Feelings – The Divine Influence Within Us
There is a bountiful spectrum of inspiration to draw from in life. One way to channel inspiration is from the divine influence within us, commonly delivered in the form of a feeling. Each one of us gravitates to colors and smells we like-- or do we? It's no secret that we are heavily influenced by marketing, economics, and cultural upbringing, so it might be fair to contest that our natural inspiration can become manipulated, arresting our core development. When I was a teenager, I wanted to become a cartoonist, but a teacher said that cartoonists usually possess an aptitude for…
Meditating from Panic to Peace
"I think I had an unhappy childhood!" I announced to a therapist at the age of 58. It's amazing what my brain had done to hide that fact from me. I'd developed a panic disorder at the age of 15. Terrified of the mental illness and sadness stalking my family, I'd self-medicated in high school, stashing a flask of vodka in my ever-present pocketbook. Over the next forty years, however, with the help of anti-anxiety medication, I managed to build a wonderful life for myself. I married a loving husband, had two beautiful sons, and enjoyed success in several different…
7 Steps to Be Inspired
1) Don’t be afraid to fail. In each of our failures there is a something to gain or learn from. Sometimes the simple lesson is in learning what not to do. What we often perceive as a “failure” is actually just a lesson that life is teaching us. Try a different approach. 2) Don’t be afraid to speak up and use your voice. Too often we hold back from saying what we really want to say or mean to say. Sometimes the biggest regrets we have are the things we never said to someone while they were still around to…
Embracing Your Feelings
I may be young, but I have lived through enough challenges and changes to offer up plenty words of wisdom! For starters, feel everything to the fullest, the good and the bad. The bad things like heartbreak or losing a job are going to suck, and hurt! But, if you live that pain you will be able to walk away with your lesson. If we bottle up those feelings, they may come back to haunt us later. So let those feelings come up and run their course. Pay special attention to the hard times because that is where you will learn…
Change is Our Birthright
Don’t hold anyone to who they used to be, especially yourself. Evolution is all of our birthright. Embrace who you are becoming, as an individual, as a friend, a lover, a family member, and in the roles you play across many communities. Give the same ‘gift of grow’ to everyone you know – and to those you need to let go. Enjoy how the circles of your life bring out different sides of you. At least once a year (your birthday?), have a gathering where the thing most people have in common is you. The new alliances that form will…
Own Your Feelings
Most people think they don't have anything to do with how they are feeling. I certainly didn't. But I have learned through many difficult situations in relationships, career and finances, and even getting shot that I do have something to do with my emotions. After all, they are mine! I learned that how I feel is mainly up to me, unless I have some chemical or neurological damage. Other than that, how I think causes how I feel. It's like a waterfall. My positive thoughts cause positive emotions. My negative thoughts cause negative emotions. How I feel influences how I…
Try Shoes On For Size (and Comfort!)
It is so true that until you walk a mile in someone's shoes, you have no idea what it's like. You can hypothesize and surmise, but you really have no idea. Even when that "someone" is you. It's easy to say what you "would" or "wouldn't" do in a situation prior to living it. But the truth is, you haven't a clue. Until we are faced with a situation, there isn't a way to fully understand how it feels for all the senses and all the emotions that arise. We often surprise ourselves with our reactions to occurrences in our lives.…
Rhyme for the Sensitive Child (Poem)
As a new school year begins, may all children be free from bullying, and know that they are love and loved~ Rhyme for the Sensitive Child ‘Don’t take things so personal’ You hear them say But child I know You don’t see it that way- For I know that you feel Deep like the sea And when you are hurt You long to be free from this world- Yet I’m here to tell you From the wisdom of years From trying to fit in And hiding my tears- That you are so Amazing... That the gifts that you bring…
Feeling Creatures Who Think
Last week I shared Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's TEDx Talk with you and the idea that choosing to stay angry affects both your body and your mind. This week I'd like to share another powerful concept that Dr. Jill makes: that we are feeling creatures who think. We are not thinking people who feel, yet this is what our society believes and values – which is at the heart of many of our issues. Here is the science and biology behind it. Our limbic system is constantly asking, “Am I safe?” If things feel familiar to our limbic system, then we feel calm and safe. The system…
Bouncing with Style: Feelings are Not Truths
One of the fun parts of keeping a journal is you can look back and reflect, sure, but you can also look back and laugh. When I was in the death throes of my marriage, counseling that I thought was to save our marriage after my husband’s latest affair and he thought was the way to get out of our marriage, I journaled a lot. Now, years later, with two active voracious readers underfoot in elementary school, I thought I better check out these journals in case my kids open them. Boy! If flames could have leapt from the pages…
Empowered YOUth: 5 Ways to Restore Peace and Repair Connection in Your Family
By Michael Eisen. In a day and age where parents and kids text more than they talk, where a family that doesn't feud is an anomaly, and where the one thing that most parents and kids have in common is the stress and anxiety they face—something's gotta give! If we are going to empower the next generation and generations to come to live up to their true potential and to live a life full of passion and optimism, it is incredibly important that we create a more supportive and understanding family unit. Below are five principles and strategies that will…
No More Procrastination
By Sheevaun Moran. One of the most energy sapping things you can do is procrastinate. But how to stop is the real issue. Here are some surefire ways to end that nagging issue of procrastinating. Past – Avoiding things works because doing something may cause fear, anxiety and make us just feel bad. Many people feel, "I’m not doing something right" or "I won’t do it right anyway" so I’ll avoid doing it at all. Solution – Anxiety is just fight or flight and fear is something I can push through and have a victory on the other side. —–…