How to find peace in times of national tragedies, natural disasters, wars, and all emotional shocks.
23 November 2015
| Last updated on 25 October 2017
The horrific events in Paris in November 2015 had a huge emotional impact on the French society, but also abroad as people from all around the world felt affected almost as much as Parisians. Many people sat for hours in front of 24/7 news channels, which broadcasted shocking images, and showed the fear, sadness and anger of the people impacted by these dreadful attacks. Most Parisians were very stressed out, anxious and nervous and an atmosphere of suspicion had taken over the country. This was the case in France, but also in many other cities and countries around the world where armed attacks, wars, instability, and violence have become common and a daily routine on the TV and newspapers.
Our body, mind and spirit are not made to endure negativity but are meant to live in harmony and peace with what is around us.
So how can we bring calm in ourselves during stressful times?
Breathe, Breathe, Breathe ...
Breathing and exhaling is very important in times of stress and anxiety as by concentrating on our breath, we focus less on the external world. Doing a cycle of 5 deep breaths, holding your breath for 3 to 10 seconds according to your lungs' capacity after inhaling, and slowly exhaling before holding your breath again at the end and starting the cycle once again, already removes the stone you may feel in your throat and stomach. Also, starting the cycle by exhaling first and inhaling afterwards, will be even more efficient.
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Ho’oponopono, the Hawaiian Wisdom
Ho'oponopono the Hawaiian Wisdom way is to me one of the most powerful tool we can use to help us overcome fear, anger, annoying situations and events around us. Ho'oponopono was used in the old times on the Hawaiian island as a reconciliation tool after an argument or fight between two people or a dispute between two families etc.
Ho'oponopono, which means to make right or good, states that we are all a part of the universe and that we play an active role in it, not by changing others or the environment we live in but by changing ourselves, and the part in us which has a resonance with the negative event or feeling.
Each time a conflict occurs in our life or a shocking event happens, we can do Ho'oponopono, by saying these four words "sorry, forgive me, thank you, I love you". Sorry to whom, I love you to whom? To myself and to the nature, Earth and universe for experiencing all of this. Can these 4 words really change the situation? We do not know exactly what will change as we should do Ho'oponopono without any particular expectation, but results are often surprising and we always feel immediate relief and peace after repeating these words over a situation, which in itself is great!
5 minutes in the morning and evening can already have a huge impact on our perception and inner peace although we can only advise you to follow a complete workshop or read Ho'oponopono books by Luc Bodin or Ulrich Duprée, which are more complete.
Reiki and Prayers
Reiki can be a useful tool to regain energy, and feel inner peace whatever the circumstances might be. Reiki is a Japanese art, which means sacred energy. It is a complimentary energy treatment. By connecting to the universal energy that we all have in ourselves, our body can bring amazing peace and calm. One of the most powerful gestures reiki practitioners do, which is very easy to perform, is to join both hands below the chin as many people in various cultures do when they are praying. This gesture, called Gasho, centers your energetic body, anchors you in the ground, and in the 'here and now', allowing you to feel immediate peace and focus about what you are doing. You can close your eyes or leave them half open if you are used to meditate.
Prayer is also one of the best way to feel inner peace and disconnect from the stress and violence we perceive around us. It also has a huge impact on many desperate situations, illnesses etc. as numerous scientific studies have shown this regardless of beliefs.
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Draw a Bubble of Light Around Yourself
Sometimes, we feel surrounded by negativity, unable to escape colleagues’ conversations, TV screens, social media, and Uncle Bobbie talking once again about murdered people, starving children, scary terrorists. The best thing to protect our mind and energetic bodies, which record these negative information and transform them into coalesced energy and masses over the organs, is to put yourself in a bubble of white light, or golden with sparkles, whatever works best for you. This way, you will feel calm and confidence and you will be able to have compassion and help others in distress. Drawing the bubble with your arms above your head towards the ground, like if it was passing under your feet will activate the blood circulation, give oxygens to the muscle and more importantly centers your energetic bodies. In public, discreetly drawing the bubble with your finger will work as well or even by imagining it.
Take your Children and Yourself Offline
Children and teenagers are the most affected when an unexpected event happens. They are highly connected to social media where violent and stressful events are not analyzed but are rather seen on the emotional level by fellow "friends" in the network. About 70% of my Facebook friends based in Europe and 30% based elsewhere posted about the Paris bombing attacks in November 2015 and expressed their anger or solidarity.
Children often see things even bigger and more dramatic than adults. For instance one of my Muslim friends had her 8 year old daughter crying when someone rang at the door, "is the police coming to arrest us because they think we are terrorists?" she asked. One friend had her 15 year old daughter crying as well saying, "if I am going to die, I want to marry and have children before". Children and teenagers absorb violence even deeper than adults and can have uncontrolled behaviors.
As parents, it is more necessary than ever in times of stressful news, shocking events etc. to limit our kids' time on social networks or even take them offline for a few days, and we can set an example by doing it ourselves as well. Many studies showed the negative impact of social network on teenagers' mental health and well-being. Apple's Steve Job, Twitter’s Evan Williams (one of the founder of the company), and their colleagues' kids have all a very limited access to screens and social media, if any.
Also, it is important to spend time with your family and talk with your children, asking them what they feel, what do they think of the events, and show them that you are mastering the situation and will do everything that is in your power to protect them.
Doing with them the breathing exercise will be useful and with older ones you can even do Ho'oponopono together. Before having dinner for example, you can ask them what upset them during their school day, or what news on TV was shocking for them, before repeating Ho'oponopono words for one minute. Setting a playful atmosphere and doing this as a game always makes things easier and fun.
Justine Lamboley is a Naturopath and Energy healing practitioner as well as Author of Practice Happiness, The Energy of Life. You can follow her for more advice on Twitter, @JustineLamboley. She knows how it feels to be an ExpatWoman as she shares her time between Paris and the Gulf countries
