Crisis Advice

[frahulettaes]

From Dr. Judith Rich over at the Huff Po

#1- Stop. When life becomes chaotic and your mind is gerbiling away on the wheel, tap yourself on the shoulder and remind yourself to stop the music. Stop everything. Stop the mind chatter and automatic reactions. Visualize yourself actually taking the gerbil off the wheel. Sit the gerbil down in a nice, comfy chair. Maybe it's a rocking chair. Give it a cup of warm tea and a nice blanket. Let the noise in your head slowly quiet, like pressing the mute button on the TV. Then, have a seat next to the gerbil.

#2- Close your eyes and pay attention to your breath. Take nice, slow, easy breaths, following the inhalation and exhalation. Become aware of the spacious openness that holds and surrounds you and your breath. Bathe yourself in it. Keep breathing into that spaciousness and stay here as long as you like. Even 5 minutes off the wheel will help to reset and refocus your mind. The world will still be there when you decide to return. Stopping and resting in the breath is an important step that helps you reconnect to your own rhythm when the rhythm of the world overwhelms you.

#3- Look- When you decide to return from your inner world to the one awaiting you outside, notice the ease you've just experienced. Before you resume activity, look to see what arises out of this openness. You might hear a gentle voice reminding you of what really matters. This is the voice of your wisdom. In the face of overwhelm, see if you can remain aware of this voice as you move through your day. Life happens, moment to moment. As Eckhart Tolle says, we only need to attend to just this one tiny moment. Don't get out in front of yourself. The world may be going to hell in a hand basket, but in this present moment, you have everything you'll ever need. Most of all, you have choice. You may not have choice about what is happening, but you always have choice about how to be with what's happening.

#4- Choose - Choose this moment. Choose how and who you want to be in this moment. Choose, not based on your conditioned history or your fears about the future. Choose based on now. What really matters now? Who knows, this could be your very last breath. It could be your last moment. If it were, what would you choose? Have the courage to choose that, now.

#5- Do it- BE the person you'd want to be if you were living your last moments. If you never had a chance to do it over, who would you be? What actions would you take? Would your actions be consistent with your deeply held values?

It's no accident that you and I are living on planet Earth in these times. I know there is no escaping our current reality, even as my gerbil mind conjures up ideas of deserted islands with no connection to the outside world. To paraphrase Jungian analyst, Clarissa Pinkola Estes: "We are mighty ships, made for these times." We are descended from those who weathered the ferocity of the Great Depression. If this is the beginning of another long, hard ride, will you take the wheel and steer your ship through the rough seas ahead? Inhale. Exhale. We're all in this together. One moment at a time.......

I like it. Good advice for lots of stresses.

Comments

[therentgirls.livejournal.com]

Good advice for lots of stresses.

It certainly is. Thanks for sharing.