How to Tell If You’re in Resistance or Integration (And What to Do About It)

Have you ever felt completely stuck between wanting to change and yet somehow fighting against yourself? Like one part of you is eager to move forward while another part keeps hitting the brakes?

You’re not alone. I see this inner battle in my clients every day, and I’ve experienced it countless times myself.

Let me walk you through the hidden difference between resistance and integration. Understanding this one distinction could completely transform how you approach your personal growth journey.

What’s the Difference Between Resistance and Integration?

When you’re in resistance, it feels like you’re fighting yourself. You know what you want, but something keeps pulling you away from it. It’s frustrating, confusing, and often makes you question your own commitment.

Integration feels different. It’s when your body and mind need time to catch up with changes that are already happening. Think of it like this – if resistance is hitting the brakes, integration is simply refueling for the journey ahead.

The problem? They can feel remarkably similar on the surface – low energy, lack of motivation, inner conflict. But one needs you to take action, while the other needs you to simply rest. Understanding which one you’re experiencing right now will help you give yourself exactly what you need.

How to Spot Resistance in Your Daily Life

Resistance typically shows up in ways you might recognize:

• You keep thinking and planning without ever taking action
• You find excuses to avoid the very things you say you want
• You procrastinate and then beat yourself up about it
• You feel anxious or tense when thinking about your goals
• Your breathing gets shallow, and your body feels tight

This isn’t your fault. Your brain is wired to treat change–even positive change–as potentially dangerous. It’s just trying to keep you safe.

When you’re in resistance, you might catch yourself saying:

• “I’ll start tomorrow” (but tomorrow never comes)
• You’re constantly reading books and taking courses, but never implementing
• You’ve created detailed plans that collect dust
• You want both something and dread it at the same time
• You feel guilty for not doing more, even when you’re exhausted

What Real Integration Feels Like

When you’re actually in integration mode, it feels noticeably different:

• You feel calm and less rushed about everything
• You notice that actions come naturally when they’re truly ready
• Things that used to trigger strong emotions don’t bother you as much
• You need more physical rest, but still feel connected to your purpose
• You care less about putting on a show and more about being authentic

During integration, your brain is creating new neuropathways. Your body is undergoing change at a cellular level. This isn’t just “thinking differently” – it’s becoming someone new. And that process simply can’t be rushed.

Why We Get Confused

Our society celebrates constant action and visible progress. We’re taught that hustle equals success and rest equals laziness.

But real transformation rarely happens in a straight line. Sometimes what looks like no progress is actually when the deepest changes are happening beneath the surface.

When you pause to adjust to new changes, your inner critic might start panicking: “Why am I being so lazy? What’s wrong with me? Everyone else is moving forward!”

Nothing’s wrong with you. Your system is just updating itself, like installing new software. And this is the point where most people give up… right before their breakthrough.

What Causes Resistance?

Resistance comes from energy blocks: old patterns, unprocessed emotions, fears, and limiting beliefs stored in your body and mind, like:

• Times when you were criticized for trying something new
• Family patterns around success and failure
• Past experiences where you burned out
• Old disappointments you’re afraid to repeat

Your brain starts connecting success with danger, visibility with vulnerability, and growth with pain.

What to Do When You’re in Resistance

You don’t overcome resistance by pushing harder. You overcome it by making your body feel safe to move forward.

Try this simple approach:

• Take several deep breaths to calm your nervous system
• Tell yourself: “It’s safe to take just one small step.”
• Move your body – walk, stretch, dance – to release tension

Ask: “What’s one thing I can do for 3 minutes that moves me closer to what I want?”

Then do it—even if it’s tiny. Momentum dissolves resistance.

(Want more support with nervous system regulation? Try the Energy Reset Ritual – a 15-minute practice to shift your energy and move forward with clarity.)

Spending just 3 minutes on something meaningful can break the resistance cycle.

And if you want to go deeper and release the old programming at a cellular level, consider doing some energy clearing work. This approach targets the stagnation in your energy field that keeps you locked in resistance patterns.

Energy clearing can help:

• Release emotional blocks that conscious techniques can’t always reach
• Reset your nervous system’s default settings around safety and change
• Dissolve generational patterns that aren’t even yours to begin with
• Create lasting change so you don’t keep encountering the same resistance

Many clients find that combining conscious practices (like breathwork and mindful movement) with energy clearing creates profound shifts. The conscious practices help you navigate daily resistance, while energy work reprograms your system at a deeper level so resistance becomes less frequent and intense over time.

How to Support Integration (And Why It’s a Sacred Window for Insight)

If you’re in an integration phase, you’re not meant to push—you’re being invited to pause. This is where your system catches up to your growth. And when you honour it instead of resisting it, you create the perfect conditions for deep inner clarity.

Think of integration as an energetic upgrade. Your body, mind, and spirit are syncing up. What may feel like “nothing” on the outside is recalibration happening at a cellular level.

But here’s what most people miss:

This slower pace is also a powerful time to reconnect with your truth—your real desires, your next-level vision, and the guidance within you that knows what’s next. In this quieter frequency, it’s easier to access intuitive clarity unique to you.

During integration, your brain naturally shifts into more meditative states like theta and alpha waves. These brain wave patterns are associated with insight, healing, memory consolidation, and intuitive downloads. That’s why this time is so rich for reflection and intuitive decision-making.

You’re not just resting. You’re receiving.

How to support integration intentionally:

• Hydrate deeply – Water supports energetic flow and cellular detox
• Nourish your body – Give your system fuel that supports repair and clarity
• Limit draining conversations – Your energy is sensitive now; protect it
• Be in nature – Earth’s frequency helps reset and stabilize your field
• Journal – Not to solve, but to observe what’s moving through you
• Tune inward – This is the ideal time for energy work, guided meditations, or visualisation

✨ Tip: Use this window to check in with your future self.
Ask:

“What do I want to create in my life?”
“What area of my life do I want to improve?”
“What next step would feel easy and true to my nature?”

This phase isn’t a pause from growth—it is the growth.
And the more you trust it, the faster your system completes its energetic upgrade.

Want deeper support while your system integrates?

Grab the book Nothing Is Wrong With You — and learn the exact method I used to rewire my energy, access clarity, and create aligned success (without burnout).

Life Example: When Stillness Isn’t Laziness

Sometimes, after doing deep inner work, you feel calm and content inside, but when you look around, the world hasn’t changed. The people in your life still expect the old you. You start wondering if you should be doing something more. Shouldn’t you be busy? Productive? Isn’t this quiet discomfort a sign you’re falling behind?

I see it all the time with my clients. They’re not stuck—they’re in transition. But they feel confused and pressured. Their partners, friends, or colleagues are asking: “What’s your next move?” And even though they intuitively sense that they’re still processing, they start doubting themselves. That guilt creeps in. That internal frustration: “Why am I waiting? Shouldn’t I be doing something?”

But when they stop judging the stillness—when they honour the quiet—they realise something powerful. Their body needed this pause. This disconnection from the noise wasn’t avoidance. It was a reset. A moment to let all the insights, emotions, and upgrades settle into their cells.

That wasn’t resistance.
That was preparation.

Quick Self-Check: Resistance or Integration?

Ask yourself these simple questions:

• Does not taking action make me feel anxious or peaceful?
• Am I avoiding because I’m scared, or resting because I need it?
• Do I feel stuck and frozen, or just temporarily turned inward?
• Do I need permission to take it easy?

Your honest answers will tell you what you need right now.

Daily Practices That Help Either Way

Whether you’re working through resistance or honoring integration:

• Check in with yourself each morning: How do I feel today?
• Instead of asking “Why can’t I get moving?” try “What does my body need right now?“
• When you’re integrating, remind yourself: “I trust my timing.” When you’re in resistance, try: “I can take one small step today.“

The Truth About Your Journey

Your transformation has its natural timing. Sometimes you need to gently work through resistance. Other times, you need to patiently honor integration. Neither means you’re failing – both are essential parts of real growth.

Sometimes your body is rewiring itself, your brain is creating new connections, and your system is learning a new way of being. That process might look like doing nothing and feel like being in a fog, but it’s not failure.

You’re not stuck. You’re not broken. You’re becoming.

Resources to Help You Shift

If something stirred in you while reading this, trust it. Here’s where to go next:
🔹 Feeling like you’ve tried everything and still aren’t moving?
👉Read: Why You’re Doing All the Right Things—And Still Feel Stuck
Uncover what’s keeping you stuck and how to break through it with clarity.
🔹 Need a reset you can feel instantly?
👉 Try the Energy Reset Ritual
A 15-minute guided practice to clear mental fog, regulate your nervous system, and realign with your next step.
🔹 Want the full method that changed everything?
👉 Read the Book: Nothing Is Wrong With You: How to transcend your limitations and create your dream life now!
This isn’t just another self-help book. It’s a map back to your power, peace, and purpose—especially if you’ve been burned out, overthinking, or stuck in “almost.”

Remember This When You Feel Stuck

Some days you’ll feel momentum and excitement. On other days, you’ll feel slow and heavy.

But whether you’re working through resistance or honoring integration, you’re still moving forward, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Trust your process. The foundation you’re building now – even if it’s invisible to others – is exactly what you need for your next breakthrough.

 Resistance vs. Integration: The Most Common Questions (Answered)