Kirsty,

I’m glad the words helped! Connecting with a spiritual community is something the Buddha said was one of the pillars of cultivation. Something else came to heart as I read your response.

Consider that control is something that can quickly become rigid as we try to force ourselves to grow. Be patient! Growth takes time, unfolding like the petals of a lotus. 🙂 When we’re in pain, however, our bodies almost demand that we do something. But what?

What some of us find is that it is a good time to let go. Instead of trying to keep the emotion out like pushing closed our front door, we can open up the back door and let is pass through. We can use that urge to control to open up the space around the emotion by self-nurturing… such as meditation, quiet music, nature walks, joking with our friends, taking a bath and so forth. We don’t try to control energy of it, rather give it space to settle.

With warmth,
Matt