I have always believed that change is good and displacing oneself physically is necessary for self-exploration, fulfillment, and understanding others.
Physical displacement can occur with a change of jobs, a divorce, death of a loved one, travel, a move in location to just name a few. Mental displacement can occur through day dreaming, shifting attention from one thing to another, or through decision analysis paralysis.
As humans we have been taught to be social creatures and nomadic, so it’s difficult to be stuck in one place and the outbreak of the Covid virus in 2020 has in many ways locked ourselves inside our minds that makes physical displacement even more challenging – and going to the grocery store or occasional run to pick up food or go to a clothing store just doesn’t make it.
The irony of being unable to displace ourselves physically has caused our minds to be negatively displaced mentally. This leads to anxiety, fear, and just feelings of being scared, unknowing what will happen next in our lives.
The biggest impediment to displacement during the Covid timeframe is fear of taking action that will put jeopardize our health. The mind in this condition is playing a whirlwind of games forcing us to ask questions about when this corona-thing will be over, when can we really start interacting with others, and when we can get to that normal life that we are used to?
One thing is clear about time is that it truly does heal and sometimes just acceptance of the situation is the greatest of all healing measures. I do strongly believe this Covid thing will pass.
The irony of the virus being in our current lives is that it really hasn’t changed anything at all based on how we have been living in the past. In fact, the presence of the virus is deepening the realization of who we really are. Now, instead of putting on a face mask to display a side of ourselves that we are not, we are wearing a mask that hides what we really are. Further, our interactions have become more longing where we are restricted with the sense of touch having to use our elbows to shake hands with others, as an example.
The mind is what it has always been – a conscious muscle that can instantly expand and contract anywhere, anyplace, anytime. The body is limited, restricted, and confined in comparison. The expansion and contraction of the mind is actual displacement that is happening real time and we don’t even know it because it happens so fast under the illusion of our body which we believe is steady and constant in one location.
The reality of the virus is that it is actually brought us down to our knees to realize that we must slow down, see the forest from the trees, and deepen the bond that we have with others and our ourselves.
So, how do you steady the mind from fluctuating towards points of anxiety due to the inability to physically move like we did during pre-Covid times? How do you free yourself from being in a mind trap?
The answer to this is True Acceptance of the situation and using your creative ability to develop positive mini-local displacement events (i.e., move from inside home to outside, meeting friends but sitting apart, learning new skills rather than watching reruns on Netflix, etc.) that are substitutes for the larger displacement events (traveling internationally, attending a wedding or concert, being at work, etc.) you are used to.
All you really need to do is create something – anything! This will develop the foundation for positive mental displacement which is what we should be striving for. Learn a language, new skill, read, learn, walk the neighborhood, observe all things around you.
Remember, the body can’t be displaced like it really was like before – traveling, siting at a bar, having huge family gatherings – so you need to improvise by letting the mind’s creative ability towards growth and expansion be there rather then getting trapped in the world of mental lockdown.
The key to mastering your teetering thoughts is not by meditating, clinging singing bowls, or eating a vegetarian diet. The changing faculties of the mind can never really be controlled as they will attach to whatever gives them pleasure – the danger is when the faculties of the mind attach to displeasure. When you are creating, you are giving the mind greater chances to attach it self to positive faculties. If you teeter, withdraw and worry, you end up in negative faculties which can be a danger.