Mindfulness In Times of Chaos: From Mindful Minutes to Meaningful Life
Mindfulness In Times of Chaos:
From Mindful Minutes to Meaningful Life
Life is full of unexpected, stressful, and difficult periods and events.
Whenever these challenging times arise, it is easy to feel overwhelmed,
overworked, and overall dissatisfied with your life. Even more worrisome is
that humans often ignore these feelings or chalk them up to weakness
whenever they arise. This causes this situation to feel even worse, creating
a never-ending cycle of stress, anger, and dissatisfaction.
To stop the cycle head-on, we must recognize how we are feeling,
understand the situation fully, and take active steps to be more
compassionate to ourselves and problem-solve our way out of the situation.
For many people, stopping the cycle is really difficult. Either they feel as
though their feelings are not important or rational or they feel as though
they can handle their emotions simply by ignoring them.
Many people especially ignore their feelings whenever they feel like this
situation is not “bad” enough to warrant their emotions. One damaging
thing humans do is comparing ourselves to others. When you compare
your difficult situation to that of another, it is easy to feel as though your
situation is not that bad and that you should simply get over it. This causes
the situation to compound until emotions explode.
What Counts As A “Time Of Chaos?”
To avoid making the mistake of discounting your emotions, it is important to
recognize when a situation is difficult, challenging, or chaotic for you. Every
person has their own limits, meaning you should not compare your chaotic
times to that of another.
In short, a chaotic time is anything that leaves you feeling stressed,
overwhelmed, overworked, or chaotic. It does not matter what the situation
or event was. The only thing that matters is how you feel in response to the
situation. This can include your actual emotions, as well as how you plan to
react to the situation.
Anything from a failed test to a death in the family can count as a time of
chaos. It is important to accept that anything that causes you to feel
negatively counts as a chaotic time. You owe it to yourself to accept this
fact so you can learn tools to better navigate those times in a healthy and
functional manner.
Negative Effects Of Chaotic Times
It is important to correctly navigate our feelings and responses during
chaotic times. Many studies have shown that chaotic events or periods
result in costly and life-altering health effects. For example, poorly-
managed chaotic times can lead to the following:
● Increased stress
● Increased anxiety
● Insomnia
● Cardiovascular diseases
● Work burnout
● Poor relationships
● Obesity
How Mindfulness Helps
To combat these unwanted health effects, it is important to healthily
manage ourselves during these times. Mindfulness is one of the best ways
to learn how to find your calm amidst a chaotic storm. By practicing
mindfulness, you can learn how to better comprehend the issue at hand,
connect your rationality to your emotions, and respond to people and
yourself in a more compassionate and respectful way.
Simply by practicing mindfulness every day, you will be able to better
handle any situation that comes your way. It will help you to become more
compassionate and resilient, allowing you to tackle all of life’s challenges
confidently and eagerly.
Recap
Life is full of hardships, challenges, and chaos. If we do not properly handle
ourselves during these difficult times, our body, mind, and spirit can and will
suffer. Luckily, mindfulness is one tool for combatting feelings of stress or
inadequacy during times of chaos. It allows us to calm down, better
connect to our rationality, and respond respectfully and compassionately.
Gerald Pilcher
Excerpt from my latest ebook Mindfulness Made Simple
