Have you had time to think about the spiritual teaching that says we are never given more than we can handle? If this is true, then why do we feel overwhelmed sometimes by our life circumstances and experiences? How can we trust ourselve to handle our circumstances when we feel so overwhelmed and afraid?
Life is always presenting us with new experiences. Anything that is different than that what we have faced in the past may seem huge and overwhelming. When we find ourselves dealing with new experiences, we have no reference point to go back to and use as a guide for working our way through the experience. We now have the new task of creating a new map or guide for handling this new experience.
I have learned that when we find ourselves facing a new experience that we have never dealt with before, we have to be completely open to growing and changing on a personal level. The way we dealt with our challenges before may not work with our new challenge. We have to be willing to change our thinking since our old way of thinking may not work with this new challenge. We have to be willing to let go of what is not helping us and embrace some totally new ideas and approaches to living. We have to keep an open mind and be flexible enough to change as often as we need to do so. We have to be willing to question our thoughts and let go of limiting thoughts that may be holding us back.
As I have worked through major life transitions, I have noticed that these experiences presented me with opportunities to discover a new layer of limiting beliefs that I had about myself and life that were holding me back. New challenges presented me with opportunities to take new risks and try new ideas that I may never have considered trying before. I knew that if I kept doing what I always have been doing and approaching my life the way that I have always approached it, then that was not going to be enough to rise up to this new challenge. I had to change so that I could grow to meet this new challenge in my life. I could resist change. Sooner or later, I would have to change if I wanted to work through this challenge.
I also realized that I had to learn to trust myself more and listen to my inner guidance. I could not mindlessly do what other people told me that I should do. I had to get in touch with what my soul believed was appropriate for me, even if other people did not understand my reasoning.
The emotions hidden within feeling overwhelmed are really distrust and fear under the guise of panic. We have listened to other people tell us what we can handle and what we cannot handle. We have accepted too many limiting messages about what we can handle as our truth. So when you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself why do you feel this way? Who told you that should be afraid or panic about your circumstances? Are you willing to believe that you can handle this circumstance?
It all goes back to what we believe about life and living. If you believe that life is against you, then it will be easy to believe that you are in over your head when you face new, challenging circumstances. All the fearful thoughts of how you will be stranded and left behind with few desirable options come into your mind when you give into the panic and overwhelming thoughts. You cannot possibly see how life would never put in you a circumstance that you could not get out of.
Now if you truly believe that life supports you at all times, then it is easier to remember that life never gives you more than you can handle. You may still have some fearful thoughts, but you will remind yourself that you are safe more easily. You will find a way to work through this new, challenging circumstance. You will remind yourself that you can do it. Somehow, you will figure it out. You trust yourself and the Creator. You know that a solution is possible. You know that you deserve a happy, fulfilling existence, so you know that you are not destined to be stuck and trapped by your circumstances. Any difficulty is simply temporary. You will work it out somehow, even if you have no idea of how you are going to do it now.
You might be wondering how a person can have that much faith and trust in themselves when so much of living is facing the unknown? I believe that our difficulties are opportunities to help us to dig deeper within ourselves and undercover what thoughts we have guiding our lives. As we discover thoughts that stand between us getting more of what we want and what we do not want, then we can begin the process of letting those thoughts go. We can embrace new spiritual ideas more deeply than before because we know that our lives need something more from us.
We have to learn to trust ourselves and to believe in ourselves. Our difficulties are opportunities for us to learn how to put more faith and trust in ourselves. When we start to see small examples of how we can really trust ourselves, then it will get a little easier the next time. When working through any new challenge, we have to take baby steps. With each baby step, we are building greater trust in ourselves. By the time we have worked our way through the challenge, then we will have much greater sense of trust in ourselves. We will have more proof that we can lead ourselves out of the darkness and into the light.
Here is a meditation to use to remind yourself that you are never in over your head: I believe in myself. I believe in myself more than I did yesterday. I know that I can handle whatever comes my way. Every experience is an opportunity to learn. I can handle this situation. I am working my way through this situation with trust and faith. Everything is working out for my highest good. I can do whatever I need to do to work through this situation. This situation is a perfect teacher who has shown up to teach me more about who I am and how to live a better life. I am willing to learn and grow from this situation.
Copyright©2008 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved