In these unprecedented times, anxiety levels are high. There is so much uncertainty that continues to creep into our lives and it leaves an unsettling undercurrent in our veins. It is important to remember that the only thing you have control over in life is your reaction to life’s experiences.
When you feel a lack of control, worry begins to grow. Worry comes from a lack of control, fear of outcome, and fear of the unknown. It joins hands with fear and creates a strong couple that can cripple and controls you. You don’t have to allow fear and worry to become leaders of your life. You can take back control in these times by focusing on your breath to calm yourself and then placing your focus on something that brings you peace and calmness. Let go of the fact that you are not in control of anything more than your emotions.
Controlling Fear will bring Relief
You have control over your emotions even though at times it feels like you do not. You can control them and change them by focusing on your breath, then turning your focus to something positive and learning how to control thought. It is not impossible, but it may not come easily. You need to practice this process so that each time you are faced with worry and fear, the amount of time switching from a lower emotion to a higher emotion becomes less and less until it is almost nonexistent.
You know by now, through the amount of life that you have lived, that life isn’t all roses and rainbows. There are stormy times and there are times when dark clouds loom before you and create uncertainty and fear. It is important to look at those times with the proper perspective. The only thing that worry and fear are good for is robbing you of this moment’s happiness. It doesn’t change anything.
Fear is almost always caused by the unknown and since you don’t know what will happen, you fear what will happen. You fear not having control and what you will experience. You need to push fear aside and look at any worrisome situations with hope. Within each unsettling experience lies hope for growth and for lessons to be learned. There is also hope for self-improvement and mindfulness. Most of the greatest lessons in life come in the form of unsettling events. These events spur growth and learning.
The Biggest Lessons lie within Unwanted Experiences
The greatest teaching moments are the moments that have the greatest impact. Most often these are the moments that you find the most unpleasant. They make you take notice, take a step back, think, strategize, and second-guess.
Do not be afraid of the unsettling moments. Do not shy away. Go boldly forward to these moments and live them courageously with open eyes and an open mind and look within them for growth and lessons. Analyze the situation and see the lessons that you can learn from it. You will grow the most through your moments of trials.
Nothing is ever the end. Nothing is ever final, because there is no finality. No matter how bad things get in life, you can be assured that they will get better. It is the yin and yang of life. It is the fluidity of the circle of life that continues to rotate around and around.
In moments of trials, look hopefully ahead to the peace that awaits there. Reach inside yourself for comfort and peace. It lies within your Higher Self. I am not going to get spiritual on you here, but we all have a spiritual side, our Higher Self, our soul, the owner of our voice of intuition. Through meditation you can reach deep inside yourself and connect with your Higher Self that is all loving and pure and positive. This is where peace lies. Close your eyes. Focus on your breath. Go deep within and find the peace and the confidence that will lead you beyond fear and worry.
Meditation brings Comfort
If you can adopt a ritual of daily meditation, it will ground you and allow you to connect to your Higher Self and the peace that resides there. You don’t have to be a master of meditation, you just have to practice until you are able to relax your mind and your body and maintain focus on a sound. You don’t have to meditate for a long period of time. Ten minutes at the beginning of your day is a good start.
It may sound counterintuitive, but the best time to meditate is first thing after you wake up. Your mind is already in a quieted state from sleep. It has not had a chance to get to a full revolution of thoughts and worries. Yes, you may awaken with worry on your mind and you may have marinated all night long in worry, but your unconsciousness diluted it and it weakened. When you awaken, whether you have worry or overthinking on your mind or not, it is in a weakened state.
Connect with your Higher Self
Focus on connecting with your soul/your Higher Self. Focus on your breath. With each breath, envision breathing in pure positive light and with exhale envision out all exhaling negativity, worry, fear and any negative self-chatter that you speak to yourself on a regular basis. Ask for your body to be cleansed of any toxins – physical or psychological – that harm your body and your psyche. Allow your body to be cleansed of all negativity. Breathe. Release. Breathe. Release. Breathe. Release. Find a calm regularity with your breath as you inhale deeply and exhale deeply. Follow this rhythm and clear your mind of all thought. Silence.
Find a sound to concentrate on to put you in a zone – a zone of awareness to the sound and a zone that will dispel all other noise and thoughts. Focus on this sound and do not let your focus stray. When your focus strays, which it surely will in the beginning of each session, gently bring your awareness back to the sound and focus once again.
The beauty of meditation is that you can turn to it any time during the day. When you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, fear or overproduction of thoughts, simply focus on your breath. Close your eyes and focus on the rhythm of your breath until you feel a calmness overcome you. Focus on the rhythmic pattern of deep inhalation, holding for three moments, then slow, deep exhalation. Repeat as often as necessary until you achieve a calm and peaceful state. If you can calm your mind on a regular basis through focus and meditation, you will find a peace and grounding force that can carry you through your days.
My book “Spiritual Guidance for the Physical World” is available for purchase on Amazon in e-book: https://amzn.to/3h4jekU or paperback: https://amzn.to/2AIF78B
