Finding Love

For a few years now I have been subscribed to a ‘Daily Dose’ of inspiration by Light Watkins. I stumbled across it without knowing that it was exactly what I was looking for and I have been grateful ever since. Now every morning my email brings me a little food for thought to start my day on. It is just a little something which takes me out of the speeding train in my head and into the now.

Since then I have been part of his ‘Happiness Insiders’, which has challenged me to complete over a year of consistent meditation to date. I have also enjoyed being part of an online book club which is exposing me to different authors and genre I would not normally of even considering. My world is slowly expanding in different ways.

The thing is though if anyone had told me I needed to read this or needed to do that my immediate reaction would have been rebellion. I would have moved further away from whatever they suggested, either consciously or subconsciously. Even if it is to my detriment I would continue, at least until a wake up call arrives to tell me to ‘sort my sh!+ out’! It is the story of my life in fact. Whatever was ‘fashionable’ and ‘trendy’ at the time was exactly what I didn’t like. I liked to buck the trend and back the outsider but mostly I think it is not wanting to be told what to do. I like doing things differently. I guess it makes me feel that I have more control over my own life …. that I’m not one of the millions …. even if it isn’t always the smartest choice.

You’d think with my will to ‘do things as I please’ I would be more understanding of others having their own way too. Sadly, this is not always true but the meditation and reading different ideas on life is helping. I’m learning to take a deep breath when I feel the need to direct others and keep my mouth shut. I’m learning to give love and understanding rather than judgement and criticism. If I’m being honest though, at the moment I am mostly in that stage of knowing but not doing very consistently. They say practice makes perfect so fingers crossed! So when Light Watkins dropped this in my inbox the other week it was a great reminder for me and as it fits so well with my ‘Advice’ piece the other week that I thought I would share it with you too 🙂

Hope this finds you living the life you want and letting others do the same.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

The Roller-coaster of Life

Life really is unpredictable. Even when we think we have it all sorted, things can be taken completely out of our hands. We get sent in a different direction, one which we never expected to have to take. This can be hard to accept and often a grieving process can occur. We are faced with the alternatives of rolling with it or fighting and struggling against it, which usually only leads to us suffering more.

If you’re anything like me then you kind of expect life to keep getting better when you put effort in. I anticipate a future where the highs and lows of the roller coaster ride lessen until eventually they level completely. This is what I have in my mind’s eye as I go about my daily practices though it hasn’t happened yet so maybe I shouldn’t hold my breath too much. The reality is that there is always something happening; a curve in the track, a dip, a tunnel, a sudden plunge into god knows what or a breath taking view from the ‘top’ where everything seems great.

^{What will tomorrow bring?}

I notice too, as I have been paying more attention to my life, that even when I’m feeling like I have life ‘sorted’ a loved ones’ roller coaster can sometimes come crashing into mine. Entwining us in a wave of emotions and actions that no-one saw coming. We’re caught unawares and left scrambling with whatever we have at hand. At those times, it can be hard for me not to go into panic mood or my usual rescue mood. More and more though I’m learning a bit of ‘roller coaster maintenance’ and I’m slowly learning to separate the two. Create some space for repair, reconstruction, separation and leveling of the track as I remember and use the tools I have sooner and sooner.

Recently I read a quote from Pema Chödrön which was like a penny dropping. It made me re-think how I approach life and its roller coaster ride. She wrote ‘We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.’

Maybe in knowing in advance that things will be up and down we will be able to prepare ourselves easier. We will be in a better position to accept the seemingly unacceptable. We can create the emergency kit early, ready for when ‘disaster’ occurs, so that we have an easier time of it when things rock our world. By practicing healing techniques before these life changing events we will be in a better space to use them. They will be a common, everything tools that we are familiar with using The time to get good at meditating, at relaxing, at self care, at EFT, at breath work, at gratitude is now before the proverbial hits the fan. Having these tools feel like second nature, ready to be used at short notice, can only be achieved by us taking time now to use them regularly. Now before we really need them.

^{Mini Hand Reflexology for stress}

So take a minute now. Don’t wait. Practice one of those techniques you have heard about, or one that you want to learn more about, which help to reduce stress. Find some time to use it each day and begin to create a habit out of it . That way when your roller coaster ride overwhelms you or when another roller coaster careers towards you you’ll be ready and fully prepared to go with whatever life is bringing you.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

One day till departure time…

Well it has arrived!  Yes, our move day is just one sleep away now and as I type this the house is fill with boxes (filled and empty), there is a lingering smell of cleaning products (desperately trying to get most of it done tonight) and themselves are snuggled into my bed where I will do be joining them.

Stacked and ready to load on the truck

I am happy to say that while today truly tested my powers of calm, life has been very stress-less (until today :)).  The issues which surfaced just 6 weeks ago have long since gone as I have really focused on my health, partly due to the half marathon I ran a week ago (which was probably the thing that kept me on the healthy straight and narrow) and mostly because I just didn’t want to feel crap!

Coming up to the finish line of the half marathon.

I realised sitting here just how far I have come in my health and wellbeing in a little over 2 years.  Where as before I would reach for energy drinks to keep me going, stay up late and eat for comfort I now aim for ways I can feel better about myself and happier in my days.  It isn’t always plain sailing however the rough patches have certainly lessened and become less frequent.

I can see that tapping, eating well, exercise, Bach Flowers, meditation and learning to love myself is a way of life now rather than a quick fix to be dropped once the going is good.  Writing on here and other online articles has really helped to remind me of that and the reward is a lot less stress in my days.

Hope this finds you enjoying a few stress-less days of your own.

Arohanui

Y