Trying to feel better by force is exhausting. If you have ever repeated a positive thought while your whole body whispered that it was not true, you already know that. Understanding the concept of Abraham Hicks going general is the key to stopping that internal struggle.
If you have explored the Law of Attraction and felt frustrated because your manifestations are not appearing, you might be pushing too hard. When you focus on the exact details of a problem, you often amplify the resistance. Going general simply means you stop poking at the thought that hurts and back up into something softer. It is not about being fake or overly optimistic. It is about choosing a perspective that feels slightly better.
This is one of those concepts that actually works when your mind is screaming, your feelings are raw, and you’re about two minutes away from throwing your vision board out the window. By intentionally choosing broader, less specific thoughts, you can improve your vibrational alignment and find a sense of ease, even when your current circumstances feel difficult. Let us make it plain.
Key Takeaways
- Reduce Internal Resistance: “Going general” is the practice of moving away from narrow, painful thoughts toward broader statements that feel slightly more tolerable, helping you stop the cycle of inner conflict.
- Prioritize Relief Over Positivity: This technique is not about forced optimism or denial; it is about choosing the “next best thought” that allows your nervous system to relax and stop bracing for impact.
- Halt Negative Momentum: Because stressful thoughts gain speed quickly, shifting to a more general perspective early helps prevent a downward emotional spiral.
- Practical Application: Whether dealing with money, relationships, or work, shifting to broader perspectives – such as using the word “yet” or acknowledging that situations can change – creates the emotional space necessary for clarity and manifestation.
What “going general” means in everyday life
In the teachings of Abraham Hicks, going general means moving away from a highly specific thought that creates tension, and toward a broader thought that feels easier to believe.
That is it.
When you are upset, your mind usually fixates on the details of a situation. These specific thoughts often focus on the unpaid bill, the strange text, or the conversation you keep replaying. The more you focus on these precise details, the more resistance you create, causing your body to tighten and your stress to spike.
A general thought just gives you a little breathing room. (And let’s face it, we usually need it).
Instead of spiraling over why they haven’t texted back yet and deciding you’re going to die alone, you back up. You try: ‘I don’t know the whole story yet.’ It’s not thrilling, but it lets you exhale.
That may not sound glamorous. Good. It is not supposed to.
Consulting the emotional guidance scale is useful here. A thought that feels harsh, forceful, or tight is usually taking you in the wrong direction. A thought that feels a little more open, a little less sharp, is often the better next step. You are not looking for the perfect thought; you are looking for the next thought.
You are not trying to find the happiest sentence on earth. You are trying to find one that does not make you brace.
Think of it as an emotional bridge. When you’re stuck in a ditch, you don’t need to manifest a Ferrari; you just need a ladder to get to the grass. Going general is that ladder. It’s the next acceptable thought. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it stops the bleeding.
This is where people get tripped up. They think going general means jumping straight to “Everything is amazing and I am a magnet for miracles” while they are in the middle of a breakdown. Your nervous system is not fooled by fake positivity.
Going general is more like climbing down one rung at a time, which is effective for slowing momentum. You move from “nothing is working” to “some things are hard right now.” You shift from “I will never figure this out” to “I do not have to figure it all out tonight.” By choosing these better feeling thoughts, you find relief. Because this process lowers your internal friction, it eventually helps clear the path for your broader manifestation goals. Relief is the starting point.
When the details feel like too much
A lot of Abraham Hicks teaching comes back to one simple problem: internal friction. You want one thing, but your thoughts keep marching the other way.
You want peace, but you replay the argument. You want more money, but every expense tells your body to panic. You want love, but you mentally rehearse abandonment like it is your part-time job. This contrast between what you desire and what you focus on creates internal friction. The desire is fueled by source energy, yet your current focus is acting like a brake. It is like pressing the gas pedal and the brake at the same time. No wonder you feel worn out.
Going general helps because it reduces that inner resistance. It does not demand that you deny your fear. It simply asks you to choose a thought your whole system can tolerate, which effectively shifts your point of attraction to something more favorable.
Take money stress, for example. Instead of the tight, specific loop of ‘I am never going to catch up,’ you soften it: ‘Money situations can change, even if this one feels heavy today.’ It doesn’t pretend everything is fixed, it just stops making the moment worse.
Or relationship worry. When the brain screams, ‘They don’t care about me,’ you back up to, ‘I don’t know everything that is going on right now.’ You’re catching the spiral early.
Notice what changed. The general thought does not pretend everything is fixed. It simply stops making the moment worse.
That is important because thought has momentum. A stressful thought tends to call in five more stressful thoughts, creating negative momentum. A gentler thought can start building gentler momentum too. Small shifts count more than dramatic ones here. Catching the spiral early is easier than trying to talk yourself out of a full mental thunderstorm.
How to go general without pretending
If you are new to this, the fear is usually the same: “Won’t I just be avoiding the issue?” Not if you are honest.
Going general is not denial. It is stopping the habit of stabbing yourself with the sharpest version of the story, a cycle your inner being does not participate in.
Look, I’ve read all the books. I know the theory. And still, there are Tuesdays where I sit on the couch, look at a problem, and choose to poke at it anyway until I’m entirely wound up. It’s human. If you do that today, you haven’t broken the Law of Attraction. You’re just having a moment. When you’re ready, the broader thought is still waiting for you.
Start with the thought that is making your shoulders rise
Name the thing that is hurting. Be plain about it.
Maybe it is, “I am scared about money.” Maybe it is, “I feel rejected.” Maybe it is, “I don’t know what I am doing.” You do not have to clean it up. You only need enough honesty to know where the friction is.
Once you find the thought, notice your body’s response. Do you clench? Speed up? Feel sick? That reaction tells you the thought has a lot of charge.
Back up until the thought feels slightly easier
Now soften the statement. Not into nonsense, but into something wider. This act of deliberate focus allows you to move toward emotional relief by loosening the mental vise grip.
Try adding phrases like “right now,” “I don’t know yet,” or “things can change.” Those little openings matter.
A few examples:
- “I’m scared about money” can become “I’m having a scared money moment.”
- “Nobody wants me” can become “I feel tender and rejected right now.”
- “This will never work” can become “I can’t see how this works yet.”
That word “yet” has rescued many a dramatic Tuesday. If you find this approach too simple, you might consider the Focus Wheel process as a more structured way to practice shifting your thoughts.
If the momentum is already loud, stop trying so hard
This part does not get said enough. When you have built up a lot of emotional momentum, you may not be able to think your way out of it on command. Because a thought gains significant power after only 17 seconds, catching the spiral early is vital.
Sometimes the kindest move is to do nothing heroic.
Take a nap. Watch an old comfort show. Go to bed early. Sleep often works like a reset button because the mental train stops picking up speed for a while. In the morning, there can be a tiny pocket of space before the old thoughts rush back in. That is a good time to choose a gentler one.
Physical shifts help too. A walk, a shower, tidying one small surface, or sitting outside for five minutes can interrupt a spiral. So can EFT tapping. For a lot of people, tapping is easier than sitting still with a hard emotion because it gives the body a steady rhythm while the mind says something honest.
You are not failing if you need a reset. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you will do all day is quit arguing with your nervous system.
What going general sounds like in real life
The idea gets clearer when it leaves the abstract cloud of the vortex of creation and lands in ordinary Tuesday life.
Money
Money is where people often get painfully specific. You might find yourself thinking, “I need this exact amount by Friday,” “If this bill hits, I am done,” or “Nothing ever works for me.”
Those thoughts feel awful because they close every door at once.
A more general approach might sound like this: “I don’t love where things are, but money moves.” You are acknowledging the vibrational reality that things shift before they are physically seen. You might also say, “People solve money problems every day,” or “I can take the next step without knowing the full plan.” That does not magically pay the bill, but it usually puts you in a better state to make a call, check an account, or think clearly.
Relationships
Relationship anxiety also loves a microscope. You read one message six times and build a whole courtroom case from punctuation. Suddenly, a delayed reply means your life is over and you will die alone under a weighted blanket.
This is where going general can save you from your own detective board by helping you shift into a receiving mode.
Try, “I don’t know what this means yet.” Or, “Their timing is not the same thing as my worth.” Or, “I can care about this without making it an emergency.” Those thoughts soften the sting without asking you to pretend you do not care.
Work, purpose, and the future
Future fear often comes dressed as certainty. You might think, “I am behind,” “I missed my chance,” or “Everyone else knows what they are doing.”
That kind of thinking feels solid, but it usually is not. It is fear in a blazer.
Going general sounds more like, “A lot can change in a year,” “I do not need my whole life mapped out this afternoon,” or “The next clear step is enough for now.” That last one is especially helpful when your brain wants a ten-year forecast and all you have is one decent next move. Recognizing that feeling the relief of these broader thoughts is a form of emotional manifestation, as it signals that you are moving in the right direction.
When the teachings of Abraham Hicks on going general feel airy at first, remember that in practice, they are incredibly practical. When a thought feels too sharp, get broader. When a sentence makes you shrink, try one that lets you exhale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is going general the same as avoiding my problems?
No, it is not avoidance; it is a strategy for emotional regulation. By acknowledging that a thought is causing you pain, you remain honest, but you choose to soften your perspective so you can approach the situation from a place of clarity rather than panic.
How do I know if my thought is “general” enough?
Trust your body on this one, not your brain. Don’t look for emotional fireworks or sudden enlightenment. Just look for your shoulders dropping half an inch, or your throat unclenched, or a sudden, quiet exhale. If a thought makes you brace or tighten up, it’s still too specific. If it lets you take a full breath, you’ve hit the sweet spot.
What if I cannot find a positive thought to shift to?
Then please, stop trying so hard. When the emotional momentum is already screamingly loud, trying to force a positive thought is like trying to flip a speeding car into reverse. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is declare bankruptcy on the day, take a nap, put on a comfort show, or go to bed early. Let sleep do the heavy lifting of resetting your momentum.
Does this approach actually help with manifestation?
Absolutely, because manifestation is fueled by alignment, not by white-knuckling your way through a struggle. When you choose a general thought that brings genuine relief, you lower your internal resistance. That small shift changes your emotional baseline, which is exactly what opens the door for inspired ideas and unexpected solutions to finally reach you.
A Tiny Permission Slip
If a thought makes you tense up, you do not have to wrestle it into becoming positive. You can simply step back and choose something more general, more breathable, and more honest.
That is the real usefulness of this Abraham Hicks concept. By going general, you stop arguing with yourself long enough to feel a little relief, which is often where your next inspired step begins. When you prioritize finding better feeling thoughts, you align more easily with your inner being and the natural flow of the Law of Attraction.
You do not need the perfect thought to manifest what you want. You only need one that lets your mind unclench and brings you back to a state of ease.
✨✨ Interested in learning more about the teachings of Abraham? Hop on over to the Abraham Hicks website. ✨✨
About Vickie Barnes
I’ve spent more than 20 years exploring the intersection of mindset and energy. My journey began with Wayne Dyer, who opened the door to the teachings of Abraham Hicks, which I strive to integrate into my daily life. Alongside the Law of Attraction, I am a long-time practitioner of EFT, having started my training with Gary Craig’s original methods. Whether I’m tapping through blocks or (attempting) to find a quiet moment for meditation, my goal is to help you move beyond "magic" and toward a grounded, intentional life.