Jolly You

If you stop to examine the automatic reactions of your mind to the constant stream of incoming information from the world around you, as well as the constant stream of internal dialogue going on about it all in your forebrain, you’ll notice some or most of the time, your reaction is to resist with an almost imperceptible, yet nonetheless potent, ‘oh no’.

This instantaneously translates into unconscious resistance in your muscles in various key areas, which in turn constricts the flow of blood and life-force in your body and that causes your thoughts to stagnate, inducing negativity, thus perpetuating a self-limiting vicious cycle, which becomes habitual and increasingly difficult to relinquish, just as with any addiction.

One way to gain access to the pattern and thus disperse it is firstly to notice how you’re doing it, which requires insight and the will to use it; secondly to remind yourself at every turn you have options; thirdly to relax your muscles, fourthly to breathe freely (stop holding your breath) and finally, with each exhalation, to say, YES – yes to each new piece of information, yes to whatever fear or anxiety it provokes, yes to whatever challenges it may present, yes to being you, yes to being here on the planet with 6.5 billion others experiencing pretty much the same thing from moment to moment, yes to the unfathomable, ineffable presence and meta-consciousness informing it all and yes to life in general.

It’s a simple technique but immensely powerful and efficacious if practiced assiduously. It requires no extra time to practice this. the whole idea is to use it constantly as you go along. At first the idea may make your mind and body baulk. Treat this in the same way you would when attempting to conquer any other kind of addiction. Be patient. Be compassionate with yourself. Every time you slip up and find yourself defaulting to the negative mode, simply retrace the steps above and start again. It’s not a race. More simply a matter of the more you allow yourself to default to the affirmative mode, the lighter and happier you feel, the more confident you are, the stronger your immune system works, the more jolly you are to be around and hence, the more opportunities for success and enjoyment come your way through others.

In short, say YES to life, to death and everything in between today, tonight and throughout the weekend, dear reader and you will be veritably delighted to the core by the results.

Love, Barefoot