We all know it’s normal to have ups and downs throughout life. In today’s world, it’s difficult not to become overwhelmed and exhausted just from living. Even during times of trial in our lives and in the world, there’s a way to experience light times during dark times.
Most of us know the typical ways in which we can feel more at peace. We understand that we have it pretty good. Yet, how many of us still feel a sense of despair about either (or both) our personal affairs or worldly affairs?
We’re not selfish. We’re not victims. We’re simply people who feel very deeply the energy of what’s happening around us. If we’re truly in tune with our surroundings, we will experience the inspiration of loving energy and the anxiety of fearful energy. It’s human to feel everything. It’s only when we start shutting off feelings and becoming numb, that we go against our human nature, and we shut down the most vivacious parts of ourselves.
To really live life to the fullest requires being awake. Yet, in being aware, we may stress about what other’s are doing. We may concentrate on all the “what ifs” of the future, hence failing to be in the moment. If we realize the moment, we may also notice that there are no problems currently happening like the ones we are fearing might happen.
Live In The Moment
Energy spent on worrying about the future is energy wasted. Worry and anxiety can be paralyzing, and they can paralyze us so that we don’t take action in the present moment to set up a worry-free future. Financial worry and relationship worry seem to dominate a lot of our time as adults.
Living in the moment requires us to gain control over the mind, in each moment, so that we will catch ourselves during times of internal worry, and negative internal dialogue. Recognizing the negative mind loops that heavily include imagined or anticipated conversations or situations with others, is the first step to ending the internal argument with oneself. When we catch ourself in a negative thought, or an internal dialogue that’s making us feel anxious, we can ask the internal question:
What’s going on with me right now?
Why am I freaking out? And what can I do with my mind right now to create better thoughts and peaceful feelings?
Positive internal dialogue is great during these moments. Whatever mantra or thought works for you, use it here. Saying things internally like, “I’m ok” or “I am safe” or repeating the word “love” can help some people to calm down and refocus energy and thoughts to more positive and productive outcomes. Others may find different mantras or internal methods that result in positive feelings.
Know Who You Are
In modern times we have a lot of access to media and online communication with the world. We’re busy in our daily lives. If we’re not careful, we may not have enough time to check in with ourselves.
Each person is creating his or her own life. It’s said that every one of us is capable of creating the life of our dreams. If this doesn’t appear to be happening it may be that we’ve not really defined what the life of our dreams is, rather we are just moving through the daily routine of what feels like the typical life of whatever seems normal for where we live.
Yet, if you feel like you’re reaching toward accomplishing goals that improve your quality of life according the your community’s standard, you may still feel like you’re falling short of true fulfillment. The life of your dreams may actually look vastly different from what you see in your environment.
Write down what you really want, based on who your are in the moment and how you feel in the moment, without regard to what anyone else in your life wants you to be. Write down your vision, and write out how you see yourself getting to a place of fulfillment. You may put the ‘note to self’ in a sealed envelop and write “not not open until [date of your choice]” on it, and put it someplace for future opening.
Be Who You Are
If you’ve spent a little time getting to know who you are, it may not be as easy to simply be who you are in every moment. But it’s an easier way to live.
If you’ve ever been expected to pretend like someone you weren’t, you’re likely already familiar with the discomfort that comes from it. It’s more difficult to keep up an act than it is to live in complete freedom of self expression. The main thing that holds us back from unleashing our true selves to the world, is fear of rejection.
Fear of rejection runs deep, especially in a society where image and status seem to play such an important role in people’s lives. The trick to removing the fear is to reverse the perspective on image and status. The moment you forget about image and status is the moment you’re free to be who you are.
Every person has the ability to tell the difference between what’s morally right and morally wrong. Every decision and action in life leads to an outcome. Better outcomes happen when right-intention is used. Mistakes can still happen and obstacles may appear, and the purest of hearts will turn even the worst experiences into strength and wisdom.
With right-intention, we can preserve the innocence of who we are, and feel free to fully express who we are.
Send Love to the Darkest Places
There are a lot of tactics for remaining peaceful during dark times, but above all else it is the darkest, most fearful, and seemingly most evil of all of us that needs love the most.
One of the most difficult things to do is to love our enemies. It’s hard to think about loving a person who has committed an act of evil. Live in light places, and do keep dark souls out, but send those dark souls constant love.
In every day interactions, when someone is projecting negativity at you, stay centered and project love at them through the entire interaction. This energy will change their energy. Once the interaction is over, you don’t have to come away from it approving of the person’s behavior, you’re better off to instantly let it go and move on to the next loving interaction of your day.
When anger arises over the injustices of powerful men, send love into their hearts and minds so that they may feel something that might dissuade them from further darkness. Any man can change. It may seem that most don’t. We can only control our own minds and our own behaviors. Sending love fares better for everyone.
And if all else fails and you still feel despair, perhaps lost in the feeling of hopelessness for humanity and focused on eventual destruction and death – decide which is better – dying with a heart full of love or dying with a heart full of fear.
Allow What Is Going To Happen With Grace
There are going to be ups and downs throughout life, personally and in society. When someone or something disappoints you, it’s best to let it be. You may feel it’s best to say what you need to communicate, and that’s best done in kindness, or at least with calm and maturity. After that, let it be and move on. Allow the situation some room, and allow the person to think about it on their own.
It may seem like the end times are near. You may be anxious about the state of the world. Whatever occurs in the worldly sense is not something that can be resisted. Anything that happens on a large scale presents the opportunity to ride the wave and recreate once the dust has settled. We have to let it play out.
We don’t have to spend our time anticipating and feeling nervous about all the things that could happen. We just have to allow people and events to be nothing more than people and events, which present an opportunity to learn.
There is no death. There is only life. We’re simply here to experience that and to be a creator of it.
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