The Power of Now

It's been a while since I started this blog and almost just as long since I've written.  Many things have come and gone that have lead me down varying paths distracting me from staying focused on what I started several months ago.  I could describe these events; however, it is not the events that are important, but the lessons learned.  As I sit today in my office, reflecting on where I am in life, I am again reminded that I have no control over my past nor can I predict my future.  It is naive for me to even think I can control what is happening at this present moment.  However, there is one truth that consumes my attention today.  It is the truth that I am only in control of me: my feelings, my thoughts, and my behaviors.  That is all, isn't it, that any of us have control over in life, ourselves.

I am in a profession, by choice the profession of psychotherapy, in which I am faced with traumas, tragedies, sorrow, struggles, and at times overwhelming emotional burden from which others are suffering.  What I do for these individuals is assist them in thriving through these adversities.  I am not in business to change their circumstances, reshape the future events, nor am I hear to "fix" any of their problems.  Our goal in working together is to arrive at a place, through the journey of working on their emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses/reactions to their adversities, so that they can once again be in a healthy state of functioning.  It is through these adversities that we many times grow beyond what we have deemed imaginable.

This is hard for some to accept as they are seeking ways out of their circumstances, a way to correct their problems, or a fix for what is broken.  Although on occasion things are repairable, many times this is just not possible.  This is when returning to the focus over which we have control is more important ever.  Our ability to change our internal control is in our power; however, our frantic efforts to externally control our environment, others, and/or events drives us further away from a health mental state, and into depression, anxiety, and despair.

Why then, is this so hard for me to accomplish personally?  Isn't this what I help others accomplish?  Again, a beautiful reminder on several levels.  First, I am not immune to mental anguish just because I'm a therapist.  I, to, have emotions, struggles, frustrations, and obstacles to which I am vulnerable.  Secondly, those with whom I work, like me, when in the midst of the hurricane of emotions can not see the light of day.  Therefore, I must remain patient in my work with them to facilitate a healthy recovery and not force a shallow understanding based on an unstable stance.

The Power of Now.  For those of you who may know me personally know that music is my sole.  The healing powers in music are incomparable.  For it is the music that speaks when we have no words.  In listening to this song again today I was reminded that there is power in only the things over which we posses control.  That, my friends, is our personal feelings, thinking, and behaviors. This song is very powerful and a great reminder to stay grounded to this truth in our journey and not be swayed. My prayer is that God will keep me/us focused on the things that I/we can control ... which is staying mindful to the decision that I/we make today ... for they are what can lead me/us on the path of righteousness and peacefulness. We can't change the past nor can we predict the future ... but we do have the control to make healthy and grounded decisions today.

That's a wrap!

Jason

Pearls on a Chain

In preparing for my upcoming Mental Health Benefit concert I was quickly reminded of how many fantastic songs there are to perform.  Attempting to sing through the melodies, read through the lyrics, and thinking of which songs would compliment each other became quite the task.  I was struck, however, by the words of one song in particular that I've listened to and sang on numerous occasions.  A song that speaks to the interconnection we all share in spirit and soul in our journey through life.

As I began seriously considering this piece for the program it became more real the impact of this song in my own life.  As a mental health professional, family member and friend of those whom have walked the path of mental dissonance in their lives, I became even more enlightened to the power of the lyrics of this melody. For those of us who have experience life we know that no one is immune to the challenges, struggles, obstacles, and hardships faced by those with mental health issues. Depression has no boundaries, anxiety takes no mercy, dementia is no ally, and thought disturbance shows no flattery.  These conditions effect the young .. the old .. the rich .. the poor .. the father .. the mother .. the brother .. the sister .. the aunt .. the uncle .. the son .. the daughter .. the grandson .. the granddaughter .. the cousin .. the friend .. the colleague .. the American .. the European ..  the Australian .. the Asian .. the African .. and list continues ...

We are all affected either individually or collectively by the sometimes tumultuous journey that is known as mental illness.  If we think of ourselves as alone in this journey, we quickly become overwhelmed, isolated, and eventually despondent to the idea that life could get better.  However, if we band together and take a stance and unite in the fight to thrive even in spite of our struggles, we not only become stronger but more beautiful in our ability to grow into an object of priceless and rare beauty.

Take for instance the pearl.  How does an irritant become an object of rare beauty?  It's a process.  Pearls are created inside a living organism, typically an oyster (although other mollusks such as clam and mussels may produce pearls).  The formation occurs when a foreign substance enters the oyster as an irritant.  This intrusion starts a process in which the oyster forms a layer around the irritant in order to protect itself from further damage.  These layers will eventually form a Pearl, a beautiful object each unique in it's beginnings and final formation.

Our lives are filled with irritants that penetrate the barriers of our souls, our "living organism".  Each burrows itself into the inner-most parts of our being, lay there, and cause a systemic reaction to unfold.  It is, however, with the help of our friends, family, colleagues, and by our own measures that we are able to form a layer of protection around these life events molding them into a series of transactions that shape our existence.  Through this journey, we like the Pearl, become an object of beauty and representation of the human ability to become more beautifully molded by a process.  We become a Pearl through our own right.

You see, we are all like Pearls on a Chain in our connection through these life circumstances.  Where one Pearl is beautiful a chain of Pearls is a symbol of strength and perseverance of the elegance we gain from experiencing life to it's fullest.  We are all Pearls on a Chain.

That's a wrap!