How often do you feel helpless in a single day—overwhelmed by duties and unattainable goals, trapped in circumstances that seem unchangeable, or victimized by people or feelings you can’t control?
We have limitless capacity to develop, adapt, and succeed from birth, which endows us with inherent strength. We are naturally powerful just by the fact that we figured out how to use our mouths and vocal cords to create words that others can understand and that we acquired abilities to relate to the world around us. How and when do we ultimately lose our power, then?
The demands of modern life have grown more difficult despite (or perhaps because of) the enormous technological advances of recent years. There is little time left for us to unwind, think, and recover as we struggle through our busy weeks under intense pressure to keep our jobs, maintain our lifestyles, or simply make ends meet. It is understandable why stress, anxiety, and depression have been dubbed “the epidemic of the 21st century” when you consider the unprecedented global challenges they face, including climate change, gun violence, COVID-19, inflation, and war.
Why We Are Sabotaged by Our Subconscious Mind
Our subconscious is constantly on high alert, looking for any potential threat similar to what we’ve already experienced, as a result of the chronic stress we are living with. When a threat is identified, our subconscious compares the recent events with memories of earlier incidents of a similar nature. This process puts us into survival mode by bringing up outdated limiting beliefs that make us believe we are about to be abandoned or shamed.
When we get stuck in this survival cycle, we stop acting like capable adults and start acting more like kids. When we receive criticism, we contract like children, go above and beyond to win someone’s approval, and run away under a blanket.
