Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Brace for Impact

A couple of the phrases I remember from my Navy days were, "Standby for heavy rolls," and "Brace for impact." 

The first would be announced when the ship was in the trough of a wave. When the waves rolled through, so would the ship from side to side, sometimes violently if the waves were big enough. We always tried to keep the ship's bow (nose) pointed toward the waves, or away from them, but we couldn't always do that for a variety of reasons. And when we couldn't, it could be a real problem.

They would announce: "Brace for impact," when we were about to hit something, like land or an iceberg or another ship. This never actually happened on any ship I was on but we ran drills for everything and that phrase came up in some of those drills. In which case you would have to grab something and hold on tight.

It's one thing to standby for heavy rolls and brace for impact externally, but it's quite another to do so internally. Another word for this phenomenon is "worry." Or "anxiety." And it can cause real health problems. What does such internal bracing accomplish? Does it help the situation in any way? Or does it merely cause physical discomfort?

In a wider view, it may be that the world around you, the so-called "real world," isn't real at all, but rather is a mere reflection of your inner state. Have you ever considered that possibility? If this is the case, such internal bracing or worry isn't just causing you physical issues, it may actually be keeping you from a better life.

How might one go about proving this one way or the other? Answer: Stop worrying and see what happens.

That makes the next question how do you stop worrying? You have to figure out where this internal bracing hits you. Become conscious of that. Does it cause a tightening in your stomach? Your heart? Your abdomen? Your knees? Take a moment and think what you worry most about. Where is it hitting you? Allow yourself to feel it. Don't judge it, just allow it to be there.

This awareness will dissolve it little by little each time you feel it consciously. Take this as a hypothesis and give it a try, experiment with it.

At the bottom eventually you'll find an unconscious fear that has nothing to do with the thing you think you're worrying about. Once you make this unconscious fear conscious, it can no longer control you. You will be able to let it go for good. This process may take a while but it will be worth it all along the way. 

And perhaps smoother seas will lay ahead.

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If you want to know more about living consciously, schedule a Health & Wellness Coaching Session today. We can do it in person, virtually or by phone. The life you change just might be your own.

Learn more about living consciously by reading my novel, License to Ill (available on Amazon.com). It demonstrates a life transformed by consciousness.

Read also my novel, The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder (also available on Amazon.com). It is a study of some of the greatest self-development books of all time. Read my book, then read all the titles detailed in it. It's an excellent place to start!

Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay

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