on their behalf.

When such is not the case, I focus on workings that ask for the best health and least pain/suffering/discomfort possible.

While I do think that there is merit to healing magick, I tread lightly here as I know firsthand that there are innumerable medical issues that are extremely unlikely to vanish solely on the basis of even the most potent magick.

The last thing I’d ever want was to create false hope in either myself or, moreover, the person I was preforming the working for by claiming healing magick could miraculously cure or alleviate a serious medical issue (because, the fact of the matter is, that’s unlikely to happen in a lot of cases).

-Work with crystals that promote healing, serenity, rebalancing, strength, and stamina. Many different crystals and stones fit this bill, but broadly speaking, some strong picks across these different areas include clear quartz, rose quartz, angel aura quartz, celestine, turquoise, pink calcite, amethyst, blue lace agate, jasper, pyrite, selenite, citrine, desert rose, black tourmaline, larimar, and danburite.

-If you look after someone in a different location than your own home, consider carrying a small travel altar with you to work with when feasible. If you’re away from your house and usual sacred space for a good chunk of the day, a travel altar can be a wonderful and fulfilling way to connect with your spirituality and to possibly perform certain types of magickal workings.

Remember that anything you bring with you is apt to pick up energy from the environment, so be sure to cleanse, bless and charge your travel altar (and/or anything else of a magickal nature that comes with you) on a frequent basis.

-Work with your ancestors. A lot of the time, when we’re providing caregiving to others, it is focused on a member of our family (biological or self-formed). Who better to call on for support, guidance, love, and external energy than our ancestors?

Do not worry if you don’t have a family tree so chocked full of names that you know it could give Queen Elizabeth’s a run for its money. Whether we know our ancestors’ names or not, they know ours and you can connect with them all the same by calling forth those who came before you by words such as “my ancestors” or “the ancestors”.

Sometimes, you may find that in doing so names are presented to you in various ways. It’s okay if they are not, so long as you still feel or sense the energy of their presence, you can often work effectively with the departed.

-Nourish yourself with kitchen magick. Energy depletion is a very real component of being a caregiver. One way to help replenish some of what we lose is through the food we eat and the beverage we drink on a daily basis. By making kitchen magick a part of our meal preparation, we can help to recharge both or physical and spiritual energy levels at the same time.

-Share your concerns, fears, and other emotions with nature. While talking to humans is undoubtedly important and I’m not suggesting that nature alone could meet all of the ingrained needs that most of us have for person-to-person interactions, you might just be amazed by how incredibly empowering, uplifting, and beneficial it can be to speak openly about what you’re going through and feeling at the moment with nature.

While you can do so in a generalized way while outdoors, you may prefer to direct your conversation towards a particular facet of nature, such as the moon, a visible planet, a particular tree (possibly one with ties to healing or serenity), a beloved flower bush, a hearty herb plant, a favourite boulder, a meandering river, the sand on a beach, or another natural setting that feels right to you.

When you’ve shared all that you have to say with this natural setting and allowed yourself to experience the range of thoughts and emotions that doing so may have brought for (as well as any reply impressions or signs that you receive in turn), give heartfelt thanks to the area for listening to you and consider leaving an offering in the process (such as lovely stone, leaf, piece of fruit, or feather).

-Ground often. And speaking of nature, for the love of all that is magickal, if you’re caring for someone else and absorbing their energy, you will want to try to ground on a very frequent basis.

Grounding means to release negative or otherwise undesirable energy from your own body and soul into the earth, which is believed to be able to absorb and dispel this energy easily and effectively.

There are numerous ways to ground, but one of the most straightforward and commonly practiced is to visualize roots stemming from your feet and reaching into the ground beneath them. These roots allow the negative energy that you direct to exist your body and be absorbed by the dirt (or sand, etc) underfoot.

However you choose to ground, it is vital to unpack negative energy and invite serene, positive energy into your life. A buildup of toxic, detrimental, heavy energy rarely serves anyone well and is certainly not apt to allow you to feel as strong and positive as possible when it comes to carrying for both yourself and others.

-Use divination to help give you a clearer picture of your life and your abilities as a caregiver. From runes to tarot, scrying to reading tea leaves, connect with the divination method that feels most natural to you in the context of your role as a caregiver and engage with it on a regular basis.

-Look for, and implement, small, meaningful forms of everyday magick. I’m huge on everyday magick – indeed, I generally do far more of it than highly elaborate workings (it helps me to witch more effectively and enjoyably on a daily basis).

There is no limit to the number of ways you can work everyday magick. Numerous books have been penned on the subject (and no doubt more will be in the future, too), many blog posts and website articles cover it, and it’s an increasing popular topic on social media as well – all for good reason.

Look for, research and create your own personally significant everyday magick and allow it to bless your life and give your spirit added strength as you go about your daily routine.  

Being a caregiver witch

Nearly all of us embody multiple roles at any given time. We are witches and Pagans, and this part of who we are can be enormous or it can be more of a supportive player. That is up to each individual and their own respective path, plain and simple.

At the same time, we likely have roles within a family, our job or education, our social circle, perhaps within the community (e.g., as a volunteer), possibly in a coven or other spiritually focused group, those that relate to our passions and interests, and various other heading that we fall under.

Generally speaking, while many of us may prefer to identify ourselves by certain roles more than others, I think that a lot of the time, it is important to not let one or two completely overshadow all of the others – even if they’re roles we feel very positive about.

Just as when we ourselves are dealing with serious health issues, it can be easy to let the role of caregiver eclipse much our lives and begin to feel like it is dominating a huge part of who we are.

By continuing to engage with our spirituality – as well as other aspects of our lives – we can help to counterbalance this to a degree at least.

We can also find strength and meaning, comfort and hope in our spiritual paths, and that can be invaluable as we care for someone who holds a special place in our heart.

The duration that one may be a caregiver will naturally vary widely. It might be a week or two, a few months, multiple years or longer still.

The road will not likely be easy or straightforward. There will be times of tears and celebrations of the tiniest positives imaginable.

You will be tired and stressed and uncertain. You may feel helpless some days, but I sincerely hope that you also have many times when you feel empowered and capable, when you lean heavily on the strength of your own magickal abilities, your spiritual journey, and the interconnected energy of the entire universe.

Take things one day, one hour, one minute at a time, if needed. Be as kind and understanding with yourself as you are with the person you’re caring for, and remember to always tend to your own needs as well so that you can provide for others in as healthy, positive and empowered a way as is realistically possible.

The post Magickal approaches and self-care tips for caregivers appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

As my youth progressed, I discovered more social settings – from Girl Guides to volunteering with the elderly to selling handmade crafts – in which I found it easier, or at least less anxiety-inducing, to be around people.

Yet profoundly shy and introverted as I was, and as tough as some social settings often were (and still can be to this day) for me, I would never in a million years have wanted to experience the realities of medically caused and necessitated social isolation.

Nor would I have imagined as a youngster that the entirety of my adulthood would involve just that. I think it’s safe to say that exceedingly few healthy children would think as much about their own futures. Fortunately, not too many kids have cause or reason to focus on thoughts like that.

All throughout our childhood we keep our eyes on the prize of reaching that magical, almost mythical age in which we go from teen to adult. (Where we are at internally may be an entirely different story, for maturity and stepping into adulthood occur at different paces for many people.)

Little did I know that mere weeks after my eighteenth birthday, my health would take a sudden, drastic (proverbial) flying leap off of a cliff and that the concepts, constraints, and commonalities of life as I’d previously known it would change, often permanently, in the blink of an eye.

For the sake of brevity, I will not go into the lengthy specifics of my medical history in this post. A very brief overview is beneficial though, so that you can better understand why I am in a position to offer you half a lifetime of hard lessons on how to cope with being socially isolated.

A glimpse into the reality of life as a multiple chronic illness fighter

If, on a given day, you passed me on the street chances are that you wouldn’t know that I have more than fifteen different chronic illnesses.

Not symptoms of a single medical condition, not side effects from a medication, but different chronic illnesses, almost all of which are impossible to see simply by looking at me (especially when I’m clothed – which, let’s face it, I’m going to be if I’m public).

There may be subtle signs – the bags under my eyes so big they might try to charge me for oversized luggage at the airport, the subtle or not so subtle trembling stemming from unceasing chronic pain, the calculated, mindful ways in which I often walk, sit and otherwise navigate my body to make the act of moving as bearable as possible.

But my medical conditions wouldn’t jump out at you as a general rule. Most are classified as invisible illnesses. Completely real health issues that do not present in many, if any, visually discernible ways.

Some sources place as many as 96% of all chronic illnesses as being invisible illnesses or disabilities, which means that chances are you or someone you care about has at least one medical condition that falls under this important header.

But perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves by assuming that you’d be passing me on the street in the first place.

That would be a relatively rare occasion even at the best of times.

While the severity, symptom spectrum, management of, and impact on my quality of life, that my various chronic illnesses have on my daily existence has varied over the years, many points have united the almost eighteen years that I have been a multi-chronic illness warrior.

One glaring standout is the degree to which my health as a collective whole causes me to be at home, not by choice, but by sheer necessity coupled with the physical inability to feel well enough to step beyond our front door.

I am not alone on this front, of course. Millions upon millions of people around the world have their own respective ability to come and go as they please curtailed by their health, and I would be remiss if I did not point out that there are some people (for example, though who may be extremely immunocompromised) for whom doing so is flat out dangerous for their health.

The frequency with which I have been able to leave my house has varied over the years. There have been times when I have not gone out for multiple months on end, though thankfully these have not been overly uncommon.

For the past several years, the number of times I’ve been doing well enough on the health front to leave my house in a given month has been, on average, 0 – 3. Perhaps as many as 4 or even 5, if I’m extra lucky.

I have witnessed who seasons pass me by as the severity of my health kept me inside. I get giddy at the prospect of doing the sort of seemingly basic, everyday activities that many folks engage in without a second thought (grocery shopping, going to the post office, talking a walk in a public setting, etc).

I know darn well that no matter what I do when I go out, my health will pay it both in the moment and for days, weeks, or even months afterwards.

Humbly, I’m a strong person and being a multi-chronic illness fighter for the entirety of my adult life has made me all the more so.

I can stare pain dead in the eyes and push myself to extremes I might never have previously thought possible, but like all of us, I have physical and mental limits and the simple truth of the matter is that most days, there’s no way in hell that I’m feeling well enough to go out.

Involuntary social isolation

This inability to come and go as I please – which is also experienced by untold millions of other people with a huge spectrum of medical challenges – is something that quickly becomes a form of involuntary social isolation in many cases.

Forces (our health) beyond our control require that we remain within the walls of our homes, that we do our best to adapt, accept, and try to thrive – however we personally define those terms – while being isolated from society on a regular basis.

There are numerous forms of social isolation, both those undertaken by choice and those that are either involuntary are which are enforced (for example, solitary confinement in prison) upon a person for various reasons.

Detailing the myriad forms of social isolation (including those that may arise from economic factors, being a caregiver for someone else, or those stemming from mental health challenges) and their impacts on the lives, psyches and inner spirits of those who are dealing with them is far beyond the scope of this post.

Most people, for one reason or another, will experience at least a time or two in their lives when their own ability to leave their house whenever they please is either curtailed or put on hold entirely.

Those periods can be challenging in their own right, naturally, but are often not the same thing as that which is faced by those whose health forces them to remain at home frequently and/or for extended periods of time month after month, year after year.

Social isolation and social distancing due to Covid-19

In recent months, the world has come under siege from a far-reaching, rapidly spreading and, in some cases, deadly pandemic called Covid-19. Aka, the coronavirus. Aka SARS-CoV-2.

This illness was first identified in Wuhan China in late 2019 and within weeks it had begun to spread around the world. As I type these words, we are in the throes of a global pandemic, which has likely not hit its zenith yet by any stretch of the imagination.

As a means of trying to slow the spread of this potentially deadly illnesses, many people – either by choice, necessity, or government ordinance have recently gone into isolation in their own homes, greatly restricting or even completely eliminating leaving their house while this pandemic is out in full, frightening force.

My husband and I went into voluntary lockdown (isolation) in mid-March and plan to remain in this state for as long as is required, only leaving the house for food and other genuine necessities once every few weeks or in the case of an extreme medical emergency.

Social isolation partnered with social or physical distancing is a vital component in terms of slowing down the spread of and, in turn, number of fatalities from this devastating illness. Corvid-19 often presents with severe flu-like symptoms initially and can, in some people, morph into a life and death battle involving incredibly severe respiratory issues.

We do not yet (and may never) have a cure. Nor do not have a vaccine. Medical testing for coronavirus is hard to come by in many parts of the world, and we have no way of knowing at this stage how many people will contract this disease when all is eventually said and done.

Social isolation – which is not possible for everyone due to a wide range of reasons, often involving peoples’ respective jobs – is an incredibly important tool that we have at our disposal against a pandemic that is sweeping the world like wildfire.

Suddenly going from a life in which one went out – potentially to school and/or work – on a regular basis, interacted with other people in person, and did various things in social settings to suddenly being inside your house 24/7 is not a cakewalk for a lot of folks.

Regular human contact and interaction is something that most of us both enjoy and need for our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. It’s scarcely a state secret that humans evolved to be social creatures and that we’ve long developed societal structures in which we band together in communal settings.

Up until the outbreak of Covid-19, relatively few people alive today have had to go into social isolation due to a widespread illness or pandemic.

In the following section(s) we are going to explore some of the approaches that I have personally learned, developed and adopted for managing, and even thriving in the face of, social isolation.

Tips to handle social isolation (from a long-time multi-chronic illness fighter)

[TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of suicide and the general topic of mental health are discussed below.]

-Give yourself time to adjust. If being at home around the clock is new (or not very common) for you, go easy on yourself and others in your household. Hitting upon a routine that works for you, how you pass your time, what your workday is like, and numerous other factors may take a bit of trial and error. That is normal and okay. This is new to you and you are not expected to have everything down pat straight out of the gate.

-Maintain as much of a semblance of your normal daily routine as possible: This one can be tricky – very tricky even – at times, but that is all the more reason why it is important. It can be intensely jarring and difficult to handle suddenly having your daily routine turned on its head. Step back and assess what has really changed and what you can still do on a regular basis.

Not only will keeping up with as much of your normal routine as possible benefit you now, but it will make returning to the outside world post-Coronavirus an easier and smoother transition.

-Manage your expectations. This, in my opinion, is one of the single most important keys to maintaining a positive outlook and international dialogue alike when one is in a situation that’s far from their ideal.

Be brutally honest, realistic and forthright with yourself. Take stock of what you have available/at your disposal, what abilities you possess, what kinds of beneficially positive and productive things you can do in your current circumstances, and make peace with those things that simply are not possible at present.

-Focus on what truly matters. Trust, me there’s nothing like a life-altering event to very quickly drive home what matters the most to you and what areas of your life may no longer be serving you well. During this time of being on home-based isolation, take stock of those things that genuinely matter most to you and try to part ways with, or reduce your focus on, those that no longer deserve a significant spot in your life.

-Accept that some things have changed in both the short and the long term. Allow yourself time to process, come to grips with, and hopefully accept the reality of your life as it exists at present.

-Remember that it is okay not be or feel okay sometimes. That is true throughout one’s whole life but becomes all the more so when your usual existance has been drastically altered, you’re immensely stressed/worried, or serious medical issues are filling your days.

-Be mindful of the language that you use, both with others and internally with yourself. Try to shift away from words such as “trapped”, “stuck”, “bored”,  and “sick of this” to ones that foster a positive mindset regarding your current situation.

“I’m fortunate to have the safety of this home”, “I will use my time productively”, “I am grateful that I’m able to stay inside right now”, and “I can make the best of a challenging situation” are examples of statements that can be of help on that front.

-Give yourself time to grieve and process loss. Be it of a job, your usual social routine, the way we’re accustomed to living our lives, or, heartbreakingly, the death of others due to the virus (or any other cause).

-Do at least one thing each day that brings you deeply rooted happiness.

–If you have the ability to safely go outside, take full advantage of it. Fresh air is one of the most beneficial things we can do for our psyches and spirits. If you’re able to safely spend time outside – or even at an open window, do so every chance you can get. You might be surprised by the seemingly small change of going, say, from inside your house to your backyard, can make you feel.

It’s still a very familiar setting, but it is technically a different environment. Having the ability to take of advantage of that change of scenery can do wonders in terms of banishing boredom, giving you a sense of going out (even if the journey is just a few feet), and bolstering your mood.

-Think about some of the truly extraordinary things others, as well as you yourself, have overcome in the past. It can be highly motivational to draw strength and inspiration from those who have gone through harrowing ordeals. History is chocked full of such people and groups, think about those who resonate most with you and use their experiences as a tool to help you navigate the rocky times in your own life.

-Create or maintain a sufficiently clean, well-organized living space. The benefits of doing so on one’s state of mind, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being cannot be overstated. I’m convinced that for most folks, an uncluttered living environment greatly helps to promote and maintain a more positive state of mind and greater clarity of our thoughts.

-Share how you’re feeling. Whether publicly or more privately (for example, with those who live in your house or via texting or calling other people) discus what is weighing on your mind, how you’re coping, if you feel lonely, what you’re missing, and how things are going for you right here and now at this moment in time.

-Make lists to help you navigate your time and priorities during isolation. Check off what you accomplish as you go along, and revel in the wonderful sense of accomplishment that can come from setting your mind to something – no matter how small – and seeing it through.

-Do things at home that maintain and/or foster a deeper sense of physical and mental health and wellness.

–Pace yourself. You might think that being at home all the time would give you loads of energy, but this isn’t always the case. Add in the fatigue that can accompany things such as stress, worry, anxiety and depression, all of which countless people are dealing with in various degrees due to Covid-19, and it’s easy to understand how the usual pep in your step might go MIA for a while.

-If you live with others, try to carve out some alone time just for yourself on a regular basis. This might not always be possible (especially with if you have children at home), but even just a few minutes at night, for example, in which you give yourself some alone time can do wonders for one’s morale and energy levels.

-Accept that some days are going to be a heck of a lot easier to navigate and bear than others. This is the nature of life itself, but it can even more apparent when you’re inside your home 24/7 for days, weeks or months on end. Delight in the positive days, be kind and patient with yourself (and others in your house) during the tougher ones, and remember that each morning brings with it the potential for a better day ahead.

-Communicate your needs effectively within your household and ensure that others have their voices heard, valued and respected as well.

-Stay in contact with those who matter to you – especially the elderly and those are may already be isolated in whatever capacity. Let them know that they’re on your mind, that (if applicable) you love them, and that you’re looking forward to seeing them (again, if applicable) when the pandemic is over.

-Put the social in “social networking” to good use, but don’t live on the internet 24/7. When you do engage with social media, consider focusing on using it actively (posting, commenting, messaging, etc) instead of just scrolling and clicking aimlessly until your fingers hurt.

-Consider unfollowing or unsubscribing from any accounts that currently add to your stress, negative thought load, sense of wellbeing or happiness. And, in turn, look for new-to-you positive accounts – be it ones with adorable animal pictures, helpful self-care advice, others who share your own interest or people/accounts who inspire you – to follow

-Lean into your spiritual or religious path, if applicable, and utilize your beliefs as a highly meaningful way to help you experience and cope with both social isolation and the broader global picture of the coronavirus pandemic.

-Don’t just focus on yourself. Find ways to brighten other peoples’ days. If you’re in isolation at home, this can become trickier, but it’s not impossible. Could you make something now (a card, blanket, baby booties, meal that you freeze, garden markers – you name it!) that you can tuck away and give once the pandemic is over?

What about sending a lovely “thinking of you” email out of the blue to someone you care about, giving sincere compliments to others online, or asking those you live with what would make their lives easier to navigate at present?

-Ask others how they’re coping. Listen, use supportive wording in your phrasing, focus on proactive and positive discussions, when possible, but by the same token, don’t hold back if you need to vent. These are complex, uncertain and very stressful times and I think it’s safe to say that most of us could use a good venting session right about now!

-Remember that we are each going through something that is new, frightening, uncertain, stressful, and potentially life threating right now.

-Be creative! The acts of making and creating can be incredibly beneficial to our psyches and happiness levels, while helping to pass the time, and potentially deepening our skillsets in the process.

You don’t have to give Michelangelo, Beethoven or Dickens a run for their money though. Just have fun, go easy on yourself, remember that creativity is a never-ending learning experience, and that as Bob Ross famously said regarding painting, “we don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents”.

-Embrace the positive aspects of being indoors, (potentially) experiencing solitude, and having some potentially much needed time to recharge and slow down for a while.

-Laugh and smile as often as possible. Watch or read things that make you grin or giggle, delight in the silly antics of your pet, look for reasons to smile from your heart, and don’t go too long between enjoying the moment right here and now.

-Consider starting a gratitude jar or a blessing jar in which you keep track of some of the things that you are thankful for or which you feel blessed to experience.

-Take photos and/or videos. Granted, a good many of us do this already on a regular basis thanks to digital cameras and phones with camera technology built right into them, but why not use your time of being housebound to go take a slew of snaps just for the fun of it. No pressure, no worries about if posted images will get a zillion likes, just a photographic (or videographic) documentation of what your life, home, and daily reality looks like at this moment in time.

-Find or turn to existing sources in your life help you to feel grounded, centred and relaxed. This could be anything from playing with your pet to meditating, listening to ASMR to performing methodical tasks around the house, doing a jigsaw puzzle to writing in a journal.

-Make a point of thinking about and discussing good things that happen to you or things that spark happy, positive thoughts and feelings. Now, more than ever, the positives that we experience deserve to be noted and celebrated.

-Remind yourself that today is not forever. If it helps, write or print out this message and place somewhere that you’ll see it on a regular basis.

-Think ahead, but don’t live entirely for the future.  A coronavirus-free future can’t come fast enough, but it’s important that as we hope for a speedy end to the pandemic and far brighter days ahead, we don’t lose sight of the value, worth, importance and blessing of the days that we’re currently living. They might not be ideal, but they are a part of our lives that we will never get back and which deserve to be utilized and appreciated by virtue of the fact that we’re alive to experience them.

-Immediately seek help if you are experiencing extreme mental health challenges, considering suicide, or otherwise unable to cope on a psychological level with your life at present.

In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s phone number is 1-800-273-8255

In Canada, Crisis Service Canada’s phone number is 1-833-465-4566

In the UK, The Samaritan’s phone number is 116 123

Many other countries have similar suicide and crisis hotlines, which a quick Google search for such should bring up for your own respective country.

Mental health is immeasurably important. The impact of the current global pandemic is something that is impacting each of us and our minds in countless ways. Again (especially as someone who is no stranger to mental health challenges themselves), I cannot stress how vitally important it is that you reach out to someone if you need help.

-Embrace a less is more mindset: Many of us are dealing with a multitude of different “lesses” right now, from the amount of income we’re bringing into the numbers of times we’re leaving the house. These can be truly difficult and require time, strategies, and possibly external assistance in order to cope with. A lot of us can, when all is said and done, get by and make do with less in some areas of our lives.

Isolated though we may be, we’re all in this together

It’s safe to say that our planet is at war right now. The enemy doesn’t have military-grade artillery, wear a uniform, or fly fighter jets overhead. No, it is invisible to the naked eye, stealthy as the day is long, and continuing to spread around the globe at truly alarming and deadly rates.

By far one of the best weapons of defence that we have against this enemy is self-isolation coupled with physical distancing, if we must leave our homes.

Corvid-19 is not a small matter. It is not just a “bad flu” or something that you can’t possibly catch for whatever reason. Barring if a small percentage of the population has a natural immunity already to this highly infectious disease (we do not yet have proof to support this possibility), the coronavirus can potentially strike any of us regardless of age, state of health, or where we live in the world.

This is a global crisis of immense proportion and extreme seriousness. It is a time for us to collectively pull together in every way that we possibly can.

Social distancing and working to flatten the curve in terms of the increase and spread of Corvid-19 depends hugely on what we do as a collective whole to minimize our social interactions with others right now.

While it is not a guarantee that social isolation will prevent you from getting the Coronavirus, it may help greatly on that front, while also decreasing your ability to pass along the virus to others (including the most vulnerable members of our society, such as the elderly and immunocompromised) if you are presently infected with it.

If things are feeling especially tough on the social isolation front, tap into the altruistic aspect of what you’re doing. Think about that fact that your actions are not just potentially helping you and those that you may share a home with, but that you are genuinely contributing to the health and wellbeing of society as a collective whole.

Remember this time and use it to help you in the future

Life is rough for many people right and stands to get even tougher the longer this pandemic continues. No one knows when the Corvid-19 pandemic will end – nor if we will experience multiple waves of in the months or years ahead (much like with the Spanish Flu of 1918 – 1919).

In theory, it will end at some point. The world as we know it that emerges from the impact of this global catastrophe will not be the same – nor will you. Both have already changed and been shaped by Corvid-19, whether you yourself contact the virus or not.

There is an incredible amount that we can learn as a society and as individuals alike from this experience. Some of these points are already apparent, others will surface as time goes on, and some may be lessons waiting to be unearthed by future generations.

Our actions, including social isolation today, genuinely help to ensure that there will be a planet and a human population to create those very generations.

Hopefully, we will not experience another worldwide pandemic like Corvid-19 again for a very long time, but the reality is that another pandemic could strike anywhere, anytime. The more prepared and able to deal with it we are straight out of the gate, the fewer lives will be lost.

When the time comes in which it is safe to cease being socially isolated due to the coronavirus, take what you’ve learned during this experience about yourself and about humanity with you into the future.

Chances are, the going will get tough for you at other points in your life. Look back on this experience and tap into the tactics that helped you to get through social isolation to deal with whatever you’re facing then.

Those of us who are fortunate to survive this pandemic are going to need to keep pulling together, keep supporting, and keep helping one another in its aftermath.

In doing so, I urge you to remember and think about those around the globe for whom involuntary isolation is a very real part of their daily existence. The end of the pandemic will not change this facet of life for those who are in this position.

We will still experience social isolation, still have long periods of being unable to leave the house, and will be facing the same types of challenges that you are, on top of the around-the-clock battles involved with serious health issues.

Relatively briefly you experienced, in certain respects, what our lives are like day in and day out. I hope that in doing so, you will keep us in mind, show all the more compassion and understanding to those who are unable to leave their homes due to their health, and think of us the next time you step out of your house simply because you want to do so.

This is an extraordinary gift and one that, as the world is collectively experiencing and coming to understand, can vanish in the blink of an eye.

Let us hope with all our might that it never does again, but accept that if and when it does, we can meet those challenges – just like the present ones that the coronavirus is presenting us with – head-on and with steadfast determination.

If you found this post helpful or beneficial, I encourage you to please share it on social media so that the advice it houses can reach as many people as possible while so many of us around the world experiencing social isolation. This has nothing to do with comments, likes, or blog traffic numbers. I genuinely want to assist as many folks around I possibly can right now (from the within the walls of my own home) and sharing this post is the number one way to do just that. Thank you deeply.

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