When we’re in crisis, fear and anxiety is likely to emerge. Why?
Because crisis feels dangerous, and danger sets off anxiety. See if it’s possible to just observe, even if you’re tempted to feel better fast.
If we make room for these difficult feelings rather than trying to eradicate them, our minds and bodies will eventually recalibrate and begin to relax. It’s a little counter-intuitive; we often imagine that if we stop worrying about ourselves everything will fall apart. But when we can settle that worry, a more expansive view can develop.
Trying to get rid of difficult feelings is what fuels addiction, binge eating, excessive drinking. It’s an understandable and human response to suffering. But the more reliable path toward relief, involves giving our suffering some time to just be, without adding anything to it or insisting it disappear. It’s not a passive approach, but it is a gentle one, in the same way a caring friend or parent observing a loved one’s distress, would bear witness actively and patiently.
Although #Buddhistmeditation starts with a journey inward, it often leads to ideas about what we can do to alleviate the suffering of others. It helps us connect with a bigger reality that helps soften that tenacious grip on self. Beginning to feel more patience and compassion for ourselves is an inroad to the human family.
We come to realize that crises, and the anxiety and fear that follows, is part of the human experience.
Some #meditation practices rely on #breathingexercises, chanting, prayers, and other techniques to settle the mind and open it to a bigger perspective. When you’re anxious, mindfulness of the breath is a a way to help your body feel a little safer while your mind start to tolerate whatever has caused the anxiety.
You can start with a few minutes of simple breathing, noting where you feel the various sensations of the breath, and then do a few rounds of slower inhalations, followed by a few moments of gentle breath-holding, and yet slower exhalations. As your nervous system starts to recover, your mind will follow.
