When My Soul Quits Growing...
Being SoulStuck is a common experience for most folks. While is does not happen every day, most of us get SoulStuck from time to time. SoulStuck meanings we are trapped in orbit around unhealthy emotions, or boredom/apathy. (We can become SoulStuck in positive emotions as well, but I will deal with this at a later time.)
We feel a lingering sense of anger, disappointment, or shame bubbling up throughout the day. It may have triggered by something we said or did. It may have begun in the thoughtless word or action of a friend or stranger. It can linger on the edges of our day-to-day thoughts for a week or more. It may leave a sour taste in our lives and we cannot get past it.
We may wake up in the morning with a sense of futility. The world has lost its flavor and we feel we are just going through the motions. We are bored with the “same old, same old.” We just do not really care how things turn out. All we want is to get through it with as little pain or drama as possible.
In these instances, our soul is no longer growing. It is suffocating in the stale air of yesterday, and living a passionless existence. We feel stuck!
However, a soul that is free soars and swoops like birds over a beach. The FreeSoul feels what is feels and then moves on. It may linger for a time to allow the mind to learn what is needs to learn, but then it moves on. The FreeSoul is mindful of the moment and draws all that it needs from the present. In tears, the soul draws healing. In laughter, the soul draws delight. In deep connection with another, the soul draws empathy and comfort. The FreeSoul does not find itself trapped and unable to move forward. It grows through today while gently holding the memories and insights of yesterday. It does not allow the fears of tomorrow to steal the joy from today.
Being SoulStuck can lead to the death of the inner life. It can destroy our capacity for love and trust, joy, and hope. When we allow our SoulStuckness to go on and on, we risk losing ourselves in regrets over yesterday and fears over tomorrow. We lose the vitality of living that comes from feeling our feelings, growing through them, and moving on.
We feel a lingering sense of anger, disappointment, or shame bubbling up throughout the day. It may have triggered by something we said or did. It may have begun in the thoughtless word or action of a friend or stranger. It can linger on the edges of our day-to-day thoughts for a week or more. It may leave a sour taste in our lives and we cannot get past it.
We may wake up in the morning with a sense of futility. The world has lost its flavor and we feel we are just going through the motions. We are bored with the “same old, same old.” We just do not really care how things turn out. All we want is to get through it with as little pain or drama as possible.
In these instances, our soul is no longer growing. It is suffocating in the stale air of yesterday, and living a passionless existence. We feel stuck!
However, a soul that is free soars and swoops like birds over a beach. The FreeSoul feels what is feels and then moves on. It may linger for a time to allow the mind to learn what is needs to learn, but then it moves on. The FreeSoul is mindful of the moment and draws all that it needs from the present. In tears, the soul draws healing. In laughter, the soul draws delight. In deep connection with another, the soul draws empathy and comfort. The FreeSoul does not find itself trapped and unable to move forward. It grows through today while gently holding the memories and insights of yesterday. It does not allow the fears of tomorrow to steal the joy from today.
Being SoulStuck can lead to the death of the inner life. It can destroy our capacity for love and trust, joy, and hope. When we allow our SoulStuckness to go on and on, we risk losing ourselves in regrets over yesterday and fears over tomorrow. We lose the vitality of living that comes from feeling our feelings, growing through them, and moving on.
Daily Mindfulness
The tip for dealing with being SoulStuck is the practice of daily mindfulness.
There is a great deal written about mindfulness. It grows out of the centuries old teaching of Buddhism that speaks of the importance of staying connected to ourselves and the world around us. I see daily mindfulness as a way of by escaping the orbit of emotions surrounding Yesterday and Tomorrow by rediscovering Today.
Find the words(s) to capture the emotion. In naming something we exert a sense of understanding and control over the meaning of a particular feeling. Try and find the right word by describing your inner experience. Try and capture the shades of meaning in your emotional experience. Mad, sad, glad, and scared are not enough. How mad? How sad? Are you overjoyed or mildly amused?
Next, feel the energy the emotion offers. Emotions create the power we need to act. Capture that energy and allow it to motivate you to learn from and grow through your experience.
Then, redirect that energy to draw meaning from the moment. Allow that energy to help you muster the courage to accept your learning. It may help you accept responsibility and move toward asking forgiveness. It may give you the strength you need to change a long-held belief. It may give you the power you need to gently confront the person or situation that led to your anger or fear.
Finally, surround that moment with a new story to capture it’s meaning. Allow yourself to write a new page in your mental diary that will allow you to hold on to what you have learned. Allow that negative feeling to become the catalyst for growing into a new way of living and being.
Daily Mindfulness is a valuable tool for living with the SoulStuckness in our lives.
There is a great deal written about mindfulness. It grows out of the centuries old teaching of Buddhism that speaks of the importance of staying connected to ourselves and the world around us. I see daily mindfulness as a way of by escaping the orbit of emotions surrounding Yesterday and Tomorrow by rediscovering Today.
Find the words(s) to capture the emotion. In naming something we exert a sense of understanding and control over the meaning of a particular feeling. Try and find the right word by describing your inner experience. Try and capture the shades of meaning in your emotional experience. Mad, sad, glad, and scared are not enough. How mad? How sad? Are you overjoyed or mildly amused?
Next, feel the energy the emotion offers. Emotions create the power we need to act. Capture that energy and allow it to motivate you to learn from and grow through your experience.
Then, redirect that energy to draw meaning from the moment. Allow that energy to help you muster the courage to accept your learning. It may help you accept responsibility and move toward asking forgiveness. It may give you the strength you need to change a long-held belief. It may give you the power you need to gently confront the person or situation that led to your anger or fear.
Finally, surround that moment with a new story to capture it’s meaning. Allow yourself to write a new page in your mental diary that will allow you to hold on to what you have learned. Allow that negative feeling to become the catalyst for growing into a new way of living and being.
Daily Mindfulness is a valuable tool for living with the SoulStuckness in our lives.
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