Staying in the flow
A friend said to me recently that a past event had been bugging her even though she tried her best to move on from it. “I’m trying so hard to be positive but it simply isn't working. No matter how many self-help books I read or how hard I try to forget about it, something would trigger it and the feeling lingers for days. Perhaps I just need to move out of the city, go live somewhere that can give me some peace and quiet, just so I can clear my head.”
Once upon a time I also felt that way. I was always focusing on things that happened around me and allowing them to dictate my life. What I have learnt so far is that there is no place that will give you eternal peace. Even if there is a place that would provide that sense of security and comfort, we should not become dependent on it as staying in that 'happy' place is just avoiding reality. Peace should be felt internally, if we feel peaceful then nothing can disturb our inner balance.
My daily practice in the past year has been making a conscious effort to drop things instantly before they start to affect me indefinitely. I want to be able to sleep well at night; tomorrow is a brand new day so why let your troubles be carried over? I want to wake up with a smile, not a frown. However, staying positive does not mean we have to ignore our feelings, which some people may suggest as they see being emotional as a sign of weakness. A lot of books on meditation explain the importance of acknowledging our feelings, whether they are good or bad. We simply cannot let go of these emotions unless we address them, otherwise we enter the state of denial which can in turn become suppressed emotions. Over time, we will release these built-up emotions either mentally or physically, this is when people get depressed or very ill due to a prolonged period of internal imbalance. Very often people put their focus on diet and fitness, although it is important to look after our physical body, it is equally important (if not more) to look after our mental state.