This exercise is so simple, yet super effective to rewire your brain!
I apply it in my daily life, and it is one of the exercises I give to my clients when they come for 3 or 6 hypnotherapy-coaching sessions.
But first, why is this exercise so powerful?
You see, from the moment we are born, we learn "unconscious programs". One of the biggest is the "scarcity mindset program".
- I must work hard to be successful
- Only rich people can afford that
- My parents don't have a good education; it will be the same for me. I can't expect to live differently from them.
- I don't deserve success if I am a good person.
- In 30 years, the house will be ours
- I can't go on holidays this year, maybe next year
- I should have just enough to go to the cinema this week
- I wish I could buy this item, it would make my life easier, but I just can't afford it.
- I must finish my plate, some people in the world can't even eat that.
- If I eat pasta 3 times a week, I should be able to save for a roast on Sunday.
And so on... the list is limitless.
We always think on something we don't have or we can't have. It is out of reach.
This usually comes from a mix between our upbringing, the society in which we live in AND, if we decided to BELIEVE it. Because the real issue is the belief.
Why in a same family, siblings will have different lifestyles?
One can have an incredible 'successful life', while the other one can live the opposite.
Why? Only because of the belief system we have created, or the program, like in Matrix. Depending on the program you will download in your subconscious mind, you will experience life differently.
Why do I say that?
Because programs are unconscious. You have created them a long time ago, based on your experience. You have attached some 'negative feelings' to those programs and each time you encounter a similar experience, you reinforce the negative feeling, which reinforce the program (limiting belief). So, if young you saw dad working so hard that you couldn't see him often, you may start to believe (unconsciously) that to be successful, you must work hard and not counting your time at work. Or you may create the opposite (unconsciously), I prefer to be with my family because I don't want my kids to suffer like I did, but that means I probably won't make the same amount of money.
In general, regardless of our upbringing, we will develop some sort of limiting beliefs. And the problem is that we are not aware of them because they are part of us.
The good news is that it can be reversed, BUT it takes some work and commitment. The same signal you sent in your body and mind over and over, you need to change it. And the body LOVES habits. If you stop the habit, it will fight all it can to bring you back into what it already knows. This is why it is hard to quit smoking or to go on a diet. The body developed a habit to compensate some unconscious negative beliefs (I am bored, I need a break, I am not good enough, I hate myself...).
Ok, but, what about this exercise, Lilly?
This exercise has the ability to keep you in the present moment and connect to your heart. Your heart is an incredible and powerful organ in your body. It has its own neurons called neurites which are faster to feel the environment than the brain. When you enter a room and you feel tension, this is because your heart senses the tension before your mind learns about the origin of the tension (which can be two people arguing).
The exercise that is simple, yet powerful and loved by my clients is the gratitude exercise.
When we are in a state of gratitude, we are present in our body and we feel an elevated emotion that is hard to explain. It is like it has the ability to dissolve any negative thoughts, beliefs, it feels outside of temporality, meaning, it is not attached to the past or future. It is HERE and NOW. It is directly connected to your heart and it sends some new signals to your mind and body that everything is perfect as it is.
You see, this is the key because our body is ALWAYS in the past or the future (because of our mind-program). If someone had a phobia from dogs because young they have been attacked by a dog, the body will hold the fear and each time they will see a dog, it will active and reinforce the same signal of fear.
When we practice gratitude daily, it slowly creates new signals to the mind: "Right Now, I am grateful for my day, for my life, nothing from the past or the anticipation of the future can prevent me to be here and now, present and happy".
The key is to feel the elevated feeling of gratitude.
1- Every evening, before going to bed:
Close your eyes and think of at least 2 or 3 moments, people, situation you feel grateful for. It can be looking at a leaf, the sky, a cuddle from your child, anything. If you don't find anything, think again, there is always something good that happened in your day, You just focus and remember only the bad things.
Then bring your hand to your heart to increase the focus and feel the gratitude in your heart about this specific person, situation, event, object. Stay there as long as possible. If your mind wanders, just gently bring it back to the feeling of gratitude.
2- Every morning, before getting up:
Think ahead about the thing you will be grateful for. Before your mind start its habitual process of fear, complaint, worries... Same as the night before, anticipate about the feeling.
This will set up your mindset in a different way. The more you do this anticipation, the easier it gets and above all, the faster you will see the positive changes in your daily routine.
3- Do it daily for at least 3 months. And if you stop, notice the differences.
Our body is the hardest to recondition, it will do anything to stop you from this new thing. Why? Because it has created all the chemical receptors of the old habit. It doesn't want to change them. It took it years of creating these receptors, it is scared of the change. It is unknown. This is why it is important to guide it toward the elevated emotion you want to feel. Slowly by slowly, with gentleness, it will change the chemical receptors to new ones, more positives for you.
When this happens, I can guarantee you that your life inside and around you will be day and night.
Of course, this is one exercise. There are more self-work and changes to create, but it is a good start. Daily meditation, mindfulness are also extremely powerful to help you in your own self-healing journey.
I am Lilly, the author of this article. I went through my self-healing journey (and still on) and I now focus my life on bodywork and hypnotherapy to support others on their own journey.
Sometimes, we need an outside source to guide us into our self-liberation. I work with people suffering from different issues, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, phobia, cancer support...