What are you making up today?
Halloween is a fun holiday ritual in the United States in which we dress up as our favorite hero or scary monster. We go to houses and ring the bell or knock on the door and say - "Trick or Treat!" We might even seek out scary experiences and haunted houses - where monsters jump out and yell, "Boo!" and reach out to grab us.
Anyone involved in their own path of personal growth may when reflecting on this ritual with their sense of humor well-tuned, realize how it mirrors some of our own daily experiences. We might also sense that this ritual may be a wonderful way to add a playful quality to working with our fears.
Stop and ask yourself - "What am I fearing now? What am I trying to get away from? What am I attaching to, worrying about and spending my energy on right now? Then look around at what is right in front of you - the reality that is right here now - are any of those things in front of you or around you right now?
Gently ask yourself how you in this moment are any different than a little child playing house or reading a scary story. If your answer is, "Well, these things I'm worried about are REAL..." then take a moment and deeply reflect on the truth of that statement.
Develop a new habit.
Recognize you are feeling stressed.
Create or freeze the person or situation in your mind -
add details or walk around the image
to show yourself how you are making it up -
and then let it leave.
Return your attention to the circumstances around you right now.
Practice
This month we'll work at looking directly at the "scary" things in our own lives. Focus on any worry, stress or anger your mind is telling you is very real.
- Make a picture of it in your mind - the person, cause or result of the worry. Make it as big and scary and intense as you can. Come on - you're believing that this is true...let your mind do it's worst. Picture that monster clearly.
- Now, walk around this result, picture, person, situation in your mind. What do you notice? Are you scared? Is it trying to control you? Do you want to get away from it? Do you want to attack it and drive it away?
- Begin adding details. Give it a high squeaky cartoon voice and let it start talking to you. Add some really great green ooze that begins to create amazing smelling strawberry bubbles. Maybe it begins to tell you all it's problems. Add some props, some extra clothes. Allow the movie of the event to continue and give it a different ending than you usually allow.
- When you are able to look at it with a sense of humor or in cases that you can't find humor - some compassion - then simply allow it to begin to disappear or shamble away. Wave and allow it to leave.
- If this isn't working then simply stand there with it - walk around it and notice. Notice the moment when you begin to get bored. Notice when you're able to not really have much of any feeling about this creation in your mind. Then simply let it disappear. Let it leave.
Be sure to work with yourself as one of the characters. Be sure to get all the scary details - someone who no one loves, no money, no control, a victim to all the world. Then spend some time with it - is it familiar? When you don't really feel much at all about this "character" you've created out of yourself - simply imagine it walking into the distance. Thank it and allow it to leave.
And when these characters reappear - popping out to say "Boo!" - simply notice what you're making up, add detail or allow them to freeze, walk around them in your mind and when you are not reacting to them any more - let them leave.
Live Session
Place the ICAP™ Release Meter on your head and once you have chosen your user button - choose the Live Session (No Audio). Press the Play button to begin the session.
Now, turn on a news program. Read the newspaper. Go over your bills. Think about a relationship that is bothering you. Think about people and situations that frighten you. Practice the exercise above. Watch your reactive mind appear. And as your score goes up - simply pay attention to what you are making up, how your mind believes it is trying to control you or scare you - and allow it to leave.
Continue your practice and continue staying aware of what is happening - learn what makes you responsive and keep practicing with it.
Be grateful to that circumstance, person or situation - it's teaching you something invaluable. You are seeing the things you make up that keep you from the reality all around you.
Gradually, you will learn to recognize your body responses and your habits of attaching in certain situations. You will begin to learn to decide to remain present - calm and in an awake alert state for information you may need in the moment rather than simply allowing the reactive mind to take over.
Do you have a story to share with us about what happened when you recognized your make believe world this month? We’d love to hear about it. |
