Today's Words of Wisdom Wednesday podcast episode is about creating space to recover or rebuild. It's also the first episode I've recorded after the volcano eruption took place in Antigua Guatemala on June 3, 2018. It wasn't until recently that I recognized the emotional toll this had on many people in the country that in some way or another were indirectly impacted by the catastrophic event. Shortly after this took place, the country went into fight-or-flight mode which greatly helped with relief efforts. When this happened, I was living 9 miles away which I believe increased my level of awareness about what these families were going through and how the rest of the surrounding villages would be affected. It was difficult not to cry after watching footage of the destruction. It was also difficult not to get involved when you're aware of the damages even if you avoid the media. Antigua Guatemala felt different after this day and even after the clean-up was managed, the scars were alive and well. Businesses, residents, government officials, and many others panicked as people were overcome with fear and concern for the victims and our community. When the dust began to settle, I was depleted of emotional energy and had no idea that's what happened until I created the space to identify what had unfolded. Creating space is not a bad thing and often necessary if we plan to regain strength, energy or momentum. In today's episode, you'll hear the ways in which I've done this in many different areas when things begin to feel "off." Whether it's between people or circumstances, without the space to reflect and piece together what's missing, we simply carry over those emotions into our future until it becomes too much to suppress and life forces us to evaluate our feelings. Today, I share how I've applied this logic at different times due to the consequences that have resulted from doing the complete opposite of creating space between myself and people, or me and my emotions.
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