Balance.
What is it?
If we have times of being emotionally reactive and turbulent, and then we have times of being calm and present, we might call this balance.
But is this balance?
Or is it an idea of balance that helps us feel better about our emotional ups and downs?
During phases of intense emotional turbulence in our life, when moments of calm arrive, they do help us feel a sense of balance.
But if we’re feeling calm and present in our life, do we need times of emotional turbulence to feel balance?
Of course not!
Calm brings a sense of balance into our life, not because it’s an opposite to turbulence. It’s because there’s a sense of balance in the calm.
This does not mean there’s anything wrong with emotions. Emotions are energy. They’re part of us. The question is more about our relationship to our emotions.
So, what is balance?
It’s important to make the distinction between “balance” as an idea or concept, and “balance” as an experience… The concept of balance is useful in helping us understand our experiences, but ultimately, we want the experience the feeling of balance inside.
I think of balance as being present. The ability to feel balanced comes with the ability to be present.
This means being present to however we feel in the moment. Present to our emotions and feelings however intense or peaceful they are.
Remember, emotions are not right or wrong. Yes, they can be intense, but emotions are just energy expressing itself in different forms.
If we’re walking across a narrow beam, trying to maintain balance so we don’t fall off, we need to be present to the sensations in our body. If not, we won’t feel our body reacting to each step, swaying one way or another, and as a result we can lose balance and fall.
The same is true for navigating life.
Navigating life
When emotional turbulence gets the better of us and takes us for a ride, we get caught in volatility and the stories and dramas that are fueled by the emotion, and as a result we lose balance.
But it’s not the emotion itself that creates the loss of balance, it’s the lack of being present to it.
Being present to our emotions and feelings, no matter what they are, is what allows us to feel a sense of balance. So, instead of the emotion rushing through us, taking us with it, we allow our self to be mindfully present to it, by feeling it.
If it’s anger, feel and acknowledge it.
If it’s sadness, feel and acknowledge it.
If it’s frustration, feel and acknowledge it.
If it’s grief, feel and acknowledge it.
If it’s heartbreak, feel and acknowledge it.
And if it’s joy, love, enthusiasm, compassion, care or peace, feel and acknowledge it.
Feel it all.
This is the terrain of our life.
These are the landscape of our mind and consciousness that we navigate every day.
Navigating landscapes, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually requires awareness of the terrain. Awareness and being present to the terrain allow us to find our way and navigate with balance.
Yes, sometimes we lose balance and fall or take an unexpected detour, but if we can be present to the terrain (the emotions and feelings inside us) we can see the detour for what it is – part of the journey.
With an attitude of curiosity, and the spirit of an explorer on a search for truth, you have the capacity to find your way! ?
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Please take some time to discover the many resources I have here on my website, such as blogs, videos, meditations and courses, that can help you to understand and navigate your mind and emotions, and awaken your heart.
