Caregivers-How Heavy is Your Worry Load?

"If you have someone who has many things going wrong and one thing going right, beat the drum of what's going right, and let that be your point of attraction." Abraham-Hicks, San Diego, 2003

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When I look beyond the headlines and examine humanity, at the ground level, I'm truly in awe of all the caregivers among us. For some it's a vocation or calling, while for others it's just 'what they do'. Sometimes the need is great and very demanding and other times it requires the subtle moments of a look, smile or presence. 

Even when you don't have all the answers, solutions, or next steps, you have enough energy and compassion to sit with the problem, and when you can do this without the WORRY THOUGHTS about tomorrow, you can begin to activate a very strong vibration of LOVE. When your mind (thought) activity gets calm, your heart can feed YOUR energy.

I know that you're constantly 'giving care', of one kind or another, to your family and others in your life, and while we often talk about exhaustion and OVERWHELM, and the need for self-care, part of that should include our mental experience. I know that a big part of caring is DOING but another big part is THINKING.

Who ever THOUGHT that THOUGHTS could be so exhausting? But they are, and they can keep us up at night too.

By tapping into your heart energy you can begin to find a way to FUEL UP.
How can you access this fuel?

I've been re-reading a lot of Eckhart Tolle these days and practising stepping out of my thought storms so I can WITNESS the habitual nature of OVER-THINKING. I try to gently feel the aliveness of my hands, my body, and my breath. When I do that I can momentarily escape, or rather, take a break from thought, and re-fuel.   

If you're looking to calm down your worry thoughts check out my quick, printable meditation cheat sheet HERE.

Another Step on Your Path - Michele

Can't Sleep With Racing Thoughts

"As long as you are aware of your breathing and follow it you're not thinking."
Eckhart Tolle

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I was speaking with a neighbour this week and our conversation wandered, as conversations do, from the buds in her garden to her occasional trouble sleeping. She couldn't understand why this happens as she feels that she's generally a 'laid back', easy going person.

What's with those PESKY THOUGHTS? And why are they so hard to SHUT OFF?

We've all been there, some more often and others, and it's not pleasant, it raises our stress levels, messes up our sleep and generally affects every function in our body.

Back to my neighbour, she says that following her breath helps sometimes and she's occasionally TRIED MEDITATION which doesn't really help.

I don't know about you but when my mind is racing, jumping into meditation and sustaining the calm is VERY TOUGH. 

I've always said that meditation is a path, a journey, a practise, that helps to build inner strength and connection over time. The more you do it the easier it is to access inner peace. 

So, back to that busy brain, what to do?

You may already have tools to help you get through it and get back to sleep and you may also find that sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

Over and over the ancient wisdom teachings point to the same thing and as I begin to embrace and practise it I have access to my deeper, calmer, self.

Okay, consider this:

You are the THINKER, and as the thinker you are the one doing the thinking, and since you are CREATING the thoughts YOU are not your thoughts.

Now, we've all heard the saying, 'What you resist, persists', so, it's time to stop resisting the thoughts. Turn to them when they run wild, and ACCEPT them and EMBRACE them and LOVE them.
I know, it seems counter intuitive but with practise you'll find that it helps you to access your true self, your deeper connected calm self.

HOW to access this practise? I always use my breath. With each breath I visualize Love and Acceptance filling my body and my brain (thoughts) and then gently release RESISTANCE on the exhale. Calming the nervous system down helps to knock yourself out of the fight or flight mode and you may go back to sleep. 

You may use other techniques like listening to a recorded meditation, or music, or getting out of be to read or watch a movie. Whatever you do, send acceptance and love to your busy mind and it will learn to calm down.
To get started, grab my printable, meditation cheat sheet HERE.
If you can, start a meditation practise of 5 minutes a day you will gradually build your concentration and resilience muscle so that when the busy mind tries to take control you'll be better able to keep it down. 

"Another Step on Your Path" from Michele

Lighten Up-Drop Insecurity and Doubt

"A rainbow is the product of physics working for your appreciation of beauty."  Kyle Hill

I want each and every one of you to recognize that you have awesome talents. Now don't you deny it, or make excuses, because you've definitely got them.

Appreciation of your own talents and gifts might just require an attitude shakedown. Maybe you know they're inside you and yet you keep quiet about it.  Insecurity and doubt are two friends you don't want to have. I should know, I've been on that yo-yo ride for a long time but I'd like to say each day I feel stronger about kicking them to the curb. 

How do I do it?  Probably the same way you do, I find my community, my tribe, and within the safety and laughter, I LIGHTEN UP and let go of the need for perfection or fear of failure. 

Take your imaginary binoculars and zoom in on your talents; ZOOM IN closely and you'll see that you have many talents. Now find a way to appreciate them. Laugh about them, celebrate them, nurture and allow them to grow.

If you're reading this and a little voice is saying "I can't think of a single talent, and we've all had many of those days, then I say to you, that you're looking TOO BIG. 'Cast the net' closer to home so you can step into APPRECIATION.  Maybe instead of feeling disappointment about not having a record deal or earning a living with your music, maybe appreciate that you play really well, or that you support other musicians or that your fingers move faster on the keyboard than before.

Somewhere we get caught in the COMPARISON TRAP and it can feel pretty stifling. Facebook, and social media in general, can really send you deep into that place of 'I'm not good enough'.

The secret sauce is to look at what you DO have going for yourself, not what's MISSING, because if there's one thing I know for sure is that if you focus on what's missing you'll just get more of the same. You've got this!

It's a good day!

Today is your day.
You get to CREATE your experience of it. While you're at it why not notice the evolution of your day. Where and how does it flow? Interactions with others, tasks, work, mistakes, entertainment, silence, laughter, tears... Look for the subtle moments or even the obvious ones that give you a GOOD FEELING and then pay attention to them as they float through you. The more you NOTICE them the more they will come to you. Ah, sweet success!