Achieving Balance Wellness Center

From Nick Palozzi
A few years ago, a shaman in Honduras taught me an extremely useful technique to dissolve stress and anxiety. It's had a pretty profound effect on my life and today I'd like to share it with you.
Like much of the healing wisdom that comes from native cultures, this teaching began with an observation about nature.
As we sat together, the curandero asked me how I felt about deer. Yes, our furry four-legged friends that frolic in the forest.
He explained that they are a mighty power animal and a great role model for us humans to learn from.
"A deer knows it's a deer. It has no inner conflict about its past, its purpose, its needs, or its destiny. It lives in the moment and is 100 percent resourceful at all times, minute by minute, its senses completely keen, its focus pure and unburdened."
Can you say that you spend most of your day this way? Or even just an hour? Some might argue this is not even possible in today's world.
While we may not be able to live with completely clear and open minds like our furry counterparts, we CAN begin to nurture longer stretches of this purity in our lives.
How do we do this?
An Ancient Technique:
The practice below is all about noticing and preventing yourself from being derailed mentally and emotionally. What do I mean by the word "derailed"? I'm talking about any time you allow yourself to be distracted by thoughts that aren't serving you.
For example, you wake up and are having a beautiful morning until you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and notice something you don't like. "Wow, I'm getting... (fill in the blank with your personal peeve about yourself -- old, fat, skinny, bald, ugly, pale, stupid... )."
This is the bright shiny detour sign that beckons you to stop traveling your peaceful path and start engaging in negative self-analysis. Most of the time we don't even notice this road sign -- we just fly right off the highway into the valley of the downward spiral.
This can be a 5 to 10 minute dialogue with yourself, laden with lower thoughts, that saps your energy for an hour, and sometimes the entire day.
The mirror situation is just one example. It could be a phone call, a text message, a minor inconvenience that triggers a stress response, or the product of simply over-thinking your life with a busy brain instead of being in the moment.
So many ways to get there, but the destination is the same.
Derailed.
As you work with them, you begin to see these mental detours for what they truly are -- invisible bars of a cage imprisoning your true self.
Here is how I was taught to address these sneaky pitfalls and break the chains:
1) Pick an hour in your day. It doesn't need to be quiet, or free of distraction. This practice is best done during your everyday life. You can be at work, with family, doing household chores, out for a hike -- the only thing that matters is that you're starting this hour in a positive and happy frame of mind.
2) The actual practice is simple. All I want you to do is proceed through life over the next 60 minutes, remaining as peaceful as you can. The only work you need to do is pay attention to your thoughts and gently note any times you find yourself slipping into negative self-talk, or getting derailed.
This derailing doesn't need to be major for it to qualify -- it can be as subtle as a two second judgment or brief moment of anxiety.
To be clear, this practice is not about working with the negative thought pattern whatsoever. We are simply taking inventory of what comes up in our periphery over the course of an hour of daily life. The more emotionally neutral you can be, the more information you will pick up.
3) Write these thoughts down as they come, so that they can be worked with later.
The shaman gave me this bit of wisdom before I started:
"We are watching our thoughts like a child on a river bank, noting what floats by. Curious, playful even, but unattached."
This life habit has helped me in two key ways:
These points of disruption are great entryways or portals into deeper inner work.
The simple act of observing and acknowledging your triggers with an open and neutral eye can bring healing to them, in ways that your brain cannot quantify. The light of your awareness is healing in itself.
If you're up for it, I'd like to challenge you to one of these power hours of self-discovery. Anyone can do it, and the benefits to body and soul can be extraordinary.
Yes, this is work. But it's some of the most rewarding work I know of.
Are you with me?

https://foodrevolution.org/blog/thanksgiving-healthy-gratitude/

Achieving Balance Wellness Center News about specials, events, and health articles

Herbal Legacy


Sponsored by The School of Natural Healing & Christopher Publications
May 12, 2021

Love is Healing Kelly Pomeroy, M.H.

I recently learned of a study done back in the 1970’s on the effects of diet regarding the health of your heart. They used rabbits as their study group and fed them a high fat diet over several months, while monitoring their blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. All the rabbits experienced an increase in fatty deposits on the insides of their arteries, all but one group. One group had up to sixty percent less fatty deposits. The scientists were confused. Their rabbits were all from the same gene pool, all received the same foods, and followed the same procedures, all but this one group. In this particular group, the researcher would talk to the rabbits, cuddle, pet, and love them. One of the scientists said, “she was an unusually kind and caring individual”.1 They repeated the study, changing nothing, and the same results came. The rabbits who were talked to, cuddled, petted, and loved had greater health and less fatty deposits than those who were not. This study is found in a well-known medical journal called Science. 2

As I read this article, and especially because May is the month of Mother’s Day, I thought of women and the good that they give to the world. They have a natural tendency to nurture and care for others. This nurturing is healing, as we can see illustrated in the research of the rabbits. You women, who tend to be quite harsh with yourselves, feeling not enough, or all alone in your life, please know that all those times you have let the dishes go or let laundry wait to take time to help a child, spouse, or neighbor, you are doing more good than you realize. Love is healing to our emotions and protective against disease.

My hope with this article is to first, remind women both young and old of the incredible good you are doing and have done in your life. And to remind us all to say thank you to the women in our lives, more than just on Mother’s Day.

Second is to reinforce the need for self-care. Self-care may sound selfish, but it makes it possible for you to be there for others. Women’s greatest health struggles often stem from lack of self-care: lack of sleep, exercise, water, wholesome meals, strained and stressful relationships at work or home, exhaustion, or unhealed trauma. How do we begin to heal and create balance in our lives? Some may feel this is an impossible task, but if we can do a little more self-care, prioritize the needful things, and let go of the insatiable idea of perfection, we can start to have more internal peace, be more present with others, and enjoy life more fully.

Here are some self-care recommendations, both herbal and natural in their approach.
Take some quiet time for yourself. This could look like a walk, sitting by your plants, or a moment on the couch before everyone wakes up. Challenge yourself to just be, not plan or worry, just some time to think and be still. This will allow your mind to declutter and bring rest to your nervous system.

Take nervine herbs/herbal blends to support your nervous system. These herbs help heal frayed nerve sheath, and calm and balance neurotransmission. Some nerve herbs are: Chamomile, Lady’s Slipper, Lemon Balm, Skullcap, and Valerian 3
Deep Breathe. If we are always in a state of stress, then our sympathetic nervous system, our “fight or flight”, is always running and makes it very difficult to relax. As we deep breathe, it activates the parasympathetic system, our “rest and digest”, through our vagus nerve. For more information, click on the link to our archives: Deep Breathing 4
Eat nutrient dense foods, plenty of good water, and Red Raspberry leaf tea.
Take the time to prepare wholesome foods for yourself and drink plenty of good water. Add Red Raspberry leaf tea to your daily routine, whether as a tea or capsule. This herb is specific to feeding the reproductive organs, rich in iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, thiamin, zinc and more!

Thank you to all you mothers and women for the great example and gift of love you have given to those around you! May we all take the time to do some self-care, some time for reflection, and then go out and spread love and healing to those around us.
💞💖💕💞💖💕💞💖💕💞💖💕💞💖

Kelly Pomeroy is a Master Herbalist and Student Adviser for The School of Natural Healing. She also is a Foot Zone Instructor and Practitioner. She enjoys loving and helping others. She lives in Utah with her four wonderful children.

References
(2021). In Elder Gary E. Stevenson. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/15stevenson?lang=eng
Robert M. Nerem, Murina J. Levesque, and J. Frederick Cornhill, “Social Environment as a Factor in Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis,” Science, vol. 208, no. 4451 (June 27, 1980), 1475–76.
Christopher, J. (2009). The School of Natural Healing (14th ed., pgs. 371-408). Springville, Utah: Christopher Publications.
Pomeroy, K. (2021). 04-08-2020 - Breath of Life. Retrieved 22 April 2021, from https://archive.aweber.com/herbal-legacy/8RNSZ/h/Breath_of_Life.htm
Printable Version: http://herballegacy.com
If you missed an article be sure to visit http://www.herballegacy.com and click on Articles. Also, take advantage of David Christopher's Radio Show (see Resource Links below for more information).


A Healthier You Radio show is back!
Listen live every Monday morning at 11:30 Mountain Time.
Click here for the link to listen to our live show

David is on Youtube!
David released a great video about COVID-19 and how our immune systems work. Check it out here!

Make Yourself Easy Tea

½ ounce Red Raspberry leaves cut
½ ounce Chamomile dried flowers
½ ounce Lavender dried flowers
½ ounce Rose dried flowers

Combine all ingredients and place in a jar for storing.
As a drinkable tea, 1 t. herbs to 1 c. hot water. Steep 5 minutes and
drink.
For baths, take about ¼-½ c. of cut tea and place in the center of a natural fiber cloth. Fold edges into each other
to envelop the herbs. Fasten tight with a string or band. Draw a very warm bath and place the tea pouch into the water. Allow herbs to steep in the bath for 5 minutes and enjoy!
As a drawer or closet sachet, prepare as you would for a bath, but place the cloth inside a drawer or closet to infuse a lovely,
soothing aroma into your clothes.
Makes about 4 cups of cut dried tea, perfect fit into a quart mason jar.

Herbal Shower Sprig

Eucalyptus, Lavender, Rose, Peppermint, or other aromatic herbs
String - about 2 feet

You can find fresh Eucalyptus leaves, Lavender, or other aromatic herbs like Roses or Peppermint, at a local flower shop, garden shop, or perhaps in your environment. Select several springs of the plant and bind tightly with string. Hang upside down in your shower and as you take a nice steamy shower, the volatile
oils of the plant will rise with the steam and enter through your respiratory tract.

Recipe by Kelly Pomeroy

Printable Version: http://herballegacy.com

Herbal Resource Links
Herbal Legacy - http://www.herballegacy.com - Our free information website
The School of Natural Healing - http://www.snh.cc - Quality Education since 1953
Christopher Publications - http://www.christopherpublications.com - Dr. Christopher's books and more
A Healthier You Radio Show - http://www.ahealthieryouradio.com - Free weekly radio show

Herbal Legacy
http://www.herballegacy.com

Follow us on:

This newsletter is sponsored by:

The School of Natural Healing: http://www.snh.cc
Christopher Publications: http://www.christopherpublications.com

NOTICE: All information in this newsletter is given out as information only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For our official Disclaimer, Biological Individuality, Important Notice & Terms of Use please see: http://www.herballegacy.com/Disclaimer.html

Disclaimer, Biological Individuality, Important Notice and Terms of Use The Herbal Legacy of America's herbology pioneer, Dr. John R. Christopher. Disclaimer, Biological Individuality, Important Notice and Terms of Use.

Spring is here, which means the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the world is warming up.

And, of course, allergy season is here!

In spring, trees and plants are flooding the air with pollen in order to replicate, and that pollen can cause a great deal of grief to people with allergies. Early spring to late fall can be a difficult time for people with seasonal allergies, a time when you’re constantly dealing with a runny nose, headaches, red and dry eyes, and all the other seasonal allergy symptoms.

But did you know that seasonal allergies could also be linked to psychiatric disorders? According to emerging research, there may be a connection!

The Link Between Seasonal Allergies and Psychiatric Disorders

Now, let’s be clear: there isn’t enough evidence to indicate a causation between the two. The research you’re about to hear about will indicate a positive correlation between seasonal allergies and psychiatric disorders, but direct causality hasn’t yet been established.

However, understanding that there is a potential link between the two can help you be aware and take the proper steps to protect your mental and emotional health during allergy season.

According to one 2018 study, which analyzed data collected over two years(2001-2003), researchers found that those who suffered from seasonal allergies were more likely to develop a number of conditions:
Anxiety disorders
Mood disorders
Eating disorders
On the other hand, seasonal allergies were not positively correlated to higher risks of substance or alcohol use disorders.
Men tended to develop eating disorders as a result of seasonal allergies more than women.

Latino Americans were more prone to mood disorders, alcohol use disorders, and substance abuse disorders than the other demographics.

In another study from 2019, it was discovered that allergies were linked to an increase in depression, but not anxiety. Interestingly enough, this was the result of not seasonal allergies, but perennial allergies (all year long) as a result of house dust, mold, spores, fungus, and animal dander.

Both studies indicated that further research was needed to provide a clearer link between the allergies and mental health problems. However, the 2018 study concluded, “Seasonal allergies are a risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Individuals complaining of seasonal allergies should be screened for early signs of mental health problems and referred to specialized services accordingly.”

How to Manage Seasonal Allergies

The good news is that seasonal allergies, though annoying, can be quite manageable. There are a lot of different methods for managing seasonal allergies at home without the need for medical intervention. Below, we’ve listed a few of the most effective options:

Probiotics –Research has suggested that probiotics (food containing live bacteria) can be effective in reducing seasonal allergies. One 2017 study utilized three common gut bacteria--Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1,and B. longum MM-2—to treat seasonal allergies. These three types of bacteria were administered over the course of 8 weeks during allergy season. Fasting blood samples taken at the beginning and near the end of the study found that blood levels of immunoglobin E concentrations were lower than the placebo group, which means the bodies of those given probiotics responded less severely to the allergies. As the study concluded, “This combination probiotic improved rhinoconjunctivitis-specific quality of life during allergy season for healthy individuals with self-reported seasonal allergies.”

Nasal Irrigation –For those who are struggling with a runny nose and stuffed nasal passages as a result of some allergen, nasal irrigation using warm water, salt, and baking soda can be highly effective at eliminating mucus and opening up the pathways. Neti pots and squeeze bottles can make it easy to irritate your nasal passages. Results may vary, but this type of irrigation will typically provide at least temporary relief for those with stuffed or runny noses.

Ginger Tea – Ginger tea is an amazing herbal remedy that acts as a decongestant, meaning it will unblock your respiratory tract and clear away mucus. Drinking a mug of hot ginger tea can help to alleviate allergy symptoms and improve breathing. Inhaling the steam will double the effectiveness of the tea—the heat will open up your sinuses and make it easier to breathe. One animal study from 2016 even found that ginger can reduce the severity of allergy symptoms!

Quercetin – Quercetinis known to block the release of histamines, the inflammation-causing chemicals that are released when you are exposed to an allergen. In fact, research on quercetin has proven that it’s so effective that it’s typically used in anti-allergy medications and remedies. Quercetin is found in onions, apples, wine, grapes, berries, broccoli, and black tea. Eat more of these foods to reduce the severity of seasonal allergies.

Bee Pollen – Bee pollen is one of the most popular natural remedies to treat and prevent allergies due to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. In one2008 study, bee pollen prevented the activation of mastocytes (mast cells),which are part of your immune response to allergens. By inhibiting these mast cells, bee pollen essentially prevents the allergic reactions (symptoms) that can cause so much grief.
Seasonal allergies can be a pain, but they’re not something you have to suffer through forever! Using these remedies and finding natural methods of managing your allergies can help to improve your quality of life all throughout allergy season.

I hope you found this read useful 🙂.

Have a great rest of the week.

Much love & health,







The statements in this email have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content was created for informational purposes only. This information and our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using any information on this website.

A resilient body is more resistant to debilitating or incapacitating injuries. Is it any surprise that a resilient mind is crucial for better mental health?

Resilience is one of the most important traits that you can develop, both physically and mentally. It takes daily exercise and training to improve your physical resilience, strengthen your muscles, and accelerate your body’s internal repair mechanisms.

But for mental resilience, it takes the same amount of daily effort—just of a very different sort!

Understanding Resilience

What is resilience, exactly? It’s so much more than just being able to recover or “bounce back” after a hard time—in fact, it actually takes things a step farther. Resilience is about not only recovery, but also adaptability. It enables you to repair the damage in the present and take steps to protect yourself and prevent further damage in the future.

The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or even significant sources of stress”. It extends beyond just the workplace, but is part of every arena of your personal and professional life.

Some of the characteristics of a resilient person include:
High levels of commitment to their goals
A positive view of change as an opportunity for growth and improvement
A tendency to lean on others for support
A good sense of humor
Faith and belief
Optimistic outlook
Patience and tolerance, even in negative circumstances
Well-established goals, both personal and collective
Connections with others
Adaptability and versatility, even with the new and unfamiliar
There is even a metric—the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, or CD-RISC, that allows you to gauge your resilience by answering 25 simple questions.

The fascinating thing about resilience is that it’s directly linked to your mental health. People with mental illness get a much lower resilience score on the CD-RISC, while those who score higher on this resilience test tend to function more effectively in society and professional workplaces. In fact, people with greater resilience are better able to handle the stresses and pressures of daily life, so they are less prone to stress-related mental and physical health issues.

Resilience is a solution for both the present and the future—it will enable you to stay strong today and strengthen yourself against tomorrow’s problems. Developing resilience is especially important in our modern, fast-paced society.

The question is: how can you become more resilient?

How to Build Your Resilience

Here are a few things you can try to improve your resilience:

Figure out your “why”. Having a sense of purpose, a reason WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, can make you far more resilient.
Let’s say, for example, that your job is stressing you out and pushing you toward burnout. But, you know that you’re working to feed your family and to set yourself up for a better future. Focusing on that purpose can give you the strength to keep going even when times are tough. It will make you more resilient because it fortifies your resolve and gives you the strength to weather the storm.

Engage with others. A strong network of friends, family, and social connections is absolutely vital for a good life. Not only will it improve your mental health, but it will give you a solid support framework to lean on when times get tough.

Relationships take work and cost a great deal of effort, but they’re absolutely worth it. Those relationships will make you stronger and keep you steady through the hardest of times.

Change your mindset to one of positive thinking. Optimism is a major part of resilience. If you can always see the good in any situation, it will make those situations less stressful and give you greater grace to bear up under the pressure. Positive thinking will also help you to see and embrace the opportunities that arise in the disguise of problems and obstacles.

Embrace change. This goes hand in hand with optimism! Change happens—it’s inevitable and often feels terrible. But it’s also a potential catalyst for amazing things. After all, it’s only when you get out of your current ruts and try something new that you open the door for the “new” in your life.

Many of us spend our whole lives trying to form habits and patterns that we think will make us more effective. Sometimes, getting away from the things we’ve been doing for days, months, or years can actually show us a better way of doing things or a side of the situation we’ve never seen before. Change is inevitable, but it’s also one of the best things for you!

Set goals and take action NOW. Working toward something is one of the best ways for you to stay resilient. Think of it like a sailing ship: if you’re sitting in port, the storms could wash you up on shore or break you against the rocks. But if you’re out at open sea, even if you get blown way off course, you’re still going somewhere. You’re more likely to keep forging ahead to reach those goals even if life gets difficult—and that is a key to being more resilient!

I hope you found this read beneficial and will get inspired to build more resilient mind 🙂.

Mindfulness can do amazing things for you, more than you could possibly imagine!

Mindfulness makes you more aware of the things around you, helping to ground you and give you a better perspective on reality.

But did you know that it can also increase your awareness of internal factors, too?

If you’re struggling with confidence and self-esteem, mindfulness can be a valuable tool to help lift your spirits and change your mindset to one of positivity.

Here are a few mindfulness exercises that will help to boost your self-confidence today:

“How would I treat someone else?”

Next time you’re feeling glum because of a decision you think you made was wrong or because you’re lacking confidence, spend some time thinking about how you would comfort or respond to someone else going through the same thing.

Take yourself out of your circumstances and look at it from an outside third-party perspective. Analyze the situation, the responses and reactions, and think about how you’d comfort someone else in that situation. Say the words aloud so YOU can hear them—it may feel silly, but it really will do wonders to lift your spirits.

So often, we’re much harder on ourselves than on others. Mindfulness can help you to be more compassionate and understanding of your own faults and failings, and change you to be less critical of yourself. You can shrug off mistakes more easily because you’ve got your own back.

Make a Cheerleading List

We all need cheerleaders in our corner, people who support us and root for us. The good news is that we can be our own cheerleader.

How do you do that? Sit down and make a list of all the things you’ve done right in the last days, weeks, months, and years. Think about all the smart decisions you’ve made, the choices that have led to success and positive outcomes. List them all and write down some encouraging affirmations after each one.

Any time you’re feeling that low self-esteem hit or you’re lacking confidence, pull out that list and read over the things you’ve done right. Those affirmations of encouragement can help to lift your spirits and give you the boost to be more confident.

Practice Positive Self-Talk

Often, the most effective change you can make is a small one: a mindset change.

Unfortunately, most of us tend to be pretty negative with ourselves, and our internal self-talk tends to focus more on our faults, failings, and screw-ups. This is where mindfulness comes in. Pay more attention to the way you talk to your inner self, and notice whether things are more positive or negative. If you see that you trend toward the negative, make a point of changing that self-talk to be more upbeat and uplifting.

Even if you’re already fairly positive, it’s worth putting in the effort to be more positive more often. Set a reminder to go off every hour on the hour, and spend a few seconds (or minutes) using positive affirmations and reinforcements to keep your mind fixed firmly on the good things in your life. You’ll find that repeated practice and mindfulness of your self-talk can go a long way toward changing your internal attitude about yourself and boosting your confidence.

Pay Attention to YourReactions

Our instinctive reactions can tell us a lot about who we are and why we think and act the way we do. They can be the signpost that shows us what we could be doing wrong, which is the first step in figuring out what to do right.

Throughout the day, make it a point to be more mindful of how you react to various circumstances and situations. Be more self-aware and focus inward on your reactions, on your feelings and behavior throughout the day.

Once you’ve begun noticing your reactions, get curious about WHY you react a certain way. Dig a bit deeper to probe at the underlying feelings, worries, or fears that are driving your reactions, and see if there’s any way you can change things up to react better in the future.

Use a Token of Your Confidence

Whenever you’re doing something that you know could affect your confidence—such as a big presentation, a meeting, a seminar, a date, and so on—have something there to serve as your token of confidence.

Some speakers like to use a perfume that makes them feel better, and every time they smell that particular fragrance, it helps to boost their confidence. Some people wear a particular item of clothing when going on a date, and it helps to calm their nervousness. Some professionals have a watch or token or coin that they take whenever giving a presentation, and that physical item encourages them to be calmer and more at peace mentally.

Find some token that helps to give you confidence, and carry it with you wherever you go. Any time you need a confidence boost, use that token to lift your spirits.

Fake It Till You Make It

One of the best ways to increase your confidence is to act like you’re more confident than you believe you are. It’s not that you’re lying to yourself or others—you’re simply mindful of how you truly feel, yet are self-aware enough to ignore those feelings and behave the way you wish you felt.

Anytime you’re feeling a bit shaky, pay attention to those feelings, accept them for what they are, then push past them. Even if that means putting on a “game face” and pretending you’re not nervous or worried, just do it.

You’ll find that after a while, the things that made you nervous are far less nerve-wracking, and you can get through even difficult challenges because your mindfulness practices have enabled you to recognize your failings and push through them anyways.

I hope you enjoyed the read 🙂.

Love and gratitude,
Taunya

This was a great email that I received and thought I’d share. I
Have used this process for years and it works well and is very effective.
Love and gratitide, Taunya

Staying Centered in a Wild World
By Nick Polizzi
February 11, 2021 – 20 Comments
The Sacred Science > Energy Medicine > Staying Centered in a Wild World

The other day I did something I shouldn’t have.
Before going to bed, my wife Michelle and I made the mistake of reading some mainstream news headlines, which — as you know — are fear-based with only small bits of level headed truth.
Not a smart way to end the day!
“If it bleeds, it leads!” This saying was true when it was first spoken a few decades ago, but is probably truer now than ever.
The tricky thing about fear is that it can be contagious, like a wild fire. It doesn’t tend to stay contained within the words of the worrisome news story you’re reading. The tension might spark there, but it often spreads into other realms of our awareness, tinting the lens that we’re viewing our world and our selves through.
Off to sleep I went.
A few hours later, I woke up with my brain awash in a blizzard of thought. These eye-grabbing news snippets had been working overtime in my subconscious while I was in dreamland.
I lay there, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness, thinking about my son, about my wife, my family, my neighbors, my Earth. Try as I might, I couldn’t get it to quiet down. I tried meditating, tried using EFT Tapping, tried mantras… but the frenzy still prevailed.
After about twenty minutes, my mind quieted down for a few breaths, but then a subtle thought got its foot in the door, and allowed a flood of monkey mind static to enter in behind it.
As the storm began to rage again, something inside me spoke, giving my body a clear order to get up and grab a pen and paper.
“You need to drain your brain of all this.”
Next thing I knew, I was getting out of bed and walking up the stairs to our kitchen. I fumbled through our junk drawer and grabbed a pen, walked over to my backpack, and pulled out a pad.
What do I write? “Exactly what you are thinking.” Oh.
I hesitated at first, not wanting to give these slightly embarrassing admissions of fear any formal acknowledgement in my physical reality – on paper.
“Let’s just start with one,” I told myself. I took a deep breath and began to write one of the limiting thoughts that was running through my mind. One of my own negative internal “headlines” that was keeping me awake at 3:00 in the morning.
The act of writing it felt like a confession.
But as I wrote down each word of this deeply personal notion of worry and self-criticism, a bit of tension released and…
So I wrote more.
Each line I wrote revealed another eager thought that begged to make my list.
I sat there at my kitchen table, beginning to feel my ship right itself in the water. The sensation you feel when you finally get the care or mentorship that you’ve needed for a long time.
I scribbled until I couldn’t think of any other negative or worrisome thing to write. And then the best thing in the world happened.
I yawned. So I went to sleep.
Sometimes, just getting these thoughts, whether real or completely made up, out of your head and onto paper is all you need to do to get some perspective and relief. Most of them are just there to be seen and acted upon in some way, and as strange as it sounds, simply writing them down can send them on their way.
As I was drifting off to sleep, one of the negative headlines began to creep into my awareness again, and I witnessed my brain do the oddest thing in response. It gently re-assured itself, “Don’t worry, we already have that one written down. He won’t forget it if it’s important.” And with that, the thought vanished.
Zzzzzzzzzz…
Our world holds immense beauty and opportunity for wisdom, but does face very real problems that we humans must come together around. If we are to do the sacred work of steering this planet in the direction of compassion and peace, we need to keep a clear head and let our hearts lead.
Yes, we all have a responsibility to know what is happening on a national and global scale — whether it’s a pandemic that has stretched across the globe, political riots and protests, or a devastating bush fire in Australia. But our duty to our selves is to be clear channels and let our higher guidance shine through, sorting out the truth from the over-sensationalized hubbub.
The writing exercise above helped me to that end and I hope it does the same for you.
We’re all in this thing together,
Nick Polizzi