Phrases I’m So Sick Of P2…

We are continuing our exploration of phrases that need a rebranding. Some started out as profound, but over time they’ve lost their mojo and mettle. This month we’re looking into two of the most overused ones — “trust the process / surrender to the flow” and “doing the work”. Let’s crack them open and reveal their deeper mechanics and meanings!

Phrase # 1:

“Trust the process / surrender to the flow”

We’ve all heard it: “just trust the process” or “surrender to the flow.” They sound so lovely! But they also risk sounding like a bypass – as if trusting the process means sitting back, doing nothing, and letting the universe sort it out for us. At its worst, it can suggest a relinquishing, like surrendering means giving up your agency and letting life “happen” to you.

True trust and surrender are not passive.  They ask you to stay fully responsible for and engaged with your choices, while releasing control over their timing and form.

In other words, you set your what - your vision, your desire, your intention - and align your energy to that frequency. But you don’t dictate the how or the when – the delivery method or timeline. That’s the unfolding. That’s the flow.

This is where another phrase, divine timing, comes in. For many, it’s the equivalent of trusting that there’s a higher plan. That doesn’t require you to abdicate your choices, but it does ask you to hold your vision while allowing space for outcomes that are larger - or different - than what you could have imagined or orchestrated alone.

Many people over-constrain the universe with a checklist of wants, or assume their path needs to be linear or exactly as they envisioned. But sometimes the conditions simply aren’t conducive yet. Sometimes other pieces need to fall into place. And often the universe delivers us what we need, though not necessarily in the way we thought we wanted. As a channel once told me, “your guides know you’re excited for the future, but there are many moving parts at play - have patience!”

If you’ve ever hydroplaned while driving, you know the instinct is to oversteer. Panic grips the wheel tighter. But physics dictates that the way to safety isn’t to force the car back into control, it’s to loosen your grip, let the car reorient, and stay attentive to the brake and accelerator. That’s surrender - not taking your hands off the wheel but trusting and allowing the system to stabilize itself while you manage what’s yours to manage.

Or think of a river. Fighting against a strong current with frantic paddling is wasted effort. You’ll exhaust yourself and go nowhere. But if you know when to row, when to pause, and when to let the current carry you, you’ll go farther with less strain. That’s trusting the process - discerning when to effort and when to go with the flow.

Trusting the process and surrendering means letting space exist between your intention and its manifestation - and practicing patience with divine timing in between. And honestly, that’s the hard part.

Which leads us to....

Phrase #2

Phrase # 2:

“Doing the (shadow) work”

The phrase “doing the work” gets tossed around like either a homework assignment, or a badge of honor. If there’s any phrase that rings of spiritual superiority, it’s this one. And it’s the one that comes with the least amount of instruction! Which work? How hard is it? What’s the actual job description?

What even is ‘work’?

Work, in physics, is the process of transferring energy. Work happens when energy is applied, and something moves (technically, Work = Force x Displacement). So if we’re supposed to be ‘doing work’, that implies that something must not be moving that should, and we need to apply a force to get it to do so.

What’s meant to happen?

Every experience we have, whether joyful or painful, laughter or grief, excitement or fear, brings an energetic wave that has a natural movement cycle:

• It rises (you feel it come online, the biochemical storm in your body).

• It peaks (fully felt in your awareness, you’ve acknowledged its presence).

• It dissipates (your body sensations return to baseline).

When that cycle has run its course, the energy has processed - it has moved through you. Biochemically, your body metabolizes the charge. Energetically, it disperses. It leaves your system and rebalances into the wider field.

How does it go awry?

Energy can get trapped in our bodies and in our field if it’s not processed (allowed to move). Not because that energy is “negative,” but because:

• It wasn’t allowed to fully express (e.g., you feel anger but suppress it to stay safe).

• It was judged (“I shouldn’t feel jealous” → you push it down).

• It was interrupted (the situation ended before the wave could complete).

• It was too big or overwhelming (trauma can cause the system to fight, flight or freeze).

Positive emotions and beliefs can also get stuck if they weren’t allowed to be expressed or integrated. For example, a child believes, “My parent loves me,” but if their parent’s behavior is inconsistent, the loving energy gets tangled with doubt or fear. The love isn’t the problem; it’s the unprocessed conflict around it that traps the energy.

These trapped energies can lower our natural frequency. And the kicker is that they are often stored subconsciously, so we aren’t even aware of that something is weighing us down. Over time, that congestion can distort our reactions, or even contribute to dis-ease in the body.

This is why work like Mind Body Spirit Release™ is powerful. It helps surface those subconscious imprints so they can actually move and complete. It’s also why this type of “work” isn’t passive at all.

What about the shadow aspect?

Shadow” has two layers. First, it’s what’s hidden from view - parts of ourselves we’ve tucked away, consciously or unconsciously. Second, it usually refers to what feels heavy or dark: dense emotions, reactive patterns, painful beliefs. Some shadows we hide on purpose because we don’t want to face them. Others are hidden subconsciously, exiled by habit, shame or conditioning.

But not all energy in shadow is “bad.” Sometimes we hide our brilliance, joy, sensuality, or confidence because they felt unsafe to show. That’s shadow too - positive qualities we have pushed down. Likewise, not all “dark” energy needs to be eliminated. Anger, grief, or fear aren’t “wrong”, in fact, they’re critical for our growth and evolution. They just need their cycle completed.

How we can “use the force”

In inner work, the “force” that gets things moving might be:

• A trigger (something external that with resonates with the energy of what was stuck and elevates it to your awareness).

• An intentional practice (a conscious choice to bring a hidden part into awareness).

• A healing modality (like MBSR, which applies frequency and intention to shift imprints).

The displacement comes from your awareness – from you allowing, accepting and choosing to stay present with the energy, rather than shoving it back down.

So what is the work?

What’s in shadow is hidden, and hidden energy has an incomplete cycle. Remember:

• Flowing energy = any experience (joy, grief, love, anger) that’s allowed to rise, peak, dissipate.

• Trapped energy = any experience that was judged, blocked, or interrupted, regardless of whether it was pleasant or painful.

And therefore, “doing the work” is simply about noticing what hasn’t finished its movement, and allowing it to complete. When that happens, the charge that once drained you is freed, leaving your system with more room for clarity, creativity, and inspiration.