I have always been too vigilant, too anxious at work, but also at home. A
Getting older, I’ve learned to let go, even if it’s a work in progress. So now I work better and collaborate with my colleagues with a soft spirit and they appreciate me for this.
At home… I don’t get the same success, but I certainly like being with friends, inviting them to my house, so we have dinner together and it’s very pleasant.
Im going through a transformational time with the job I created for myself and worked in for the first seven years of my career. I feel that big changes need to be coming when I stay honest with myself, because I’ve grown out of some central aspects of it. I have no idea where this is going and right now the lack of financial stability at times gives me quite the elevated heartrate, and what you could also call vigilance. I am just beginning to trust the opportunity to continue exploring and finding my own way in the midst of this miracle of life.
I like my teaching job very, in spite of the long hours of preparation. I am learning to benefit from asking for help when I feel overwhelmed. And “releasing vigilance “ in the sense of trusting and collaborating with my colleagues instead of being critical of them.
Also, I want to keep having the courage to speak my truth as I experience it if I sense something is off. Then trust that I will be heard.
For me I need to trust in the Lord. I have had many signs so far in my life that he is there along side of me. Thank Goodness! The unknown is just a given and I do not need or want to worry about it!!
I am currently in the middle of a job transition. I have been very vigilant on finding an opportunity immediately. I am a recent college graduate. I feel like I need to be doing something. I have a degree now and finding a job is more difficult then when I was just studying in college. I will have student loans coming into my life soon. Although I am being hard on myself and looking to squeeze myself into a box quickly, I think I can benefit from trusting the universe. I would hate to rush myself into a job that isn’t the right fit and end up hating it. I am trusting that everything will work out. Taking every day as it comes.
Even volunteer opportunities you should consider to get more experience. If you do not mind me asking what is your degree in? I have an HR background : )
The question is a constant challenge. After cancer I have stronger faith in the unknown than the tangible. That faith is challenged daily by our surroundings. I have enough. I need to put my energy into ensuring our children have a world to live in.
The term “…releasing vigilance” is such a show stopper for me. It made me realize that I tend to always be too vigilant and it wears me out! I will also say that I do not “trust the unknown” because I have come to believe from personal experience that the known is always alive and well at my core I just need to take time to let it BE before I do/act.
I do find life trustworthy but not my monkey mind and so I frequently have to challenge it! I think it’s Psalm 46 that says, “Be still [desist] and know that I am God.” I guess the best I can say in answer to this question is that I know that Life is trustworthy and always has shown me a way but i’m prone to anxiety and have learned the importance of shedding the “shackles of should” and to paraphrase Confucious, Go wherever I go with my whole heart.
Researcher and author Brenne Brown often speaks of the importance of courage and trust. She points out that the word courage came into the English language from the Latin word cor which means heart. She is often quoted as saying, “…Tell the story of who you are with your whole heart,” or “…Let go of who you should be so you can be who you are.”
Every tomorrow has two handles.
We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety
or the handle of faith.
– Henry Ward Beecher
Carol,
I enjoy reading your reflections. I am also hyper-vigilant, noticing I hold a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders. I have to tell myself to relax and bring my shoulders down from ears. I haven’t done it as much recently, but you inspired me to continue this practice again. Thank you.
Not that I’m exposed to too many
social situations these days, but I
could certainly lower my vigilance
in those situations and just let things
unfold and not feel the need to control
or monitor the situation. And maybe the
secret there, is to not be so vigilant
about how I’m being perceived in those
moments and concerned with putting
others at ease.
I have a stressful work environment. Usually in situations where I am feel I am having the light sucked out of me I flee. I have been trying to run from the darkness. I am now seeing that my light has a purpose so I want to trust the unknown that instead of leaving my job I will trust that if I am the light that the darkness cannot overcome me. I am going to learn how to use my kindness and my good spirit to maintain my peace and character rather than fearing becoming like them.
Fear cannot exist if love is present. Love is courage, is light, is peace. You are courage, you are light, you are peace. May you always be reminded of that.
Sending the best wishes for your light to be bright and strong. May your kindness helps you be at peace. I have been checking the videos on YouTube of Tara Brach to do some mindfullness and clarity of spirit. Check her out, such gentle sould.
My husband and I are both working on releasing vigilance with our business, but I would say it’s more to trust the process rather than the unknown. Just the word “unknown” conjures up fear-based thoughts – for me, at least. I’d rather trust the process, knowing that we were placed on this path for a reason 🙂
Another clear, inspiring contribution. Think I will read on to these inner-strengthening inspirations…they make me smile with building my own self-confidence. Grateful for them.
Not focusing of my circumstances but instead aim my focus on capabilities. This helps me not future trip. Catastrophize, I believe is the parlance of therapy. If I release vigilance to what may go haywire and trust in the present, life seems to unfold with much less anxiety. In my past reaching for the booze to self-medicate and cause myself more anxiety when sobering up over my abuse of alcohol. The unknown is a bit like the past. It is continually becoming the present and immediately becoming the past. All I really have is the present and it is so much less mentally exhausting by living in the now. I am grateful for this practice.
Over these many years I have spent much time on my own. I have paid a high price for trusting the unknown more than once. I am watchful, if not vigilant. This allows me to see/enjoy the good and still to bring kindness to others.
Whoa! In my view, today’s question makes little sense. Trusting the unknown simply for the sake of it sounds silly. I just can’t see myself waking up in the morning and mustering up all my vigilance to rush out into the unknown! Unknown what?
Remembering Carol and Charlie’s reflections on the difference of thoughts vs feelings comes to mind.
Focus on the present.
Focus on positivity and loving kindness.
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I have always been too vigilant, too anxious at work, but also at home. A
Getting older, I’ve learned to let go, even if it’s a work in progress. So now I work better and collaborate with my colleagues with a soft spirit and they appreciate me for this.
At home… I don’t get the same success, but I certainly like being with friends, inviting them to my house, so we have dinner together and it’s very pleasant.
Im going through a transformational time with the job I created for myself and worked in for the first seven years of my career. I feel that big changes need to be coming when I stay honest with myself, because I’ve grown out of some central aspects of it. I have no idea where this is going and right now the lack of financial stability at times gives me quite the elevated heartrate, and what you could also call vigilance. I am just beginning to trust the opportunity to continue exploring and finding my own way in the midst of this miracle of life.
I like my teaching job very, in spite of the long hours of preparation. I am learning to benefit from asking for help when I feel overwhelmed. And “releasing vigilance “ in the sense of trusting and collaborating with my colleagues instead of being critical of them.
Also, I want to keep having the courage to speak my truth as I experience it if I sense something is off. Then trust that I will be heard.
For me I need to trust in the Lord. I have had many signs so far in my life that he is there along side of me. Thank Goodness! The unknown is just a given and I do not need or want to worry about it!!
I am currently in the middle of a job transition. I have been very vigilant on finding an opportunity immediately. I am a recent college graduate. I feel like I need to be doing something. I have a degree now and finding a job is more difficult then when I was just studying in college. I will have student loans coming into my life soon. Although I am being hard on myself and looking to squeeze myself into a box quickly, I think I can benefit from trusting the universe. I would hate to rush myself into a job that isn’t the right fit and end up hating it. I am trusting that everything will work out. Taking every day as it comes.
Even volunteer opportunities you should consider to get more experience. If you do not mind me asking what is your degree in? I have an HR background : )
The question is a constant challenge. After cancer I have stronger faith in the unknown than the tangible. That faith is challenged daily by our surroundings. I have enough. I need to put my energy into ensuring our children have a world to live in.
The term “…releasing vigilance” is such a show stopper for me. It made me realize that I tend to always be too vigilant and it wears me out! I will also say that I do not “trust the unknown” because I have come to believe from personal experience that the known is always alive and well at my core I just need to take time to let it BE before I do/act.
I do find life trustworthy but not my monkey mind and so I frequently have to challenge it! I think it’s Psalm 46 that says, “Be still [desist] and know that I am God.” I guess the best I can say in answer to this question is that I know that Life is trustworthy and always has shown me a way but i’m prone to anxiety and have learned the importance of shedding the “shackles of should” and to paraphrase Confucious, Go wherever I go with my whole heart.
Researcher and author Brenne Brown often speaks of the importance of courage and trust. She points out that the word courage came into the English language from the Latin word cor which means heart. She is often quoted as saying, “…Tell the story of who you are with your whole heart,” or “…Let go of who you should be so you can be who you are.”
Every tomorrow has two handles.
We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety
or the handle of faith.
– Henry Ward Beecher
Carol,
I enjoy reading your reflections. I am also hyper-vigilant, noticing I hold a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders. I have to tell myself to relax and bring my shoulders down from ears. I haven’t done it as much recently, but you inspired me to continue this practice again. Thank you.
Jenifer, I can relate to a stiff neck and shoulders touching ears. Body scans can be very helpful.
Not that I’m exposed to too many
social situations these days, but I
could certainly lower my vigilance
in those situations and just let things
unfold and not feel the need to control
or monitor the situation. And maybe the
secret there, is to not be so vigilant
about how I’m being perceived in those
moments and concerned with putting
others at ease.
I have a stressful work environment. Usually in situations where I am feel I am having the light sucked out of me I flee. I have been trying to run from the darkness. I am now seeing that my light has a purpose so I want to trust the unknown that instead of leaving my job I will trust that if I am the light that the darkness cannot overcome me. I am going to learn how to use my kindness and my good spirit to maintain my peace and character rather than fearing becoming like them.
“I will trust that if I am the light that the darkness cannot overcome me.” Beautiful. Thank you for this gift.
Fear cannot exist if love is present. Love is courage, is light, is peace. You are courage, you are light, you are peace. May you always be reminded of that.
Sending the best wishes for your light to be bright and strong. May your kindness helps you be at peace. I have been checking the videos on YouTube of Tara Brach to do some mindfullness and clarity of spirit. Check her out, such gentle sould.
so clear, such commitment and determination, and courage. Inspiring, thank you.
My husband and I are both working on releasing vigilance with our business, but I would say it’s more to trust the process rather than the unknown. Just the word “unknown” conjures up fear-based thoughts – for me, at least. I’d rather trust the process, knowing that we were placed on this path for a reason 🙂
I like this reframing: trust the process. I can trust what I can bring to something; I can’t count on a particular outcome from my effort.
Another clear, inspiring contribution. Think I will read on to these inner-strengthening inspirations…they make me smile with building my own self-confidence. Grateful for them.
The day might be better if it wasn’t filled with worries about tomorrow. I might see more beauty and joy in my life now.
Not focusing of my circumstances but instead aim my focus on capabilities. This helps me not future trip. Catastrophize, I believe is the parlance of therapy. If I release vigilance to what may go haywire and trust in the present, life seems to unfold with much less anxiety. In my past reaching for the booze to self-medicate and cause myself more anxiety when sobering up over my abuse of alcohol. The unknown is a bit like the past. It is continually becoming the present and immediately becoming the past. All I really have is the present and it is so much less mentally exhausting by living in the now. I am grateful for this practice.
What do we know for sure, anyway…Now is it…if and when tomorrow comes, it’s the now.
Over these many years I have spent much time on my own. I have paid a high price for trusting the unknown more than once. I am watchful, if not vigilant. This allows me to see/enjoy the good and still to bring kindness to others.
Whoa! In my view, today’s question makes little sense. Trusting the unknown simply for the sake of it sounds silly. I just can’t see myself waking up in the morning and mustering up all my vigilance to rush out into the unknown! Unknown what?
Remembering Carol and Charlie’s reflections on the difference of thoughts vs feelings comes to mind.
Focus on the present.
Focus on positivity and loving kindness.