By Allison Alexander, Cohort 13
We live in a time when showing up as a leader is challenging. The number of worries that could fill our minds at any given moment is not insignificant. The media, of all kinds, is ready to remind us of the fragile state of everything should we fall momentarily into a place of comfort or ease.
This is to say nothing of the reality that we are also navigating personal issues and unique circumstances while living in a world that appears to be in complete upheaval. There are still lunches to make and errands to run, while the future of governmental agencies as we know them is being dismantled and rearranged at a breakneck pace.
As leaders in early childhood, we are also acutely aware of the impact many of the changes happening around us could have on those in our care or the children and families we have spent our careers advocating for. The stakes feel perilously high, and many are losing hope and feeling defeated.
It is understandable to react to much of what is happening by resigning ourselves to defeat and settling into doomscrolling. Yet, I believe there is an alternative.
We are not living in unprecedented times, and to say so is to minimize the struggles of many of our ancestors. If we remove our worldview from the micro-moment we live in and expand to a macro vision that includes all of world history, we know that empires have risen and fallen for millennia, and humans have undergone massive changes throughout their time on Earth. While this is undoubtedly challenging, it is not without precedent.
What is different this time around is the access we have to information in real-time. Most of us have a tiny computer in our pockets, providing us with a steady stream of information about the horrors going on in places that are far removed from us. We know within minutes about new rules and regulations, often long before plans for implementation have been actualized. As we are already stressed from any number of things, we don’t have space to receive this information as anything other than another threat to our safety.
As a result, many of us remain stuck in cycles of fight/ flight and, ultimately, hopelessness.
Our nervous systems have simply not evolved at the same pace as our access to information. To counteract this deficit, learning how to utilize different tools to regain control of the present and our bodies is critical for living and leading from a place that is not rooted in fear alone. One of the most potent tools used throughout human history requires no special equipment and is always with us: our breath.
I have been obsessed with breathing for over 25 years. Little did I know when I began my Pilates teacher training that I would be starting a lifelong journey of learning the immense power and potential contained within our breath. Over the years, I have followed the breadcrumbs of curiosity linked to breath to learn more about its ability to change our experience of the present, not only in movement but also in stillness.
Taking even a couple of moments a day to connect with the breath can change one’s entire day and shift perspectives almost instantly. When one can focus on one’s breath, the nervous system starts to receive the message that life is not in imminent danger and can start to downshift.
This can be done before, after, or during difficult conversations without anyone else knowing. I have also used breath awareness to start workplace meetings, bringing each person into the present moment and into a more relaxed state.
Connecting with the breath for longer periods of time can start to dramatically shift one’s life and anxiety levels. I have experienced this power firsthand, especially during the past two years as I moved through the process of a complex and profoundly triggering divorce. After 20-30-minute breathwork sessions, my outlook on my present and future completely shifted. I could keep moving through my daily life by taking a few moments each day to connect with my breath. My life had never been more stressful or full of uncertainty, yet my breath allowed me to find stability.
For those of us working with children, we know that they need us to co-regulate. While we cannot control all of the outside world, we can control how we move through it and regulate to the best of our abilities.
Those of us working to support systems will likely have to engage with some we disagree with. We cannot change them, but we can change how we show up and move through by actively controlling our nervous systems.
Breath alone cannot change the world around us, but it can change our experience and capacity to be with what is and to stay in the present moment. I am under no delusion that this moment will not be directly harmful or challenging for some, but I am of the belief that as leaders, we must do our best to shore ourselves up in reality to support the longevity we need to endure and continue to bring the long term vision we have for our communities and the world to reality.
Different breathing techniques can be found on various meditation apps. I also offer longer group and private sessions for those who are interested in learning more; please reach out to hi@theallisonalexander.com.