How to Deal with Chaos

Let’s face it. The boat is going to rock. Sometimes so many things happen at once, it doesn’t seem like we can keep up with them. Can we jump ship? Where will we go? There is no escaping chaos. It’s everywhere. It is a part of all that is. We can’t run from it. How can we weather the storm? The only place to go when life is frenetic is within. If life is chaotic, nurses, weather the storm by being braced in stillness.

A client called the other day distraught because his work environment was a cross between bedlam and a holy mess. He felt out of control and unable to function in the environment. I know how that feels. It’s so stressful when chaos is happening all around you and it seems that you don’t have control over it. You can’t control the work environment or the people who work there. However, you can control the chaos within. You can function calmly, one-step-at-a-time, honoring your boundaries and needs. When you do this you may be surprised to find that the environment changes, as well. Or, you may find that you’re moved to a different job.

Also, look within to see if your internal chaos – stressful thoughts, disorganization, entropic feelings – are being mirrored outside of you. Perhaps your inner turmoil is drawing a life of chaos to you so you can find your calm within.

You are not the chaos. You are the stillness of awareness. You are an aware being connected with the eternal Source of everything. Be the stillness connected to the heart of all creation, and let the chaos be. When your boat rocks, don’t put your energy into resisting the waves. You’re not the boat, nor are you the pandemonium. Put your energy into going within to your own place of peace and tranquility.

We lose ourselves when we become the discord, instead of observing it. We identify with the turmoil going on around us and our thoughts mirror it back to us. Events come quickly. People call. Emails pile up. Static is in the air. But, that is not who we are. We are more than that. We are the stillness that reigns within the cloud of chaos.

When your boat rocks, be the keel, not the waves. The keel is steady. It doesn’t rock much. It helps you to steer your ship, regardless of the weather