One of my yoga guru's taught me a great lesson today. She explained that while on vacation in Orlando, a few storms passed through. The usual warnings are to watch for the calm before the storm so you know when to seek shelter. It does help prepare but it also insights fear of what is coming even without actually experiencing the event. In the last decade or two, the calm before the storm is a standard sign meant to save lives but it usually does more damage than good. It was only one year that was the biggest year in a long time that several hurricanes came through and caused damage and loss of life. The loss of life was mostly with people that were indoors anyway (mobile homes) so even without warning, damage would have occurred.
The question is, if we are constantly kept in a state of panic and fear, does holding this primitive, reactive sense of fight or flight benefit us? It's great for protection from danger. How many truely dangerous situations do we encounter daily? perhaps a highschool kid getting bullied daily, a wife being beaten daily, a soldier going to the frontline daily, a police officer on beat. This isnt the norm for the majority. Most people have issues like, that car didn't let me switch lanes, that lady at check out just butt infront of me, I can't eat my lunch in peace, I dont get reception in this building! So, secretion of epinephrine adrenaline and cortisol will get us fired up for battle so we can ride the bumper of that car or yell at the lady in front of you at check out, or toss your food out thinking the whole lunch is wasted or throw the phone at the ground (so you can teach that phone to get better reception next time!).
Sandra said instead of calling it the calm before the storm, how bout thinking of it as the calm within the storm. That does change the dynamic of it completely. Every storm has its calm center, a respite, harbor, window of peace to regather. Also once you reach center, you are half way done! Sometimes just changing the concept of how you see an event, changes how you react to it. Reacting in fear or fight mode will make you react with the brainstem which is reactive, instinctual, rapid.....but not usually thought out. Reacting with a calmness will be mostly forebrain, where thoughts can be conceptualized, reflected upon and articulated better usually resulting in a much better outcome. Imagine a doctor performing major surgery on your brain, runs into a bleeding vessel and starts to panic then cuts something bigger! A general who hears of a country enmassing forces at a boarder, declares war immediately. A police officer checks for speeding and hears a loud noise so pulls his gun out and shoots the driver.
There will always be storms, people who cut in line, drivers in a hurry, people who see things a different way than you do. You can't control them or the event or what has already transpired but you can control your reaction to it. Deepak says: this is truely the only thing in life you have control over. You can either react; 1- peacefully or 2-angrily to all events in life, in most cases, both ways will result in the same outcome for the individual. The only difference is choose to be insulted, deprived of choice or be the victim while making a decision and you will insight a whole storm of angry reactive energy around you that may erupt in another stressor. If you choose a calm, nurturing, mutually beneficial attitude, the emotion of peace and empowerment will be felt by all to not only decide on a path to take for the individual but also for the others involved in the storm
