A
key principle used in psychological circles today, in order to end
self-sabotage, is to notice the triggers that occur during the moments of our
day. These triggers affect our thoughts and cause negative emotions to raise
red flags for us to see.
When
a negative emotion surfaces, triggered by some event we encounter, it can lead
us to lies from our flesh, the world and the devil that attempt to sabotage our
thoughts, which then effect our emotions and behavior.
When
we feel unhappy, frustrated, disappointed, discouraged, depressed, angry, etc.
we can follow the trail of these emotions to the source. We rewind the memory
of the events of the past few moments, hours, days, or years, and pay attention
to the details.
What
situation immediately preceded these feelings? What thoughts filtered through
our mind that caused these emotions to surface? We pay attention to them
without judging our self for feeling them, or lecturing our self about them.
Examining
each thought for a few moments, and giving it value and validation, rather than
censorship, we uncover the circumstances that induced and influenced these
thoughts and feelings. This stops the negative spiral and frees us from its
torment.
If
we can change the outcome of the occurrence through our own efforts, then we do
it. If not, then we turn the circumstances over to God to deal with. We allow
God's Word to comfort, to instruct or to give us courage as we face both
inconsequential as well as momentous future incidents.
As
we gain God's perspective about the state of affairs in which we find our self,
we take our thoughts captive and exchange them for His wisdom, peace and joy -
even during a negative experience (2 Corinthians 10:5).
He
then provides us with His freedom as we change our focus and attitude about the
person, place or episode that triggered this dilemma in the first place. We see
it through spiritual rather than through carnal eyes, and through God's Truth,
rather than through our insecurities and fears.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for enabling us to recognize triggers that stir up either
memories from our past, discomfort in dealing with the current moment, or insecurities
about our future. Help us to relinquish our pride and anger that we use to
defend our self from further abuse and unpleasant experiences. Teach us to rely
on Your Word to overcome negative thoughts, and to plan our actions, rather
than to over-react to situations as they occur.
We
trust in the fact that You are in control of every event in our life. Help us
to submit to Your loving kindness and to have faith in Your faithfulness to
work out even the most negative tribulation for our good (Romans 8:28). Remind
us to distance our self from the situation emotionally, and physically if
possible, in order to look at it more logically and spiritually. We trust in
You with all of our heart.
Thought
for the Day:
Deep
breathing exercises help us to stop the negative effects of panic and stress on
our body and soul, and help us to calm our thoughts in order to trade negative
emotions for positive ones; then we can examine the moment and uncover the
trigger that caused our panic as we also exchange negative thoughts and
emotions for God's truth.
-
Philippians 4:8
Deep
Breathing Exercise:
Breathe
in for a count of 6, hold your breath for a count of 6, exhale for a count of 6-8
as we calm our thoughts and remember that God is in control, regardless of the
circumstances. Repeat for several minutes until we feel our body relax.
