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Although short bouts of stress can actually boost immunity and raise levels of cancer-fighting molecules, being in a perpetual state of stress is a very different story. Your body ends up turning off long-term building-and-repair projects, and instead speeds up the aging process. Stress has also been found to weaken its immunity. Not only that, numerous scientific studies have now found evidence that firmly links negative emotions with the onset of arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other problems.
According to Stanford University Medical School, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (CDC) and numerous health experts, the main cause of health problems on the planet is stress. Pointing to one very simple strategy for self-healing:
To increase health, we must reduce stress.
Here’s an obvious yet profoundly important secret about stress that few people have ever stopped to consider: Stress is not caused by stress. Or, said slightly differently, stress is the result of something other than itself. Meaning that stress cannot be the ultimate cause of physical or emotional problems, due to the simple fact that there is something else causing stress. But what might that be? Resistance.
In my observations, it is a person’s preprogrammed resistance to certain life events that is the real source of stress. I say preprogrammed because our belief system plays a major role in what life events we resist or allow.
Resistance not only creates physical stress but is also the determining factor in whether a person feels negative emotions. Experiencing anger, sadness, fear, guilt or grief is only possible if you resist something in your past, present or future.
Anger or sadness is usually the result of resisting something in your past, whereas resisting something bad happening in the future usually causes fear, angst or anxiety. Irrespective of the presenting emotion, resistance is the common denominator and underlying cause.
Resistance is the undercover cause of almost all pain,
negative emotions and harmful forms of stress.
What makes matters worse for the body is that most people prefer to not experience emotions that they deem negative, and so end up resisting not only life but their emotions too! I often see this causing a never-ending vicious circle of a person resisting more and more day by day, putting their body under ever-increasing pressure. No wonder this compounded stress often ends up with people experiencing physical disease, and so many of us are struggling with intense emotions, such as anxiety and panic attacks.
Emotions are a powerful form of energy and if we respond to their existence with resistance, by perpetually pushing them down; they can bite back with a vengeance.
Free from Anxiety
The toxic beliefs associated with unresolved emotional events can put the body–mind into a perpetual state of fight-flight-freeze stress. This then makes us more inclined to constantly search our environment for potential threats, overthink and experience anxiety. We have also often been taught to resist the presence of any intense emotional energy that is considered to be “negative”,which in reality only makes these energies stronger and even more intense.
Most therapy clients I meet are resisting something. If they weren’t, there would be no reason for them to work with me because they would be feeling great and everything in their life would be okay! They are either resisting something that’s happened in their past, resisting something in their present-day circumstances or resisting a potential worst-case scenario that might happen in their future. Using Mind Detox, I help them to find what they’ve been resisting and, over the course of the consultations, move them into a mindset that enables them to stop rejecting and start accepting reality.
Guiding my clients to rise above resistance is my primary objective because I know if I can move them away from resistance, they will immediately feel better; this will help their body heal and allow their life to change for the better.
By rising above resistance you create the inner
and outer space required for something
new and improved to be created.
What We Resist Will Persist
Resistance requires us to focus on and think about what we don’t want and, in doing so, keeps us connected to it. Put bluntly, resistance results in more of what you don’t want. Rising above resistance, on the other hand, creates a space in which new and improved things can enter.
By finding the subtle, often well-hidden resistances in your life and moving into a place of peace, you too can significantly reduce the amount of stress you endure. The less stress, the more healing can and will occur – not to mention, you will feel better too. Always remember, what you resist will persist, so if you also want to change your life circumstances, then cultivating a resistance-less mindset is a successful strategy.
The Good News
Fortunately, it is never life events that cause you stress or make you feel sick, sad or bad, but rather your resistance to what’s happened, is happening or might happen. This is wonderful news because it means that you can cultivate a choice. If you can learn to let go of resistance, you can massively reduce stress and negative emotions. They can be immediately replaced by feelings of inner peace, gratitude and contentment, which are, incidentally, emotions that have all been found to aid the healing process.
To resist reality is the equivalent of
having a toddler tantrum because
we aren’t getting our own way.
If peace is what we want then we must
mature our mindset by not rejecting reality.
But what if something bad is happening? Do you just accept it? Yes, in a manner of speaking; but “accepting” it doesn’t mean you can’t change it. It just means you don’t cause yourself unnecessary stress and suffering while you go about changing whatever isn’t acceptable to you.
When less stressed and not experiencing negative emotions you have more inner peace, mental clarity and confidence. You also have more energy to direct towards taking the action required. From this calmer and clearer perspective, you are a very powerful and effective person. You are able to choose to change your circumstances; the difference if you’ve accepted things is that you can actually make changes without having to experience any negative emotions to justify your choices or actions. You simply choose for something better while also welcoming whatever happens next.
So if you are currently experiencing a chronic condition or persistent life problem, or often find yourself feeling negative emotions such as anger, sadness, anxiety or loneliness, then there is a very important question to ask yourself:
What in my life am I resisting?
Explore this question further by considering:
- Am I resisting the way I’ve been treated?
- Am I resisting the job that I do?
- Am I resisting my bank balance?
- Am I resisting my present physical health?
- Am I resisting how certain things in my life have turned out?
- Am I resisting something that’s happened in the past?
- Am I resisting any areas of my life?
Answering these questions helps you to highlight the aspects of your life that you may currently be resisting. Remember, resistance is stressful for the body and the body heals best when it rests. Resistance also causes negative emotions, so peace comes from learning to resist life less.
Resistance keeps you recreating the same life circumstances over and over again. So even if you want your life to change, it won’t as long as you resist your current reality. Be super-attentive to what you might be resisting, and note what you discover so that you can rise above resistance for better health, peace of mind and happiness.
©2013, 2019 by Sandy C. Newbigging.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher,
Findhorn Press, an imprint of Inner Traditions Intl.
All Rights Reserved. www.findhornpress.com.
Article Source
Mind Detox: Discover and Resolve the Root Causes of Chronic Conditions and Persistent Problems
(2nd Edition, Revised Edition of Heal the Hidden Cause)
by Sandy C. Newbigging.
Providing a powerful way to let go of emotional baggage, release toxic beliefs, and clear the mental blocks to your goals, this 5-step guide empowers you to rewrite your past, find resolution for negative experiences, and use your newly cleansed mind to achieve brilliant success in all areas of life, along with happiness, wealth, and well-being.
Click here for more Info and/or to Order this book. Also available in eTextbook format.
About the Author
Sandy C. Newbigging is the creator of the Mind Detox and Mind Calm methods, a meditation teacher and author of several books, including Life-Changing Weight Loss, Life Detox, New Beginnings, Peace for Life, and Thunk! Recently commended by the Federation of Holistic Therapists as ‘Tutor of the Year’, he runs residential retreats internationally and trains Practitioners via his Academy. His work has been seen on television worldwide. Visit his website at http://www.sandynewbigging.com/
Watch a video with Sandy: The Silent Solution to Any Problem
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Another video with Sandy: Hidden Causes of a Busy Mind
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