Bringing Peace to the Fearful Mind

In the current political and economic climate, it is no wonder there is a state of fear and apprehension in the world today; but whatever the reason for our fear, apprehension and stress there are some practical things we can do to help ourselves through times of chronic stress and distress.

The practice of regular meditation is a life-enhancing tool. Once the technique has been learned many people report how they handle life better, whatever is thrown in their direction. How stressful situations (family life, commuting etc) seem to bother them less, how challenging people and frustrations wash over them more easily than they did before taking up meditation.

Why is this? Well normally our thoughts go around and around inside our heads like a nagging voice which dominates our minds and our senses. In turn this prevents us from ultimately finding solutions to problems and gaining much needed perspective and clarity of thought with which to deal with whatever issue we are facing. The incessant ‘noise’ created by the ‘monkey mind’ magnifies the issue and this then tends to become the reality. Fearful thinking can literally immobilise us making us feel stuck, scared, lost and frightened.

Meditation provides a way forward and I am a staunch advocate of a 30 minutes a day Meditation. It is best if you can start your day by meditating first thing in the morning before the household wakes up, but I am aware that this is not possible for everyone and it is for the individual to find the time of day which works best for them. Meditation can be done virtually anywhere: in the garden, in your bedroom, the bathroom, in the office, even in the park or on a train. The pre-requisite is that you should be comfortable. Sitting upright is preferred, with your feet flat on the floor and your arms and legs uncrossed.

We, as human beings tend to over analyse almost any situation and any situation that occurs in our lives, looking for and often finding reasons to be fearful and anxious. I cannot tell you how many people don’t even realise that they are fearful because it is so much a part of their default position that it is not recognised, but all the time it is causing obstacles in their lives.

‘Fear’ comes in as an ‘indicator’ to protect us. Isn’t it odd then that it is fear we are trying to banish? Meditation does just that, it banishes unnecessary fear and anxiety and heightens our intuition – it is this intuition that we must then learn to trust and rely on rather than the fear which the monkey mind has worked hard to cause. Is this not a much more comfortable way of being? Yet feeling full of fear/anxiety is not a healthy state – it is not good for your physical or mental health and this ultimately impacts of everything else in our lives, relationships, home life and work.

What we are doing by meditating is tapping into the quiet which in fact we all have buried deep inside us. Our busy minds and frenetic thoughts can be quietened down. Our bodies can learn the art of true relaxation and our whole being can enjoy the benefits the deep, soul-quietening which Meditation affords us. Studies show that those who regularly meditate tend to be, in general, healthier and enjoy a more balanced life with fewer mental/emotional imbalances.

Meditation, as I have said, heightens intuition and our intuition is soul knowledge and memory. We are all part physical and part spiritual beings. Meditation helps us marry up those two elements of ourselves making us ‘whole’. We are then able to fire on all cylinders when dealing with whatever life throws at us.

Being a spiritual person isn’t aligned or contrary to any religion. It is merely tapping in to a ‘given’ part of ourselves. Being tuned into ourselves spiritually is becoming more important in today’s world than it has ever been, in order to keep us balanced and grounded.

From a parenting perspective it is important that we teach our children to understand about fear and intuition so that they can grow up better equipped to handle their physical and emotional reactions to fear-inducing situations. We are role models for our children so the more grounded, quietened and measured we are in our behaviour and reactions to different situations and issues, the better for them and in fact for everyone. This is all achievable for us all with the daily practice of Silent Meditation.