Practicing Compassion

The complexities of the news break our hearts and weary our minds.  At times like this, we need space to gain perspective. Catching our breath means taking a break. We need a time-out. We need to settle the turmoil within. We need to practice compassion with ourselves as well as others. Author Frank Rogers offers the following advice in his book Practicing Compassion:

Change your location. Go for a walk, spend time in nature, find a quiet place to sit, take a drive, or take refuge in a sacred place.

Engage your body. Do yoga, get some exercise or a massage, take a long bath, go for a run, ride a bike, throw clay, make music, dance, or draw.

Connect with a trusted person. Visit your therapist or spiritual director, talk with a friend, confide in a loved one, have coffee with a mentor or spiritual teacher, seek counsel from your pastor.

Perform a spiritual practice. Pray, meditate, journal, repeat a mantra, say a breath prayer, walk a labyrinth, go on retreat.

Such grounding activities give us space. They bring calm to the agitated currents swirling around us. And with calm comes clarity. We may not feel completely restored, but we can at least see what tensions need to be tended. Each act of care—be it simple or radical—bears a gift for us and for others.

Frank Rogers, Jr., Practicing Compassion. All rights reserved. Used by permission. © Upper Room Books.