How To Recognize A Karmic Lesson & What To Do About It

Often presented in relationships or repetitious patterns and scenarios, these karmic lessons will keep reappearing in our lives until we learn something from them. And while each karmic lesson is unique, some of the common themes include how you relate to yourself and others, how you love, how you express self-worth, and how you let go. Here are four signs you're receiving a karmic lesson and five ways to take action.

Shannon Kaiser, spiritual author of The Self-Love Experiment, notes that when you repeatedly find yourself in situations that push the same buttons or triggers, it's probably a sign that there's a lesson to learn there.

Do you face many of the same issues in all your friendships or romantic relationships? Whether it's attracting narcissists or overcoming your attachment style, Kaiser says it's often a karmic lesson when we find ourselves in relationships or circumstances full of red flags and repeated patterns.

Are you terrified of commitment? Being alone? Expressing yourself? Kaiser says that karmic lessons might lie in the situations and relationships that bring out your worst fears.

If there's a lesson you're avoiding, it could cause you to feel hypercritical about your choices, beliefs, and habits, Kaiser says. This is why it's so important to fully embrace karmic lessons and integrate them into your life. Here's how to get started:

Issues tend to arise when we're not embodying our truth. So, Kaiser recommends getting clear about your own role in each situation and taking accountability for yourself, your thoughts, and actions.

Only we can truly know what's best for us on our path. "Work on finding your own happiness," she says, "and appreciate what is going well in your life."

Practicing self-love and compassion can help you "integrate the aha moments," Kaiser says. "When we practice self-love, we trust ourselves, and when we trust ourselves, we have faith and become stronger. We no longer allow for things we once settled for."

By strengthening your independence and intuition, you can also better align with your truth. This will help you face your karmic lessons head-on so you can stop the cycle.

"Approach your life journey with a student mindset and see Earth as a classroom," Kaiser says. "You are always learning and growing—karmic lessons are always at work in our life."