People tell us, “Just quit!” or “let it go.” Let go of those thoughts that keep circling our minds. Let go of that memory, that pain, that habit. Let go of the attacks we make against ourselves.
But there is no “just give up”. We usually can’t. It would be surprising if, when a hurtful thought arose, we were “just” aware enough to say “bye bye” and we let it out. Whoop! It may be that easy for some of us; But usually, when we kick it, it comes back.
This is a hypnotic technique; If we want someone to think something, we say, “Don’t think that.” As in the famous example, “Don’t think about elephants“And we think of an elephant. Or we say to the kids, Don’t touch my computer, and they’re over there on the computer.
And what is worse is expectation; The thought that it should be “just” that simple is an extra weight on a weighty soul. We can surround ourselves with these selfies of expectation, ourselves seeing our “flaws”, others looking at us or looking at us.
Instead of pushing a thought away, we can pause, stop what we’re doing for a second; Take an easy, long breath. And Notice where we stand. We cannot easily stop a thought; But we can add one more Conscious, generous, or compassionate In one of my dreams, when something chases me and I try to hide or move away, the dream turns into a nightmare, the pursuer quickly expands into a monster and chases me in a way that looks terrifying. When I face the pursuer, it shrinks and becomes another living being to recognize. There is great power in knowing and knowing when to face our demons.
A memorable insight I received from the Puranavida Joseph Campbell And others were that sometimes what seems threatening can be a “call” to us, to take action, to try something new; And in doing so, we find ourselves. What was once a fear becomes an adventure. the writer CK Chesterton Agree with Campbell’s point when he writes: “An adventure properly considered is only a disadvantage.“And Bible: “Turning away the simple will kill them…” Of course, sometimes, we should just turn away.
So, one thing that can turn thoughts into torture is that they haunt us from now on; Or chase us from seeing us and what lives around us. We can think the thought itself, and the object of thought carries the whole package of trauma. However, losing a moment, seen clearly, hurts. Running hurts. Negative judgments on ourselves bind and blind us. How we react to events or news matters most. Spending time thinking clearly has great power, perspective and freedom How we react. Maybe we just can’t “let go”. But maybe, just maybe we can stop feeding what is eating us.
and some things We are not always ready to face. In that case, taking care of yourself is perfect. We all have times like this, hurt or pain. And we are noticing as much as possible, in that moment, whatever is there for us, With care and compassion Such a gift. No expectations, just noticing. Such kindness opens us up; Being judgmental shuts us down.
Instead of being consumed by an emotion, we can use our attention to “just” notice it. We can break what binds us Noticing what the sensations are and where they are located. We can name the quality and volume of feeling. We can, of course, talk about them with others, say what we feel safe to say, or say what is a little more than safe; Or say whatever feels right. by noticing Which feels right And honest in themselves, and What is right and honest in dealing with others great power Instead of trying to be the hero in other people’s dreams, be honest among us.
We can write what we feel, journal, which is what teachers do Linda Tricker Metcalf and Tobin Simon call it a proprioceptive writing.And we ourselves record what we hear in our minds and what we feel in our bodies. There is something powerful about just writing, especially with a pen or pencil. It can be so powerful in moments, word by word breaking through any shell we’ve encased ourselves in.
Recently, after several painful treatment episodes, I felt like I was doing the exact opposite and became isolated, turning inward on myself. And of course, listening to the daily political news can encourage isolation. But there is also the opposite; There is a lot of desire to do something useful. So many of us think that the hatred, cruelty, blindness, injustice, corruption of the present administration must be stopped. On our own, it can be overwhelming to think of something that has immediate significance. But we can do things like drive people to the polls, be a poll watcher, write out voting cards, or call congressional offices. Joining others is important.
In all areas of our lives, action makes us feel that we can act. In 1970, Written by Carol Hanisch An essay “The personal is political.” It is also the other way around – politics is personal.
And “just” breath- For some, the focus on our breath is wonderful. But for some, other paths are more helpful. We can focus on the feeling of our feet on the ground, our butt on the chair. or Feel the expansion and contraction Our shoulder muscles, stretching, and—letting go, settling. Then we can notice the detail, the texture of the floor, the type of molding around the window. Or we can listenbird calls cricketthe air or the rainthe traffic flow. There is great power in being present, such a capacity for joy.
or as As Les Fehmy and Jim Robbins describe, we can feel the void Feel the distance from our belly to the wall, ceiling or floor in the room. Expanding what we take in, so our trauma shrinks from the whole of life to one aspect of an infinite universe. We have this power to continually expand our sense of what life is all about.
I may be partially wrong, but this is what I’ve come to so far: We have an amazing ability to notice and choose our response. We might as well let the entire universe sit, or more accurately, like us. And he who wants to live or die dishonestly Feeling half alive?
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