Written by Maeve & Lorenzo, co-founders of Soulful Soundwaves
Are you feeling you’re currently going through a chaotic period in your life? Are you seeing chaos all around you and trying your hardest not to get swept away? Here’s a few easy tips and suggestions to help you navigate your way through to safety.
Let’s start with the basics as to what chaos actually is.
Chaos, in our opinion, is misaligned energy in motion. It is essentially energy spiralling into something greater than what it has been previously and growing with force as it continues to spiral. It is never linear, it is unpredictable, it grows quickly and with fury and more often than not doesn’t end well.
NASA picture of a cyclone from space
The simple metaphor how we like to illustrate chaos is as a tornado or cyclone. It always starts small, however the more energy it can pick up along its course the bigger and more forceful it can become. It can be unpredictable and can change direction quickly, it can take us by surprise or we can actually see it coming. If chaos sweeps towards you, we can very quickly be swept up in the cyclone without even noticing what is happening. Before we know it we become chaotic, our thoughts are chaotic, our actions are chaotic and we somehow find ourselves part of the cyclone.
What most of us have is the power to spot chaos. Awareness is the key. There is a brief moment of time (even if chaos takes us by surprise) before we’re swept away, in which we can recognise what is happening before us. However, if we don’t make a conscious effort to stand our ground at that time, we’re whisked away into the eye of the storm itself and spat out somewhere unfamiliar, battered, bruised and exhausted by the ordeal.
Picture by Dylan Sauerwein
It is ALWAYS exhausting to be a part of this process. Why? Because nothing is measured or calm. Our whole being, outlook and decisions are clouded, irrational and emotional. We are in constant fight or flight mode. Every ounce of our mind, body and spirit are working in overdrive to try and make decisions to get us to ‘safety’ and out of the cyclone. But when you’re spinning with such speed, it’s difficult to know how to exit. In fact, once in the cyclone, it’s hard to get off until the energy dissipates and is burnt off.
Each and every one of us have found or may even currently find ourselves in a moment of chaos. The purpose of this article isn’t to highlight what chaos is. However understanding it helps us find out how we can help ourselves and how we can effectively reach for safety when we’re spinning in overdrive.
Here’s our tips and techniques that we constantly (yes constantly) remind ourselves and practice in order to stay calm and in balance as chaos cycles in and out of our world on a regular basis.
1) Accept chaos will always exist. Always!
Learning to navigate chaos isn’t about ignoring it or running away from it. That too is as exhausting as chaos itself. We are essentially trying to avoid something that is impossible to avoid. Chaos will always exist. In fact, we need chaos in order to learn how to navigate it and move through it. No enlightened master ever became enlightened through a blissful non-chaotic life. Ever! They mastered the act of detachment through the experience of chaos, removing themselves from the centre of the cyclone and grounding themselves. When we can do this, once the cyclone passes, we are also able to reach out to all those who have been affected and are in need of help.
2) Undertake regular (which is daily in our case) meditation or mindful awareness.
Meditation is, amongst other things, an exercise of focus and detachment.
We feel like we repeat ourselves on its importance, however the truth is that this totally free practice has changed so many lives in such an abundant way that we’re extremely passionate about sharing it. When we say meditation, this doesn’t have to be sitting in lotus and chanting to the Gods. This can be a simple moment of peace in your favourite park, in the bath or down by the beach. Mindful awareness is simply being acutely aware of all that surrounds you, all that you feel, all that you are. It is not about being lost in thoughts, or even worse, feeling like you are your thoughts. It’s about feeling, not thinking. One thing we can promise you, no amount of time in mindful awareness is wasted time. Whether you have 5 minutes of 50 minutes, you will feel the benefits. This is time where you can separate from any chaos that surrounds you and find a little clarity and perspective in your day. This moment of awareness can be your exit from chaos and entry in to calm.
3) Create healthy boundaries.
When chaos in in full swing, it appears everywhere. Everywhere we turn, there is a stimulus trying to suck us in. It surrounds us, eagerly waiting for an opportunity to whisk us away. And as long as we become part of it we attract more chaos. A moment of engagement and that can be the start of the cyclone. Whether that is a conversation with someone, engagement in an article fuelling fear, or simply the chaotic narrative in our very own heads. It is important to become aware of all that surrounds you, don’t allow yourself to absorb anything subconsciously. Consume only what you want to consume and when you feel strong enough to consume it. If you’re feeling vulnerable, don’t engage in activities that might trigger your reaction. This is how you develop your strength, trying to detach from your involvement in what is happening around you. We have to set our own boundaries, we have to be our own gatekeeper as no one else can do it for us. Your boundaries may be different from your partner’s, family or friends and that is ok. Own it! If it is a particular topic that triggers your reaction, kindly ask the person you’re talking to to postpone the discussion to another moment. If social media causes you distress, limit your time on it and only engage when you feel strong. Boundaries will be your best friend through chaos.
4) Remove judgement.
Every time we express a judgement we’re considering ourselves better than someone else. Let’s not forget we are all affected by chaos in different ways and we’re all figuring it out as we go. So to judge others for their actions and how they choose to navigate their own chaos is not just useless, it is ultimately unhealthy. What we can aspire to be is the person that stands strong and allows the chaos to go around us, not being affected by it. Separation is also a product of chaos. If you feel yourself judging, belittling, ridiculing, or wishing bad upon anyone else, this too is a product of chaos. True aligned energy knows no separation. That is where we all should be aspiring to be, in alignment, for the greater good and the health and prosperity of humanity.
You got this. If you have any doubt about it, just remind yourself that standing strong takes significantly less effort than it does to ride the cyclone.
P.S. If you ever feel like you’d like some support in your mindful awareness and meditation practice (or start), please come and join us online for our free (and by donation) Peace of MIND program. Online every Tuesday, and a huge selection of recordings, meditations and music are available on our portal. There is something for everyone – including children. Simply click here to register for free today.