Tag Archives: Mindful

It’s All Fun

Posted on by
6

I have a lot on my to-do list today as we are hosting dinner for friends this evening.

In the past, my default setting has been to get stressed. To get so focused on all that I had to do that not only did I become harsh with myself, but I was sharp and unpleasant to the very people who were helping with the preparations. (Sorry about that honey!)

I’m getting much better at steadily moving ahead to achieve realistic goals with ease and grace. I’m seeing the power of focusing on being gentle and kind in my thoughts and words–to myself and others–and eeking out every ounce of pleasure that can be found in each moment, from the preparations to the time with friends (and dogs as this will be a gathering of all of our Keeshond companions, as well.)

Buffy (left) and Willow are relaxed and eager to spend tonight with three other Keeshonden and a Pomeranian–as well as their respective humans.

People often feel like they don’t have time to be mindful and relaxed when faced with a deadline.

But why does feeling horrible automatically equate with being more productive?

What I’m finding is that moving forward deliberately instead of rushing, and focusing on how I want to feel in the moment—rather than just defaulting to how I have just always reacted—certainly does not take away from my productivity. It actually seems to help me accomplish more than I planned.

Even if how much I get done is the same, it sure feels a heck of a lot better!

So tell your inner task master to ease up. Put the incredible power of your attention on what you are doing in the moment—and enjoy the heck out of that. Find and feel the confidence that everything that needs to get done, will.

And then see how much fun you can have throughout the process of getting all the preparatory work done. The fun doesn’t have to begin the moment your friend’s push the doorbell. The fun you have getting ready also makes the time you have with friends that much richer.

What can you do to practice being gentle with yourself, moving with ease and grace, and softening your thoughts and words? How does that help you achieve your goals? How much better does that feel?

Together we can do it!

Photo by Hansje Gold-Krueck

Ease Up for Ultimate Control

Posted on by
7

I woke up this morning to a gentle rain falling. My husband is out of town, and the animals are extra-loving and the house is quiet. So I took time to sleep-in, meditate, and relax.

The past couple of weeks have been powerful and full of opportunities, and I’ve experienced a lot of change and growth. I also have a lot on my to-do list—much of it things I really want to do and all of it I want done right now.

One of my biggest opportunities has been to practice what I preach about self-care. And a big part of self-care is listening to your body.

It’s easy for me to get caught around the axil of being goal-driven, eating prescribed meals at certain times, and doing my planned intense exercise—no matter what.

While that serves me most of the time, and I think is generally good practice, there are times when what my body (and mind!) really needs is a little kindness, to be treated gently, to be allowed to rest.

After all, if you are driving your car under wet or difficult conditions, the solution for more control is to ease up on the gas pedal, not slam your foot down.

When I don’t listen and ease up, my body will usually alert me to the need with increasing pain, which I’ve been experiencing in my knees and shoulder. If I continue to not listen, I’ll very likely wind up with an injury that will force me to rest.

Having experienced this in the past, I’m working on being more mindful and listening to my body before it gets to that breaking point.

This week, that’s looked like more sleep, easy and gentle movement, and still healthy but less rigid eating.

While my body is experiencing some relief that is letting me know this week of rest was needed, there is a part of me that is afraid if I let up on the intensity at all I will slide back into old patterns, lose the progress that I have made, and once again struggle with my weight.

It is the fear that by easing up at all, I will lose all control and before I know it, I’ll be back at square one.

Just articulating that fear feels like relief.

So I’ll ask myself what I might ask a client.

How reasonable is that fear?

I am a different person now than I even was yesterday, much less two to three years ago. I’ve come a long way, baby! Over the past three years, I’ve not only released the weight, I’ve maintained my new svelte figure. That is evidence of a new and different me.

While there is always the chance that I could fall back into old patterns, it’s not very likely. I know more. I am more. If my weight started creeping up, I would know exactly what to do about it and have lots more emotional and spiritual tools in my toolbox that would help. Plus, I’m learning more every day.

And let’s say the worst did happen, and I didn’t get back on track and I refound the weight. Looking back, I now see that my struggles with my weight were perfect for me and were important to helping me get where I am now. It has been key to my ability to relate to so many other women, to find the missing link that causes 90 percent of diets to fail, and to fully see the beauty and magnificence inside every woman.

If I were to go through the up and down again, wouldn’t there be an amazing opportunity for me to grow and become even more, and to be of even greater service to others?

Absolutely.

So today, I’m going to continue my self-care. I will do gentle and easy movement. I will reach for foods that feel like my body is asking for. I will do work if that feels fun, or I will rest or read if that feels more needed. I will meet up with friends at a book signing and for dinner tonight, and I will be present and loving, and allow us all to be exactly where we are.

And tomorrow, I will evaluate where I am and what my body feels like it needs. And I’ll look forward to continuing to feel strong, fit, and lean.

What do you need to do for your own self-care today? How can you balance your goals with the messages you are getting from your body? What are your indications that it’s time to push and move forward, or that it’s time to ease up and rest? What difference does that make to living the life of your dreams?

Together we can do it!

Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

Look for the Opportunity

Posted on by
14

Experiences that show us what we don’t want are incredibly valuable for helping us learn about who we are and who we want to become.

And I had one of those experiences last night.

Every evening as we are getting ready for bed, my husband and I put out vitamins, supplements, and medications that we take morning and evening. While I may take something for allergies or headaches, most of what I take are vitamins and supplements to support my wellness. Because David has Rheumatoid Arthritis, he has some serious medications that he takes daily.

We had a busy evening last night, ate a late dinner, and I was a little flustered. Instead of being present and focused I was in my head thinking about things I needed to do and going over the events of the day. I was on auto-pilot when I took my pills.

When David reached for his, they were gone!

Opps! What did I just take?

Fortunately it was not his Methotrexate, but was a sleep aid, muscle relaxer, and pain pill. So I decided against calling the Poison Hotline, or running to the store for some expellant, and just went to bed.

While I would have assumed those medicines would have knocked me out, I had a difficult night and dragged myself out of bed late this morning feeling groggy, fuzzy headed, and slightly dizzy. Not how I like to start my day.

My first reaction was to start judging my intelligence for this error, but instead, I chose to look at the opportunity this experience is providing. And there are actually a lot of them.

It’s reminding me how important being present, aware, and mindful is because something I did in a split second could have had serious consequences. And who I want to be is someone who is present, mindful, and aware.

It’s reminding me to be grateful for my wellness and wellbeing. Who I want to be is someone who is experiencing optimal wellness and is thriving.

It’s helping me be flexible in planning out when I will get my workout in today, since I didn’t think getting on the treadmill feeling dizzy was wise this morning. Who I want to be is flexible and able to go with the flow.

It helped me evaluate the priority that writing my blog is. Instead of going back to bed to sleep this fuzzy feeling off, I chose to come in and write. I want to be someone who honors my priorities and goals.

And I know that getting up and getting my blog written will help lead me to having a better-feeling day. And I want to be someone who feels good, is productive, and enjoys what I am doing.

One of the foundation principles for life is that “There Are No Mistakes.” There are only different ways to experience life and remember who we are. Not being present in the moment and taking those pills was just a product of old thinking habits, and is giving me the opportunity to evaluate where I am, think anew, and further commit to who I want to be.

Every experience gives us valuable information about who we are and who we want to become. The next time you make a “mistake,” instead of directing energy to the past and beating yourself up, ask yourself, “What is the opportunity in this experience?” Use it to determine who you are and who you want to become.

Together we can do it!

Photo by YaiSirichai / FreeDigitalPhotos.net