I’m chasing happiness. Or, rather, peace.
This has brought me to a spiritual path, as well as a self-development path.
In spiritual circles, it is becoming more apparent the some of the messaging was creating the phenomena of ‘spiritual bypass’. So people weren’t dealing with their emotions or blocks, but focusing on ‘good’ thoughts and pushing everything else down.
A lot of self-development can also cause the same issue. To focus on goals, being positive, ‘showing up’ as the person you want to be externally, and all the while ignoring your truth.
Instead, I’m now embracing chasing blocks to remove them, and hunting down what causes me fear. Behind most ‘negative’ thoughts and feelings, is fear.
I have operated from fear for a lot of my life, and made a lot of decisions from a place of fear. I think life could be different.
How do you hunt fear and release it?
Well, don’t push your ‘negative’ thoughts and feelings down. Sit in them. Acknowledge them. If you need, give the feeling a name: “I’m feeling ___”.
Then explore it. Observe it. What is its source?
For example, if I’m frustrated at work, I ask why I’m feeling that first. Is it because I’m interrupted? Is it because I can’t get into flow? Is it because I’ve set my own tasks and can’t get those done because other things have arisen? Is it because I don’t feel like I’m listened to?
Then, once I’ve worked out the source, I ask why again. What’s under neath the story or assumption I’ve told myself that has caused this feeling?
Often it’s fear. Fear that I’m alone. Fear that there will be a mistake made. Fear that everything will fail. Fear that everything is meaningless. Fear that I’m not being judged. So much fear.
Then release the fear.
Acknowledge the fear, then touch your heart and think of things that make you grateful.
After doing that for a couple of moments, then look at the fear and emotion again, and see if they’ve decreased. Repeat this until the fear is pretty much gone.
Try to do this a couple of times per day. Chase that fear away.
Some of the benefits are that it’s re-wiring your brain, reducing your stress hormones, and making you a more mindful emotionally intelligence person.