Transform It

I have realized that the primary cause of suffering is that we accumulate unresolved issues, rejected feelings, problems that we never overcame, misunderstandings with others, or pain from relationships that didn’t work out. We carry all of that with us. Most people don’t know how to let go, release or forgive; but these concepts allow us to live more freely and happily. 
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If you are able to observe, mindfully, every one of your feelings when they appear, accepting them, by mindful observation, you will be in touch with what you feel. Just breathe and feel what you feel. You are not your fear, sadness, or despair. But the feeling takes you over and makes you feel one with it. But understand that its message has to be loud, or you won’t pay attention. When fear, anger, or anxiety appear, don’t fight them. Instead, say, hello fear! Or hello, anger! Why are you here?

If what we feel is unpleasant, we tend to reject the feeling. We want it to disappear; the sooner the better. We don’t take the time to feel it and be with it. If it lasts, we practice evasion. We run away from it, distracting ourselves with food, alcohol, watching TV, shopping, or getting busy in any other way. But the feeling won’t go away because it has not been felt. We just put it in a closet in our heart and try to forget that it is there, in stock. ​

But you can transform any feeling into something else. Get the message of the emotion, be with it, and take it to the next level. For example, when someone is mean to you, and you get angry because of it, you have two problems: the anger you received and the anger you feel now as a result. What if you take that anger and transform it into understanding about the person or situation? 

Consider that maybe this person is full of anger that they don’t know how to release. What happened wasn’t personal. You just happened to be with that person when the anger hidden in the closet of their heart became too great and had to be released. Or maybe the person is in pain, sick, or very afraid, and they don’t know what to do with their feelings. Would you be more understanding if you knew the situation in their life that is causing the pain that created that state of anger? This way, you can transform anger into understanding.

Forgiveness is an unknown concept. Most people have the idea that in order to forgive you need to forget that certain events happened, accept the pain, and tell the person who hurt you ‘I forgive you’ because I am a good person and I shouldn’t hate you anymore. But this is not the forgiveness I am talking about. To forgive someone or something is to set yourself free from it. Since the moment you forgive yourself or others, you disconnect energetically from the event or situation. You have released it. It is that simple.

Forgiveness has nothing to do with the other person. It is only about you. It is not about forgiving an event or suffering created by another person. The event is just an experience. You survived it, and now it is part of your story. It only matters in the present moment if you decide that it does. When you forgive, you don’t forget or condone. You choose to live freely in the present moment where you can create the life you desire, not in the past, where those events happened. 

Letting go of something that has been part of your identity for a long time can be scary. If I have been a victim because something terrible happened to me and I have lived in anger, pain, or sadness for years, I may not know who I will be without that anger or despair. Maybe you are thinking, “How can I be happy when this happened to me?” You can, because you choose to.

The most devastating situation, the loss of a loved one, an illness, abuse, betrayal, poverty… is just that, a situation that created certain feelings. And they can be transformed. You can heal yourself from all of it. Let them go. Only you can do it. Are you ready? If you want to work privately with me on releasing and forgiving, send me an email at judithmcosta@hotmail.com.

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"In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past,
​but you will find yourself"
Deepak Chopra