ADJUSTING TO CHANGE

By Helaine Finkelstein

Holistic Life Coach

Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges facing someone who is moving away from their established traditions is the emotional upheaval that ensues.  Feelings of isolation and rejection are common.  Clarity may give way to a rush of uncertainty particularly when conflicts with others arise. You can counteract these feelings by increasing your connection to God and to yourself.

Search for and cultivate the spark of the Divine within yourself.  Focus on your positive qualities and use them as building blocks for further growth.   When a baby is learning to walk she falls many times before she finally succeeds and we shower her with encouragement with each attempt.  We, too, need encouragement in our spiritual growth.  Congratulate yourself on your accomplishments, no matter how small.  Your intention and your yearning for greater closeness with God will create the right climate for success. 

Accept and learn from your mistakes and move on.  Over-emphasis on shortcomings will only make you feel like a failure and inhibit further growth.  Most people suffer from low self esteem because their internal critic is never satisfied with their achievements and is constantly berating them.  Allow yourself to be in a state of “perfecting” and let go of the need to be perfect; that is your ego speaking.  Your soul knows what it needs to do to achieve harmony with its Source.  Seek her guidance; her voice is loving and encouraging.

Spending time alone in nature will increase your feeling of connection to your Creator and nurture your soul.  So too will prayer and meditation.  It is critical that we make the time every day to connect this way.  According to Rabbi Avraham Kook, “Prayer does not come as a remedy, rather as the expression of the understanding that the soul is continually praying.  At the moment of actual prayer the perpetual soulful prayer is revealed in deed.  She then resembles a rose that opens her gentle petals toward the dew.”

The deep relaxation that one experiences in meditation engenders feelings of peace, harmony and calmness and releases new spiritual energies.  It is in the quiet places that we find our answers and our strongest connection to God.  It is in the expansiveness of our inner world, the deepest part of ourselves, that the interface between us and God occurs.  The following exercise is a good starting point and can be expanded to whatever amount of time you have. 

Take a moment now to close your eyes and begin to focus on your breath.  Just notice the inhalation and the exhalation for several breaths.  Remember that God formed Adam of the dust from the ground and He blew into his nostrils the soul of life.  With that breath man became a living being.  Allow a wave of relaxation to flow over you as you realize that you too were formed with the breath of the Creator.  Allow yourself to be breathed by God.  Allow feelings of wellbeing to strengthen as your awareness of God’s closeness to you expands.  Breathe out and open your eyes.

Draw encouragement from inspirational sources.  It is inevitable that you will experience a flux of emotions and this inspiration will help fortify your strength.    As often as possible remind yourself to listen to your inner voice of encouragement.  Your higher self will always seek your growth while your ego will try to maintain the status quo by instilling doubt.  After all, your ego is reluctant to give up its senior position of controller and it takes time to begin trusting your intuition.  Become a discerning listener and the answers you seek will be revealed.