Welcome to Life Unedited.
The Power of Radical Acceptance.
28 Theories of Living in Reality.
This is a series of practical strategies to use in life through the lens of reality for changing obstacles into opportunities.
I'm Tiffany,
And this is Theory 22.
Liminal.
The Space in Between.
The liminal is kind of a funky theory,
And one that takes a bit of discussion to comprehend.
Liminal space is the space in between.
It is a transitory state,
The space in between words or thoughts,
Between two points in time,
And in that space is literally nothing.
It is blank mind,
And that small blip of blank mind is pure peace.
We have evolved into a society of instant gratification and multitasking.
We believe our minds need to be going a million miles an hour to be productive.
And yet we are also a society riddled with anxiety,
Many of whom are seeking relief from that anxiety because we are plagued by overwhelming thoughts and unable to stop.
People seek relief to alleviate or escape their thoughts.
Yoga,
Meditation,
Vacation,
Exercise,
Many drink in excess,
Gamble,
Or shop beyond their means.
I cannot stop the thoughts and then go down rabbit holes is a common theme in counseling sessions.
I cannot blank my mind.
Newsflash.
No one can.
The practice is just to notice our thoughts without attaching to them and creating stories around them.
Try this little exercise.
Wherever you are right now,
Listening to this,
Close your eyes and silently say this sentence to yourself.
I wonder what my next thought will be.
And wait.
Repeat the sentence.
I wonder what my next thought will be.
And wait.
Repeat it again.
And wait.
Then open your eyes and say the sentence out loud.
I wonder what my next thought will be.
Do you feel the pause at the end of the sentence?
The pause at the end of the sentence is blank mind.
The liminal.
The space in between.
That space is pure peace.
We can use that sentence whenever and wherever we want to give ourselves a moment of peace,
Some calm when we are distressed,
And even at night when we are having trouble falling asleep.
We all know those nights when we lie down and shut off the light,
Expecting to simply drift off and the thoughts take over,
One thought after another,
Ruminating over this or that.
Just close your eyes and think the sentence.
I wonder what my next thought will be.
To interrupt the myriad of thoughts,
Close your eyes,
Think the sentence,
And wait.
When the next thought appears,
Notice it.
Do not attach to it and repeat the sentence.
I wonder what my next thought will be.
It takes practice,
And it is worth the practice.
For one thing,
The sentence interrupts all other thoughts we are having and briefly clears our mind.
The more we do this,
The longer our mind is clear.
And a clear,
Blank mind is a calm,
Peaceful one.
With a calm,
Peaceful mind,
We can easily drift off to sleep.
In fact,
I can make you this promise.
We will fall asleep in the liminal,
The space in between,
In pure peace.
