Dear alchemist,

If things ever feel tense, depleting, or “off” for you… That’s likely due to more action being taken from a place of fear rather than a place of wholeness.

The cycle of fear and anxiety stays alive because it feels extremely convincing. Worry pretends to be necessary.

Genuinely think about this: useful solutions never come about in the energy of fear and worry, only actions that create MORE fear and worry.

That’s because not all emotions are meant to be reacted to or taken as truth. Emotions are just passing waves of energy moving through you. All need to be felt, but not all need to be reacted to. That’s where you come into your role as co-creator.

The pause between response and reaction is where your dream self lives. You can always take a deep breath in that pause and ask them what they would do.

The only reason why it feels hard to break the loop of anxiety and fear is that it’s been practiced. When stressed, your body returns to what it is used to and most comfortable with.

This means... all it takes is one moment of trying a new way of responding, and you have opened up your mind and body to a whole new reality and way of being.

🫧 Today’s Thought Experiment: PART I 🫧

1. Bring to mind one area of your life in which you feel tension, friction, or urgency.

2. What are your automatic responses to this area of your life?

   1. What automatic thoughts do you get?

   2. What automatic physical reactions (and emotions) do you feel?

   3. What automatic assumptions do you make?

3. Pretend now that you are building reality from scratch. It’s your first day here on this earth. (With this mindset, it becomes much easier to test and challenge thoughts that cause suffering. And as we say in this alchemy club… any thought that causes fear and tension is never true at the deepest level.)

   1. Do I want to choose to believe and feed these automatic thoughts?

   2. What could I choose to believe instead that makes my body feel lighter and more expansive?

A habit that has changed my life has been not acting from a place of urgency. Don’t get me wrong, I wake up early, exercise daily, and love working (until I need rest).

But that stress that comes from needing to “hustle,” prove yourself, or stay in anxiety?

I don’t want to feed that loop. You’ll know if you’ve been there before that if you feed that loop, it never actually ends. That’s because it’s not coming from a place of wholeness, so it must feed on itself. It’s completely unsustainable. The good news is that you can (always) rewire it.

🫧 Today’s Thought Experiment: PART II 🫧

1. Think of the daily actions you take every day.

2. Which actions make you feel more at ease and at peace? Which of these makes you feel tense or a sense of urgency?

3. With tense and urgent actions, what desired outcome are you looking for? What would be the best possible case scenario? What emotions would you feel if it all worked out, better than expected?

4. How can you allow yourself to feel those emotions, before and during taking action?

Starting with the end state in mind is one of the most powerful things you can do. You’re not only stopping the loop of fear, but becoming magnetic in the process. The most powerful version of you is the calmest version of you.

And last, but certainly not least: consider this your 100th reminder that self-criticism and self-frustration never work. It’s the most counterintuitive thing ever. We forget that we are on the same team as ourselves, and each action you take is building a relationship with yourself. A relationship of shame and self-criticism never gets anywhere. There is always another way.

Recognize that there is a you. And then, there are all of your thoughts and emotions. They are separate from you. You are the open consciousness observing your thoughts and emotions. You are the space in which they appear, and then disappear.

Mental suffering only exists when there is an attachment, rejection, or grasping of certain thoughts and emotions. Self-compassion and allowing joy and love to feel safe in your body towards yourself will get you to your dream life and self faster than any action will. The shift must happen internally first.

If you want to listen to the podcast episode on this, click here!

You can also treat yourself to a meditation & self-reflection experience here.  

💌 Hit Reply and let me know what you are currently moving through, and what you thought of this week’s letter!

Never forget you are loved, and you are more powerful than you give yourself credit for.

Hugs,

Emma

🤫 PS - If you made it to the end of this week’s letter…hi. I am working on something very exciting for those who are committed to this work. I will soon announce it on my Instagram story and YouTube posts. So.. if you are READY to commit to a new reality where fear-based thinking and old beliefs no longer have a hold over you, stay tuned. 🫂(@emmakarolyna on IG, TT, YT)