There are times when it seems the stresses and traumas of being human are the only thing there is and that it is too difficult to find peace. It’s these times we are most likely to find fault with ourselves. We think something must be wrong with us since we ended up here in this state of frustration, depression, despair, or rage – feelings we have been taught or conditioned to control. We learned very quickly that they were not welcome in our tribe. And in these moments when they surface, they bring great difficulty and confusion for us and very little clarity and peace.
At times like this the sympathetic nervous system is activated and we are in survival mode – the body is ready for action. This brings great confusion in the mind because we don’t know what we are supposed to do or how to act and resolve this emergency. So our goal is to transition back to the parasympathetic state, the creative mode, to get our body out of emergency alert.
There will be some emotional component to this transition. We may feel much grief – grief allows the body to make the transition from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic system. It is how we come back to peace. Despite our confusion and mental distress, it is possible for us to activate a higher self that can soothe distress. It takes much focus and concentration and it takes a faith and trust that we can be soothed. It takes an acceptance of ‘what is’ in this moment exactly as it is, even if it feels terrible. The goal is to stop fighting ‘what is’ and just let it be.
The body perceives danger, but in fact there is none. The mind and the identity have perceived danger and threat but there is none. There is that within us which knows there is no threat. There is that within us which is already at peace, already knows we are safe, already knows that there is nothing wrong. There is that within us which knows the reality and truth of a divine perfection that is true right now. Even our distress is somehow perfect. Even our confusion is somehow perfect. If we will not judge it, if we will not find fault and are willing to accept and not fight, we move our faith and trust to that which already knows that everything is okay.
In times of distress and confusion we may hear many thoughts and voices telling us all kinds of things. There is another voice within us which we must choose to activate – the voice that can say, “I know that all appears to be chaos and distressing, bad and wrong, but I know this cannot be the ultimate truth. I know this is true. I accept that it is hard to see this is true, I accept it doesn’t feel true, I do not judge my perception, but I affirm there is another truth, a bigger truth – the truth of reality. I may have no experience of that in this moment but I still claim it is true. I am not denying my distress, I am not denying ‘what is’. I do deny there is something wrong or bad in this moment. I do not have to be obsessed with what is wrong or bad; I can let that go. I can move to a state of acceptance. I will simply remember there is no need for judgment, no need to fight, no need to resist. I know that there is that within me which knows the truth in this moment, as remote and elusive as it might seem, it is unquestionably and certainly real.”
You can choose now which voice you will activate. You can choose where you will place your faith and trust. You can choose to accept or resist.