GET BACK TO NATURE
WRITING
Tip # 4 Writing is a HUGE part of my recovery. When I was young, I started writing a lot in journals although I would never had thought of myself as a writer other than to throw up my emotions up on paper. Because I kept a lot of my deep emotions inside I used writing as a way to release them and of course for no one to see. I ended up writing 20 journals before I got married, then stopped because of the fear I had around someone reading my true feelings about my marriage. I guess my point of this is, writing has been such a blessing for me in helping me have a safe space to express myself openly. Just in the last year in half I have written over 250 pages. Some say that it is better to write with our hand in a journal or notepad. I have done it both ways and have found that typing is quicker and an easier way for me to express myself but feel free to do it both ways. It's even been suggested to me to write with the opposite hand that you are used to writing with as it will release more of the hidden emotions inside. I think the biggest things to remember and that has been helpful for me is to be consistent. Set aside a time each day to make it a priority. Don't get overwhelmed with it JUST DO IT.
The way I do it is I ask myself the question, what is it that I most need to write about today and I just keep writing til my soul is done bleeding it out. Some days it's a short couple of sentences.. and other days it's pages. It just depends. I don't worry about spelling or grammar because to me that doesn't matter as much as just allowing what is in me to flow out. This was a practice I did a lot more of when I was going through some serious emotions over the last year in a half. Another thing to remember is don't judge those thoughts and feelings inside of you. It's important to just allow them to come out. What I have learned for me and for others I work with is that once you get things out on paper and in black and white, somehow they lose their power that we have given them inside of us to hold us back. Of course not everything we write about is negative so this won't apply 100% but you get the idea.
What I have discovered through my time in writing is that I really do enjoy writing and for me my style is perfect. I had always compared myself to others that I thought were soo much better than I was so I ended up not writing and what I discovered is that there is no right or wrong way of writing. It's my heart and my soul I share with each one of you and for me that's PERFECT.
You might even consider as it is heading into the warmer months to go for a hike and take a journal with you and be in a quiet place in nature and get connected and then write about those thoughts and feelings you have there. Very good exercise for getting centered and finding peace in your life.
Enjoy .. this is one of my favorite tips! Let me know how it goes.
Here is a blog I found that talks about writing that I liked. CLICK HERE.
MUSIC
Tip #3 is include some kind of calming MUSIC into your day. Because I work mostly from home unless I am out and about meeting people and speaking, I always have music playing in the background on my computer. It just sets the mood for the day. It helps me to be a space of calmness and staying centered. There is a vibration to music as well. For me I mostly listen to piano music. I even have this listed on daily planner for me to check off as I review my so called "Dailys." Dailys are things I schedule into my day to help me stay balanced and on track with my program. Dailys are things that help me take care of me. I highly recommend you make your own list of dailies.
FUN
Ok.. so Tip #2 is have FUN during the day. Sometimes we take ourselves way to seriously and life gets a little stiff. I know for me I forget that life is about having fun while staying focused on the goal. How do I do that you may ask, well for me it's laughing outloud at myself when I do funny things, smiling at myself in the mirror, taking silly pictures, making some kind of joke to get people to laugh, wearing wigs and dressing up.
So.. here is the video blog I shot tonight explaining about incorporating fun into your life.
MEDITATION -
Tip #1 - How many of you actually do some type of MEDITATION or prayer a day? As I have gone through my journey of releasing a massive amount of weight I realized just how important it is to take time for me. I had never done that before. I had packed soo much into my life I never took quiet time to shut out the world and tune into me. To be honest with you, I think my thoughts scared me and I didn't want to known what was going on in my mind. Now, I spend quite a bit of time a day in silence or in some type of meditation. I don't watch TV anymore because I realized that was waisting a lot of time, as well as numbing me out of my own reality. Life has been beautiful since I chose to do that.
So start off today with taking 5-10 minutes in a quiet place. If you want to just start by sitting there in silence, then that is a good start. Be aware of your thoughts. Be aware of how many times your mind wonders to useless things. Be patient with yourself as this can take time to learn to quiet the mind. It's just like learning to strengthen a muscle. There have been lots of studies out there of how important meditation is to our well being. I like to imagine a white board with nothing written on it. I try to concentrate on it to clear my mind. Other times I listen to music and let my mind dream and live in this world of freedom and watch where it goes. Regardless of how you choose to do it, the most important part of this time is to be in tune with your mind, body and soul. This is a form of grounding yourself. Many times I get impressions during this time so I keep a journal next to me to write those things down as they come. Sometimes people are worried about doing it right. There is no right or wrong way to meditating... the only important thing is that you do it.
Don't forget to breathe. When we hold a lot of stress our breathe seems to be short. Many times when you are feeling stress in your chest or in your shoulders, stopping and taking a big, into the lungs, deep breathe is all you need to relieve yourself from the tention that is building up. I was just cleaning up a few things here in my place and I caught myself with stress. I stopped where I was and took a HUGE breathe and immediately it released the tention in my body.
Like this morning, I listened to my Og Mandino Scrolls. It helped remind me of who I am and what I am capable of becoming. Sometimes you will use other tools but start with the basics and journal about what you experience and see if taking this time to meditate begins to help you deal with the stresses of life better.
Have fun with this!
