Ego Panic

But, when I start taking things less seriously, my ego panics. What?!? It says. You’re not going to worry about that? You’re going to trust, who – God?!? Really?!? You’re going to be open, to allow yourself to experience things differently? You’re not going to do what you always did? But we’ve worked that out, painfully. It’s not the best, but it’s good enough. How do you really know the new way will be better, or even work? What if it makes things worse?  Things are pretty bad already, aren’t they? Remember the last time you stopped worrying and took things less seriously, had faith, trusted, let go and let God? How’d that work for you?

 

The ego panics and when it panics we get fear, a headache and much worse. We get stressed out, can’t think straight, worry even more, get paralyzed, want to and do shrivel up inside, want to disappear and die. Because shriveling up, disappearing and dying is what will happen to the ego when we identify more with spirit, less with it, take things less seriously, have faith, trust, let go and let God. The ego will do everything from cancer to war to keep us taking things here very seriously.

 

We need to expect the ego to react this way, understand why it does what it does and be kind and gentle with it. The ego will always do what it does. But we are not the ego. We are the decision maker that chooses between the ego and spirit. We need not take the experience of the ego’s panic so seriously. We can feel it, acknowledge it for what it is, take whatever action seems best and most consistent with our intention to identify more with spirit and go on. Ego panic is a constant on-going experience, especially as we take things less seriously and identify more with spirit. But we can reframe ego panic and learn that each time we experience it is an opportunity to double down, to be kind and gentle with ego, but continue our identity shift.