It’s natural to feel down sometimes. Feelings of fear and insecurity appear to everyone, even the most successful people. The difference is how we deal with those feelings.
When I experience negative feelings, I notice that I tend to think small. I begin to cave in to my emotions. I become antisocial. I loose passion for things I enjoy.
Recently I have discovered a simple activity that helps me change this negative state. It helps me to refocus on the bigger picture. It helps me to shrink my problems. Try it and tell me if this works for you.
When the sun has set and there are no clouds, go outside, find a place without any surrounding lights, and look up to the skies. You may sit on a bench, or lie down. Spend some time taking in the vastness of the universe. Notice the constellations. See the stars and the moon. Imagine the planets in our galaxy and how they circle around our gigantic sun. Pay attention to the huge distances between the stars and the planets.
While you picture the universe, relax your body. Drop your shoulders and release any tension in your chest and abdomen. Take deep, but effortless breaths.
Then slowly make a 180 degree turn and look back on earth from above. See a beautiful blue planet shining in the blackness of the universe. Zoom in and try to find yourself on this blue planet. Zoom in closer to earth and again, try to see yourself. Notice how tiny you are compared to the vastness of the planet and the universe.
Now think about the current problems in your life that bother you. Or the people that cause you to feel down. How small do they feel compared to the vastness of the universe? Are they worth the trouble? Are they worth your worry?
See your problems as small Earthly obstacles that can be easily solved. See them as issues that have no real substance in the realm of the universe.