Practicing mindfulness in this challenging time is like riding a bike up a steep hill that looks like it never ends.

Every day there are new tweets, news reports and videos showing the bullying and degradation of human beings in America. It’s tough, I’m not going to lie. Many days I want to crawl up in a ball in the corner of the room and say really loudly, “F*ck you, mindfulness!”

I keep thinking: How did this happen? How did we end up in a world where love seems to have fallen behind hate? Just watch the news and the endless barrage of negative, nasty comments—I cannot keep up.

Where do I go to hide from the insanity that is out there? How do I speak to my daughters about staying in a vibration of love, when they live in New York City and are seeing many acts of hate all around them?

I taught my children that connecting to peace, being kind and compassionate to others and being grateful for their lives will put them on a path to a joyful life. What do I tell them now, when it feels like a joyful life is out of reach?

Every time I believe that someone in our government—someone with the power to make a change—will stand up for what is just and good for all, I am sorely disappointed.

So here I am, writing a blog about love in the month of love, wondering what to say. I cannot pretend that this is an easy time to practice breathing, meditation and radiating joy. It’s really, really hard.

I know that going on a “news-fast” is a great idea, but in the age of social media that doesn’t help much. I need to use my computer, so I cannot avoid the constant updates about the goings-on in our government.

So how can we connect to peace and vibrate love?

1. Feel the feelings. Write them down, go to a boxing class, go for a walk in nature and cry if you have to—but feel it. Whatever is happening in the world is touching on a vibration that lives inside of you. Feeling it will help it move on for good.

2. Practice breathing. Take long, deep breaths into your belly. Picture breathing in peace into every cell of your body and breathing out love to everyone on this earth.

3. Send love to people. From your heart to their hearts, send love to those people you see every day—and yes, that includes total strangers. The person next to you in the gym, the cashier at the grocery store and the barista at the coffee shop—send them love and watch it come back to you.

4. Focus on the positive. Write some sticky notes to yourself (or others in your home) and post them on mirrors and walls. “You are amazing because…” “I am so proud of the way you…”

5. Be grateful. Write down three things you are grateful for in your life. Find the beauty in nature on a walk with your dog, or in the birds’ chirping.

6. Have faith in the universe. Trust that we are on the right path, even though it doesn’t feel like it right now. Practice handing it all over to the light.

Remember, peace is where the power lies; when you are in a vibration of peace no one can bother you. You are in control when you are connected to peace. A peaceful march is powerful; cleaning up swastikas is powerful; writing sticky notes of love in the subway is powerful.

Love will win. It always does.

~

Author: Kathy Walsh

Image: Flickr/Amy

Editor: Yoli Ramazzina