Thursday 29 August 2013

Twist your words

Sometimes our mind tries to take us into a dark place where we are not whole, worthy, or loved. Many things can trigger such an attack; a stressful situation, grief, an illness or even a day of rough weather is enough to direct our thoughts away from their positive path. When you find yourself spiraling into this zone say "stop!" Write down what your immediate thought is, such as "I can't do anything right". This is your thought and it feels real, but it is not created in logic. What is a more logical thought? "I might make a mistake, but it is worth trying". This might be enough to calm your panicked emotion and steer you back onto a brighter course. Shift the mind into a place of safety, hope and acceptance by blocking the negative, scouting out a positive and staking your claim in a more preferred mental location.

Friday 23 August 2013

Messages

We encounter a number of comments as we flow through our days. Sometimes we receive positive feedback and sometimes it is a negative message. Our typical response is to discard the positive and cling to the negative. The positive message was simply someone being nice and the negative is a sign that we must confront and deal with is what we perceive. We can't control the words that people share with us but we can control how we respond to them. What we do not realize is it took a lot for the person to give us a positive message. They could have said nothing, but they dove deep inside their kindness and let it flow out to us. What a gift! We have earned this comment just by being ourselves and we should embrace the vibe shared with us and know that we are special. Negative feedback is a little more complicated. Do we understand where the motive for this message came from? Are their feelings of inadequacy in the other person? Did they mean to cause harm? We don't have to completely discard this negative note, it may give us a valuable learning experience and even negative notes play a role in the song of our lives. How do you deal with negative notes?

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Holding out for a hero

In our youth we often fixated on different super heroes that would swoop in and save the day. We delighted in their powers and fantasized about teaming up with our hero and making the world a better place. These fantasies brought so much light into our childhood experiences. But at some point, we let the heroes go and focused more on the real world surrounding us. Let us take some time to reflect on a hero. This could be someone we admire, a celebrity, or maybe you will revisit a childhood hero. Take their image into your mind's eye and imagine them healing the struggles you currently face in your life. Maybe they pay your bills by discovering a mine full of gold, perhaps they heal your cancer cell by cell with their universal life force, or maybe they protect your children from baddies. It is ok to meditate on these things. It may seem silly, but that childlike mindset can wash worries away. Who is your hero?

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Smell the flowers

Nature creates a beauty of colours, scents and textures in her flowers that are found from the arctic tundra to the rainforests of Brazil. In each flower we see the miracle of life and the senstive connection between air, water, and nutrients. If any of these are out of balance, the flower suffers, reacting physically with wilted pedals and a dulled hue. We can rarely recognise this change on ourselves. When we are out of whack, the signals are often hidden and we need to work at staying present to fully appreciate our current situation. Take some time today to connect with a flower. Go to a local florest, greenhouse or even a friend's house who has lovely blooms in their yard. Appreciate the gift of now. Appreciate the gift of life.

Friday 16 August 2013

Wind in your hair

A slight breeze can awake wonders in our mind.  It can cool down a hot summer day, wake you up when you are feeling sleepy, or whisper words of hope for a happy future. Let your worries blow away and direct yourself into the present moment using the wind as your guide. Roll down the windows in your car, let your hair flop this way and that in a fun dance with the breeze. Stand in front of a fan and imagine all your stress being carried away off into the passing air. Open some windows in your house to evoke a cross ventilation system that will awaken your sleeping furniture and sweeten the stale air. By using one of Earth's basic elements we can add healing to our life and a happiness to our soul. How do you use the wind?

Thursday 15 August 2013

Deep divulging

Inside our backs when we get a knot, there is this rough little patch that is consumed with stress and toxins just begging to be let free. With some deep tissue massaging we can work that knot over and over until it softens and releases. We then use water to flush the loose toxins out. Talk therapy is much like this. We have a deep thought in our subconscious that we keep buried.  When we are asked how we are doing, we push that stressor down and say "I am fine thanks", building another hardened layer over top of the pain. Our minds need massages to work out the kinks hidden in our brain. So how do you do this?  Divulge.  Open.  Honest.  Raw.  Ask a good friend to have a candid conversation with you, record your inner thoughts in a journal, or go to a group therapy session if one is available in your community. When was the last time you rally opened up?  I went to the beach with a fellow blogger and we just poured out our hearts into the sand, it was a beautiful freedom.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Find your flare

Cultures around the world have their own unique way of decorating the human body. It may be a dozen gold necklaces to accentuate the neck, a head dress of flowers and feathers, or tattoos on the face. Each detail brings a sense of community as well as a sense of self. The details we add to our body send a message to others we come in contact with. Why not add some flare to your outfit? Perhaps a scarf, a ring, or a hat.  Find an item that makes you smile and show it off for all the world to see. Your item of flare may even strike up a conversation with a stranger, what a blessing! Decorate and celebrate.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Be the change

People are always watching even when we don't think they are. Our actions speak volumes. What if we pick up some litter in a park? What if we walk a senior across the street? What if we bring a refillable water bottle to the gym? They are watching and they are noticing that we are regular people doing amazing things. They may be inspired to follow our lead and in doing so, they inspire countless others. Live as though the world was a peaceful place and everyone cared for the Earth and looked out for each other. Live as though we are are blessed. Others will connect with this positive energy we are sending out and perhaps adopt the same behaviours.  Change starts with you. What do you do to inspire change?

Saturday 3 August 2013

Peaceful purging

We hang onto things for a number of reasons.  "I might find a use for this one day", "this item reminds me of my good friend", "If I had some spare time I could do something with this". The objects add up and threaten to add stress to our life and repel calmness from our sacred space. We might have a box of old letters from high school that were passed in the hallway between souls of twisted teenage angst. Do you really require a paper trail of those memories or could you narrow down your pile to a single letter or two? You may have office folders of a project completed five years ago.  Are there still learnings to be had from this material or could it reside in the recycle box? All those stuffies. All those stuffed animals smiling and taking up precious space. Could they be donated to an animal shelter as puppy toys or does their presence truly lift you up every day?  Sometimes, it can be cathartic to just let go.

What is the last place your purged? How did it feel?

Thursday 1 August 2013

Home is where the heart is

Our homes are our habitat.  They give us shelter from the elements, they provide us with a personal lair that we can decorate as we please, and they offer a place to connect with loved ones without the intrusion of strangers. Take some time to thank you home today.  That is right, I am talking about chores.  But think of chores as love actions for your sweet space where you lay your head, walk around nude, and cook delicious meals. Dust those spots that rarely feel your touch, vacuum under the seat where you graze on munchies, scrub the toothpaste from the sink that greets you each morning. Be mindfull as you polish and mop.  What do I have to be grateful of here in my home? What aspects of this structure bring me happiness and hope?

What makes your special space so important to you?