People find comfort in the stories that they tell themselves. When they don't fully understand what is happening around them or if they are not willing to acknowledge the truth that is staring them in the face, they create stories in order to protect themselves. 

Sometimes the truth can be unexpected, painful and hard to accept, so avoiding it with a believable story that doesn't compromise their emotional stability, becomes the only option. 

Living a life that is not real is what many of us do when it comes to certain areas of our lives. Letting go of what we are telling ourselves means to accept life exactly as it is .When we do this, we give ourselves access to things and experiences in our lives that we would have never encountered before. 

You see, when you tell yourself a story that isn't true, you on some level avoid all experiences that might force you to see the truth. This keeps your life limited and also keeps you in a state of fear. Most people have no idea that they created stories about other people, themselves and experiences that they've had. Sometimes it's easier to play ignorant in order to keep your pride intact or to protect yourself from being at fault. 

The best way to see if you are telling yourself a story, is to wait until you get triggered by an experience. Look at how you are reacting to it, even if it's in your head, and ask yourself what am I telling myself here? What is easier for me to believe right now that might not be true? 

If you come up with a false story, understand that you had a good reason to create it, and the reason why you are acknowledging it now is because you don't need it anymore. Just say "thank you for that story, I let go of what I'm telling myself". This will bring you more peace in your life and more harmony in your relationships.

It’s ok to be wrong. We are all guilty of creating stories about ourselves and others that are not true. We create them out of fear and from not feeling safe, which everyone has felt. We’re all doing our best and the important thing to understand, is that these stories that we tell ourselves, all served a purpose at some point in our lives. Don’t judge them or yourself, just acknowledge that you may not be telling yourself the truth all of the time.

This is why it’s important to stop listening to your stories. Whatever the story, it’s not relevant. Be present and know that you and the person that you are interacting with are both trying to understand each other and filter through each other's stories and beliefs. 

If you are being triggered, it’s because there is something that you are telling yourself that is not true. Take a step back and look at what is triggering you and why. Maybe it seems obvious, but still, what is it about this obvious experience that makes you feel unsafe or fearful? What’s the story that you are telling yourself?

Things are not typically as bad as we think they are. When the story is gone and we are able to acknowledge the facts without having an opinion, the exact same situation would feel completely different to us and our actions would reflect it. 

Do your best to remember that just because you don’t know why you are feeling the way that you are, it does not mean that you have to react. Know that you have past experiences that caused you to create stories in order to protect yourself. These stories are contributing to your overall experience. So, in those situations, don’t take yourself seriously and move on. Wait until you feel you are ready to see where you might be lying to yourself, and then start there. 

Being honest with yourself is always where true freedom lies. 

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To address deep rooted beliefs and live a healthy emotional life, it helps to remove any subconscious Emotional Footprint programs. These programs are at the core of our experience and dictate our mental health, our relationships with others and with ourselves and are also responsible for any emotional pain or suffering that we may be going through. To learn more about Emotional Footprints and how they control your life, you can download a free book about these subconscious programs here.