What do you do when you're in a situation that you can't handle, when you feel like there's no escape, other than to just go through it?
How are we to wisely move through difficult situations? What's the best course of action when it comes to keeping our composure? How do we deal with our inner reaction to an outer event that is unknown, difficult, or downright terrifying?
First, you do just that. You move through it.
You use the wisdom of your past to know that you've gone through difficult situations before, and you'll go through this one just fine. Remember, you were fine before the challenges arose, so you'll be fine after.
You practice non-resistance.
It doesn't mean the situation will not hurt, or that it won't cause any discomfort. However, with non-resistance, you allow yourself to feel scared. You allow yourself to dread. You don't lament the fact that you're scared or dreading it.
You just allow fear and dread to exist, just like the furniture in the room exists. You give it space, and let it do its thing while you watch.
While this might not make the experience any easier, it will put you in a wiser relationship to the present moment, and as a side effect, decrease suffering in the future.
You'll not longer be "caught" as much by this experience, so whatever happens in the future won't be clouded as much by your present. You'll have gone through this experience, rather than resisting it like it wasn't happening.
You can learn to take the courageous path, no matter how hard it might be.
I screw up many times a day by letting my mind take over. However, I'm always reminded that what I did in the past is irrelevant, because I can only act in the present. We have every second to start anew, to choose a new path.
After knowing this, you come to understand that there is a way out. And that way out is only right here, right now, in this moment.
Your story is from the past and future.
The present moment cannot have a story, because it's happening now. Stories take you away from now, while presence brings you into it.
That's your escape. Find it. Embrace it. Keep coming back to it.
Live with substance!
Gabe Orlowitz
