From Constriction to Expansion

I’ve been going through a rough patch for several weeks. I was feeling worse and worse with each passing day. I tried working with my mindset, I tried to see the silver lining, I tried acknowledging my emotions, and I tried distracting myself. I tried, I tried, I tried, and I was still struggling. I was at an impasse and didn’t know what else to do. 

A few days ago, I had a one-sided “discussion” with the Universe - as in, I finally lost my temper and said some not cool things that made perfect sense to my brain but just felt off in my heart. I basically threw up my hands with a “screw you, I’ve had enough. I’m done trying.” I had no idea how to move forward - with work, with relationships, and with all of the rogue waves that were crashing over my life. 

Later that evening, I found myself sitting down to watch a video on YouTube that a friend had sent me. I’d been putting it off and felt like I should at least watch it. It was about what to do when you lose motivation and feel stuck. It had some good insights, but I still felt like everything was impossible. Logically I got it; emotionally, I was still stuck in the same place. I was feeling just as hopeless and frustrated.

I noticed another video in the sidebar and was drawn to the title. It was Carrie Green’s interview with Cathy Heller: Manifesting & Abundance The Easy Way. The Easy Way is what hooked me. I’m so done with everything being so hard. As my finger hovered over pressing play, I saw that it was just over an hour long. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider watching something over twenty minutes since there's so many other things that need my attention. I figured I’d give it a few minutes and then turn it off. That never happened; I was hooked and watched the video straight through. 

There were so many wonderful insights; I found myself taking a ton of notes. One excerpt from my notes: “Life isn’t meant to be a struggle/hard” [And yet it is]. What’s in the brackets are my personal thoughts. Another note: “The brain is always in lack; the heart is always in abundance. The abundant feeling in the heart is available all the time” [So why can’t I feel it? Probably because I’m so stuck in my brain and my stories]. 

She talked about how the Law of Reception is easier than the Law of Attraction. That you just have to receive what’s already in front of you, immediately in front of you right now. When she said, “When we are tuned to lack, everything feels like lack” [Me!], that hit the nail on the head. I’ve been so frustrated with everything I haven’t been able to achieve. Lately, all I’ve seen are examples of lack in my life. I’ve tried so freaking hard and haven’t been getting anywhere. I was definitely buying into my story that my life's seriously lacking. 

One of my goals for this year is to thrive. I keep hoping for some kind of miracle to turn my life, my health, my finances, and my business around. I’ve kept my nose to the grind, and I keep working my ass off. When she said, “When thriving, you have the most amount of receivership in your life,” it all clicked. I haven’t really been in receivership. It’s like I’ve been pleading with the Universe to help me out while my arms have been crossed tightly across my chest. You have to be open to receive. You have to feel expansive to be open. I’d been feeling the complete opposite - so freaking constricted. 

There were so many other gems that she shared. It’s a business interview, but to be honest, it really applies to life in general. The incredible thing is, after finishing the video, I felt completely different. It was like some huge, dark weight had been removed. I had a complete shift in energy. I felt expansive. Even as I write this a few days later, I still feel expansive. In fact, it’s something I’m going to keep practicing - feeling expansive. 

Our fears, our stories, our limiting beliefs, our perspectives, our heart-walls, our energetic blockages, and our traumas can all keep us in a state of constriction. When we don’t feel safe, we constrict. When we feel like a piñata, taking one hit after another that life throws at us, we constrict. When in constriction, it makes it harder to be open to truly receiving, to being aware of the magic in our daily lives, to be fully present, and to feel the higher vibratory emotions of happiness, joy, excitement, and hope. It makes it tougher to hear our inner wisdom. Whereas if we can shift to expansiveness, that’s where freedom, connection, receptivity, and attraction lie. It also just feels way, way better. Even with a heap of challenges, I feel so much lighter and better. 

How can one feel more expansive? If you know how to meditate, you can allow your energy to expand that way. If you're stuck in constriction, think of something that really lights you up. How does that feel? Take that feeling and try to expand it through your heart. Another way is to allow yourself to feel more joy, more love, and more gratitude - these are expansive energies that are inherent to each one of us. You can get out into a wide-open area in nature to feel more vastness. You can stretch and move your body and allow yourself to take up more space. 

I have to say, I’m so very grateful to the Universe for not taking my tirade to heart. For, instead, sending me the most amazing tool to help me stand steady on my own two feet, open my heart, and step into the life I was beginning to think would only remain a dream. I have a deep knowing that I can receive it now. How beautiful is that? It is my hope that you too will feel the expansiveness that you are and that you will open to the magic that each day holds. 

You can watch Cathy’s interview here.

Heart Hugs, Adrienne :)