It’s not how you feel, but how you feel – that matters. It’s a simple sentence to say, but perhaps not so easy to live. When you don’t let how you feel control you – even in difficult circumstances – you’ve come a long way. Stop being reactive – and become proactive. When we realize that we can and should choose our state of mind – every day – then we have reached the next level. (Updated from first publication 1 Oct 2017)

I helped an 84-year-old woman who had COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and had difficulty breathing. I visited her and we reconnected, as she was the mother of a childhood friend. I gave her my special Joy healing so she could relax and breathe easier. She said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced! It was a joy for me to do this for her, to bring her some joy and ease at the end of her life.

Although she was more or less in pain all the time, and had difficulty breathing, she smiled a lot and only talked about the good things. In her old age, she had started practicing Mindfulness to deal with her breathing problems. We then discovered how much we had in common, because I have been doing Mindfulness since 1993.

The elderly lady knew she had little time left, and didn’t let how she was doing determine how she felt. It was a big deal, when she could have complained about a thousand things and how difficult her life had become. It was hard just to walk up the stairs in her house, and she could no longer work in her beloved garden.

What a wonderful woman she was, and I am so glad I got to share the end with her. She had understood. We could sit and look each other in the eye without speaking, and we knew…. Brilliant woman, I miss her.

You have a choice

It is a really good injection for our whole being to be reminded that we have a choice! That there is always a choice no matter how difficult it seems. The problem today is that so many people leak energy by, for example, getting stuck in negative things and thoughts, or forgetting to replenish with positive energy every day. This is true in both physical and immaterial form.

It can make you feel tired and then burnt out – because you feel you have no choice. They may not be seen or listened to at work or by those around them, and may not believe they have the power to do anything about their situation.

That’s why it’s important to recognize that we have a choice – and that we use it. That we can choose our reactions to what is happening – or choose not to react at all. That we can stay calm, whatever happens – while focusing on what is positive and working. It is important and protective.

Because what we think, we manifest.

Awareness raising leads to better lives

To increase our awareness, we need to spend time with ourselves. Why not do it, because you are the only person you are sure to have in your life – all your life! Spend time finding out who you are and what makes you feel good. Become your own best friend. And take responsibility for yourself and what surrounds you in your life. Only you can decide this.

We are both the actor and the director on the stage of life.

One friend described how one of the first steps for her was to start taking responsibility for herself by trying to be her own good parent. This was the prerequisite for her to dare to take back her power in life, and for her to dare to defend and stand up for herself. She needs to remind herself many times that she had choices, make sure to choose actively and be aware of the choices she made during a day. As encouragement, she gave herself praise and thanked herself for them in the evening.

When she had problems at her job, she had to remind herself every morning, very consciously and firmly, why she went to work. It was to earn money both for her survival (rent and food) and to do the things she wanted to do. It helped her get through that difficult period.

We always have a choice, and it is both our right and our obligation to ourselves to use these choices. We can choose what is good for us and what gives our life meaning (or several sub-sentences).

It is also good to give yourself tasks that you make sure you complete. It may be a simple thing every day, but deciding on something good to do and following through on it strengthens you from within. It gives you self-respect but also self-love and self-confidence. It also makes it easier to hear your own voice, as if it becomes stronger and clearer the more it feels heard and answered.

But as I said, it all starts with how you feel – and how you feel is the key. When we realize that we can choose it, then we have come a long way. It’s something you practice, and it pays off. It builds personal strength. Practice makes perfect, because what we practice grows.

The law of life

All according to how the Law of Life works:

• What I feed, grows
• What I train, strengthens
• What I think is manifested
• What I feel, I attract.
• What I believe in, I create.

Just like a plant, what you feed grows. Your muscles are strengthened when you exercise. What you think about and believe in is strengthened, you get more of it. Every thought creates a neural pathway, so your thoughts become permanent and manifest in concrete terms. We humans are strong emotional beings, and what you feel also becomes the energy you radiate – and thus also what you attract to you.

The law of life is not something I have come up with myself, because it is the law of life and follows the principle of the universe. But I have put it together and formulated it in these simple terms.

It is extremely important because the brain cannot distinguish between what you believe and what you know – so therefore what you believe becomes your reality. Your belief system, what you believe in, is incredibly important. Calling this a “placebo” and dismissing it as hocus-pocus or coincidence is completely wrong. Use this enormous power instead. It’s uniquely human – and we possess unique powers, if we realize and start using them.

We are all created by life, so we follow its laws. We humans come from nature, and we are and always will be part of nature. We also need to live in accordance with the laws of nature in order to continue to exist. That is the way it is.

I wish you a great day!

– Text partly from New Stop Fighting – Start Living (2016).

The best way to learn to choose your emotions is the Blissful Body method – read about it here!

Dr. Sanna Ehdin