Old Habits Die Hard

Ever feel frustrated by the disconnect between what you know is good for you, what you know you should be doing or not doing and what you actually do? I experience this dissonance regularly and it can be exhausting! Even though my weekend yoga retreat led to a calmer start to the week, the everyday curveballs that make life interesting quickly cut though my Zen cloud and I found myself falling right back into old habits.  Rushing to my email immediately upon waking up, spending excessive amounts of time ‘planning’ my day to fit absolutely everything possible and accomplish all my to do’s.  Even though it was easy to revert back to my ‘overdrive’ default, something was different. I was aware. I was aware that I was up to my old tricks and that I preferred how I felt when my mind was clam.  I tried very hard to employ my microwave meditation practice to see if I could reign in the crazy, but the stillness from Monday was elusive.

So since that didn't work I decided to use my microwave to make some breakfast! Delicious oatmeal meal with almond butter, granola and banana! Perfect for a cold morning. I guess some old habits aren’t so bad!

Love spoons that talk :) 

But I was not ready to give up on finding a way to maintain my peace of mind. I decided to take a different approach. Breaking old habits can be hard. In fact, it can be one of the most difficult things to do! So instead of trying to break old habits, I am going to make new ones. I have always been better at addition that subtraction anyway! I wanted a new habit that would foster the notion of leading with heart instead of head or ego.   Like learning any new skill, I needed to consult some experts or coaches to help! I was inspired last weekend at our Cape May Yoga retreat and so deiced to employ one of the presenter's techniques.   This morning, after a few deep breaths, focusing on making space for today, I flipped through the pages of book that offers mini mantras for living a life with heart - to see what the ‘universe’ had to tell me.  The page that opened simply read:

“I am willing to release the need for this condition.”  

Now if that is not universal alignment, what is!? Sure some may say it is mere coincidence, but what fun is that?!  So I took another deep breath and released my negative patterns and habits, and let go of my resistance to doing so. The idea of 'resistance to doing so' was an interesting concept. Why is it that I resist being more protective of free time or down time? What is it about having time to relax that makes me so uncomfortable? What is it that makes us hold on so tightly to patterns or habits that interfere with our health?

Well, instead of wasting energy figuring it out, I let it go, let it pass like a cloud.  So with a little help from the words of Louise Hay, I was able to make space for today, by letting go of my resistance.  As always, it is all about self talk, what we tell ourselves about ourselves (right Dad?).  I am done trying to break old habits. Instead, I am excited to make new ones! A new habit that cultivates positive thoughts. When you think good things good things will happen. It’s science!

What negative thoughts or patterns can you let go of?