I'm having trouble believing that I'm safe

This totally makes sense! A lot of scary things are happening, and our nervous systems are wired to make sure we don't take our eyes off them. It can be incredibly hard to let that go because our survival brain is shouting in our ear that we'll die if we do.

This strategy isn't about ignoring the very real dangers that are incoming. Instead, it's about reminding ourselves of the abundance of resources we have available to protect ourselves. Some level of alarm is necessary for human beings to have the focus and motivation to work on a problem, but it needs to be balanced by a sense of being able to do something about the problem. Otherwise, we just shut down.

Doing the activities on the previous page (or any other ones that have a similar effect) is about noticing the wealth of resources we have been gifted with in order to support our advocacy efforts. As this meditation walks us through, we have our breath, we have our bodies, we have all the things in the natural world that aren't attacking us, we have an infinite present moment. We have time and space. In this moment (however short yet infinite it is), we are okay.

Being able to tune into this (as in this technique) is crucial for resiliency. All the bad things will still be there, but finding and absorbing the good things gives us the strength to deal with it. Even for people in horrendously violent situations, there are moments, however brief, of not being under attack. Even if that is just for one moment, it is a chance to let our survival brain rest and to regain access to the parts of our brain that can help solve the problem long term. Our vulnerability is still there, but we can counteract our sense of helplessness and panic.