I missed writing a blog post for last Wednesday. I let life get in the way. That troubled me, but I had to let it go. It’s in the past, and that’s not where happiness resides. So, stay in the present. Okay?

I thought of this analogy, and I’m sharing it because I think it’s great.

“Swing away” is a term I heard from the movie Signs, written by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. It’s a suspenseful movie about unfriendly aliens coming to our planet and Mel and Joaquin (a former baseball player) battling them. Mel tells Joaquin, “Swing away,” when an alien is in the room with them. He swung that bat, and the alien was toast!

So, if we imagine our woes and worries as unfriendly aliens in our minds, we can imagine swinging away and knocking those thoughts out of our consciousness. Just imagine swinging a bat at negative and worrisome thoughts, sending them into oblivion where they can’t affect you anymore. That’s what being in the present moment is. Because in the present moment, we can control our thoughts.

I used to have a lot of resentment and sorrow in my head, and it made me stuck. I couldn’t be creative or feel happiness because I felt tethered to those past memories and how they made me feel, thereby reinforcing the old messages I learned as a child that stayed with me into adulthood. I mean, I was not consciously dwelling, but something would trigger the painful memory. My thoughts brought me back to feeling exactly how I felt at the original time. I had to learn to swing away and let it go.

If we think about the “swing away” idea, we can visualize getting rid of negative and self-defeating thoughts and allowing positive thoughts to take their place.

Once we “swing away,” releasing all those yucky thoughts and focusing on our breathing, we can think good stuff, like the following affirmations.

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I am good enough.

I am capable.

I am smart enough.

I believe in myself.

I love who I am.

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Swing away at the stuff that hurts and bothers you. I remember hearing the saying, “Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? It’s about not letting things get to you and sometimes taking the high road to avoid aggravation in your life. “Swing away” at any thought that does not serve you for the better.

Asking ourselves questions can also keep us in the present moment and aware of our thoughts.

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ASK YOURSELF

Why am I thinking this thought? (This helps swing our thoughts back to the present, where we can change what we think into something that serves us well.)

Why am I doing this? (This helps to make us aware of our actions so we can change them. Great for quitting smoking. You have to justify why you are putting something that could potentially harm you in your mouth.)

Would my ideal self like to do this? (This one is great, and I’ve been doing it. It helps to stay true to who you are.)

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Swing away those thoughts that don’t reflect happiness to you and take back control of your life. What we think, we become. Think good thoughts about yourself. Ask yourself those questions. They bring awareness and are so revealing and helpful.  At least, to me, it is. I think I’m on the right track because it’s making me feel better. That’s why I’m sharing this stuff. I want others to feel better, too.

Our minds are powerful. When a soldier comes back from living in horrific war conditions or anyone repeatedly exposed to sadness and pain, the mind stores all those memories. We can’t help doing that. Our brains are recorders. We have every right to feel that way when exposed to that, but we can’t keep living with it day in and day out. That’s what swinging away is all about – helping ourselves not re-live the pain anymore.

Take a chance to live in the present moment and see where it leads you. If you can’t stand it and want to dwell in the past or worry about the future, ask yourself why. Once you answer that honestly, you’ll figure it out. We all have free will.

Like the band Rush’s song “Freewill” says:

You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that’s clear, I will choose Freewill

Thank you for reading this. I would appreciate a comment, even if you leave just an emoji.

To swinging away,

Francesca

Created by a human for humans.

© 2024 FrancescaME | All rights reserved.

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