Everywhere you look these days someone is trying to scare you. Whether it is a trade war and tariffs with the United States, the threat of inflation, higher taxes, a global pandemic or the next snow storm of the century, fear is in our face! The media knows that a scary headline sells and gets more views and readership than a positive one, so all marketing and news is focused on the next big scary catastrophe!
How does this play out in your life?
Do you get sucked into the next big headline and prepare for the end of the world? Let’s explore the problem that fear and scarcity create in our lives and I will give you some strategies to live a more abundant life!
Personally, I have removed all social media from my phone, except for YouTube, which I am trying to just watch educational content. Since early 2020 when the pandemic started, I realized that social media, the radio, and TV have been stealing my joy and happiness and keeping me in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety. Instead of being brainwashed by people who are trying to gain power over my thoughts, I am trying to put down my phone and focus on the things right in front of me like my family, my relationship with my wife, exercise and the beautiful people I get to serve every day in my practice. This type of mindfulness is challenging in today’s world where everyone has their head down and is glued to a screen.
I heard an interview with a man who was recently released from prison after being incarcerated since the 1980’s for a crime he did not commit. The interviewer asked him what the first thing he did was when he was released and he said he went and had a steak dinner at a restaurant, (which I probably would to) as I’m sure the prison food is not great. The second question the interviewer asked him was if he noticed anything different about the world outside the prison walls since he went in. The man said he was blown away with how everyone walks around with their head down looking at their cell phone now!
Our nervous system is designed to recognize danger and threats to keep us alive. Whether it is an elephant walking up behind you or an image of a bombing online, your body is sent into a state of anxiety because at any moment you need to be ready to take action and fight or flight. Is it any wonder that so many people today are being diagnosed with anxiety!? Anti-anxiety medication and prescriptions are being prescribed frequently as many people are living life in a perpetual state of fear or constantly feeling anxious.
Science shows and those in power know, that the easiest way to control people is to make them afraid because their prefrontal cortex and thought processing goes off line and they evolutionarily go back in time millions of years to try and survive using their primitive lizard brain (i.e. the amygdala and brain stem). And it is easier than ever to keep people in this state because they have a direct line to your brain through your cell phone.
If the writing on the wall is not clear, let me shed some light on it for you.
We as a society are becoming more disconnected, more anxious and more depressed then ever in history because many of our thoughts are being controlled by those who have something to gain. Even though we are more connected technologically speaking than ever before, we are more disconnected as a whole and there is more division between friends, family, neighbours and religious groups. If we as a species and society want to thrive in this artificial environment we have created, we need to make a major shift in how we live our lives.
The first thing we need to do, this one should be super obvious, we need to put down our phones and unplug from the constant bombardment of news and fear mongering. If you are worried about not being in the know, don’t worry. If it is important enough, the information will get back to you. Instead of texting a friend, or scrolling Instagram and liking people’s photos, why don’t you write someone a letter (using pen and paper) and tell them how grateful you are to have them in your life or pick up the phone and have a real conversation with someone.
Second, be an observer of your thoughts. Many people believe, and I was one of them, that your thoughts are real and must be true. You can’t allow your thoughts to control you. You must control the thought or you lose your mind. Like the leaves floating down the stream, just watch them float by.
Third, humble yourself before the creator and start each day with gratitude. Give thanks for all the big and little things that God has brought into your life. Right now, when I am thirsty, I can find gratefulness for the fact that t I can reach for my water bottle and have clean fresh water to drink. The water tastes so much better when you are grateful for it! When you find yourself starting to dwell on the negative things happening around you, recenter with an attitude of gratitude.
Finally, take time to be present each day through meditation and quiet prayer. Feel where you may be holding stress within your body and use your breathe to help release any pent up emotional, physical and spiritual blockages. If you are unable to release something then you may need an adjustment to remove any physical interference as well as a trusted counsellor to help you work through your feelings.
Allowing others to rule over our thoughts frees us from the burden of thinking and from personal responsibility. It keeps us small and prevents us from living our lives to the fullest. We are creatures of habit and many of us have grown up in this type of conditioning.
Your playing small does not serve the world, there is nothing enlightened about shrinking. We are all meant to shine as children do and when we live in a place of gratitude and love, fear can no longer exist.
Dr. Thom