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Have you ever read a book and, as soon as you finished it, wanted to pick it up and read it all over again? That’s how I felt when I turned the last page of Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. It’s rare that a book comes along that gives you a completely new outlook on life, one you can use to improve the quality of how you experience each day, even each moment. This was one of them.
We Are Not Our Thoughts and Feelings
The main premise behind The Untethered Soul is that we are not our thoughts, emotions or feelings. We are simply a witness to them. The more we can be aware of them and become a casual observer, the more we can elevate our existence. Taking on the observer role becomes the “untethering” of our souls and enables us to get rid of the parts of our psyche that weigh us down.
On a personal level, The Untethered Soul helped me further identify my need for control. That need definitely interferes with my enjoyment of life. Namely, in dealing with anxiety. When things in my life seem out of control, my anxiety rises. I’m a mom and wife, so much of my day-to-day really can be chaotic. Messes, unexpected situations popping up, having to deal with teenage drama, or simply just messes that need to be cleaned up. Those situations can lead to anxiety, or just a general state of restlessness. If I dwell on them too long, they can contribute to headaches and sleepless nights. When I was younger, it could even result in the occasional panic attack (now, medication and mindfulness are my magic combo for avoiding those). For me, anxiety isn’t simply just a result of inner turmoil, either. Outer clutter, for me, usually equates to inner chaos.
The thing is, so much of what we all experience in life is truly beyond our control. If you’re a mom and wife with a busy household like I am, you know this is true. Even though we know that on an intellectual level, our psyche still fights it. It wants to protect its version of what should be. It fights for it. But, who is to determine the what should be part? Certainly not us. When need to learn to release those feelings and attachment. Letting go of our version of what we think should be happening and accept what is actually happening is what allows us to better handle the reality of life.
Relax and Release
The book explains that when we build up negative thoughts and emotions and dwell on them instead of letting them pass through us, we create energetic blockages. Those blockages are like energetic walls. They’re designed to protect us, but in reality they don’t. They do just he opposite. They actually prevent us from experiencing joy, and sometimes can even lead to health problems. Keep in mind, a lot of diseases are stress-related. We need to work on releasing those blockages in order to feel true joy and bliss as well as overall well-being.
Our choices about how we perceive reality and put a positive spin on it can have a positive impact on our lives. That’s our true power and what we can control. True freedom comes when work on our ability to release instead of our need for control. Let’s face it: Clinging to the past and dwelling over things we can’t control is a waste of our mental energy. When we let emotions and responses flow through us, we’re better able to relax and release. We can choose to enjoy experiences, even if our gut reaction to them is negative.
I’m committed to reading 52 books in 52 weeks this year, but when I get a chance to, I’ll sneak this one into the rotation again. I have a feeling it’s one of those books that you get something entirely new from each time you read it, depending on your current situation in life. What we read between the lines really depends on what we’re dealing with at the time, right?
What’s cool is I have the Untethered Soul Daily Calendar by my coffeemaker now, so that each morning I’ll be reminded of one nugget of wisdom from the book.
