By Dr. LaKesha Legree
In the previous article within last month’s edition, I introduced the concept of prioritizing and planning for your personal Exodus. A swift yet pragmatic, transitional departure from pre-conceived notions, ideologies, behaviors and cultural norms that are lingering from your past, your upbringing and in some cases your present. It is extremely important to recognize that NONE of these contribute to your current self-worth, self-peace, self-purpose or self-happiness.
However, without this type of recognition, it is difficult to prevent them from permeating your present life and snow balling into multiple stressors that may create a significant amount of angst and ultimately lead to a diagnosis of anxiety and depression.
If you allow yourself to marinate in the wrong thoughts, particularly self-analytical thoughts, you can find yourself saturated with fear. It is important to recognize that fear is the absolute result of perceived inadequacies. Highly committed people who give life their all every day may still find that they feel an underlying sense of inadequacy because they do not perceive themselves as the ideal partner, parent, or professional. Know that this is ok, that this is normal, that this is part of the evolution of living. Your perception of things is often framed by pre-conceived notions, ideologies, behaviors and cultural norms from you past. What is imperative, is that you recognize this and rid yourself of these inaccurate thoughts about yourself.
So, how do you even start to recognize if you are holding on to anything from your past, consciously or sub-consciously? Ask yourself the following:
- What are my core values?
- Are there grudges that I still have?
- Do I live with regrets?
- Am I afraid of the unknown?
- Am I constantly looking for signs that the past will repeat itself?
- Do I feel as if my past makes me special?
Once the recognition has occurred, how do you begin to break the chains that are connecting your past experiences and teachings to your current perceptions, choices and behaviors?
- Practice Self Talk and live Mindfully
- Know who you are and know what you need to continue being who you are.
- Create an environment of beauty, peace and order by setting boundaries.
- Replace false beliefs and inaccurate memories with truth. (This may require a fast from all technology, particularly social media)
- Recognize that your life, particularly your present, is uniquely yours, not to be compared to another or critically analyzed by another. Resist the urge to give credence to the opinions of others.
It is also important to be mindful of how holding on to the past can have a negative impact on your overall physical health and wellbeing. We will delve into this further in Part 3 of this EXODUS series in addition to dissecting more the process of separating oneself from the past to be fully present and self-fulfilled in the now. Together this will shed some light on how to achieve a sense of purpose, peace, prosperity and happiness throughout the journey of life.
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” Dr. Seuss
Dr. Legree
Medical Director & Owner of Elev8 MD Wellness Center