Trust & Surrender.
Trust and surrender are interconnected, and the ability to practice both regularly will bring you peace of mind.
Trust is a firm belief in the reliability, truth, and ability of someone or something. You can trust yourself, others, or situations and have a general sense that everything will be ok.
A trusting attitude does not mean blind trust, where you trust everyone and every situation and do not question anything. It’s important to use discernment, ask questions and listen to your gut.
Surrender in this context does not mean giving up completely. It means to stop fighting with yourself and pushing against the natural flow of things. Surrendering is about letting go of things that don’t serve you.
I’ve discovered that when I’m finding it hard to trust and surrender in my life, it is usually fuelled by a strong need to control things because I am dealing with fear and anxiety, need to feel safe, and am worried about what others will think. These overwhelming emotions can cause me to put enormous energy into managing things because I do not believe things will turn out.
When you can trust and surrender to life, things will run more smoothly, and you will have more joy.
Why are trust and surrender so hard?
If your usual default reaction to situations is fuelled with fear and control, trying to have faith that things will mostly work out in life and that you can let go a little will be challenging and uncomfortable.
I love this Albert Einstein quote:
Depending on how you view the universe, you will have a very different experience. If you think the world is mostly hostile, trust and surrender will be rare experiences for you. If you feel the world is mostly a friendly place, trust, and surrender are possibilities and something you can practice if they have been missing from your life.
Your view of the universe can be connected to your life experiences, health, thoughts, and emotions. You cannot change your life experiences, but you can prioritize self-care and manage your thoughts and feelings. You can also view your experiences from a more positive standpoint, and when you do this, it can become your default response, allowing trust and surrender to become more accessible.
How to make a shift?
Self-care
Life will be more challenging if you are not taking care of yourself, or perhaps you can’t because of some ailments. If you don’t sleep, eat, move, and relax well, you will not be in a good frame of mind to be open to trust and surrender.
I do my best to maintain consistent self-care practices, which has been challenging since I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease last November. For many months, I barely had enough energy to function, never mind meditate, go to the gym, and roll out my yoga mat. I was not myself and found my mood quite challenging, and I noticed that trust and surrender were out of reach. I doubted myself and everything around me. I felt stuck, and it wasn’t until my symptoms improved and I returned to a modified self-care routine that I could see my surroundings through a friendlier lens.
Practices that will help cultivate a sense of trust and surrender:
Mindfulness and Meditation.
Regular practice will help you understand your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. With this awareness, being with and accepting things will be easier.
Letting Go of Expectations.
Let go of high expectations of yourself and others and honour where people are in their own experience.
Be Ok with Uncertainty
Of course, it’s normal and expected to have plans and goals, but for the unknown outcomes, be open to possibilities and allow.
Practice Gratitude
Consciously find things to be grateful for every day. You could write 3-5 items in a journal or say them to yourself in the morning or before bed. This has been a life-changing practice for me. When you pause and look for something to be grateful for, it starts to snowball, and then you will see more and more things to be thankful for. It becomes a healthy habit. Having an attitude of appreciation is strongly connected to trust and surrender.
Practice Affirmations
Everything is going to be all right.
All is good.
This, too, shall pass.
I’m surrendering control and letting go.
The Universe has my back.
Obstacles are detours in the right direction.
The more I relax, the more I receive.
I surrender my resistance and allow the universe to give me what I need.
If letting go of control is hard for you, it’s something that you need to practice, and initially, it may cause anxiety because it is so uncomfortable just to let things be. The above practices will help, and the next time you feel this strong need to control something, do nothing and go for a long walk, and then sit still and be with all the thoughts and emotions connected to your need to control, but continue to promise yourself that you won’t act.
Being receptive and allowing things to happen is a skill that can be practiced and improved upon. It helps to believe in a friendly universe that supports you at every turn, so you don’t have to worry about the details.
Challenges with trust and surrender are rooted in a strong need to control things because of what we think will happen if we don’t. This means that we are attached to a specific outcome because we are sure that we know what is right for us and others. Learning to surrender means being detached from the outcome. Letting go of a specific result creates space for other opportunities, sometimes better than what we wanted in the first place.
When we trust that we’re okay no matter what circumstances come our way, we don’t feel a need to micromanage the universe.
When I’m in control mode, I don't feel good physically or emotionally and have that sick feeling that comes with anxiety; my facial and neck muscles are tight, my breathing is barely noticeable, or I’m hyperventilating and can’t sit still.
When I’m in surrender mode, I feel calm and peaceful. My body is relaxed, and my breathing is slow and gentle. I feel comfortable with my decisions and content with whatever happens.
Control mode does not feel good; it has frantic energy, like swimming upstream against a current. Surrender feels relaxed and delightful, flowing with the river.
Trust is foundational, like the strong roots of a tree, and surrender will bloom with the right conditions.
Wouldn’t life feel easier if you could let go of resistance and expectations and flow with what is?
Be well.
Anita
DISCLAIMER; The information on County Yoga Loft’s website blog is for general health care informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith. However, it should not replace consultation or advice from a physician and other healthcare practitioners. The use or reliance of any information contained on this site is solely at your own risk.