Is the world shrinking?
It's been a hot minute but I never intend to ignore this space. It's a nice place to explore ideas.
Is the world shrinking?
It sure feels like it is when you aren't feeling great. Illness, anger, jealousy, and more have the tendency to make it feel like you don't have any space. The walls are closing in it seems.
Signs and Symptoms
When we feel compressed or small, I think it's natural that our survival instinct kicks in. Some call it monkey mind, lizard brain, amygdala, and so on. Our fight/flight/freeze response activates.
Symptom 1: Lashing Out and Anger
I find it common that lashing out is a goto defense mechanism, and it's easy to understand why. When we feel small or surrounded, we want to feel better about ourselves first and foremost. To reassure us that we aren't the bad person the world seems to be trying to say we are.
Lashing out makes us feel better than the person(s) we victimize. An errand driver, a different nationality, different gender… see the common thread? We focus on the difference and in the blink of an eye, try to reassure ourselves that in comparison of that difference, our way is clearly better.
Anger generally accompanies this, because it's the fuel, the urgency, the motivation to continue this perspective. It feels good, but only because it makes us feel safe, when really it is making us even more vulnerable.
Symptom 2: Physical
Breathing tightens, shoulders clench, posture weakens, everything tightens, even slightly. How does your chest feel? Your arms? Toes? Tight? Numb? Tingly? Sore?
Take inventory and notice how you feel in various areas. These can be clues that your mind is preparing your body for that fight/flight/freeze moment.
Symptom 3: Fragility
It can feel like “just one more thing and I'm losing it.” We feel brittle, glassy, that we can't weather more. One more push and we go over the edge. No more tolerance, we've had enough. Burned out.
What can I do?
Let's normalize humanity and acknowledge that all this stuff is not “bad”. It is an extension of how we have learned to keep ourselves safe and comfortable, even if it's only a moment.
Try to recognize the symptoms above. Take a moment to investigate and see what you find, without judgment or prejudice. It's okay, you're still awesome.
Notice how big the world is, physically. It's a grounding exercise, but it's a huge place! You can move pretty freely. Notice the reality of it all- temperature, wind, smells… these are quite real and you can miss it if you're not in a good place.
Acknowledge that you, as a human being, are bigger. Your mind, influence, behaviors all extend far beyond space, they span time too! We have an infinite amount of room to expand and explore in our head.
Investigate why, and ask yourself if there's room for more. Whether afraid, angry, jealous, or super angry, you can always be more than that. Don't push the “bad” away! Inquire and investigate, but also acknowledge you can feel other things too.
Breathe. My last suggestion, taking some deep calming breaths can work wonders. They tell you how tight your chest is and how far off center you are.
Summary
Of course, I relate to all of this and experience it frequently. But, it doesn't have to dominate us, control us, manipulate us. Instead, when the world feels like it's closing in, we can acknowledge it and wonder why, investigate a bit, and see that not only is this bad spot temporary, we can make it even more irrelevant by accepting it and seeing we are so much more, always.
