RickyFitts

Maybe the hardest thing, I've found, is being honest with ourselves about how we really feel, because so many of us have become so conditioned to repress our emotions, and actually fear our emotions, that we really don't know how we feel, deep down, underneath any negativity we may be feeling. For me, this is the area where most people need to do the bulk of the inner work, so keeping an emotions journal could be beneficial for a lot of people, it could help them to become aware of and then release emotions that may have been trapped in their systems for a long time.

You can just manually delete the bits you don't want to quote, as though you were editing your own post.

@Judy2 I can relate to that to a painful extent, I completely understand that mindset.

I had this issue when I was suffering with chronic anxiety a few years back, I realised after a while of observing myself closely that it was my mind's unconscious attempt to deal with strong, unresolved emotions - it's a dysfunctional coping strategy that I probably developed from a very young age. I really had to develop sensitivity in my body in order to overcome this issue.

Think my brain just short-circuited.

I thought what he shared was very heartfelt, and I was deeply touched by his humility. I've felt for a while now that Leo's been on a slippery slope, and I quite honestly didn't believe that he was capable of writing a blog post like that, but it seems that his deep suffering has helped him to grow as a human being, and that speaks volumes about his character. It takes a big person to hold their hands up and admit to their shortcomings, and to do so in such a public way just makes it all the more admirable. @Leo Gura Wishing you all the best, I know just how lonely and painful life can feel so hopefully you're doing a little better now.

I know loss of motivation is an issue for a lot of people after their initial awakening and I thought this was a very helpful video, so I figured I'd share it here:

A couple of general tips: 1. If it's comfortable for you to do so, sit up on a cushion or folded-up blanket so that your hips are above the level of your knees, I've found that this helps me to breathe more freely and sit more comfortably. Being as physically comfortable as possible is important, there's no value in sitting in a stress position for an extended period of time (it may actually lead to injury). 2. See if you can notice a particular point of tension in your body (for example, for me at the moment it's in the solar plexus/chest region), and just rest your attention there and breathe from that area of your body, wherever it is. You might start to notice the arising of certain emotions and/or sensations as you do this, which is completely normal - just notice them and keep allowing your body to breathe.

Maybe 'assume' is the wrong word, it's more that there's a sense of there being a self that's perceiving the events in the dream. Which is carried over from the waking state. Mm... I've been trying to wrap my head around this sort of thing for years, tbh, I think maybe I just need to admit defeat already. Thanks for elaborating, though, I appreciate it.

Interesting question. I exist as the one who perceives the events in the dream. I don't actually think about my existence in the dream, I guess it's just assumed - events are being perceived, so there must be someone who's perceiving them.

I can definitely relate, unfortunately. There's often a lot of lingering anger and resentment between family members, and if there's one thing I've learnt from observing my own inner state, it's that that sort of negativity tends to harden the heart, which makes us feel numb and disconnected. It's something that's been a huge issue for me personally, I've worked a lot on re-establishing a connection with my body and emotions but I still find it really tough, and it affects my relationships with others in such a profound way.

You have to see your human condition in the right context, namely that we've evolved to be social creatures and belonging to a group has been critical to our survival - this need to belong is deeply ingrained in the human psyche, and so on some level we feel like our very existence is threatened if we're cut off from everyone else. This is visceral, biological, and the only way to truly move past it is to become intimate with that fear, to become conscious of the instinctive resistance in yourself and to allow that to release. But that resistance is so deeply rooted that it isn't just going to release overnight, and the underlying fear may recede and then re-emerge for some time, so you do need to be patient, and you do need to have a willingness to allow the arising of uncomfortable sensations and strong emotions like terror and grief.

Couldn't have said it better myself.?

I don't think it is, actually, I think it answers the question very well. It's just that it's very nuanced and, as it says, paradoxical, and therefore it isn't something that can really be explained in a sentence or two.

@Danioover9000 @LSD-Rumi Yeah, thinking about it, the poaching of members from this forum is a definite banning offence, given Leo's zero-tolerance stance on the issue.

Was Nahm ever actually banned? I know he lost his moderator status because Leo lost patience with his repetitive, cryptic schtick (Leo wasn't the only one, tbf), but I thought he just saw his arse over it and decided to leave the forum altogether, I didn't think he actually got banned.

Were Loba and IxIichael banned, too? Haven't seen them around for a while, either.

I'm not that familiar with his work, but I did see this quote from him that really nails it for me, he's talking about something that isn't widely understood or appreciated even in communities like this one: This right here, this is something that really needs to be understood, because we are, after all, emotional beings, and therefore when we're emotionally repressed, we simply are not going to be able to fulfill our potential, have truly satisfying relationships, be a positive presence in the world, and know true peace and well-being. The mental realm may feel safe and familiar to people, which is why so many just resort to mental masturbation and endless speculation and theorising, but it's the emotional realm that really requires attention for most people.

@MsNobody You're very welcome. Yeah, it's tough initially to break those very ingrained patterns of behaviour. Just get into the habit of turning your attention inwards when you're starting to feel overwhelmed, tune into your body as you say.

Great film. It's a hell of a story - you're suddenly thrust into the role of King after your brother abdicates, with the world on the brink of the most destructive war ever seen, and you're required to speak to the nation when you've got a debilitating speech-impediment. Fuck that for a game of toy soldiers. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are so freaking good, their performances alone make it worth watching.

When I went through a period of feeling very overwhelmed a few years back, I'd simply ask myself, 'What do I need right now?' - maybe I just needed to go for a walk around the block, do some breathing exercises or yoga, listen to some music, or whatever. I think it's especially important to tune into your needs and to practise self-care when you're feeling overwhelmed or ungrounded, otherwise you could really spiral. Maybe you just need to take a break from it all and chill out for a while, just to let things settle down, because pushing yourself too hard ends up being counter-productive.

Listen to your inner guidance, that's the best advice I can give you. Ultimately, no-one else can know better than you how you should proceed, but so many of us are taught to distrust our internal guidance systems that we just blunder blindly from one mistake to the next. That's okay, though, making mistakes is often how we learn.

Ah, good old autocorrect strikes again.