The best way to maintain balance during these uncertain times is to learn how to control your mind.
Your ego-mind keeps you safe and out of harm’s ways. It also allows you to express your individuality and to reach for your goals in life. It generally works in your favor, but there is a downside as well.
EGO MIND
In stressful times like these, your ego-mind can lead you into behaviors that initially allow you to disconnect from the overloading of sensory information. Such actions could include too many news reports, social media, or fear-mongering by others.
For example, your ego-mind might choose to have you sit, watch television, and eat ice cream every night for a week. You could find yourself sleeping too much, binge-eating or even over-exercising to distract yourself from boredom, fear, and current events.
At first, watching television feels okay. Sleeping too late, or exercising too little or too much feels fine as well. Our ego-mind leads us to believe that these are appropriate ways of coping.
Now, most of us have been in some form of social isolation for months. How much television have you watched? Are you feeling stagnant from reduced activity, or in pain from exercising too much?
Importantly, have you noticed a diminishing rate of return in the joy that your choices bring?
We expect the answer to this question is most likely “yes.”
Too much of anything steals energy and drive. It dulls the mind, the in-depth connection with self, and stifles vital energy.
So what alternatives are there?
FINDING THE “JUST RIGHT” BALANCE
Practice finding the ”just right” balance. Connect with, and listen to your intuition and deep understanding of what is best for you.
Rather than choosing too much or too little of anything, practice finding the “just right” balance. Each morning, try to connect to and with your body’s many sensations.
If your body could talk, what would it ask for?
Your body is continually providing clues and telling you what it needs in order to be vibrant and healthy. When we eat, the food is excellent and vital to our body’s needs for a moment. Then, at some point, the scale tips over from just right to too much. Can you sense this feeling in your own body? Practice identifying this feeling and noticing it more easily.
THE GIFTS OF TIME AND SPACE
This time in history gives us the opportunity of time and space – to practice finding the ”just right balance.” This time lets us appropriately choose how we spend our days and what we do regarding diet, sleep, art, movement, education, and connection with ourselves and others.
By practicing finding the “just right” balance, we connect better with our highest self. Doing this is the single best way to maintain balance during these uncertain times. When we practice connecting deeply with ourselves, it makes us calmer, more grounded, compassionate, centered, and loving. And perhaps this is precisely what the world needs from each of us right now!