Avoiding feelings, situations, or confrontations, does not make them go away. There are no real disappearing acts in life. Many people run from past traumas. They try feverishly to forget certain parts of their past. Some people can’t even talk about certain topics out of fear, hurt, or anger. Many relationships unravel and dissolve because the people involved avoid setting the issues on the table to be discussed and working through them. Nothing can get cleaned up or resolved if we are always busy avoiding the mess.
Instead of avoiding something, it is better to approach it. Taking the first step to approach something opens the door to possibility. Basic household tasks are a good example of when it is time to approach something rather than avoid it. A refrigerator needs to be cleaned out periodically, and all of the rotten food should be thrown away. Avoiding the fact that the refrigerator needs to be cleared out only makes the issue worse. Soon we find that a horrible smell comes out every time we open the refrigerator door. A messy room is yet another example. Simply closing the door to the room may help temporarily, but the main problem persists. The room stays messy. In order to make a messy room clean and organized, we must take the first step to pick up one item in the messy room. Then we can pick up the next item, and so forth until the room is clean. In general, there reaches a certain point where we need to deal with the mess and take the time to tend to it.
Our inner thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are similar to a refrigerator full of rotten food or a messy room. Our thoughts may run wild in our head. We may have what is known as a monkey mind, in which our thoughts are chaotic. Taking control of our monkey mind can be a bit of a challenge. Perhaps your emotions are all over the spectrum. One minute you are feeling calm and the next you are anxious and fearful. A restless mind often triggers our emotions to go into flux. Even some of our inner beliefs about ourselves, others, or circumstances can influence and confuse our thoughts and feelings. Jumbled thoughts, emotions, and beliefs set us up for a confused existence.
The messiness within us needs to be cleaned and organized. We need to take the time to acknowledge our thoughts and find a way to put them in their proper place in our mind. A type of mental organization process. Our brain attempts to do this while we sleep, but many people find it difficult to sleep when they are experiencing a monkey mind. Thus, we need to set time aside for us to evaluate our thoughts. What are they communicating to us? How are we supposed to act based on some of these thoughts?
Our emotional state can also be messy and dynamic. Again, we must take the time to acknowledge what it is we are feeling and why we feel the way that we do. Performing this in-depth cleaning and clearing of our emotions opens us up to a fresh slate ready to process a whole new set of emotions. When we don’t discipline ourselves to deal with our emotions, then they can get messier and more out of control. It will take more effort on our part later on to deal with the emotional mess. That’s why it’s better to just buckle down and deal with whatever emotions you are experiencing as you experience them.
Some of the beliefs that we hold are outdated. Just like expired milk in the refrigerator, we need to dispose of the old stuff. When our beliefs no longer serve us in a positive way, it might be time to sort through those beliefs and get rid of the ones that are taking up valuable space inside of us. When we rid ourselves of outdated and rotten beliefs, we free up space within ourselves for new fresh beliefs that will benefit us. The new beliefs should reflect who we are today, and where we want to go tomorrow. Lugging around old beliefs that are simply useless and stifling is unnecessary.
In order to clear ourselves of needless thoughts, burdening emotions, and defunct beliefs we must deal to heal. We need to actually come face to face with each of those thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. We may also need to push ourselves to have difficult conversations with others in order to lay to rest unresolved situations. This process takes time, energy, and patience. Dealing with thoughts, emotions, and beliefs sets us on the path to healing. We free our mind, heart, and soul from anchoring factors that hold us back. Clearing and cleaning out our inner self helps us feel lighter and refreshed. We discard and remove unnecessary baggage. We organize and process our remaining `inner thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. A more peaceful state ensues us. Healing is achieved, and this allows us to continue to thrive. We deal to heal to thrive.