Whenever a vague sense of worry or panic arises, gripping the chest, tightening the breath, and flooding the mind, what is it that makes us feel like something is wrong? What is it we are truly afraid of?
In these moments, panic feels like an alarm—a warning that something in our world is off-kilter, that something needs to be fixed. But is it true? Is there really something wrong, or are we simply misinterpreting the signals?
Pause for a moment and consider this: Can we truly “feel” that something is wrong? Or are we confusing our thoughts and our feelings?
Feelings are sensations in the body—tension, heat, a flutter in the stomach. They arise and fall like waves. Thoughts are interpretations, stories that try to make sense of those sensations. They weave a narrative from random neurons firing, forming sentences that can seem as vivid as reality.
But are these thoughts reliable? Or are they like dreams, where random images, sounds, and ideas drift in and out without much sense or order? Are we perhaps taking this random static of the mind, this chatter of neurons, and believing it as truth?
Consider this: If a thought arises in your mind but hasn’t been confirmed by the outside world, is it really trustworthy? Or could it be just noise?
When we feel panic, it’s as if we’re tuning into a radio station that’s picking up static and distant voices, merging them into something that sounds like urgency or dread. But what if it’s just static? What if the urgency is an illusion?
The Power of Noticing
There are ways to navigate these inner storms without getting caught in them. Instead of trying to push away the panic or get lost in the whirl of thoughts, we can simply notice them. Notice the thoughts as they arise and pass. Notice the sensations in the body, the breath, the tension. Notice without judgment, without the need to label them as “bad” or “wrong.”
By noticing, we create a space between what is happening and how we react. This space is where clarity resides. In this space, we can see thoughts for what they are—just thoughts. We can see feelings for what they are—just sensations.
Seeking Guidance and Understanding
Sometimes, when we’re caught in this swirl of thoughts and sensations, it can help to speak them aloud. To let the words come out without a filter, as they are. Speaking to someone who understands—someone who can gently guide us to see the patterns in our thinking—can be like turning the radio dial to a clearer station.
This is where the power of reflection and guidance comes in. To see our minds as they are, without getting caught in them. To understand that panic is often a confusion between thoughts and feelings, a mix-up of language and sensation.
The Nature of the Mind
Modern neuroscience tells us that our brains are complex networks of neurons, constantly firing and connecting in response to stimuli, both internal and external. Thoughts are like the sparks that light up this network—a constant stream of electrical signals forming patterns. Some of these patterns are meaningful; some are just noise.
Feelings, on the other hand, are the body’s response to these patterns—chemical reactions and nerve signals that tell us when to move, when to rest, when to be alert. But sometimes, these signals get crossed. The mind spins stories, and the body reacts to them as if they are real threats.
The Path to Stability
So, what is the most stable way to think, to exist, to live? The Dao speaks of a path that is natural, effortless—one that flows like water. It suggests that rather than trying to control our thoughts or force our feelings into submission, we allow them to come and go like clouds in the sky.
To live with this kind of presence is to embrace a different kind of intelligence—an intelligence of the heart, a wisdom that knows that all things pass, and that beneath the turbulence, there is a stillness that is always present.
A Simple Practice
Here’s a simple practice to start: When you feel panic, pause. Take a deep breath. Notice what you feel in your body. Notice what thoughts arise. Ask yourself, “Is this true? Or is it just a story my mind is creating?”
Then, instead of seeking an answer, simply let the question hang in the air. Trust that clarity will come when you stop trying to force it.
Moving from Chaos to Clarity
Life is not meant to be controlled. It is meant to be experienced. When we let go of trying to fix what isn’t broken, we find that there was never anything wrong in the first place. We find that we were simply caught in the waves, forgetting that we are also the vast ocean beneath.
So, let us not be afraid of the panic, the uncertainty, the not-knowing. Let us see them as waves passing through, as signals to be noticed, not believed. And in this noticing, we find the calm that is always there—the calm that is the Dao.
