Written by Leo Babauta
Most of our stress and frustration comes from not wanting to let go.
Please listen to me. Think about something you are stressed about or someone who is irritating you. What thoughts do you have about that person or situation that are causing your irritation? They are invisible thoughts that we often don’t realize we have. , if you say it out loud it will really feel true.
Try exporting using one of the following prompts:
“They shouldn’t…”
“If I fail…”
“I hope that doesn’t happen…”
Then fill in the blanks.
What thoughts and beliefs are causing your stress and frustration? If you can identify that, you’re halfway there.
Then think about how true that thought or belief feels to you. Perhaps it feels like an absolute truth. This is the part we don’t want to let go of, the truth of that thought/belief.
What if we recognized it not as an absolute truth, but as a thought or a belief?
Can you see how the opposite could be true? For example, if you think about how someone “always” behaves a certain way, do you see that there are times when they didn’t? When you feel like you can’t catch a break, can you remember a time when life gave you a gift?
What would your life be like if you didn’t have this belief?
The moment you thought of that question, you let go.
Notice how it works. Imagining life without faith suddenly gives me peace.
What if you could practice this every time you feel frustrated or stressed?
