I was watching the news last night (I rarely do it these days) and it took me back to a conversation that I had with Emily after her 10th Birthday dinner last year, we sat on the couch together and chatted.
She said, “Mummy, there is so much badness in the world right now and everyone at school keeps talking about it, it’s making me anxious”
I couldn’t disagree, but what I could offer her is a moment of reprieve and an opportunity to redirect some of that nervous energy she was feeling.
This is how our conversation went;
“Emily, is what’s happening right now, right here, bad”?
She said ‘No’
“Is anything bad happening to you right now”?
She said, “No”
“Are you and I right here, right now OK”?
She said, “Yes”
“Does worrying about something that isn’t happening to you help you to feel better”?
She said, “ No”
“Does it help others or the situation when you worry”?
She said, “ No”
Are those thoughts useful?
She said, “No”
So, let’s take some deep breaths together and after that, if you want to help let’s look at other ways we can help those that need it.
By turning our attention to ‘what is’ and then focusing on helping others we pull ourselves into the present moment and tame the anxiety that can sometimes be paralysing.
At the beginning of our conversation, I myself started worrying about the effect COVID, the floods, and the war was having on our children.
By redirecting my attention to help to centre Emily’s little heart I too felt more grounded and present and therefore more useful in that situation.
