Stressed? Stop, Look, and Listen. Try the Power of Awareness.

One day, feeling quite stressed, I decided to go for a walk in the forest nearby. I chose to breathe, walk slowly, and listen to the songs of the birds. I put my full awareness on the different bird songs. Within a few minutes I felt completely calm and relaxed.

Peace and confidence are much needed today. It starts with awareness. On a daily basis, how aware are we of our God, our surroundings, our thoughts and feelings, and the people around us? How aware are we of our perceptions?

Distractions dilute our awareness. One day, as my husband Rick and I were walking through the desert of Delta, Utah, my eyes were gently scanning for snakes. If you are not paying attention, you can easily miss their presence, because their colors match the desert floor. I called, “Snake!” and Rick jumped, because he had not been looking and didn’t notice the blow snake in our path. This happened three times that evening. If it had been a rattlesnake and neither of us was looking, it could have been dangerous.

Our son, Preston, was trail running in the early morning semidarkness of Yakima, Washington once. He didn’t see the rattlesnake until he was leaping over it’s stretched out body. It curled instantly, ready to strike.

Awareness is more valuable than we sometimes realize.

“He prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished” (1 Nephi 17:41)

Poisonous serpents came into the camp of Israel, a people of the Old Testament, and many died from the poison. Moses, following the Lord’s instructions, fashioned a metal serpent upon a staff and told the people if they would merely look at the image, they would survive the bite. It seemed too simple of a solution, so many perished from the lack of belief.

Awareness is a simple principle, but not always easy to remember to do it.

How simple is it to look heavenward, yet how easy is it to forget to do so?

Distractions and rushing impact us more negatively than we sometimes realize. We live in a time of instant gratification. With the click of a button, we can have ample information about any subject we are interested in. A drive to the grocery store rewards us with almost any kind of food we can imagine. Entertainment is accessible 24–7.

There are many methods of distraction available to us, to keep our awareness away from the things that matter most.

We rush to participate in all the distractions, afraid of missing out. Distractions and rushing can take away our awareness of loved ones, in the same room with us. They take away our awareness of our own thoughts and emotions. If negative thoughts and emotions disturb us, we simply engage in more distractions.

There is a wonderfully adventurous hike on the Pacific Ocean of Washington State, which is partly on the upland and partly on the beach, with knotted ropes to climb up and down to each level. If you are not aware of the two or three places that must be traversed when the tide is lower, you could find yourself in great danger because of ocean waves.

One of the times we hiked from Oil City to Third Beach, we got a late start and found ourselves climbing on the large boulders up against the cliff and squeezing through a hole in a rock as it was filling up with water. The four youngest ones in the group, ages four to eight, were in tears from the adults rushing them to beat the waves. Be aware of the tide!

Be aware!

Other things to be aware of: the needs of our spouses, the questions and concerns of our children, the beautiful scenery and songs of the birds, our own thoughts and feelings, our health patterns, our own desires and dreams, and especially the quiet voice of our loving Heavenly Father.

Looking is simple.

Looking involves our eyes, our ears, our minds, and our hearts.

It’s a matter of deciding to be aware, deciding to slow down a little.

The way we decide is to get very clear on the value of awareness, committing to it, and remind ourselves every morning of our commitment.

One day, after I had shoveled for 5 hours I was looking forward to a refreshing shower. A four year old grandchild walked in and spoke to me. I looked into the grandchild’s sweet face and knew what my priority was. I knew what my true desire was. The shower could wait.

It’s simple. It’s doable.

What would happen in our relationships if we really looked and really listened? What would happen with our jobs and projects if we paid more attention?What would happen with our state of mind and emotions if we were more observant of nature? What would happen with our relationship with our Heavenly Father if we looked to Him, deeply and quietly every day, and listened to Him throughout the day? What would happen with our children if we were fully aware of each, even for just a few minutes per day? How much undivided, wholehearted attention and eye contact do we give to each child (or spouse) each day?

Awareness is instructive, calming, rewarding and simple. We can decide right this moment to commit to doing it. Just decide. Be decisive right now.