10 Ways To Shift From Fear To Abundance in Difficult Times

And create our future together

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m having days when it’s really difficult to stay grounded and optimistic.

My job is to support you and others and admittedly there are days when I wonder if I’m up to the task.

I’m being brutally honest here. Those dark moments come when I don’t really expect them. I’m cooking dinner or I get a flash of News across my screen or I overhear a conversation that someone has lost a friend.

It’s in those moments when the breath catches in my chest and my body contracts that my most important resource is triggered — Pause.

I stop and listen to all the internal dialogue, without judgement, and offer myself the same compassion I offer my friends and clients.

I breathe deeply, envisioning my heart expanding into a burst of light that is capable of holding all of it without judgement or fear.

I stay present and quiet for a few minutes simply observing my body, my mind and my emotions.

And then I ground into the present moment repeating a simple mantra (I am Peace).

This is followed by one of the following actions that I wanted to share with you in case you have those moments of fear, for yourself, for those you love, for the global community. These practices are instrumental in shifting from fear to abundance and dare I say, evoking that liminal joy that emanates from the soul regardless of what is occurring in the external world.

1. I go out into nature. In my case I go with Sophie (my pup) to the beach. I sit quietly and listen attentively to the ocean, to the birds and to the wind and allow myself to be taken over into the rhythm of nature. No words. No thoughts. Simply a deep listening that amplifies space and allows me to relax, feeling embraced by grace.
2. I write. It’s how I process my world. Maybe you write? Or perhaps for you it’s drawing or music or dancing? Where is your creative expression in these times? This creative expression reminds you that there will always be more available to you, that you will always have enough because you have that soul within you to sustain you.
3. I pray. Although I’m not religious I get comfort from the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila. It is a meditation for me that takes me out of my small self and into the spiritual being that I know I am (but forget when I’m afraid).
4. I listen to music and dance. Music is soothing. Just watch the videos of people in Italy playing music and singing to notice how music connects us to one another and to one’s peace and joy.
5. I pause and sit quietly for as long as it takes, simply breathing in and out, the breath mimicking the ocean waves reminding me that everything ebbs and flows, everything passes and there will be another breath, wave or morning arising momentarily.
6. I help someone else. I make it a point to check in with 3 people every day. I contact them by email or Facebook or WhatsApp, using social media as a way to stay connected and let them know that I am thinking of them and wishing them health and happiness. That often becomes a conversation where I am able to support them wherever they are in their emotions. There is nothing like being of service to others to remind you that there is abundance and love in the world and that it starts with you.
7. I surround myself with beauty. Maybe it’s a flower outside my door or that fragrant orange that I bought from the food truck or Sophie’s eyes full of unconditional love. There is beauty EVERYWHERE, you simply must have eyes to see it and an open heart to feel it.
8. Once I’ve recovered, I work. Yes, I work. Because I love my work. Most of my work now is writing but I also run a few businesses. I’m taking each one apart, little by little, using my “quarantine microscope” to evaluate whether this or that still serves me and those I care about and support.
9. I’m honing, I’m eliminating and I’m making space for more creativity, more impact and more alignment. Sometimes those decisions are difficult, and I grieve the things I must leave behind, but shortly after I notice something new, better and more creative blooming into that empty space.
10. I have RADICAL TRUST that by expressing my emotions, my desire to serve, my creativity, my freedom to create that I am on the right path, the one of abundance and ultimately the joy of being alive even in these difficult times.

If you have those fearful moments, if the news is causing you anxiety, shut everything off and down if only for day.

Disconnect to connect.

Use these practices to fill yourself up with love, compassion and self-appreciation. Whether it’s a flower that brings tears to your eyes or the poem that breaks you or the ocean that embraces you, please remember you are not alone. We are all in this together.

And it’s up to each and every one of us to be the change we must be in the world now.

Blessings to you all and much affection.

Start your day with an abundance mindset.

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Originally published at https://www.aliciamrodriguez.com on March 26, 2020.

Photo by Lucas Marconnet on Unsplash