Imagine a scenario where heaviness/fear is gone.
The Weight of Anticipation
There is a heaviness in my chest—a crushing, painful feeling right in the center. If I knew more about chakras, I might call it my heart center. This feeling arises whenever I try something new or strive for success and financial comfort. It also emerges when I'm scheduled to be around people. Interestingly, once I'm interacting with others, I feel comfortable and interested in their experiences. It's the anticipation, the scheduling of social interactions, that fills me with dread.
This is the part of myself that I want to heal and is why I turned to journaling as a tool. In theory, it seems as simple as flipping a light switch. One day you feel it - one day you don’t. It might take seconds or years, but one day I’ll realize that the heaviness is gone. I wonder how I will feel instead.
In this moment, I have a choice. I can choose to feel afraid and miserable, or I can imagine what it would be like if the heaviness is gone right now. I spend time envisioning life without this burden until living without it becomes a habit. Like a light turned on, I will realize that I have been experiencing life without the heaviness all along by experiencing it in my visualizations during repeated right now moments.
Journaling makes it easier to create these “now” moments, at least in the beginning. As someone who is starting a journey, I can only share what is helping me now as I go through the thick of it. I am here because I can’t live feeling like this anymore, so it is time to change my experience of life.
Journal Prompts
Describe a moment when you felt a heaviness or discomfort in your chest or other chakra center. What thoughts triggered this feeling?
Imagine a scenario where this heaviness/fear is gone. How does it change your actions, thoughts, and interactions?
What are some new activities or goals you want to pursue but feel held back by fear or discomfort?
Reflect on a time when you were pleasantly surprised by how comfortable you felt. What made it different?
Write about a small step you can take today to confront a fear or discomfort. How does taking this step make you feel?
Envision your life one year from now without the heaviness/fear. What does it look like? How have you changed?
What are some habits or practices you can implement to help ease the heaviness/fear? How can you integrate these into your daily routine?