THE POWER OF NOW: BEING PRESENT IN THE AGE OF RUSHING
The Power of Now: the more self-help books the merrier!
In this day and age, I am always feeling rushed. There is always something I look forward to or somewhere I need to be. And at times, I find myself getting down about the past or devising ways I could’ve done things differently. It is hard to stay present while living such an active life. That’s why I chose to pick up The Power of Now.
High emotional turmoil:
The author states stress is caused by being in the present but wanting to be in the future. And get this, Talle highlighted that waiting is saying you don’t want to be in the present. You are waiting for the future.
I always looked at my depression reassessing the past and my anxiety being fixated on the future. Stress and pain ultimately lead from both of these emotions. The author stated to always say “yes” to the present moment and always work with it, not against it. The “pain body” is all the negative emotions. You can’t truly be in the present if you are experiencing these.
I adore how Talle discusses emotion. He stated that emotion often represents an “overcharged thought.” I immediately think of all the snowballed, anxious thoughts that I’ve encountered. He, then, goes on to explain how negative emotions often stem from one emotion, pain.
Pleasure and Addiction
Humans naturally seek out pleasure. There is a constant craving for it, which we can then refer to as an addiction. Pleasure is the key to suffering. It keeps us in the future constantly thinking of our next move as constant pleasure is not attainable. Addictions also exist to cover up the pain.
How to combat these:
Look for the silence of which the sounds come and return. The outer silence helps create inner silence. Okay, so that is pretty hippy-dippy. What the author wants you to comprehend is to tune out the outside world so you can focus on what is going on in your head. You can bring identification to any thoughts or pain you may be feeling.
Good days are not forever
Life is cyclical. You have some good days and some bad days. You must let things flow and move through life with a sense of easiness. Flexibility! Negative emotions and bad days can let you reassess the world around you. It can be used as a “wake-up” moment.
“Use these negative emotions for enlightenment. Do not give it any more ideas. Accept what is happening and use it to transcend.” Talle described that perfectly. I’m writing it straight from my notes because of how much I resonated with that.
Talle spoke on chronic illness
At one point, this author literally asked the reader “Are you mad at what I said?” He talked about how the illness can take over and you protect your illness by making it your “identity.” It is essentially a limiting factor and keeps you from being in the present. Don’t create a victim mentality. Surrender to the present and move with the change.
For me, this goes into that idea where you can identify with your illness. Like geez, I have a whole blog basically dedicated to it. But I am also a girlfriend, a speech therapist, a daughter, a sister, all these other things. And at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is who I am in this present moment. I am awake, connected to the world around me, and I surrender to allow things to flow as they should.
How to surrender:
The author states that there are two ways to surrender.
The first is to say “yes” and accept what life is or isn’t. It looks like life is creating suffering, but it isn’t. Your resistance is.
If you can’t accept the outside, the author states you should accept the inside. Surrender to the grief loneliness or negative emotions that you feel. Witness it without labeling it. Just let it flow, and allow it to be.
I feel this on a smaller scale. If I have a bad day, I allow myself to sit in the emotion for some time. This makes it easier for me to act on the first way to surrender. To say “yes” and be flexible.
Use this time to ask “What is going on in my head at this moment.”
Pay attention to your emotions and thoughts. Don’t analyze. Don’t resist. Just give room for the emotion to flow and feel the energy of it.
I hope you enjoyed this!
