In This Moment, I Am Safe and I Have All That I Need

In this moment, I am safe and I have all that I need.

There are two statements, repeated as chants, prayers, or mantras, that have helped me through significant times of trouble, hardship, and anxiety. The first one is:

In this moment, I am safe and I have all that I need.

I have taken this mantra from mild annoyance in traffic to sheer terror waiting for the anesthesia to kick in ahead of cancer surgery and everything in between. 

In this moment, I am safe and I have all that I need.

It can be hard, in times like these, where there is a perceived need to buy 24 jumbo packs of toilet paper and ten bags of flour, to feel like we have all that we need. But, truly, from moment to moment, if I check in, I find - most times - that I am already full, already abundant, already bountiful. 

Sometimes, like now, under advice to maintain social distancing, in the house that I share with my spouse, my dog, and my three children, I add on to this phrase:

In this moment, we are safe, and we have all that we need.

My children are here with me. We are safe. We have all that we need. Moment by moment. Day by day. 

There are times, like these times, where this statement is not enough. There are times that I am overwhelmed by emotions, especially panic, fear, and sadness. I have another phrase that I use in those moments. 

In this moment, I feel [fill in the blank]. How very human of me! In this moment, other beings also are feeling [fill in the blank]. May we all find ease and peace. 

It can be adapted based on the feelings that I am noticing at the time. 

In this moment, I feel sadness. How very human of me! In this moment, other beings also are feeling sadness. May we all find ease and peace. 

For me, it was a huge step to be able to feel my emotions. It took practice to get back in touch with my own emotions, and part of the process was in finding them and labeling them. As a child, I was told that I was too sensitive, and I learned that my emotions were too big, too many, too frequent. The cows pastured near our house cried out for their stolen calves, and I was inconsolable. Bambi’s mother was killed, and I was wrecked. A classmate was yelled at by our teacher, and I was sent to the office for crying. It can take time to relearn that emotions are natural and expected and part of being alive. It takes compassion, courage, tenderness and practice. 

In this moment, I feel fear in the arch of my lower ribs like lightning strikes. How very human of me! In this moment, other beings also are feeling fear. May we all find ease and peace. 

Sometimes, the repetition of these phrases needs a little boost. I can level up my self-compassion by adding additional intentions. 

In this moment, I feel anxiety in the large muscles of my legs like static. How human of me! In this moment, other beings also are feeling anxiety. May we all find ease and peace. Inhaling in peace. Exhaling out anxiety. Inhaling peace. Exhaling anxiety. 

When I feel more grounded, more calm, more at ease, I finish these self-compassion sessions with the words of the lovingkindness meditation. These phrases get sprinkled through my day, the phrases of self-compassion and the phrases of lovingkindness, as needed. I use them liberally, proactively and reactively to help me navigate through familiar and uncharted emotional waters. 

May all beings be safe and protected. May all beings be free from suffering. May all beings live with kindness and peace. 

If you are interested in learning more about self-compassion, one of my favorite teachers on the subject is accessible at self-compassion.org.

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