Ann

Lighten your load

If you are feeling tired and weary, perhaps now would be a good time to lighten your load. There are many burdens you can get rid of that you’ll easily be able to do without.

Start by abandoning all your resentments. Each resentment costs an enormous amount of time and energy, and provides absolutely nothing of value in return.

Next, you can walk away from your anxiety. All the anxiety in the world cannot add a single positive moment to your life.

Pick up the pace by letting go of the need to prove that you’re right. Instead, use the time and energy to more effectively listen and understand.

While you’re at it, go ahead and leave behind your envy, anger, impatience and frustration. After all, what have they ever done for you?

Dropping the burdensome negativity from your life is ridiculously easy once you realize how much it’s all holding you back. Lighten your load, and move quickly to where you truly wish to be.

— Ralph Marston

Ann

Sometimes when I am all wrapped up in something or begin to obsess, I ask myself "What would happen if I just let go?". Sometimes I just take a walk and somehow the urgency becomes less or the answers come as I walk along the shore.

I don't have to carry the luggage or anxiety, worry, resentments, anger, sadness or frustration...it's far nicer to just take my camera and go.

What do you do to lighten the load? How do you let go of something that has chained you down?

All suggestions welcome, just leave your bags at the door and come in for some tea and cheesecake and let's share.

Hugs

Firefall

I spend time working with my service dog on things that are fun for him. His unconditional love is so calming.

biminiblue

I once read this, and it's so helpful to me:

"Don't torture yourself with your own thoughts."

Ann

Firefall, I'm not sure why but it never fails to let me put down my load, when I simply change my attention to something that brings me peace or makes me smile. Your dog must do that for you...pets are very very good at that and my Toby cat was such a comfort and source of entertainment when he lived.

I have a best friend, we grew up together and have been best friends since we were 4 years old. And I know, no matter how silly or crazy my obsession, I can just call her and she will listen and withing minutes have me laughing at myself, my situation...not making it all invalid, just putting it into perspective.

Sometimes there is new baggage waiting for me as I travel the day. A traffic jam or car problem, some annoying bureaucracy, an unexpected change in plans...you know the baggage, it's usually a matched set...frustration, anger and disappointment. What helps me not pick this baggage up is to say to myself or even out loud "If THIS is the worst thing that happens to me today, thank You God!!!"

We don't have to carry old baggage around, it does not serve us well. And we don't need to pick up new baggage, no matter how nicely matched the set.

I suppose what helps me as much as anything is gratitude. Just counting my blessings and embracing the good things in my life, If I am busy embracing the good things, I have no arms left to carry baggage.

More suggestions? What are you doing today to let go? How will you do it?

Ann

Wow, you have read my mind, Bim. How is it that our minds can awfulize so much that hasn't even happened yet or may never happen. We are what we think.

Good one...note to self: *replace the thoughts with positive energy*.

Firefall

Something else I have started to do is run a line through my head that I read in the last month
What we are meant to know will come to our knowledge
Without any action on our part.
~One Day at a Time
It is such a comfort to me to think of this and to believe and through experience know that what I need to know will be revealed at the right moment.

chicory

Ann, I love this post.

What helps me when I am standing at the luggage turnstile, just grabbing any and all, is to remind myself that I really want to project light, instead of darkness. I want to not get so caught up in the negative, I have to let it go. It serves no purpose, but there is a reason I latch onto it. I just have to remind myself that I do not have to do that anymore. Happiness is a choice.

your morning native thoughts help me a lot, Ann.

Ann

Like at the baggage turnstyle, sometimes I need to check to see if it is even MY baggage. I am very good at thinking your baggage has anything to do with me...or that maybe you need a hand with it when you are perfectly capable of managing your baggage yourself. I can be one busy bag lady if I am not diligent.

A phrase I only heard recently here, that I love is..."Not my circus, not my monkeys".

Not my turnstyle, not my baggage fits too.

Thanks Chic, for the mental visual.

chicory

You are welcome Ann. I learn so many good things here. and I am so so grateful.

xoxoxo

Sunshine2

Thank you for this Ann. I needed it today. When I have a thought that just won't go away, I use The Work of Byron Katie. I don't know what it is, but if you really sit quietly with a belief that causes you heartache and you ask these questions and really listen for the answers to rise from within, I always find great peace. They are:

1. Is it true? (is my thought really true? In every second?)

If you answered Yes on question 1.
2. Can I absolutely know that it is true? (e.g. Do I know better than God why this is happening or why a person behaves in a certain way?)

3. How do I feel and treat others when I have this thought? (Really feel everything that comes up, see how it makes you behave in this world)

4. Who would I be without this thought? (just try and imagine how you would feel, treat others etc. if you didn't entertain the thought/believe)

End with 3 turnarounds. Say e.g. you think someone is treating you with disrespect, find an instance where the person treated you well, an instance where you treated that person with disrespect and another instance where you treated yourself badly.

I write it down so I don't get sidetracked and the whole process takes about 20 - 30 minutes.

It works like magic. I have not found anger, resentment etc. that didn't disappear when I went through this.

Byron Katie makes the very valid point that other people do something bad to you once, but you do it to yourself over and over by reliving the experience.

My only problem is that I sometimes have to feel really bad before I get the motivation to do this.

I hope this helps someone somewhere.

Ann

It makes sense to me, Sunshine. It's true, resentments and our bad feelings hurt us more than anyone else. Even actually striking back does not release us of the poison we carry inside, it just fans the flames.

Very early here at SR, a member called Josie posted something I have never forgotten, she was quoting someone, I know not the source but I remember the words...

Holding resentments is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get sick.

I'm leaving my baggage behind today and travelling light.

Hugs

Firefall

First, I giggled at the image conjured up... (thanks for that moment Ann).

Then the thought was so clear, we feel injured because someone else will not/cannot live the way we want, so we begin to enroll in Retaliator Inc.
Man of man, and we think we are the ones with no problems?

Laughter at myself always makes the negative disappear.