5 Questions To Ask Yourself

Our minds are one of the busiest places in the universe. Around 70,000 separate thoughts scurry through our heads every single day. A river of ideas that’s relentless, turbulent and chaotic. 

This sensory overload means we can have difficulty working out what we're actually experiencing. We don't have time to feel the anger we're besieged by. We don't have the headspace to consider any sadness that besets us. We can't get clarity on projects that promise to brighten our future.

We often can't properly think our own thoughts or feel our own feelings.

Here are 5 Questions To Ask yourself to help alleviate anxiety and restore peace.

1 What Am I Really Worried About?

The key word here is ‘really’. We sometimes use one worry to shield us from another. We worry about money to shield us from worrying about death. We worry about an interview to protect us from worrying about a relationship. What worry is lying behind the worry that is currently occupying you?

2 What Am I Presently Sad About?

We go about life being braver than is good for us. We push aside all the little hurts and slights, disappointments and griefs that flow through us. We chose not to notice how vulnerable we are to hide from our own sensitivity. BUT we aren’t weaklings for being fragile. It’s evidence of our maturity to explore the ways in which we, like everyone else, are as easily bruised as a child.

3 Who Has Annoyed Me And How?

We want to be civilised and polite, but rarely a day goes by without someone annoying us - usually without them meaning to. Our spirits would be lighter if we could shed light on the actual injury. What happened? How did it make us feel? How can we find balance? We can use our inner adult to soothe our flustered (but also easily calmed) inner child.

4 What Does My Body Want?

Much of what we feel, but don’t process, manifests in our bodies as tense shoulders, knotted stomachs, headache or fluttery hearts. Our bodies would love us to regularly drain them of the emotions they’ve been unfairly burdened with. Ask: What do my shoulders need? What would my stomach want to say? What does my heart crave? This is where getting on the yoga mat can really help.

5 What Is Still Lovely?

Despite the difficulties, there is still much in every day to delight and enchant us. Often small - sunshine on our face, birds singing, new season asparagus at lunchtime - these might not seem like things we should register but, if we pay attention to them fully, they can help to fortify us. To re-centre and bring us back into balance. We need to consciously squeeze joy out of every beneficial element that might otherwise slip by unnoticed.

We can aspire to be people who make sense of ourselves. We can bravely spend time bringing our fears, doubts and hurts into the light of interpretation. And in turn, we have the chance of being a little less frantic and rather more joyful, creative and calm.

Let me know how you get on.

Credit: The School Of Life