Late last summer we had a very strong thunderstorm. This storm broke many tree branches and spread debris all over. There was one tree in my back yard that suffered a major limb break. I’ve watched this broken limb now through fall, winter and spring. As the seasons have passed it did not respond with the rest of the tree. As fall approached, the tree started to change colors, from green to yellow and orange. But the broken limb stayed green, as fall began to ware on, the tree preparing for winter started to shed all of its leaves, the yellow and orange leaves dropped from the tree. But the broken limb held onto its leaves. Now as we enter spring, a time of growth, this broken limb, is still holding fast to the tree, and holding on to its long dead leaves. When the tree is functioning properly it goes through a regular process, growing leaves, the leaves collect energy from the sun and then at the end of the year, the leaves are discarded. This cycle repeats year after year, the tree keeping branches but growing new leaves. If the process breaks, the tree cannot remove the broken branch or get rid of the old leaves. This got me thinking about the way we process storms in our own lives. These storms that overwhelm and damage parts of our mind. This damage is called trauma. We are left with remnants of old thoughts that should have been discarded as we grow and mature. These old thoughts continue to interact with our current thinking, often with negative impact on our actions and reactions. These thoughts often show up as negative self talk, “I can’t, I’ll never be good enough, I don’t deserve…”
How do we identify the outdated thoughts? First we must step back and recognize that we have reacted to a trigger, meditation is a great tool to allow you to see your mind in action. Next, we have to find tools to prune and process these outdated thoughts. It is impossible for the tree to remove its own broken branches. It needs a skilled arborist to remove the broken branch. Depending on the impact the thoughts are having on your life, you also need someone to support the removal of the destructive negative talk. Therapy or coaching can each offer relief. Personally I’ve found that through talk therapy and the Internal Family System (IFS), I have identified stuck parts. Health coaching has enabled me to change my view of food and exercise, allowing me to get unstuck.
We all have some storm damage that is effecting our lives, you owe it to your future self and your family to prune these damaging thoughts. If you want to find out what outdated thoughts are keeping you stuck, schedule a Health Transformation Breakthrough Session.
