Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
We can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging
English answer:
we may have some anxiety (initially) about some challenging experiences
Added to glossary by
Yvonne Gallagher
Nov 17, 2021 17:31
2 yrs ago
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English term
We can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging
English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
meditation
Dear colleagues,
I’m not sure about the meaning of “care for any experiences that are particularly challenging” in the passage below, taken from a workbook on a meditation practice called the "wheel of awareness". In this practice, you distinguish the hub of the wheel, representing pure awareness, from the rim, which represents the various objects of awareness, the “knowns” (e.g. the sensory input, sensations from the interior of the body, mental activities such as emotions and thoughts...).
Actually I’m not sure whether there is a link between the statement “understanding that we each are different” and “can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging”... Above all, I’m not sure about the meaning of “care for” in this particular context: might it mean “deal with”, “face”... Is it a standard usage?
Thank you so much for your help!
****
Focusing on the second segment of the rim [interoception – sensations from the interior of the body], what did turning your attention inward feel like? How did being invited to focus on the sensations of the muscles and bones feel? Your organs, intestines, and respiratory system? What was it like to guide attention to these sensations? Were any areas more challenging than others? Remember that this practice may be simple, but that does not make it easy! And sometimes certain bodily sensations may feel difficult to place attention on, or even uncomfortable in various ways. It's also helpful to remember to be kind to yourself, *** being patient and understanding that we each are different and can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging. *** Instead of seeing these as difficulties, it may be helpful to view them as opportunities to learn more about yourself, an invitation to grow in helpful ways.
I’m not sure about the meaning of “care for any experiences that are particularly challenging” in the passage below, taken from a workbook on a meditation practice called the "wheel of awareness". In this practice, you distinguish the hub of the wheel, representing pure awareness, from the rim, which represents the various objects of awareness, the “knowns” (e.g. the sensory input, sensations from the interior of the body, mental activities such as emotions and thoughts...).
Actually I’m not sure whether there is a link between the statement “understanding that we each are different” and “can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging”... Above all, I’m not sure about the meaning of “care for” in this particular context: might it mean “deal with”, “face”... Is it a standard usage?
Thank you so much for your help!
****
Focusing on the second segment of the rim [interoception – sensations from the interior of the body], what did turning your attention inward feel like? How did being invited to focus on the sensations of the muscles and bones feel? Your organs, intestines, and respiratory system? What was it like to guide attention to these sensations? Were any areas more challenging than others? Remember that this practice may be simple, but that does not make it easy! And sometimes certain bodily sensations may feel difficult to place attention on, or even uncomfortable in various ways. It's also helpful to remember to be kind to yourself, *** being patient and understanding that we each are different and can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging. *** Instead of seeing these as difficulties, it may be helpful to view them as opportunities to learn more about yourself, an invitation to grow in helpful ways.
Change log
Nov 23, 2021 00:56: Yvonne Gallagher Created KOG entry
Responses
+2
8 hrs
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: Irish, UK, US, Canadian) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
659
Selected
we may be anxious or troubled about
At first I thought this meant "nurture" in the sense of "nurse" = care for, provide for
"care for" also has a meaning of having an affection or liking for = so you can perhaps likie these challenges and see them as an opprotunity
However, I think it makes far more sense in this context that it is about feeling ANXIOUS.
Yes, it's quite an unusual way of expressing it but it's not the first time some of this writing has left us scratching our heads! This is quite typical for this kind of topic in my opinion. A lot of waffle and some semi-coherent writing to make it all seem like expert advice. However, I wouldn't go as far as Phil, and say it's "nonsense" :-)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/care
intransitive verb
1a: to feel trouble or anxiety
cared for his safety
As we are all different from each other (some of us) may (= "can") feel troubled or anxious regarding any experiences that are particularly challenging.
However, the advice given to deal with these anxieties, challenges or difficulties is to
"...remember to be kind to yourself, being patient and understanding"
AND
"view them as opportunities to learn more about yourself, an invitation to grow in helpful ways" (rather than get anxious or worked up).
So the bottom line, if this practice seems to be too challenging and difficult for you, try and relax, stay calm and use it as a learning experience
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Note added at 8 hrs (2021-11-18 02:26:47 GMT)
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and before someone complains I didn't deal with the whole phrase, here it is:
we may be anxious or troubled about any experiences we find particularly challenging
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Note added at 23 hrs (2021-11-18 17:24:32 GMT)
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Haribert, yes, as I said I thought of a few other possibilities first , as I said but I am not someone who jumps on the first definition in a dictionary (since I usually only use a dictionary to confirm my suppositions anyway) but rather looks at the entire context to tease out the meaning.
This rendering fits the entire paragraph, not just the first part of the sentnece. Fact is, those who want do everything just right tend to get anxious if things aren't working out so easily for them.
It is hard to look inward and:
"focus on the sensations of the muscles and bones feel? Your organs, intestines, and respiratory system? What was it like to guide attention to these sensations? Were any areas more challenging than others? Remember that this practice may be simple, but that does not make it easy!"
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Note added at 5 days (2021-11-23 00:53:09 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to have helped
Pretty sure this makes most sense in the entire context. Just because some people may feel anxious does not mean they don't welcome the challenge or will not succeed. As I said earlier, which some seem to have missed, people who want to do everything "just right" (perfectionists) may get a bit anxious when they can't do something smoothly or immediately. But they DO work at it and succeed in the end, because perfection takes longer! Other people are happy enough just to grasp the essentials. Different people, different ways of learning experiences
"care for" also has a meaning of having an affection or liking for = so you can perhaps likie these challenges and see them as an opprotunity
However, I think it makes far more sense in this context that it is about feeling ANXIOUS.
Yes, it's quite an unusual way of expressing it but it's not the first time some of this writing has left us scratching our heads! This is quite typical for this kind of topic in my opinion. A lot of waffle and some semi-coherent writing to make it all seem like expert advice. However, I wouldn't go as far as Phil, and say it's "nonsense" :-)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/care
intransitive verb
1a: to feel trouble or anxiety
cared for his safety
As we are all different from each other (some of us) may (= "can") feel troubled or anxious regarding any experiences that are particularly challenging.
However, the advice given to deal with these anxieties, challenges or difficulties is to
"...remember to be kind to yourself, being patient and understanding"
AND
"view them as opportunities to learn more about yourself, an invitation to grow in helpful ways" (rather than get anxious or worked up).
So the bottom line, if this practice seems to be too challenging and difficult for you, try and relax, stay calm and use it as a learning experience
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2021-11-18 02:26:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
and before someone complains I didn't deal with the whole phrase, here it is:
we may be anxious or troubled about any experiences we find particularly challenging
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2021-11-18 17:24:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Haribert, yes, as I said I thought of a few other possibilities first , as I said but I am not someone who jumps on the first definition in a dictionary (since I usually only use a dictionary to confirm my suppositions anyway) but rather looks at the entire context to tease out the meaning.
This rendering fits the entire paragraph, not just the first part of the sentnece. Fact is, those who want do everything just right tend to get anxious if things aren't working out so easily for them.
It is hard to look inward and:
"focus on the sensations of the muscles and bones feel? Your organs, intestines, and respiratory system? What was it like to guide attention to these sensations? Were any areas more challenging than others? Remember that this practice may be simple, but that does not make it easy!"
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 days (2021-11-23 00:53:09 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Glad to have helped
Pretty sure this makes most sense in the entire context. Just because some people may feel anxious does not mean they don't welcome the challenge or will not succeed. As I said earlier, which some seem to have missed, people who want to do everything "just right" (perfectionists) may get a bit anxious when they can't do something smoothly or immediately. But they DO work at it and succeed in the end, because perfection takes longer! Other people are happy enough just to grasp the essentials. Different people, different ways of learning experiences
Note from asker:
| Dear Yvonne, I really thank you for your contribution and I understand your point... I also find the use of "can" quite strange, if the meaning were "be anxious",... On the other hand, your interpretation would fit the first part of the sentence: we each are different... and it may happen that some of us feel anxious about some kinds of physical sensations... I’ll think over it a little bit... |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Daryo
: can't see any "anxiety" in this ST, only purely practical difficulties in being aware of own body // fair enough, but does it necessarily apply to this part of the ST?
4 hrs
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I've read a lot of this ST in extracts now and it's clear to me some people are indeed anxious when asked to do things like "looking inward" to examine "bodily sensation. I never implied such anxiety means they can't actually overcome challenges!
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| agree |
BdiL
: I believe you grabbed it, even if it's not what we'd use as a primary meaning of care.
13 hrs
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Many thanks for being discerning enough to look at the whole picture (context!):-)
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| agree |
Gaetano Silvestri Campagnano
: I perfectly agree, especially considering the context. Otherwise, the sentence would make no sense, as I also wrote in the corresponding EN>IT question posted by Haribert.
1 day 15 hrs
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Many thanks:-) Yes, context, context, context:-)
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you so much, Yvonne, for your help! As I said in the Discussion, it was difficult for me to make a choice, because, knowing the author's way of thinking, he might have meant something like "welcome" or "deal with"... but this interpretation doesn't fit with this particular passage. I think yours is more coherent!
A sincere thanks also to all other colleagues!"
+1
5 hrs
we can take care of any experiences that are particularly challenging
or,
we can handle any experiences that are particularly challenging.
"experiences that are particularly challenging" are the experiences of trying to place attention on certain bodily sensations.
we can handle any experiences that are particularly challenging.
"experiences that are particularly challenging" are the experiences of trying to place attention on certain bodily sensations.
Note from asker:
| Thank you so much for your help! |
2 days 15 hrs
Shera Lyn Parpia
Italy
Italy
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Italy
translating meaning, not just words
Native in: English
Works in: English to Italian, Italian to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
36
we can give attention to experiences ....
As I see it, this is an invitation to "lean in" or give our attention to such experiences, rather than fall back on our automatic reactions, which might be to ignore them or react with anger / fear because of the challenge that they offer. I see this as an invitation for compassion, for ourselves and for others.
About whether it is standard usage, I am seeing this sort of language more and more often in texts dealing with care and communication.
About whether it is standard usage, I am seeing this sort of language more and more often in texts dealing with care and communication.
Note from asker:
| Thank you so much, Shera Lyn, for your interesting contribution! Have a nice Sunday! |
Discussion
Dear colleagues, first of all: thank you so much to all of you!
Your help is really valuable. I must admit that I’ve found it difficult to make a choice: I know some previous books by the same author, in which he often says that it is important to "welcome" any experiences, even those that are particularly challenging: it is only by facing them that they can stop limiting our life.
However, this particular passage, above all the part “understanding that we each are different” doesn’t seem to fit with the above interpretation about “welcoming” difficult experiences...
I think Yvonne’s solution seems more coherent in this context.
Thanks again to all of you for your kindness!
That's why I thought that "care for" might also mean "welcome" or "actively accept" any challenging situations...
On the other hand, there isn't much context in this direction in this section or before in this particular text...
Thank you again for your help! Have a nice weekend!
https://www.proz.com/kudoz/english-to-italian/general-conver...
One more example with care: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2021/07/14/care-fo...
But now, I was also taking into consideration Yvonne's solution: on the one hand, the usage of "can" seems strange to me, if the meaning were "can feel anxious about...".
On the other hand, this interpretation would somehow clarify the former part of the sentence: "we each are different and (therefore some of us may feel anxious about some bodily sensations"...
It's also helpful to remember to be kind to yourself, *** being patient and understanding that we each are different and can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging. ***
=>
It's also helpful to [...] understand that we [...] can care for any experiences that are particularly challenging.
the "experiences" being about "placing attention to certain bodily sensations"
IOW even if "placing attention to certain bodily sensations" is "particularly challenging" remember that we can still do it.
care: feel concern or interest; attach importance to something.
"they don't care about human life" (Lexico.com)
Of all, the use of “can care” sounds particularly odd to me. Either you care or you don’t. Perhaps they meant to say “we each have the potential to care…” or “we do care.” It’s a choice we each make, it’s not a skill we have. I suggest asking for clarification on the whole string.