Spending time in China, India and Sri Lanka has made me conscious of the fact that we really don’t need so many material possessions to enjoy our lives. People in developing nations may not have so much stuff or enjoy as many of the personal freedoms as we do in the West. But they really appreciate what they do have. I also find a genuine sense of contentment among many of the people that I encounter. That’s given me a real appreciation for the simplicity with which many of these people are living their lives.

Severely malnourished children have approached me on numerous occasions in other parts of the world to beg for food or money. It’s upsetting to me to see a child having to live under such conditions. And yet I feel a greater sense of culture shock as I return to the United States and see the excessive waste and consumption that goes on. I always think of the children who are not getting adequate nutrition and who do not have the opportunity to get an education that would lift them out of the cycle of poverty.

Grocery stores here in America throw out huge amounts of edible food every day. And then I see so many people living in their mc mansions, driving expensive gas guzzling cars, watching televisions the size of windshields and buying inordinate amounts of other unnecessary stuff. Annie Leonard says in her video "The Story of Stuff" (http://www.storyofstuff.com/) that we Americans are consuming about 30 percent of all the world’s goods and resources. She then goes on to talk about the devastating impact that our rampant consumption is having upon the people and the environment in the developing nations where most of our stuff is being manufactured.

I was working with a woman recently who lost her job when New York City’s board of education started cutting back on their services. Marta told me that her body was feeling very tense and that her stomach was cramping. Marta said she didn’t know what was going to happen and she felt that there was nothing that she could do. The increase in the price of gasoline and other living expenses were only adding to Marta’s sense of overwhelm.

Marta would spend considerable amounts of time in front of the television or find other means of escape. And I could see the stresses and unresolved emotions that were collecting in her body. I asked Marta to bring her financial and employment situation into her awareness, to notice any feelings that surfaced in response to what’s happening and then to breathe into these feelings. Marta said that she was experiencing a tremendous amount of fear, anxiety and a feeling of being up against the wall.

I saw friend that I haven’t seen in some time whose retail business is struggling because of the economic downturn and that’s caused her a great deal of financial stress. My friend told me that she was focusing on a positive outcome. But it was quite obvious that the stressful feelings were not getting processed. I could readily see and feel the fear and uncertainty pertaining to money that was causing her consciousness to contract as I looked into her physical and subtle bodies.

We’re not taught how to deal with our stress and emotions. And most people do not have the understanding or the capacity to process what’s happening. Many of us are attempting to push the feelings out of our awareness but that’s not helping matters. Stress and unprocessed emotions are accumulating within in our body. Fear and financial stress freezes up inside of us. Our body and mind contracts, which impedes the flow of creation and we stop growing.

Fear, anxiety and feelings of uncertainty are normal responses to what many of us are going through. But we need to digest our feeling responses so that they don’t get trapped in our body and shut us down. Feel yourself letting go of all resistance to what’s happening in your life. Stop resisting your fear and stop trying to make the feelings go away. Allow yourself to be fully present with your feelings as they are. Feel yourself fully letting go as you breathe softly and deeply into the fear, the underlying sense of uncertainty or the feeling of not knowing what’s going to happen or anything else that surfaces.

Our reality is changing and we really don’t know how things will turn out. Many things will no longer work the way that they use to. We need develop new resources and capabilities and to come up with new solutions to address the challenges facing us today and in the days to come. Our bodies and minds need to go through a process of reorganization to enable us to adjust to the changes that are taking place in our world.

We need to develop a tolerance for uncertainty because we really don’t know what’s going to happen. Feelings of uncertainty and fear of the unknown will often intensify as we first begin to breathe into them. It can take some time, but the feelings will gradually dissipate as we continue to breathe into them. Breathing into the feelings will initiate a process within our mind and body that will help us to adapt to what is. This process will also awaken the creative and intuitive parts of our mind and that will enable us to find workable solutions to the challenges facing us at this time in our lives.

I have also started offering sessions over the phone. I cannot do all the things over the phone that I can do when I’m working with someone in person. But I can walk people through a process that will awaken the healing intelligence within their own body and mind. This innate healing intelligence will alleviate the symptoms of many digestive and respiratory disorders. It will diffuse panic attacks. This process will also ease the overwhelming stress that many are going through and help an individual to find the resources within that they need to cope with their current reality. It also leaves one with a sense of calm and centeredness.

Stop and reflect for a moment… Take time to acknowledge what’s really happening in your life. What are you feeling in response to it? Where are these feelings the strongest within your body? Breathe softly and deeply as you center your awareness within the middle of these feelings. Follow the feelings as they go through their natural progression. At some point you may inquire within as to what direction or course of action would best serve you at this time. Ask the question(s) without any expectation and then go on about your day.

Many of us are going through the same kinds of struggle. Everything goes in cycles. There are lots of very talented and creative people who will find the ways to make things work. Things will eventually shift economically. And then we may be forced to develop a whole new economy as the Earth cannot indefinitely sustain the rate of excessive consumption that we have grown accustomed to over the past few decades.

Many of us are already so numbed out or desensitized that we don’t recognize the impact that all this financial stress is having upon our body and mind. Many of us are contracting and we will see a tremendous increase in the number of stress related illnesses.

Do you ever notice how young people tend to be so much more vibrant and alive? Many of them exude so much presence and enthusiasm and they have a tremendous sense of possibility. They’re also more likely to get out and do things.

Have you ever noticed the changes that take place within people change as the years go by? Many of us are forced to endure all kinds of hardships and losses along the way and that wears upon us over time. The accumulation of stress, fear, anger and disappointment can cause us to feel very heavy and lethargic. Do you ever notice how shut down, disconnected and stuck in a rut many people become as they age? That’s what unprocessed stresses and emotions do to us. And we become old so much faster when we fail to process our issues and emotions and care for our body and mind.