Where Can Peace Be Found?

I bet you have some thoughts that have been plaguing you, don't you? Thoughts that your brain keeps shoving to the forefront of your mind. Thoughts causing you to worry or to feel guilt or anxiety. 

Or maybe you feel shame because you can't stop thinking about an awkward experience or you feel anger about something someone said.

Whatever uncomfortable emotions you're experiencing, I want you to ask yourself a question…

How would you feel differently if you could no longer have those plaguing thoughts going through your mind? What would your life be like if it was literally impossible for you to think those worrisome, bothersome thoughts ever again?

Let me share with you a helpful, two part exercise that I do almost daily. 

Part 1. Close your eyes and allow all of the worrisome, bothersome thoughts to come into your mind. Imagine each one as a sentence floating past your consciousness. Notice what emotion each thought/sentence makes you feel and name the emotions.

What are you feeling right now? How is your state of mind?

Now, let's switch gears…

Part 2. Close your eyes again and bring your awareness from your mind into your body. Tune into the noises you hear, the air that you feel, the ground beneath your feet, the temperature of the room, or the warmth of your socks. Notice all the information available to your senses. Slowly stretch your arms, your fingers, your toes, and relax them again. Take a deep breath in and then out and in and out again.

Now let's compare the two parts of the exercise. 

My guess is that during Part 2, you weren't able to think the bothersome thoughts in Part 1 because you were focusing on the present. In Part 2 you were focusing on thoughts like…

• “The sun feels so good on my face.”

• “The air feels a bit chilly.”

• “I love how warm my socks are.”

• “My arms are stiff and it feels good to stretch them.”

  or even thoughts as simple as…

• “Breathe in," and “Breathe out.”

My point is that the uncomfortable emotions that are plaguing you, the worries, fears, guilt, shame, etc., aren't coming from an act or circumstance outside of you. They're coming from what sentences you're focusing on. 

This two part exercise also points out that when we're worried, anxious, scared, angry, or experiencing other, not helpful emotions, we're rarely in the present. Our thoughts creating these emotions are often past or future focused. 

Part 1= Things that are no longer or have never been reality.

Part 2= The present reality. 

Part 1= Unnecessary suffering.

Part 2= Where peace is found.

You will inevitably have many thoughts in your day and many will focus on the past and present. When this happens, please remember that your thoughts aren't fact. They're just sentences your brain spits out and you get to choose to believe and focus on them, or not. 

You can tell your brain to shut up, that it's wrong, that it's not being helpful and you can then bring your attention back to the present where you are safe and everything's okay. 

And at this time in history, when so many around the world aren't safe, being okay right here, right now, is an amazing blessing. Close your eyes, and focus on that:).

If you'd like help with managing your mind and making your human experience better, feel free to book a free consult call at the link below. I'll take good care of you.

Xo,

Jody