"I have trouble sleeping. I think it's stress," a friend of a friend told me. I rattled off my go-to suggestions in an effort to help. Exercise. Meditation. Lay down on the floor with your legs up against the wall for 20 minutes (a yoga teacher I know swears by this). She gave me a nod and a rueful half-smile, conveyed the usual sequence of feelings; agreement, because she already knew the answers, guilt for not doing what she knew will help, and shame that she probably still won't. Her … [Read more...]
How to keep a negative mindset from ruining positive results
It's infuriating how easily negative thoughts can take over if you let them. I can do a phenomenal job of making them feel at home. Once those roots are planted, you almost feel like a traitor if you try to kick them out. Of course, we all know that that's not a good thing, but when you're stuck in the mire of worry, anxiety, self-flagellation or any variety of negative emotion when life doesn't to go your way, sometimes it's difficult to see clearly. We all have to take our punches, but … [Read more...]
This simple fact changed my world, and it could change yours too
Who doesn't love an A-ha moment? Somehow, somewhere, a burst of deep understanding sinks in, and your perspective changes. You see things in a new light, maybe forever. I love that feeling. I'm immediately filled with gratitude, so glad to have a tiny part of life make more sense. But I admit, sometimes I want to kick myself. Why have I been so blind for so long, says the voice in my head. I could've used this wisdom and insight, like, five years ago when I . . . Like I said, I feel extremely … [Read more...]
Do empty spaces scare the hell out of you?
White space. Silence. Being alone. Do you find them terrifying? We like to fill our days, our moments, our hands with things to do. We're always busy. But when life moves too fast, when there's too much to handle, we yearn for a few moments to breathe, for peace, to climb down from the ledge we've suddenly found ourselves on. How did I get here? is the first question. Why is this happening? may be the second. We need...space. But too much space? We run. We hide. That's just as terrifying … [Read more...]
This is What Consistency Looks Like
Many talk about consistency, but few show what it looks like. Consistency is the open secret in the secret sauce. It's the short, polished part in the movie with the inspiring music as the hero prepares to meet the enemy. It's what you need to learn Italian, deal with your inner critic, start each day with meditation, or make the daily green smoothie a habit. I, for one, would like to have a better idea of what I'm looking for. You know, what it really is, the nitty gritty, unpolished … [Read more...]
How To Work With Fear – 3 Plans of Action
What builds the bridge between knowing how to work with fear and actually doing it? Lately, in the talks I’m listening to, in the books I’m reading, I find myself zoning in on how to work with fear (because we all know there’s no such thing as getting rid of it all together, like bank fees or bad hair days). Here are a few things I've noted, things I'm tossing, turning, trying. Feels Like The First Time Jon Acuff talks about doing things like it’s the first time, over and over again. If … [Read more...]