Beginning to break from familiar patterns, such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, stress, anxiety, overthinking, and self-preservation is not easy, but it does lead to inner peace. Building awareness around practices you reinforce each day, doing the opposite, and offering yourself compassion can help break these cycles to give you more peace.
Building Awareness
Before you can affect change, you must build awareness around what you want to begin shifting. For example, when it comes to breaking unhealthy or unhelpful patterns, ask yourself questions like, “What are the patterns, beliefs, habits, and emotions that I experience each day that keep me stuck?” “What is this way of being, feeling, or thinking keeping me from?” “Are there certain triggers that reinforce or activate this pattern of mine?” These can help you recognize the things that are not serving you so you can release them.
Acceptance and Compassion
While you are creating change in your life, you must accept where you are before you begin. Although you may think if you accept something negative you will not change it, change is not possible without acceptance. If you resist something instead of accepting it, it will persist.
It is also important to offer yourself compassion as you are changing behaviors and thoughts that are no longer or never were in your best interests. These old ways of being are defense mechanisms from a version of you that you now want to move past. Self-compassion can look like validating what you are feeling, giving yourself permission to make a mistake, and forgiving yourself when you resort back to old patterns.
Doing the Opposite
When it comes to creating change, try doing the opposite of what you have always done. For instance, if the habit you want to break is people-pleasing, start by setting boundaries, and sit with the discomfort that comes up when you do practice the opposite action.
It can be helpful to learn emotional regulation tools to support yourself through your process of change. The best way to do this is by working with a therapist.
Disrupting familiar patterns that no longer serve you is easier said than done. Oftentimes, it is the things that are challenging that can lead you to a more peaceful and simple way of life. What leads to ease and what is easy are not the same. Through building awareness, giving yourself compassion, and doing the opposite, you can break patterns that are limiting you from your full potential.
Disrupting familiar ways of being that have kept you safe takes time. It can be hard to challenge what you’ve always done. This is why building awareness around the change you want to create, self-acceptance, and self-compassion as you do the opposite are necessary for change. At Avalon Malibu, we recognize how challenging this can be to attempt alone and are here to help you as you build emotional regulation tools to support your healing. If you are ready to experience inner peace, call Avalon Malibu today at (844) 857-5992.
