Releasing Resistance: Embracing Life
What we resist persists. – Carl Jung.
Resistance by definition is the refusal to accept or comply with something. On a day-to-day basis we meet resistance in some aspect in our lives and most of the time we don’t really know how to deal with what we don’t want to accept or what we want (or not want) to change. Why is that?
Well, change is difficult and sometimes the things we should or want to change will make us get out of our comfort zones, and who doesn’t like being comfortable? Yeah, I get you, but ultimately change is good and it’s pretty much inevitable.
That’s where we meet a conundrum, if change is inevitable, what good is it for us to resist? To hold on to things that we no longer need, to feelings that serve us no good, to memories that bring forth negative emotions, to people who bring us down? Come to think of it…it makes no sense.
Even the attitude with which we take on our day, our mindset, can be part of a subconscious resistance towards something in your life that causes you emotional pain or discomfort to deal with.
The negative thoughts and bad decisions that we make while resisting can cause a vicious circle of negativity around you, making everything seem a lot more difficult, challenging and just plain awful.
So how to we stop resistance? The first and hardest thing is to acknowledge it. Find out what you are opposing. Resistance can look like procrastination, starting things and not finishing them, difficulty making decisions, feeling emotionally detached, feeling anxious about new things, repressing memories, not dealing with feelings, etc.
Once you can pinpoint what causes your resistance, simply let go.
In the books “The Law of Attraction” and “The Secret” both agree that by releasing attachment to what was or what you hope will be and embracing whatever is in your life now, you will not only no longer suffer, you will be more open to and attract positive events and people to you (A.L. Starfire, 2013).
Deepak Chopra’s fourth law, the Law of Least Effort, outlined in his classic book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success mentions:
This law is based on the fact that nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease and abandoned carefreeness. This is the principle of least action, of no resistance. (p 53.)
It all comes down to simplifying your life, sorting out your feelings and finding the most efficient way to handle your problems. Deal with what you can fix, and what you cannot fix, let it go. You must also keep in mind that you can be entirely in control of your mind and of your own reality by taking control of the kind of thoughts you harvest. Negative feelings are normal, but the way you think and handle them is what will project onto your life.
You see, resistance is something sort of unnatural really. Your inner guidance for life is easliy influenced by external factors nowadays. You ignore your intuition and begin to trust things you have absorbed by your surroundings like your upbringing, your culture, mass media, peer pressure and other influences. You take a job that makes you miserable. You remain in an unsatisfying relationship out of fear of being alone. You stop taking care of your health. You stress over vapid and superficial things. No wonder your mind creates a resistance to life! It’s misguided and in a wrong vision, but hey, it happens to the best of us.
Sometimes you just have to mindfully go with the flow of life and stop taking decisions based on fear or lack of trust. You need to use your intuition and personal will to forge your reality and embrace it!
Here are 10 ways to point you in the resistance free direction:
1. Say yes to life: If you can’t change something at this present moment in your life, stop wasting energy pushing it away. Say yes to it instead of complaining. Deal with it bro.
2. Pay attention to your health: Your body has needs. Eat right, exercise, sleep, etc. I’m not saying you have to look like a supermodel, or like Channing Tatum. Love your body as it is and keep it healthy. It’s basically your life motor.
3. Stay in the present moment: You can’t change the past and the future will forever be uncertain. Stop wasting life energy on worrying or regretting. Do good now and good will come.
4. Keep a list of positive actions you can take to change your situation: A list of possible jobs you really want, books you want to read, people you want to call, healthy foods you want to buy, where you can learn more stuff or get training, places where you can follow through with your interests, etc. Just take action!
5. Spend time with more positive people: A lot like a black cloud, negative people can make your life gloomy. You don’t need to be surrounded by people who have nothing good nor constructive to say, nor treat you the way you prefer to be treated.
6. Shift your emotional focus: Anytime you’re in a funk (because you will be, we’re only human) remember to accept those feelings, they will pass. Try to remember happy experiences, do something distracting, but don’t marinate over negative stuff.
7. Meditate: For whatever reasons, meditation is a very handy tool for stress relief and health. Giving yourself some time to be quiet on the inside will put your busy outer world into focus. It’s all about emotional balance.
8. Practice forgiveness: Don’t hold resentments. We all screw up at one point or another in our lives. Forgive others, forgive yourself. Let go and move on!
9. Say affirmations: Remind yourself of positive truths with things like, “I am awesome”, “I love my life”, “My job is not so bad after all”, “Humans really aren’t that bad”, you know…whatever works for you!
10. Practice Gratitude: Be thankful for what you have. Gratitude keeps you in the present and gives you enough perspective to put you in a positive mood. There really is so much to be grateful for!
Accept your self and embrace all that is good about life right now, including yourself!
