What Happens After the Storm

Last week, the weather reminded us how quickly things can change.

Here in Cabo Verde, we’re used to sunshine, blue skies, and a gentle Atlantic breeze. So when a storm arrives, it’s unsettling. The wind picks up, the ocean swells, the rain comes down, and suddenly the peaceful rhythm we’re used to is replaced by uncertainty.  

And there’s something about a storm that makes you realise how little control we actually have.

We can prepare. We can close windows, move things inside, and do our best to protect what matters. But eventually, we have to accept that it is happening and work with what's in front of us.

It doesn’t mean forcing ourselves to “think positively” or pretending that everything is easy when life feels stressful. It’s more like learning to be okay with the uncertainty. With an underlying knowing that it will pass. And everything will be okay again.

Life can be like that too.

Not every challenge arrives with thunder and rain. Sometimes it’s work stress, or financial pressure. Sometimes it’s an argument with someone you love, grief, an accident, a health worry, or a difficult season of life.

They can arrive like sudden waves, throwing you off balance without warning and leaving you struggling to find your usual steadiness.

Then our nervous system does exactly what it was designed to do. It tries to protect us.

Our muscles tense. Our heart beats faster. Our breathing changes. Our thoughts speed up as our brain searches for solutions. And this response is incredibly useful when we need to act quickly.

The next challenge comes when the “emergency” has passed, but our body is still responding as though the threat is present.

We replay the conversation that upset us. We stress about the stress. We worry about the next storm or what might happen next. We unknowingly hold tension in our shoulders, our jaw, our stomach. And we can stay in that state of alarm long after the difficult moment has passed.

That’s where understanding how stress affects us can make such a difference.

Not because we can prevent difficult things from happening, or stop ourselves from feeling thrown off balance by them. But because we can learn how to find our way back afterwards.

After the Storm

When the storm passed here, the aftermath looked different for everyone. For some, it meant cleaning up. Things to wash, dry, sweep, repair, and put back in their place.

For others, the flooding brought much more than a difficult clean-up. Damaged homes and businesses, lost belongings, and the fear of what comes next can make the road ahead much harder. Those experiences can’t be swept away with a positive thought or a reminder to “stay calm.”

They deserve acknowledgement, understanding, and practical support as people work out what comes next.

Perhaps that is the quiet lesson of a storm: what happens during and afterward is never identical for any two people.

Beginning Again

Sometimes the next step is simply getting through the day. Sometimes it’s accepting help. Sometimes it’s taking a breath and figuring out what comes next.

Slowly, the worst passes.

The sun comes back.

The ocean settles.

And life continues.

It’s one of the things I love about practices like meditation, yoga, breathwork, and Yoga Nidra. They give us a chance to pause, breathe, and settle when everything around us feels a little too much. Sometimes even a few quiet minutes can make a difference.

We're not trying to create a life where nothing difficult happens - that life doesn’t exist. We’re learning how to meet life as it comes, with greater awareness and more trust in our ability to find our way back.

To breathe.

To rebuild.

To adapt.

And to begin again … as many times as we need to.