Ways of Finding Calm and Positivity When Feeling Pain or Anxiety?
To address the question of finding calm and positivity while experiencing pain and anxiety I am going to look at surface and depth in consciousness and where we centre ourselves in terms of depth of consciousness.
At the very base of this line from surface to depth in consciousness is deep reality; then, above this, comes the stem of individuality, connected to the other, similar, stems of other people; then the melody of me; then, above the surface, the melody of my life; and, above that, the tangled mess of ideas and appearances that this melody generates.
Where on this continuum, and how, do I centre myself?
Finding Calm and Positivity – Centring in the Source
Where do I centre myself to be in tune with life at its deepest level – at a level below sensations and feelings like pain and anxiety – rather than getting carried away above the surface in ideas and appearances, and all the turbulence and difficult feelings which go with these?
I’m thinking here about meditation, and centring in the Source, at the deepest level.
It is said that each individual is a ray of this Source, so a good way to get back in touch with my direction in life is to touch Source.
To do this, I can sit comfortably, close my eyes and breathe in a relaxed way, focusing on the points of stillness and silence between each in-breath and out-breath. These points are linked with the stillness and silence that envelops the whole universe, and from which all beings appear.
To do this kind of breathing, feel supported by the chair or the Earth. Make sure that you are sitting with as good posture as possible – neck and shoulders released, spine feeling supported and dynamically at ease. Treat the ribs as a sprung bellows. When you release the girdle of muscles around your belly, the ribs spring out, and, as long as you release the throat muscles at the same time, air is drawn into the lungs automatically, without effort. When you contract the girdle of muscles around your belly, the ribs are pushed inwards, expelling the used air.
Finding Calm and Positivity – Centring at the level of deep connection
Following the stem of my individuality up a little from the Source I can find my deepest connections to other people. These are deep connections of love and creativity, far below the level of pain and anxiety.
You could think of these deep connections as being like an orchard. Above the surface of the Earth, the orchard appears to be made up of many different trees. But, beneath the surface, the trees are connected by their roots, the Earth itself, and the other organisms which live beneath the surface.
Rather than connecting with others only at the surface level, as if we are separate, I’m thinking about how to centre at the level of deep connection with others.
Centre yourself in the breath – nice, relaxed, deep breathing. Visualise the person you feel this deep connection with at this moment. On the in-breath, draw in energy from the Source. On the out-breath, send some of this energy to the person you are connecting with.
Finding Calm and Positivity – Centring at the level of ‘The Melody of Me’
Now I am up to the level of my own unique melody of life, before I interact with the world at the surface. At this level I am still in the level of calm and positivity, below the difficult feelings at the surface.
A good way to centre in my own unique melody is to close my eyes and focus on my breath, allowing it to slow and smooth a little, then paying attention to its unique qualities, right now – really enjoying the process and the sensations I find there.
Finding Calm and Positivity – Centring at the level of ‘The Melody of My Life’
This is the level where my deep individual melody interacts with the world. For example, I could be walking to the shops to go food shopping. This is a good example of my individual melody interacting with the physical world. It’s something I might take for granted but it’s dependent on my physical and mental health, on whether I have something to exchange for the food, and on the availability of food in the local shops.
If I want to centre in how this aspect of me is going, I can sit quietly and observe the physical sensations in my body. My subconscious mind, nervous system and body are very good at telling me what is going on for me in my interactions with the world. They speak in sensations, rather than in words. If I just pay attention, with gentle, loving interest, they will communicate, wordlessly, and help me move forward.
Centring at the level of thoughts and impressions
After centring in the level of the melody of my life, I am looking at the level above this, the level where the melody of my life triggers ideas and appearances, thoughts and impressions.
This is the level where it is easy for me to get stuck because thoughts about what is going on in my life can tend to spiral around, getting ever stronger and more entrenched. And as thoughts spiral around, anxiety and pain can arise and become stuck. Meanwhile, if this happens, I am losing my sense of connection to the deeper levels.
So, when I find myself centring in the level of ideas and appearances, it is good to practice dropping the storyline, knowing that thoughts and appearances are not solid, and allowing them to dissolve or evaporate away. To do this, it can be helpful to sit still and quietly, paying gentle attention to the breath, especially the still, silent points of turn-around between in-breath and out-breath.
Thoughts and impressions are a bit like clouds. They are like vapour that I can allow to evaporate or dissolve away.
Look From a Different Perspective
If I get a bit overwhelmed with what is going on at the surface level of my life, with pain and anxiety, it can be a good idea to move the centre of my focus down and see things from a different perspective. In the deeper levels there are always calm and positivity and lots of creativity and healing.
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(image from Spurwing Agency on Unsplash)