Self Improvement Articles
 

Feeling Good During Chaos
By Amy Phillips-Gary

It's pretty difficult to turn on your computer, television, radio or walk through the check-out aisle at the grocery store without being overrun with what's going wrong in theworld today.  Whether it's the stock market, wars, political conflicts, or global warming-the news of what's happening around us is usually presented in a very grim way.

If your intention is to live your life with more joy and hopefulness, being surrounded by such perspectives can have an effect.  When your friends, lover, or family share their difficult experiences with you, that effect can seem to double.  After all, you want to "be there" for the ones you love, but you don't want to be there with them in that place of crisis and pain.

Is it possible to be heart-fully positive when it seems like everything and everyone else are pulling you in the opposite direction? We believe that it is!  And, you don't have to become a hermit in order to do so.  We believe that you can learn to shift your energy and fully appreciate all of the great stuff that is going on in and around you each moment-no matter what. All it takes is staying tuned in to you and being clear about what you want.

Lily has always cared deeply about the environment.  She's recycled for decades, rides her bike to work, and volunteers to keep a local stream clean.  She also loves feeling good about herself and her life.  Her friends see Lily as a great listener and they often call her late at night after breakups, in the midst of panic attacks, or with health
concerns.

Lately, Lily has noticed that between keeping up with the environmental news and her friends' problems, she doesn't feel too great.  She doesn't want to become "apathetic" and "self-centered" by tuning out the problems of the world and her friends, but she wonders if it is possible to feel happy and at peace anymore.

Try these suggestions to keep yourself feeling good and positively-focused...

1.)  Consume Mindfully
Be aware of what you are putting "in" yourself-- mind and spirit.  There's a lot of information out there about what to eat and drink to have a healthier body.  You can be just as mindful of what you are consuming mentally, emotionally and spiritually. For example, if you don't want to miss the news of the day, make careful choices about who is translating the news for you.  A simple internet search for "positive news sources" may be a starting place.

You can also intend to only participate in affirming activities.  Do you choose what you're going to do in a day with a sense of have to and should or from a place of excitement and anticipation?  You might not be jumping for joy about the workday ahead each and every day.  But if you can include in each and every day something that does make you feel great, that can make all the difference.  Maybe it's singing along with your favorite cd as you get ready for work or perhaps noticing your favorite flowers in bloom as you make the commute. All of these "little" noticings can add to up great feelings.

2.) Compassionately Inspire
You can become more and more habituated to turning your attention toward what's going right and what feels good. Perhaps Lily begins to take 15 minutes and that friend enjoying each other's company and at ease within themselves.  Perhaps the most important words she can say to her friend are that she loves him or her.  From there, it is the friend's life and choices. Seeing only the potential in your friend-- even when he or she is feeling so low-- is a powerful act of compassion.

The simple truth is that you cannot solve a loved one's problems.  Teachers Abraham point out that you cannot make yourself sick enough to take away another's sickness, poor enough to take another out of poverty, or troubled enough to remove another's pain.  What you can do is to stay aligned with what keeps you living the joyful, at-peace life you want.  Those close to you will undoubtedly notice your ease with life and, in that inspiring way, you can most help them.

When you really look at it, the world and its people cannot ever be "doom and gloom" if you choose to see both as abundant and filled with possibility. Some may say this is not facing "reality;" but I ask you to question the reality others are asking you to face.  You have the power to shift your focus and appreciate all of the wonders within and around yourself.  Enjoy!

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Amy Phillips-Gary is a free-lance writer, homeschool mom and personal growth adventurer.

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