Joyfull Living – May 2015

Recently, I helped a client identify and clear old emotional issues that kept sabotaging his opportunities for success. “I thought I let that go!” he told me in frustration.

Painful emotions can make us want to shut down and engage in behaviors such as eating, drinking, shopping or overwork. These are just old coping mechanisms that we use to numb our feelings. They simply create the illusion of “letting it go.” Just like cleaning out the closet by shoving everything in and slamming the door shut, sooner or later you have to deal with it. Spring is a great time to clean out your closets and also to clear out the inner clutter of stuffed emotions and thoughts that are not supporting your well-being. Unresolved issues are likely to keep recreating similar challenges in your life with various scenarios. Repressed emotions cause all sorts of health issues, including depression. With compassion, allow your emotional waters to gently wash over you like spring showers and take responsibility for your feelings.

Five things to help you with emotional spring-cleaning:

Don’t feed the anger. If you keep feeding the anger by blaming something or someone else, you’ll stay stuck. Facing ourselves honestly and compassionately and staying open to our feelings when we are in pain is not easy. It takes great courage to ask for support.

Minimize envy. Practice being happy for someone else’s good fortune instead of resenting it. This helps curb our jealous emotions, which are very disempowering. Practice not judging.

Don’t hold on to a grudge. Taking time to connect with the peace in your heart takes daily practice. It helps build your spiritual muscle and gives you the strength to truly forgive and let go. Acknowledge your part in creating the challenges and the dramas in your life. Feel your feelings. In the surrender to being present comes the opportunity to forgive and heal. From this empowered place we understand and know that life happens for us and not to us.

Don’t feed the FEAR! False Evidence Appearing Real. Clear the fears that have nothing to do with the actual situations in your life. Fear is like a poison, the more you let in the more toxic it is.

Clear the negative and pessimistic thoughts. If you feel stuck, take a moment every day to take gentle breaths, focusing on something you feel grateful for. By dwelling in gratitude you can begin to feel compassion in your heart and embrace yourself and your feelings. Letting go with compassion makes us feel free, lighter and ultimately peaceful, just like after spring-cleaning when we can open the cleaned-out closet and feel good.

Remember that only limiting thoughts can limit your life. Feel the joy as you truly begin to let go! Breathe in Gratitude—Live in Joy.

If you want to learn how to cultivate a peaceful heart and develop a daily practice to truly let go and deepen the feeling of joy in your life, I’m happy to offer you my 12-week online program: Foundation 4 your L.I.F.E. This is a great time to begin your transformational journey and emotional spring-cleaning. In this program I give you the tools and support you need to build a strong foundation to live with Love and Inspiration: Fear-Less and Empowered. Now is the time for you to embrace your authentic-self.

© Louise Lavergne 2001-2015 www.joyfull-yoga.com 541-899-0707 Louise is the creator and owner of JoyFull Yoga with headquarters located in Jacksonville, OR. She’s an author, international inspirational speaker and JoyFull living coach. Find out more about her 12-week on-line transformational coaching program FOUNDATION 4 your L.I.F.E. at www.LouiseLavergne.com.