Shift Your Thinking From Upstream To Downstream

Do you have clients who are struggling? Are they feeling lost and confused and cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel? These deep emotions of hopelessness or helplessness create damaging cycles of disappointment, blame and anger. How can we help them to stop digging their hole and lift their head to see the light?

The key is to help them realize they are paddling upstream. Ask them to imagine for a moment that they are on a swift river. The current is moving at a brisk pace and they are in a boat paddling as hard as they can – except that the boat is pointed upstream. Instead of going with the flow, they are struggling as hard as they can.

That’s ridiculous or stupid, they may say. But the truth is all of us have trained ourselves to exert maximum amount of effort, when all we need to do is to flow with the current of well-being. It’s there for everyone. In fact, it’s our divine birthright, no matter how poorly we judge ourselves, our past behaviors, or conditions and circumstances.

An interesting thought experiment I ask my clients is what would life look like if your emotional and physical well-being is found downstream? How would you behave if your sobriety, joy and passion are downstream? In other words, what if there is nothing to “do” except to choose going downstream? What stress and struggle in the form of trying to make yourself a better person, trying to figure it out, or blaming others for your life circumstances could you let go of?

The more important question is, are you ready to shift your boat downstream? Downstream is where you will find your passion, joy, clarity, creativity and your best self-expression. It’s the place that you allow the connection with your divinity and all the good feelings that come with it. Upstream is where physical and mental exhaustion resides. In this state you feel blame, anger, judgment and confusion, which lead to fear.

But that’s not all. The best part of being downstream is that once the choice is made, a powerful momentum that we call God, source energy or the universe, literally rearranges situations and circumstances to accommodate your choice. Without any effort or you having to figuring it out, things improve. You’ll first notice a shift in how you feel. There will be breaks in the fog of confusion and fear and you’ll  notice episodes of stillness in the chaos. Next will be the outward shifts; some will appear as magical moments of synchronicity and others will be more mundane. None of it is coincidental or accidental. As you shift downstream, you are allowing the stream of well-being to serve your highest and best good without your constant intervention, work, or mental energy.

But as soon as change is evident, do you immediately shift into upstream thinking and sabotage yourself?

Naheed Oberfeld is an EFT practitioner, coach, and speaker based out of Germantown Maryland. She uses EFT and the Law of Attraction to help her clients live their full potential by releasing patterns of behavior that keep them stuck. She has helped her clients grow their business, reach their career goals, and mend broken relationships, all while creating a life of ease, joy, and passion.

If life is a journey, Naheed helps you enjoy the ride! She can be reached at naheed@oberfeldcoaching.com. Her website is www.OberfeldCoaching.com.

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"An approach to the treatment of offenders which emphasizes the role of altering thinking patterns in bringing about change in an offender's life."