Between the tragic shooting in Las Vegas and the devastating wildfires here in the Bay Area, the last couple of weeks have been HARD. It's been unimaginably heart-wrenching for those directly affected and my heart goes out to them, their families and their communities. 

I've felt inundated by recent events- it's in my inbox, in my feed and it's all everyone seems to be talking about it. I've been feeling some guilt and shame about being okay and practicing gratitude during a time when others are grieving so much. But then, a friend said something that totally shifted my perspective...

✨"YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ENERGY STATE"✨

hat's when I was reminded that I have a choice: I can allow external things to control my life, or I can take responsibilty for my energy state by taking the best care possible of myself right now. Doing this puts me in a richer energy state, a state in which I can be of higher service to the world around me.

By no means do I follow this list perfectly everyday, but these are simple the tools I use either keep my energy state high or shift it:

1. Basic needs: Am I hungry or thirsty? It seems silly, but I first make sure my basic needs are met. It's easy to forget sometimes when I've been sitting at the computer for hours.
2. Sleep: Prioritize extra 😴. Research has shown that sleep gives the body and brain time to repair itself. We especially needs this during times of despair and over-stimulation. I take a melatonin and read a hard copy book before bed to wind down. 
3. Breakfast: Prepare a healthy, protein-rich breakfast the day before so I don't have to think about it first thing in the morning.
4. Sip on bone broth: If I'm feeling so energy-poor that I'm unable to eat, I sip on bone broth. It has been used by humans, across generations and cultures, for hundreds of years for its nourishing medicinal qualities.
5. Get outside: If I'm feeling stuck, going for a walk outside usually helps me shift my energy state so I come back refreshed and with a new perspective.
6. Baths: Treat myself to a 10-minute Epsom salt bath with essential oils to start or end the day.
7. Exercise: (I've been missing my runs lately with this extra smokey air) It always gets my endorphins flowing and my energy state up, even if I have to drag myself out the door sometimes. 
8. Connect with loved ones: Call the people you love to say hello. Doing this helps me feel more connected. Anything I can do to feel connected (in a nourishing, healing way) is helpful during these times.
9. Be with community: For me, this means going to Friday services and praying collectively with my community. It means hosting family and friends for an easy Shabbat dinner or going to a co-working day with my Honeymoon Israel community. 
10. Celebrating joy, always: Last week at services, one of the rabbis said that celebrating joy and blessings becomes even more important during times of sorrow. There was a couple who was getting married over the weekend and, despite everything going on in the world, we sang and celebrated them as a community. It was a good reminder that we cannot know joy without sorrow.