We’re all going through difficult times. which most of us have never experienced before in our lifetimes. We hear disturbing news in the media and may see even more unsettling content on social platforms. We’ve emerged out of the pandemic to face rising inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, potential power cuts, and continuing geopolitical conflicts. And let’s not forget the climate crisis that’s already impacting many people across the globe. Even if we’re relatively safe and well, the state of the world can make us feel anxious, worried, and stressed.
It’s interesting to reflect on the human story that began over 200,000 years ago as hunter-gatherers deeply connected with nature, followed by the domestication of plants and animals around 10,000 years ago. The scientific revolution emerged in the 16th century, followed by the industrial age in the 18th. It’s from that time that we started to think of ourselves as separate from nature, which was seen as mechanistic. It’s this view that dominated science and economics that provided the justification for exploiting the natural world ever since.
Mentioning all of these challenges is sometimes seen as depressing and not something people want to think about. Although mindfulness can be categorised as positive psychology, it’s not an approach that only deals with the positive things in life. Everyone has both pleasant and unpleasant experiences. Life is complicated; the universe does not always meet our individual needs and desires.
When we experience difficult emotions, like sadness, vulnerability, shame, or anxiety, we tend to react in habitual ways that have served us in the past. This could be by avoiding what we feel, while at the same time identifying with self-critical and limiting thoughts that arise about the situation that may have caused the emotion. For instance, we may feel anxious in a social event where we don’t know anyone and we deny the anxiety and identify with negative thoughts about our self-worth. Everyone experiences times of vulnerability. How we coped in the past, which could be from when we were a child, is not always the most skilful, useful, and healthy way of coping when we are adults.
So how can mindfulness help us navigate through difficulty so that we’re able to rest in a stable, calm, and peaceful state, open to whatever life throws at us?
Accepting – working with reality as it is, rather than how we want it to be.
- Allowing – acknowledging difficult thoughts, feelings and emotions as they are, rather than judging ourselves for feeling anxious, or stressed.
- Responding rather than reacting – creating the space to pause and explore options before automatically reacting.
- Compassion – extending care, kindness, and compassion to ourselves and others as we appreciate that we are all interconnected by common humanity.
- Knowing that nothing lasts forever – all things come and go, and we will eventually get through this.
When unpleasant events occur in our lives, we tend to automatically switch into a worrying or problem-solving mode in our heads. After all, this is partly why the neocortex evolved – the area of the brain that sets us apart from other mammals – as a tool for anticipating the future and solving problems.
By cultivating mindfulness, we reclaim our intimate relationship with nature – starting by appreciating the miraculous wonder of our own bodies and senses. Nature is vibrant and alive, not a clockwork mechanism in a desolate universe to be exploited for monetary gain.
With mindfulness, we cultivate a state of being where we are in the present and are aware of our body, mind, and senses. We also notice how we can easily be caught up in thought, which disconnects us from the present. By cultivating inner calm, peace, and stability, we bring a wiser and more compassionate response to navigating through whatever difficulties we encounter.
Suggested weekly practice
- Take time to connect with nature and find a bit of peace and calm.
- Acknowledge difficult feelings as they arise, if possible.
- Explore what you can do for others, with kindness and compassion
Guidance
Find somewhere undisturbed and sit in a comfortable, dignified, and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware.
There are two guided practices for this session. You can close your eyes, or lower your gaze while the meditations play.
- Play the first settling practice; play the poem and then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
- Then play the second practice to explore and experience calm, openness, and kindness for ourselves and others in this challenging time.
