Self-Forgiveness

April 7, 2022

LISA RENEE: “Shifting Mental Pain”

“In order to clear and shift mind control and negative thoughts from running one’s life, one must identify them as the symptoms of the planetary and personal consciousness evolution. This time on earth, more than any other time in human history, is an incredible push towards consciousness participation for humanity to regain spiritual liberation. Liberation is free from the effects of negative thoughts and free from emotional suffering. Each time you shift an emotional response from anger or judgment to love, joy, gratitude, and acceptance, you are doing global service work at a personal level.There is an attitude of interpreting life that will bring you inner peace, calmness, joy, happiness, unconditional love, and equanimity regardless of what is going on in your life and the outside world. There is another attitude of interpreting life that will make you feel upset, angry, irritable, impatient, moody, emotional, unstable, and depressed. These are two examples of choices one can make at every moment when interpreting our life experiences. Neither of these emotional states have anything to do with what is actually going on in your life or in the environment. It has everything to do with how one is interpreting one’s life.”

~Lisa Renee

Shifting Mental Pain with Interpretation Analysis

In order to clear and shift mind control and negative thoughts from running one’s life, one must identify them as the symptoms of the planetary and personal consciousness evolution. This time on earth, more than any other time in human history, is an incredible push towards consciousness participation for humanity to regain spiritual liberation. Liberation is free from the effects of negative thoughts and free from emotional suffering. Each time you shift an emotional response from anger or judgment to love, joy, gratitude, and acceptance, you are doing global service work at a personal level.

There is an attitude of interpreting life that will bring you inner peace, calmness, joy, happiness, unconditional love, and equanimity regardless of what is going on in your life and the outside world. There is another attitude of interpreting life that will make you feel upset, angry, irritable, impatient, moody, emotional, unstable, and depressed. These are two examples of choices one can make at every moment when interpreting our life experiences. Neither of these emotional states have anything to do with what is actually going on in your life or in the environment. It has everything to do with how one is interpreting one’s life.

Every chronic state of mental pain that is generated through anger, fear, or worry is an opportunity for one to see the places where love, forgiveness and self-acceptance are required to heal. This pain or fear shows us the areas we need to transcend, in order to evolve from beyond the ego’s mental control over our lives and into being guided by the higher intelligence of our inner spirit. As long as we resist the inner work necessary to clear fear attitudes and their pain responses, we remain spiritually stagnant. When we hit cycles of spiritual stagnation, we will feel immense pain or discomfort that will force us to address that pain in order to be liberated from it. Spiritual development is not always comfortable, and many of us are going beyond our comfort zone at this time, in order to progress to the next level that our spiritual self is demanding from us. If there is spiritual stagnation present, one will be pushed hard to transform. This is a byproduct of spiritual ascension on our planet and that discomfort shows the pathway to developing and refining the path of liberation, which is only found by following your inner spirit.

The Higher Spiritual Intelligence necessitates that we only have preferences, by releasing control to the outcome of events in lives. This is a process of surrendering and known by the phrase, Let Go and Let God. If we become attached to a person, place, thing, or the outcome, then manipulation and interference are a byproduct of that attachment. Attachment is an ego control mechanism based in deep fear. If we are attached to something and it is creating spiritual stagnation, that object will be removed from our lives so we can refocus ourselves back on the inner spirit. This is also why practicing having “preferences” over ego attachment will be a much easier process, with less emotional pain. If we get the lesson the first time, the lesson does not have to be repeated.

Inner peace is a state of mind that accepts the current state of circumstances as they are, without judgment. When faced with adversity one looks for the opportunity to learn its lesson, in order to move past old recurring patterns. This expands our consciousness as we transcend previous limitations. When we move through our fears and perceived limitations we gain incredible amounts of personal power through enhanced self-esteem. When we know we have the power of our spirit within us, we know we are cared for and that things in our life will work out.

We all have the power of our eternal spirit within us to guide us and keep us safe. The 12D shield process is the beginning, which allows us to develope a deeper communication link with this aspect of ourselves. However, we must learn to remove fear and mental bondage in order to be liberated from its control over the body. The body must be prepared to embody the spiritual light, and with that fear programs and negative thoughts must be removed.

As one feels guided, if mental programs have been difficult to control, here is an exercise provided below to bring them to one’s surface awareness. As we acknowledge these thoughts as stemming from negative ego, similar to facing the ghosts that have been haunting the shadows of our mind, we can see the ghost for what it is. When we face it clearly, revealing it from its hidden shadows, its power is diminished and it ceases to have the ability to terrorize us.

Shadows are only powerful when they remain hidden and buried, as the shadow masquerades in falsity that uses fear to torment us with lies. Be brave, to reveal them and place them to face your real spiritual self. The Eternal Self, as I am God I am Sovereign, I am Free!

Our personal sovereignty awaits us through the release of fears by applying personal responsibility to our thoughts and emotions. Choose your authority now, knowing that you are a God, Sovereign, Free Being.

Describe your total responsibility for the Fear (and any of your physical imbalances):



Describe the addictions, obsessions and negative thoughts you will stop NOW:



Describe your spiritual connection to the universe:



Describe the Behaviors you will start:



Describe the Behaviors you will stop:



Describe your process of detachment:



When feeling mentally overwhelmed, return to read what you have written. Review the responsibility you agreed to hold and the commitment you have made to your self to be liberated from the bondage of the mind. Continue to practice now moment awareness and the many other tools available on our website.

During this time let the world unfold and reveal its pathway without pushing to attempt to figure it all out. Allow things to be what they are, allow people to be where they are. When personal expectations are shattered from having attachments, practice the skill of allowing. Allow it to be the way that it is. Relax, Let Go and Allow.

May these times bring peace to reside deeply in our heart.

~via KrystalAegis.com

April 5, 2022

LISA RENEE: “Radical Forgiveness”

“A racket is a corrupt mental program running in our conscious or unconscious self that justifies itself into being, in order to protect the psyche from its deepest and darkest fears. We are continuing to be repositioned and shifted so that our energy bodies and our consciousness are congruently aligned in the new timeline architecture, as well as the new energy foundation moving forward. This planet is undergoing a continual momentous change, with some pinnacle energies during the Ascension Cycle. As we continually undergo micro-adjustments in just about every area of our inner person and lifestyle, we are witnessing more of the patterns and phenomena of our past cellular memories surfacing. These memories are both ancient and recently personal, they are stemming both from our multiple self-experiences (the many human incarnation experiences of the same patterns) and that which has defined us to accept the belief that we are a part of the human race, having an experience on the planet Earth. As a species we have many concepts or archetypes we believe to be true that define our human identity. These are being challenged deeply now. All of these patterns are being refined during this time to give us the opportunity to see what we need to change or heal inside ourselves. This is a time where we must learn to create our new reality from an entirely new palette of color, an entirely new way of thinking and being in this world.”

~Lisa Renee

Radical Forgiveness in Breathwork (Clearing Rackets)

We are continuing to be repositioned and shifted so that our energy bodies and our consciousness are congruently aligned in the new timeline architecture, as well as the new energy foundation moving forward. This planet is undergoing a continual momentous change, with some pinnacle energies during the Ascension Cycle. As we continually undergo micro-adjustments in just about every area of our inner person and lifestyle, we are witnessing more of the patterns and phenomena of our past cellular memories surfacing. These memories are both ancient and recently personal, they are stemming both from our multiple self-experiences (the many human incarnation experiences of the same patterns) and that which has defined us to accept the belief that we are a part of the human race, having an experience on the planet Earth. As a species we have many concepts or archetypes we believe to be true that define our human identity. These are being challenged deeply now.

All of these patterns are being refined during this time to give us the opportunity to see what we need to change or heal inside ourselves. This is a time where we must learn to create our new reality from an entirely new palette of color, an entirely new way of thinking and being in this world.

As you pay attention to these old patterns you may begin to see them as repeated patterns of memory embeds that influence your thoughts and feelings. Their unresolved distortions deeply impact our mental, emotional and social aspects at so many different levels, which can potentially create dysfunction and imbalance.

These mental and emotional imbalances within, simultaneously create deep energetic imbalances and blockages within our energy body and aura. The mental games and control programs that are run by our unconscious self, those larger behavior patterns that are set by and accepted by mass society are coming into blaring review at this time. We have to see who and what is running a “racket” into the mental body and our unconscious mind, and allowing its fear to be programmed into our emotional body.

A racket is a corrupt mental program running in our conscious or unconscious self that justifies itself into being, in order to protect the psyche from its deepest and darkest fears.

It is very tricky and manipulative. However we are able to clearly see these rackets running as the new energy foundation will not tolerate nor support them. Running rackets is the antithesis to embodying personal integrity, and in order to be congruent with the core essence and the nature of our true self, we have to be fully disposed of these rackets.

This is a time of reality check so that we can see what damage has been done and take stock of what we have left to process, so we can live by and speak in the deepest truth and integrity that we are capable. Blind spots in our awareness or the perception we hold of others that keep us in denial or living inside the deceptive psychological defense programs (or these mental rackets) cannot continue. We are being moved to shed layers of drama, trauma and defense mechanisms that we have operated with, as a part of being human. As the first part of the Ascension Wayshower’s we are doing this clearing in depth now. It may show up as a part of healing the larger macrocosm or healing something in your personal life, however its mechanisms are the same. 

All of humanity is subject to running these mental racket programs. This process can be painful as it requires you give it all up at the altar, nothing is held back, nothing is sugar coated, nothing is veiled from your ability to see or live by the truth as you know it. All we need to do is drop any resistance and let the circumstance self correct as we participate by witnessing the pattern, as it is being shifted or completely dissolved. It is also dissolving the membranes that create energetic separation inside of us, so that we can be more whole within and therefore also be more whole in our interaction with others.  This can be intense for us so taking the necessary time out and being gentle and forgiving in these circumstances, is the practice of being in self mastery or energetic mastery.

The aggression of the controller’s agenda will reach a new level of amplification. This amplification will be especially through the Victim-Victimizer software. We may have already been sensing the quality of this chaos and disruption in the external worldscape. We have been heartbroken seeing the many recent events highlighting the violence in the external landscape. These memories are extremely painful when they surface, coupled with the recent events which bring to the surface the extremely dark energy around histories of holocaust, massacres, and blood ritual.

If this has deeply impacted you, taking care of yourself and working your mental healing tools to maintain compassionate yet neutral association with these events is critical, in order to be relieved of suffering. Try to defer pain to understand this may be the larger macrocosm event influencing your body and stay vigilant to keep your mental and emotional body clear. 

Send love, forgiveness and prayers of peace when you can. Apply daily meditation to relax the mind and body. Be aware of the necessity of practicing forgiveness to heal your life, as it is very important to continue to move forward. Many times our physical body and energy bodies will reach intense levels of inner pressure, as this is the merging alignment of the higher light bodies into the physical flesh. This is in order to catalyze the alchemical shift that is required to explode that damaged cellular memory out of the body and clear it from the genetic material. In some rough moments it can feel as if you are being squeezed through cheesecloth.

This is a time for radical forgiveness towards yourself and others. With the following we provide a helpful exercise for those moments when mental rackets or triggers propel a state of negativity or negative looping thoughts. Stay calm and breathe.

WHEN TRIGGERED INTO NEGATIVE OR UNLOVING THOUGHTS TOWARD YOURSELF:

Breath in and slow down your body by applying breath. Take in a deep inhale four counts, hold in four counts, exhale four counts. Do this for up to 4-8 counts until you feel totally out of your mind programs and in your full presence of breath. The Now presence. The goal here is getting you OUT of your mind control program and into your PRESENCE. This can happen when you place your focus on your breath. Your mind has to release and let go. Reprogramming is most effective when done outside of the mind, when you are engaged in the observer mode of your full present consciousness.

Now Invocate:

I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to experience _________________.

(Minimum of 3 sets, then do or work with the breathing exercise again if you feel you have lost now moment presence, for a total set of nine commands for each item chosen).

You choose the item you feel is most pressing for each set of the exercise. You may want to alternate daily or work on one issue you know is pressing consecutively for 21 days, or until you feel emotionally freed from the memory or pattern. You can choose. Some sample suggestions:

  1. Lack of Self Love or Acceptance.
  2. Lack of personal power or fear.
  3. Entities and people sucking my life force.
  4. Self-doubt and worry.


AFFIRM: I AM THE POWER, MASTER AND CAUSE OF MY EMOTIONS!

~via KrystalAegis.com

July 21, 2020

LISA RENEE: “Calling Upon Spiritual Strength With a Loving Heart”

“During this turbulent phase, we must recognize that many of the controlling dark forces are desperate, and that any traumatic experience or fear program they have an opportunity to exploit, they will manipulate those events with the purpose to intentionally corrupt, betray and break the human heart. The means by which they scheme to corrupt the human heart, is by attempting to intimidate and force people to unknowingly walk into traps where their personal consent is being manipulated and their intent usurped. To intentionally confuse by deceiving, gaslighting, and manipulating people to play out betrayal and abandonment fears, that further trigger victim-victimizer archetypes that can be hijacked by dark spiritual attachments. What many of us are being told on the surface by the mainstream media is not accurate or real. Where underneath are the complex deceptions designed to manipulate the masses into making unconscious agreements, to be in consent with a harmful system that is inverted, dead energy or feeding into the anti-human agendas. During this time more than ever, there is critical importance in making the daily effort to preserve our sacred hearts, to remain open by feeling, experiencing and exchanging loving feelings. This means that in all things that we decide for ourselves, in every moment, that we do not ever forget what love and compassion feels like when flowing through our heart. This heart-based quality is a distinctly angelic human quality, it is our sacred crystal heart that defines what it truly means to be a spiritualized and eternal human being.”

~Lisa Renee

 

During this time more than ever, there is critical importance in making the daily effort to preserve our sacred hearts, to remain open by feeling, experiencing and exchanging loving feelings. This means that in all things that we decide for ourselves, in every moment, that we do not ever forget what love and compassion feels like when flowing through our heart. This heart-based quality is a distinctly angelic human quality, it is our sacred crystal heart that defines what it truly means to be a spiritualized and eternal human being. To become aware so that when we face adversity, that we are not disconnecting any part of our body from the forces of love; from giving, receiving and exchanging love, compassion, and empathy for life. We must keep our mind and thoughts focused upon those higher qualities of love and appreciation that we experience in our daily lives, and identify that which we can share to circulate more unconditional love and kindness with other people.

During this turbulent phase, we must recognize that many of the controlling dark forces are desperate, and that any traumatic experience or fear program they have an opportunity to exploit, they will manipulate those events with the purpose to intentionally corrupt, betray and break the human heart. The means by which they scheme to corrupt the human heart, is by attempting to intimidate and force people to unknowingly walk into traps where their personal consent is being manipulated and their intent usurped. To intentionally confuse by deceiving, gaslighting, and manipulating people to play out betrayal and abandonment fears, that further trigger victim-victimizer archetypes that can be hijacked by dark spiritual attachments. What many of us are being told on the surface by the mainstream media is not accurate or real. Where underneath are the complex deceptions designed to manipulate the masses into making unconscious agreements, to be in consent with a harmful system that is inverted, dead energy or feeding into the anti-human agendas.

How we neutralize spiritual betrayal agendas from taking control over our psyche, is to see these agendas clearly playing out in archetypal dramas and to recognize the fear programming when it is operating within a person, group or structure. At the same time, we must study ourselves and commit to eradicating all forms of deceptions or being complicit with others’ deceptions. Developing personal integrity by being authentic and transparent with others, and asking that mutual agreements be put in place to always be nonjudgmental and kind. When we can recognize the negative ego corruption or deception games being reinforced by others, then we can begin to recognize the real agendas that are hidden in the structure. When we can see the fear program running, then the game cannot automatically manipulate our subconscious because we are identifying it and calling it out, and from this perspective we can see its larger purpose is to incite fear and division. Refuse to be an agent of chaos, to incite fear or division, period. This is one of the most important concepts of psychological warfare, and helps us understand why the Guardians put such an emphasis on discerning ignorant darkness, discerning consciousness traps, seeing the dark agendas to divide and conquer. Because once you see the tactic and do not give your power away to it, the dark energy and AI has no power in that situation, and it cannot manipulate you.

Practicing compassion for self and forgiveness of others, working on feelings of empathy for others, are ways of developing heart-based qualities that help us work through powerful and intense emotions. Shine your light into this world and speak the truth as you know it!

 

~via EnergeticSynthesis.com – Shifting Timelines Newsletter – July 2020

January 21, 2017

PAIGE BARTHOLOMEW: “Your 7 Sacred Soul Tasks”

seven-sacred-tasks-2

Does it feel like something is out of balance in your life?  Maybe you’ve done a ton of healing work, you’ve read all the self-help books, you’ve meditated with the best of them, but still something feels off.

 

Having difficulties doesn’t mean that you’re failing at being a spiritual person.
Your life is simply showing you where you’ve still got some work to do.

 

Here’s what you need to know: your seven chakras aren’t just energy centers.  They are sacred containers of knowledge which contain an enormous amount of specific information for your growth.  Each chakra holds within it a soul task which must be mastered.  If any soul task is left incomplete, painful symptoms will show up in your life and your relationships.  These symptoms are signs showing you where you need to do your work.

First Chakra Task: Keep Yourself Safe

If you’re out of balance in this soul task, you might notice that you put others needs before your own — to your detriment.  You may allow situations or relationships into your life that hurt you.  You may rationalize that you deserve the pain.  You might turn on yourself, speak harshly to yourself, you may even hate yourself.  To improve your health in this chakra, make a commitment to observe the ways that you devalue yourself and let others devalue you.  The truth is — no one is more important than you, and you are no more important than anyone else.  Your needs matter as much as anyone else’s.  Stay mindful every day.  A deep purification process like this takes time, so keep at it until you feel more stabilized.

Second Chakra Task: Connect with Others

We can’t make healthy connections with others if we believe everyone else is better, smarter, or that they matter more than we do (see how the health of each chakra has to be solid before we can fully master the next?).  If you’re out of balance in this soul task, you might notice that it feels hard to make and keep friends.  Connection may feel difficult for you.  To improve your health in this chakra, start with a commitment to daily self-inquiry and examination.  Observe your own behaviors and feelings around others.  Take small steps toward interaction with people.  Set goals for joining in with groups.  Remember, your commitment is all you need.  If you are committed, the healing will come.

Third Chakra Task: Set Boundaries

Symptoms of ill-health in the third chakra show up as either a tendency to be “too nice” and let people walk all over you, or to be “the Big Cheese”, believing you are entitled to more than your fair share.  We must learn healthy boundaries.  If you are out of balance in this chakra, you might have a hard time saying no.  You may grieve a lot about other people’s pain.  You may worry about how someone will feel if you set down boundaries.  Or — you may feel an impulse to run over people to get your needs met.  To improve your health in this chakra, first commit to observing your patterns and discover the reasons for them.  Then make a solid commitment to boundary setting.  Learn to say “Yes” and “No” at appropriate times, both to others and to YOURSELF.  You must learn to say NO to toxic people, places and situations, and say YES to beautiful, fair, kind ones.  The third chakra soul task balances the ego.

Fourth Chakra Task: Forgive

If you’re out of balance in this soul task, you might notice that you have trouble forgiving yourself or others.  You might be hurt or angry about things that happened a very long time ago.  You might hold grudges.  Forgiveness is the soul task that opens the heart.  If we are unable to forgive, we will be unable to move into fourth density consciousness (4th chakra heart), which is vital if we are to shift into the New Earth.  Forgiveness requires a change of heart.  Forgiveness occurs when we accept that our brother (or our self) is, in truth, innocent, and deserves our compassion.  No matter what you did, no matter what they did, the soul is innocent.  If you’re having trouble discerning whether or not to trust someone who is toxic or dangerous, go back to the third chakra — you have more work to do there.

Fifth Chakra Task: Embody Fearless Truth

Symptoms of ill-health in the fifth chakra show up as a fear of speaking your truth.  You may be afraid of the consequences when you say what you deeply believe.  You may fear hearing what someone else deeply believes.  When this chakra is balanced, you’ll know how to discern Truth from falsehood, because you will have effectively grasped all of the soul tasks from the previous chakras.  Here, the soul is becoming pure.  To heal an imbalanced fifth chakra, practice knowing your Truth.  Practice standing firm in your truth.  And finally, practice speaking your truth while maintaining pristine compassion and respect for others.

Sixth Chakra Task: Become One with the Creation

When the sixth chakra soul task is incomplete, we do not see others as our self — we see them as separate.  It is a very high state of being to actually be able to see others as yourself.  It’s more than just sympathy.  It’s more than just being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.  We are talking about literally seeing your brother as YOU.  Seeing that you are the same being at the core.  The truth is — we are all only ONE being.  Symptoms of ill-health in this chakra show up as subtle projections onto other people: “He is less evolved than I am.”  Symptoms also show up as a sense of separation: “I’m glad it’s them and not me.”  To restore health in the sixth chakra, meditation is necessary.  Become quiet and get to know yourself in stillness.  Practice seeing your neighbor as yourself.  Practice seeing a tree as yourself.  Feel it as though it were REAL.

Seventh Chakra Task: Become One with the Creator

Becoming one with the Creator is such a high state that humans are not capable of maintaining it for long periods of time.  Like the story in the bible when God revealed Himself to the mountain and it crumbled to dust, we dissolve back into All-ness when we reach this eternal station.  We slip into states of Divine knowingness, drink from it, and then we slip back out.  It’s that way by design.  Each time we slip in, the experience changes us so profoundly, we are never the same human being again.  Our soul task in this chakra is not a matter of reaching perfection, because we never will.  This chakra is infinite.  Our task here is to open to the mystery of the absolute as often as possible, and to surrender our small self to its Intelligence.  Practice by meditating on loving your Creator.  Meditate on opening your entire being and offering it to the service of your Creator.  Ask for help from your Creator, for your human self cannot know how to explore the realms of the Most High without help from the Most High.

 

Have fun in your travels, for in truth,
Growing through these soul tasks is the entire reason you’re here.

 

 

 

~via In5D.com

August 25, 2016

DR. KELLY NEFF: “8 Ways To Stop Over-Thinking And Find Peace In The Present Moment”

Overthinking (3)

We all do our best to stay positive, but occasionally we can slip into negative thinking patterns that can wreak havoc on our lives. We might worry about our past mistakes or current stresses, and how these could lead to negative outcomes in the future. We might obsess about or over-analyze regular experiences and interactions, reading into them things that aren’t actually there. We might find that as soon as one bad thing happens, we associate it with all the other bad things that have happened in our lives and begin to feel miserable. We might feel anxious in the present, having a hard time getting out of our own heads as we worry and obsess about the things that could go wrong.

If you find yourself in this place frequently, you are what psychologists call a ruminator, or, an over-thinker, and this way of thinking can be harmful to your health. Psychologists have found that over-thinking can be detrimental to human performance, and can lead to anxiety and depression, especially in women, who are much more likely than men to ruminate on stress and disappointments than men.

As a psychologist and recovering over-thinker myself, I have a lot of compassion for people who end up in these spiraling negative thought patterns. Many over-thinkers are lovely, intelligent, nurturing people who value relationships and care deeply for the people in their lives. Unfortunately, they often push away the very people that they are worrying about or seeking support and reassurance from, because they can become obsessive, anxious, depressed, negative and difficult to be around. This is not a switch in the brain that can be easily flipped off, but rather, a pattern from which it requires dedication and work to recover. Based on research in psychology and my personal experiences, here is my advice for how to stop over-thinking and find peace in the present moment:

1) Accept that You Have a Problem with Over-Thinking.

The first step to healing is acknowledging that you have a problem. If you feel like you can’t get out of your own head and over-thinking is stopping you from living a happy life, making decisions, getting things done, or forming meaningful relationships, then you have a problem. If you find yourself spiraling into negativity and depression when a bad thing happens, you have a problem. If your anxiety about the future is stopping you from enjoying the present, you have a problem. Burying your head in the sand or denying this reality will only make the situation worse. If you are not sure if you have a problem, ask your friends and loved ones to be honest with you, because they are usually the ones who will see it even if you cannot.

2) Forgive Yourself: Our Brains are Hardwired This Way

Once you can admit that you are an over-thinker, forgive yourself, because the brain is actually wired to make over-thinking a natural tendency. According to Psychologist Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, the leading expert in this field, “the organization of our brains sets us up for over-thinking” because our thoughts and memories are intrinsically woven together, not compartmentalized. So when stressors are triggered or you get into a bad mood, it can unlock a ‘cascade’ of racing negative thoughts that have nothing to do with the original trigger for the bad mood. Nolen-Hoeksema gives the example of “when poor job performance causes you to think about your aunt who died last year.”

Furthermore, when something bad happens or someone is feeling negative, they are more likely to think negative things and also see connections (that may not actually exist) between all the bad events that have happened in their lives. The more frequently this happens, the more likely the individual is to engage in this over-thinking pattern in the future.

While the brain might be wired to make these associations, once you become aware you can begin to solve the problem.

3) Breathe More

If our brains are wired in this ‘interconnected spider web’ where one bad event can trigger a tidal wave of negative thought associations, how can we break this pattern?

The first and easiest thing you can do is BREATHE. Breathing will relax you, calm you, connect you to the present moment, and ground you to Mother Earth. It sounds so simple but often when our mind starts to race to bad places, we become manic and frantic when what we need to do is relax the body and mind.

The breathing technique that works for me involves lying down and taking a two-second long deep inhalation in through the nose, followed by a four-second long exhalation out through the mouth. This breathing pattern increases the CO2 in the bloodstream, which can relax the body and calm the adrenal system’s response to the obsessive thoughts. Do this for 10 minutes or until the excessive thinking slows down.

4) Talk Less

So many over-thinkers, especially those of us of the female persuasion, can’t help but want to ‘talk it out’ when we are feeling stressed and worried. While talking about the worries can sometimes help, it usually will make things worse, especially if the person you are talking to is also an over-thinker, and you spend the entire time over-analyzing and dissecting every detail of every negative problem in your lives. You might end up working yourself up into a frenzy of negativity and feeling even more upset after the conversation.

This type of co-rumination, where two ruminators get together to over-think about their lives together, can lead both people deeper into negativity and stress. For example, research has uncovered an association between co-rumination amongst female friends and increases in the stress hormone cortisol.

If you really feel the need to express your issues, you can always write them down, to clear them out of your mind and realize that your concerns might sound silly when you read them back to yourself. This type of free-association journaling has been incredibly beneficial for me.

5) Get Physical and Get Busy

What should you do instead of talking? Well, you already know to breathe to calm the body and mind, but sometimes you just want to let the energy out! In this case it can be incredibly beneficial to do something physical, whether it is going for a brisk walk, playing with a pet or children, doing yoga, playing sports, swimming, or running. Activities that are both mentally and physically engrossing are the best, because they require enough absorption to pull you out of obsessive thinking patterns and into a state of flow.

In addition to physical exercises, engrossing activities that stimulate the brain can also be effective for redirecting obsessive thought patterns. Playing cards, learning a language, or playing all different types of games can be great diversions or interrupters of these thoughts. Or you could always learn a new hobby, make art, draw, paint or take up crafting, such as making jewelry, clothes, dream catchers, hair extensions, really anything, You might actually discover a hidden talent you never knew you had, or be able to start a new career or meet new people as a result.

6) Practice Mindfulness

One of the big things that over-thinkers struggle with is the ability to live in the present moment. So consumed by the failures of the past and the worries over the future, the present moment does not get the attention and love it deserves. Lao Tzu said that “if you are depressed you are living in the past, if you are anxious you are living in the future, and if you are at peace you are living in the present.” So how can we live in peace in the present moment?

Well, we have already discussed some of the strategies that can help you quiet the mind and ground yourself to present moment, including breathing, talking less, getting physical and doing other activities that help redirect attention and bring the mind into flow. But one of the best things you can possibly do is practice mindfulness, a form of meditation where you focus on the present moment without judgment. As the obsessive, worrying thoughts come in, you acknowledge them, and then let them go, energetically releasing them and clearing your space. I strongly recommend learning mindful meditation techniques such as Transcendental Meditation, or if you are having trouble doing it yourself, seeking counseling from someone who practices Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

7)   Surrender to the Universe

When we worry, we are essentially hoping to control the flow of life because we are attached to the outcome of a situation. We want things to happen a certain way, and we are terrified that things could go wrong or that bad things could happen. In reality, we have little to no control over the unfolding of events in life, at least not from the conscious standpoint that our worrying will directly impact the outcome in the way we want. So, we can worry and obsess, or we can accept all that IS and let go of our attachment to the outcomes. The universe is way older and wiser than us, and instead of obsessively worrying, we can let go of control and with love and trust, surrender to the universe.

Surrender does not mean giving up; It just means you are willing to go with the flow of the current, instead of trying to swim against it and getting repeatedly bashed into the rocks. Surrender is a form of release and a form of peace, because it means you are willing to trust that everything will work out as it is supposed to: Trust that everything happens in its proper time and place and you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Even the concept of worrying about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ outcomes is flawed from this perspective and nothing more than a symptom of duality, which is only an illusion. As you zoom out to the grand scheme of the universe, there is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – it is all ONE, two sides of the same coin.

8)   Remember, Your Thoughts Create Your Reality

Even though I just said that ‘we have no control over the unfolding of events in life,’ and this is true at least from the part of the conscious mind and its ability to dictate events, our thoughts do energetically shape and create our reality over time. Like attracts like, and so the more you worry about something, the more you will begin to attract exactly the energy you are worried about! If you still haven’t seen the wonderful online series Spirit Science, I strongly recommend you view Episode 1, which does an excellent job explaining how our thoughts create our reality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmN2RL4VJsE

 

We must be mindful of our thoughts because our thoughts have power, more than we realize. If you obsessively fear losing your job, you are actually INCREASING the likelihood of getting fired, not decreasing it. Same if you are worrying about contracting a life-threatening disease or medical condition: The more energy you send in that direction, the more likely you are to unknowingly give permission to your body to manifest this condition.

Your thoughts and feelings will energetically create your life, which is why my life partner, sound healer Jimmy Ohm always says, “Worrying is a misuse of creative energy.” Do you want to create a happy life, living at peace in the moment? If so, you have all of the tools to make this a reality by being mindful and present in your thoughts. You also have all of the tools to create a life of worry and negativity, if you continue to over-think and obsess about negative events. The choice is yours and I lovingly hope that you choose wisely. Blessings and Love!

Authors Note: Do you agree? Are you an over-thinker or recovering over-thinker? Have these tips worked for you? What other suggestions can you make to break this cycle? I would love to hear from you on Facebook!

About the author:
Dr. Kelly Neff is a renowned psychologist, author, founder of The Lucid Planet and the host of the hit new show, Lucid Planet Radio. She has reached millions of people with her articles on psychology, transformation, and wellness, which have been featured on websites like The Mind Unleashed, Mind Body Green, My Tiny Secrets, and now, The Lucid Planet. Before she became a full-time author, Dr. Neff spent seven years as a psychology professor where she helped thousands of students learn about health, relationships, love and sexuality, and co-authored the groundbreaking manual in her field, Teaching Psychology Online. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Georgetown University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Neff is an avid participant in the visionary art, music and culture scene in her home state of Colorado and beyond. You might find her traveling the globe to give workshops, speeches and do research at transformational festivals. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Light and Love!

~viaBodyMindSoulSpirit.com