What can we do to stay calm in these busy times? For sure our own life is getting busier
(even though we are approaching a time in life when we're supposed to slow down). But we only have to read a newspaper or look at TV to realize the whole world is getting busier and more
intense -- more in need of ways to stay calm.
How do we handle change in a creative way so that we're not buried by it, but it becomes instead a catalyst that leads us to a deeper awareness of the timeless peace and happiness at the core of our being?
To stay calm: Simply Stop
It's impossible to overestimate the profound power of this step. Stop whatever it is that you are doing. Stop whatever it is that you are thinking. And take a moment to be still. It might be a good idea, to begin with, to set aside five minutes at the same time each day so
as to give yourself a chance to really get a handle on this most important step.
Whatever it is you are searching for, stop. Whatever it is you are trying to keep away, stop. Stop and see what is
always here. It may appear terrifying, it may appear thrilling, it may appear dead, it may appear blank, but if you stop reaching for it or running from it, you cannot help but finally see what is.
Although stillness is a mystery.
Stillness is actually the only thing that is safe.
To stay calm: Spend time with Nature
One of the things that tends to happen when we get overly busy or overwhelmed is that we get more and more engrossed with what is bothering
us -- and more and more out of touch with nature.
Nature never stops giving. Hasn't yet anyway.
Taking a moment to commune with some aspect of the natural world is one of the easiest and quickest and sweetest ways I know to remind
yourself of the calm that is naturally present at the core of all being.
To stay calm: Turn off the TV and be still
TV can be a wonderful addition to our life. But it can also be our mortal enemy if it is used as a means to distract ourselves from what is truly important, so that we continually overlook
the perfection that is always present with us at the core of our being.
Don't throw your TV out the window.
But if you want to truly blossom and be happy in these difficult times don't be afraid to take a few moments now and then to simply stop, and be
still.
To stay calm: Go for a walk
Much has been written about the virtues and benefits of walking in recent years, walking remains, one of the most effective ways to engender calm -- a victorious attitude -- in troubled times.
To stay calm: See the "light" in others
We are one being -- one whole -- and anything that reminds us of this inherent oneness automatically helps us stay centered and calm.
It’s so easy to make a snap judgment of others based on their outer appearance -- for example,
on whether they look 'intelligent', or friendly, or kind hearted and so on.
But such foolish labels are a form of clutter. They keep us bound in prisons of our own making. It is a very freeing thing to let go of them -- and touch the love which is the core of our existence.
When you walk into the grocery, or down the street, or meet someone new, remind yourself, "It is myself that I see -- an aspect of myself."
