Lay It Down

Lay It Down

-jdaisi grooms
"I feel so tired.
I feel so alone.
So many burdens
and mistakes I've made ...
Tired of carrying them
all my days.


I want to lay them down...
I've got to lay them down...
I'm going to lay them down...
Right now."

Are there things you have been carrying? Things that aren't healthy for you? Things you need to let go of ... things you need to let go of you?

Don't believe those thoughts that you deserve your burdon ... that you earned it.  Don't believe that it's there to stay, that you can't shake it. 

It's time. 

Lay it down. 

Take a moment soon to go to a private peaceful place where you can be alone and focus ... free of distractions.  Put on some instrumental music, and close your eyes and try to focus on making these words count ... then say the above poem/lyrics out loud.  Mean every word.  You may want to take it a step further, and write down those burdens that you are releasing, and then physically 'get rid of them' by throwing the paper in the trash (ripping it first, if you'd like to ... to feel, maybe, that it's truly finished). 

Take a some time afterwards to breath deeply, and picture yourself without those burdens anymore.  Go back to life and reality in that new state.

Jessica

a different perspective

There is an AA saying/prayer that I think is beneficial to anyone and everyone, regardless of circumstance.  It's a saying I have heard a thousand times before (both from having a family member in AA when I was a child AND through my profession when I worked in substance abuse).  However, today, I thought of it in a manner that I never have before, and my eyes were opened to something I never saw before.  Here is the saying/prayer that I am sure you have most likely heard at one time or another:

God, grant me the
Serenity to accept things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and
Wisdom to know the difference.

I never really paid much attention to the word "serenity" in this.  I always heard it/processed sort of like this:

God, grant me the serenity to
ACCEPT the things I CANNOT CHANGE
COURAGE to CHANGE the THINGS I CAN, and
WISDOM to KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.

That beautiful, hopeful, peaceful word never stood out to me until now.  I always focused more on the other points, mainly, wisdom to know the difference between what can be changed and what cannot.

But there it is ... there it has always been.  The potential for SERENITY in these difficult moments in our lives where we have to accept difficult things.  It seems almost odd to pick such a word for this, but what a huge sigh of relief.  And what a great reminder that we can choose how much power and hold we give to these things that can consume us. 

I just wanted to share that,
Jessica

Away with the 'old thoughts'

What is it that you need to hear today?
What concern, fear, thought is following you?
We often have things that follow us throughout our days, and without our knowledge, they seep into every part of our life. We make decisions and react off of these things, and don't even realize it.

Take some time to sit down for a moment.
Go somewhere that you can be quiet and still.

Put on some calming music or sounds (nature sounds, maybe). Close your eyes, and try to access that concern, thought, fear, motivation. Identify it. From there, ask yourself this:

What do I do about this?

* Some things we can take physical action to remedy.
In those cases:
1) identify the problem
2) take time to contemplate the best remedy/speak to someone knowledgeable about it
3) take action.

* Other things are more a matter of making a decision as to how a certain thing will affect us.
In that case, you may find it helpful to implement some sort of brief quote/phrase/mantra to remedy this. Make it personal. Make it speak specifically to you, your fear, your repeating thought.

What wisdom have you found that you sometimes forget and need to remind yourself of? (i.e. - "I will not worry over ___________ anymore.")

What confirming thought do you need ... what confirming words would bring you peace if you heard them spoken to you? What do you need to hear? Those should be your words to yourself. These should be things that are meant to help you grow as a person, not to hinder your growth.

Here are a couple of examples:
"I am safe. I have done all that I can in this situation. I will not give another thought to this worry. I am safe."

"I am worthy. I will not believe those old thoughts. I have purpose. I am worthy."

OR, it may be an inspirational phrase, quote, or passage that works for you. Make it very short and simple so that you can easily access it. You want to be able to read/recite this (an index card in your pocket or a note in your phone) to yourself each time during your day when you have that 'old thought'.

Realize just how many times those offending/harmful thoughts rehearse themselves in your mind throughout even just the course of a single day. Realize that you need healthy/productive thoughts to counteract these. New thoughts to replace the old thoughts. Rehearse these just as you've rehearsed the old ones.

Rather than the quick fixes we try to put on things, seek wisdom. Seek a longer lasting and more beneficial answer.

Peace is an important thing. I wish you moments of peace today.

Jessica