Do you exercise your choice to respond with fear or love when you are faced with a difficult situation? Do you know you even have a choice? We all do. Believe it or not, you have the power to walk through the door of love in every situation you encounter.
Here is a story that will help you recognize the power within yourself. I have also included a mental exercise to help you to choose love over fear.
The Dreaded Relapse
The trees in her back yard were beginning to blossom, and the air had a spring sweetness about it that morning. Gazing at the beauty around her, she answered the phone and then froze.This news was awful! Her mind flew immediately into a panic! NO! She couldn’t imagine that nightmare starting all over again. Sleepless nights still haunted her.
If you have a loved one with an addiction, this might sound like something you have experienced before – the feared relapse.
Susan’s son had been a heroin addict for many years. At this point, he had been clean for almost four years, had a good job, and was a happy family man. Susan and his siblings thought that all was well. All of this came crashing down when she picked up the phone.
“Mom,” her son said hesitantly, “I hurt my back, and a doctor gave me some pain meds. Then I bought some on the street, and I’ve tried to stop on my own but I can’t. I need to go into detox. I have a nurse on the line here; she needs to talk to you…” Susan didn’t hear much after that.
When she hung up, she gazed again at the flowering trees and began to process what had happened. She wondered what it meant for her son’s future and what it might mean for her.
As she closed her eyes, she saw clearly in her mind’s eye, two doorways, opposite each other. One door was labeled FEAR, and the other door read LOVE. Fear called her name; it was her first response, it enticed her. Was she strong enough to resist its compelling tug? Could she turn her back to it and walk towards the door of love?
Your choice: Positive or Negative
COVID-19 and disputed elections create fear in our society. How do you respond? Do you feel that emotional pull towards the path of fear? Do you wonder why it is hard to turn your back on fear and look the other way?
Susan knew what a response grounded in fear looked like because she had been there before. Her fearful response would be something like, “Holy Hell! Why did you start again? You must be crazy! Are you ready to throw everything away that you’ve worked so hard to achieve? End up in the streets again?! Or worse, DEAD!” Her fearful heart projected slimy green worms that penetrated their future happiness, eating away at peace, leaving nothing but their mucus trails of sadness behind.
For some reason, the day she took that dreaded call, Susan was blessed with knowing that she had a choice. She did not entertain her fearful thoughts. Instead, she turned away and walked through the door of love.
She allowed her heart to guide her when she spoke to her son. “Thank God you were strong enough to take this brave step and get the help you need. It must have been living hell, faced with the defeat of submission to drugs and fearing the pain of withdrawal. How hard it must have been to hide your relapse, trying to act normal at home and work. I’m glad you have taken this step towards your healing,” Susan said. With these words, her loving heart beamed light into their future, loving hugs, family meals, health, and laughter.
Fortunately, Susan’s son recovered quickly and is now sober, healthy, and enjoying his life. Did her luminescent love influence his healing?
Do you remember an event in your life that spurred two entirely different responses from you? Did you vacillate or pick one? Do you think that your response may have affected the outcome?
Wayne Dwyer famously says, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Do you believe that? Have you found it true in your life?
A Mindful Exercise to Overcome Fear
Fear wants to perpetuate itself, so it takes an extra effort on our part to avoid falling into its evil lair. Here is an exercise that you can utilize to free yourself from its grasp.
When feeling fearful, remind yourself that your heart-brain, or your consciousness, generates thoughts that have an electromagnetic reality to them. According to the Heart Math Institute, the magnetic field produced by the heart is more than 100 times greater in strength than the field generated by the brain, so deep feelings of love are essential in these exercises.
Try this meditation to conquer thoughts of fear. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and visualize your fearful thoughts as tiny green worms moving into space. Relax as you watch them. They are objects outside of you, and they are harmless.
Now, in your mind’s eye, sprinkle the green worms with salt. Watch as they slowly dissolve and disappear.
Now take three deep breaths, exhaling slowly, and visualize pulsations of luminescent love, like clouds of light, radiating from your body. Let this love and light fill your body and the space around you. Feel the bliss of the present moment. Watch the light penetrate your future with this deep love.
Let Your Heart Guide Your Thoughts in All Areas of Life
The United States is going through political and social upheavals that also creates fear. Will we lose our democracy? Will anarchists rule the country? We can participate in the anxiety these thoughts create, or we can, like Susan, change the way we think about this situation.
Thoughts of love give us faith that our country is on a path of courageous change. This change brings temporary chaos, but just like the caterpillar is not afraid of losing its shape to become the butterfly, we do not need to be fearful as we witness our country’s transformation. The wisdom of your heart knows that everything is working out for the best.
Let your Heart Self be your guide to help you determine what YOUR thoughts will be. Your Heart Self speaks the language of love. Listen.
Participate in the Conversation
Do you find Wayne Dwyer’s teachings about the way you look at things to be true? If you have thoughts about this topic or a personal story you would like to share, consider engaging in conversation with the Heart Self Speaks Collective.
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