Trying to sleep.
No luck.
Those pesky thoughts of things gone by
keep swirling In my mind.
Some are good, but many are bad.
How to stop them taking command.
They are uninvited guests for sure.
But …
do I have this all wrong?
Maybe they’re nothing to fear.
Just a map of my life so far
showing me where I’ve been
and where I need to be.
Life can get so hectic sometimes, especially if you are working and raising kids. And, if you have one of those jobs where you are giving to others, it’s a double whammy. Self-care isn’t something we give much thought to. Probably because we are taught it’s selfish to think of ourselves. And even if we do think of it from time to time, it’s usually put on the back burner.
You know what happens if self-care remains on the back burner too long—you burn out, and when that happens you’re no good to yourself or anyone else. Here’s an idea for self-care. Make a list of all the things that bring you JOY. They don’t have to cost an arm and a leg, and most will cost nothing at all. Each week pick one of the items on the list and treat yourself. It could be a long walk somewhere beautiful, a soak in a bubble bath, or a cup of tea and a good book. Maybe buy yourself something once in awhile. You get the idea.
The world is a loud place to be, and we can lose ourselves in that loudness and become so stressed out. Be good to yourself and soon you’ll see how much calmer and happier you feel.
Your soul deserves to be loved. Go ahead and give it some flowers.
Water will find its way to flow gracefully forward.
We can too.
No fears, or worries, keeping us still.
Emotional and physical pain won’t paralyze us for long.
We are strong.
Kindness, and love, for ourselves and others will help us in
Finding our way.
There are times when you find yourself out in nature and you are compelled to lose yourself in the breathtaking environment. Maybe, like the picture above, you find yourself on a foggy beach and somehow the sight and the feel of the fog wrapping around you becomes comforting and safe. You dig your toes deep into the soft sand, and before you know it, the sea splashes over your bare feet and the icy cold water makes you jump like a giddy child. Immediately you feel so alive and one with your surroundings.
There are so many ways to connect with nature, and this is one of my favorites. Sometimes we just need to stop and take a breath, and let nature handle all the rest.
Find your peace in quiet places that speak to you. Sometimes the world is cruel, and we need to take a break from all the noise and craziness. Cover yourself in love and nature’s beauty, and don’t forget to breathe. Tomorrow is another day.
“Lose yourself in nature and find peace.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Don’t let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” ~ Dalai Lama
In a world that sometimes makes no sense, and even seems to have gone mad, it’s so important to find that quiet place. A place of calmness, safety, and beauty. A place to restore our sanity.
This quiet place can exist in the mind. Close your eyes and take a mini break from work, and a hectic life. Just breathe, and maybe envision a peaceful scene where stress doesn’t live.
An actual tiny oasis can be created outdoors with a few potted plants and a small fountain. Water is always very soothing to the soul. Or maybe just sit outside and watch the show nature can provide.
The important thing is “Balance,” and finding a way back to it. Constant stress is a killer no matter what kind of stress it is. The body needs love and care to more than just survive. It needs to thrive.
In taking care of ourselves we can do a much better job taking care of our loved ones, and even showing kindness and care to those we don’t know. When we feel peace everyone around us feels it too.
“Each Life needs its own quiet place.” ~ Melody Beattie
You, my friend, are more than you think you are. You are capable of doing so many things; wonderful things. The problem is you just don’t know who you really are.
Make this the year that you discover the amazing Being that is YOU. Dig deep inside, it’s there just waiting.
With so much aggression and turmoil in this world, try and practice peace everyday in your world. If you can’t smooth that frown away and replace it with a smile, at least try and keep your anger down the best you can. Hard to do when you are not having a good day and feeling upset, but so important.
We can’t control what happens in the world, but we can control how it affects us, and not be adding more hostility loose in this world. Also, if we get depressed or angry we have allowed that turmoil and the aggression going on to enter what should be our peaceful kingdom. Pema Chodron says we should ask ourselves, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?” If we don’t practice that peace we will be going to war with someone, maybe even ourselves.
Try always to stay present. Look for the beauty and goodness in nature, in things, and the people all around. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we should be accepting of our differences. Diversity is a good thing, and should not be something to fear. We add our aggression into the overflowing angry world by not being peaceful in ours. We all control what we put out.
Richard Carlson wrote a book called, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff … and It’s All Small Stuff. I have found this to be so true. In the past, most of the things I got angry about were just silly stuff that if given a few hours or a day I would have figured it out instead of acting out.
Remember, each peaceful thought that all of us can have will bring balance to our currently unbalanced world.
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
Sometimes in our very busy lives we move through each day unaware of our true feelings and how we affect the people around us. We humans get so busy with tasks to accomplish and simply find ourselves in a kind of survival mode. We become lost and don’t even realize it.
When we are so unaware and lost we hurt ourselves and those we love, and sometimes don’t know we’re doing it. Becoming aware of who we are and how we are influencing everyone around us is mindfulness, and a practice we must do every day.
“Self-awareness involves deep personal honesty. It comes from asking and answering hard questions.” ~ Stephen R. Covey
Being honest with ourselves is crucial to the why we do what we do. The hard questions of how we truly feel inside about ourselves. If we are beaten down, feel inadequate, deeply hurt, resentful, how can we function for ourselves or those we love? And it’s more than just functioning, it’s how can we live our best life?
The awareness of ourselves and the acceptance of our reality is the beginning of our changing any bad behavior that’s keeping us from living our life fully and placing those we love in the warmth of our embrace.
Becoming aware of who we are and what we are doing puts us in a dance with our life that is not only beautiful, but full of balance and flow.
“The place between your comfort zone and your dream is where life takes place.” ~ Helen Keller
Life can sometimes become so hectic even crazy that we can begin to feel we’re not really living, just existing like shadows of our former selves. When this happens we need to start living between the spaces of our life.
There is a space between the situation that is happening, or one we fear is going to happen, and how we are reacting to it. That space between the two is the stillness and the balance where we should be living. It’s the place to be when life gets out of control and we start stressing.
“When you let go, you create space for better things to enter into your life.” ~ Steve Maraboli
When we’re not trying to live in that chaotic zone of our life, we are better able to move forward and have the life we really want. We become more creative, joyful, and feel gratitude for life.
When feeling stressed try closing your eyes. Now take a deep breath through your nose and exhale softly through your mouth. Visualize the problem. See your negative reaction to the problem. Imagine a large space between the two. See yourself going into that space and feel the calm and balance washing over you. This is your sweet spot where your life is meant to be lived.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response, lies our growth and our freedom.”
~ Viktor Frankl, Auschwitz survivor
Find that power and start living a more balanced and happy life.
Life as a Garden 