163. Finding Peace and Equanimity in Tumultuous Times

The Mindful Healers Podcast with Dr. Jessie Mahoney and Dr. Ni-Cheng Liang

Sending loving kindness to the world.

This episode is shared out of love. We share our perspectives as a loving response to things happening in the world that exemplify the worst sides of humanity: hatred, othering, the taking of innocent lives.

Current events bring up uncomfortable emotions: fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, and our tendencies for over-responsibility.

They also can become catalysts to show the best sides of us as humans: love, compassion, understanding, compassion.

When troubling and traumatizing world events happen, they often create divisiveness, further othering, and polarization.

This “us versus them” mentality stems from our fundamental building blocks, and we all too easily fall back into viewing the world with binary judgements as a protective, scarcity, and fear driven lens.

Whether or not we acknowledge or like it we are all somehow interconnected. We are all human beings, living in this moment in time, together, sharing space on this earth.

We are not trying to dissuade you from pursuing your own aligned chosen response. Everyone gets to chose their own relationship to events happening in the world.

We often judge ourselves and our own reactions to current reactions. Are they felt deeply enough? Are they appropriate? Are they adequate? We also judge how others should relate to current events.

We invite you to show up for today with intention rather than reactivity.

Mindfulness allows us to navigate the rough seas of life, it allows us to see the world as it is, just as it is, in its most scary, ugly, times, and in its most beautiful, loving times.

Mindfulness can help us observe our emotional and physical phenomena.

We can’t rid ourselves entirely of reactivity but we can slow it down, and notice it, with mindfulness. We can give ourselves the space to feel the emotions, truly experience the present moment as upsetting as it may be, and then be open in choosing a response.

We are often quick to judge, as this is how we have been engrained, evolutionarily as humans.

Mindfulness allows us to stay curious about the differences in experiences, perspectives, lived and historical.

You can give yourself permission to own your response to aspects of humanity’s suffering.

You can choose where you place your energies - what you attend to, and how you intend to show up.

While social media, the news, your friends and loved ones, colleagues might expect, want, you to react or respond in a certain way, you alone, have ownership over your thoughts, emotions, and actions.

“Everyone is on their own life journey. I am not the cause of this person’s suffering nor is it entirely within my power to make it go away even though I wish I could. Moments like these can be difficult to bear, yet I may still try to help if I can.” - the equanimity phrase from the Mindful Self-Compassion curriculum

Some questions to help you show up in alignment for challenging situations. The answers will be different for each of us and will likely be different in different moments in time.

How do you want to respond?

What would peace do? Or a wish for peace?

What would equanimity or a desire for equanimity do?

What would caring do?

What would love do?

What will your future self wish you had done?

These questions are designed to help you focus on what is in your control while also not abandoning your own well- being and health as you worry for humanity.

May you be well. May you find peace. May you be free from harm.

With love - Jessie & Ni-Cheng

*If you want to find calm and a clear and meaningful path forward in your life, reach out to Jessie to discuss private mindful coaching www.jessiemahoneymd.com

*If you want to enjoy ocmmunity and personal growth and health and wellness, join Jessie for a retreat. https://www.jessiemahoneymd.com/retreats

*If you want to develop a consistent mindfulness practice or a speaker for your group, reach out to Dr. Liang www.awakenbreath.org

*Nothing in this episode is medical advice.