Conscious Choices: Breaking Free from Emotional Patterns

January has been an interesting month for me so far. As much as we have the best intentions to make positive changes at the start of the year and set the right tone for the coming months, life seems to continue to throw curveballs at us. After discussing with a close friend about the current themes that seem to be showing up in our lives, it is clear that 2025 is a year of transformation – the Year of the Snake inviting us to shed our old skin and release what no longer serves us.

When Patterns Keep Us Stuck

When we are faced with a challenging situation, we have two options: either we choose to be a victim and remain in the same pattern, or we choose to use it as an opportunity for growth. My main challenge is learning how to co-parent in an unconventional family dynamic. Since December, the situation reached a particularly challenging point. The once loving union had shifted into a space where blame, feelings of injustice and reactive behaviour dominated interactions. But as we entered the new year, I made a conscious decision to shift the energy. After all, when a situation involves another party and the experience is out of your control, it is hard to remain detached and non-reactive every time a conflict presents itself.

Many of us face similar crossroads in different forms – perhaps you're healing from a painful breakup, managing mounting tensions with teenage children, navigating office politics, or processing the sudden loss of a job. Each situation presents its own unique set of emotional challenges. So what's the solution?

Finding Our Center

What I've discovered in the past month is to focus on what we have complete control over – our state of mind and our inner peace. I've deepened my meditation practice to maintain centredness amidst external chaos. This practice doesn't eliminate reactions; rather, it cultivates awareness of them, teaching us when to pause and return to centre instead of being swept away by negativity. With consistent practice, directing our focus towards what truly matters becomes increasingly natural.

Breaking the Cycle

As creative beings, we tend to use our imagination for visualising past events especially the painful ones since the negative emotions have the ability to encourage us to time travel and re-live painful moments. By re-living these moments, we are creating the same emotions and therefore being stuck in a cycle of emotional turmoil and validating that we've been wronged and are a victim. The first step to emotional freedom is to acknowledge this habitual behaviour and constantly work on redirecting our attention. A more effective way of achieving this is to dissolve the emotional intensity so it no longer has a hold on us. This is why emotional detox and regulation is so important. EFT tapping and other healing modalities can effectively address this to free us from our emotional burden. This ongoing process which gets prompted by our triggers can help us live a life that is no longer dictated by our past experiences.

Practices for Freeing Ourselves from Emotional Burdens

1. Meditation – Beyond its well-known benefit of quieting the mind, meditation allows us to become the observer. By watching thoughts pass through our minds without attachment, we can maintain awareness. When emotions arise, focus on breathing whilst remaining attuned to stillness, allowing feelings to naturally dissipate. Daily practice is essential for maintaining balance and awareness of thoughts and external triggers.

2. Movement – When overthinking takes over, physical activity offers an effective escape from mental loops. Exercise not only strengthens the body but also provides a powerful outlet for emotional release. As emotions store themselves in our bodies, causing tension and stiffness, movement helps release stagnant energy and restore balance.

3. EFT Tapping – Emotional Freedom Technique utilises emotions as tools to explore our inner landscape and uncover the root causes of internal disturbance. Understanding the source of our triggers makes it easier to break free from negative thought patterns.

4. Trusted Support – Choose confidants wisely, whether friends or family members who can hold space without judgement. Sometimes, opening up to strangers proves easier; in such cases, consider working with a coach or therapist who can guide you through the process.

5. Journaling – Writing helps us process complex emotions by externalising our thoughts. Start each morning with mindful writing, allowing whatever needs to surface to come forth without judgment.

6. Connecting with nature – Spend time outdoors, whether it's a morning walk, gardening, or sitting by the ocean. Nature has a way of helping us gain perspective and release emotional heaviness.

7. Sound Healing – Use singing bowls, music or even humming to shift stuck energy. Sound vibrations can help release emotional blocks stored in our bodies.

8. Energy Clearing – Practice simple energy hygiene like sage smudging, salt baths, or visualisation exercises to cleanse your energetic field of accumulated emotional residue.

9. Creative Expression – Channel emotions through art, dance, or any form of creative outlet. This allows us to process feelings without needing to verbalise them.

The Year of the Snake invites us to shed what no longer serves – one conscious choice at a time. Through daily practices and self-awareness, we create space for new beginnings. Inner peace isn't about perfection; it's about returning to our centre, again and again, with grace and compassion.