Remaining Open When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

How can you stay calm when you are feeling overwhelmed? What can you do to prevent emotional shutdown and to stop being triggered?

Rupert says: ‘Invariably when you shut down emotionally in this way, it’s because some primitive fight-or-flight mechanism has been triggered in you, and your subconscious is activated. It’s just a habit of the mind, but because we tend to identify with the mind rather than awareness, we feel, “I shut down”.

‘But you don’t need to respond like that. Whatever it is that is observing it – which is you – is not itself shutting down. You can stand back from it – and in doing so, it loses its power. And you’ll find that this old habit quickly diffuses because you’re no longer feeding it with your belief.’

*This video is from one of Rupert’s in-person retreats at Mercy Center, 9–16 March 2025. For more information on upcoming retreats (many of which can be attended online via livestream) go to:

▸ https://rupertspira.com/events

Timestamps:

0:00 Feeling Overwhelmed
2:18 Fight-or-Flight Response
3:34 Identified with the Mind
4:24 Being Aware
5:21 Changing Old Habits
6:45 Responding from Love
8:38 Setting Boundaries
10:51 Being Open

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