The Heart of the Matter
(this is an excerpt from Sharon’s upcoming book, “Please Pass the Calm”)
Have you ever felt that you’re on a hamster wheel some days?
Stubbornness is not one of my most endearing traits. At times, I have been able to hang on to that hamster wheel like my life depended on it.
It’s amazing how quickly a few negative thoughts about what I’m challenged with in my life can turn into a negative unending spiral. And down I go – hanging on to that stupid hamster wheel.
The only thing that got me off the darn thing was getting desperate and saying “ENOUGH!!”
As soon as I did that, it created an opportunity. I had a CHOICE!
And when I realized that I could choose to not be a hamster, I fell off the wheel. And immediately my memory was flooded with all of the tools that I already have at my fingertips to blast that wheel into smithereens!!
Several years ago, my youngest sister was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer. She was given three to five years to live.
Well, I jumped on to that hamster wheel in a big way at first! I was really angry that this had happened to her. Eventually, I realized that the hamster wheel was really all about me. It had nothing to do with her or what she was going through.
I could not change this situation, but I finally realized that I did have a choice. She needed a lot of help. So, I made a CHOICE to just be with her – from moment to moment.
Some of those moments were excruciatingly hard and some were ecstatically joyful. She passed away a few years ago and I am grateful for every one of those moments I had with her.
Those years were also magnificent opportunities to feel stuck and to remember that I had a choice.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to slip into a fear mindset? And what’s worse is how easy it is to actually feel comfortable being afraid. We call that being “Comfortable with being Uncomfortable”.
The big problem with this is that you are wired to respond to fear with a flood of hormones that keeps you on alert. This is the ‘flight or fight’ response.
This is actually a good thing if you are in immediate danger, like when someone cuts you off in traffic. You move quickly before you even have time to think about it.
But if you have fallen into a hamster wheel of chronic negative thoughts, your nervous system is constantly bombarding your body with flood after flood of hormones to keep you in ‘flight or fight’ response.
The fact is that CHRONIC FEAR has a massive impact on your health and well-being! So does chronic WORRY!
Nearly 8 in 10 adults (78%) say the coronavirus pandemic is a significant source of stress in their life. And, 2 in 3 adults (67%) say they have experienced increased stress over the course of the pandemic.
Chronic fear and the symptoms of stress it creates, are the root cause of most of the illnesses people are suffering from. Left unchecked, those illnesses can easily lead to a hospital stay. And they are responsible for over half of all deaths in those under 65 according to the US CDC.
It is really, really important to know that you ALWAYS have a choice!
‘Feeling stuck’ is an opportunity to remember that you can choose to either change the situation or change how you are responding to it.
We pride ourselves on our logical accomplishments. These are certainly well deserved.
But the truth is – emotions rule your life.
The more you understand how this happens, the more you can manage your life and emotions to create more calm and deep inner peace.
An additional benefit is that you expand your capacity for accomplishment when you explore how your emotions make everything tick. And how they contribute to your wholeness.
The Heart of the Matter
(this is an excerpt from Sharon’s upcoming book, “Please Pass the Calm”)
Have you ever felt that you’re on a hamster wheel some days?
Stubbornness is not one of my most endearing traits. At times, I have been able to hang on to that hamster wheel like my life depended on it.
It’s amazing how quickly a few negative thoughts about what I’m challenged with in my life can turn into a negative unending spiral. And down I go – hanging on to that stupid hamster wheel.
The only thing that got me off the darn thing was getting desperate and saying “ENOUGH!!”
As soon as I did that, it created an opportunity. I had a CHOICE!
And when I realized that I could choose to not be a hamster, I fell off the wheel. And immediately my memory was flooded with all of the tools that I already have at my fingertips to blast that wheel into smithereens!!
Several years ago, my youngest sister was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer. She was given three to five years to live.
Well, I jumped on to that hamster wheel in a big way at first! I was really angry that this had happened to her. Eventually, I realized that the hamster wheel was really all about me. It had nothing to do with her or what she was going through.
I could not change this situation, but I finally realized that I did have a choice. She needed a lot of help. So, I made a CHOICE to just be with her – from moment to moment.
Some of those moments were excruciatingly hard and some were ecstatically joyful. She passed away a few years ago and I am grateful for every one of those moments I had with her.
Those years were also magnificent opportunities to feel stuck and to remember that I had a choice.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to slip into a fear mindset? And what’s worse is how easy it is to actually feel comfortable being afraid. We call that being “Comfortable with being Uncomfortable”.
The big problem with this is that you are wired to respond to fear with a flood of hormones that keeps you on alert. This is the ‘flight or fight’ response.
This is actually a good thing if you are in immediate danger, like when someone cuts you off in traffic. You move quickly before you even have time to think about it.
But if you have fallen into a hamster wheel of chronic negative thoughts, your nervous system is constantly bombarding your body with flood after flood of hormones to keep you in ‘flight or fight’ response.
The fact is that CHRONIC FEAR has a massive impact on your health and well-being! So does chronic WORRY!
Nearly 8 in 10 adults (78%) say the coronavirus pandemic is a significant source of stress in their life. And, 2 in 3 adults (67%) say they have experienced increased stress over the course of the pandemic.
Chronic fear and the symptoms of stress it creates, are the root cause of most of the illnesses people are suffering from. Left unchecked, those illnesses can easily lead to a hospital stay. And they are responsible for over half of all deaths in those under 65 according to the US CDC.
It is really, really important to know that you ALWAYS have a choice!
‘Feeling stuck’ is an opportunity to remember that you can choose to either change the situation or change how you are responding to it.
We pride ourselves on our logical accomplishments. These are certainly well deserved.
But the truth is – emotions rule your life.
The more you understand how this happens, the more you can manage your life and emotions to create more calm and deep inner peace.
An additional benefit is that you expand your capacity for accomplishment when you explore how your emotions make everything tick. And how they contribute to your wholeness.