It's Time to Call Your Spirit Back
You're probably wondering what that even means, to call your spirit back. Any time you are filled with anxiety, depression, negative thoughts, anger, jealousy, (do you see the general trend here?) you are NOT present in the right here and right now. Maybe your mind is in another state with a friend or loved one, or maybe you are worried about what may or may not happen in the future. Maybe you are regretting things you did or didn't do, or wish you had done differently. Maybe you are just in your head beating yourself up, or having an argument with someone who is somewhere else.
All those moments, you are NOT in the present here and now. Your spirit has left the time/space of now and left you to run on auto-pilot, which tends to be a poor substitute at best. The phrase that comes to mind is a variation of "the lights are on, but nobody's home". Usually that is said in a demeaning way, but when you think about being in an auto-pilot life, that really is quite accurate. You are moving around, talking and interacting, but in your head, you are anywhere but home, be that another time, another place, or just in your head rather than in your body.
The first step is to catch yourself. Maybe you are noticing how you feel, which feels badly. It's really difficult to feel good when you are in auto-pilot. Or maybe you have moved into auto-pilot because you feel badly so much that it's less painful to be in auto-pilot.
But take a moment to think about this: the very BEST moments of your life, every single time, they were the BEST, because you were being present in your life. You were in your body, in the here and now, and feeling the peace and happiness of being present, because that is the only place where peace and happiness can exist. If you are in auto-pilot, whether for an escape, or just out of habit or busy-ness, you are missing opportunities to create more BEST life moments.
So, how to call your spirit back? Start simple. First, breathe. Take a deep breath. Focus on breathing deeply, how it feels, how it sounds, any smells you pick up, (hopefully they are pleasant).
After you breathe for a few moments, check in with what do you hear? Traffic? Birds? Humming of lights or electronics? You may find that you hear layers of sounds, starting with traffic, and then you pick up the chirping of birds or a dog barking in the distance that you would normally tune out.
Now that you are back in your body, here and now, how do you feel? Do you notice your thoughts, even just for a minute, turned off? Do you feel a sense of peace and centeredness?
THAT is calling your spirit back. With practice, and it's well worth the practice, that sense of presence stays with you longer and longer until you realize you are "at home" with yourself most of the time and all the thoughts and other feelings have diminished significantly or completely.
Calling your spirit back is a step in your journey to Be Well.
Byron Katie has a short post that gives light to this concept. She calls it "Staying in your own business". I highly recommend the quick read.
If you have any questions, you are always welcome to email me. I look forward to hearing from you!
All my love, and Be Well…
Paige