Be Not Afraid (Meditation In Times Of Covid)

Fear robs us of enjoyment of life in the present moment, it exhausts us, saps our energy, wears us down by day, keeps us up at night. Here is your invitation to learn how to reduce fear and anxiety in troubling times, your opportunity to live free of the fear and worry which has been holding you back from living your life to the full.

Background music (other than intro) by Music of Wisdom (Winds of Love and Heart of the Ocean)

Transcript

Music Dear friends,

I am delighted to welcome you in these challenging times,

To this meditation entitled Be Not Afraid.

I hope this will help you to face each day with more courage and more confidence.

So let's begin by closing our eyes,

Coming to a place of complete rest,

Taking a few deep breaths,

Notice our breathing in and our breathing out,

Noticing how good it is to be part of this welcoming and supportive community of seekers across the world.

Make sure you are comfortable,

You can be seated on a chair or a cushion,

You might even like to lie down,

Now that might not be for you if,

Like me,

You are inclined to fall asleep when you get too comfortable.

But just make yourself comfortable,

Turn your attention to your breath,

And see if you can become more present with each out-breath,

More relaxed with each and every breath,

Allowing yourself to be supported by the good earth,

Which supports us all.

Our opening quote today is from the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future.

If we can acknowledge our fear,

We can realise that right now we are OK.

Right now,

Today,

We are still alive,

And our bodies are working marvellously.

Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky.

Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.

Words of the wonderful Thich Nhat Hanh.

Let's pause for one minute,

Sixty seconds.

Let's pause for one minute,

Sixty seconds.

Welcome back.

Today we are going to look at fear,

Worry,

Uncertainty,

And how we can cope with these feelings when they arise.

The first point to make is that life is filled with uncertainty.

We are not going to be able to live without it.

We are going to be able to live without it.

We are going to be able to live without it.

The second point to make is that life is filled with uncertainty.

Life always has its share of uncertainty.

Many things in life are outside our control.

And in these days,

This is brought home to us even more clearly.

But at the end of the day,

Covid-19 is just another reminder that in life in general,

We are not in control.

Uncertainty is all around us.

The pandemic has given rise to fear about our health and the health of people we care about.

The coronavirus has heightened our fear for the economy,

The employment situation,

Our financial security,

Our relationships,

And it has certainly had an effect on the physical and mental health of all of us.

Our friends in the US have the fires in the West,

The hurricanes in the East,

The worry of the November election.

People in the UK and here in Ireland are worried about the looming Brexit deadline on the 31st of December.

And there is for all of us the ever-present concern about the environment and the thought of all that needs to be done to keep this planet operating as a habitable place.

In a reputable newspaper some days ago,

I read a heading,

50 Days to Save the Earth,

Reminding us that the US will leave the Paris climate agreement on the 4th of November,

The day after the presidential election there.

The article pleads with us to finally get our act together and to reduce our emissions in order to prevent the planet passing a catastrophic tipping point.

We already have more frequent weather events impacting on people's lives across the world.

So we have many factors at play that leave us fearful and uncertain.

Yet as human beings all of us crave security.

We like to feel safe and we want to have a sense of control.

Fear and uncertainty can leave us feeling stressed,

Anxious and powerless as to the future direction of our lives.

It can drain us emotionally.

It can trap us in a downward spiral of fear.

The endless litany of what-ifs and worries about worst-case scenarios.

We find ourselves in a pattern of worrying about what tomorrow might bring.

Fear can come to us in two ways.

The first is fear of circumstances arising in our own lives.

These fears vary from person to person even though some of these concerns are common.

Common concerns would be issues of health and the general fear of older age and the possible loss of independence that our later years might bring.

The second fear is concern about external events which we think might affect us.

These external situations are things such as,

In these days,

The coronavirus,

The economy,

The climate and in the case of our US friends,

The election and our UK friends coping with the unending saga that is Brexit.

These are shared fears that affect many other people as well.

Let's pause for one minute,

60 seconds.

Welcome back.

Now we are all different in how much uncertainty we can tolerate in life without falling into fear.

Some people seem to enjoy taking risks and living unpredictable lives.

They find all this exhilarating,

Exciting.

Other people,

Probably most of us,

Find the randomness of life very fearful and worrying.

This second group of people fear change and they are especially uncomfortable with uncertainty.

But whether we are brave or fearful by nature,

All of us have our stress limits.

When we reach that limit and when we feel overwhelmed by uncertainty and worry,

It's important for us to fall to know that we are not alone.

We can take some comfort in knowing that other people have learned how to manage fear,

Both personal fear and shared challenges.

And there are ways we can help ourselves to meet these situations when they arise.

And especially when confronted by common worrying events,

We can take some comfort in the fact that many of us are in the same boat and ready to help one another.

We know we are not alone.

It's also important to realise that no matter how helpless and hopeless we might feel,

There are steps we can take that will help us to cope.

These steps help us to better manage circumstances that are outside our control.

They help us reduce any fear or anxiety that we might feel and they help us to face the unknown with more confidence.

The first suggestion is to acknowledge the uncertainty.

Always step number one.

Always acknowledge the uncertainty.

Although it can go against the grain to acknowledge it,

We have to remind ourselves that uncertainty is a natural and unavoidable part of life.

Just think about it.

Very little about our lives is constant or totally certain.

OK,

We may have control over some things,

And sometimes we have a certain control over many things.

So far so good.

But we can't control everything that happens to us.

The coronavirus outbreak has shown us how life can change very quickly and very unpredictably.

Who could have imagined it?

People we know may have become ill.

People have lost their jobs.

Many have found themselves struggling to make ends meet.

Everyone trying to keep their family and friends safe.

Almost everyone is anxious to know if and when this pandemic will ever end and will life ever return to normal?

When will we have a vaccine?

It's a question that everyone asks.

Let's take another one minute pause,

Just 60 seconds for reflection.

Welcome back.

After acknowledging the uncertainty,

The next suggestion is to control our tendency to worry.

Tip number two.

Control our worry habit.

Many of us use worrying as a defence mechanism when faced with uncertainty.

We worry.

We try to predict the future.

We try to predict the future.

We try to predict the future.

We worry.

We try to predict the future.

Yes,

We want to avoid nasty surprises.

And yes,

Worrying can make it seem like you have some control over uncertain and fearful circumstances.

You may believe that it will help you to find a solution to your problems.

You might believe worrying will better prepare you for the worst.

And you might feel that if you agonise over a problem long enough,

Think through every possibility,

You'll come across a solution and be able to control the outcome.

But remember,

Many aspects of our lives are not within our control.

And in those uncontrolled situations,

Worrying can't give us the control we seek.

These are uncontrollable events.

Chronic worrying just robs us of enjoyment of life in the present moment.

It exhausts us,

Saps our energy,

Wears us down by day,

Keeps us awake by night.

The Dalai Lama says that if we think about one particular negative emotion,

More negative ones tend to follow,

Completely unbalancing our thought processes.

So we must train ourselves not to become chronic worriers.

The question is,

Is there a solution?

Idea number one is action.

One remedy is to do what we can to eliminate the danger that we are worrying about.

If it is a worry that affects us alone,

Just ask ourselves what is the likelihood of the dreaded event happening?

And in that very unlikely event,

What is the worst possible scenario?

How many times have we worried ourselves sick,

Imagining a doomsday scenario that never came to pass?

And in all situations,

It helps if we focus on controlling those things that are under our control.

Some examples.

If we find ourselves worried about our health,

We can take action by regularly doing what we are advised to do.

Washing our hands,

Wearing face masks,

Cleaning surfaces,

Avoiding crowds,

Keeping social distance.

In other words,

Obeying the advice of the experts whose job it is to guide us.

And looking outside our own concerns,

And watching out for vulnerable friends and neighbors,

This helps.

Thinking less about ourselves is always more healthy.

This is all within our own area of control.

By focusing on the aspects of a problem that we can control in this way,

We can turn our minds around.

We can switch from ineffective and pointless worrying to active problem solving.

Let's take another one minute pause.

Let's take another one minute pause.

Welcome back.

Of course all our circumstances are different.

We may find that in some situations,

All we can control is our own attitude and our own emotional response.

For example,

If you are worried about the US election,

This is something much bigger than the election in the US.

It is a very important moment in our lives.

But each person can do their bit by encouraging support for the people or party that they believe will improve the lot of the American people.

That may be all you can do,

But put the worry to one side and harness the energy to do what you can.

If you are worried about Brexit,

All you can do is make suggestions to your local government.

But unless you are involved in the negotiations,

Simply worrying is not going to be helpful.

If,

As we all are,

You are worried about the state of the climate,

There is no point in sitting back worrying.

That will do nothing at all to help.

But each of us can take whatever steps are within our power.

We can reduce our carbon footprints and reduce our carbon emissions.

There are 7 billion of us and our individual actions all add up and together they will make a huge difference.

Our aim would be to reach a tipping point where to be a climate change denier will find us out on an uncomfortable limb.

Like someone wanting to smoke indoors,

In a pub or a restaurant,

Just unexcited,

Or even in a restaurant,

Like someone wanting to smoke indoors,

In a pub or a restaurant,

Just unacceptable.

Climate change deniers will find themselves in the minority.

Let's take another 1 minute pause,

Just 60 seconds for reflection.

Welcome back.

The practice of mindfulness can help us in all this.

At its most basic level,

It encourages us to live in the here and the now,

And not to allow ourselves to become absorbed in what has been or what might only come to be.

To repeat the words of Thich Nhat Hanh,

Which opened today's meditation,

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future.

If we can acknowledge our fear,

We can realise that right now we are OK.

Right now,

Today,

We are still alive and our bodies are working marvellously.

Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky.

Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones.

So let's see if we can become friends with change and face our fears with a little more confidence and hope.

Just think of the coronavirus and its awful effects.

Death,

Illness,

Fear and all that we have seen,

A catalogue of pain and horror across the world.

And yet in all this,

We see the resilience and the response of people and governments.

The work to limit its spread,

The worldwide search for a vaccine and a cure.

Supplies kept open,

People helping one another to cope.

People managing to keep the wheels turning by working from home on a huge scale.

This demonstrates the great capacity of human beings like us to cope with fearful situations by taking practical steps.

It shows how we can adapt and change to meet unprecedented and sudden challenges.

We have seen this in times of war.

People watching out for one another and sharing what little they had.

These responses help us to challenge our need for certainty and they help to teach us not to be afraid.

After all,

How much can we be absolutely certain about life?

Does anyone have a job for life?

A guarantee of good health?

An absolute certainty of what tomorrow will bring?

The truth is,

No matter how much you try to plan and prepare for every possible outcome,

Life will find a way of surprising you.

All our striving for certainty adds to our worry and anxiety.

And why do we assume that bad things will happen just because an outcome is uncertain?

What is the likelihood they will?

When you are faced with uncertainty,

It is easy to overestimate the likelihood of something bad happening.

At the same time,

We tend to underestimate our ability to cope if something bad does happen.

It is also reassuring to think of how life has been good to us up to this point.

So why do we fear the future?

Given that the likelihood of something bad happening is low,

Even at a precarious time,

Is it possible to live with that small chance and focus instead on the more likely outcome?

If we challenge our need for certainty,

We can begin to let go of these negative behaviours.

We reduce our stress,

We reduce our worry,

And we become better able to meet whatever challenges or opportunities lie ahead.

This frees up time and energy for practical actions that reduce the likelihood of the feared event ever coming to pass.

And maybe the greatest antidote to fear is cooperation.

We have all been to horror movies where a group of people are in a haunted house.

They are all in one room and all safe,

Or so we believe.

Next,

There is a strange sound and one of the group decides to go off and investigate.

In our minds we plead,

Don't go there alone,

Don't leave the others.

But of course this is a film,

And go they must,

But we know the outcome is not going to be good.

In the same way in life,

If we all cooperate,

We have a much better chance of achieving a good outcome.

This is exactly the situation that we face in the world today.

If we were to act selfishly by stockpiling and protecting only ourselves,

Where would we be?

How long would even the largest stockpile last?

And what use would it be for us to sit there with our stockpile while other people went without?

Everyone knows that the other people are the ones who are going to be left behind.

Everyone knows that the only way forward in the long term is if people cooperate and work together for the common good.

We all need to hold our nerve and cooperate so that together we can get through challenging times,

Whether it's the coronavirus,

The US election,

Brexit or whatever other surprises that will inevitably come our way.

The lesson for us all is to work together and be not afraid.

Our closing thought today is from The Grasshopper Chronicles by Rick Terwilliger.

I need to find my relationship with what is.

I need to stop arguing with what life brings me.

I need to accept that my life is my own.

And what I have and experience are exactly what I need.

This is the only path that will end my suffering.

It is the only way to live in peace.

He goes on,

We like to believe that we control our circumstances.

We feel the need to rail against what we cannot accept.

This seems to be the source of our suffering.

Yes,

We believe that this is what life is all about,

This constant striving against all that surrounds us.

And he concludes,

Look to the river,

Look to its journey to the sea.

It finds a way to cooperate with the earth.

It seeks the path of non-resistance.

It flows along what is until it merges with what it seeks.

Be the river.

Words of Rick Terwilliger So this is the message for today.

Be not afraid.

Keep safe,

Keep well and keep looking out for one another.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you for this most timely and helpful practice.

Thank you for this! This meditation speaks to exactly what I have been feeling…..the need for control in an uncertain world. The more I worry, the more my brain thinks it is doing something…….Peace to you Tony!

Excellent ideas and processes for ending the suffering of fest and anxiety. Thank you.

Simply great! Your voice is so soothing and calming. Blessings 🙏👼🌹✨✨✨

I cannot thank you enough for this meditation. 🙏🏻🕉❤️

Thoughtful messages and Tony always has a calming presence in his meditations. This is beneficial for anyone in the uncertain times we all live in today. Thank you Tony.

Dear Tony; Thank you for posting this new reflection. it is a great comfort and wise reminders for the path of peace. Have a blessed day. Mary

Thank you Tony so grateful for your helpful insights
Bless you 😇

Very supportive. Change and uncertainty are inevitable; staying positive and productive toward the common good are my best defense against fear of change.

nice calming words! thank you, Tony.

Spectacular; such ageless crystallized wisdom. Appreciate the nod to the challenges of the citizens of the USA. We wish Ireland the best as the UK transitions away from the EU to something... Different. May it prompt less fear, more resilience, and truer clarity on ‘what is.’
(Edit: thank you for enlightening me/us on the specific EU dynamics that affect *Ireland* 🇮🇪.)

Thank you, much needed during these very difficult times.

Thank you for your keen insight Tony!
Namaste🙏🏼🌸

Tony thank you. Such a beautiful reflection on many current stories. Great to have your guidance to reflect on these things. Namaste 🙏

Thanks Tony. Our countries are certainly facing extreme challenges. So much corruption, greed and outright incompetence in leadership. V challenging to maintain optimism. I appreciate your perspective. 🙏

Thank you my friend. K

A timely and welcomed topic--thank you. 🌺🌸

Oh that really is a timely meditation Tony. I do t worry like I used to, but I do feel anxiety creep in now and then. Meditation and tapping make it scurry off into the darkness again.
This was truly a wonderful meditation and relaxing.
Thank you for making this for us.
See you soon. 🌹💕🌿🐾✨🍂💫💐🍁🌼🌸🌙🍁🍂✨

Outstanding as usual. I need to be reminded of this frequently.