Staring at the white screen, she felt a buzz of anticipation and sensed sparks of ideas beginning to fire. ‘This is going to be great – at least I hope it will be. Awareness is an important topic. Where do I begin?”

And the cursor continued to blink – at blank line, after line…

You may not face ‘writer’s block’ – but how about blocking emotional awareness?

Can you relate to blanking out details so that precise awareness is lost in ‘busyness’ or in the wash of turbulent emotions? I can.

Another question: Does it matter? I believe it does – especially when we are facing difficult, depressing or anxious experience – looking for pain relief, or for a coping strategy that we can use, right now.

Most of us are familiar with the importance of good tools. We understand that an expert makes use of the right tool – at the right time, for maximum pay off. Experts also know when to seek assistance, and who to call for help.

We need to become experts – about our own needs, thoughts and beliefs.

Awareness is required – but we’re often distracted by the noise of daily life, random thoughts, actions, and emotions – so that we aren’t tuned in to what’s really going on within us in the present moment … right now.

We need to be aware of discomfort before we seek relief – and we need to be aware of the source of our discomfort in order to find that relief.

If our thoughts are in error – we need to recognize them, before we can check and correct, or re-align them, with truth – or to ask for help in doing so.

What it is – and is not:

Developing self-awareness isn’t some form of indulgence or a narcissistic exercise. We’re not interested in a simple ‘ego massage’.

We are also not talking about emptying our minds … to create a blank slate, or about getting stuck in a loop of personal history, re-running our past experience.

Rather, we need to bring awareness to what’s going on within us –in the present moment, so we can make good choices with accurate judgments, actions, and decisions.

Biblical references support this kind of awareness. We find one in the Old testament. When asked by whose authority a God-given mission could be completed:

‘God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ Exodus 3:14

Notice that, although He is eternal (the beginning and the end), for this inquiry God did not give His name as … ‘I Was’, or ‘I Will Be’. He said ‘I AM’.

It will take some practice to develop this internal, here-and-now, focus.  This type of self-awareness is a skill. Others have called it ‘Mindfulness’. It is a basic key to cognitive therapy.

So, how do we accomplish this heightened sense?

Since our divine design offers two-way traffic flow, we can use our mind/body connections to help focus our attention as we become more aware of where we are in any process; where we want to go, as we move towards resolution; and what we need to reach our goals.

We can start to quiet our minds and focus our thoughts – by sensing our bodies in the external world.

Try this for 5 minutes:

• Begin with a brief prayer, asking to receive the Lord’s guidance and peaceful understanding.
• Sit comfortably, with your feet flat on the floor; your back well supported, and your hands lying palms up in your lap. Close your eyes, and take three or four deep, relaxed breaths. Repeat that pattern of breathing, slow and easy.
• Notice what you feel in your body. Is it hot or cold? Are there areas of muscle tension? Notice your feet against the floor, and the weight of your body against the chair cushion, or the heaviness of your hands resting in your lap. How is your heart rate? Can you sustain smooth, slow and even breaths – or do you notice irregularity? Allow yourself to just be – alive and breathing.  Enjoy the moments.
• As you tune in to what’s going on in your body – you will most likely relax a little, and you may be able to slip into inner-space to recognize a bit about what’s going on in your emotions – and in the thoughts layered behind them. Feel free to silently ask yourself questions, if that helps – but only if you can stay relaxed and comfortable.  If your mind wanders (and it probably will) – that’s normal.  Just gently re-focus.
• Don’t waste time judging.  Just notice (sensations, thoughts and feelings), and keep breathing – easy, slow, deep breaths.
• When you’re ready – open your eyes and describe your experience to yourself. (You can write your description or simply ponder it – use the method that works best to clarify it for yourself.)

Skill Summary:

Once you have explored and really know what you feel, you may have a different perspective and be able to develop a more specific plan. Give thanks for any increased awareness, peace, or insights  you gained. 

That’s as far as we’ll take this skill for now. Do be sure to practice it often in the next few days. As you do, you will find it easier to accomplish, and more rewarding too.

I described the exercise formally – to make the basics clear. As you gain experience, you will be able to accomplish ‘mindfulness’ in more informal ways, without disrupting your daily activities to sit down, close your eyes, and etc.Mindfulness can be described as an attitude or a way of tuning in to life by focusing on our moment-to-moment experience, and discovering how we create much of our own pain, unnecessarily.

Remember: it’s not always the events in our lives that truly cause havoc, it’s how we perceive and interpret them. Our responses to those events are what make the difference.

Checks and Balance:  Awareness is required

We can check our perceptions and interpretations – when we quiet, and slow things down enough, in inner-space, to recognize them.

More instruction from God’s word is found in Psalms 46:10: He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Awareness is the first key to unlocking the puzzle of well being.

We’ll put that skill to use in a variety of ways to help us define, refine and re-frame painful states of mind; to catch and resolve errors that cultivate misery, and to discover, by the Grace of God, the beauty of gifts we have within – by divine design.

Encouragement :

While we can’t remove pain and suffering from our lives in this fallen world – we can experience Grace. God’s Grace can add peace, strength, and even joy, to our lives in spite of our circumstances, or trials.

Did you know that the Greek word for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested? So, it’s easy to understand our temptation to avoid, try to control, deny, or surrender to feelings of defeat, hopelessness, and sadness when we’re faced with painful trials that test our endurance, and may seem beyond our ability to handle.

Don’t waste energy on the ‘blame game’, for feeling those temptations. Just accept that it’s part of being human. Grace, not judgment, is needed.

We were never promised constant pleasure, or a pain free existence, but we do have many great and important promises, including that we don’t have to go through our ‘stuff’ alone.

“… And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

“…and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”   Hebrews 13:5

And, here’s another one that really adds excitement to our shared adventure:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted (tested) beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”   1 Corinthians 10:13-14 (NIV)

We will explore several strategies that provide a way out of our depression and anxiety – or a means to endure. There is much more coming – and it’s good. Stay with me.

Until next time: Blessings, Love and Laughter to you,

Marge

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