I have shared this text before, during COVID, a difficult period of global uncertainty, and I received responses from people saying that it helped them, that it was healing in a quiet, gentle way.
I am sharing it again now, because many of us are once more living through times of uncertainty and a sense of external unsafety. These are times when it is especially important to remember what is still intact within us.
A PATH TO GREATER CALM
Several times a day, notice that, at your core, right now, you are okay. You may wish for more certainty, or you may have unmet needs. You may want less pain, or for some external situation to change. All of this can be true and valid.
And at the same time, beneath all of that, at the very center of your being, you are okay.
Beneath your desires, your activity, and everything you are doing, there is your aliveness and your awareness. And they are doing well. They are alive, present, and available to you, regardless of what is happening outside. You are okay.
Perhaps you are cooking right now. You can notice that in this very moment, you are okay, and quietly say this to yourself.
Or perhaps you are driving. You can say to yourself: I am okay right now.
By noticing that you are okay in this moment, you can continue with your daily tasks and deal with problems as they arise. Nothing terrible will happen simply because you allow yourself to feel that you are okay right now.
Noticing that you are okay does not mean covering your life with a veil of illusion. On the contrary, this is not an illusion, but the deepest truth. Because in this very moment, you truly are okay.
This truth can be felt in your body, because it is deeper than fear. It can be felt in your breathing, because your breath is more alive than anxiety. You may notice that your brain is functioning perfectly well, even if the thoughts occupying it right now are far from perfect.
To settle into this basic sense of “I am okay” is a powerful way to build your well-being and your resources — the resources of your brain and of your whole being. And this is something you can rely on.