"If you're depressed, you're living in the past. If you're anxious,
you're living in the future. If you're at peace, you're living in the
present."
-Lao Tzu
In therapy terms, this is what we can Mindfulness. To piggy back of my last post, there is black and white along with gray-scale in terms of interpretation. I cannot give you your interpretation but can only describe mine. I find great comfort in this quote because it gives me direction. Just like the rest of you, I'm looking for someone to give me the answer so I don't have to do the work myself :) Anytime I feel that something is just... not quite right...I have to sit in it and think, "What am I experiencing? Am I feeling right in this moment in my body? My stomach feels in knots, my chest is tight, I'm having trouble catching a deep breathe and I'm feeling a bit nauseous." ...Yep. I'm experiencing anxiety. OR..."I feel sluggish, I'm on the brink of tears, I don't want to be around anyone and I feel like sleeping." ...Yep. I'm feeling deep sadness. Once we have reached the state of being completely aware of what is going on internally we can decide if we are living in the present, past, or future. If we are feeling the emotion based on a current event, what can we do about it? Is there any action that could be taken such as communicating your feelings to another person or starting to take action on a project? If what we are feeling is based on a past event, have we processed the event to accept the past or do we feel there is unfinished business? If there is no option to take action, we need to accept the past to move on to feel in the present but if there is the option to take action...TAKE IT! Say what you need to say, do what you need to do. Lastly, if what we are feeling is based in the future, we have to accept that we can only control ourselves in our present being. Coming from a person that wants to determine every moment of life for the next 10 years, this is a struggle. But we have to accept that the feeling is based on a desire to create a future outcome that we have no control over.
We need to accept that we only have control over our own emotions in the exact moment that we are feeling them. How do you deal with these emotions once you've become aware? ...Stay tuned. :D
Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on this quote and I just need to say thank you. Let me explain a little further… strong emotions about the past and future have been swooping into my brain and holding me hostage from the present. Without being able to feel (and I mean truly feel) the peace of the present, a numbness descends and before I even know it, I feel simply disconnected from all that used to feel normal and enjoyable. For example, while I am driving in a car, I am thinking about how much I don’t like what has happened in the past and how I don’t know how to ever possibly feel better about it in the future (which is just a terrible thought process, generally worsened by trying to “multitask,” that eventually leads to question why I would be evening be desiring to drive somewhere in the first place). However, when I can identify that those past and future thoughts are able to have NOTHING to do with my present happiness, I can shrink them down and simply look out the car window to enjoy the wonderment and inspiration of the natural environment/human creation that surrounds me. Wanting to change something from the past make me feel helpless and trying to know exactly what to do in the future is overwhelming. Engaging myself in the present is the only way to truly have an impact on my life. Now, in the present moment there is a critical choice – is that impact negative or positive? Thank you for boiling down the gigantic “purpose of life” question into “I am doing positive right now?” Phew!
ReplyDeleteHaha... I can hear your voice when reading all of this and just rapidly spitting out all these thoughts. I am so glad that this is spurred some of your own meditations. Unfortunately, I have the exact same moments but that is life. We are always going to have something to be upset about in the past and something that overwhelms us for the future. Great add-on in that you have a decision to make whether or not your present will be positive or negative because ultimately, all of those small present moments make up our entire life.
DeleteWow, this is very timely for me to find Kate! Thank you again for everything you do and have done for me. I am a quote person who has always used them to inspire the kids I coached. I had quotes to cope after a tough loss and quotes to keep control of reality after a big win. But the reality is, I never truly applied them to me....Thank you for giving me a little more focus today! :-)
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