REhearse: Evicting Unwelcome Thoughts

Nearly all of us have occasional unwelcome visitors in the form of negative thoughts.

As I was falling asleep the other night, I received the topic for this article. I saw the word “RE-hearse.” And I understood what I was being shown.

“Rehearse” of course means to practice or prepare for something.

But I saw it in two parts: “RE” and “hearse”.

I knew immediately and exactly what a “hearse” is….a vehicle carrying a coffin in a funeral.

And I understood – for myself first- profoundly – thatas we allow those tormenting bully thoughts to pummel us (frequently or even once-in-a-while) they’re driving us straight into a dark and deathly place.

Listen, those thoughts – although they keep showing up throughout our life – are NOT our pals; they are not friends, they’re foes.

Their job is to create darkness and death…the death of our awareness of our identity, the death of possibilities and hope in our lives, and the death of relationships (as we often begin to isolate as a result of pummeling.) Ultimately, those unwanted visitors want our own head on a plate.

And by allowing those thoughts to run amuck (rent free!) in our heads, we are unknowingly preparing to be buried by them!

If we want to reclaim our lives, we really have to start on the inside, the part that no one can see, but that controls the rest of our lives – our thought life.

Too often, we just try to dismiss these thoughts. We try not to think about them and move on.

But they’re enjoying their rent-free status. They might disappear for a while once they see we’re serious; going into hiding. But they hang out and wait for an opportune moment where they can jump back into our mental clutter. Then, they return to troublemaking, demeaning and diminishing us, causing us doubt and fear, and making us DISheartened and DIScouraged.

So how do we truly evict those harmful, recurrent, and debilitating thoughts?

If you think about it, the reason we rehearse lines for a play or rehearse for a recital is to HEAR ourselves again….to tune in and get it right. We want to do that thing out loud so that we can HEAR it and affirm it.

And this is the same strategy you must use to turn-the-tables on these buggers, you must practice, run through, and mentally prepare yourself with the TRUTH about YOU – preferably OUT LOUD!

Since ignoring them is fruitless and engaging them is harmful, eviction and replacement is the way to go.

To evict self-doubt, worry, anxiety, etc. and their cousins, it’s not complicated. In fact, it’s very empowering. You’ve got to order them out. Deliver the pink slips. Tell them “You’re fired!”

Wow! That’s going to feel AWESOME!

Then, to prevent their sly return to their desks, you’ll need to take decisive action to deflect them in the future.

And the only way they can be deflected is to be overpowered.

So, if you want the real estate of your mind back, you’ll need to overpower those lying buggers with truth.

This is what I do if I realize an unwelcome visitor has come calling….

On my morning walks, or even on the fly, I reissue the pink slip. And then, I deal the trump card: I start rehearsing – out loud – who I really am, debunking the lies that may be mounting against me.

I am a member of the Royal Family.

I am beloved and protected.

I am sent to set others free.

I am a treasure hunter, a convener, a herald, a hope-bringer.

I am Vicki Norris.

And you are YOU – the only one of you!! A limited edition created and sent to this world to BE magnificent YOU! You are the only one that can do the things you were sent to do!

If you’re not sure if you deal with dark thoughts, check the outcomes of your life. If the choices you’ve made have created some “carnage” in your life, then there have been unwelcome visitors at work. After all, most of us know that ALL behavior results from our thinking. So if our outcomes are crummy, so is our thinking.

So nearly everyone can benefit from these eviction and deflection strategies.

If this message has been all-too-familiar, but you’ve never considered that you can do something about tormenting thoughts; I hope you’ve received inspiration and practical help to replace the hearse with HOPE.

~Vicki Norris