What About Everyday Life?
“Living Without The Burden” (suggests) either you worry a lot or you don’t. Since most of us have real lives with jobs and families and other responsibilities – we are caught somewhere in the middle. WE have to deal with external forces all day! How do we navigate everyday life in a way that minimizes the chances for unnecessary stress and worry? – Larry, Bloomington, IN
Despite the widespread habit of attributing our experience (e.g.worry) to “external forces,” it’s useful to see that experiences, such as worry, are never being required by our circumstances. Psychological and spiritual work can be transformative precisely because the way we experience our “jobs, families, and responsibilities” is radically open.
It’s quite possible for us to experience worry in any situation. How do I know my heart isn’t about to stop beating? How can I arrange my circumstances so that I can be sure that my loved ones and I will survive the next moment? No matter how skillfully we navigate our everyday life there’s no way to set things up so that worry can’t happen.
Fortunately, it is also always possible for us to be free of worry regardless of circumstances. We could know that this is our last breath and exhale without worry.
So how can we live free of worry rather than being immersed in it? Well we can start by seeing that we don’t really need to worry about any thoughts or feelings that we label “worry”. Ultimately, there are no thoughts or feelings we need to have or avoid.