We become overwhelmed when external stresses and demands are more than our internal resources can handle.
I think of our internal resources as something like a bank account. If we keep taking withdrawals and fail to add deposits we become overdrawn. (It would be nice if our psyche would send us an email alerting us that our internal account is low or overdrawn!)
There are a thousand ways to make deposits to your internal resource account. Silence, reading, nature walks, deep conversations, music, snuggling with a partner or pet, and on and on.
We can also refuel our account by how we move through and show up in the world. Being spiritually grounded, being deeply embodied, being aware of and present in the here and now. These ways of being have the power to nurture us, beyond any other forces on the planet. And we can drop into these ways of being at any time and in any place.
As far how to drop in, the ancient Chinese wisdom text, Tao Te Ching, is one of the best guidebooks out there. Its pages poetically illuminate how to live in balance with the rhythms inside us and around us in the natural world. It’s compatible with any and all religious and spiritual traditions, helping us all find deeper devotion to a more sacred rhythm of life.
For me, the Tao Te Ching is spiritual super food. It invites me into a here and now presence. While our culture fixates on the compulsion to change external circumstances, the Tao helps me learn to simply hold circumstances differently, embrace life more peacefully, more generously, with love.
When things seem to be falling apart around us, we can reconnect and find stability through the ancient, wise guidance of the Tao Te Ching. Here are a few morsels of this spiritual super food:
We find our still point: When the chatter of the mind quiets down, we find the still point around which all of life revolves.
We embrace acceptance: Acceptance is courageous attention turned to the nature of things as they truly are, not as we wish them to be. This attention enables our natural wisdom and energy to work effectively with circumstances.
We practice joy: To gain joy in living we let life live itself... So in this practice we stop trying to change ourselves and find that we naturally change. We stop trying to be good and find that goodness is our nature. We stop trying to get rich, and find that our life is full of abundance. We stop trying to get our own way and find that we enjoy our life.
From William Martin's translation of the Tao in A Path and A Practice
Our world is in an unprecedented time of anxiety and overwhelm. It is a revolutionary act when we can choose presence amidst all the clamor. It is a gift to those around us when we can transmit the peace and trust that comes with being aligned with spiritual wisdom.
It is my prayer that you find the time to sit quietly today or tomorrow, and receive the deposits of Spirit into your internal resource account. It is my prayer that you find your still point, find acceptance, find joy.