What if you need to stop feeling overwhelmed but the feeling won’t stop? Read on…
Sara writes:
I hurt my back and had a lot to do. Lying in bed this morning I was overwhelmed. I tried to be with it but it wouldn’t give me the distance I asked for. So how to work with a part that won’t or can’t shift?
Dear Sara:
This is the big paradox of inner work, isn’t it? When you ask something to change, then it doesn’t change.
But when you give it unconditional acceptance, then it can change.
You hurt your back and you had a lot to do. That sounds hard! No wonder you felt overwhelmed.
In that situation, I’d suggest giving yourself some compassion first of all. Like putting your hand on your heart and saying to yourself, “I know this is really hard.”
And then there’s the part of you that doesn’t want to feel hurt and overwhelmed, that is trying to get the feelings to change. You might want to say Hello to that part as well.
When you say a gentle, compassionate Hello to every feeling you are aware of, you are cultivating your Self-in-Presence. You are becoming the space where everything in you can be the way it is.
And without even trying, you find you are not overwhelmed any more — simply because you are able to acknowledge everything that is here.
It doesn’t have to change. You change, to get bigger than it is. Then everything gets easier. Amazing!
