I started a new job this week that leaves my soul feeling complete and leaves my body aching in the best of ways. It has also left me wiped on my days off because of the full body workout I'm getting 6-8 hours a day. My heart feels big and my body feels sore and I'm feeling strong and excited for the future.
In need of some extra healing this week? I know I am! I sat down, poured myself a giant cup of coffee and got to thinking about how we could heal ourselves using some techniques that involve universal energy, spirituality, and self-empowerment. This is what I came up with:
1. Meditation
Did you know that meditation has shown a 48% reduction in signs of depression? Did you also know that sufferers of anxiety who meditate show a 60% improvement in anxiety levels after only 8 weeks of practice? It's all true and it's all possible for you! Meditation is the personal practice of relaxing the mind and body. It is a way to heal your whole being by using visualization techniques and learning how to relax your entire physical body. Some people do this simply by sitting somewhere comfortable and allowing themselves to experience a visual journey using their third eye. Others do this by listening to guided meditations, which I personally prefer since I have a mind that tends to wander quite easily. Once you learn the technique that works for you, you will be able to refer back to your meditation throughout the day to revive and heal yourself. It's a really wonderful thing! One example of my favorite guided meditations include:
I really love the scottish accent and the soothing tone of Andrew's voice. He has a way of making your whole BEING relax. I began relaxing muscles I never even knew that I tensed. I get less headaches, am able to sleep SO much faster, and am able to refer back to his messages when I find myself tensing up.
Here is a quick resource to start you on your meditation journey!
2. Affirmations
I know a lot of people think that affirmations are a crock, but think about it this way - if you're having a crappy day and someone gives you a compliment, how do you normally feel? Happy, rejuvenated, proud, confident? So why not give yourself those compliments? Why depend on other people to make you feel like a better more wholesome person? When it comes down to it, you should be the one making you feel the most amazing because you are amazing. Don't wait for someone else - start NOW. Once you realize how fantastic it feels, start leaving sticky notes on mirrors for other people! Put them inside library books, on cars, tucked inside dressing rooms. Leave little love notes for others who might need that reassurance.
3. Feel Those Feelings!
In our society we are taught to keep our feelings to ourselves. We are told to leave our problems at home, don't show fear, always smile. We are taught that crying makes us weak and that grieving should be done for a short amount of time and then we must get over our problems and go about life with a cheery disposition. I honestly feel that the reason so many of us are depressed is because we bury our feelings. As soon as we start to feel sad, we try to cover it with something that will make us feel better, something that will make us laugh and forget our problems. The problem is, we don't just forget our problems. They stick with us and they grow and grow until we explode. You may not even remember the reason you were so upset but your body has and it WILL show you until you deal with those issues and feel the grief that comes along with them. It's an easy process if you allow yourself to feel uncomfortable for a bit of time. No one wants to feel sad but sometimes that sadness is necessary. Just feel it. Cry as much as you need to cry. Talk as much as you need to talk. Allow yourself to really feel what you need to feel, and then bring yourself back.
4. EFT
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a mixture of acupuncture, affirmations, and energy flow. Also known as "tapping", EFT is a way to break down your issues by tapping on meridian points while stating your problem. You will cycle through different points on your body while saying something along the lines of "even though I'm unhappy with my (problem), I deeply and completely love and accept myself. Even though I (state problem more thoroughly), I deeply and completely love and forgive myself.” The tapping is getting our energy flowing while implanting a seed of love and forgiveness.
I highly HIGHLY recommend reading this article on EFT written by the lovely Gala Darling.
5. Write a love letter to yourself
This may actually be the most important of all 5 tips. Like an affirmation but much more detailed and personal. Sit down, open your journal, and get to writing. Write yourself the most gloriously detailed letter of why you're so amazing. Pretend you're talking to your best friend, how would you talk to them? You would tell them how wonderful they are. How amazing they are. How lovely they are. You would tell them how much you LOVE them. Do this for yourself. Stuck? Start with answering some of the following questions:
- List 5 ways you can be less hard on yourself.
- List 3 things you are absolutely amazing at.
- Give a detailed description of your best physical feature.
- Give a detailed description of your best internal feature.
- What is a memory you have in which you were so proud of yourself?
And go from there! You can do it! You can love yourself! Heal yourself! Be your best self!
Let's try some of these things out and report back, shall we?
What is a vision board?
A vision board is a visual map of the things you want to attract into your life! It's a collage that you can look at regularly to remember your goals and intentions. Also known as a Dream Collage or Treasure Map, vision boards are often used by people who want to manifest wonderful things into their lives. Whether it's a successful career, happiness, objects, or love, a vision board will keep you in check and allow you to tell the universe what you want on a daily basis.
Supplies you'll need:
* Cork board, poster board, a sheet of paper, anything you can glue things to!
* Magazines, print outs, old books, drawings, ticket stubs, a dollar bill, whatever signifies what you want to attract into your life and is able to be thumb tacked or glued to your board
* Scissors
* Glue, tape, thumb tacks
* Your intent
Before you begin.
Take some time to think about the things that you want in your life. Do you want to attract more customers to your business? Looking for love? Want more close friends? Happiness? A new home? Sit quietly, maybe even meditate for a few minutes. Focus on the things that you want and visualize these things coming to you.
How to create your vision board.
After you've taken some time to listen quietly to what you want and need in your life, the fun begins! Find a place that no one will bother you, put on some music that you enjoy, and get to cutting! While you're cutting out pictures and words, keep that intent with you. You are in the process of manifesting your dreams into a visual reality! Make some piles of the things you've cut out or the objects you've found. Once you're done, go through these piles and decide what feels right for your board. Do you have a theme? Do you have one major goal? Are you not completely sure what it is you want but you are ready to allow some happiness into your life? This may help you when you finally decide to start glueing/taping/pinning! Start putting the pieces together by glueing/taping/pinning your pictures onto your board in a way that is visually appealing to you.
Now what?
Now that you've created a beautiful vision board that fits your exact situation, hang it somewhere that you will see every single day. In your office, on your fridge, hang it from your review mirror, next to your computer, on your bathroom mirror! Anywhere that you will absolutely not miss it. Every time you see your board, remember to feel your intent for each of the items on it. Act as if you've already achieved your goals, or have your wanted objects. What does that feel like? What does it look like? Go about your life as if you already have these things. What you're doing is sending out your energy to the universe. It's almost like placing an order with the cosmos. Tell it what you want, and you absolutely WILL receive.
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And that's it! It's that easy! Let the universe take it from here and watch as the magic happens!
Here is the beginning of my own vision board, still a work in progress:
Today I decided to get crafty by decorating my vision board! I had a box of little jeweled stars that I've had for ages and I glued them all around the edges. I decided if I'm going to have a vision board, it needs to be glittery and symbolic of my path. So cosmic glitter stars it is!
Hello cosmic warriors!
My life started changing during the last year of my 20s. Things started becoming easier to understand, my life plan began to unfold, everything became a bit more clear . It started with a peculiar event that came to me by way of the universe. It was my own personal chance to take a break from corporate America, a chance to get my priorities in order, to figure out what made me happy, and to finally listen to my heart. I had 2 years to zone out, to talk out my problems, to sort out my creative blockages, and to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I was sitting in a sunny spot in my back yard when it hit me - I wanted to help people. I wanted to give them the chance to have their own personal breakthroughs and in order to do this, we had to get in touch with our bodies, our spirits, and with nature.
I’ve been diving into the experience of living in Portland Oregon once again. Years and years ago I lived alone in this city for exactly one year and at the time it wasn’t the place I needed to be. At that time I needed to be in San Francisco learning about anatomy, healing, and psychology. It was in San Francisco that I decided to have a job that was parallel to something I wanted to learn that would help me further understand myself, as well as others, better. And that’s what I did. I worked through my issues by helping other people work through theirs. And Portland is the next step. Urban farming, community, an appreciation for nature, and creative right-brained business owners.
A good friend went out of town this week and left her beautiful little nursery in my (and my partner’s) hands. This week we were small business owners! I am a nature enthusiast and spending the week surrounded by her old pup Farley, her chickens, and the smell of wet soil was just about as close to perfect that my life could possibly get.
I planted little seedlings, gave Farley lots of “puppy massages”, got my hands dirty and I was blissful.
I am so excited to share with you the knowledge and the tools that have helped me with my own guerilla care, spiritual, creative path. I’m excited to talk with you about living a magical life. Let’s sort things out, let’s open up, share, connect. Let’s build a Cosmic Clan - a dynasty, a tribe to help one another.
Now tell me Star Shine, what would help you on your path?
