What would you do if you were not afraid? That’s not my line and I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned it before but it sticks with me. Maybe it’s easy to dismiss worded that way. What would you do if you were more confident? What would you do if you didn’t listen to the voice in your head and all the excuses it’s giving you not to do anything new? What would you do if you didn’t care about the outcome? What would you do if you believed that it’s ok to fail?
No one is bad at meditating. At worst, you’re quieting sitting with your thoughts. That’s kind of the point anyway. To notice that “your” thoughts aren’t really yours. Your mind is a thought producing machine that works independently from the real you.
Like water coming up through the cracks in the foundation of our homes, our big issues will resurface if not dealt with. They underlie our foundation. They may be hidden but they are still there below the surface and when conditions are right they will reappear.
At the core of anxiety is self doubt. If we believed that we could get through it (whatever “it” is) we wouldn’t be feeling so anxious about it. Remind yourself what you’ve already been through. You will get through this too.
Learn to become comfortable being uncomfortable. See above. So much of life is uncomfortable, and out of our control. Get used to it. It’s ok that we are not really in control.
Don’t know who said this…“Observe. Don’t absorb.” That reminds me of “Don’t React. Respond.” That one’s from Pearl Jam. But that idea of not absorbing is big. How often do we absorb the energy that’s coming at us. If someone gives us a shitty attitude, we get upset about it. But it’s their attitude, not ours. I don’t want their shitty attitude, so why do I allow myself to absorb it? When people act shitty they are announcing to the world who they are. We don’t need to participate in their display of assholery.
It feels kind of foolish to give into this line of thinking but it does feel like a lot of people are going through some difficult things right now. It definitely gives some perspective to my own challenges. Mine are a lot smaller than the challenges many people I know are experiencing. It does begin to pile up though even when it’s not directly affecting us. It’s a huge bummer to know that people are suffering. But I also learned something and was reminded of something over the past couple of weeks. Learned: just show up. Putting yourself in the presence of someone who is going through something shows that you care and it does matter. Reminded: everyday is a blessing. It doesn’t always feel like it but that doesn’t make it untrue.