During the month of October, all over the globe, our Philia Communities were discussing the topic of how to deal with the scary things which are inevitable in our lives.
From our conversations, we have extracted three key insights worth sharing for a communal understanding of how common these moments are and how good it feels to know that we all feel and think alike.
In uncertain times, choose to relax and embrace the unknown
During uncertain times we tend to be tense and feel as if the world is crushing and everything seems bigger than it really is. Relaxing in these situations is not a sign of laziness or powerlessness but rather the contrary, it is a conscious choice to dive fully in and embrace the unknown. This gives us the clarity to make good choices and not rush into whatever we think might take us back into safety.
Manage yourself rather than managing other people
When we are in scary times of our lives, when deep transformations are happening, we are inclined to help others in order to extract some gratification for ourselves. Often it works for a short while, but eventually, we must tend to our own needs, or they might grow into bigger monsters due to our ignorance and really scare us to the core.
Fighting can take many forms
Sometimes, when we are in danger, we cannot simply escape or run, we must fight. Fighting can take many forms: verbally (demanding rights), physically, fighting for the survival of a business, facing the opponent and standing the ground, using humour, or stepping back and finding inner peace. Small conflicts can be useful and even healthy. Through them, we learn how to find solutions, how to tap into forgiveness and the deep understanding that nothing stays forever.
Managing small conflicts helps us prepare for facing the big ones by already knowing that, as with every conflict, the final resolution should always be peaceful and heart-opening.
