Ever wonder about what or who influences how we move through the world, whether we risk or don’t, how we communicate, react, respond, or don’t, how we treat others and more importantly, ourselves?
Throughout my lived experience, personally and professionally, I’ve read and heard countless stories of individuals struggling to release the grip of past influences.
People held hostage by internal messages that grew out of demeaning comments, abusive or traumatic acts, and harsh, insensitive encounters that continue to wreak havoc on their minds, bodies, and spirits.
Passionate, creative, thoughtful, endearing people, frozen by damaging messages such as, “You’re not good enough,” “You’ll never make it,” “You can’t do it,” “You’re fat,” “It’s all your fault,” “I wish you’d never been born.”
All too often, I encounter individuals stifled by childhood memories of being pushed, pulled, dragged, threatened, ignored, silenced, oppressed, abandoned, rejected, abused, neglected, harassed, teased, and shamed.
To cope, we develop deeply embedded patterns of reacting, responding, and interacting that play over and over creating the same results, the same outcomes…which most often do not get us what we want or hope for.
We become stuck in the aftermath of influences that do not serve us and yet, we’re unable to release ourselves and move forward.
So, we hang on, as if we are glued to the comfort of what we know, what feels normal, comfortable in our discomfort.
What ever you’ve endured and put up with from others in your life is not about you; it’s about the person that dished it out, especially if you received damaging influences as a child or teenager.
It was not your fault; you did nothing to deserve what you experienced or received.
Even as adults, we might say or do something that’s not particularly loving or kind.
However, we never deserve a response or reaction that further diminishes our already fragile sense of self-worth.
Realize that when others say or do hurtful things, they are hurting and in a difficult place. It’s not about you; it’s about them.
It’s about their own lack of self-worth and self-love.
When we hurt others, it’s a reflection of how little we think about ourselves.
Look at all the violence in the world. Do you think the people that victimize others feel good about themselves? I don’t think so.
We live in an angry, oppressed world.
People walk through the world in very low places. It’s not an excuse for hurting others, but people in low places are not likely to respond in loving, joyful, gratifying, uplifting ways.
[bctt tweet=”How we treat others is a reflection of how we treat ourselves.” username=”simplysagi”]
Releasing the Grip
You must release yourself from the grip of negative influences, inside and out.
Detox your mind, body, and spirit from the messages that you’ve allowed others to create in your mind.
Purge your mind of what does not serve you.
You deserve to be free from influences that stifle you, hold you hostage, and diminish your self-worth.
More importantly, the people in your life deserve your best, whole self, especially your children. Starting now, create new influences, new ways of being.
Starting today, begin creating practices that heal, forgive, transform, and rejuvenate all of you.
Meditation and yoga are my go-to practices for self-love and transformation.
You might think that you can’t meditate, but you can, believe me; it’s often about finding a meditation practice that fits with you.
I recommend guided meditations by Deepak Chopra or Sharon Salzberg’s Loving Kindness meditations. Both have been transformative for me…and I have a very active, chatty, distracted mind.
My yoga practice is my meditation in motion.
On my mat, I can center, connect with my breathing, and go deep inside while moving my body through healing and nurturing sequences and poses. It’s a total mind, body, and spirit practice that over time has been life-changing, inside and out.
Most important is to gravitate toward what nurtures you; do it consistently, every day, as a practice.
Sending you inspiration,
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