Be More In Touch With Yourself

Are you in touch with yourself? To check, see if you can answer the following questions:

• What’s your mood like right now?
• What areas of your body are difficult to feel?
• What’s  just below your level of awareness right now?

You might find that some questions may be easier to answer than others.

You may notice that some areas of you body seem more difficult to access than others. That’s because our body carries all our emotions. If there are areas of suffering we want to deny, the corresponding areas in the body tend to feel numb.

For example, if you afraid, your fear will manifest in your body in some way, often as a tightness around the chest. If you don’t want to face your fear, this area in your body will be difficult to explore with awareness.

The questions above help us to come home to ourselves for a moment. Why do we spend so much time away from ‘home’? Why aren’t we in touch with ourselves all the time?

It’s because we often want things to be different from how they are. If an experience is unpleasant, we often imagine that  life would be great, if only we were somewhere else, or with someone else, or somehow different.

“If only…”

I’m sure you know these thoughts well:

“If only I had…, I would be happy.”

“If only my partner was …, I would be happy.”

“I only I was in … and not here, life would be better.”

“I only it wasn’t so hot (or cold), I would feel better.”

“If only I wasn’t so tired (or hungry, or bored), I would be able to do …”

These ‘if-only’ thoughts sap the energy out of our life. Because they are an escape from the life we are actually living. In fact, they make us miss the experience of life right now!

Acceptance of what is

One of the secrets to a life of ease and joy is the acceptance of what is. There are many circumstances in life that we can’t change. Maybe we have a chronic disease, or loved one leaves us, or we go bankrupt. In those times we sometimes try to make things easier by denial of what is. However, when we learn to accept cheerfully what can’t be changed, we find a way of life that is rooted in deep peace.

I’m not saying that we should accept all injustice and suffering in the world! The point I’m making is that this moment, just as it is, is our life. If we accept and live it fully, we can find joy hidden in it’s depth. Even in the depths of sorrow, or fear, or unhappiness.

Thanks for reading, please share your thoughts on this!