Stepping Off the Emotional Treadmill

Stepping Off the Emotional Treadmill

12/31/17

Luke 12:22-32

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

We are constantly facing choices in our lives: which job to apply for, what to wear, what to eat, who to go out with, who to love, whether to help or not, how much to give, whether to go or not, whether or not to listen, to understand or not, what to do with our time or life.

The internet suggests that we make between 27 decisions and 35,000 decisions per day. Researchers at Cornell University found that people make 226.7 decisions per day about food alone. I don’t believe science has yet determined an actual number for the decisions we consciously make each day. If we make 200 decisions a day about food, then we must makehundreds more each day at the conscious level about the other multifarious aspects of our lives, and probably thousands per day when we include the automated and unconscious levels.Some choices are trivialand impact our lives in only a small sense. Yet every choice matters, regardless of how small.

There was a time when I didn't eat breakfast. I'd leave the house at 7:30, pick up a hostess pie and a carton of chocolate milk at the corner convenience store, and go to work. Every day about 10:00 I would become incredibly lethargic. This went on for months, until I started looking at the choice I was making for breakfast. Once I discovered that I couldn't eat this much sugar and refined carbohydrates and still expect to function, I chose another food for breakfast. But the choice wasn't easy, because I now had a habit ingrained. I liked those hostess pies, and I liked stopping in to say hello to the people in the store. But my health and my energy level said I needed a change. So, I made it.

As we become aware of them, we can look at all our life decisions in this way. What are the results of our choices? Our choices become theinternal program dictating how we respond or react to a situation. And choices are not necessarily made consciously, are they? When our programming takes over and becomes what we call a habit, then we behave, respond, and speak the same way we always have. How’s that going for you in every part of your life?

Sometimes our solution to everything is to stay busy and not face what needs to be faced: the hurts, emotional struggles, grief, conflicts, temptations, and other challenges. We think that if we stay busy we won’t notice the emptiness and incompletion. Socrates said, “Beware the bareness of a busy life.”

Sometimes we put in so much time at work, or volunteering, or whatever distractions that we have that we just run down our energy levels. Sam Keen said this: Burnout is Nature’s way of telling you you’ve been going through the motions, your soul has departed; you’re a zombie, a member of the walking dead, a sleepwalker.”

Now is the time to look at our lives, to decide if the way we've been doing things is still working. Is the way we continue to respond to criticism still productive? Is the way we react to someone pulling out in front of us on the freeway building the foundations fora loving world? Are the choices we are making for our lives guiding us to what God wants us to be, or are they creating obstacles to be dealt with later? Are the choices of behaviors, thoughts, and words, worthy of a highlights reel? Do we feel good about the choices we are making, or do our stomachs churn?

Are there better ways of doing things in our lives that could bring us more joy, happiness, and peace, and at the same time allow us to give back to the Universe more. We cannot care for others fully if we cannot care for ourselves. We cannot serve others effectively if we cannot serve ourselves effectively.

Are we on a treadmill in some aspect of our lives? Doing things the same old way, but now they don't work as well. Psychologists refer to something called an Hedonic Treadmill. Itis the tendency of a person to remain at a relatively stable emotional level of happiness and satisfaction regardless of life circumstances. As a person makes more money, expectations and desires also rise, which results in no permanent gain in happiness. It is a vicious cycle: we work harder and harder to attain what ends up being the same amount of happiness. Are we spending our time chasing happiness, rather than joy?

Are the habits we have adding any value to our lives? What motivates us to do the things we do and think?

I'll tell you now, that my need for security has been an anchor around my heart. It holds me down, and drowns my happiness. My need for security hasbeen an adulthood-long fear of following my dreams. In truth, there is no security in a job, or money or social position; all of that can be taken from us. If security is our goal, then we are motivated by fear of loss. But what we are learning from the guidance of Spirit is that the only true security rests in the knowledge and heartfelt belief that God is our Source, the Source of all of our good.

Research shows that 50% of our capacity to be happy is genetic; 10% is from external circumstances, and 40% is from our choices. So, the good news is that we can improve our happiness, contentment, and satisfaction levels.

Let's discuss what can be done.

Step #1. First, be willing to look at our life objectively with the heart and the head. Acknowledge our talents and weaknesses, and know where we are going. We know the nature of a treadmill: we walk and walk and walk and walk, thinking we are doing something, but not getting anywhere. We may be working at a job that pays the bills but doesn’t leave room for the pursuit of what really inspires us. Under these circumstances, weare getting something done, but not in the most fulfillingmanner. And that's what we want out of our lives, isn't it? We want to be all that we can be; all that God wants us to be, not just a part.

When we discover that we are on a life treadmill, why not step off for a few moments and take a break?We do it in the gym; even hamsters get off to drink, sleep, and eat.Step off long enough to look at this device, this programming, this method of thinking and living, and see if it is moving us towards all that we dream to be, or if it ismerely a means of thoughtlessly generating activity without moving anywhere.

It is important to recognize, acknowledge, and accept the treadmills, the unthinking habitual responses and choices we make. Do not judge them; these are our areas of growth. Be thankful for them, and be gentle on ourselves.If we can't look at our self objectively, we can ask our friends. They can tell us where our treadmills are, because they've seen them for years.

Step #2. After we've acknowledged that we have treadmills in our life, we can decide whether we want to step off permanently. Christ will guide us when it's time to get off and stay off. For some treadmills we will get off and get back on because we still need the exercise; we still have lessons to learn. For others, we will stay off for good.

Step #3. If we decide to stay off a treadmill, ask for God's help. We have the strength within to eliminate any unproductive thought patterns or behaviors; it is a gift from God. We have that power within us. Affirm the Truth about who we are: I am a Child of God and I am peaceful in every circumstance. I am a happy, healthy, prosperous Child of God. We then acknowledge that God has heard our prayer and is at this moment helping us overcome any obstacle in our path.

Step #4. After we've asked Godfor help, remain open to the answers and solutions that appear in our life. We will be given the path to a solution through books and other media;through intuition, friends, acquaintances, strangers, or organizations. Be ready, alert, responsive, and expectant; solutions are on their way.

Step #5. It is important to thank God for the solution, strength, or whatever it is that you are asking for, even before it appears.

Step #6. Stay aligned with the Truth about yourself. If we need to do all these steps again, we do them. Repeat the entire process as many times as it takes to believe it. It makes no difference to God how many times we repeat them. There is no judgment, and we must be ready mentally and emotionally to receive God’s solution. It matters not if we repeat these steps 500 times for one treadmill. Remain non-judgmental, non-resistant, and persistent.

Is it possible to escape the treadmill altogether? Yes, by raising our awareness of the love and compassion within us andby increasing our feelings of warmth and care for ourselves and others.

One means to do this is through what is called the Loving Kindness Meditation. To practice this simple meditation, during our prayer time we find a comfortable seated posture, take a couple of breaths to settle in, then focus on our heart region and contemplate a person for whom we feel warm and tender feelings. We hold them in our minds while focusing on our hearts. Next, we extend those feelings to ourself and then to an ever-wider circle of others.

This simple exercise can change passing emotional states, as well as help heal past hurts and increase our feelings of compassion, wellness and happiness.

My prayer is that we will choose to step off the treadmills of our negative and unproductive emotional and mental habits. As we let them go weallow the satisfaction, contentment, joy, peace, health and prosperity of God to fill us. All of God's Good is manifesting in and through our lives; and so it is.

Let us Pray….