By now I am sure we have all heard about the recent situation that has happened in the country of Haiti. On January 12, 2010 a very powerful earthquake struck in the Port-Au-Prince area in Haiti, followed by numerous strong aftershocks.
This has resulted in numerous deaths, injuries and left millions of people homeless.
While the situation is far from desirable, the one thing that I have noticed happen with this situation, as with many other similar situations is how much drama and negativity has been clouding it worldwide.
Aside from the graphic images being played over and over on popular media, words such as “disaster” and “catastrophe” keep being drilled into all of our minds. Many people accept that this is the “normal” way to act under circumstances like this. They consider it normal to gather around the office coffee machine and dwell over the “poor” people of Haiti, not realizing that on a Global scale of consciousness, they are doing more harm than good.
Many people in our society consider it “normal” not only to negatively label such events, but fuel them with negative emotions and thoughts in as many ways as they can (unconsciously of course). This is what many of us consider normal “care” and “compassion.”
However, the time has come when many of us are ready and able to see things in a new way. Many of us are stopping vicious cycles and old patterns of habit to adopt new, conscious ways of being. This is why in this article I want to share with you 4 ways to really help when difficult situations arise. No matter how big or small the situation is, there is a new consciousness shining through today in how we see and respond to so called “difficult” situations.
1. Avoid Labeling the Situation
Whether it is an extreme weather event or a relationship break-up, avoid labeling the situation period, but especially with negative words. Using words like “crisis“, “tragedy“, “catastrophe” or “disaster” isn’t helping anyone.
Words like these carry ample amounts of negatively charged energy, and they do not help you or anyone else for that matter effectively deal with or rise above the situation.
So what should you do? Part of being human is feeling emotion, and in no way would I want to disregard that very precious aspect of ourselves. However, what I have learned based on the many masters that have walked the Earth is that any and every situation just “is”. Just as we can label it as bad for reason a, b and c, someone else can label it as good for reasons x, y and z. It all depends on the viewpoint or perspective through which we choose to see it.
Hence labeling something, especially with negatively charged emotion, delays all parties involved from moving through a situation, especially in any kind of empowering way. I know as a society it is all too easy to get caught up in what the masses are doing and saying, but drilling into a person that their situation is “bad” or lamenting with them about just how bad it is, is actually not a way to effectively help at all. If you truly feel for the person or parties involved, this is a time to show unconditional compassion and help them feel empowered in as many ways as you can.
2. See And Trust In The Perfection That Is
It is suggested that over 90% of people in the world believe in a “God”. Out of that number, on a daily basis a large proportion of these people, especially if they are religious preach about being thankful for the wonderful things that God has given us. However, when some sort of a so called “negative” situation arises, many of these same people are very quick to judge and equally blame that same God.
For those of you who have attained a level of understanding of the deep connection and oneness between you and God – Source – Origin – Creator or however you identify this entity, you most likely understand the profound ways that each and every single one of us is tied to all of the things that manifest in our lives. We are one with the creator, we are one with each other, we are one with all that is.
I think it is safe to say that most people who believe in “God” would agree that God is perfect. Hence if God is perfect, everything that is created by God can be seen as perfect. As human beings currently here in physical form it is all too easy for us to get caught up in judging things as “bad” or “good” – however in reality all things are perfect.
It is easy to see the perfection of all that is in easy moments, but it is exactly in those not so easy moments that we are called to rise up to our highest version of who we are and see the perfection of all that is.
Not a leaf falls to the ground, not a bone is broken, not a child is born, not a storm strikes that was not perfectly accounted for through the power of creation.
Therefore trust and have faith – that even though you may not be able to see it at this time, there is a perfect reason for every single event that occurs whether in the physical or spiritual realm. Every event, every person, every creation is part of a perfectly orchestrated divine plan that has nothing but our best interest at its core.
And know and trust this too – that if you are touched by whatever “difficult” situation, whether directly or indirectly, it is because on a deeper level, for a bigger purpose you knew this was in your best interest and you willingly chose to be a part of it for your soul’s evolution.
3. Set Positive Intentions
With regards to setting positive intentions, I am not talking here about some wishful thinking. In the last decade especially, we have discovered that the power of our thoughts is immense. Our minds are capable of great things, and with them come our thoughts – energy patterns that today we know are capable of creating our realities.
Therefore no matter what the situation may be, if you do nothing else, set aside some time to really focus on and send whoever may need it some positive, loving, and empowering intentions. You can even offer healing, whether it be physical, spiritual, or emotional through your thoughts to a person or group who you feel can use it. I would call it prayer, but all too often in the past, prayer has been a hopeless plea to God, the Saints or angels, etc.
Today, each and every moment, more and more of us recognize that we are co-creators in this world. Many of us have already come to acknowledge our gifts of healing – whether it be remote healing or in person. Many of us realize that through our thoughts, we can change the outcomes – we can change the world.
Therefore, if there is someone, or some group that you know can use your help, give them just a few minutes of your day. Focus in your love, compassion and strength on them. Shower them with the gifts of healing energy. And don’t doubt yourself in whether your intentions are having an impact or making any difference. You don’t have to be a labeled healer or religious figure to help. All of us are equally special and able to help, you just have to believe in yourself and know that not one thought of love goes unnoticed in the Universe.
4. Get Active
No matter what the situation, whether you are ready to look more in depth at this world, our lives, our existence and all of the events in them, you can do one thing that is always of great help in any difficult situation – get active.
Instead of sitting by dwelling on things, re-hashing things, lamenting over what was, go out there and offer your help in some way. Perhaps you can help financially if the situation warrants it, perhaps you can’t. But the one thing that most of us can do if we really want to help, is offer our time, talents, services or efforts.
If an extreme weather event hits or a war breaks out, perhaps you cannot or choose not to go to the actual site, this however does not prevent you from helping out locally. There are numerous agencies that need help organizing aid. There are numerous tasks to be carried out remotely to help someone, somewhere else in the world.
Whether you volunteer to take calls, organize a fundraiser, take care of your friend’s kids during a difficult time, or write a letter to the editor. There are so many ways to help – all of us can do it, if we of course choose to, that is. Instead of sitting back and feeling dis-empowered yourself. Instead of sitting back and sending out negative energy through worry, fear and blame, go out there and do something positive.
Be a proactive helper, instead of helpless bystander. No act is too small. No act is too insignificant. Even if you cannot help directly, helping indirectly another cause or situation still adds to raising the collective global consciousness. And most importantly remember, you don’t have to wait for any major “difficult” situation to strike in order to act. There are people in your community who can benefit from your help today. Some of them may be your family, friends and neighbors.
Through your awareness of your expanding consciousness, allow yourself to see and feel deeper, and truly extend your support consciously where help is needed.
* Photograph 1 provided by TheMarque
* Photograph 2 provided by JGNY
* Photograph 3 provided by Axel Rouvin
* Photograph 4 provided by oddsock
* Photograph 5 provided by US Army Africa
About the author:Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is the founder and editor of EvolvingBeings.com – an online publication featuring various topics on spirituality and metaphysics. Evita teaches consciousness expansion and heart-centered living to help people attain deep meaning, peace and happiness in their life. She is also a nutritional science and holistic health expert for optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow her on Twitter.
15 Comments to “4 Conscious Ways To Really Help Others During Any Difficult Situations”
What a wonderful article Evita. You have tapped into a pattern that runs deep through all aspects of our society. So very often the predominant emotion is one of negativity (in almost any situation in life). When we find ourselves labeling something negatively (such as disaster, crisis, tragedy, etc) it is prudent to step back and reflect for a moment on why we find it necessary to (and perhaps where we learned to) label it as such.
When one takes the time to reflect on the moments that are labeled negativly, and look at them with a different perspective, we might just see the devine within. When we focus on the negative, we are only able to see how such an event is causing chaos and pain for all involved. But as you say, if we send out our possitive intention, and take action in what we believe in, we will not only empower those that are experiencing such a phenomenon, we will empower ourselves, and those around us.
Emotions such as pity never help a person to transcend a situation/loop/issue that they are in. When we pity them, we are cementing them further into that state. When we come into a situation empowered, and looking for the positive within, we are able to raise the vibration of that moment and the people involved. So I send my love and compassion to the people in Haiti, and all the people who’s passion has been stirred to help them in what ever way they can! What a powerful experience for all involved. Thank you Evita for sharing these wonderful ways to help!
Evita, this article is both thought-provoking and beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. I second your thoughts, and know there are ways I could improve how I respond when tough situations arise. Overall, though, I strongly resonate with everything you said.
I don’t watch or follow the news, so that helps shield me from the horrific scenes the media is trying to place before us. It allows me to pray and send loving, healing energy to Haiti without being overwhelmed. Being hardwired as most humans are for negativity, I get distracted easily. I’m not sure my method is “right,” but it feels like the best method for me at this moment.
I read somewhere (and believe in this) that another prayer we can offer up is thanking the good souls who gave their lives so that our hearts could be opened up further. To me, viewing it from this angle takes away the senselessness of the situation. As you said, it’s all part of the perfection… Difficult as that may be to grasp.
My best to you!
Evita,
This is the most powerful thing I’ve ever read on an event like this. I’m forwarding it to my like minded friends.
I’ve not written a thing about Haiti because I didn’t have the words so thanks for putting this on paper. I’m one of those who have always been “touched” by these events. I think Catholics are taught to respond and that’s a one part of Catholicism I’ve kept with me.
I’ve don a lot of volunteer work in Mexico, Brownsville, Texas and I went to Mississippi for a week after Katrina and it was one of them most joyful events of my life. Sounds crazy doesn’t it.
Megan’s line, “I read somewhere (and believe in this) that another prayer we can offer up is thanking the good souls who gave their lives so that our hearts could be opened up further.”
So many countries are embracing the opportunity to help and respond. Hearts are opening up. I think the images have helped in that respect.
It gives hope that we’ve found some common ground. I’m sure this has happened before but with social media I’m more aware of it now than ever.
One of the healing methods I use it the ancient Hawaiian teaching of Ho’oponopono. It requires me to repeat 4 lines each time I think of the situation.
I love you.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
Thanks again for helping everyone to see this situation in another light. Sometimes we forget that everyone including the Haitians have their own guides, guardian angels and Higher Power. And add to that a line in A Course In Miracles says, “We don’t know what anything is for.”
Oh and one more line, “I will not judge anything that occurs today.”
Much love and have a fun weekend. Tess xo
If one does end up using words like “crisis“, “tragedy“, “catastrophe” or “disaster”, then they can switch on a light and begin to label such events as opportunities for growth, expansion, and creativity. When habitual patterns and spells are broken, people can begin to say and act out exactly what they are feeling. When one then learns to always express their true feelings in the moment, then patterning dissolves and labels are no longer useful or required.
When one begins to feel connected to God or to one’s Higher Self, then we become responsible for what we are seeing and experiencing in the world. We realize that we are creating our perceptions. If a person is disconnected, they will blame the world around them. If one finds connection, then they become of service and an integral moving part in each successive moment.
Oh look, the sky is falling. I therefore have to spend all of my energy lifting it up to keep it from crushing me. Oh, look Now, the sky is rising and expanding. I can float away with it like a cloud and the cloud can take on any form. Which world do we want to live in?
Excellent article Evita…
You are a Magician and a Miracle Worker.
I love #2. When we see everything as perfect we stop judging it. We find a way to accept it for what it is.
I’ve been working on opening myself to all the beauty in the world. I like the idea of connecting it to God. Sometimes I forget to see the underlying energy in everything is connect to.
I think I’ll practice a little meditation tonight and reflect on #2. I’ll try to think of breathing in God and breathing out life.
Hi Evita,
Great job on how you approached the situation in Haiti. I agree with everything you wrote. :)
Things happen for reasons and even though something is a “tragedy” there are blessings and resons why it occurred. Also, people allow such tragedies to occur.
Let’s face it, Haiti is a poor nation and often the wealthy nations overlook what they can do to help other countries rise above their problems. The majority of countries invest their money in weapons that are geared to destroy one another. Imagine if nations used that money to help other countries thrive and be self-sufficient. What a beautiful world it would be.
Human beings allow tragedies to occur when we become absorbed with our issues and ignore the plight of those who just might not have what so many take for granted. One newspaper article suggested that the Dominican Republic (which shares the same island as Haiti) would have survived better in such an event because they had the right infrastructure. Haiti was too poor to have the means to create such buildings.
Maybe this event was to remind us or show us that we need to help each more so than what we have been doing.
Evita – This is powerful! When you started out with what words to use, you hooked me instantly. I so believe in the power of the language we use – we often don’t realize the energy related to those words – you are so right, it doesn’t help anything or anyone. Thank you for putting a loving, positive spin on this situation.
Hugs,
suZen
Evita,
What a beautiful post. Thank you! With so many of us very mindful of the Energy we collect and send out, this is a poignant reminder. What we focus on grows, so it is wise to focus on good/positive/growth.
While it is not at all on the same level as Haiti, locally we are in the midst of severe weather which has caused flooding, homes to be lost, quite a lot of damage. I was trying to explain to someone that so many people are afraid, while I find the elements energizing. It’s Mother Nature/Divine wiping this spot clean, clearing away debris, then leaving us to use our resources to rebuild where necessary in the best way possible. Loss is not always easy, but is a necessary component for growth, and in the natural cycle of life. By focusing positive energy with our thoughts and actions we can join together in Light and Love and create a positive outcome. To any difficult situation.
Evita,
So my belief here is very much that there is not some set order to how things will turn out in my life (or anyone’s life, for that matter) – that we are much more than just puppets on a string. That said – life happens. And sometimes that’s beautiful and rich and fulfilling. And other times it is painful, hurting, and filled with loss. That second part is what I feel for Haiti – and the suffering there. It is painful and hurting to see this loss. To hear a story from a friend who knew someone who was there doing mission work, and lost life…at an early age….difficult moments. And it’s easy to question “why”. Yet, God is perfection. And sometimes (oftentimes, perhaps) we can see the “now”, and we don’t know God’s greater plans. What can seem “bad”, there is good that can come from this. And will. Loss of life, especially, is the hard part. Again, though, do we really know what this greater plan is? And that’s it for me – this idea that I can’t fully know what this all means. And then – it’s not my place to make judgment. It’s my place to have a compassionate heart. Today, you are reminding me of how deeply important that is.
Evita, you have written this so beautifully. Your soul shines beauty out into a hurting world…and that is so comforting.
I am with Megan, I do not watch television or read any news media. They disturb and do not add any value, so Megan I am totally with you on this one.
As with Tess, we know the familiar ways to talk or think about these occurrances are not adding value but we often do not know what to replace it with.
You gave us a way to approach this differently which is grand and yes, blessings and thanks to the people in Haiti, you have allowed to bring this different outlook to the fore.
And thank you, Evita, I will honor the people by taking at heart what you wrote here.
Labels and lenses definitely filter and shape our experience.
I’m a fan of action and I always liked the guideline to think globally and act locally … and that builds momentum.
Hi Evita,
Thanks for writing and sharing these excellent thoughts!! I can’t agree more. This article should be read aloud from rooftops. I have dugg it, tweeted it and put in on FB – least I could do.
#1 didn’t occur to me. I was doing #3 & #4 but I must admit I was guilty of not realizing that at the same time I was labeling it a disaster in my mind.
Thanks for expanding my perspective on this! Excellent
When one builds upon one’s personal power by retrieving aspects of the past and the future into this Moment, we have the capability of processing our fears and our triggers from those things that make us uncomfortable. In the process of growing spiritually, we often retreat from the world to gather our selves. But once gathered, it is time to go out into the world. This could be as simple as turning on the television set and watching the news. If something disturbs us, it is a gift and message for us to resolve an issue. When we become ok with everything that is being bombarded at us, then we will have entered our selves fully where all outer dreams become only interesting and no longer trigger an emotional response from us. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t help those around us, but it means that we are detaching from associations that society has created for us to experience. We help people with each moment be listening to them and allowing ourselves to be a sounding board for others. If we can perfectly reflect the energy that another is emitting, then the spell becomes broken and the static energy field that one was trapped in lifts. Therefore, if someone is in pain, we do not help them to stop their pain, but we help others then to feel their pain fully. By accepting that which has entered into us, that which we have agreed upon, it can then be let go of, not to be experienced again. Therefore, if you are strong now, then go out and face your fears and your pains and your sorrows. By facing them with courage, we attain new heights and greater freedoms where we follow the rhythm of our own heart beat.
What an eye-opening post! My mind is absolutely reeling. Thank you once again for the wisdom you provide. I learn so much from you!
Great post Evita,
Avoid labeling, see and trust the perfection, set intentions, get active.Can you imagine if every one of us thought like this? I can hardly watch the news and hear those words like “crisis” over and over again.I need to reread this a few times.A breath of fresh air!
Blessings,
Deb