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By Elizabeth Wheeler
Oh, beautiful month of May. Where did you go? The idiom “It Is What It Is” epitomizes May 2025.
Mayhem in May? Although the words both start with the letter “M” and begin with “May,” they seem muddled—a messy mixture for sure! After all, May is a lovely, serene month when flowers bloom, birds sing, and temperatures are often mild. The word mayhem evokes a maelstrom of malignant maneuvers.
The second verse of Bob Dylan’s song, “The Times They Are A-Changin” captures the essence of this dichotomy:
“Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times, they are a changin”
To navigate through this mess, consider these maneuvers:
- Take a deep breath, followed by a longer exhalation. Keep doing this until you feel calmer.
- Visualize pleasant scenes or happy times.
- Meditate at the beginning and end of the day.
- Gently rub your forehead, around your eyes, behind your ears, inside your ears, and along your neck. (Vagus nerve stimulation can help the fight-or-flight response.)
- Get a massage.
- Go for a walk. Work in the garden. Get outside.
- Listen to an old song.
Remember, this too will pass.
Elizabeth Wheeler: A voice for those invisible, powerful, dynamic women: Ladies of a Certain Age. www.ladiesofacertainage.com. Check out her latest book; Paths – A Primer for Ladies-of-a-Certain-Age: A Workbook for the Road Ahead.
