A Practitioner’s Perspective
by Heather Epps, RScP
Information is energy that flows your way. You get to decide how much and what types of energy you allow into your field of awareness. One of the coping strategies I have been using in relationship to this flow of information energy is to curate my social media streams and overall consumption of “news.”
I want to be intentional so that I am exposed to positive, supportive, and uplifting posts and have chosen to follow pages and groups that celebrate gratitude and other spiritual ideas. A recent post by a page focusing on Buddhist ideas made an important distinction worth remembering.
It reminded me that we can observe the world without absorbing it. Isn’t that a powerful concept? Most of us are challenged by events in the news and manage this in a variety of ways. Some of us do the whole ostrich thing and hide our heads in the sand, ignoring all of it. While others of us consume as much detail available, allowing our inner concern and frustration to grow uncontrollably, often spreading it to others as we search for emotional support and outlets.
Neither of those extremes are ideal. We don’t want to be apathetic and unaware, but we also don’t want to be overwhelmed and unable to engage in our own immediate lives and relationships as our hearts and heads hurt with anxiety and worry. Can we find our individual path of observing but not absorbing?
We were given skin to protect the inside of our bodies from bacteria and physical harm, yet it is permeable enough to allow lotion and other beneficial serums to be absorbed to strengthen and heal this life-preserving barrier. Can we develop a “spiritual” skin to allow us to be fully present in the world, but not absorb the toxins present in the emotional environment?
Developing this kind of internal boundary is key to living in any stressful environment as having it allows us to pay attention without drowning in the negative vibrations all around us. Such a boundary is created and maintained by strong and unwavering spiritual beliefs. Here are some of those beliefs that we can affirm as we develop our spiritual skin:
Everything is happening for the betterment of humanity as a whole.
We are all one and when I take good and loving actions in my world, it impacts the whole.
On a spiritual level, nothing is good or bad, right or wrong.
Love always wins and love is simply waiting for humanity to choose it.
From inside this spiritual boundary, I can watch more of the news with compassion, not fear. But, we must each decide how much we can observe without absorbing, and what type of observation is personally best. Consider reading the information you need instead of watching videos shot from one perspective. Find awareness of the facts without consuming opinions that support any particular angle or ideology, or those that project into the future possible outcomes to fear.
Another Buddhist concept that helps is the idea that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. On the human level there will always be painful situations, conflict and loss, but we have the option to cling to the pain and suffer, or experience the pain and release it. When we resist, we prolong our own suffering. Instead, feel the pain and let it flow through with tears or breathing or creative expression, then apply metaphysical “lotion” to your spiritual skin through recentering, meditation, journaling and practicing compassion. It will minimize the suffering that is always optional.
The invitation is to curate your current experience so that you can observe but not absorb everything that is going on. How is your spiritual skin today? I think mine needs some more lotion!