Here's an interesting practice to do when you find Your Self in the place of what I call "less than". You know that feeling—surrounded by the mental ghosts that haunt us in the moments of doubt, loneliness or fear—whether what we're feeling is accurate or not.

It is effective across the board with challenging emotions, events, and thoughts. 

The work is simple, yet not always easy.  You just need to opt for the opposite of where you are /what you’re feeling in a given moment. This practice immediately shifts the energy around the situation and creates space for that which you feel is lacking.

Let’s start with the definition of opposite: “a person or thing that is totally different from or the reverse of someone or something else”. 

Now bring it down to basics and make it more concrete: 

Feeling lonely? Reach out: contact a friend, smile at a passing stranger, strike up that conversation you’ve been meaning to have with the clerk at the local store.

Stuck? Move: walk around the block or even just around your desk, stretch, shift your weight, dance.

“Poor”? Donate: your time, give away clothes you don't need, pay the toll for the person behind you.

Hungry? Feed: offer food to a homeless person, pick up the tab someone else always pays for, fill the bird feeder.

You get the idea. The more you can be mindful about it, the deeper the impact will be, and the easier it will be for you to switch gears and move away from that place of "less than". Then you can take the practice deeper and begin to overlay it onto much more textured situations:

Feeling angry? Forgive: apologize—even if you’re the wronged one, even if you have to do it silently when you’re by yourself.

Justified? Learn: consider another perspective in a situation, reframe it —you need not like it.

Hatred? Love: find one thing about the situation / person that you can accept and appreciate —even if it’s as small as an eyelash, button or turn of phrase.

Whether you’re just getting started or are well versed, the “bones” of The Practice remain the same:

Stop.

Breathe.

Ask Your Self: "What's the opposite of this moment?”

Then support that opposite with corresponding action.

Make your own choices. Keep the gestures small, especially at the  beginning. The point is merely to shift the energy outward, away from you. Dare to allow opposites to "attract" what you're "missing". It softens the rough edges around these moments and allows You to move from the place of “less than” into the present.

Watch. Listen. Practice. SwaffWords© Video.