Our senses are the way we interpret and experience the world. We gather information about our experiences through our senses. For many of us, these senses have become dull and numb, and we wonder why we aren’t experiencing a life of more quality and richer experience.
The practice is simply to be more present to our five senses in this moment: What am I hearing? seeing? feeling? tasting? smelling?
Fear and anxiety are attempts to get our attention so we can overcome, heal, grow, and move forward in life. The longer we avoid their nudging, the louder and messier they become. When we can bring our awareness to that which calls our attention, instead of fighting or fleeing, we are drawn into health, freedom, and courage.
Shame wants attention. Shame is very kind as it calls for us to look at it, to give it a moment of attention. It comes with good intention. It wants to help us in some way.
Rumination is a mental habit which leads to a fixation on flaws and problems, thus extending a negative mood.
With continued attention to our problems, we become obsessed with our pain and can retreat from life. We stop eating (or eating more), sex drive disappears, sleep is disrupted, we are tired all the time, life is dull, and we do less and less.
Addressing the problem of heroin and abuse of prescription medications is about addressing the pain of our daily lives, and helping people come to understand this, and how to change their lives.
