“The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life.” -Eckhart Tolle

Little in life stings more than hearing “it’s all in your head” when you’re hurting.

When everything in your world seems upside down and you feel overwhelmed, frustrated, despondent or angry, your feelings can feel almost tangible. It may even seem insulting to suggest you could simply let that all go. You don’t enjoy hurting, after all; if you could, you would. Right?

As harsh as it may sound, all of our woes are in our heads because we are the ones who interpret the world, feel in response, and then choose what to think about it all. Now our emotional responses–those we can’t necessarily control. We are hard-wired to shift into “fight-or-flight” mode in the face of a perceived threat.

The increased adrenaline and decreased rational thought protected our ancestors when they faced imminent danger and needed to stop thinking and start outrunning an animal.

But in our modern society, there aren’t nearly as many threats as we perceive, meaning we can choose to breathe deeply, work through an emotion, and then guide what we think about it.

Make that choice today. Breathe, observe your mind and choose peace over pain as often as possible. You may not succeed in every moment, but even just a few small victories can open your eyes to a new and wonderful way of being.