Thrive and Awaken® Tip

This choice is one of the most significant you make in life, and it occurs many times throughout the day. Our tendency is to resist what we don’t like or understand. Although natural, resistance creates emotional discord which releases stress hormones, and over time, it leads to inflammation and physical and emotional imbalances. When you are aware, you can choose to choose.

If it’s raining when you had planned an outdoor event, you’re likely to get disappointed and even angry. But if it’s raining and wanted to spend the day reading, you’re likely to welcome the rain. We resist what is not ideal or what differs from how we want things to be.

Resistance is a Survival Mode strategy that can motivate us to make a change or be proactive. Think about a time you were frustrated with gaining weight and used that distress to motivate yourself to exercise.

Although the resistance can activate us to exercise, if we keep being frustrated about some aspect of life, we are likely to eat more and skip exercise as a way to zone out. Prolonged use of resistance keeps us in Survival Mode, going around and around, repeating the same cycle.

We also frequently resist what we don’t understand. If we’re feeling safe, the unknown can be exciting and evoke curiosity. But if not knowing something doesn’t feel safe, resistance kicks in. This can be seen in current society with our not knowing much about different cultures, religious practices, gender choices, romantic orientations, and so on. Survival Mode resistance kicks in because we are unfamiliar with those who are different than us and that can feel threatening. This resistance to embracing those who are different has led to perpetual oppression, abuse, and war. Our ancestors survived unfamiliar tribes by leading with resistance. It is part of our heritage and is wired in to our brains. If we don’t change, we run the risk of destroying life on our planet.

The hallmark of Thriving Mode is developing the capacity to CHOOSE how to think, feel, and act. It starts with an awareness of a habitual pattern that’s not in our best interest. Then we need to have compassion for the habit. We accept that these are ancestral tendencies emerging and the situation is an opportunity for change. Compassion is vital because if we resist what we are resisting, we only get more resistance. With the compassion present, we get to choose a healthier way to think, feel, and act.

The more we practice grounding, being open-hearted, and clear-minded, the more we can embrace what is, learn to flow, and act with wisdom and compassion. Embrace the next time it rains or you meet someone different than you. Both will help you evolve.