Mindfulness. How to Feel Whole in the Midst of Chaos
Personal and Spiritual Mastery
Many of us feel upset with the increase of violence on our planet. If you are a highly sensitive person, you may feel the chaos energetically, even though you’re hundreds of miles away from a war, or a mass shooting or a natural disaster. If you have experienced abuse or trauma, or if you are empathic, your body may feel agitated, setting off a whole string of emotions that you don’t understand. That’s typical for a highly sensitive person, that is until you develop a mindfulness practice to experience personal and spiritual mastery.
What can we do in the midst of chaos? We can’t always stop the conflict around us. But instead of feeling helpless, we can do something. We can stop the wars inside ourselves and return to the experience of wholeness every day by using mindfulness.
How do we practice mindfulness? First of all, let’s define it.
Definition of mindfulness: a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
When we get triggered, often we feel angry and frustrated. Sometimes we blame the person who triggered us. We tell ourselves, “If he hadn’t spoken in a stern voice, or if he didn’t look at me with a certain facial expression, I wouldn’t have felt angry. It’s all his fault.”
Instead of blaming, take a step back and observe your own feelings, thoughts, sensations and reactions. Take responsibility for your perceptions and your reactions. They belong to you. Be curious about what you can learn about yourself. This is the essence of mindfulness.
When you raise your self-awareness, you will be able to see things from a different perspective. You’ll be wiser. You’ll be able to report what part of you was triggered while taking responsibility for yourself. Instead of adding fuel to the fire or shrinking away in isolation, you’ll be able to stay grounded and centered.
Some spiritual leaders say that it takes only 10% of the whole population to shift the consciousness on the planet. When we develop the ability to stay more centered, we affect the world because we are part of the world, like one facet of the diamond is part of the whole diamond.
Many of us have spent years doing inner healing. All the work we have done with our families and friends cannot be in vain. It counts, even if we cannot see the immediate impact of our efforts. We can contribute to the wisdom on this planet.
Right now you may be experiencing a resurgence of old issues and old wounds that you thought you had healed. This does not mean that you are backsliding. It means that you have the opportunity to upgrade your mastery level so you can more closely align with your Authentic Self as a highly sensitive person. Wherever the distortions still remain, they are being exposed.
When you experience a conflict, ask to be shown the highest level of wisdom. Then summon the courage to act congruently with your insights.
Make a study of the wise use of power. The abuse of power results in violence. There’s a direct relationship between unresolved grief and the abuse of power. When we lose something important to us (including our sense of power or worthiness), or when we lose someone precious to us, vulnerable emotions arise. If we don’t know how to be with our vulnerable emotions, we blame or attack others. Or we shut down in depression, or we get stoic and can’t connect with our loved ones. Or we harm ourselves. Or we use our favorite addiction.
When we use emotional mastery skills, we can stay present with our own vulnerability while being grounded in our body. We connect with our Authentic Self and the Holy Spirit. We still have a sense of wholeness while we experience the loss. We’re able to make decisions based on the wise use of power.
Personal and spiritual mastery look like this: We are willing to sit with our grief and take responsibility for our disappointment, helplessness or loss. We own it. We observe ourselves non-judgmentally and say, “This is my grief. This is my sorrow. This is my loss.” We are willing to feel it and stop abandoning ourselves. We stop blaming others. We breathe and feel. This practice is called mindfulness.
When we choose personal and spiritual mastery, it’s like playing a violin. Our instrument needs tuning every time we play. We don’t tune it once and it stays tuned. We practice our scales even though we’ve been playing for years because it helps us stay proficient. We play music that brings us joy, but we also select new pieces that challenge us because we enjoy upgrading our skills. We love the experience of making the violin sing even sweeter. When all the orchestra members increase their skills, the music sparkles.
Conclusion
I encourage you to refine your skills every day so you can play the beautiful music your Authentic Self longs to sing. You are a vital part of the whole symphony. You count. Turn towards your true source of all love, wisdom and power.
Schedule daily mindfulness practices so you increase your personal and spiritual mastery.
Reflections. Now It’s Your Turn.
- Who or what triggers “wars” in your life?
- Choose one struggle. Focus on it to upgrade your personal and spiritual mastery skills.
- Ask your Authentic Self and God to counsel you. Write what you hear, word for word.
- Develop daily practices to self-soothe and increase self-awareness so you can feel peace in the middle of the storm. Examples: Meditate. Breathe deeply. Journal. Yoga. Exercise. Eat healthy food. Talk with a friend. Attend counseling sessions. Pray. Paint. Play. Spend time in nature. Get 8 hours of sleep.
- What action do you choose to take? When? How often? Schedule it on your calendar so you keep the commitment to yourself. You’ll feel so much better when you develop mindfulness practices so you can feel peace in the middle of the storm.
A Resource for You
I created the guided meditation CD “A Journey into Wholeness” to help people stay grounded, manage difficult emotions, and access spiritual guidance. If you would like to hear a sample and purchase a copy, click here. This is one of many tools I have to share with you.
Contact Information
Contact the author Benita A. Esposito, MA if you would like help to develop your personal and spiritual mastery via individual sessions or intensive retreats. Spiritual counseling is available worldwide via Zoom videoconference.
Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. The Esposito Institute, Inc.