Isn’t it interesting how much fear is present at the moment, especially in America, but it’s spilling out into the rest of the world as well. Of course, fear is everywhere, always, but currently it’s escalated beyond what is considered a ‘normal’ amount of fear, if there is such a thing. Even if people are not particularly interested or tied up in politics, fear seems to be pervading.
Why do you think this is?
Is it because of past evidence of powerful people and the things they’ve said or done? Is it because of media hype and (often) misrepresentation and sensationalism? Is it because of people’s circumstances and their beliefs of how things may change for them? Is it as simple as some people just rub us up the wrong way and when we see them or read about them they give us the creeps?
Perhaps it’s all of the above?
My experiences with fear (and there have been plenty and they still arise) have taught me that no matter what my situation or how big and frightening things may feel, I still have choices. I can let my fears run rampant and turn me into a worried, angry and constantly upset (and even depressed) person, or I can accept and embrace all my feelings, even if unpleasant, and use them to help me learn more about self kindness and self love.
When fears arrive, whether they’re a response to changes I may not like or made up fears of the future, I know if I spend a bit more time compassionately self nurturing with quiet meditative activities, my fears dissolve and become faith that all is well in my life, even if it may not appear that way to me, right now.
A simple practice that I find extremely beneficial is to sit, (or stand if you’re not in a place where you can sit), place your hand across your heart area, take a couple of nice slow, deep breaths and say to yourself ‘I’m feeling ‘…………..’ (keep it simple and only use one or two words) but I’ll be ok. Practice often for best results.
Another beautiful and simple practice is – on the in breath, ‘I calm my body’, and on the out breath, ‘I smile’.
Of course none of these meditative, re-assuring practices are going to immediately change events in the bigger world but practiced regularly, they will change your world and ensure Every Day Gets Better.
Note: Here’s an interesting article I’d like to share as it’s what inspired me to write this post and I’m grateful to the author and the authors of the quotes.
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2016/11/buddhist-quotes-on-fear/
That’s very insightful. Thank you, Wendy. I’ve found that when I accept or just think about how I’m feeling, it gives me a feeling of some control. Maybe that’s because myself is the only thing I can control. I’ve heard that the only way around your feelings is to go through them. Letting yourself feel your feelings gives you better insight as to what you really are feeling, and then you have a better idea of how to deal with it. The election is an interesting example of what we can control and what we can’t. We can control who we vote for, but not who wins. I think this is challenging a lot of people to practice acceptance. We shouldn’t become worse than the way we view the “other side.” Just having sides makes us feel divided.
Yes Sara, I agree. I believe when we feel all feelings, without judgement, we do have more control, especially over our happiness and contentment. They are just feeling and they come and they go. It’s when we become attached to them we can feel quite uncomfortable and even be frightened of them. As you say, this brings better insight and more awareness and clarity and yes, we’ll most likely make more calm and informed decisions. You are so right about the election issue and hopefully people will calm down soon and start practicing acceptance. Thanks for sharing Sara, your comments are very welcome and help others. ❤️