A New Month, A Closing Year: Finding Stillness, Community & Space for Rebirth
The start of a new month tends to feel like an exhale to me — a gentle reminder that time moves on, and in cycles, not straight lines. As we approach the end of the year, we’re offered a natural pause: perhaps a moment to slow down, to soften, and to listen to what our bodies, hearts and communities need.
Holding Global Grief & Global Hope
It’s impossible to ignore the heaviness in the world at this moment. Across Sudan, Congo, Palestine, Haiti, and so many other regions, communities are navigating violence, displacement, hunger, and political instability. These crises don’t just live on news headlines — they affect real families, real children, and real futures. And for many in the diaspora, the pain is deeply personal.
Even from afar, this global suffering shapes how we move through our days. The grief can sit quietly in the body. The empathy can feel overwhelming. There is often a sense of helplessness woven with a fierce longing for justice, peace, dignity, and healing for all people. It can feel disorienting to carry on with everyday life while witnessing so much trauma unfold.
And yet, this is precisely why connection matters more than ever.
When the world feels fractured, community becomes a lifeline. It reminds us that we are not powerless — that care, solidarity, and presence still have meaning. Community becomes a form of resistance, especially when injustice thrives in isolation and silence.
In moments of global heartbreak, tenderness becomes radical. Compassion becomes active. And the smallest gestures — inviting someone in, checking on a friend, sharing accurate information, amplifying voices, contributing to relief efforts, or simply holding space for someone’s grief — become threads that weave us back into the fabric of humanity.
These acts don’t fix everything, but they soften the edges of what feels unbearable. They remind us that although we cannot always stop the world from breaking, we can help each other heal and rebuild.
The Call to Stillness
When the world feels overwhelming, stillness becomes both a balm and a boundary. It’s easy to slip into a cycle of constant alertness — especially with so much global pain unfolding in real time. Our nervous systems weren’t designed to hold this level of collective grief without moments of grounding and intentional rest.
Stillness is not about ignoring what’s happening. It’s about creating the inner space required to feel, process, and stay present without becoming consumed. It’s where clarity forms. It’s where the body remembers itself. It’s where we reconnect to our breath, our capacity, and our humanness.
For the families I walk alongside in my work, I see this every day:
how slowing down supports healing,
how a single deep breath can soften tension,
how rest becomes medicine,
and how quiet moments restore a sense of control in a world that often feels unpredictable.
Stillness in the Perinatal Journey
Whether someone is trying to conceive, navigating pregnancy, recovering after birth, or parenting in the newborn haze, stillness plays an essential role in their wellbeing. The perinatal period is already a time of huge emotional and physical transformation — layered with the pressures of modern life and the weight of global events, it can feel overwhelming.
Stillness can look like:
Listening to your body’s cues before they become whispers of exhaustion
Pausing between contractions of daily life, not just the physical ones
Creating boundaries around overstimulation, news cycles, social pressures
Resting without guilt, trusting that rest strengthens your capacity to care
Making space for the emotions that arise before, during, and after birth
Allowing softness, even when the world feels hard
As a doula, I see stillness as a kind of sacred pause — a moment where birthing people and parents can gather their energy, regulate their nervous system, and reconnect with their intuition. This is where empowerment begins.
Stillness as Collective Care
When we prioritise stillness, we’re not only caring for ourselves; we’re contributing to community wellbeing.
A rested parent is more able to nurture.
A grounded member of the community is more able to advocate.
A regulated nervous system is more able to offer compassion to others.
Stillness builds capacity for empathy, for activism, for showing up — not from a place of depletion, but from a place of alignment and strength.
In a world filled with uncertainty, stillness becomes a tool for survival and a pathway to healing. It reminds us that we can hold deep compassion for global suffering and still honour our own limits. That caring for ourselves is not selfish — it’s necessary. And it ensures that when we do show up for our communities, we do so with presence, clarity and resilience.
Making Space for Rebirth
Every ending holds the seed of a beginning. A new month offers a chance to plant fresh intentions, while the close of the year offers a wider canvas on which to dream and rebuild.
Rebirth doesn’t require dramatic change. Sometimes it’s gentle:
choosing joy again
returning to yourself
releasing comparison
embracing softness
prioritising community care
starting something new, even quietly
We do not need to wait for the new year to begin again. Renewal can start right now — in the slow, deliberate choice to live with more connection, more compassion, and more presence.
Community as Medicine
In the face of global unrest, personal burnout, and emotional fatigue, community strengthens us. Whether it’s local solidarity, online support networks, or collective healing spaces, we thrive when we don’t walk alone.
Community reminds us that even when the world feels heavy, we can still create pockets of hope, healing, and care.
A Simple Stillness Practice You Can Do Anytime
This grounding practice is designed to be accessible during pregnancy, postpartum, or whenever life feels heavy.
1. Pause & Notice (20 seconds)
Sit or stand comfortably.
Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
Notice where your breath is sitting today — high, low, shallow, or tight.
No judgement. No changes. Just awareness.
2. Breathe Into Space (1 minute)
Take a slow inhale through your nose for 4 counts.
Hold the breath for 2.
Exhale gently through your mouth for 6 counts.
Repeat this 5 times.
Let your shoulders soften on every exhale.
This breath pattern helps regulate the nervous system, lower stress hormones, and reconnect you to your centre — especially helpful in pregnancy and the postpartum period.
3. Release What You're Carrying (30 seconds)
Ask yourself:
“What can I put down, just for today?”
It might be a worry, a task, a tension, a pressure, or a thought.
Let your body respond before your mind does.
4. Ground in the Present (20 seconds)
Feel your feet on the floor.
Feel your weight supported.
Feel your breath steadying.
You are here. You are safe. You are held.
This entire practice takes under two minutes, yet it can shift your whole day.
A Gentle Ritual for Rebirth & Renewal
For days when you need a deeper reset or a moment of intention.
1. Create a Quiet Space
Sit somewhere you feel comfortable — on the floor, on your bed, or next to a window.
Light a candle or simply place a hand on your heart.
2. Speak an Intention Out Loud
Choose one that feels true for today:
I am making space for peace.
I am softening where I can.
I am choosing rest without guilt.
I am calling in clarity and releasing overwhelm.
I honour my body, my journey, and my pace.
Saying this aloud activates both body and mind, helping the intention settle more deeply.
3. Let Something Go
Close your eyes and imagine a weight you’ve been carrying slowly dissolving — a responsibility, a pressure, an expectation, or fear.
You don’t need to solve it.
Just give yourself permission to loosen your grip.
4. Visualise Rebirth (1 minute)
Picture yourself stepping into the new month (or the new year) with a lighter body.
Imagine calmness surrounding you like warm light.
See yourself supported — by community, by ancestors, by knowledge, by compassion.
Let this image fill your whole chest.
5. Close With Gratitude
Place your hands together or over your heart.
Whisper: “Thank you.”
To your body, to your journey, to your resilience, to your community.
Even in heaviness, gratitude opens space for renewal.
FAQs
Q1. Why is reflection important at the end of the year?
Reflection helps you process the past twelve months, understand what supported your wellbeing, and identify what you want to release before stepping into a new season.
Q2. How can I stay grounded during global unrest?
Limit news overload, engage in mindful practices, support trusted humanitarian organisations, and stay connected to community. Grounding comes from balancing awareness with emotional care.
Q3. What does “detox” mean beyond physical health?
A detox can be emotional, mental, or energetic — letting go of draining habits, boundaries, relationships, or routines to make space for renewed clarity and peace.
Q4. How can I create stillness in a busy life?
Start with small moments: morning breaths, mindful walks, screen breaks, journaling, or slowing your pace. Stillness is built through intentional pauses.
Q5. What does rebirth symbolise at the end of the year?
Rebirth symbolises renewal: the chance to start again, set fresh intentions, and step into the coming year with clarity, softness, and purpose.
