Since the last World War there has not been a time when the life we know was so in flux. Plans have been scrapped. Regular activities are on hold. Everything has changed, and continues to do so on an almost hourly basis. The variability of the situation is everywhere: in the news, on social media, with every conversation.
Do you know what else is variable? Your experience of it all. Now is the ideal time to take pause and asses this for yourself. I’m guessing that one moment you’re panicking, the next you’re chuckling at a satirical take; then you’re bored, or feeling compassion for front line NHS staff, or gratitude for your own health. It’s a right old rollercoaster.
This is because experience, moment to moment, comes to us via thought. Thought is how we feel our lives; there is simply no other way. And because thought is so unpredictable, this means our experience is unpredictable too. Unreliable. Inconsistent. Not to be taken seriously.
If we are looking for a solid foundation to get us through this, then we need to identify what is constant. We need to turn our gaze away from the shifting sands of circumstance and experience, towards our inner core, that does not change. We need to look within.
Inside is the space in which thought appears. Inside is our “true self”. It is the source of the inbuilt human attributes we so often take for granted—common sense, creativity, insight, leadership, presence, resilience, love—and it is our home base. It never changes and never leaves us. It is the canvas on which experience arises and it is where we find our peace of mind.
We have evolved to cope with times like these. We are built to thrive with what is right under our noses, here in this present moment, not with stories that play out in thought and thought alone.
So if this piece finds you cooped up indoors, move now to the window and look outside, to where the energy of life continues, unabated. The same driving force that grows trees and flies birds is breathing you and beating your heart.
Like every situation we have ever known, this too shall pass. What remains forever unscathed is our inner well being. For in the words of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, “Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.”
Dr Giles P Croft
gilespcroft.com
Healing • Coaching • Speaking
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Group “Wellbeing Wednesdays” sessions are being held, online, on April 1st, 15th & 29th 2020. If you want to take part and ask questions, join us on the Live Stream by registering now at https://bit.ly/wellbeingwednesdayslive. For more details email dr@gilespcroft.com, message 0788 925 4987, or join the Facebook group “Wellbeing Wednesdays Abergavenny”, where videos from previous meetings are available for free.
The next “De-Stress Your Life” 6 week online course will be on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm, starting on Tuesday 21st April. Tickets available at https://de-stress-online.eventbrite.com
