‘The view from above’

Life, now more than ever, can feel like an endless tirade of ‘to-do lists’ and bad news. 

It can be suffocating. The emails and bills don’t stop coming, and the 'to-do’ list extends like a python, slowly but surely unfurling, with no end in sight.

Pandemics, civil unrest, bombings, earthquakes — it can seem like when one crisis looks like it’s about to subside, another looms in the distance, just waiting to say hello and ruin your month.

And that’s only on a global level. In each of our lives, we all have our individual struggles. Relationship problems, insecurities, anxieties...

Sounds a bit grim doesn’t it?

Yep, and sometimes, life is a bit grim. I’d be bullshitting you if I said that it wasn’t. That being said, there are ways to make it a little bit more manageable. 

I want to share with you a tool I’ve found useful in getting some breathing room during these times. I’m not promising sunshine and rainbows, but this is something that’s got me through a lot of tough times.  

It’s an old Stoic exercise, often called the 'contemplation of the whole', or ‘the view from above’.

The exercise:

It involves looking down at the world as if you are miles above the ground. Try and imagine the entirety of the universe and your place within it. Think about how material things fade and only exist for a microscopic time in the grand scheme of things. 

To visualise take a look at this image: 

This is a photograph taken in 1990, by NASA's Voyager 1. It's around 3.7 billion miles from the sun. 

Carl Sagan said "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us."

On that little pale dot in the distance exists all of your problems. Pending bills, uncertain employment, relationship troubles, insecurity, anxieties — all on that one pixel in the middle of your screen.

To say that the universe is massive is an understatement. Imagine all the grains of sand in the world — that’s seven quintillion and five hundred quadrillion grains of sand.

Now consider that there are significantly more stars and planets in the universe. Imagine zooming out billions of light-years from Earth.

Now look at this image:

This is one of the oldest examples of cave art ever discovered (it’s a pig!). Scientists estimate that they were drawn over 40,000 years ago. 

Whoever drew this experienced joy, laughter, pleasure, as well as anxiety, fear, and anger. While the problems back in those days might have been different to now, there were still problems. 

But they passed, and life went on. No matter how tough things seem, it will pass. 

The challenge

Try out this over the next week:

• Next time you are anxious about something, close your eyes and think about the images above. Save them on your phone if it’s helpful.

• Accept that it’s okay and natural to feel anxious, but remember how small our troubles are in the grand scheme of the universe.

• Scan your environment and feel grateful for the simple things available to you right now. Make a hot cup of tea, wrap yourself up in bed, and watch some Netflix. You’re safe right now.  

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