Your “Knowing” Self Knows What To Do
A friend of mine has been struggling lately with hot flashes. She just started menopause and is getting hot flashes about 3 or 4 times a day. They don’t last long, but they can be intense, and she says she feels like she is “cooking from the inside out.” Several weeks after these hot flashes began, she went with a friend to Snatam Kaur’s concert at Seattle Unity Church. She was really excited to experience Snatam “live” (if you are not familiar with Snatam, she is an incredibly beautiful person with a huge heart and her music is exquisite). It was one of the warmer evenings in Seattle and being an older church, there is no air conditioning, nor do the windows in the sanctuary open. As my friend sat down toward the back of the church, the air felt heavy and she noticed many of the people in the pews were fanning themselves.
As if the uncomfortable temperature wasn’t enough, shortly after the concert began, a hot flash suddenly came and her body felt like it was on fire. The storyteller in her head said, “I can’t stay for this concert. I have to get out of here. I have to leave right now.” Then, it changed its mind (as the Storyteller often does), and it said, “I can’t leave the concert. It will be too embarrassing.” As she began to perspire and could feel her clothes getting wet, her heart started to beat really fast from anxiety. Her Storyteller then said, “What if I have an anxiety attack? I need to get out of here. What will people think? There are so many people that would have to get up to let me by and I know they will be upset. Everyone will think I am rude for getting up in the middle of the concert.” Rather than going into reaction, she brought her attention, curiosity and compassion to her Storyteller, and she began to ride the waves of heat.
We all have a “knowing part” inside of us that knows exactly how to dance with every challenge Life brings us, including hot flashes, and even death. If you are like most people, you are rarely in touch with this “knowing” part of yourself because most of the time your Storyteller that talks all day long in your mind goes into reaction. You are not used to listening to this knowing part because you have been conditioned to listen to your reactive, fear-based mind. Know that there are times to stay and there are times not to stay. Your body can tell you what to do in any situation if you are able to pause and listen to your heart and your belly (your two main brains) rather than getting caught in the world of your Storyteller.
Life is about learning how to dance with it all. So, how do you dance when your Storyteller is in an uncomfortable situation and is telling you, “I should do this. No, I should do that.” Consider asking the question without expecting an answer. Your Storyteller will want to give you the answer, but trust that Life will bring the answer. Perhaps you might say, “What do I need to do here in this uncomfortable situation that is for my highest good?” For whatever reason, my friend was guided to stay inside the sanctuary of the church. The hot flash did pass and she enjoyed the rest of the concert. Every state, whether it is a physical state, mental state, or emotional state, will pass. Everything passes. Nothing stays forever. It is important to remember that.
When you are in an uncomfortable situation like the one my friend found herself in – not necessarily with a hot flash, but perhaps a situation with your boss, friend or loved one that triggers you – I invite you to listen to your heart and your gut rather than getting hooked by the Storyteller in your head. Thinking you have to figure it all out is just your conditioned fear-based self. Your “knowing” self knows what to do and it will be there for you every step of the way if you just listen and trust Life.
Image – “Fire” by Artist Tom Toy http://tomtoy.us