Next week it begins. The wild ride on the runaway locomotive known as the holiday season.
After Halloween, there is a brief lull when we can breathe and just live. In these few weeks, I have enjoyed watching the leaves change color, fall off the trees, and blow around in the air like free spirits.
I have enjoyed the quietude of cooler temperatures and shorter days.
But come next Thursday, “let the wild rumpus begin!” — as Maurice Sendak writes.
Isn’t it strange the way we know something is really good for us, but we avoid it, even to the point of hurting ourselves?
For intelligent humans who can get a man to the moon and build empires, we can sure be obstinate and blind about taking care of our bodies, often at the risk of our health and longevity. It seems counter-intuitive, but many people live very sedentary lifestyles.
How about you? Are you having trouble kick-starting an active lifestyle?
“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” ~Albert Camus
About ten years ago, I stopped sleeping. It started on a vacation. The first night in this lovely beach rental, I couldn’t fall asleep and stayed wide awake all night.
Of course I was a mess the next day, and the following night I was panicky that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again.
This was the start of a spiral of insomnia, that led to anxiety about not sleeping, that led to total exhaustion, that led to strange physical symptoms, that caused more anxiety and worry.
“Cleanse your emotions, passions, impulses, attitudes, and reactions. That is the essence of spiritual discipline as laid down in all faiths.” ~Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on my friend Katie Tallo’s blog, Momentum Gathering. Katie has just launched The 7-Week Life Cleanse, her beautiful new eBook. Click here to view more details
When you read the word “cleanse,” what comes to mind first? If we were playing a word association game, would the word “colon” pop right up? It does for me, but maybe I’m full of it.
Right now, as you are reading this, how are you breathing? Are you slumped forward, tensed up and taking shallow breaths?
If so, and if this is your fallback breathing style, you are depriving yourself of some vital physical and mental health benefits.
This is something so easy to change, and it can make such a big difference in how you feel every day.
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.”~ Arthur C. Clark
This is a guest post by Aileen Mahoney of Kaizen Vision.
How many times have you surprised yourself and done something you had once only hoped to do, or done something you thought was impossible?
Even though I’ve surprised myself many times, I can still get caught up in doubt. Often we think that once we achieve success or fulfill our dreams, we then get the prize of staying “there” for the rest of our lives.
Actually, there is no “there,” we’re always a work in progress with new heights to reach for and new breakthroughs before us.
“A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
When I am coaching a client, often one of the most profound leaps they make is recognizing the personal power that accompanies adult decisions, outlooks, and behaviors.
Sometimes a person is so entrenched in reactive behaviors, old hurts, and learned perceptions that they don’t realize they are trapped in a stage of childhood that limits their personal growth and relationships.
Much has been made of the concept of embracing one’s inner child.
In this context, I’m referring to the therapeutic work (usually offered by mental health professionals) to help clients heal the emotional wounds and coping mechanisms that arise from adverse childhood experiences.
“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours – it is an amazing journey – and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.” – Bob Moawad
This is a guest post by Jasmine Stephenson of An Apple a Day.
My name is Jasmine. I graduated from the University of South Florida at the age of 21 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
While going to school full time, I participated in extracurricular activities and worked full time at a law firm. After receiving my diploma, I moved to Arizona.
I found a great job at another law firm. I had my own apartment, and a dog.
Sounds pretty normal, right?