4 Questions to Liberate You From Your Own Lockdown

It’s been almost three months since New York City was placed on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this period, I’ve had to stand on many outdoor lines in order to buy essential items at my neighborhood pharmacy, health food store, and grocery. Because I’m a yogi and regular meditator, I use this time to practice presence.

While waiting to enter the health food store today, I had a revelation.

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

There are things I wish I had done before this lockdown was declared: I wish I had taken that cross-country road trip I wanted to take. I wish I had gone to the beach more often (yes, even in the winter). I wish I had been more active with my dating apps. I wish I had let Robin know that many people appreciated her before she unexpectedly passed away from complications due to COVID-19. Instead, I simply accepted her bad moods and kept my distance.

As a holistic life and wellness coach, I’m a collector of confidences. My clients have been confiding in me with their own wishes.

I wish I had …

• asked that person out on a date.
  
• ended my relationship.
  
• taken advantage of my local gym/yoga studio.
  
• enrolled in that class.
  
• taken a chance and tried that new opportunity.
  
• moved my residence.
  
• implemented that savings/investment program.
  
• gone on that trip.
  
• been more confident.

I realized my clients and I were under our own respective lockdowns way before this COVID-19 lockdown was mandated.

If we want to live in an empowered way, “I wish” needs to go into the same category as “I should,” “I had to,” “I can’t,” and “I hope.”

These words are rooted in negativity. When you “wish,” “should,” “have to,” “can’t,” or “hope,” you are negating rather than pursuing something you want.

These words could all be changed to “I will”—which puts you in control.

Don’t like your situation? You created it. Like your situation? You created it.

Why We Put Things Off

We defer doing things for one of two reasons:

• They are not a priority. Only we can define and honor our priorities.
• We are afraid. Only we can keep ourselves from falling victim to many of the common fears that limit us—like fear of success, failure, not being good enough, being unlovable, rejection, being undeserving, being afraid to do things alone, or assigning negative attributes to having money.

These fears create beliefs that it would benefit us to explore. Self-limiting beliefs, taught to us through our upbringing or education, are the basis for all of our fears.

These beliefs we have about ourselves or our situations are nothing more than thoughts that inform our behavior—consciously or subconsciously. When we believe these thoughts, they hold us back from achieving all that we are capable of. Self-isolating during the pandemic has given us the space to see how fully responsible our thoughts are for the lives we have created.

Don’t like your situation? You created it. Like your situation? You created it.

There lies a lot of power in owning this. We choose the thoughts we want to believe. Consequently, our world is what we believe it to be.

Lockdown Liberation

Why not transform a self-limiting belief in order to get unstuck and move forward in the new paradigm that will lie ahead of us?

An easy and profoundly effective way to do this is based on a simple method of self-inquiry developed by bestselling author Byron Katie.

I’m breaking through my own lockdown. No one can imprison us as much as we imprison ourselves.

Use this method and 4 questions to liberate you from your own lockdown.