Spiritual Practices for Dark Times: Building Resilience Through Simplicity

Spiritual practices don't eliminate hardship but can cultivate resilience, helping us develop the capacity to recover from difficulty rather than avoid it. Simple, accessible techniques can create physiological shifts that interrupt anxiety spirals and build emotional flexibility.

• Minute breathing - placing a hand on your heart and taking one deep breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system

• Compassionate touch - acknowledging emotions by placing your hand where you feel them in your body and saying "I see you"

• Grounding connection - spending just 30 seconds outside connecting with nature to experience perspective and awe

• Consistency matters more than intensity - a one-minute practice you actually do is more valuable than an hour-long practice that feels overwhelming

• These practices strengthen intuition by creating space between analytical thinking and deeper knowing

• Resilience comes from acknowledging difficult feelings rather than powering through them

Email me at emily@bloomingwand.com with your thoughts and the simple practices that help you during difficult times. Don't forget to like and subscribe!

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Transcript

Introduction to Blooming Wand

Speaker 1 0:00

Hey friends, welcome to Blooming Wand. I'm Emily O'Neill, evidential Psychic Medium, Intuitive Healer and Coach, and I'm inviting you to follow along with the Blooming Wand channel for some grounded spiritual content. I like to talk about tarot. I definitely like to talk about psychism, mediumship, history, art, poetry and how all of those things can intersect. Each of those things is a part of my spiritual practice and has helped me along the way, and so I like to share those kinds of things here at Blooming Wand, and I wanted to talk about how, in a world where things are feeling increasingly chaotic, we often hear about spiritual practices as tools for enlightenment or self-improvement, but what's discussed less frequently and this is what I wanted to talk about today on the channel is how these same practices can be really practical lifelines during our darkest moments.

Beyond Toxic Positivity

Speaker 1 1:06

The spiritual community sometimes falls into this trap of toxic positivity by suggesting that with enough meditation or even the right affirmations, suffering will simply dissolve and disappear, and this approach can leave us feeling inadequate, especially when we continue to struggle despite our personal and spiritual efforts. So here's what I've come to understand, and I'm learning and growing, just like everybody is. But spiritual practices don't eliminate hardship, but they can cultivate resilience, and resilience is not about avoiding difficulty. It's about developing the capacity to recover from it, and spiritual practices can contribute to this in several ways. And I wanted to also say something about how I've had to learn that resilience isn't spiritual or emotional bypassing, and I've learned through some self-work that I've done, that sometimes I power through things and think I'm being really resilient, and I am in some ways, but I'm also using my energy to not look at things that I need to look at in the world or within myself. So we're talking about resilience in a way. That's like taking good care of yourself.

Speaker 1 2:35

And so you know, as I'm kind of sharing this all with you, I'm just a little bit over two and a half weeks from having a hysterectomy, and this procedure was really needed, but I was scared to undergo it, and I've also been not just with the surgery but just with life, like feeling really kind of disturbed at some of the things that I'm seeing happen in my country of origin. I'm a United States citizen in what is also known to the Indigenous peoples here as Turtle Island, and it's not exactly that everything that I'm seeing happening is new. I just feel that there's a rise in the intensity, which means that there needs to be, you know, a rise in my efforts to do the good work that needs to be done, which means I need to be practicing some good self-care so that I can show up in the ways that I need to. Anyway, to be of service to a community and to heal physically from my surgery, I've had to lean into my spiritual practices, and these used to or have typically included volunteer work with children in my local school system where I live, meditation, journaling, using tarot as a form of self-care and been part of my spiritual practices and tending to the land in which I reside. But I can't do some of those things right now because of some physical limitations while I heal from surgery. So things have had to shift a little bit, and, as an evidential psychic medium, my relationship to spirit is always really central to my practices and I find various ways to regularly make time to sit in silence and to feel, you know, the great spirit that unites us all, or you know, that's something that I believe. But all that said, sometimes I just need to remember some basics, and here are a few really quick practices that have felt really helpful to me lately, and so this kind of episode is about offering you some quick ways to check in and to connect and to offer yourself some nourishment, and these practices are just things that I've done.

Minute Breathing Technique

Speaker 1 4:51

So I have three simple practices, and they require no equipment, minimal time, and can be adapted to any belief system. And what makes them powerful, in my mind, is that they're really accessible during moments when we're in distress or feeling just like stressed out. So the first one is minute breathing. So it's sort of I call it building the foundation of our presence. And so here's the practice. Here's the practice you just place a hand on your heart and take one deep breath, focusing only on the sensation of air filling and leaving your body. That's it. Hand on heart, you can leave your eyes open or closed and inhaling and exhaling, and just feeling your breath, your essence. Fill your body with the inhale and leave your body with the exhale.

Speaker 1 5:52

Now why does this work? This simple act engages the parasympathetic nervous system which governs our rest and digest functions, and even a single conscious breath can begin to lower cortisol levels and your heart rate. The physical touch component so touching your heart or placing your hand on your chest activates the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in stress regulation. So this combination of touch and breath creates a physiological shift that can interrupt anxiety spirals and I don't know about you, but I've really needed to interrupt some anxiety spirals. And, like I said, our breath is tried and true and bringing our attention to our breath is just like it works. Attention to our breath is just like it works. Now, how does this connect to building resilience?

Speaker 1 6:54

Well, when practiced regularly, even in non stressful moments, so you don't have to be stressed when you do this, you can do it whenever you want this creates a neural pathway that becomes more accessible when you are in crisis, and I know that I have experienced this. I feel like I've built that muscle, so to speak, within my nervous system that when I am kind of overwhelmed and I do the minute breathing, it's almost like I don't know, my whole soul or body has this huge sigh of relief. It's like thank you, emily, for doing that, and it gets easier and easier to do. Is it easy all the time? No, is it easy most of the time? For me now, because of my consistent practice of doing this, yeah, but I don't always do it when I'm feeling bad. I do it when I feel good when I feel bad. I'm using bad in air quotes because I try not to think of things in terms of good or bad, but for a failure of not thinking of better words to say we'll go with that and it's been really, really helpful. So the body does remember, making it easier to return to the centering practice when you need it most. And that's sort of a simpler way of saying what I just did is that the more you do it, the more your body remembers and the more it's ready to kind of shift gears when you do the minute breathing.

Compassionate Touch Practice

Speaker 1 8:16

Now, going a little bit deeper with this practice, after you've built some comfort with single breaths you've built some comfort with single breaths try extending it to more than one breath, make it three or then five, and then notice how your awareness changes, even when you're doing this for like maybe just one minute, and over time you can build it up to maybe three or five minutes. But I always tell people just start with a couple simple breaths, we're not trying to overwhelm. Now the next simple practice I call compassionate touch. So it helps me to sort of embrace what is as it is in any given moment, and the practice is when emotions are intense, again, gently place your hand wherever you feel the emotion in your body and simply say I see you to that feeling and I won't lie. When this was first recommended to me I thought it was really ridiculous and I kind of did an internal eye roll and I'm like, oh yeah, I'm gonna feel the emotion in my body and tell it, oh, I see you and that's going to help. Whatever Turns out, it works. So, even though I kind of dismissed this practice initially, I've actually come to really love it and it's become foundational to my self-care practices.

Speaker 1 9:49

So I tend to feel a lot in around my neck and shoulders, in my heart and in my like abdominal area. I'll feel things like that, that what people say in the pit of my stomach a lot of the times, or my stomach will drop, or when I feel stress, it tends to be between my throat and my heart. So I like to place a hand on. I'm usually feeling more than one things at one time. So I place a hand on my belly and kind of feel that and tell my belly I see you when I have emotional sensations there, and then I'll go to my heart and I'll let my heart space know whatever it's feeling. I see that now I don't need to name the feeling, I don't need to know why I'm feeling that feeling. We're not worried about any of that. It's just simply I have the feeling, I can feel it in my body and I put my hand there and I just say I see you, that's it, and take a couple breaths. Now, why does this work?

Speaker 1 10:47

This practice combines really two powerful elements Somatic awareness, so locating emotions in the body. And, just on a side note, that can come easy to people initially, and it can also not be something that comes easy to people. I had to sort of practice, this of like where do I feel that in my body? And not think it, but feel it. So I tend to think my feelings. That's an Emily thing that is not unique to me, by the way and so my brain would kind of come in and want to tell me things about the feeling, and it would take me a second to feel the feeling in my body. So maybe that'll be that way for you too.

Speaker 1 11:30

I don't know, but this does have a somatic component to it by helping us to locate emotions in the body and acknowledge them without judgment. So, whatever they are, even if they're ones that we're like, not proud of having, like feeling like we really don't like somebody, or being disgusted or revolted or angry, or just feeling kind of yuck, we really want to feel it in the body, place the hand upon the area in the body where we feel it and just say I see you from a place of neutral and non-judgment. And our difficult emotions often intensify when we resist them. And that explains a lot to me as a thinker of my emotions. That's a form of resisting emotions. I think it's also kind of part of the way that I was wired for various reasons and my analyzing of emotions just made them build and build and build, whereas when I just feel them by placing my hand on my body, acknowledging the emotion by saying that I see it, it takes it down a couple of notches and if I really breathe with it, I can usually like regulate my nervous system a little bit. So the, the act of physically touching the location of discomfort and verbally acknowledging it, that's where you kind of it's a little bit of exposure therapy. It's safely approaching what we might otherwise avoid by being really present for it.

Speaker 1 13:02

So building resilience. So how does this connect to our theme of building resilience through some really simple spiritual self-care practices, of building resilience through some really simple spiritual self-care practices. Some people might just call these self-care practices, but I feel like self-care is a spiritual practice, so we could probably chat about that more. But how this practice builds resilience is that it teaches us that emotions, no matter how overwhelming, are temporary states rather than permanent identities overwhelming are temporary states rather than permanent identities. And this recognition builds emotional flexibility and the ability to experience difficult feelings without being consumed by them, and who doesn't want that? Now, going a little bit deeper, after acknowledging the emotion, you can add a layer of saying this to yourself. This belongs to my experience now and that's okay.

Speaker 1 13:57

And this cultivates acceptance of your present reality without demanding immediate change, and I think that's that's kind of big recognizing that when we have uncomfortable emotions, either we want to avoid them or go away or change like now, like we don't want to wait. Give me relief now. But I feel like we know that that immediate change is something that we can cultivate, maybe through some of these practices and that quote, quote immediate change is usually just taking the edge off a little bit, decompressing, relieving ourselves of a high level of intensity and coming to a state that we can maybe manage a little bit more or tolerate a little bit better. I always chuckle when I say things about our system wanting or we think we want immediate change now, now, now, because our phones and the fast pace of how much information we consume in day-to-day life right now it makes our brain feel like we should be getting things now, and the reality is is that everything happens, you know, over time. So that's something I have to work on. I don't know about you.

Grounding Connection with Nature

Speaker 1 15:14

So the third one is grounding connection, and this is exactly what it sounds like. It's grounding, so connecting to something beyond ourselves. Here's the practice Step outside for just 30 seconds, feel the earth beneath you and you know if you don't have a green space that you can get access to. I understand that some people live in cities or places where it's not easy to get to a park or trail or anything like that. Just go outside and look at the sky. The idea is that by connecting to the earth or connecting to the sky and the clouds and the clouds passing through the sky and things like that, we can realize that we're part of something that's much bigger than this moment's struggles. And why does this work, this practice? It quickly shifts perspective by engaging in the natural world.

Speaker 1 16:09

I'm a huge believer that nature nurtures and I always try to spend time outside, even if I'm taking the dogs out to go potty. I really try to use that time not just to take the dogs out to go potty, but to look around, to breathe the air, to feel the wind. Today, when I was doing it, it started to rain. April showers bring May flowers, and so I was feeling the little raindrops and looking at the buds that are going to be blooming soon and just inhaling the fresh air and the breeze. And it does make me feel connected to something bigger than myself. And when we look at the sky or connect to nature, I feel like it connects us to awe. And this is an emotion that we experience when we encounter the vastness of things that kind of exceed our understanding. How do the flowers know when to bloom? How do the leaves know when to fall off the trees? Why do clouds look one way and then another way? And it's just kind of I don't know. It's awe-inspiring and there is something about that that does help us to kind of shift moods and perspectives.

Speaker 1 17:24

Now, physically connecting with the earth whenever possible engages our proprioceptive sense. This is the awareness of our body in space, which can help people who feel ungrounded during stress become more grounded. I think there's even stuff called. There's a lot of information on the internet about grounding and earthing and like putting your feet actually in the dirt and connecting skin to skin or skin to dirt with the earth. That always feels good to me. I tend to more put my hands in the dirt than my feet, but either way, I'm sure it works.

Speaker 1 18:05

Now, how does this simple practice connect to this theme of building resilience? Well, regular practice of grounding or connecting to earth or sky, or encountering a sense of awe, reinforces our interconnectedness with the larger world, providing a counterbalance to a sense of isolation that we usually feel in difficult times, and this sense of connection is consistently linked to greater physiological resilience. Now, going a little bit deeper when you want to connect to the earth or nature or the sky, try adding this brief affirmation that, just as the sky, earth has witnessed countless human struggles before mine. It will remain long after this difficulty has passed. So this idea that things come and go and that some things remain constant, like earth and sky. Our breath is another constant. So I want to also say that this is about consistency over intensity.

Building Consistent Practice

Speaker 1 19:12

The power of these practices comes not from their intensity, but from their consistency just doing them regularly and that's why I try to point out they can just take a few minutes. It doesn't have to be some hour-long thing. It can be as long or as short as you want it to be, and a one-minute practice that you actually do is infinitely more valuable than an hour-long practice that feels too overwhelming to attempt when you're in a state of crisis or feeling overwhelmed. And I would invite you to start by incorporating one of these practices into your daily routine. Perhaps just the minute breathing practice. When you feel like I like to do the minute breathing practice, when you feel like I like to do the minute breathing right when I wake up, I think that's a good suggestion. And then, once it becomes habitual, you can add one of the other practices, like the hand over, the feeling that you're sensing in your body or the connecting to earth, sky, nature.

Speaker 1 20:08

Now, the goal isn't perfection. You can't really do these wrong, but I know that I'm a little bit of a perfectionist and sometimes I do things and make them harder than they need to be. It's just about familiarizing yourself with them and familiarizing yourself with you and how you can approach these things, these practices. So these tools are just readily available whenever you're having a hard time and times are kind of intense right now. So that's why I actually wanted to revisit some of these simple exercises, as I need to get to basics sometimes and just remember breath, touch, grounding simple things, not that big of a deal.

Speaker 1 20:50

Now some things to consider as you develop your practice. Which of your senses tends to ground you the most? Is it touch, sight, sound, smell? And you'll learn this if you practice these three simple practice. Over time You'll learn like what grounds you. Sometimes I need to listen to some soothing music to ground myself while I'm doing my minute breathing. I know sound is a really powerful tool for me. Touch is important to me too, so let me know what you find about what sense grounds you, and it can change, like you're not always going to be the same.

Speaker 1 21:27

Here's another thing to think about Do you find more comfort in movement or stillness? Some people find stillness very difficult. I love it, but I also love movement too. So sometimes when I'm doing my walk, daily walk. I don't wear earbuds or anything like that, I just walk, look at the sky and focus on my breath, and that can be very grounding for me.

Speaker 1 21:50

Now, the other thing this is this one. I really thought about this and it just it dawned on me one day that it's important to recognize what time of day do you need support, tend to need support. For me, I start the day off feeling like bright eyed and bushy tailed and do my breathing exercise. I feel great, but towards the end of the day I like bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and do my breathing exercise. I feel great, but towards the end of the day I start to unravel, and so that's a time when I really need to lean into my practices quick ones, the ones that I've recommended here.

Speaker 1 22:21

Now here's another thing to consider what specific challenges trigger your distress, because I'm sure there are certain things that always get you going. I know we can be surprised by new things that stress us out, but you probably can think of a handful of things that cause you stress on a regular basis, and when they do trigger stress, those events do trigger stress within you. Step back and do a minute breathing, feel where you feel it in your body and say I see you and acknowledge it. Don't just power through intense times. This is an invitation to do the opposite, by acknowledging what it's doing to your system and yourself, so that you can acknowledge it and be present for it in a way that is supportive and calming. Now, by answering these questions, you can refine these practices to address your unique needs.

Speaker 1 23:18

Now, looking at this from an ongoing journey kind of perspective, remember that building resilience through spiritual practice is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing process, and some days you'll find these practices flow so easily and others will become more just. They'll just be harder, and both experiences are definitely valuable. The true measure of success and how you perform these practices comes from how they serve you in during difficult times. So pay attention Are they working for you or not? And notice when you naturally turn to these tools during stress. This is the resilience that you're building in action. It's like when you go from I'm going to power through this to I'm going to take a beat. I'm going to take a second. That's the sign of a person who is truly resilient and truly present and trying to do the best they can for themselves in stressful times, and that's that spiritual practices are not intended to bypass human suffering but to help us move through it with greater awareness and gentleness.

Spirituality and Psychic Mediumship

Speaker 1 24:51

Spirituality circles and other places Definitely different psychic mediums or tarot readers and everything it's like wanting to provide that quick fix or that fast food spirituality to people and it can promote emotional bypassing. That's probably a topic for another session where I can kind of talk about some of those things and how to identify them. They can initially feel kind of good but over time they stop working and they don't feel so good because you realize that the more again like I mentioned earlier you bypass or avoid something, it grows because it knows you're pushing it away and that can create inner conflict which can just increase your level of attention. So these are intended to offer you ways to be present with difficult things that arise within your awareness and body and to move through them just with kindness and empathy for yourself and non-judgment and being kind of curious. I feel like curiosity is really helpful Now my journey as an evidential psychic medium.

Speaker 1 25:58

The reason that I like these practices is because they've been transformative, not just for my personal resilience but for my professional work as well. The minute breathing has helped me attune to subtle energetic shifts that I might previously have missed in a session, and compassionate touches taught me to distinguish between my emotions and those I'm sensing from others. So when I'm working psychically, obviously I know what's mine and it's attuned me to what's my clients versus mine, and also it's attuned me to, when I have a spirit communicator with me, what that feels like. So it's just taught me a lot about my awareness and how to sense the difference between this is an Emily thing and this is not mine or belongs to someone else, or I'm picking up on something from someone else. And the grounding into the earth and the grounding practice has broadened my awareness beyond the confines of my everyday consciousness. So that's just a really cool thing.

Speaker 1 26:58

Nature and connecting to nature and the essence of nature is such a wonderful way to walk through this world. I have trees that I love to sit next to because some of them feel particularly yummy to me, and I love to visit them and be in their presence. I definitely love watching birds all kinds of birds, doesn't matter what they are and just sitting and watching them flying around and the insects. It just puts me in that sense of state of awe and openness and being kind of receptive, which are key principles of sort of how to work as a as an evidential psychic medium. A lot of people don't know that, but connecting to awe and love and oneness is a huge foundational skill for that work.

Speaker 1 27:48

What I found most profound is how these simple practices have strengthened my connection to my inner voice and intuition, creating space between my thinking mind and just my deeper knowing, things that I just know. When fear or analytical thinking would have previously blocked a clear reading or just also, in a personal note in my personal life, just made my life harder, these practices have helped me step aside and allow information to flow through me rather than from me, which I think is an important distinction for those of us that work with clients as psychic mediums, and this brings not only personal peace but also a more profound connection to the greater consciousness that surrounds us all, the same consciousness that allows me to serve as a bridge between worlds during readings. So I would really love to hear from you guys what simple practices help you during difficult times. You can find me at bloomingwandcom, where you'll see an email. Find me at bloomingwandcom, where you'll see an email.

Speaker 1 28:51

Emily at bloomingwandcom. Send in your thoughts. You can leave comments here. Don't forget to like and subscribe, and do take good care of yourselves and I will be back shortly. I'll see you soon.