Monday, January 8, we will meet online.
This week we will meet Monday from 7-8:30PM EST online, Wednesday morning from 7-8AM in person at our meditation space (3812 Northampton Street NW), and Friday 12-1PM EST online.
Ellen will facilitate, and shares:
Dear Sangha,
Last year in January, I had the opportunity to facilitate and talk about the beginning of a new year as a chance for renewal and hope. I felt it was important to try to be optimistic and open.
As we enter 2024, I find myself much more anxious and worried about so much in my personal/family life, my career and most importantly the despairing state of the world. My anxiety has been, for the first time, affecting my health and well-being. And I’m surrounded by friends, family members and colleagues who are also suffering from stress, anxiety and fear.
So I started to research Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thầy) writings on anxiety and worrying. As usual, he has much to say, which I found to be very helpful.
I wanted to share two things from Thầy:
CARING FOR OUR WORRY from “Fear, Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm” :
“It is in moments like this that we stick to our mindful breathing and gently recognize our afflictions, whether anger, frustration, or fear. Suppose we are feeling worry or anxiety. We practice, ‘Breathing in, I know that anxiety is in me. Breathing out, I smile to my anxiety.’
“Maybe you have a habit of worrying. Even if you know it’s neither necessary nor useful, you still worry. You’d like to ban worry and get rid of it, because you know that when you worry you can’t get in touch with the wonders of life and you can’t be happy. So you get angry at your worry; you don’t want it. But worry is a part of you, and that’s why when your worry comes up, you have to know how to handle it tenderly and peacefully.
“You can do it if you have the energy of mindfulness. You cultivate the energy of mindfulness with mindful breathing and mindful walking, and with that energy, you can recognize and tenderly embrace your worry, fear, and anger. When your baby suffers and cries, you don’t want to punish him or her, because your baby is you. Your fear and anger are like your baby. Don’t imagine that you can just throw them out the window. Don’t be violent toward your anger, your fear, and your worries.”
And, on Monday we will enjoy watching a short segment from Thay’s talk on October 12, 2020 called “How to Take Care of the Habit Energy of Worrying.”
I look forward to our discussion on Monday, whatever this brings up for you. I’m so grateful for the safe space in our sangha to share and discuss these kinds of issues and challenges.
Thanks, Ellen