The Comfort of Your Own Hands

By: Alison Ross, LMFT

Spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle is one of my favorite teachers during a crisis. His wise guidance, sense of humor and mindfulness teachings remind me that everything is ok inside, even if it's chaotic outside.
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Last week Tolle addressed fears while dealing with coronavirus. He answered a difficult question from his audience:
 
“I am afraid I will get sick. Or someone I love will get sick. Or I will lose all my money in the stock market. How do I deal with the fear?” ​

Here are some highlights from his answer, in case you don’t want to watch the whole video:

1. If you get sick, someone you love gets sick, or if you lose your money, you will deal with that when it comes. You will have the capacity to deal with it using mindfulness.
2. But the fear itself cannot be solved. Unless what you fear is happening now, fear is your imagination. You can’t resolve what is not real. You can only spin in the anticipation of it, increasing your misery. 
3. Don’t be upset with yourself if you are fearful. It’s not your fault. Your fears are the result of a subconscious process operating in the background of your mind. Being mindful of fear brings it into consciousness, reducing its intensity. Here he references a proven fact that when you reflect upon fears (and other uncomfortable feeling states), you reduce the intensity of them. It is a simple practice of noticing your fear without judging it. You could say to yourself, "I'm afraid.” 
4. He offers an exercise to counter fear. He says that fear wants your attention. But you will feel better if you shift your attention away from it. It is only your imagination, after all. So what’s the point of giving your attention to it? Go to the 10-minute mark in the video and do the exercise. It starts by simply feeling the energy in your hands. I tried it today and it felt really good.

We're here to support your mental health during the Covid-crisis.

• Telehealth sessions available with all therapists.
• $40 therapy sessions available with associate MFT Lauren Davison during the crisis. 
• $1 of every session goes to Feeding America. Let's make sure that no one goes hungry in America during the crisis.