When life is stressful, how do you cope? If you feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or even angry about your situation, you are not alone — these are real and natural responses to stress and other challenges in life.
Don’t try to cover up these feelings with forced positive thinking just because someone told you to “keep a positive attitude.” The real key to transforming your relationship with stress into one of compassion and happiness is through meditation. But — and this is a big but — meditation can only work when you figure out how to truly engage your heart in the process.
Putting Your Heart Front and Center
Rather than “mind-body” medicine, the term often used to describe meditation, I like to say “open-heart” medicine. Think “heartfulness” instead of “mindfulness.” The basic physiology of the human heart and the fundamental mechanics of this vital organ function in a way that actually allows and supports “miracle” healing, defined as an unexpected positive outcome that defies probability.
Did you know that the heart is the ultimate giver and transformative organ? The human heart takes in “dirty” blood, which includes everything other organs, tissues, and cells consider waste. It purifies the blood with the help of the lungs, returning clean, oxygen-rich blood to nourish the entire body.
Let Go of Identities That Don’t Serve You
It’s important not to identify yourself with your stress and life crises — internalizing your suffering only makes it more painful. Remember, you are not your circumstance. One way to move through stress and other life challenges is to allow your feelings to flow freely without overindulging in them. I like to call it a “peeling process.”
There is a very real truth to the philosophy that crises present an opportunity for growth and healing on all levels, physical, mental, emotional and psycho-spiritual. This is the “peeling process,” where layers of obstructions and distractions seem to peel away or vanish during stressful times, and our true essence can emerge. In fact, many people would never experience the same growth, or transformations, without such challenges.
We All Want the Same Thing
Part of practicing open-heart medicine is the recognition that all beings want the same thing. We are all united by our natural fears and desires. We all want to be happy, and likewise, we all experience suffering. It’s the truth of our existence. The goal for healing and growth is to liberate yourself from your hopes and fears, to cut through your attachments and aversions, and to give rise to greater love and compassion.
Though it may seem contradictory, it is the letting go of the grasping and holding to “superficial” circumstances that can create a greater sense of presence and awareness of a deeper, more profound state of being. Then, if you can learn to handle stress and heal, it will inspire you to share it with others. This all comes from the heart.
Open-Heart Medicine: The Best Path to True Healing
True healing, regardless of the situation, is about uncovering greater love and compassion, thereby allowing your innate healing capacities to arise and flourish.
Meditation is one of the best ways to accomplish this. In this way, you can overflow your cup with unconditional love, gratitude, and compassion for all beings, and effortlessly offer this healing energy to yourself and everyone around you.
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