Pendulums Swing… That’s What They Do
Remember that everything changes. What is now will not always be. Sometimes it gets dark before the light comes; sometimes the light is overcome by darkness. Remember, too, that darkness is not always “bad.” Without darkness, light is meaningless. Many people are very afraid right now, possibly you are one of them. That’s OK. It’s a perfectly Human response. In truth, I feel it as well. Yet, there is this voice inside that keeps telling me, “It will be OK. Everything will be fine. Just keep going.”Focus on your chosen path. Avoid letting fear sidetrack you. Breathe. Do what you have to do to feel safer and still keep moving.
Choose Your Words Carefully
It is perfectly OK to feel what you feel and express what you need to say. My suggestion is to try to do so without judging others for their views and emotion that they are entitled to, as well. Remember to “be impeccable with your words,” because words do have power – the power to heal as well as to do harm. Being careful with your words is a very good spiritual practice, perhaps especially in the volatile, virtually anonymous, global world of social media. Avoid reacting. Give yourself time to reflect on why it is that you feel the need to respond. Are you just reacting from anger or fear, or do you have something constructive to add to the conversation? Respond only when you have something useful to add; you do not have to respond to everything.Respond only when you have something useful to add. You do not have to respond to everything.
Be Gentle With Yourself And Others
Do your best to find Compassion not only for those you love, but also for those with whom you find difficulty. This does not mean that you have to give in or give up; it means to go the extra mile to try to see things from all sides. I hear, “I do that! But the [other side] doesn’t!” OK, that’s fair. It happens to me, too. Eventually, all I can do is disengage and move on. Some people seem only to be looking for a fight; they want to WIN the argument and make me see the error of my own thoughts and feelings. That’s actually fine. Don’t take what they say personally. Have conversations with those who are willing to engage in dialog. Let go of those who are not. They are not your problem. You do not have to WIN, either. And take time away. Sit in the sun. Read a book. Bury your feet in the dirt. Take a few days off to recover your sense of who you are outside of all the emotion. Take care of yourself, and if you can, be ready and willing to hold space for others. Fully listen – do your best to hear – when people express their own anger or fear or pain.Do your best to really hear them when people express their own anger or fear or pain.
Stay Plugged In To Your Network, Your Community
Remember that you are not alone. There are people who care about you. Sometimes you need to lean into your network or community for support. Whether that be friends, spiritual or religious groups, coworkers, or others. Social groups are there to support you and to offer you opportunities to support others. Find a way to be of service. Doing something for others is a wonderful means to return to your Center. Do so from compassion, rather than Fear or Anger, though. Acting from a place of Compassion will help you to feel better, stronger, and more grounded. Acting, even in service, from Anger or Fear will simply make you feel tired.Support Causes You Care About
We cannot all be Warriors. However, there are many Warriors now engaged for change, and you can support them. Remember always that you (and we) are not alone. There are organizations with talent and experience that you can support in whatever way you feel is reasonable. You are likely receiving numerous emails daily asking for financial support. You simply cannot give to everyone who is asking. Choose two or three and give what you can monthly. Then, you can know that you ARE doing something, and you can send a blessing and let the other requests go guilt-free. These are simply a few thoughts that have come up for me that I would like to share with you. These feel like difficult times, and yet difficult times are great opportunities to do some deep and powerful personal work. Thank you for listening.The online workshop, Wolves in the Woods: Breaking the Cycle of Fear, was created in and for times like these. Please take a moment to see if it might be of value right now. (Originally published in The Journey of Personal Evolution blog, by Gerry C Starnes)