Free Yourself from Negative Emotions: Holy Spirit's Clean...

The concept of emotional cleansing highlights the importance of taking a look at the state of our inner life. Just as it's difficult to live pleasantly and welcome others in a messy, dusty, untidy house, so it's difficult to feel good and welcome the beautiful things God wants to offer us every day when we're blocked by negative thoughts, overwhelmed by the burden of the past.just as it's difficult to feel good and welcome the beautiful things God wants to offer us on a daily basis when we're blocked by negative thoughts, overwhelmed by emotions that are too strong, walled up behind our worries. Taking the time each evening to free ourselves from the overload we've accumulated and evacuate the stress of the day is beneficial in many ways, including helping us to find the calm and serenity we need to sleep better. The Holy Spirit can help us to sort out and clean up our lives. Find out how meditation and prayer can help you dust off your daily routine. However, in the case of a more entrenched emotional blockage or one linked to trauma, specific psychological - and perhaps spiritual - support is required.

Preparing with mind-body exercises

Inner weather

The first thing we can do is welcome ourselves as we are at the end of the day. Without judgment, but as observers, let's put our inner climate into words . We can start very simply by using meteorological metaphors:

Then, little by little, we can replace these images with words describing our mood, choosing them as precisely as possible and working on the nuances.

Body scan

Our mental and psychological tensions are often reflected in physical tensions and bodily sensations: stiffness, restlessness, blockages, aches and pains, etc. Accepting your body and your feelings is the first step towards taking stock of your inner self.

The body scan exercise enables us to mentally review our entire body to identify tensions (attention is focused on each part of the body from the feet to the top of the head). With the help of the breath, we can work on releasing these tensions and relieving pain. Some will not go away with a simple muscle relaxation, but the simple act of identifying and welcoming it is already important.

Vittoz exercises

The Vittoz Method: an aid to interiority proposes simple exercises to work on welcoming our sensations and our environment. In this way, we welcome what is with heightened awareness and without the filter of our mind.

 Breathing and visualization exercises, derived from this mind-body method, also help us to relax and letting go physically and mentally and prove to be a good gateway to a moment ofinteriority and a time of meditation.

Sorting things out under God's watchful eye with the rereading exercise

Once we've taken the time to "cut away" from the hustle and bustle of the day, we can be more inwardly available to ourselves in meditation and reread with him the unfolding of our day.

The evening prayer, dear to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, is a way of taking a fresh look at what we've experienced during the day.

• By taking the time to relive and give thanks to God for what brought us joy, comfort, support and peace during the day, we anchor these positive emotions within ourselves and become aware of God's presence in our lives.
• By humbly and truthfully presenting to God what may have caused us sadness, anger, guilt, etc., we can welcome his merciful gaze on the suffering and pain we have experienced. Beyond all judgment, we can find in him a path of liberation and healing.

Bringing in a new, purifying breath: the Holy Spirit

Jesus left us his Spirit so that in him all things might be renewed. We can regularly pray to the Holy Spirit and ask him to free us from all that prevents us from tasting peace and healing. We can regularly [guide-link id=93 text="pray the Veni Sancte Spiritus" lang=] and ask him to free us from all that prevents us from tasting deep peace and joy.