Meditation may deepen one's experience of the presence of God, enhance self-awareness, and reduce stress and anxiety, valuable during this time of isolation.
Join a half-hour Zoom 'guided meditation' session, led by Peter Lumsden (Local Preacher in the Clitheroe Circuit), every Monday evening at 7.00 pm.
The sessions follow a pattern of 15 minutes of spiritual reflection, combined with a focus on breathing, leading into a period of about 15 minutes of silence.
Anxiety is very different to fear; fear is the certainty that something
bad is happening to you. Anxiety is about uncertainty; it’s the feeling that
something bad could happen, but might not (and 99% of the time, it doesn't).
Rather than trying to avoid anxiety - which can lead to real disorders (such as
not leaving the house) - see it instead as something helpful, motivating you to
address the issue about which you are anxious.
Many professionals suggest five ways to wellbeing: Being connected; Being
active; Being thankful; Learning new things; Being aware.
Use some of the 5 ways to help with the feelings of anxiety - exercise; being
aware - be your own observer; connecting with nature / other people.
Unlike fear, anxiety contains HOPE. Hope is there too in Sunday's lectionary
reading from Revelation - a new heaven, and a new earth - transformed, here,
where we are, and where God is.
Picture: the paradise garden at RHS Bridgewater
Music: Salt of the Sound, For this moment