S4 Ep. 260 How To Calm The Mind When Life Changes Fast

SPEAKER_01: Hello there. Welcome to the World Cafe Podcast. This podcast has been designed, we created content that centers on the power of words. Can we really do anything without speaking? Can we really do anything without the agency of words? Yes, that is what this podcast is all about. And I am your host, Amakri Isobe, your neighborhood word trader. I believe in the power of words, for it is the unit of creation. I trade in words to profit my world. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Good everything. Wherever you are on the surface of the earth at this very moment, listening to me. How are you? How you doing? I will always ask that question because it means a lot to me. It's not just a rhetorical question or just to like, you know, get out of your way or something. But actually, it comes from that point of concern. Yes. Because knowing that you are okay makes me feel good because you're there listening. You are the reason why. Here, you know how we say it on the show. This is the space where we come in to lean on one another's experience and to forge a positive path. Welcome, yes, to the word cafe show. I know I will always say it this way because this is what it is. I'm good. I'm very good where I am, you know, as in my location at the moment on the face of the earth, Nigeria. Yep. Uh the federal capital territory. And I'm grateful to God. Yes, it's been it's summer in Nigeria, so to say, but it's been raining. An irony. That's what we have here in Nigeria. Sun, or rather, should I say, we have the wet and the dry. We have sun and rain. Those are the two seasons that categorize who we are as a people. So I'm so glad. Yes, it's the holiday season. It will soon be over. Uh, as a holiday for our children, you know, typically uh this period is when schools go on break and children on vacation and blah blah blah. You have them at home and all of that. So automatically everybody's on vacation. When the children are on vacation, we are all on vacation. Yes. So that is what it is today, as in that is what is happening around here now. Something has been going through my mind for a while now. You know, I I always do that when I have these things you know going through my mind. I kind of process them, then I come share with you. And uh this one, this one is weighty because we all somehow, all of us, we we are, should I say, uh I won't say guilty, but we are prone, yeah, susceptible to it more or less. And uh, what is it? What is it you're wondering? Dealing with fear. You heard me, dealing with fear. So the other day I was processing uh this uh these lines from scriptures. You know, I'll always go there because I look at everything, everything for me through the lens of scriptures, and uh that's it, that's how I deal with it. So, you know that famous scripture, eli elie, or eloy, eloy, lama sabaktani. I guess you know what, I know you know it. When Christ was on the cross and he made that cry, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And I asked myself one question going through it. Yes, we're talking about fear, dealing with fear. Was divinity afraid? Like that statement connols or provokes, or should I say, gives off an appearance of fear? And he cried, my father, my father, why have you forsaken me? And I was like, at that instant, he was alone at that very moment. So, one major thing that strikes fear, one major thing for me, I think it's the unknown when you are left alone. Let me describe what I mean, or should I say, give paint more a better picture? A little child or a little kid, girl, boy, as the case may be. Who knows his father or her father is there to provide, to protect, and all of that. You know, it gives this level of confidence. First of all, people define fear from the word F-E-A-R, false evidence that appears real. Yes, like we say, faith is a subtle of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So fear is false evidence which seems to have an appearance of reality. So what we see, or what we cannot see, so to say, evokes this image which appears before us and defines our reality and will react to it. Fear, you not being in control of your tomorrow, so to say, strikes the cord of fear. Maybe you turn around, you look at your background where you're coming from, your support system is weak. It strikes off as fear. Okay, so now the question is how do I deal with fear? So someone asked me in our previous episode. Uh I think that was uh anxiety and all that. Uh, when I shared it, somebody came and he I'm trying to get the right thing he said so that I don't uh hit off court, so to say, I don't say it out of context. I won't mention the person's name. So he said navigating holiday chaos isn't easy. Finding peace through prayer can really shift your mindset. You know, that's a question. He now asked me, what's your go-to strategy for calm? How do I deal with fear? First of all, he said that word calm. If some of my friends will always tell me, you always end every statement with calm down. Yes, calm down, and so I answered him. I answered him. I said, I pay attention to my internal processes, my homeostatic quotient, big grammar, I think. See, on the basis of God's word, inside out, morally. So that word homeostasis is a scientific word, but I'm going to approach it from how Bancoli Williams, when he was talking about it, the way he described it, your internal processes. Yes, for those of us who did biology in school, homeostasis. That when you look at pro, I mean a system that is balanced is a function of its internal mechanism. The external is irrelevant as long as the internal is taken care of. Remember, man, man as a human being, mankind, we are three-dimensional image, likeness, and form. What do I mean? Spirit, soul, and body. We are spirits, and we have souls, and we dwell in body or in a body. So false evidence appearing real, it means there's this image we must constantly have in front of us. We must behold it perpetually if we must deal with fear, and this is how I say it, this is how I say because that's your internal, your inability, like you knowing that you don't have control over so many things, puts this pressure on you, which evokes or provokes, as the case may be, fear. But come to think of it, when you sit down, take a pen, take a piece of paper and a pen, and begin to write down those things that you are in control of. Yes, that you have the capacity, you have the what I use the word now, ability to manage them, write them down. You come to say that when you begin to put them down one after the other, you come to see that fear dissipates, and that's how I deal with it. You know, you know, when I get into that state of panic, something is like I'm not in control of it. I believe it's yeah, all of us go through that. I become, I become like uneasy. I react the way I don't want to, or I shouldn't not. And I come to you know, like hold myself back and ask, okay, why are you reacting the way you're reacting? It's because you don't have control over that. But what do you have control over? Your emotions, change, you know, also trumps up fear, and the truth is we live in a system that is in a constant flux of change, things will never remain the same. Sorry, I didn't tell you this. My wife gave me a cup of coffee this morning before coming on set. So I have it with me, so you I need to do justice to it, you know. So it trumps off change. We're in this constant flux of change, it's all around us. So now, how do I handle change? Because handling change in a way will settle me. I look at fear, yes, because the season we're in, there's a lot of change going on globally, a lot, and some of the changes are in quick successions, you know, like you call it disruptive. Now we now have disrupt a disruptive disruption that is ongoing, you know, it keeps going on that way. The reaction is so fast that a lot of us can't keep up with the pace of the change, and it's like it affects our finances, it affects our life processes, it affects the family life. Oh, I want to go on vacation, I can't anymore because this price increase. I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to do that. I will, I mean, what I used to do before, you know, at a snap of my finger, I can't do them anymore. So, what do I do now? Hello, it's change. What do I do? I think the best way to handle it, that's my this is my opinion. Sit down, take a pen, a piece of paper, and begin to write those things that you are in control of. The minute you're able to pinpoint those things, there will be an elevation from that moment. Yes, do you know that sometimes, like we were told you must eat three times a day? We were told by experts that when change comes, sometimes you eat once a day, you don't you're you're fine. Yes, you're fine. No, truly, look at it from hindsight. Yes, you're fine. Okay, what if the change it's about you, you know, changing your routines, your lifestyle, you know, places you go to, things uh you used to do, and all of that. Okay, what if and you begin to say that ah actually I can live, I can live without those things, I can live without them. Okay, before the advent of the internet and the growth of technology, you know, defining the way we do things, cast your mind back for those of us who are the boomers and generation next and all of that. We were fine. We were fine, yes. So you see, it is an image, it's it has a lot to do with imagery, the way you perceive, the way you see, because again, fear trumps off worry or worries. You begin to worry, you begin to nag, you begin to ask questions, and the truth is worry only does one thing. Worry is a minus, it reduces you, it has a it has the power of uh reducing balance, if I must use that word. Because you you don't add to yourself when you worry, you don't add, you don't grow as in in terms of positivity, rather, you retrogress, you shrink, because the body system begins your physiology and your biology and your anatomy begins to experience you know some chemical processes within, you know, and releases all the toxins that are not good for your system. The happy hormones are gone, and you now have the crazy hormones playing their roles, and you just see yourself degenerating, retrograding, and all of that. Worry, yeah, worry. So you put it away, you take charge, take hold of those things within your control, and you know what? That is where you counter fear with faith. Now ask yourself this pertinent question. How did you get here? Here I mean earth, wherever you are, wherever you are now, Africa, Asia, North, South America, Europe, Iceland, Greenland, and the lands in between, wherever you are. How did you get there? Were you conscious before this? So let us put it this way: somebody brought you here. Someone, I'm not talking about human, human whatever. Now, God brought you here, and he has, he is able, he's capable of sustaining you. So now, God's way of sustainance. Now, let me tell you something, he provides and he sustains. Provision and sustenance comes from God. Yes, so what do I tell her? What do you mean? In times of abundance, we have enough provision. In times of lack, we need sustainance. That's it. The world works in that cycle. So now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, just as fear is false, evidence appearing real. So I counter it. I counter it. Yes, I put my faith in him, I put my trust in him. I hold him here. I'm thinking about God, divinity, holding on to him, and he begins to like direct my course, channel my thoughts, help my mind. So, guys, ask yourself this question. No, really, do. I want you to do ask yourself this question. What are you afraid of? Most likely, there are those things you don't have control over, and they are not real. They are not. So think of those things you have control over. Like I said once, I was discussing with my wife, and I came up with this thought. You know, sometimes when I see people who brag of being powerful, being like we put it in the human sense, he's a very strong man, he's powerful, he's whatever. And I asked, does he sleep? Does he or she sleep? They do sleep. So when they are asleep, do they know what is happening around them? They are aware, are they conscious of what is happening around them? I don't think so. Even if you have 20 million bodyguards, they will sleep at the time. So, do you know who takes care of you when you are asleep? Do you know what happens around you? The thought of this gives me so much joy to know that there's a hand holding me, there's a hand leading me, there's a hand keeping me, there's a hand providing for me. So, what do I do? I keep my grip firm on that hand. Yep, one way of dealing with fear, guys. The world is going through a lot, and we will yet see more disruptions in massive you know scales and all that. But listen, you don't have to be afraid, or let me not say you don't have to be afraid, you can be afraid. There's no shame of it, but hello, listen, there's an answer to it. There's an answer, and that is what I've we've been talking about. Sharing it's false, it's a false evidence appearing real, it will pass, it will fade, it will go off. So, what do I do? The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In other words, the unseen has so much power over the sin. So if I hold on to the truth of the unseen, not the falsehood of the unseen, I am empowered, I'm emboldened to live my life victoriously, to be fulfilled. Yes, I know you have that purpose, you have that burning desire. You want to get on that global stage, you want to do that, you want to do that, you want to do that. But hello, hello, have faith, have faith, and stop comparing yourself with others. That's another thing that trumps up fear. You feel inadequate, you feel like you are inadequate, you feel like you're empty, you you are not meeting up, you compare yourself, it strikes the cord of fear, and sometimes fear drives us into doing stupid things in the name of drawing up your side. I fail to draw by to share this with you, even as we see more changes around us, you know, and like my mom would say, I see a lot of change around me, but he who changes not, he is with me, and that's the confidence I have. She says that in our dialect, I'm only translating it, you know, when she's you know in her prayers. So there's a lot of change around me. How do I go about it? But she she she she she she ended up with that he who does not change is with me, and I think if we have that mindset and we hold on to him, a lot will go for us. It becomes he becomes our definition, you know, our definition, which now it's our limitation, so to say. Imagine God being your limitation, or I say, imagine God being your limit. That limit is limitless, all right, guys. I have to go now just to encourage you once again. Dealing with fear, you don't have to give in to it, all right? Just spread your hands, hold on to his unchanging hands and let him guide you all the way. All right, guys, I have to go now. Sincerely, I'm I'm really happy that you're there listening, and I hope this inspires you in so many levels. I have to go now, but uh till I come your way again, it is always, always my pleasure. Alright then, gotta run now. Till I come your way again. unknown: Bye for now. SPEAKER_01: Thank you for being there. You can catch me up on my social media handles: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, all at Amakri Isobay. Also, you can get copies of my books, a cocktail of words, the color of words, my HRO notebook, and Hocus Focus on God on Amazon and Robin Height Online bookstores. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel at the same address at Amakri Isobay. I love to hear from you and how this podcast has impacted you. You can leave me a message at my email address amakrigaribaldi at gmail.com. That is A M-A-C-H-R-D-E-E-G-A-R-I-B-A-L-D I. Yes, till I come your way again. Bye for now.