For many of us today, finding the basic needs to live – housing, food, clothes, work – is incredibly hard to come by. It’s only getting harder. While inflation raises the prices of everything around you, your check remains the same. The working class is hardly able, if at all, to get by. We’re at the point where minimum wage is not even livable anymore. This is only one of many issues crippling our society. Violence, political unrest, and wars also plague our ability to find peace and comfort in our day-to-day lives. With all of this going on, we still need to live. We need to rise each morning and make the most out of what is in our control and possession.
Finding Meaning
Each morning grants us new opportunities to improve upon something that we put off the day before. Maybe that looks like taking a few minutes to read that book by your nightstand collecting dust, doing a quick yoga session, or going for a walk. For some, especially in times of unrest, this might look as simple as brushing your teeth, combing your hair, and just attending to yourself. You deserve it. Though it is hard, try not to let the world destroy your care. Find rituals in daily things that bring you life.
Stepping Away For Awhile
One of the most challenging things about life’s tumultuous times is the spinning feeling you feel in your head. This chaotic mindset seems to come from the mind going over every possible scenario to make the best decision, do the right thing, and everything in between to make it out alive. It is a type of fight-or-flight response, but it does not serve us in everyday settings. It is a hindrance at times to progress. Instead, it is better to take some time to decompress and allow the mind to clear, which will then allow us to make clear and better-informed decisions.
“Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.”
― Alan Watts
If our mind is like the static on an old TV with millions of thoughts going on per minute, how do we get it to stop? Fighting this is a losing battle. And some things are not fought with brute force, but rather, they are fought with no resistance. Often the hardest battles are the ones when we need to let go rather than fight.
Still The Mind With The Breath
You can use a meditation or breathwork app, but these are not necessary for this process. Breathing is something you automatically do; the only difference is we are going to intentionally watch the breath for a few moments to allow the mind to have some space and settle, just as foggy water settles when we stop touching the sand. There are many great apps to choose from, so search and find what’s right for you.
There are numerous benefits to having a quiet mindfulness practice where you step away from the world just for a few minutes and allow yourself to be grounded once again. Headspace and many researchers have documented the numerous beneficial effects of a simple daily mindfulness practice.
Conclusion
Control what you can and let go of what you can’t.
Though it tries, don’t allow the outside world to destroy you.
Go within and find a kingdom inside where you find peace.
“Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.”
― Rumi