Whenever we get an emotional reaction to something we need to spotlight what we are feeling so that we can change it. Maybe we won’t be able to stop reacting 100% immediately, but over time when we catch ourselves and “snap back” we can limit how often it happens. For instance, if you get cut off on the road and immediately get angry, anger is the subject to investigate.
So, we also need to remember that our feeling in the moment is just a reminder of all the times we felt the same way but didn’t do anything about it…other than put it in a jar, store it on a shelf in our mind and then leave it unprocessed (sometimes for decades). Then, when someone in the moment triggers an emotion we are feeling the similar emotion for all the times it happened in the past.
Consider the concept of Time travel differently. If you were able to think about all the times in the past someone made you angry, for example, (go back and think about your childhood in decades) and try to think about smashing all of those old memories on the shelf. If successful, you will change the past, the present and then you will have a better future. Other issues people have unprocessed memories they can consider going back in time to smash include:
Jealousy
Money issues
Abandonment
People not listening
Feeling like you never do it right
Disappointment
Sadness
Trust
Fear
Anxiety (fear of the future)
Depressing thoughts (sadness from the past)
You see where we are going with this…
We can improve our present and our future when we acknowledge that our unprocessed experiences (and trauma) are the gas tank to the frustrations we have in the now. We can change this if we choose to do the work. You can take any issue on the list above or something else that impacts you and go back in time in your mind to make your future better. If you need help with this on how to get started, let me know.
Wishing you all the best, much love!
Dave
Comments