Wash away the pain

Written by Suraj Shah. Inspired by greatness.

When the pain of loss feels too much to bear, wash it away by getting in touch with water.

Life’s overwhelming emotions

With any kind of loss in life, the emotions that arise can become overwhelming. You may feel lost and confused. Or angry and resentful. Or guilty and distressed.

Perhaps all you want to do is hide under the sheets or run down the street shouting and screaming.

This is understandable and will pull your mind in one direction and your heart in another. It will feel like you’re being torn apart, right down the middle.

But there is something simple that will settle the inner turbulence, just when you need it the most.

One thing that has always brought me great calm is getting in touch with the calming force of water.

Water washes away the pain

Last year I was running a business with a very close friend. The business wasn’t working out and we mututally decided to end it and focus on other things.

At the end of one of our closing business meetings, I was hit with a variety of powerfully negative emotions such as guilt, frustration, lack of self-respect and lack of self-acceptance. As I cowered back to where my car was parked, tears of shame gradually rolled down my face.

Suddenly, without warning, the heavens opened up and heavy rain poured down. As the rain got heavier and heavier, visibility reduced more and more. I paused, stood tall, closed my eyes and let the water fall on my hair, my face, my clothes and what felt like every last inch of my body.

I could hear the heavy raindrops crashing on the tarmac. I could feel the coolness of each drop of water that landed on my skin. I could smell the green grass as it allowed the rain to quench it’s thirst. I could see the rain create a film between me and the world, almost as if it was protecting me from the worldly suffering.

As the drops of rain water gushed across my face, they merged with the tears streaming from my eyes. As each raindrop fell on my face, I gradually felt lighter and lighter. Each drop that fell on me slowly and surely cleared away every last bit of my pain.

I stood there, on the pavement at the end of the road, totally drenched, but more alive than ever before.

This is the cleansing power of water.

Getting close to water

Whenever you feel the overwhelm of emotions, you don’t have to wait for the thundering gods to unleash the heavy rain. Consider some of the following ways to get in touch with water to bring calm into your life.

  • Sit by a lake or stream: Just sit by a calm gentle lake and let your mind settle on that peaceful setting, or allow your feelings and thoughts to flow along with the stream.

  • Water the flowers in your garden: Get a bucket or turn on the spinkler and treat your garden to some much deserved water. Quench it’s thirst. Give water to help another life live with less suffering. Through that, heal your own.

  • Take a hot shower: Perfect for waking up to commence a new day or wash away the distressing emotions you are carrying with you.

  • Have a warm bath: Run a bath, add your favourite scented bubbles, perhaps a yellow rubber duck and immerse yourself into the cosy gentle sensation of a warming bubble bath. As you settle in the warmth, let your troubles lift away.

  • Wash the dishes: This one never fails me. It gives me a clear task to focus on, lets me play with water, and each dish I scrub, rinses away another troubling emotion.

  • Install a water feature at home: You can buy a small electrical powered water feature to have within the home, or have one built in your garden outdoors, creating your own mini-haven at home.

  • Imagine a waterfall: Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting near or under and flowing waterfall. Let each drop quench your inner thirst for peace, love and happiness.

  • Listen to the flowing water: Download the sound of flowing water and play it on your computer or music device. Better still, lay on your bed, gently close your eyes, and play the sound, while drifting to another land where your troubles have faded away.

I hope each of these watery ideas help you find greater calm just when you need it the most in your life.