Posted by: Jan on April 23, 2008
Categories: Spiritual Exercises // Comments Off on Gloom and Doom Down the Drain: Washing Out the Ego Control
I showed up for an appointment just as the manager was finishing a conversation with a young woman. She sat slouched down in the chair with her arms crossed on her chest. Her head was down. I didn’t have to look twice to be aware of the mood she was in.
He reached over to shake my hand and I introduced myself. As I got ready to sit down, I tried not to stare at the two of them. He said something quietly to her, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She got up to leave with the same sullen expression and sad demeanor.
I don’t know her story – but it’s her story that’s hurting her.
Like millions of other people, she’s reacting to getting something she didn’t want or not getting something she did want. It doesn’t make any difference if that’s a job she interviewed for or a renewed relationship with an old friend.
And like so many of us, her ego built a victim story around why she can’t be happy or get on with her life because something or someone is not the way she wants it to be. This ego control is what creates a lot of the gloom and doom in our lives. And many of us are not aware we have a choice in the matter!
Consciously stopping and looking at what we are thinking and feeling is a great way to stop the ego in its mind control games. Realize that thoughts happen. Just like your breathing happens, your thoughts happen unconsciously. Just like you can choose to regulate your breathing, you can choose to change the story your thoughts are telling you.
Who is telling you to feel sad and depressed – your ego! Who is calling you names and putting you down – your ego! Who is telling you that you won’t amount to anything and you can’t get it right – your ego! No matter where you first heard things like this, your ego picked up the information and relentlessly keeps on repeating it.
Any exercise to help you be aware of what you are thinking and feeling is going to stop your ego in its tracks. Ego loses its power as you learn to live in the present moment. Let go of what happened last year, yesterday, or even ten minutes ago. It’s already in the past.
Look at what is happening in this moment. Be as totally conscious as possible of who you are and what you are doing. Let go of all criticism, shame, blame, and judgment of yourself or anyone else. In this moment, give yourself and everyone else a new start with a clean slate!
Here’s more information for specific steps and suggestions in these areas:
- To stay grounded and feeling balanced, read “This Too Will Pass – How to Get Out from under a Mountain” from February 24.
- To deal with reactivity and people who trigger you, read “Resolve Conflict with Fire and Water Imagery” from March 19.
- To connect to your inner space, read “How to Savor the Connection to All-That-Is” from March 26.
- To empower yourself to live more in your soul consciousness, read “Soul-Power at the Pump – Three Easy Ways to Fill up Body, Mind, and Spirit!” from February 28.
As easy as turning on a shower, you can flush the gloom and doom down the drain with any of these easy and effective techniques. Give it a try. Then come back and tell us what works best for you.
Janice M. Puta
Author of Pathways: Tales for the Spiritual Seeker
Free Preview: Pathways: Tales for the Spiritual Seeker