An Inner Umbrella

an inner umbrella

Have you ever noticed how umbrellas have a wonderful, reassuring almost seductive quality about them? Their main function of course is to keep us dry, to create a protective shield between ourselves and the unpredictable and sometimes overwhelming forces of nature.

In reality, though, even those big industrial sized umbrellas do very little to actually keep us safe, but that is their illusion, their magic. They create an imaginary psychological shield that helps us feel more in control, less vulnerable to the elements that blow and buffet – and, more than this, they really can help to keep us dry.

Behind the protection of our umbrella we can move forward through the rain and the wind, feeling more safe and secure, detached in some way from the threatening elements. It’s as if umbrellas weave an invisible psychological cloak of protection, providing a reassuring sense of self-sufficiency and well-being.

We all know that life itself can be a bit like the weather; filled perhaps with moments when we feel as if the sun will never stop shining, as well as those times when all around us seems grey and foreboding. Each of us will sometimes be called upon to weather our own personal storms. But does this mean we have to get wet, drenched to the core?

Wouldn’t it be a good idea if we could create our own protective inner umbrella, a personal shield against the stormy inner weather of loss, rejection, depression and loneliness? We can’t buy such an umbrella in a shop, but we can learn to build our own.

Make Your Inner Umbrella Stress-Proof and Resilient to the Elements

If we have passed through the years of our infancy and grown into adults, then we have already known some rough weather. We will have faced unsettling, unexpected and often uncomfortable and clouded times – difficult experiences that brought with them their own special kind of psychological storms.

Challenging times such as these really can be better managed by reaching for our own inbuilt mental umbrella; a stress-proof resilient inner shield to keep us feeling safe when the rain is pouring down. Something constructed from experience and perspective that allows us to take a step back from the rain and the storm, helping us remain calm as we weather the challenge and still keep moving forward.

Unlike a designer ‘brolly’ that looks good but lacks any real substance, our inner version has a life-affirming significance – something developed more than designed; a shield meant not just to keep us dry, but to keep us sane and balanced inside. Our internal umbrella is woven into the fabric of our being. In stormy times, we can call on our own inner values and strength in order to walk with a sense of purpose and decisiveness straight through the flash floods and hailstorms that life might rain down on us.

The way we deal with life’s stormy weather is guided by the resiliency of the tools our mind has constructed through practice and skill, and in the midst of chaos our umbrella really can keep us centered and dry.

Experience Life Storms Through Colours of the Rainbow

In order to bounce back from disappointments and the other thunderstorms life can bring our way, we need to see things from multiple angles and various dimensions.

Just like rainbows and rainstorms, opportunities and challenges can appear suddenly – often when we least expect them. They come and go, but with a well-constructed psychological umbrella we can adapt and respond to this transitoriness. We really don’t have to get bogged down in the mud. With the right attitude, we can find solutions to our struggles, creating a beautiful work of art, woven from our values and life experiences. Our inner umbrella can give us a wonderful protective resilience that allows even the toughest, most challenging of times to provide us with an opportunity to shine. With the right internal umbrella, we can reinforce the positive and turn even the darkest of times into something that helps us to grow and eventually move forward into the brightest of mornings.

Let the Wind Blow Freely To Shape Your Life Direction

Sometimes, of course, we might have to let our inner umbrella go with the wind, sometimes bend almost to the point of breaking and turning inside out. There will be situations in life that frighten us and those that sometimes appear almost insurmountable. It’s times like this when our inner umbrella has to flex with the forces that seem too strong to fight. If we listen to our intuition and press on through the storm we will walk into the change that is occurring, and we will learn to grow with that change.

Adaptation is the key to evolving new strength and psychological balance. Our true inner umbrella is constructed from the strongest of materials – our self. We know only too well that change is a constant in life, so our umbrella will have to be flexible and adaptable to whatever challenges we may encounter, no matter the winds that blow. But with just a little persistence, practice and faith, we really can create our own personal umbrella. With it we will weather life’s storms – and we won’t ever need to get really wet.

‘There are things that happen to us, and other things that we bring upon ourselves. Either way, the sage understands that it is our attitude that determines the effect events will have on us.’ - Lao Fzu



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