{"id":34164,"date":"2017-03-07T06:00:46","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=34164"},"modified":"2017-03-01T13:27:02","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T21:27:02","slug":"the-path-of-least-resistance-adding-more-flow-to-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/path-of-least-resistance-adding-more-flow-to-your-life-0307174","title":{"rendered":"The Path of Least Resistance: Adding More Flow to Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_34170\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-34170\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34170\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/flower-toy-boat-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Small fuchsia flower in white paper boat rests on shore of stream \" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/flower-toy-boat-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/flower-toy-boat.jpg 788w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-34170\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the path of least resistance?<\/p>\n<p>Simply said, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a way of living that contains more flow and ease, and, you guessed it, less resistance. This means less upstream movement, less struggle, and less feeling blocked, ultimately leading to a more enjoyable and less <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/stress\">stressful<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0experience of life.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some perspectives to keep in mind to allow for greater life flow:<\/p>\n<h2>1. Follow What Feels Good<\/h2>\n<p>Pay attention to what brings you joy, lights you up, and speaks to your heart. Then follow it.<\/p>\n<p>Participate in and surround yourself with what fills you up. Spend time with people who make you feel good. Create environments where you live, work, or spend time that cultivate good vibes and inspiration. Do your best to hang around people and places that promote positive feelings.<\/p>\n<p>[fat_widget_right]<\/p>\n<h2>2. Let the Doing Take Care of Itself<\/h2>\n<p>Stop. Trying. To. Fix. It.<\/p>\n<p>Who wants something that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s broken? Generally, nobody. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that in our emotional lives when something is not showing up or has \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gone wrong\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in our perspective, we tend to naturally go into fix-it mode. Many different circumstances can motivate\u00c2\u00a0us to step up and take action toward mending a situation. Perhaps someone is not acting as we would like, or we aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t where we think we should be in life. These are thoughts that may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/psychpedia\/trigger\">trigger<\/a> us toward action and fixing because, after all, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re wired to avoid being uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"popout-quote-left\" style=\"font-weight: bold; width: 30%; float: left;\">Sometimes, trying to fix something is the action that creates resistance and blocks us from what we want.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Establishing a more positive relationship with the discomfort of the unknown can reduce a lot of struggle and anxious feelings. An important perspective switch is accepting that discomfort is a part of the path and necessary to evolve and grow in life. No discomfort, no growth. When a situation causes discomfort, chances are it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also creating an opportunity to grow and change for the better.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, trying to fix something is the action that creates resistance and blocks us from what we want. The more we tune into the organic ebbs and flows of life and pay attention to what is working for a situation, the more we may be able to handle trying circumstances with grace and greater ease. It can feel counterintuitive to back off and allow a situation to unfold. However, backing off and letting go is often the precise action an experience calls for.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Live Choice by Choice<\/h2>\n<p>Avoid looking too far into the future or dwelling on the past. Often when we focus too far ahead, the symptom we experience is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/anxiety\">anxiety<\/a>. Alternatively, when we dwell on or get stuck in the past, the symptom we experience is often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/learn-about-therapy\/issues\/depression\">depression<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A solid reference point in finding and maintaining a healthy balance is to work toward enjoying the present moment, which is <em>here now.<\/em> Learning to value and be in the moment can open the door to contentment both now and in the future.<\/p>\n<p>So live for today. Live for what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on <em>now.<\/em> It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s here, now, where we can find more peace within. And that peace may be what naturally leads us toward what we want down the road \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 with less resistance and way more flow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you often feel like everything is a struggle, like you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re constantly swimming upstream? Consider these suggestions for inviting more flow into your life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3008,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[628],"tags":[446],"class_list":["post-34164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-creative-blocks"],"acf":{"author_show":false,"author_name":"","author_role":"","author_avatar":null,"author_profile_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34164\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}