Our Thoughts + Emotional Freedom
The day or two after Thanksgiving, we take out all of our Christmas lights and decorations and put them up around the inside and outside of our house. When I see the pretty sparkling lights around our neighbors’ homes, trees and yards, I consider the beauty, and it brings me joy.
Since I recently began a daily routine of meditation, I’ve become much more aware of the thoughts that run around my head and how they create emotions and affect my mood. The first step in managing our thoughts and emotions is being aware of them and listening to them.
When an event triggers sadness or anxiety, I’m aware of what happened to make me feel that way, but sometimes it takes some serious reflection and digging to discover what subconscious thought is keeping me trapped in that emotion.
Our sweet golden retriever had to go to the emergency vet last weekend because of eye swelling and jaw pain. My anxiety was triggered because my first thoughts were: “This is exactly what happened six years ago when she was first diagnosed with her autoimmune condition. I can’t deal with this again. It is too much, I don’t want her to go through this again.”
I noticed that Ken and the girls were not overwhelmed with sadness and fear. They were concerned, extra loving and attentive to Emmy. At the same time they jumped right to hope and faith that the emergency vet and the medicine would be able to help. They seemed to have a knowing and trust that everything was going to be okay.
We can all be experiencing the same situation, but our feelings and emotions can be extremely different based on our thoughts about what happened. I’m working on how I react to circumstances and shifting my thoughts in a new way. I’ve discovered that I have some subconscious thought patterns that need to be rewired.
I’m replacing “I can’t be calm or relax until I figure this out and do everything I can possibly do. I could and should do more.” with the thoughts “I am at peace while I do everything I can to help, I’m praying for clarity to understand what is in and what is out of my control, I’m trusting that I will be given wisdom to do whatever else it may take to make things better.”
When I become aware of negative thought patterns that are on repeat in my mind, I do my best to meditate on new thoughts and pray for the renewing of my mind. This holiday season, when emotions arise, I encourage you to think about what thoughts are creating your feelings.
It is completely normal to feel all sorts of emotions, positive and negative, high vibrational and low vibrational. When you feel joy and gratitude, take time to reflect on what beautiful experience or thought brought on those emotions.
I hope that with the power of your mind and the awareness of your thoughts, you can experience more emotional freedom. I hope you have less fear and more courage, less loneliness and more connection, less worry and more calm, less anger and more compassion, less sadness and more hope.