Fear

There are two kinds of fear. The fear of what is right in front of us — like the fear of being run over by a car when we are crossing the road — and the fear of things that may or may not come our way in the future, like a situation that is roaring its ugly head on a different continent…

The first experience of fear is immediate and related to our ‘fight or flight’ reactions. This type of fear is connected to something that is happening right there and then, something we are personally involved in that we can handle. Chances are that the fear — and the associated stress — we feel in that moment, will help us make the best choices in that split second, and take the right action in order to come out at the other end unharmed.

The second experience of fear that is connected to a situation that is out of our control, a situation that is not imminent, a situation that is played up and fed by the media as something that may happen, the fear — and the associated stress — can keep building in our system. In this case, the fear, then, has a tendency to creep into our system slowly while at the same time it fails to show us a way out. The experience of this type of fear is often accompanied with the sense that we cannot do anything about it, and therefore there is no safe place for us to go, nothing we can do on a personal level to escape impending doom.

The immediate fear is in most cases very helpful to our survival in the world we life in. As long as it doesn’t get out of hand and starts ruling our lives, it prompts an evaluation and reaction that prevents us from doing something that could put us into danger. Like just walking out into traffic. It also comes up right when it is needed, and dissipates fairly quickly after that. Granted, in some cases when we have had a ‘close call’ it may take a couple of days for us to overcome that pang of fear. But as long as we celebrate the good outcome, and not keep rehashing the close call in our memories, chances are we are back to being ourselves the next day ~ feeling fine, and hopefully a little wiser as we may have learned from the situation…

The feeling of fear and the associated stress have gone from our system.

The sense of fear of future events isn’t by any means as straightforward. It is related to the thought that says “That could happen to me, to us”. It is a fear that is often fed, not by the threat itself — be it economic, violence, an epidemic or whatever — but rather by what we see, hear or read about it on the news or on the internet. It is presented in a way that we need to insulate ourselves from that situation, and in order to do so we need to take big, sometimes worldwide, actions. We need to guard our borders such that this thing we are afraid of cannot enter.

At the same time, we are generally told that there is nothing we can do about it on a personal level. The natural reaction then, is for the fear to linger in our systems, and for stress about this situation — that is well outside of our realm of influence — to keep building.

The result may well be that because of the extended period in which we experience feelings of fear and stress, our immune systems start weakening. Making us more susceptible to disease. And when we are in a general state of unease, or dis-ease, we may not be quite as aware or vigilant as we would normally be, or perhaps go to the other side of the spectrum and become extremely aware and hypervigilant. We may not sleep as well, and still feel restless…

And bit by bit, over time, we deplete the natural resources our bodies have to deal with things, to be healthy and happy.

So, especially when a fearful — or a stressful — situation lingers, it is important to adopt a state of mind that brings peacefulness into our personal lives…

Perhaps the best way to deal with the fear and stress that are brought on by events that are happening on a worldwide scale, that are outside of our realm of influence, and are not affecting us on a personal level — is to send Light to all those that are involved. Independent if we personally agree or disagree the situation, the actions taken on a personal level as well as on a larger scale, and how things are playing out globally. Send Light! Pray for the best outcome for those involved, for ourselves, and for the world in general.

And then, take a deep breath, and let go of the fear and stress you have been experiencing…

First published in two parts in 2009/2010.

Energy Follows Focus

If there is one thing that we can control in these changing times, it is what we choose to focus on. As we focus on something, we reach out and touch this — even if it is just a concept, a sense, or a feeling — in order to bring that which it has to offer back inside ourselves.

As we keep focusing on the same thing, the importance of it in our lives will grow…

From there we can make a decision. Is the understanding of what this thing, this concept, entails all we wish to get out of it? Or do we wish to use this understanding to change something in our lives? In other words, do we want to use this understanding as a basis for something new we would like to manifest in our day to day lives?

If the enhanced understanding is it, then we usually move on and focus our attention, our thoughts, and yes, our energy on something else.

On the other hand, if we wish to use this new understanding as a foundation for creating newness in our lives, chances are we will start thinking about it, talking about it, and eventually  find that it manifests in one form or another in our lives…

This, in and of itself, is nothing new.

Where it becomes interesting is in the realization that we can control what we focus our attention, our thoughts and our energy on.

Especially in times when the whole world seems to go through enormous changes, that are picked up by news media and then broadcast continuously to anyone who is willing to listen, we are bombarded by information on what is happening in other parts of the world — information that comes on top of changes that are likely going on in our own lives — we may get the sense that there is hardly anything we can do to bring balance — or even peace — to the upheaval.

And yet, it is our choice where we focus our attention.

It is up to us to focus on those things that are positive, and have an immediate impact in our own lives.

As we focus on the things that work for us, but also on new adventures that can bring about positive changes in our lives, we permit those things, those concepts to grow, and even manifest in our lives.

New things. Fun things. Wholeness and creativity, on many different levels…

By the same token, if we focus our attention continuously on “everything that is wrong in the world”, chances are we make obstacles in our own lives bigger than the need to be…

Energy follows focus, and where we focus our attention is our choice to make…

Inner Reflections

If we start from the premiss that we are first and foremost responsible for our own path through life, our own actions, communications, and thoughts, our own beliefs, and our own attitudes — then whatever happens in the world that touches us is a reflection of something inside ourselves…

At first glance this seems to place us in a perspective that is somewhat far fetched. 

After all, how can a war on a different continent in some far away Country be a reflection of something — a thought, an attitude, a belief — that is inside ourselves? Even if we are touched by the horror of it, and feel a great sense of compassion toward the victims…

But then again, it is not necessary the scale of events, yet more the energy of the events that is reflected. We may have been angry with the neighbors as they permit their dog to keep on barking endlessly… we may even have yelled at the dog and/or its owners. An action born out of frustration which exploded into an angry shout…

It is a perspective that says that when somebody ruffles our feathers, it is a reflection of something inside ourselves that we may feel a little bit uneasy about. Something we wish we would handle differently in our lives.

By the same token, when somebody would be angry at us, there might be part of ourselves that we are frustrated with. Whether it is about something that has happened to us long time ago that we are still not in balance with, or rather the way we present ourselves, or perhaps the way we fail to stand up for ourselves when it matters… In each and every case there is something going on inside ourselves that deserves a fresh look.

And taking an honest look at the things we wish we would do differently will then benefit us on many levels.

It will help us place situations and events in our lives in a proper perspective. It may bring the realization that while we could not stand up for ourselves effectively when we were young children, now, being adults, it is a different matter. And therefore, the situations that made us feel insecure — or may have been dangerous to us as a child — can be handled differently.

And it is those inner reflections that, when looked at, and placed into a new perspective, can benefit us enormously as it offers us a way to use our own power to better our situation.

And chances are that when we change our inner selves — our thoughts, our attitudes, and our beliefs — the inner reflections are bound to become more and more positive, and ultimately will have a positive effect on events happening in the world we live in.

First published January 19, 2016