Have you ever had a thought that weighed so heavy, you replayed it over and over like a movie reel? This post is all about how to recognize when you are being taken away from the present moment, what to do about it, and how to move on - it's a reminder just how freeing releasing negative thoughts can be.
"Beautiful things can happen when you distance yourself from the negative." ~ Anonymous
As a yoga instructor I am often guiding yogis how to release their overactive monkey mind and bring their attention and awareness back to the present moment. I learned while taking a Yin Yoga training course with Josh Summers that letting go of control is the key. Often times we try to work a thought out of the mind with the use of force, but it seems the more we concentrate on letting it go, the more that the thought pops right back, even stronger.
These thoughts could be as simple as a to-do list or as deep as a recent conversation you had with someone that left you overwhelmed and hopeless. Our thoughts can be our greatest source of growth, but they can also hinder our ability to stay in the present moment, to heal, and to live without worries, fears, expectations, etc.
It's funny how those that offer wisdom are usually the ones that tend to need reminding. I'm calling myself out here as I was actually reminded of letting go of negative thoughts from my UMAC craniosacral and acupuncture therapist.
As you may know, I am currently trying to heal from a TMS-induced brain injury, so my brain power should be entirely focused on healing. Now, I now that life still goes on and things are happening daily that require my attention, focus, and help, so I have not always been the best at making my healing a number one priority. But, my latest acupuncture therapy session proved that all the turmoil that had built up just two days prior had set my healing back tremendously.
Before we began our session, I could tell that my energy was overwhelming the room and try as I might to bring the focus to the present and calm my heart, I could not. As the needles were placed in my feet, knees, and hands, I could feel the energy rushing over me like a wave being sucked back into the ocean. As I lay on the massage table, I could feel the intense unraveling, twisting, and turning of my brain as my UMAC therapist worked on my head. But just as I suspected, he traveled down to my heart chakra and placed one hand on my back and one hand over my heart and there was almost a battle being played out as he followed my fascia. He pushed and pulled and twisted as the emotion was being released - it was almost like the movie reel that was in my head was being played out in my body.
After the session, I took a moment to slowly lift myself up into a seated position and I instantly felt dizzy. My therapist looked in my direction and told me what he had felt. My brain was hotter than last time, almost on fire from the inflammation. But what he noted most, was the inspiration for this blog post. He told me that my heart was heavy and there was A LOT of sadness and emotion locked in my heart chakra. Without getting in the weeds, I told him that we had some family drama.
With a slight shrug, he told me that I have experienced brain trauma and healing needed to be my number one focus, period. He said to let it go, get it out of my head, and get back to focus on healing. It was the wake-up call that I needed.
“The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than them.” ~ Chinese Proverb
So, here is a trick that my therapist shared with me to get rid of those pesky thoughts until you are ready and have the bandwidth to focus on them.
One Trick to Being Free and Releasing Negative Thoughts
Write them down. Take all the time that you need to sit down with a pen and paper to write down any and every thought that replays in your head, keeps you up at night, and/or pulls you away from the present moment. There is no rule for what thought you write down - they can be big or small.
Don't reread it. This is not a college term paper - no editing. Let your mind freely flow and your hand follow. Don't overthink. And, don't reread the pages. One sure fire way to keep the loop going is to write down the thoughts you are thinking and the precede to read your thoughts - we don't want this! So, put your thoughts down on paper as if you are Dumbledore pulling memories in great detail from your mind to place and store in a pensieve.
Burn the pages (safely). Now, you don't have to follow this step, but I would encourage you to destroy the pages in some way. You can rip, cut, shred, or even soak the pages until the words are illegible. This step is crucial. You are physically watching the words disappear as if from your mind, and you are releasing the negative thoughts, emotions, and pesky to-dos into the Universe to take care for you.
Let go. However you actively destroyed the thoughts, now is the time to truly let them go and let the universe hold onto them in whatever manner serves your present moment. Trust that the Universe has your best interest at heart. Trust that you will be free of the thoughts that you wrote and burned.
For me, it was truly cathartic to see all that was left of the pages I wrote was ash. I watched the last of the flame flicker and watched the smoke drift above as if carrying the weight of my words, thoughts, and emotions away. I truly encourage you to try this method of releasing negative thoughts and freeing yourself to focus on the present moment.
As always, please leave a comment on your thoughts and reactions. If you tried this exercise, please let me know how it went for you.
All my light. All my love.
Namaste,
Jordan
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