The 411 on Wellness

The New Normal

Like everyone, I have felt overwhelmed and bombarded lately. I feel like time has sped up to warp speed and nothing is as it used to be. So much change, so quickly. I recently learned that the earth’s basic frequency or “heartbeat” called the Schumann resonance (SR) has increased from where it was for decades at 7.8, to 11 cycles and climbing.

This is both good and bad news. The good news is I’m not crazy … there is something happening; the bad news is there are changes happening beyond our control that we have to learn to deal with!

So what do we do when the new “normal” is change? In my mind there is only one way; and that is to be flexible. Now I, like you, want to be healthy, happy, free from suffering, and to thrive in all ways. It’s just that some days I feel like I am barely getting by – kind of like treading water.

Here are my solutions:

Learn to adapt. This is not easy for many of us but is a skill that is crucial, nonetheless. I think the best way to re-learn life the way many of us need to, is to change the internal dialogue in your head to a very healthy self-talk. I coach my clients all the time in ways to improve their self-talk, and it works wonders for everything!

Flexibility takes time and practice. I don’t know many people who go to their first yoga class and are able to do all of the stretches. Most of us know that it will take time and practice to not only learn the poses, but also to eventually get good at them. Becoming flexible with all of the changes will take enormous patience and effort on your part - after all, it is a whole new practice.

Lighten up. This one’s for all of us perfectionists and workaholics who have high or unrealistic expectations. I mean really … if both time and the earth’s frequency are speeding up, how exactly can we get everything done in one day (like we used to)? We must cultivate a sense of humor and a lightness about it all. This is where your healthy self-talk comes in to play.

We have just entered spring, and ironically, in Chinese medicine, spring is represented by the liver and the wood elements. Wood is both strong and flexible. I think that my new mantra is going to be, “I am strong and flexible”. I like it … what will your new mantra be? 

 

Now is the Time

It’s the first day of spring 2011.

I love the feeling of potential spring provides for me.

It just seems the older I get the less I am able to capture the same feelings I used to have. In fact…there are so many things in my world that will just never be the same.

I think I have high expectations. I expect my body to maintain itself and my life to be good. I expect the world to be a beautiful place that has unlimited possibilities. I expect the remedies I recommend to heal perfectly.I guess I expect some kind of perfection. Hmmm – there is no such thing right?

The earthquake in Japan and the devastation the tsunami brought is a serious reminder to me that itis dangerous to have too many expectations. Instead – living a life of acceptance brings more peace.

On a smaller more personal level, I am trying to see last week's events as a lesson to live more in the present moment and have more acceptance in the process. There are so many things we can’t control big and small: time passing, natural disasters, our bodies aging, our children growing up in a world that is not the world we remember as kids, never feeling “caught up”, GMO’s, countries at war, not knowing how to properly use our new cell phones, fashion changes, economic uncertainty…and so on.

So today, I say just live. Live life as if this could be the last moments - with gusto
and joy. Try not to sweat the small stuff. Give of yourself in whatever ways you can – it feels good. Every once in a while step outside of your comfort zone and don’t put things off…, now is the time, not later.

If we can become more conscious, our lives will feel richer and then when we are faced with life’s trials and tribulations – we can walk through them with more grace and a deeper degree of calm. We can also live a life that makes sense during both the good times and the bad.

This spring, I have a new plan…and a new sense of purpose. I want to make my moments count so that when “stuff” does come up, I feel empowered, clear and truly ok!

 

Change Is Just A Six Letter Word

It's official, I have just surpassed my record for the most changes to take place within one week…ever. Maybe it IS the dawn of a new life.

Ready? I just moved my office to a new and bigger location. After 16 years I am actually in a new zip code, I have a new phone number, new employees, new neighbors, a new email address, a new computer system, and a new commute. I have also added lots of classes and activities at my new center, which brings with it a whole host of new things and people. On a more personal level - my 20 year old son just left for a semester in Barcelona (yes Spain). And let’s not forget that it’s the first week of a new year and with that there are new goals. Did I forget anything?

Talk about a forced learning curve! I am ok with change…really. I just prefer to have a chance to integrate each change into my life before the next one happens. That was definitely not the case this time around.

Here is my take on how to handle a life that has decided to spin totally out of control. First, breathe. Next, master the art of kindness to self. After that, focus all of your energy on placing one foot in front of the other and getting through each moment.

Easier said than done right? Hopefully you’ve heard the saying, “Inch by Inch life’s a cinch, Yard by Yard life is hard.” That was my mantra for the past month and I’d like to give you a few REAL pointers:

When you start wearing your shoulders as earrings, force them down and get some air into your diaphragm. When you look down and realize you have just eaten a whole bag of cookies, put a smile on your face and remind yourself that your coping mechanisms are absolutely brilliant. When you remember that you left your (massive) to do list on the kitchen counter while driving to work, laugh – say oh well apparently those things will have to wait, and then sing very loudly to something on the radio.

Here’s the deal, CHANGE is just a word. We can dread it all we want but there really is no such thing as life without change, and I believe we are fooling ourselves if we think we have “control”. So the next time you want to put the brakes on your perfectly chaotic life, remember my words…and give yourself a pat on the back, you can do this – I know you can ☺

"After the holidays....."

I hear it in my practice all day long, and I am secretly guilty of this myself. What is “it” you ask?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is the line, “after the holidays”!

Just fill in the blank…I’ll go on a diet after the holidays. I’ll start exercising after the holidays. I’ll cleanse after the holidays. I’ll get organized after the holidays. And on it goes.

Why do we do this to ourselves? It seems illogical that simply because the date on the calendar says it is time for festivities, we just let ourselves go. Welcome to the human brain! We are such clever creatures that we are capable of rationalizing anything and everything.

Studying the brain is one of my favorite occupations, in fact I consider myself an expert at understanding what drives our thoughts and behaviors. It’s what I do, I help people balance out their brain chemistry so that their behavior is exactly that…balanced. But try as I might, I can’t overcome the procrastination and total abandon that happens this time of year!

This year I have a new strategy, want to hear it? Whenever someone comes in and tells me about how terribly they’ve been eating, or how they have quit exercising because there just isn’t time – I say “perfect, why don’t you start up after the holidays”. I am giving everyone, including myself, permission to indulge in life!

In the past, I strongly recommended to everyone that they should eat well all week and allow the indulgences just on weekends. I also wanted them to exercise even more to compensate for the richer foods. I harped on drinking water, taking their supplements, getting enough rest and even taking breaks from the chaos.

What was I thinking? The more I think about it, the more I realize I was out of line! Who am I to be sensible when the rest of the world is just trying to find a little happiness? So please, enjoy your holidays…in fact, I plan to enjoy with you :)

When all else fails.....breathe

When there is just too much going on in a day, more than one mere human can handle - there is only one thing to do: Just put one foot in front of the other…and breathe. 

Now an A-type like myself, whose brain is always “on”, may find that concept difficult. I really want to handle everything, quickly and efficiently – check each task off my list so that I can move on to the next set of tasks with a clean slate. 

So what if I usually accomplish more in a day than most people – it is simply what I have come to expect of myself! Which is why I have to diligently have a conversation with myself and hopefully I will get through to the rational side of my brain. 

The conversation goes something like this, “ok I think today is a good day to be kind to myself…I choose to take a deep breath and trust that everything will get done as it is supposed to.” Once I have repeated some simple phrases like this a few times, I remember to smile, take another deep breath and then I do my best to relax the tension from my body. 

If for some reason the above doesn’t work and I continue to stress about everything that needs “doing”, that’s when I start to tap into the doctor part of my brain which says, “stress kills” “this isn’t good for your health” “you are burning yourself out”. 

This makes me laugh and finally let’s me relax. At this point I gladly remember that I am a human “being” not a human “doing” - Rome wasn’t built in a day – and the only way to get anywhere is to simply put one foot in front of the other.