By 
by Dr. Greg Allen
I was sitting in the dentist office waiting room after deciding to not bring my phone. While other patients were intently staring at their phones I sat staring ahead. After looking at the photographs on the walls; I became intently focused on the only other thing to look at, as we sat waiting. It was the EXIT sign above the office door.
I started to notice variations of the word Exit. Seeing that there are things (IT), that need to be EX’d out of our lives.
We often refer to a former partner whom we broke up with or are no longer with as an Ex.
But besides the personal relationship dynamic, what else could be something that is a part of our life now and we would like it not to be? So that we could refer to it as something gone, something that isn’t in our lives currently?
We could conclude it likely has a negative effect upon our lives. A negative effect upon our consciousness, our moods, our outlook to life.
And we would like to refer to it as an Ex.
What is it in your life that needs to be an ex?
Is it a habit that you would like to end?
Is it thoughts you you would like to stop having?
Would you like to not have someone or something in your life anymore?
Would you like them or it to be in the past?
Take the steps to identify what this is. What is the IT in your life?
Intentionally, think through what you would need to do to move it out of your daily existence.
EX IT
Then as I continued to look at the EXIT signs I would see the E alone by itself.
E currently refers to electric and electronic things.
We have E-bikes, Email, E Vehicles…
So in line with getting things out of our lives…
What could we Electronically X our of our lives. Could it be certain websites, social media, negative news or stories. The average person spends 6 to 8 hours of screen time per day. What do you need to EX from your life, what is IT?
Maybe we could stop much of that musing that likely affects our outlook in a negative way.
Maybe we could delete some things we have been connected to unhealthily. We can clean up our electronic lives and minds better.
Sometimes it’s better to not keep unhealthy habits and influences. It’s good to take personal inventory about our intentions, choices, habits and their subsequent effects upon us and others.
What is IT that you can X out of your life so that becomes an EX?
Do it; X IT!
Greg Allen serves youth and their families through Freedom4U (freedomcommunity.com) and Hearts Respond (heartsrespond.com). He also works as a therapist in Palos Verdes (drgregallen.com).
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