SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - MERCY AND COMFORT

One way of looking at suffering is that it is created by the combination of pain - either physical or emotional - and an overlay of causality and blame.  

In other words it is possible that pain can trigger our internal Bullies!  These learned and internalized scolding 'voices' then sink us into a morass of despair.

One of the most beautifully comforting songs about releasing oneself from this suffering was written by Leonard Cohen in 1967. To hear all the lyrics:  Sisters of Mercy - Leonard Cohen - YouTube

O the sisters of mercy they are not
Departed or gone,
They were waiting for me when I thought
That I just can't go on, 

And they brought me their comfort
And later they brought me this song.
O I hope you run into them
You who've been traveling so long. . .

If your life is a leaf
That the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love
That is graceful and green as a stem.

When I left they were sleeping,
I hope you run into them soon.
Don't turn on the light
You can read their address by the moon. . .

DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS           

An opportunity to experiment with some fun

ideas...

6 REMEDIES TO DISPEL SUFFERING

1)  Remove guilty feelings by confronting your Bully voice (the 'I must have done something to cause this' part of you)

2)  Allow your inner Victim (that 'feeling sorry for yourself' part that we all have) a few minutes of air time and then banish it from your kingdom!

3)  Allow your inner Rebel ( that 'third finger waving' part of all of us) a good 5 minutes of ranting - but watch out for Rebel re-action!

4)  Empower yourself - Do some research, ask questions, name the pain - take some steps - try meditation, write a poem, sing a song, anything pro-active sends a new set of messages along your neuro-pathways.   Might not make the pain go away but definitely can reduce suffering!

5)  Try visualization (really not so different from self-hypnosis).  Have inflammation?  Imagine the area as large and bright red, now send icy blue images to overlay the area and shrink that swelling - an Arctic ice floe would do the trick - you can even throw in a penguin or two for comic relief, and yes -

6)  - anything you do to create a smile definitely reduces suffering!

Remember:  check in for that wonderful physical clue that it's working … you know a shift is happening if you automatically find yourself taking a deep breath!

A VALENTINE'S DAY THOUGHT:  REMEMBER THAT AIRLINE MANDATE: 

Put your own O2 mask on first!

Hey, love yourself!

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