My beautiful friend in America sent me a very cool present for my birthday and in that parcel was Steven Pressfield's book, The War of Art. That book had been on my radar for so long and here it was in my hot little hands, just in the nick of time.
"Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. Its a repelling force. It's negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work."
by Steven Pressfield - The War of Art
Not only has resistance been hanging around like a bad smell of late, it has been thwarting me my whole life. I have just started this book but it feels like, as the foreword writer said, it was written just for me. I have always been aware of resistance, more and more as I grow in sensitivity to energy. I have learnt to recognise it, feel into it, question it and it can be bloody exhausting, can you relate? Don't get me wrong I have pushed through my fair share, but it has taken me down and held me back as well.
Resistance is a force, a force to be reckoned with and now with a new understanding, as he (Steven- my new best friend), has broken it down in a way thats made me recognise ALL the different directions that force comes from. Thankfully it just makes me more determined to continue working on kicking its arse, well today anyway.
Resistance comes up with any change, our move interstate, a new school for my girls, making new friends, finding a place to work from, getting myself out there in this new environment to connect with clients, resistance has been challenging me intensely. Not only do I have to push through my own, but I have to encourage and sometimes force my girls to push through theirs and hold space when my husband is dealing with his.
How do you recognise resistance?
It's everywhere, in our boredom, our distractions, our vices, our self pity, our self talk, blaming others, our fear of what other people think, the list goes on.
How do we fight it?
Good Question! Personally I feel first and foremost we just have to be aware of it. My husband reminded me of the saying 'What we resist, persists' I say it a lot to my clients when they are on my table for healing. As I guide them into relaxing, a lot of thoughts can come up in that quiet space, my advice is to acknowledge them and let them go gently, if we keep resisting them they just persist for attention and its harder to relax and embrace your precious time. Resistance is not going away any time soon, its here for a reason and we need awareness, we need to feel why and how resistance has come bounding in to sweep us off our feet.
So here are some of the things I suggest:
Push through! If the initial feeling around whatever you are or were doing was one that brought great joy and excitement and you have hit a wall, yell at resistance to take a hike and keep going.
Ask for help! Accountability seems to be something that the majority of us need in order to combat resistance, our word is a big deal so if we are accountable to someone in a positive way, we will always do what it takes to reach our goal even if resistance is nipping at our heels.
Get outside! Get grounded, take a break, regroup, meditate, stretch your body. Resistance can be the driving force behind burn out, listen to your body and take it outside, nature is such an amazing way to fill your cup, clear your head and get back to what you were doing in the first place.
Time for a healing! If you are open to energy healing this can help immensely, letting go of old self beliefs that don't align with your higher self, your soul purpose. Not all energy work is woo woo, there are many modalities out there to suit everyone even those who are a little unsure.
Journaling! Writing your feelings and fears down is such a powerful tool, once its out we are freer to have a different perspective around what was causing us to resist in the first place. If you don't feel you can speak it out, then write it out.
While all and any of the above have helped me through many points of resistance in my life, Im looking forward to reading on for further guidance.
So let's go resistance, my passion is connecting people with their innate ability to heal themselves, it's my purpose and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to use you as a driving force, I'll fight or surrender.
I guess that's why Steven called it The War of Art!
Bring it on!
Your turn now. I would love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on Resistance? Share your experiences below to inspire each other.
Much love