When There Is No Air To Breathe
Chaotic Times
It becomes almost tiresome, writing about the chaos and change that surrounds us. However, the reality is that these times are unprecedented. We are on a journey of extremes. What we once knew is gone and what will come is still being formed (thus, the chaos and change). We best keep our focus, so that we can understand what is happening and find what we need to thrive.
These times can leave us feeling that we have no fresh air to breathe. We are so busy adjusting and coping with our world, we cannot rest. We experience shocks and find ourselves uncertain. We encounter one change after another and have to keep up. What surrounds us is neither familiar nor welcoming.
Chaos and change are tossing us around, adding to a feeling of no air to breathe. Tragedy is present in many aspects of our world. There is separation and polarity and solutions are hard to find. Often, the world that is surrounding us is unfamiliar. Fear is present and can sometimes obscure the love that we know is there.
What To Do?
When we are unsure where to go, pausing helps. Pausing interrupts action and allows us to breathe. As we pause, we gain perspective on what is happening in the present moment. If we have been caught up in the frenzy of chaos, we can get back in touch with ourselves by slowing down and becoming still. A practice of pausing allows us to breathe.
There is new air surrounding us. It is mixed with the old air that is leaving. We can hunt for evidence of that new air and try it out. New air can be found in acceptance of change, exercising our creativity and imaginations, keeping fear at bay and releasing the past. There are pockets of this new air everywhere. We can train ourselves to find them.
We can stay in a place of witnessing and observing what is happening around us. In that way, we stay in touch with change and see the nature of the chaos. We not only witness our world but also ourselves – how we are responding, where fear resides, the sense of loss we feel, as well as our sense of possibility.
Centering
When a person is drowning, one of the first things emergency responders do is to calm the person who may be flailing in the water, trying to gulp air but gulping water instead. Their panic is doing them no good. Once they are calm (not an easy task), responders can work with them to get them out of the water and breathing steadily again. Calmness can help us in these days.
Gaining perspective is another way to center. In my work with Lynn Andrews, she often spoke of point of view. Point of view is the way we look at the world. It is formed, both consciously and unconsciously, by our experiences, our minds and our hearts. Our point of view can have major influence on how we experience these times.
Courage is called for today. We can put our focus on how to grow our courage in the midst of today’s change and chaos. It will help us center and find air to breathe. How do we build our courage? There are many ways – take small risks to get comfortable with them, find ways to ground ourselves so we can stand strong, learn and do things each day.
Finding New Sources Of Air
All of this leads to being able to breathe in the new era that is emerging. Air is all around us. Yes, old air is swirling in the chaos and change of these times but new air is coming in at the same time. Where is that new air? We can find out where it exists. It is likely that it is in places where new ideas are emerging, with people who are maintaining their centers and where love and positivity reside.
➟ My New Directions Coaching program is designed to help you thrive in change and find new air to breathe!
Here is an exercise to try that may help you find new sources of air to breathe:
Ask yourself these questions:
Where have I found happiness in the past year?
Who are the, people I have most enjoyed being with?
Where has fear come up for me? In what circumstances?
What do I dream of now?
What do I want to create as the new era emerges?
Now, look at your answers to the questions. What do they tell you about what works for you, who you want to be with and what you want to do?
Identify three things you will do, or people you will connect with, in the next month that will bring you into positive company and situations. There, you will find new air to breathe!
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Looking forward energizes us. Begin a quest now to find new air and you will breathe yourself into a new existence!
Perhaps I feel that my life is closing in because I am trying to survive on the air I used to breathe. I’ll give it a try, finding new air. It must be out there, created by the chaos and change that surrounds me.
photo: Jens-Johnsson, unsplash.com
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