Non-Attachment and Mindfulness: Buddhist philosophy teaches that the root of all suffering is attachment and that to detach from our cravings, discomforts of the mind and feelings, one needs to practice mindfulness. To look deeply into our experience through our meditation practices from the perspective of the observer so that we may know that we are not our thoughts or our feelings, they are simply the air that moves the clouds across the sky of our consciousness and we cannot so much stop the air from moving as harness it or learn to use it to sail our way through. We can chart our course, direct our thoughts, listen to the weather of our feelings and arrive at our destination in this way. We are either the master of our thoughts and feelings, or we are at their mercy.
Spiritual CBT: Modern day psychiatry and psychology applies CBT (cognitive behavioral theory) which has its roots in mindfulness and Buddhism as a tool to help a person question the veracity of their thoughts, to look more deeply into their minds for the purpose of not dwelling on the negative, but changing our course and heading in the direction of solutions, not the perception of problems. Of using distractions to help alleviate the immediacy of responding to the presenting impulse/feeling/thought and then apply techniques such as positive affirmations, positive prayer/thinking to “see” things differently.
Let go: The Universe has your back! When applied, when we let go of our resistance and choose to SURRENDER to that higher state of being we are literally lifted up and our minds are transformed by Spirit.
Prayer: (not the way you may have been taught): Breathing is prayer. Gratitude is prayer. Meditation is prayer, Surrender is prayer. Acknowledging your need is prayer. Longing is prayer. Laying your burdens down is prayer. Sending upward and outward a cry of HELP! Is prayer. Being vulnerable and acknowledging your needs is prayer.
Connection: Engaging with that which uplifts/inspires you… Beauty, nurturance… What do you need each day to feel nurtured mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically? Do one thing from each category each day
Presence: is found in the Present Moment. Be here now… always. Return to the present, to your breath, to your awareness of your five senses. Ground yourself in this present moment awareness.
Self-Care: Recognize and allow your vulnerability. Own it. Freud said one good thing – Out of our greatest vulnerability comes to our greatest strength.
Seek professional support: Would you go into the unchartered or scary nighttime territory without a flashlight and someone who has your back? Or try to navigate without a GPS or Google search? We can keep repeating old habits no matter how conscious we think we are because of what lies beneath in the subconscious. All that you keep hidden is meant to be looked at and owned. The subconscious is 30,000 times stronger than the conscious mind so when something arises, be mindful not to repress it, pushing it back into the realm of the subconscious. Look at it. Feel it.