When we feel agitated generally speaking we have probably gotten hooked by something. Some situation we find ourselves in makes us feel stuck or frustrated. Maybe it is a person we have had to deal with who just gets our blood boiling, so to speak. Every time we think about it we get all worked up again. In these situations there is an energy that we feel. It is the energy of the hook. It is not just a passive experience it is as if the hook contains an electrical charge. Like an electric fence, every time we go there we get shocked again and again. And we seem to go there over and over even though we know we will get zapped.
What if we noted the energy of the hook. What if when we felt that energy we stopped and reflected instead of reacted. What if we told ourselves that there was a better way to channel that energy. For instance, instead of getting aggressive and lashing out we could see this as an opportunity to break old habits. Like when someone quits smoking they have to note the craving and then do something different.
The energy of the hook is not our only option. There is also energy in nature's beauty. There is energy in moments of inspiration. There is energy in the wonder of things, like how lucky we are when we get someplace just in time for someone to free up a perfect parking spot. Or when someone surprises us with a gift, or an act of kindness just when we need it. Some of us feel this energy when we are with our favorite people or in our favorite places. Sometimes we feel this energy when we are engaged in artistic pursuits or out in nature. This kind of energy is always available to us we just forget that it is there.
If we note that we are experiencing the energy of that hooked feeling then we can make a choice. We could remind ourselves of the energy we feel when we are doing our favorite activities. We could try to channel the hooked energy into something constructive. We could remind ourselves to do what I call health distraction, like play some music, go out into nature. Or we can just sit with it like a craving and not act it out. In this way we learn to harness that energy and get back in charge of our lives. This is how we break these unproductive habits instead of be lead around by them.
Next time you feel the charged hook sink itself into your mind just note the energy that goes with it. Note the agitation or physically discomfort. Then take that energy outside or someplace where the energy could be transformed into something useful and see what happens.
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