Life is a sum of various emotions, from being happy, enthusiastic and in bliss, to having to move to confront adversity and facing challenges that would create feelings of sadness, anguish, and pain.
Here is where knowing that “impermanence” is part of life is essential to our well-being because, in the same way, we can’t always be in a state of constant happiness; we can’t also remain forever in a state of suffering.
Impermanence is a concept brought by eastern philosophy and resides in understanding the essence and value of “Change”. It asserts that all conditions are transient and inconstant and that everything moves. It teaches us that everything is temporal and that condition changes whether they are of a material or mental nature.
Impermanence is the concept that nothing lasts forever. This includes both physical objects and intangible things like thoughts and emotions. The belief that everything is temporary can be traced back to Buddhist philosophy, but it also has roots in psychology. For example, one of the core principles of mindfulness is accepting that all experiences are fleeting.
This can be a difficult concept to grasp, but understanding impermanence can help us to deal with difficult experiences more healthily. When we accept that nothing lasts forever, we can let go of the things that are causing us pain and focus on enjoying the good moments while they last. Impermanence is a universal truth, but it is also something we can use to our advantage if we learn to embrace it.
Positive psychology has focused on cultivating positive and balanced well-being by finding equity between accepting what we can’t control and learning to let go of what does not serve us well. Western societies have learned from Buddhism, for example, to achieve mental balance by adopting the idea of Impermanence as a core concept in life.
Developing and mastering mental balance helps counteract the negative thought cycles and lessens individuals suffering. Understanding impermanence helps manage our feelings; however, we individuals fear change. Therefore, we fear impermanence, and we wish some things would last forever.
In the process of denying that things are always changing, we forget that this would be denying the natural order of the scheme of things in life, as nothing is fixed, life is a process, and everything from a plant to human beings is just in a cycle constantly changing, transforming, moment to moment, it’s the natural process of life, nothing stays the same.
In life, we all go through pleasure and pain. We need to understand that they are not designed to be understood as punishment and the other as a reward, but instead as just two opposites that are part of one experience that complements each other. Both bring essential life lessons necessary to cultivate and strengthen our souls.
In summary, impermanence is a way to help us understand that we can go through difficult situations and get through them because they will not last forever and that despite that we may be suffering and in pain, it will pass; challenging event in our lives are unavoidable, and they form part of the journey, we must learn to face them but not drown in them.
Impermanence helps us understand an optional perspective of seeing life, and step into accepting what we cannot change, knowing that it will not last eternally.
Here also is where mindfulness self-compassion is a great tool to have as it helps us get through these challenges, as it’s only with awareness and kindness towards ourselves that we can conquer these upsetting circumstances. So next time, whether you are in a state of joy, savour every moment, for it will not last; but also know that if you are faced with a difficult circumstance that appears to be intolerable, it will also be over.
