We’ve all heard the phrase “drop the struggle”, but what does it mean and how do we do it?
Our natural instinct is to try to control everything that happens in our lives. Our brain is only looking to help us survive and that is its natural behaviour. However, when things don’t go to plan, we resist, we fight against whatever life is presenting us with and we create stress, anxiety and other emotions that can feel very heavy in our heart. Fear is a major contributor to this process, as we are not comfortable with not knowing what lies ahead in our future.
Although it is a survival mechanism embedded in our brains, it only makes things worse for us, as the more we fear, the more anxiety we experience, the more stress we create and it becomes a vicious cycle that grows like a snowball unless we stop the process.
What do we do then?
There is a grounding technique used often in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) called “Dropping Anchor”. Just like a boat would do in the harbour as it is caught in the middle of a storm. This technique will help us come back to the present moment and be able to observe what is going on without being dragged by the storm. Here is a link to a video that offers a simple guide on how to apply the technique.
As we manage to come back to the present moment, we can practice some mindfulness exercises. We can observe our thoughts patterns and catch the story we are making up in our minds. By doing this, we would be able to keep some distance from the story and avoid getting hooked.
Following this, we can remember that live is happening FOR us, not TO us. Anything that is going on in our lives, is giving us exactly what we need in order to grow and expand our consciousness. It will help us align and move in the direction of our soul’s path. We are deeply loved and supported. And so, we might start getting in touch with a sense of Trust.
As we begin to Trust, we release the need for control and so, we become more receptive and able to listen to our inner guide, which in turn will give us directions on how to deal with our current situation.
Of course, this is not something we achieve on the first go, but the more we practice, the quicker we can get from dropping anchor to trusting and allowing for the light to come through us and guide us on what action to take and the direction we need to move towards.
A sense of peace and relief will be achieved and we will be able to drop the struggle.
Please give this method a go and let me know how you go. Leave some comments below.
Perhaps you are able to achieve contacting the present moment only at first, but this is a great start.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
