At one time or another, we've all taken a backseat to our dreams...
We each experience roadblocks of resistance keeping us standing still. My dreams anchoring my thoughts in clouds of self doubt. I feel old, forgotten emotions of adequacies from my childhood fill my mind. I'm paralyzed analyzing my life... what I should have done, what I could have done, where I should be... and who I should be by now. Struggling to move forward, I feel cemented in my procrastination... and it feels overwhelming, dark and unescapable. I'm struggling to move forward.
There are moments standing in the shower where ideas of brilliance would pour through me from some hidden source. Standing in my shower, my mind wandering and ideas flowing. Ideas gifted to help me see the bigger picture of what is possible. But the moment, I stepped out of the shower the ideas would escape me... taking my enthusiasm with it. My old self would come forward bringing me back to my (old) senses thinking the idea or worse my self was stupid & foolish.
Who was I and why were these feelings happening?
How could I recapture those moments of inspiration?
How could I stay in that place... create a plan... and run forward with it?
"Resistance only opposes in one direction..." - Steven Pressfield
Resistance is (unfortunately) humans most toxic trait and it spares no one. It doesn't pick and choose who it comes for. It doesn't care if you're wealthy or poor, athletic or all thumbs and two left feet. It doesn't care about your level of education, the degrees hanging on your wall or the screen of library monitored you're logged into for your GED. Resistance comes for everyone... and spares no one in its wake. What you can control is how long it stays... how often it shows up... and how you choose to handle it.
Resistance shows up as we move forward in our lives. For some, it shows up the moment they open their eyes... weighing them down... heavy against the bed and dreading the day. For others its in the wandering of their mind as they work to read a book that has the ability to change their life. It will show up before a work out session or on days needed to take off, recover and rest. There's resistance to falling in love and resistance to letting go of a love we've outgrown.
Knowing how to gauge how much we're moving forward can be measured against the resistance that shows up our lives holding us still. The greater the resistance the greater the reward for the greater good.
5 Tips to Combat Resistance
Breath...Take in full deep breaths through the nose, expanding your belly and opening chest... pause and then fully exhale through your mouth and repeat a few more times.
Move... Laying there may feel easier, but it's actually worse for you. The moment you feel you are laying there longer than you should... and your mind is filling up with heavy thoughts... you have to move. We ultimately have the choice... what is easier is not always
Surround... yourself with others moving in the direction you want to go. If you want to scale that mountain or run that 5k, it's important to get physical. Sign yourself up for that class. If you feel you need to get in shape before working out; that's resistance... Join that class. If you want to write that book, join an online writer's club and find an accountability partner. If you want to lose weight, join a group doing the same.
Listen... to audio books, podcasts, youtube interviews of others that have overcome extreme difficulties. Learn about their story and what they did to come out the other end. Learning your story is not unique to the struggle will help you put your life's circumstances into perspective.
Journal... Through journaling immediately you'll be able to release what is plaguing your mind. A line from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, "yogas chitta vritti nirodha" refers to stilling the mind in order to experience ultimate reality and move toward self-realization. Begin your day and set the tone by releasing what has been holding your mind heavy and still.
If you are battling depression, please reach out to a licensed professional or your medical doctor to receive help. If you know someone struggling, share this blog and extend an invitation to help them get the help they need. No one needs to struggle in silence alone.
Sincerely,
Polly
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