We’ve all heard the phrase “sharing is caring”. It’s been around for longer than many of us have been alive & it was trademarked by the Salvation Army in 1950 to use in one of its marketing campaigns. I believe this phrase has stuck around for so long because 1. it’s catchy & 2. it’s meant to help guide us spiritually. God tells us we should love others as we love ourselves… so sharing what we have with others is a way to show & spread our love. There are debates on whether or not we should make our children share their material possessions with others… but I’m not here to discuss that & I’m not here to debate.
I am just here to share.
I want to share with you how my world was transformed after I began meditating regularly & practicing mindfulness only one year ago. My purpose in doing this is to spread awareness even further about the life saving benefits of practice. I felt a change almost immediately after starting and I quickly realized that the more I allowed my feelings to surface while meditating, without resisting or suppressing them, the lighter I felt. The more I did this in my life outside of practice the easier it became to let go. I could feel the difference in my mind and see the change in my life. Through meditation I’ve learned how to slow my mind, to stop compulsive thinking, and to enjoy the little things in life again. I’ve learned to be Present, moment to moment, breath by breath. I was able to surface & let go of feelings I had apparently suppressed (subconsciously) over the years that were holding me back from finding peace. Ironically when there is an emptiness inside of us it feels very heavy… so as the emptiness fades away you start to Feel Lighter!! When you allow yourself to FEEL you allow the LIGHT to come in??. live simply, golightly
New phrase: Feeling is Healing
I hope this gets stuck in your head & reminds you to get out of your head!! I want it to remind you to Feel what is happening Now and let go of the compulsive thought pattens in your mind. I want this to be your new MANTRA!! Especially for those of us who have been trying to fill some perceived void in our lives whether real or imagined…
When we FILL ourselves with distractions we can’t FEEL anything anymore.
We become NUMB…
Distractions come in many forms with varying levels of destructiveness. The most common (& most destructive) form of distraction is addiction. I believe every addiction begins because of an emptiness the person feels inside. Whether it is as life-threatening & destructive as an addiction to heroin or as seemingly “trivial & harmless” as an addiction to social media, it all starts with the person trying to fill a void. Emptiness causes us to crave more… more drugs, more alcohol, more food, more stuff, more screen time, etc…
When we feel empty we need distractions to escape from the present moment because we don’t want to feel the way we feel…
When we FEEL A VOID inside, we try to FILL THAT VOID with drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, food, gambling, gaming, social media, etc… We are drawn to distractions because they offer brief moments of happiness by numbing the emptiness we feel.
Addiction takes the void you already feel inside & multiplies it with guilt, shame, & regret. This begins a cycle that feels almost impossible to overcome because you keep going back to the addiction in search of salvation when it’s the very thing that is preventing you from finding it.
This cycle of chaos inevitably leads to depression which feeds the emptiness you feel inside even more…If you’ve never experienced depression you are truly blessed!! I hope you do everything you can to prevent it from happening by starting your mindfulness practice Now.
I’ve only experienced deep depression one time in my life and that’s what started me on my path to enlightenment. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through but I am forever grateful for it. It forced me to truly look inside of myself for the first time and face the shit that had always made me feel broken. By allowing myself to face those feelings instead of running from them I found my strength.
It is not easy to describe how you feel when you’re going through depression but looking back on it it felt a lot like this:
Imagine that you are stuck in the middle of an enormous amount of quick sand… You are terrified…. you feel so alone… you want more than anything to be able to get out, you start to move, there is nothing to grab onto.. you start to sink, you panic! you can’t think clearly, your mind is racing! Why can’t I move?? Why is this happening?? the more you struggle the deeper in you go. Your family and friends are there in the distance but they can’t reach you to help. You can hear them calling out, telling you it will be ok, to stay calm, that you are strong, that you can make it through this, that you will figure it out…. This should be of some comfort but it only adds to your anxiety. Do they not understand whats happening?? How serious this is?? You try to yell out to them to explain but you don’t have a voice…. You feel like you are suffocating from the anxiety and the devastation you feel from letting them down… you are so tired from struggling… you want to give up….
Depression can be terrifying and debilitating but never lose hope. Have faith that you will make it to the other side. Please remember that sometimes all you need to keep going is the ability to Know how slow down… Your saving grace could be just around the corner. In this example maybe a helicopter with an extension ladder flying in to rescue you??:)
Practicing mindfulness & meditation helps us overcome addiction and depression because they teach us not to resist the feelings and thoughts that come up in our life and during our practice. They teach us to acknowledge our feelings, to become free from harsh self judgement, to be full of self compassion & forgiveness, and to simply return to the breath each time we notice any negative feelings or thoughts arise. Mindfulness & Meditation open up space between the habitual thought patterns that have been dragging us under like quick sand. This space allows new thoughts to come in, new ideas, new beliefs… It allows the Light to come in!!??. Learning to return to the breath during practice reminds you that it’s safe to breathe again. You will no longer feel like you are suffocating!! When you start living in the present you are able to see everything more clearly. All of your senses are heightened and you FEEL alive!! You can See how beautiful life is and you make better choices because you want to make the most of every minute. Any void you once felt is gone and you Know you have everything you need to be whole already inside of You. You finally feel free…
What I know for sure:
Sharing is caring; sharing your heart with others through vulnerability is a selfless act of love.
FEELING IS HEALING: Mindfulness & Meditation teach us to use our FEELINGS as our guides to salvation. If we allow them to surface, without any judgement or resistance, they will be the key to our freedom from our mind. We will no longer feel the need to “fill a void” or look for happiness outside of ourselves and we will finally be able to HEAL!!
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I pray it helps someone start their own path to enlightenment.
live simply, golightly
With gratitude,
Krista Golightly
