But what to do?
Here's a few things I try to work with:
1. Recognize who I am—my values and priorities. At a deep level what makes me tick. What really matters to me. Take stock of all that I am, have been, will be.
2. Don't allow outward circumstances to determine my mood. Easier said than done! But it's helpful to remember that the outward circumstances are what they are, and most often can't be changed. Let them be what they are.
3. Return to the center. In the different traditions the center is the True Self, the Christ within, the Buddha nature, the Dao. Without mushing all the traditions into a syncretic soup, it strikes me that they all witness to the same basic reality. The center is the source. We return to it through meditation, prayer, reflection, mindfulness, somatics (body stuff). Use whatever practice gets you there.
4. Affirm the good. There is always some good to find and affirm, always some other ways to view things.
5. Go with the natural flow of things. I have found myself too often like good King Canute who thought he could turn back the tide. Much better to allow the tide to do its thing. Ride the waves if you must. I prefer to watch from the shore.
6. Resist hatred, worries, and what ifs—none of which has ever done the slightest bit of good.
Disheartened? These are some of the things I try to work with.
Be well today,
+Ab. Andy