Instead of feeling trapped inside your home or apartment, what if you started to see this as a temporary retreat? Can you turn this victim consciousness into a victorious consciousness? What if you are being called to live, move and have your being refined in an enclosed space for a few months to evolve to a new level of consciousness?
This appears to be a global retreat. We are all being called to stay home and go within, on many levels. The only real choice we have on this Earth is HOW WE RESPOND OR REACT to stress and crises. Moment by moment…victim or victor? With ease or anxiety? We choose, again and again.
I’m not going to list or catalog all the ways you can go inside…because you are smart, and have been aware of mindfulness techniques, prayer, contemplation, meditation, relaxation techniques, Reiki, yoga and much more. There are many paths up that mountain to deepen your awareness, increase your insight and have more inner peace. I’m just here to remind you of what you already know.
“Lisa, I know nothing about going inside myself. Where should I begin?” When I hear this, I often invite my DBT Skills Students to use my 2-2-2 Method of Transformation.
What is the 2-2-2 Method? The broad brush here is you spend two minutes connecting within, two minutes reading something inspirational and two minutes writing. You can do these in any order. To feel successful and build momentum, set a timer for six minutes each day for your practice. If you stay in the process for six minutes, you’re good, even if you don’t tap each category perfectly. The idea is to set your intention and do the best you can.
Meditation: Spend approximately 2 minutes sitting quietly, doing some kind of paced breathing. During this time, consciously seek to access your inner Wise Mind, Higher Power, Ha Shem, Christ Consciousness, Allah, Great Spirit, Buddha Nature, any label will work that is meaningful to you.
Reading: Spend approximately two minutes reading from a personal growth book, inspirational literature, Scripture, angel cards, your DBT book or whatever devotional or uplifting material you have handy. If you have no inspirational literature, this will be a fun shopping trip for you. Ask around, especially if you know someone who you admire for their mental and spiritual wellness. See what they are reading. Take a risk and read it too.
Writing: Finally, do two minutes of writing (in your journal or DBT worksheet). You can just write what you are observing in your mood. My favorite format for basic brief journaling is to write a fear list, do a quick brain dump and just get it out of your head onto the page. Then make a gratitude list (6-10 items or so). Then make a to do list. Then if there’s still time, freestyle and just let it rip. See what comes out of you.
The 2-2-2 Method gives you a structure – but it is flexible – again, you can do these tasks in any order. If you do this daily practice, this will help you advance and make a big difference over time.
If the timer goes off and you want to do more, that’s fine. But the six minutes a day minimum will be great for building momentum here.
Gentle Note: If you’re too busy to invest six minutes/day on your personal evolution, you are too busy. Dial down your Netflix, YouTube, Videogame and other streaming activities. You are worth it! Just six minutes/day will compound over time and create amazing changes in you and give you a life worth living.
Also, do NOT try to do this perfectly! Allow some wiggle room on the 2-2-2 precision. It’s not exact, although sometimes it can be.
The 2-2-2 Method will give you a satisfying structure to add to your day. Truly, this is such a good time to start a 2-2-2 practice and build from it. Over time, you will see this move to longer sessions, and will feel deeply nurtured and empowered by it.
In closing, I appreciate Lynn Ungar’s approach to this pandemic…
Stay safe and well,
Onward and Upward,
Lisa Wessan
The Lighter Side of Transformation 