“He who has overcome his fears, will truly be free.” Aristotle
I can’t imagine how many Pyschologists and Counselors are booked out indefinitely in the US after all the shootings lately.
The anxiety, the fear and PTSD after being involved in such a stressful experience, changes people forever and affects every part of the community.
So how do we begin to work with this ongoing anxiety, panic and fear around us, even if we were nowhere near the shootings?
The sound of the car hitting my son’s body in 2001, haunted me for years and from this experience, I became fearful and anxious that something would happen to my other children. My mind was constantly creating stories of what might happen and how I could keep them from harm, but in the end, I had to surrender to the fact, that I would never have control.
It isn’t easy to surrender to fear. Our minds convince us that if we take control, and if we are prepared, that bad things won’t happen to us. This is not true.
What I learned over the years is that when I was overwhelmed in fear and anxiety, I was disconnected. That while I was in my head, creating stories, planning and controlling life, I was never in presence.
I was disconnected from the beautiful calm energy of nature and life.
It wasn’t until I slowed down and sat with my fears and the stories in my head, in the stillness of nature, regularly, that I learned to trust, again, little by little.
There is no fear in nature. All the animals and the energy of mother earth trusts that they will be fed and that they will be looked after, and when the storm, earthquake or tornado arrive and destroy everything around them and take their home, they know how to take the necessary steps to re-build, re-group, and grow in new way.
Surrender to fear; trust in stillness; trust when we connect to each other and what is, we will know how to begin again; to grow and live in a new way, free from fear.
Life will always renew.
LIVING IN THIS MOMENT 
excellent advice
Thanks Beth 💕
There is so much here that I would want to put in quotation marks and repeat. But it was too much valuable content to just repeat.
So I will say, it is a strange thing I have noticed over time, when really bad things happen, the more calm I become.
It is the life before the storm I am not prepared for.
When the storms hits, it’s more like, oh, yeah, I was waiting for this.
You found the calm in the midst of the storm, and after it, and the grace that comes from it.
Love to you.
Thank you Cindy for your beautiful expression of this post! 💚💕
sad to hear of your hurt, Karen
and so much collective trauma.
i’ve been giving my consciousness a mainstream news break.
may we each find space to breathe
open painful confinements
to experience those still moments
of freedom, david 🙂
I think that is the answer David. To step back from the chaos, find balance and stillness within, and then re-group, support and nurture those who cannot. Together we can do so much. 🙏🏻
Good advice, Karen.
I do also find, that the older as I become, the more calm I’m able to stay in the midst of chaos, at least outside. Then the inside peace comes too.
Good to hear Irene ✨💕
I didn’t know about the terror of your son, but I feel how very true your words ring. It’s funny (not really) how confident I am in my daily life but at the same time, I’m worrying my head and heart out for all that could happen to my beloved ones….
I think your worries are normal Kiki, it’s only a problem when it starts to take up all of our energy, leaving us feeling trapped and exhausted. 💕
Well, sometimes it does…. And mostly when my brain knows that there is nothing I can do to change « it ».
That’s exactly when we need to surrender! Thanks Kiki 😀
It is a long hard journey, but because of that it builds that inner light and understanding so that our love is set free again ❤️
Thank you for sharing that beauty, that is now you ❤️
Thanks Mark. 💚
You amaze me, Karen, truly, as I know how much work it takes to get to the place where you can surrender and trust that you will make it through. I’m not there yet, but you are my proof it can happen. And for that I am so grateful…. xoxxo
I have seen far greater examples than my story of change! but thank you Lori, I appreciate your thoughts, and I guess in the end, no matter what our story is, it all comes down to practice. Day after day. 💕💚
So believe this.
Thank you 🙏🏻✨
Karen, this beautifully written, intensely personal post provides us all with an example
of what is possible… when we face and then release life debilitating fear. Bless you, dear Karen. 🙏🏻💞
Bless you Carrie. Thank you 🙏🏻💚
This is such an insightful and relevant post. Rather than getting stressed about our futile attempt to control everything, if we surrender to nature, we find peace. This reminds me of the poem Egrets by Oliver, where those birds don’t even open their eyes while they take one step after another in the water….such is their faith on mother nature that has made them.
It is difficult to stay connected to this calm flow of nature around us, when we worry about people we love. It is with experience we finally realize how little control we actually have. Then we are ready to let go.
A beautiful reflection! Thank you and I love the example of Mary Oliver’s poem. 💕💚 It’s always a balance. This human life isn’t easy to navigate at times! 😉
Makes total sense to what we must now face on a daily basis. Thanks for sharing ❤
Yes so true. Thanks Rosaliene. 💚
As much as I would love a magic wand with which to order the world, I’ve realized that we control nothing but our response. Surrendering to what is, letting go, letting God. ❤
That’s it Eliza. It’s a process and a practice for life. 💕💚
A powerful post Karen, thank you for sharing your wisdom, love and hope for us all. 💕🙏💕
Thank you Val! You are very kind 💕💚✨
Karen, you post is such a gift. What a beautiful ending – a delicious Karen Lang quote: “Surrender to fear; trust in stillness; trust when we connect to each other and what is, we will know how to begin again; to grow and live in a new way, free from fear.”
Thanks Vicki, I appreciate your comment 🙏🏻💚