We all do it sometimes. Even though my doctor assured me I can live a long life, when I heard I had a heart condition one of my first thoughts was that death was only a breath away - or more humorously, a heartbeat away! Better get my affairs in order fast - I don't want my spouse to have to deal with all my books, journals, rocks, etc.... And my study is a mess - better get it tidied up. As Louise said, as soon as we feel a little pain in our body, we're already planning our funeral. We scare ourselves! We terrorize ourselves!
As a meditator, I have experienced myself as a spiritual being and I know that when I die, I won't cease to exist; I will just change form. Even so, facing the imminent thought of dying scared me because I didn't feel prepared. Mostly, I was concerned about the effect this would have on others once I was gone. And what if I haven't completed my life's work, whatever that is? Will this affect future karma?
For someone else, they hear rumors at work and decide they will be fired. Or someone's spouse looks at them sideways and they figure a divorce isn't far off. Or we scare ourselves by wondering if one of our president's tweets will start a nuclear war. In other words, we allow ourselves to immediately think the worse of whatever situation we're facing. We scare ourselves. And people who are scared can't heal.
The solution? Louise says to think of a person or situation that makes you feel calm and happy. It could be a person you know or a saint or your dog or cat, a waterfall or garden - something or someone that makes you feel good. When you discover you're scaring yourself, think about this person or situation right away. She says if we do this often enough, we will eventually stop jumping to negative conclusions right away.
Here's one of my pictures that makes me feel calm and happy......
I agree. There is always more positive going on than negative. Be happy. :)
ReplyDeleteAlways - it just matters where we put our attention!
DeleteI have to admit I scared myself last night. You see, we live in the country and our well went out, and the initial repair call that got us at least functioning disclosed that much more needed to be done. And I started to fret over what that might entail as I was trying to go to sleep.
ReplyDeleteAt least I recognized what I was doing to myself and dismissed the issue from consideration until morning by thinking of other things that I enjoy more (music, perhaps?).
Then, this morning I read your Blog. I wish I had read it last night, it would have helped more. Then, this afternoon, when the senior guy from the well company came over to assess the situation, he came up with some ways to reduce the scope of what needed to be done. (Scope = $$) By the time he left, I was far less distressed than I made myself last night.
A long time ago and a lifetime away, a survival instructor taught that when you are out, alone in the woods in the dark, you will hear big nasty things approaching you. They will continue to be big and nasty and approaching all night. Until the sun begins to come up. Then they will disappear.
Thanks for adding some sunlight to help keep us from scaring ourselves.
So glad the well bill will be less than originally thought! And so glad you were able to stop scaring yourself.....I realize how often I do this without knowing I'm doing it. Writing this blog has helped me be more aware and put happier thoughts in the forefront of my mind. Thanks for sharing your experience, too!
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