Moving Through Challenging Times

posted in: Mindfulness | 0

This week, for my Thursday night meditation group, I shared a meditation to move through challenging times. It’s always good to connect with this group, and as we gather, we support each other in so much more than just our meditation practice.

Each day, we are faced with the choice to create peace or to create stress – for ourselves and for those around us – and I’m proud that our meditation group chooses the high road. On a good day, this can be quite a challenging task, and in these days, when many of us are feeling higher than normal levels of stress, it can feel nearly impossible.

Meditation cultivates your ability to choose how you respond to any situation, perhaps one of the most powerful gifts it gives. And still, I find myself reacting. So I remind myself of all the mindfulness tools I have at my access, and what I have learned from others.

Take refuge in myself
This I credit to Thich Nhat Hanh, a passage from his book, At Home in the World:

“There are days when you feel it’s just not your day, and that everything is going wrong. The more you try, the worse the situation becomes. Everyone has days like that. That’s when it’s time to stop everything, go home, and to take refuge in yourself. The first thing to do is to close the doors and windows. The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are the six windows you close when everything feels like a mess. Our six senses are windows to the mind. Close everything in order to prevent the strong wind from blowing in and making you miserable.

“Shut the windows, shut the door, and make a fire. Create a feeling of warmth, coziness, and comfort by practicing mindful breathing. Rearrange everything—your feelings, your perceptions, your emotions—they’re all scattered everywhere; it’s a mess inside. Recognize and embrace each emotion. Collect them the way I collected all the sheets of paper that were scattered all over the hermitage. Practice mindfulness and concentration, and tidy up everything within yourself. This will help you restore your calm and peace.

“If we only rely on external conditions, we will get lost. We need a refuge we can always rely on, and that is the island of self. Firmly established on our inner island, we’re very safe. We can take time to recover and restore ourselves, and become stronger, until we’re ready to go out again and engage.”

Give yourself the advice you would give a good friend.
Why is it that the path forward is more obvious to you if someone else is struggling. Imagine that your friend has the same challenge you’re facing. What advice would you give them?

What can you learn from this experience?
Every hardship provides a lesson. Determine what you can learn from the experience.

What do you fear?
It’s normal to feel a whole series of emotions during these challenging times, and fear is often at the forefront. Defining that fear may help make it less scary.

Remember all those previous challenges that you managed to survive.
Thing about everything you’ve been through and all that’s been thrown at you in the past. As human beings we’ve all experienced grief and loss and uncertainty. You are strong, you are capable and you will survive.

Remember Gratitude
This week I had a difficult time completing my gratitude journal. And a magic thing happened when I dug down deep to find something, even if it was just for the Xero shoes I got recently. It helped me to focus on what is good.

Lean on others, give support to others
Just as we do in our meditation groups, support each other through all of life’s challenges. Become a good listener, offer to help in any way you can, share your thoughts in a respectful way, show compassion. Remember that you are not alone.

I know there are times when it feels like the world is in chaos. Just remember that it will be okay, you are okay, you are enough. You are not alone and we will get through any of life’s challenges together. That’s community. And on a final note, be that which you wish to see. If that’s peace, then radiate peace with all your heart.

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