I recently found myself in an intensely stressful professional situation. I felt stuck in a downward stress spiral that was only getting worse with every passing day. Off to Fearland, I went.

I was trying to meditate the anxiety away, but I could not rid my brain of negative thoughts laden with catastrophic scarcity.

Then I heard the word “consciousness.”

It hit me big time. Consciousness. Our consciousness is the seat of our essence, piloting the loving voice of our intuition while muting the voice of fear. I realized I was so closely identified with my everyday fears that I had not even considered allowing my conscious presence to act as witness to my illusory fears.

So I focused on coming back to my conscious vantage point, transposing myself as the third-party observer rather than the fear perpetrator. In returning to this state of awareness and setting myself free of resistance, I was able to invite new energy, create more space for inner peace and attract incredible new opportunities into my reality.

We are not our thoughts. We are not our fears. We are, however, the witnessing presence behind our thoughts.

Below are the steps I took to raise my consciousness and come back to my center of inner peace and trust.

1. I remembered to breathe deeply.

When feelings of stress or anxiety arise, take a deep inhale for five seconds, hold the breath for five seconds, exhale through the mouth for another five, and hold the breath out for five seconds. A deep breath automatically refocuses our awareness toward our internal energy, thus bringing us back into the present moment instantaneously. Also, most of us breathe improperly and may unconsciously be breathing into the chest. Try to prolong breaths into the diaphragm several times a day.

2. I let go of my resistance.

Once we learn to stop resisting, the Universal intelligence can guide us once again towards the next right action, but it is important to remember that we must first accept the situation as it is before we can positively change it. As we consciously accept what already is, we gain clarity and increase our positive frequency to create mental space for the genius waiting to enter our mind.

I decided to let go of the resistance that I felt towards my professional circumstances, and miracles came in as soon as I razed that obstructive wall. Anything that we resist persists. I learned that the energy of resistance blocks the flow of intuition and obstructs the natural flow of Universal guidance.

3. I let go of my “shoulds.”

When reality doesn’t match our idea of how we think life should look like, we lose our inner peace . This disconnect of reality versus our mental setup leads to the counter-productive feeling of anxiousness and the need to control all aspects of our life—we convince ourselves that we can force our reality to become one with our expectations.

Let go!

When we stop being the manager of the Universe, a serene confidence sets in and we regain a powerful awareness regarding what is right in our life.

Furthermore, the “shoulds” that rule our minds often do not have an origin in us, but rather were instilled into our psyche by our parents, our culture, our peers.

Which “shoulds” are you ready to relinquish to regain your inner peace?

Breathe joyfully, surrender gladly, and love openly for the best Spring yet!

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Apprentice Editor: Andrea Charpentier/Editor: Catherine Monkman
Photo: Kelley Ahr/Pixoto