Love and labeling don’t go hand in hand. As tempted as we may be to label feelings, reactions, people or things happening into our life, we have the power to set them free from patterns that harm us. We have the power to free ourselves from emotions that don’t serve us. Criticism of others or ourselves can only be useful when it brings actionable thoughts. On your walks or talks today, keep an open mind about whatever might come your way. Nothing can touch you unless you let it.
Our thoughts create certain emotional states. You might think – it’s what happens that makes me feel happy or sad – but what happens is being taken on board by us and we usually have a reaction to it. This doesn’t mean that the reaction cannot be negative, but taking control and allowing ourselves to feel feelings that serve us well is important. Do you get any long-term benefits from lashing out, feeling anxious or sad? Do you get any benefits at all? Although we do have a wide range of emotions to play with, we don’t really have to explore the whole palette. Keep you emotions in check, choose what you feel.
Perception creates reality and the words we use represent what’s within us. It’s all a fairly straightforward manufacturing system starting with the raw product – the inner self – and finishing with the polished reality we adhere to.
The choice of words when expressing emotions shifts realities. The way Tony Robbins expresses it, words are molds in which we pour what’s within us. We all have a limited number of molds – hate, anger, sadness, under the weather-ness – that we use to express our feelings. An exercise I found useful is:
1. Find top three words that don’t serve you. Those words that, when used, distort your reality in a negative way. The molds that were broken to begin with.
2. Can you think of better words to replace them with? Maybe made-up words?
3. Stick to using the new words for a month
Eg. I feel like crap ->> I feel like creple (from the French crepe – pancake)
The point is making different neuro-connections and not adding weight to negative emotions by labelling them in a way that amplifies them. What are your three words?
Does the influx of unwanted information start to take over your life? Are you trapped between worry, stress and uncertainty? Stop. Take a deep breath. Clear your thoughts. We are all faced with a choice.
As comfortable as the victim mindset makes us feel, it’s detrimental to our wellbeing. So then what can we do? If we’d see the wave coming we most likely won’t run towards it. Similarly, facing the avalanche of bad news and misinformation, what makes us think that being swamped by negativity will have the opposite effect: positivity, regeneration and growth?
To regain calm we need to anchor ourselves into a reality that we can work towards. We can envision health and prosperity and even if these ideas are being challenged at the moment, what projecting misery achieves is only making room for misery.
We may not be able to change the world around us, but we can change the world we build and we project. Let’s make the world shine with the beauty of our thoughts and the strength of our emotions.
Feeling sleepy and lacking energy can be reflective of our mental and emotional wellbeing, our diet or of how active we are.
Apathy is a sign that we need a change in our life and if we don’t know what or how to change our circumstances, it’s a sign that we need to ask for help. Our diet can slow us down or increase our chances of success.
The irony comes with being active. The more we engage in physical activities, the more effort we can put in. By increasing our endurance we give ourselves a chance to feeling healthier. Exercise and depression don’t see eye to eye and although it’s not always easy going for a walk or doing an exercise routine, it definitely help us overcome tiredness.
By working out we get more restful sleep. That perfect holiday you envision where you don’t get to leave the bed for a whole week is not design to make anyone happy but the hotel owner.
Own up to your choices, put in gradual, constant effort and rip off gradual, constant benefits.
Being kind doesn’t measure through the money we can dispose of for a good cause. Doing what’s right over what’s easy, giving up on something that would make your life easier and someone else’s life possible, helping without waiting to be asked. These are all traits that reflect kindness.
We all do the right thing for different reasons. Sometimes it can be for status or recognition of value, displayed altruism rather than purity of thought. I believe that every good deed contributes to making the world a better place – feeding your ego while feeding the hungry doesn’t sound all that bad to me.
Today is the Random Act of Kindness Day. Be spontaneous. Buy a sandwich and water for the rough sleepers you’ve been ignoring for years. Admit to your mistakes if you’ve hurt someone at some point. Buy a coffee for a stranger just because they look like they need it. And most importantly, be kind to yourself.
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