From Fear to Calm

(photo by Tengyart on Unsplash)

Be still inside, think less and feel more, to begin the path of healing.  We need not be afraid of the challenges of life.  Being afraid or in other negative emotional states takes away from our ability to make appropriate decisions regarding our well-being.

When I think back to those times in my life when everything flowed in a positive way for me, I was free from worry, totally in the moment and open to the flow of life.  For some events, like running a great race, it was the repetitious practice that allowed for doing without thinking.  In other cases, such as joking around with friends, there were times when my words and actions produced a deep connection with those I was with, without my trying to impress.  These are the moments that occur when one is in the flow of life and these are the moments that we all want more of.  These instances do not have to be random.

In our busy society, it is easy to get caught up in doing things day-after-day, year-after-year without even realizing the negative effects this has on the body.  We get caught up in our habits and our life situations and do the best we can.  Since “being” is not included in school curriculum, it is understandable that most individuals have a difficult time recognizing the potential of the right brain and how to tap into this power.

Many individuals hold on to dysfunctional patterns because they feel this is the best they have to offer themselves.  This is not the case as there are ways to break through these self-imposed limitations.  We may hold ourselves back unconsciously due to unnecessary fears.  When we are able to uncover the reason behind our fears, we can subsequently alter the way we perceive these life situations and produce a shift in our beliefs from a place of fear to a place of calm acceptance of life events and the desire to forge ahead the best we can.  If we can describe the negative emotional state we have, such as anxiety, and are able to identify the positive emotional state that we would like to achieve, such as confidence, we can then utilize the power of our mind/body unit to move towards and ultimately achieve this goal.

The thoughts and emotions that we feed our mind and body have a direct impact on either creating tension or diffusing it.  To identify and then modify these thoughts/emotions towards those that diffuse tension, we first must learn how to recognize the tense feelings within our bodies.  This requires the ability to pay attention to how we feel on the inside.  The art of identifying how we feel inside requires shutting down the “monkey mind” from creating random, fearful thoughts.  Instead create a silent voice, an open mind/body, and a consistent readiness to pay attention to the signals that our mind and body give us.  Use this insight to modify our behaviors through the use of those practices that call to us and remain determined and steadfast in taking appropriate actions that help break old patterns and create productive responses instead.

I have recognized that when I am in the presence of a negative person, my body produces physical pain, which leads to a desire to leave the situation.  I have practiced grounding myself, and have improved in this practice, although still inconsistently and with varying outcomes, both good and bad.  In theory, the concept that we have control over our emotions and thoughts regardless of outside forces makes sense to me.  But in practice, I find this to be a challenging hurdle to overcome.  The good news is that the height of the hurdle is gradually lowering down to smaller heights.

In the past, I viewed the practice of visualization as utilizing mostly the sense of sight.  Now it is clear that visualizing also includes the other senses as well.  The more we practice our visualizations with the use of all our senses, the potential result of shifting our unconscious mind to match these visualizations improves dramatically.

Take an active and primary role in your own health and healing through the practice of quieting the mind, listening to the body and taking actions that are in direct alignment with your true purpose.