My mom used to say that it was ‘something in the air’ that made people extra anxious, snappy, or even angry.

Often, she was referring to a particular wind that would change the weather. And it wasn’t some folklore tale – changes in atmospheric pressure can trigger migraines, joint pain and affect our blood pressure (and not feeling well can definitely affect our emotional well being). 

Through this, she taught me to observe how I felt and what might be affecting my mood as well as my emotional reactions. Also, this was probably the foundation of my belief that people aren’t intrinsically bad, filled with anger, aggression, or evil. Rather, a lot of our bad behaviors and bad choices are influenced by our environment (a lot of ‘destructive’ behaviors can come from unprocessed and untreated past abuse, trauma, withdrawn love, and also from pressure, stress, lack of sleep, exhaustion, etc.)

And then, my dad, who was a musician, taught me that we can create an environment in which people’s emotions can be evoked – and that was a noble gift given to artists to use responsibly.

When I became a pop-star, I hated when our marketing team talked about using the audiences’ emotions to make more sales. 

We live in a world where persuasive marketing and persuasive technology is the ‘something in the air’ – except it’s not like the wind that passes through.

It’s constant and loud and we don’t even notice how it’s affecting our mood or our behavior anymore. (If you haven’t watched the Netflix original The Social Dilemma, I really recommend it.)

The good news is that each of us has the ability to gain awareness of this so as not to fall into being manipulated. This is especially important when it comes to avoiding being manipulated into anger, hatred, rate, fear, and despair. 

And even better, each of us has the ability to bring more awareness and more calm into our world. Some even believe we have a commission and a calling to do this (“Be the light,” right?)

So… here are a few pieces of inspiration for you:

When I struggled with anxieties that were triggered by different crises around me, my therapist told me a story that I put into a short poem for you: 

I stood at the edge of the Ocean
unsure of going in
“It’s cold” I said
She replied: “Only on your skin”

I closed my eyes
and felt the warmth inside.
The cold couldn’t hurt me
It was only outside.

I looked at the Ocean and
I saw what she meant:
The storms can summon the waves
Into an angry foamy mess
But underneath, the ocean’s depth
moves steady with the tide
Undisturbed,
It stays calm.

I felt my skin grow tiny bumps
As my breath took my thoughts inside,
Where it rocked my soul gently singing
In and out, in and out.

This visual of the ocean’s depths being undisturbed with the storms, inspired a line in one of my songs All is Possible:

“It’s the ripples on the surface that make the storms feel real”   

All Is Possible

Croatian version: Sve je moguce

(Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to translate that line to Croatian and make it fit :))

Here is what helps me stay and create the calm:

• Being aware of how your buttons are pushed
• Knowing what triggers certain emotional reactions (working with a therapist is great if you come up against some stuff that feels overwhelming)
• When you feel you are getting upset, stop and breathe
• Allowing the breath to bring you into the state of mind in which you are able to let the emotions pass without you acting on it 
• A lot of people pause and say a prayer – which is another way of bringing yourself into the present moment and allowing grace to calm you down. 

Here’s to cultivating the calm and bringing it into our world!

Tatiana “Tajci” Cameron is an award-winning music artist, published author, inspirational speaker, and certified transformational and spiritual life coach.

She has many passions and is dedicated to helping others while also creating an enriched life for herself and her three sons. 

When Tajci is not on the road performing gigs, she volunteers with local organizations dear to her heart, spends time with loved ones (often involving music!), and collaborates with other artists to bring creative projects to life.

Tajci’s most recent projects include a meditation CD, an annual retreat & sea cruise in Croatia (that she organizes and hosts), and a multimedia CD/book (Un)Broken: Songs My Father Taught Me.

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