The Powerful Message of Resistance

Resistance expresses itself in many different forms. It may show up as simply a willingness to be distracted, or a strong compulsion to be doing something else, anything else. It may also show up as a slight feeling of discomfort in your stomach, or a gut-wrenching, queasy tightening that makes you desperate to run away or stop what you’re doing. No matter what form resistance takes you need to pay attention to it. Resistance tells you that you are facing something that challenges your status quo, something that requires you to change, to face your fears and work through them. Resistance is one of the most valuable emotions you can have. It is a mirror of what’s going on inside your mind at a deeper, subconscious level. It is the doorway to growth, to expansion. It is a friend not an enemy. Gauging Your Resistance Change is constant yet most people don’t like change. Sometimes even the smallest change can be unsettling. For some, larger changes can and have caused mild to severe physical reactions, such as a dry mouth, sweating, hives, shaking, or even depression. Your resistance to change can be an excellent gauge of how deep the change reaches into your psyche and how frightened you are of making the change. The greater the resistance you feel, the more importance you have given the issue or belief that is being challenged or that you know you need to change. Become the Observer As soon as you feel resistance, stop and note what you were doing or thinking that caused you to feel resistance. For example, you grab your keys and are about to go out for a walk. You feel a resistance, a reluctance to leave the house. Is it because you are uncomfortable with what you might experience outside the house, i.e., the cranky neighbor who drains your energy, or the realization of how small you are in comparison to the world at large? Or, are you feeling resistance because you are using going out as an excuse to not have to face something you were thinking about before you decided to take a walk? The answer may simply be that you’ve been indoors a lot lately, so you’re feeling resistance simply because you’re changing a pattern. No big deal. rnHowever, it may also be that you’ve been indoors a lot lately because you’re hiding from yourself, afraid to face the world for some reason, and attempting to go out brings up all that fear which has translated into a feeling of resistance. By observing your feelings of resistance you will begin to know what is a minor reaction to change as opposed to hitting a raw nerve in your subconscious paradigm. Ask for Help If your feelings of resistance start getting in your way and preventing you from taking an action you know you need to take, then get help. For example, asking a friend or joining a group to help you exercise can be very effective in moving you past your resistance. If your resistance, however, is so strong that it’s preventing you from moving forward in your life, then you may want to get help from a therapist or counselor. Resistance, fear and procrastination all have similar emotional and physical sensations and origins. The reasons you are feeling this way can also become larger and larger in your imagination. Asking for help can put your feelings into a more realistic and manageable perspective. Observe. Evaluate. Take Action. Again, resistance is an excellent barometer for change. When you feel resistance, observe it and ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way?” Evaluate your level of resistance. Is it something minor that you can easily talk yourself out of, or is it immobilizing you? Once you know where your resistance is coming from and how strong it is, take action to move past it. It may only take a small action, such as getting up off the couch and doing something. It may also take seeking help from friends, family or trained professionals. It all starts with understanding that resistance is telling you something about your beliefs and that you have the power to change your beliefs.