Trust that everything is working out as it should. In divine time. In divine order. For your highest good.
Video: Let Go and Flow
Category: Peace
You hold the key.
Even though we often have little control over the “outside forces” in our lives, we can always make a positive difference – from the inside out.
Start here. Right here. Right now. Be still. Breathe in gratitude. Be thankful for this very moment. Start small. Notice your passing thoughts. Let go.
Awareness empowers.
Notice the exact time it is right now. Say today’s date out loud. Look up at the sky. Wink at the clouds. Stomp your feet on the floor. Smile with gusto.
Slowly bring yourself back to this moment.
Grab onto the coffee mug you are holding. Inhale the rich scent of the sumatra you are drinking. Feel the warmth of each passing breath.
Feel the texture of the clothes you’re wearing. Wake up to the sound of your voice. Whisper. Sing. Shout it out!
Dance a little dance. Stand up tall. Anything and everything that shifts you from outer space to inner spirit. From not enough to overflowing.
Positive change begins within.
Come back to yourself. Back to the grace of your magnificent spirit. Into the beauty of your incredible form. Feel the rhythm of your beating heart. Sense the pulse of life itself.
Everything you need to transform yourself and the world already exists within you. You matter. You truly matter. But you have to believe it to see it. Feel it to know it. One gentle, uplifting thought at a time.
You hold the key.
Originally published on March 1 2017
The Cure for the Anxious Mind.
Nature is a beautiful way to stop the monkey mind in its’ tracks.
What is the monkey mind? 🐒 🧠
“Buddha described the human mind as being filled with drunken monkeys, jumping around, screeching, chattering, carrying on endlessly. Fear is an especially loud monkey – screaming out all the things that could go wrong.” Source: HuffPost
When we’re caught in a loop of anxious thoughts, our amygdala goes into overdrive. Causing us to get stuck in the basement of our brains (the limbic system) where our stressful thoughts go around and around. With no end to the downward spiral in sight.
B R E A T H I N G S P A C E
Time in nature gives us a chance to catch our breath, to see the light, to realize there’s a way out of this never-ending rumination loop.
The Healing Power of Nature 🍃
The impact of nature on the human spirit is so profound that a hallmark study in 1984 showed that patients who had a room with a view healed faster than patients without a view. A mere glimpse of nature was enough to enhance their resilience.
Hope 🌷
Nature shifts our thoughts. Expands our awareness. Gives us hope. Lifts us up from the basement of our brains (amygdala) to the penthouse (cerebral cortex) where all solutions are possible.
”And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul.”
Related Video: Grounding Techniques
How do you soothe tame your anxious monkey mind?
Catch your breath.
“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, not what’s left of you.”
Pause.
Be still.
Catch your breath.
Take a rest.
Practice self-care.
As often as you can.
Pause at the end of my video ⬆️ for 30 fun self-care ideas.
Do you practice daily self-care?
Please share in the comments below.
Rest in Truth.
Truth is truth.
Let them gossip. Let them chatter. Let them say what they choose to say.
Because at the end of the day truth is truth.
And nothing can stand in it’s way.
Rest. Relax. Sit back. Breathe in deep.
Stop trying to convince anybody and everybody of anything and everything.
At the end of the day time will tell.
Rest. Relax. Sit back. Breathe in deep.
When the dust settles and the sun sets truth is truth.
And it shall set you free.💫
Lean into loneliness | The Drive Magazine.
Good news to share!
This month I published my first psychology advice column for a Canadian magazine. The same magazine that profiled my work in positive psychology.
My intention for the psychology article is to inspire and comfort individuals experiencing loneliness during the holidays.
VIDEO OVERVIEW
Writing dreams & goals.
I have been writing psychology textbooks for McGraw-Hill Ryerson since 2009 and blogging since 2015.
But truth be told, I have always longed for something more. To write a psychology advice column for a magazine and eventually a book about psychology in everyday life.
Psychology for the people.
My intention is to make psychology accessible, engaging, and easy to apply. Integrate all of the stories, life lessons, and adversities I have witnessed over the years as a former school psychologist and now professor.
Empower the readers to find the strength inside.
Which is why I am thrilled to share an excerpt from the December PSYCH DRIVE column for The DRIVE Magazine.
Lean into Loneliness — Introduction
When we feel a painful emotion, our first instinct is to pull away. To numb the pain. To hide from the intensity.
This was the case for Sarah and Jack, two unique individuals with vastly different circumstances. But they each experienced the same emotion: loneliness.
An emotion that is heightened during the holidays.
Knowledge is power
1. Understand the emotion
We need to first understand an emotion before we jump to the conclusion that it’s either good or bad, because in reality, emotions are almost entirely physiological in nature. There’s not a negative or positive to them. It’s in our mind that we make it one or the other. This concept is supported by Schachter-Singer’s theory of emotion..
To continue reading article… click here ←
Stay tuned for the next PSYCH DRIVE in 2019!
Enhancing well-being during the holidays.
Do you find Christmas holidays stressful?
If you’re anything like me (and Santa Claus), you answered yes.
Something I wrote about in the December issue of The DRIVE magazine.
Including the benefits of leaning into difficult emotions.
Because the more we try to fight discomfort, the longer it lasts.
“The root of all suffering is attachment.” Buddha
Stop fighting. Start flowing.
Let your stress drift gently through you.
Without judgment or condemnation.
Breathe and release.
Embrace what is.
Moment by moment.
Let go of what is outside your control.
Let go of expectations.
In doing so..
The pressure becomes lighter.
The joy becomes brighter.
Create your own traditions.
Fall in love with the night sky.
Savour a walk in the moonlight.
Moment by moment.
We can handle just about anything.
Watch my short video for more health & wellness tips.🎄💚
Happiness in present time.
Our left brain lives in the past and the future.
Our right brain lives in the here and now.
One scrambles for solutions to problem after problem.
The other sinks into the present moment, trusting all is well.
Which side of the brain will you live on today?
I choose my right brain.
Right here. Right now.
Fully present.
Breathing it all in.
All is well.
“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.”
The inspiration for today’s post.
A walk around Blue Heron Lake.🍃
Related Post: Is Happiness a Choice?
What you seek is seeking you.
As we head into the weekend, may we all be reminded of the importance of rest in striving for success.
If only for a moment.
An hour or a day.
Be still and let your dreams find you.
“What you seek is seeking you”.
Breathe. Believe. Receive.
You hold the key. 🔑
What are you ready to let go of?
This post was inspired by a stressful situation that I couldn’t let go of, long beyond its solution. No matter how hard I tried. Day in day out. The worry would reappear. Then someone close to me suggested “I shed the stress”. And a lightbulb went off. Each time the repetitive thought appeared, I imagined a tree shedding its leaves. A golden leaf for every anxious thought. This visualization process made all the difference. And so did writing about it. 📝🍂
If you had a magic wand, what would you ask to disappear in your life right now?
What would you say good-bye to?
Once and for all.
It could be an emotion. Or a thought.
A relationship. Or a job.
A place or a thing.
Stress management is a shedding process ℘ Not an acquisition project
It’s time to let go of what drains you.
Let go of what holds you back.
Let go of what keeps you down.
It could be a mindset. Or a memory.
A situation. Or an attitude.
Write it down. Shout it out.
Stress management is a shedding process ℘ Not a holding pattern
It’s time to let go of what weighs you down.
Release it to the universe.
Declare your freedom.
Vow to move on and beyond.
Once and for all.
Stress management is a shedding process ℘ Not an endurance test
