The Ways I'm Finding Peace Amongst the Chaos

Art Direction and Photographs by: Catie Menke. Model: Shelby Regier.

Copy by: Kelly Shiple
Model: Shelby Regier
Creative Direction: Catie Menke

If I learned one thing this year it’s that life is not about maintaining peace in peaceful situations. Life is about finding your own sense of peace despite the chaos going on around you.

I think we can all agree, this year has been quite the year, and it’s not even over, yet. This year was the year that showed us life couldn’t continue as it had been. Life as we knew it wasn’t working for us on this earth for so many reasons. Much of the world almost completely shut down for months. Yet in that period of time so much has happened they say this is a year that will be read about in history books.

There is no denying that epic change is in motion in our world. In our society we have always been so conditioned to do, to act, to work, to keep moving, constantly. We have been labeled and viewed as lazy, unproductive, and unmotivated if we’re not doing something at all times. Then quarantine hit and forced us to reframe everything. Jobs that were required to be done in person moved to work from home. Schooling went virtual. We had no choice but to take stillness and sit with ourselves. But instead what did so many of us do?

When we are alone with nothing to do it is so easy to want to distract to relieve our boredom. We use Netflix, alcohol, food to completely numb out and avoid spending quality time with ourselves. How many times this year have you heard, “Since we all have so much free time let’s…” “Since none of us are doing anything let’s…” “Now is the time to get things done.” Every time someone said this to me I would think, “Seriously? What free time do you have? I feel like I’ve been busier than ever.” And then I realized, although there was a part of me that was doing my best to try and numb out, there was a part of me that was more present than I had ever been in my life.

Art Direction and Photograph by: Catie Menke. Model: Shelby Regier.

This year was the first time I was able to find out what it meant to be still. I learned when there is no work to be done, no place to rush off to, no planes to catch, nowhere to travel to I’m left with one thing – myself. In my 31 years on this earth I had never been forced to sit with myself. To ask myself what I wanted to do today. To learn about myself and what inspires me on a soul level. But this year, whether I wanted it or not, I received that opportunity.

With no distractions, nothing to do, nowhere to go I had no choice but to do the work I had been avoiding for so long. I sat with myself. I got to know myself. I learned about what lights me up and makes me feel whole. I read books that I had wanted to read for years that had been collecting dust on my shelves. I questioned my entire life and decided to pivot my career. I allowed myself to dream and dream in a big way. I mapped out a plan to follow said dreams. I journaled about my future and I reflected on my past. I meditated and tapped into intuition I never even knew I had. I practiced yoga and centered myself. I spent time with my dog and took her hiking. I spent so much time in nature and admired its beauty. I actually did all the things that fueled my soul that I never had time to do in my day-to-day life pre quarantine. I was so filled with gratitude and peace I almost didn’t recognize myself.

We have lived in a world for so long that does not allow time for stillness, for pause, for peace. We live in a world that fuels our impatience and need for taking constant action and instant gratification. We want things to happen now and if they don’t you better believe we’re going to make them happen. But, what would happen if we stopped? If we stood still? If we rested? What would happen if we allowed life to unfold as we work towards our dreams? What would happen if we allowed life to be, even just for a moment? What would happen if we released control? I know these are scary thoughts, but the peace and freedom you have the potential of experiencing once you realize you were never actually in control of the way life is unfolding is absolutely liberating.

While I don’t believe in coincidences, I do believe in synchronicity. Synchronicity is the concept that events can be meaningfully related, but not causally related. I don’t believe for a second that anything in this world happens randomly without meaning. I believe this time was given to us to come back to ourselves, to pause, and to turn within. While I specialize in hormone optimization work, my life’s mission is to help people return to their bodies. It is so easy to distract ourselves, to numb our pain, and to run from our problems that we forget there is actually a soul inside of ourselves that requires fulfillment to thrive. When I feel myself starting a cycle of stuffing to distract myself, I do my best to remember to stop and ask myself these questions:

Catie-Menke-Kelly-Shiple-Peace-Amongst-the-Chaos-Questions.png

I give myself grace and recognize that I’m not perfect – I’m human. These questions may not snap me out of this cycle, but if I reflect on my thoughts and my answers for a few days I am often able to return to myself.

A common mantra that I find myself using on a daily basis to help maintain this presence is:

We have avoided sitting with ourselves for so long, our souls can find our bodies a scary, unsafe place to be. Assuring yourself that your body is a safe place for your soul to reside can help make all the difference in your ability to be present and still. There is a fire within you just waiting to be ignited. There is a voice waiting to be heard. It’s time to listen.