Anxious or Depressed About the New Year? How to Live Your Best Life in 2022
In just a week we will be embarking on a new year. Certainly things will change a bit… or a lot… because it is through change that living happens.
How do we orient ourselves to meet or—dare I suggest, even enjoy—some of these changes as life continues to unfold its multi-faceted possibilities in 2022. Not knowing which way the winds will blow, we hope to be able to take refuge in inner stability, with an open mind and heart, and with an ability to adapt.
It is stress that limits the expansion of our heart and mind. In turn, constricted mental and emotional vision curtail our adaptability. All year long, our blog posts have addressed how the practice of Transcendental Meditation reduces stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression. We’ve discussed how TM increases mental potential, self-esteem, clarity of mind, happiness and energy. So, I won’t elaborate on those benefits in this post. My emphasis here is on the development of consciousness enlivened by the systematic repeatable experience of transcending.
How to develop stability and adaptability
Without consciousness, we wouldn’t be conscious of anything. It is our inner Being that exists in a stable way no matter how much the objects of our awareness change. We all have it, but our minds are so caught up in the observations, thoughts, and emotions of life that consciousness remains “hidden.” That is why we call it transcendental.
The way to access this foundation of our mind is by transcending our thoughts. With the Transcendental Meditation technique, our mind settles to quieter levels of thought and can transcend the thinking process altogether so that consciousness remains without any object of perception. Our mind is awake to wakefulness itself—a state of inner, quiet, self-sufficient fullness—a spiritual experience of coming home.
This state of transcendental consciousness has no boundary, no time, no place, no change—and, perhaps, most salient to this topic—it transcends our individuality: it is universal, within us all. That is the level science calls the “unified field” and it is the home of unity of all matter and all of us, no matter how much we differ as individuals. With that infinite field as our foundation, we grow in stability from within, allowing us to adapt more comfortably to changing circumstances.
Dr. Ervin Laszlo, a scientist and philosopher, wrote:
“When all is said and done, the fundamental need of our time, the precondition of creating a peaceful and sustainable world, is the spread of a new more evolutionary adaptive consciousness—the quantum consciousness of oneness and belonging.”
For those who have learned TM (or who will learn soon), a regular routine of transcending familiarizes our mind with the oneness and unity inherent in consciousness, and is helping to ready us for come-what-may.
We can also look to our traditions for support and direction. You may find some inspiration, for example, from comments by Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle, who shares his vision of the inspired and exceptional life we can find ahead in 2022.
Here are some excerpts:
This moment humanity is experiencing can be seen as a door or a hole. The decision to fall in the hole or walk through the door is up to you. If you consume the news 24 hours a day, with negative energy, constantly nervous, with pessimism, you will fall into this hole.
But if you take the opportunity to look at yourself, to rethink life and death, to take care of yourself and others, then you will walk through the portal.
Take care of your home, take care of your body. Connect with your spiritual home. When you take care of yourself, you take care of everyone at the same time.
Do not underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Take the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader view. There is a social question in this crisis, but also a spiritual question. The two go hand in hand….
Don’t feel guilty for feeling blessed in these troubled times. Being sad or angry doesn’t help at all…. You have the right to be strong and positive. And there’s no other way to do it than to maintain a beautiful, happy, bright posture.
When we cross the threshold, we have a new worldview…. Make a habit of meeting the sacred every day.”
Wishing you a year of limitless blessings. See you in 2022!
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About the Author
Janet Hoffman is the executive director of TM for Women Professionals, a division of TM for Women in the USA
