One wouldn't, or maybe better, one shouldn't try and climb a mountain without the proper gear and training. Foolhardy? Definitely. You wouldn't march up from Everest base camp in flip flops and a coffee. But this is what many people figuratively do when they try and tackle their internal issues without training their spirit. The mind is a vast, powerful ocean and you need to learn to swim before going in, and trust me, you need to go in.

My experience with teaching meditation and qigong has shown me that a large portion of the population avoids their own internal spiritual issues. Self evaluation is in the decline having been replaced by a hectic external ADD world combined with loneliness and self-loathing and delusion. Some to a stronger degree than other of course. It's part of the current social climate particularly in Western Society. This is not something that can be solved overnight. We need to train for it, and like learning to swim, we begin in the shallow end.

I discussed previously the first step in detail. Naturally one should have done this before we can move on to this next step. Sitting in the meditation posture with your eyes closed I want you to visualize yourself sitting on the banks of a gently flowing steam. Clearly feel the sun, hear the water, smell the natural scents of grass, trees and flowers. Make this your own place, flesh it out and make it seem a real place, one that you  imagine exists somewhere and you have yet to find it. The creation and immersion of your mind into this place needs to be clear and distinct. One cannot move to the next step until this is done. One should be able to return here at will through the memory and strength of the training one puts in. This place should be peaceful and anything that exists needs to have been consciously put there by the creator of this place. It should have a calming effect devoid of stress. Practice going there throughout the day. A little mental vacation if you will. Simply 'be' in this place, do not create anything beyond what was instructed.

Practice this before moving on.