Love, Joy and Imagination Reduce Stress in Problem Solving

Learn how love, joy and imagination reduce the stress in problem solving.

When you get scared, your logical mind wants to take over in order to make sense of chaos. You stress yourself in an attempt to control life. There is an easier path. Love, joy and imagination allow you to respond to difficult challenges with the tools to thrive and the alchemy to transmute limitations into mastery.

So life has dealt you an unexpected bad hand of cards.

• You are diagnosed with a serious disease.
• Your elder parent shows signs of dementia.
• Your daughter is pregnant out of wedlock.
• Your son drops out of high school.

This is not what you had planned. Your mind immediately labels these unexpected events as bad. Now you are scared. Bad things are scary. The unknown is scary.

When we are scared, our logical mind wants to take over in order to make sense of chaos. We have been trained to use logic in order to solve problems. Having diagnosed the event as a problem, you summon your logical mind to solve this riddle.

Ah, but you are playing a trick on yourself.

The Irrational Trick of the Rational Mind

Under your so-called logical judgments, labeling and reasoning, you are truly acting from a place of fear.

• Fear summons the Reptilian Brain to your defense.
• Fear closes off your cellular intelligence to the richness and possibility of your environment.
• Fear closes off most of your brain activity to transfer all your energy to your defense system.

The Reptilian Brain learns quickly and early on, but forgets very slowly. It still functions on the early defensive strategies and beliefs that you learned in your childhood. You are regressing!

The trick is that you do not know that you are acting from your Reptilian Brain because your logical mind justifies your actions rationally!

You go into denial, but your rational mind says:

• “This is just this doctor’s opinion. He’s an old doctor. He’s not up to date. I’m sure is a mistake from his old equipment.” So why don’t you get a second opinion?

You logical mind says:

• “Mom is fine. She’s just recovering from a flu.” Is that why she can’t remember who you are?

Your logical mind can be pretty illogical. It will find bits and pieces of logic to defend your irrational behaviors.

• You go into over-drive and spend long hours cramming information about your disease in order to take control of your condition. While this by itself is empowering, if you do it from fear; it may actually work against your healing process.
• You become the “expert” in your mother’s condition, deciding that she has Alzheimer and labeling each tiny forgetfulness. You begin to imagine all sorts of future limitations and to feel that you cannot cope with them. You create massive stress for her and for yourself.

What is really happening is that you are trying to control life. You are trying to fit the vastness of life into the tiny plans of your logical mind.

When life refuses to play according to your scripts, you label the event a tragedy, crisis or problem.

Then you stress yourself mentally, physically and emotionally by trying to figure out a new plan. You try to re-write your script to contain the unknown forces of the universe operating in your life.

But life cannot be contained.

By labeling, judging, resisting, avoiding and trying to control events mentally, you steal your greatest gift.

You are blinding yourself to the Sacred Gift in the design of what is. A simple change of perception can uncover this gift.

• You are diagnosed with a serious disease. How did you create this disease? Seeing this may help you retrieve your joy, talents or life purpose and create a life of delight and quality.
• Your elder parent shows signs of dementia. How can you help her delay cognitive deterioration? Learning about this may bring powerful tools into the lives of both: a healthy diet, powerful supplements, knowledge about the latest discoveries on how the brain works, new attitudes and the opportunity to heal the past.
• Your daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. Listening to her at this moment and supporting her choices may empower her in a way that no nagging has done.
• Your son drops out of high school. Listening to his dreams and helping him seek alternative paths for his evolution may lead to great adventures and an unexpected path to success.

This is not what you had planned. But this is what The Divine has planned. This may also be what you created with hidden beliefs that are now detectable if you look at your steps in this creation.

The Enchanted Path

There is an easier way to face the unknown.

Extend love to everyone and to the event. Enjoy its unexpected gifts. Use your imagination to discover the Sacred Design embedded in the events and to bring the gems of potential to the surface.

Let’s take these Internal Actions one at a time.

Extend love to everyone and to the event

I’m not recommending that you love the fact that you or your loved one is sick. I’m not saying to condone or conform to unacceptable behavior.

What I am saying is to stop judging, because judging is useless and is a breach of the Law of Love. I am recommending that you stand in the place of Unconditional Love towards yourself and others. From that place, love spreads its miraculous healing and transformative powers to improve the situation and uncover its greatest potential for the wellbeing of all.

Enjoy its unexpected gifts

I’m not asking you to jump in joy because you are sick or your teenage girl is a single mother.

What I am suggesting is that you quit your job as the sole scriptwriter, director, editor and actor of life and see yourself as part of a creative team. You had A in mind, but The Divine, who is co-creating this life with you, hand you B. Trust in the Divine Design. Listen deeply. Look with new eyes. Expand your perception. Unlock its possibilities. Trust that this path will lead you into great lessons and rich unfolding of your potential and the potential of your loved ones. But this is only possible if you cooperate.

To cooperate with the Sacred Design of life, you need to become receptive. Instead of resisting or trying to control, listen with all your senses, intuition, love and imagination. Listen to what wants to unfold. See its goodness and potential. Nurture it.

Imagine the possibilities

Now you are ready to use your imagination to discover the Sacred Design embedded in the event and to bring the gems of potential to the surface.

When you face these events with love, joy and imagination, you can transmute them.

• You are diagnosed with a serious disease. You now make a commitment to stop overworking and worrying and to place your wellbeing at the forefront of your life. You seek help to heal yourself through deep internal transformation, alternative modalities and good medicine practices.
• Your elder parent shows signs of dementia. You learn to enter her world with love, simplicity and humor, so that you become a source of support, minimizing her fear and confusion. In return, your life becomes more essential, loving and soulful.
• Your daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. By listening to her wishes, you realize that this is her way of growing up and you help her use this deep desire to embrace self-growth.
• Your son drops out of high school. By listening to his feelings, you realize that seating in a classroom and academic achievement are not his path. You help him find his path and design alternative ways to success. In the process, you expand your perception and learn about many different job alternatives.

In the middle of fear, chaos and confusion, simply remember and repeat this wisdom:

Love, joy and imagination
allow me to respond to my challenges
with the tools to thrive
and the alchemy to transmute
limitations into mastery.

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