It’s Monday morning, my children are at school, I’m reading the news of the day: wars, political conflicts, advancing climate change, and so on. Then there are the strokes of fate in my circle of friends… I look outside, it’s raining.
For a moment I feel incredibly powerless, tired and hopeless. The big and small issues in life and in this world almost take my breath away. How can it be that we as humanity, so wonderfully conceived by nature and evolved over thousands of years, equipped with the mind, predisposed to empathy and even capable of compassion, how can it be that we keep coming into conflict with each other, in resentment and even gradually destroying our common basis of life on this planet? What do we seem to be missing to really connect with our fellow human beings, other beings and nature? What impulse can move us from numb observation of these sometimes dramatic developments back into action?
We need moments in which we realize how things actually look around us and on earth. We need the ability to feel the pain, the hopelessness or even the shock that can be caused by all these events and circumstances. And we need to accept that these unpleasant emotions that are triggered in us have an important function: they show us that something is wrong, that something is out of balance. They show us that it is time to act, for our own protection and that of others!
Staying in this state is obviously not the solution and will not make me change or do anything. Step by step, I can face this moment and find my way out.
- Still sitting at the dining table, I take a few conscious breaths in and out. I come up for air again and realize that my breathing supplies me with oxygen ‘automatically’ without any conscious effort on my part. So that’s safe, how good!
- The next step is to become aware of my body. It feels heavy, tight and tense. Incredible weights seem to be weighing down on my shoulders and my chest, my arms and legs feel as heavy as lead. I can’t believe the impact my thoughts are having on my body, how they are restricting my ability to move or even act consciously at this moment.
- I simply notice these sensations as bodily sensations, accept them because they are there. I practice not pushing them away or ignoring them. Sentences like ‘Yes, there really is a lot of suffering in this world and I am feeling this suffering right now’ or ‘It is completely human and normal to feel the burden of all the tasks that obviously have to be dealt with inside me too’ help me. It is practicing self-compassion: turning to the suffering within me and being able to accept it.
- After a few moments, I notice a change in my body: the tension begins to ease and I feel a little lighter again. It is as if I automatically straighten up, no longer feel small and narrow, but return to my size and presence.
- And so a space can arise to consider: ‘What would be of service now?’, ‘What supports me in my openness and the will to become active, to act?’ or also ‘How can I approach other people more openly, listen more or choose my words more consciously to resolve or avoid conflicts on a small scale?’ through to ‘What can be my contribution with regard to political events and developments, my contribution to protecting our planet?
NOW I feel ready for Monday, for the week! Of course, I can’t solve everything at once. And yet I can be completely with myself, take care of myself and decide: what contribution can I make right now, in small or large ways?