8th Feb 2018 | Article

Creating Space for the New

You’ve set your intention to change, you have set your goals, and now you want to integrate this new change into your life. Except that humans are creatures of habit and your current life was set up years ago in a way that you liked back then. There’s routine, there’s habit, there’s probably not much room for anything new. If you want to invite something new in, you may need to invite something else to leave. It’s all about creating space in which the new can take root.

All Aboard

Imagine your life as a bus journey. You’re the driver, at the helm, and you’re driving down the road, through diverse landscapes and scenes. As you drive, you pick up passengers (which could be people, objects, thoughts, emotions, energies). Some of these will have been voluntarily picked up, others involuntarily.

If your bus is fully loaded, there’s no space for new arrivals – but also the bus is under more strain. Carrying old ‘stuff’ may become an annoyance or even a hindrance.

Tips For Creating Space

Here are some tips to help you on your way:

1. Take stock once in a while and be objective about what you have onboard. 
2. You may feel attached to old ‘passengers’ and experience a reluctance to let them go. Consider what would serve you better now – and make it as real and intense as possible. Then see how you feel about the old.
3. Emotions are like signposts. Use them to guide you. How does each passenger make you feel? is this a pattern, or a one-off?
4. If you decide to invite a passenger to step off, do so with gratitude and without judgement. Acknowledge that, even though it may not be immediately apparent, there has been a valuable experience or insight thanks to them.
5. You can take stock more regularly, keeping a daily gratitude journal – or simply naming a few things that you’re grateful for as you lie in bed at the end of your day.

Nicolas Michaelides, Hypnotherapist and Coach