You’ve likely heard the anecdote about the frog in hot water. Simply put, it states that if a frog is placed in hot water, it will instantly jump out, but if it’s placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and be slowly cooked to death.
Hoping that nobody has actually done this to a poor frog and pointing out that it’s just a metaphor, I do think the story has some powerful lessons for us today.
Are you boiling in hot water and don’t even know it?
Three Simple Ways to Tell If You’re Boiling in Hot Water Like the Frog
So, you have a nagging feeling that you’re a frog in hot water and you don’t even know it, huh?
“Something just doesn’t look and feel right about this pot… I’m not miserable enough to jump out, but boy, is anyone else feeling the heat in here? Oh, and this heat is making me a little sleepy, maybe I’ll just relax in here for a little while…”
If things in your life aren’t going the way you want them to, you might just be a frog in hot water. That’s OK. Step one to getting out of hot water is KNOWING that you’re in it. The frog didn’t know. You’re starting to realize it, so here are three signposts to check, so that you can really determine if you’re in hot water or not!
1. Your Body
Our bodies, these precious containers, are simply wonderful at telling us if we’re in hot water.
The problem is, we often don’t pay attention to them. And when they do finally get our attention, we come up with all sorts of excuses about what our body is telling us.
We’ll say things like, “Well, I feel terrible because I have the flu,” or, “Well, I was diagnosed with X medical condition,” or, “Well, I didn’t sleep well last night, that’s why I’m exhausted today.”
We rarely stop and ask ourselves questions like, “Why did I get the flu?” “Why did my body breakdown and develop this disease/condition?” “Why didn’t I sleep well last night?”
Look, I get it. It’s easy to blame our physical experience on outside conditions, and then use an outside force to “fix” it, like a pill for this or that. And while certainly there are physical manifestations, more often than not it’s an internal experience that has started the cascade of events leading to a physical condition.
Look deeper and you’ll find it starts with the cumulative stress, with not taking time for yourself, with not being able to say no to others, with moving too fast, with carrying fear, guilt and shame in your body for years, with holding on to events from the past, with being unable to forgive others and yourself…
The hot water you’re sitting in is often full of anger, regret, shame, fear, guilt, anxiety, stress, and more. When it shows up in your body, use it as a clue to look within, and to find the places you can heal.
So one simple way to tell if you’re in hot water or not is to take a moment, and check in with your body.
How does it feel? Maybe feel into your neck and shoulders, roll them around a little. Is there any tension or pain there? Is your back tight and sore? Are you dealing with some pain that just won’t heal? Have you accepted a level of pain in your body that you’ve simply just gotten used to?
Oftentimes, people in pain have had it for so long, that it just becomes a part of life. That’s called “you’re in hot water” and you’ve adjusted to it!
Your body can actually feel strong and vibrant, regardless of your age!
If you want to explore this concept deeper, whether you’ve been struggling with chronic pain or simply want to eliminate the headaches you keep getting, or the overall tension and stress in your body, then you might want to pick up a copy of my new book, “The Tapping Solution for Pain Relief”.
Even if you already know about tapping and how to use it, this book goes step by step into how to create a strong and vibrant body.
2. Your Breath
Your breath is obviously part of your body, but it transcends it in many ways. It’s a direct line of communication with the outside world, taking in what it has to offer us, and then letting it go.
Today, whenever you remember to, pay attention to your breath. Is it full and deep or light and shallow?
Right now, go ahead and take a deep breath, and ask yourself, “How deep is my breath, on a scale of 0-10?” You’ll instinctively know what it is and what it can be.
You can actually tap quite simply on letting go and expanding the breath (if you’re new to Tapping, click here to learn the basics).
After checking in, it’s as simple as, “Even though my breath feels constricted/tight/something stuck, I love, accept and forgive myself.” You might also ask yourself, “What emotion or what event am I holding on to with my breath, in my lungs?” Then tap on that. Do one round or two of tapping, and watch how your chest and lungs relax and your breath expands! It’s often a powerful shift.
Doing this once or twice a day can help us notice when we’re in hot water, and get us out!
3. Your Spirit
Our spirits are often in the deepest, blackest, hottest pots of water, and we don’t even notice.
Do you feel fulfilled on a daily basis? Are you living your truth and passion? Are you opening your heart as wide as it can go and sharing your love with the world? Do you feel that sense of energy, of joy, of vibrancy for life?
If not, you might be in hot water.
Now, I’m not saying you need to feel this way 100% of the time – I certainly don’t! But I think a good measure to start with is: Do I feel this way more often than not? Is 51% of my time spent in this positive, expansive place?
On a daily basis, you’ll go back and forth. You’ll remember this positive, empowering info, and then you’ll forget. Cut yourself some slack on that – it’s OK!
Most of us are working with decades of programming that was not uplifting and expansive. We’re retraining ourselves to think and feel this way, and that can take some time.
Remember, the way the frog gets out of the hot water is by realizing that he’s in it. So just KNOWING you’re in hot water is absolutely huge. From there, jump out! 🙂
To your successful JUMP!
Until next time…
Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner
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