How to Give Resistance and Fear a Big Hug
The things we fear and resist are often the most important things for us to do. So how to we move beyond the fear and resistance? And what happens when we don’t?
“The more important an activity is to your soul’s evolution, the more resistance you will feel to it. The more fear you will feel.” –Steven Pressfield
Yes, Steven is soooo right!! I’m on day one of a two to four day modified fast (no food, just homemade bone broth)... and RESISTANCE and FEAR are exactly what I’ve felt leading up to this, and throughout this first day.
Yet I know this is not only what my body needs right now, but also my mind, my heart, and my spirit.
I’ve been intuitively guided to take this step on a path to gut health, and this next step on my soul’s path to freedom and bliss. Our body is our vehicle to that, so I'm taking sweet sweet care 😊
Last night I had “nightmares” that I accidentally ate something and had to start all over. And I’ve been experiencing fear come up through me all day. And I could quit.
OR… I could lean in. I could look deeper. There’s more there.
In fact when I did look deeper, simple by pausing and going within, I saw old fears that were more ready than ever to be released. So I allowed them to be there, and saw them with love, in order to embrace and release them.
We can learn and grow through any experience, and most definitely any time we take a step in the direction of our soul's evolution.
So why am I telling you this? Because it doesn’t matter what that step is - maybe for you it’s deciding to hire a coach, or deciding to quit smoking, or deciding to write your book…..
Whatever it is, if it is the next step is important to your soul’s evolution, you WILL feel resistance, and you WILL feel fear.
Throughout this week, I noticed a resistance come up because of what I thought I might feel. Unconsciously, there was a fear that it would be difficult or uncomfortable.
And when I looked even deeper, I knew that letting go of having meal times throughout the day meant I didn’t have that distraction or release… Which meant that I had to show up even more for what I know I’m meant to be doing - the exact areas where we experience resistance. It reminded me of what I used to experience as a constant:
Before learning how to simply feel my emotions, and EMBRACE them, I struggled so much with feeling anything less than happy or content. I avoided discomfort, and tried everything possible to not feel anxiety, sadness, shame, or guilt.
What this led to was living life in a bubble, feeling as though if I could control things around me, I would be “protected” and have a better chance of feeling good.
But all that really happened was my life continued to get smaller and smaller, and I felt more and more trapped, and full of the exact emotions I was trying to avoid.
It wasn’t until I began leaning in to this discomfort, and embracing these emotions - allowing them to happen! Allowing them to flow through me! Letting myself feel things I did not love feeling! - that I finally began to set myself free.
And as a cherry on top, over time, I began experiencing more of those emotions that I had wanted so bad, but had chased away in all the grasping and trying so hard to get rid of the “bad” and make the “good” ones come and stay.
So jumping in to this fast has been a great reminder of why it’s so important to lean in, to allow the emotions, and the discomfort, and to slow down the thoughts and stories in our minds enough to see what’s there.
Feel that fear and resistance, and know that it is a compass pointing you in exactly the direction you need to go. Give those fears a big hug, simple by taking the time to go within, see what's there, and let yourself be uncomfortable.
I invite you to ask yourself this:
What is that thing you fear doing most right now?
What are you resisting?
What activities in your life are you using as a distraction from your soul’s calling?
How long are you willing to wait before you lean in to the discomfort so you can set yourself free?
And let me know in the comments below, so I can cheer you on in EMBRACING that fear and resistance so that you can be free 😊🙌
I know you've got this, and I'm cheers'ing a glass of broth over here to you 😄🍻😆
Can't wait to hear from you!