“Peace is something that comes from within. It is created by your willingness to accept yourself.”
Jason Nelson
Stress and Dis-ease, a Different Perspective:
In more than a decade of clinical practice I have found that stress either contributes towards or sometimes even causes about 50% of the dis-ease people come to me to get resolved. This is mirrored in many studies that suggest that over 1/2 of Americans suffer from low grade chronic stress/anxiety.
A healthy Mind is 1 of the three pillars of health from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Interestingly I have found that stress contributes towards or causes a huge range of dis-ease ranging from the more obvious such as anxiety and depression to the less obvious such as menstrual issues, low back pain, and constipation.
I have yet to see in practice a single person with chronic anxiety, depression, fatigue, or food/chemical allergies that did not find significant improvements when they learned to heal their Mind.
Lack of Fulfillment, Contentment, and Meaning:
Many people experience themselves as somehow separate, cut-off, isolated, or painfully different than others around them and even the world itself. We might call this the “little old me in a big old world syndrome”.
This way of experiencing yourself often comes along with chronic worry, fear/anxiety, and anger.
There is also for many a sense (not a thought) of something missing. Its as if no matter how good things are there is a quiet (or sometimes loud) feeling that your not quite whole or content. Believing that if you just had a bit more financial security, or if your romantic relationship could be just a bit more like you think it should be, or you could just fix this 1 health problem THEN you would be able to relax and be fulfilled and okay.
This “little old me in a big old world syndrome” often leads to an endless journey of “self-improvement”. This shows up in some common ways:
- The pursuit of skills and abilities. Learning to cook, do martial arts, play music, learn a language, etc.
- The pursuit of life goals. More financial or career success, more friends, buying a house, getting a pet, etc.
- The pursuit of body health. Becoming fit and looking good, healing from dis-ease, etc.
- In short the pursuit of becoming “your best self” or “living your dreams”.
When these things are experienced from the perspective of “I just enjoy doing them, they feel natural for me, I like to express myself in this way” then they are inherently fulfilling, meaningful, and worth doing whether you succeed or not.
When they are instead experienced from the perspective of “self-improvement” you discover that they never fill the void, never cover up the pain, never fix the problem for more than a moment. Whether you succeed or not becomes very important and even if you do succeed you need to keep succeeding to keep the good feelings going.
If any of this feels true for you then you are not alone, this is far more common than you might suspect.
While this can be a bit overwhelming to acknowledge there is some AMAZING NEWS…This is NOT your natural state. Its fueled by belief (stories) and unconscious/subconscious emotional energy (un-digested emotions).
ANYONE can become free, undivided, and whole. Meditation, Self-Inquiry, and Emotional Digestion are the foundational practices for discovering this yourself. While there are many great practices freely given on this website many people benefit greatly from 1-1 guided coaching and that’s what the rest of this post is all about.
Up Next: Meditation, Self-Inquiry, Somatic Release. (Life Coaching and Meditation Sessions)