Heart Ideogram

"It’s all about falling in love with yourself and sharing that love with someone who appreciates you, rather than looking for love to compensate for a self love deficit.” Eartha Kitt

When was the last time you drew a heart shape? An ideogram is a symbol that represents an idea, and the heart, as a universal symbol, is one that connects us all. Remember drawing them when you were young, and then when you were older, adding your initials + the initials of that special someone you had a CRUSH on?

Valentine's Day started in stores weeks ago and the commercial aspect of it can be a BIT MUCH.  Yes, the retail world is usually 'all over' a GOOD THEME but maybe that's not a bad thing. It doesn't hurt to be reminded about love every now and then does it? 

Back in the 'good ol' days' in elementary school I remember the STRESS of Valentine's Day in school. Hoping my classmates would put a Valentine's card in the 'Kleenex' mailbox I had decorated with hearts and glitter. I remember having to let go of the disappointment of NOT getting one from someone I admired, my crush, and then the excitement of counting the ones I had received.

Later, when we outgrew the Valentine's cards, I remember my dad buying those heart shaped boxes of chocolates for myself and my sisters. Then High School hit and the stress was RAMPED up again with secret deliveries of CANDY GRAMS and Hershey's Kisses. It was fun to send them and you'd kinda-sorta wanted to receive one. Yup, you could tell who the popular kids were!

It's FUNNY to look back on those times, from where I am now, with a calmer understanding, but, Valentine's Day can still be stressful for some people.  I wonder how we can find a way to make this occasion work for everyone, especially when their just not feeling IT?

I think it starts by ACTIVATING the quality of love. How? By remembering and thinking a happy, loving thought.
I love (favorite food)!
I love (type of music)!
I love (sport or activity)!
I love (spending time with)!.....speak from the heart

When you get on a roll you can then look at yourself and find things that you LOVE about YOU. Practise with the small things. "I love the way I...." The more you fill up with SELF-LOVE, the more you'll be able to see, feel, and experience love.

I think that a heart that's been opened or activated by love is a heart that can also receive and share love. It can tune in, draw in, and attract more of the same.

All those HEARTS in the displays and advertising this month can be our little reminder to think a LOVING THOUGHT, every time we see one.

Get back on that horse...

How's everyone doing with the "I'm going to get healthy in 2018" resolution?

[crickets]

Don't worry if you've wandered off track, or completely fallen off. You can just get back on that horse. No, it doesn't have to be the SAME horse but just 'get back at it' and 'give it another try'. We all know that any kind of EXERCISE and movement is better than total inaction, but goal setting can be super stressful. I've found that it's best to keep RE-CALIBRATE and try again, over and over, to gain the MOMENTUM we need to move forward in life.

Still with me?

Okay, so now consider this question: How's your INNER-CISING going?

Got any limiting mental stories about yourself that might need the boot? Just like your muscles, your invisible inner self needs balance, calm and harmony so it can 'get in shape' too.

Try this QUICK-START INNERcise.

Workout # 1: (1 rep, 3-5 minutes, 1-3 x/day)

1. Sit or stand very still while breathing calmly.
2. Take notice of a belief about yourself that you want to change.(eg. I'm really disorganized.)
3. Ask if it's REALLY true? (eg. Yes, most of the time, maybe.)
4. Send it some love so you can let it go--How?--Be kind and don't judge yourself. (eg.  I remember birthdays.)
5. Think of the possibility of more positive aspect of yourself. (eg. I don't have to be disorganized. I can practise planning. I can write lists or update my calendar and follow it.)
6. See it as being true. (eg. I'm actually pretty organized.)
7. Now relax. Breath. Relax some more. Keep breathing.
8. Feel your heart soften and send YOURSELF some love. Let your busy mind float your thoughts past you. Breath. Smile to yourself.

For a DEEPER WORKOUT, Repeat steps 6-8 or stay with step 8.
POST WORKOUT-take the action related to step 5.

Meditation Innercise helps to release stress by moving your energy from chaos to calm, and in the calm you can open up to yourself. 

Seriously?

What's with the news? TV newscasts (and news channels) seem to be worse than radio broadcasts and radio is worse than newspapers. What am I talking about? Bad news. So, how does our BRAIN feel about watching the news?

The Merriam -Webster definition of the word NEWS is:  
a : a report of recent events
b : previously unknown information
c : something having a specified influence or effect

This definition seems fairly harmless and neutral; news isn't only BAD. Why then are newscasts generally so negative and stressful?

Our eyes and ears are taking in 'STRESS MESSAGES' and, even though we're usually far removed from the events, we humans will be experiencing, connecting, sensing and feeling them. I can almost feel my brain bending toward judgement, negativity, outrage, shock, fear and stress.

You might be THINKING that it's important to know what's going on in the world and I may be WONDERING if I'm taking things too seriously or overreacting, but for the most part the news doesn't really influence me enough to take action, to grow. 

There are 7.4 BILLION PEOPLE on the planet, many of whom move through their lives creating, designing, inspiring, discovering, assisting, loving, inventing and exploring, and the newscasts can barely muster up a couple of feel good stories-one of which tends to be the latest viral video from YouTube or Facebook. Here's a RHETORICAL QUESTION, and a topic for another day, does a newscast's content get built by ratings?

Okay, I don't want to live with my head in the sand but lately I've become more AWARE of what I feed my brain and as a seeker of NEWS I want it to nudge me forward in my life. 
As I look for BETTER BALANCE I think I'll turn the TV off!

Laugh your head off.

Don't you just love to LAUGH until your belly aches or tears roll down your face?
When was the LAST TIME you laughed like that?
It relaxes us and massages the stomach area where worry and anxiety and reside.
The experts say that laughter is very powerful and healing, but can we ACCESS it on a regular basis?
How can we FIND IT when life has thrown us heartache, overwhelm and stress?

I think that sometimes we just have to GO AND LOOK for laughter.

Check this out: The 2nd verse of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,  by Eric Idle, 1979, for the film, Monty Python's Life of Brian.
 

If life seems jolly rotten

There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle - that's the thing
And...
Always look on the bright side of life
(Whistle)
(Come on!)
Always look on the right side of life
(Whistle)

Learn more about the benefits of laughter for your health by clicking here to read this informative article.

Did you guess the scene in the picture? Yup, it's Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. It still brings tears to my eyes. Happy tears!