Psyche Yourself Out

Do you suffer from low energy or depression? In metropolitan, Phoenix Arizona, summertime can trigger inside “blues” as the  hot, desert, climate averages 110 degrees. Arizona’s scorching summer is equivalent to cold winters in the rest of the country, so “cabin fever” is quite common.We have to be inside air conditioning  much of the time to avoid the harsh sun. As a result, depression can easily set in and some medications can also become less effective. Heat stroke is also common, endangering children and the elderly alike. So what is a gal or guy to do? Psych yourself out by trying 10 strategies that are sure to help you beat the heat.

(1) get out of the house as much as possible.

(2) Utilize public air conditioned spaces such as the library, mall, or your local YMCA gym facilities.

(3) See a movie with friends or join a book club.

(4) Get physically active by walking inside the mall, rollerskating, or taking dance classes. Swimming is another great activity that can be enjoyed year round inside. When outdoors, use sunscreen however, and limit to an hour or less. Yes, adults need/deserve fun activities like the kids; this also helps immensely to boost endorphins, the body’s “feel good” chemicals.

(5) Do some kind of arts and crafts such as scrapbooking every day.  There’s something about this that is calming to the mind and body.

(6) Get into a healthy routine with varied activities that stimulate the mine and body. Manage your time wisely; clean out the closets or cabinets. Sitting and watching tv all day or sleeping a lot will only add to the blues and diminish energy.

(7) Think positively! Thoughts eventually become reality and really effect attitude as well as mood. Reciting affirmations daily, meditating, as well as focusing on gratitude, goes a long way to combat depression and put things in perspective.

(8) Turn on the lights. Spend time in well lit areas, such as by windows, under skylights, or near bright lights at work or home. For me, I’ve found that fluorescent only aggravates the eyes and can give the opposite effect.  Overall, light boosts serotonin; a neurotransmitter found in the brain that also tends to elevate mood.

(9) Eat smart! Enjoy plenty fresh fruit and vegetables, avoiding or limiting sugar and processed food. Salads and lean meats can really boost your mood and actually feed your brain tons of great nutrients. I’ve noticed immediate effects just from eating a salad for lunch!

(10) Pick up the telephone. Isolating won’t solve anything and will actually make matters worse. Ensure you have have a healthy support system of people who can listen and uplift you when the doldrums appear. Never underestimate the power of caring friends and family who love you unconditionally and can cheer you up with humor.

I know depression is tough..ok, miserable; but you can’t let it ruin your life. You must fight it every day, with positivity and planning. Remember you’re not alone and will be ok… just don’t give into it and give these tips a try. Have hope. Seek help. Notice what works for you and create some other strategies of your own. Share them with other bloggers/friends and psych yourself out today!

Overcoming Body Blues

       Have you ever woken up disgusted with your body? I certainly have. In fact, I’ve been in a funk about it lately. However, looking at this picture helps. I love the caption “I am imperfect!” Aren’t we all? So why we feel inferior over our perceived imperfections? For me, it’s my face. When I have a bad acne breakout, I get depressed. Just looked in the mirror becomes a painful experience filled with self-hatred and shame. When it’s really bad, make-up won’t even cover it up and I feel like you can connect the dots. Plus it’s physically painful.

Now, I’m a 35 year old adult, so acne isn’t supposed to still plague me… I mean it’s a teen age thing; right? Wrong! Millions of adults are or have been afflicted with various forms of Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema, Hives, Rosacea, Cold Sores, skin tags, Athletes Foot, moles, Liver Spots, Melasma,  Warts, non-cancerous growths called Seborrheic Keratoses, and various rashes from plants to viruses or allergies to medications.  Then there is extreme dry, oily, or combination skin that fluctuates with monthly hormonal changes or before/during/after menopause.

The bottom line is, overcoming body blues can be done. It all starts with a choice and a refusal give into it societal pressure to look younger ideal or perfect. Stop buying into race-consciousness (society’s collective beliefs) and realize that beauty starts on the inside. It really is a matter of perspective. Today, declare a moratorium (break) with your body and give it some love. Overcome the body blues with self-compassion and acceptance. Recite positive affirmations to re-train your brain to believe positive messages about your body. For example:

I love and accept myself.  I appreciate my body for all that it does to keep me alive, active, and mobile.

I am more than my body (or skin/fat/etc); I am a Spiritual Being living a human experience.

I am beautiful; inside and out, regardless of appearances!

I am more than clothing size.

Now..here is the hard part. Affirm whatever area you most diss-like. For me today, it’s my face. So mine is- “I love and accept my face.” (Although this is hard to accept at first, it tends to change my perspective of my face and then my body begins responding by healing my skin) Give it a try. Look into your eyes at first and pretend you are talking to your best friend. Would you ridicule them; or be understanding and unconditionally loving? Give yourself the same respect and love.

Overcome your body blues today by taking one small step toward acceptance and love. Notice the changes as a result. While these may not be immediate, they will come. Our body knows how to heal itself and responds to positive messages.

Comment and let me know how this works for you!

Namaste,

Lisa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dry or oily skin,

Listen to Your Body!

                Listen to your body or it will get your attention, one way or another. Lately, I’ve had a host of physical challenges from twisting my ankle to catching a nasty cold and now hurting my back.  Apparently, I haven’t been listening to my body’s message for some attention.  Like many of us, I have been ignoring a call for more exercise. Of course January is the time of year many people resolve to lose weight and be more active.  I am no exception and because I haven’t followed through, my body has gone to extremes to get my attention. How about you?

          What message is your body trying to send to you?  Perhaps a plea for movement, more vegetables, or just some good old fashioned rest is in order. Maybe your body is sluggish from junk food and simply wants to detox with lots of water and fruit. Whatever your intuition is telling you to do, your body is constantly trying to communicate with you. The key is to plug into your body and heed it’s innate wisdom. See, the body only wants to be healthy and in balance. It’s main objective is to keep you alive and well. When we don’t listen, it gets our attention in other ways like illness, aches and pains. When we don’t pay attention to these, the body sends even stronger messages with digestive disorders, heart problems, ulcers, or even cancer. The bad habits we engage in regularly, sabotage our body’s ability to maintain optimal health. So why do we do it?

         The majority of human beings use food for emotional comfort or to cope with stress. This habit inhibits the ability to listen to your body clearly. Sugar and white flour adversely effect many people, similar to alcohol intoxication. Millions of people have gluten and other food allergies and struggle with diabetes. Most people aren’t even aware of the correlation between food, beverage choices and negative lifestyle habits that cause a host of physical and emotional symptoms. Some research says the pesticides in our food and water are to blame and claim organic is the best option.  Listening to your body requires slowing down enough to really pay attention to the physical messages that are being sent to you all the time.  So how do we do it?

      Try this simple exercise… Close your eyes and take several deep breaths scanning your entire body for any discomfort. Start from the tips of your toes and move up all the way to head, not forgetting your arms, hands and fingers. Notice your lungs filling with oxygen and your diaphragm exhaling carbon dioxide.  Listen to the sound or rhythm of  your heartbeat. Pay special attention to any aches or pains you may be experiencing. Breathe into them and ask yourself what their deeper message is for you. Allow the answers from your body to bubble forth. Be open to it. Stay with it for at least five minutes. Afterwards, journal your experience, paying special attention to whatever messages your body has just revealed. Repeat this process at least once a day and try extending it gradually to multiple times per day.  This process will help get you in touch with your body in a positive and loving way, communicating often so that it doesn’t have to grab your attention in negative or unexpected ways. If this process is challenging for you, good, that is to be expected. Rest assured however, this process will get easier the more you practice.  Soon you will develop a new relationship with your body. The next step, is following the message.

I will talk more about this in my next post… Meanwhile, see the miracles unfold before you…within you. Listen to your body for once and give it a voice. You will be astounded!

New Year’s Resolutions…Body Makeover

Happy New Year! January is a time many people decide to lose weight. Maybe you have falling off the wagon already or are seeing positive results. Regardless of your intentions, making over our physical bodies is challenging and is a test of will as much as discipline.

 Committing to a regular exercise program takes perseverance. Overhauling one’s diet also takes great effort and discipline. I haven’t done this with any regularity and have even given up the idea of making this particular resolution since it seems to put lots of pressure on me to fulfill certain expectations. Moderation has never been a simple word in my vocabulary although I have worked at it most of my adult life.

This year, I am committing to getting healthier. I am open to whatever changes this brings and will allow it to come naturally. My body makeover consists of loving and appreciating the body I have right now so that I don’t have a desire to mistreat it with excess food or inactivity. It means, paying attention to how I feel throughout the day and noticing its signals for rest, movement, water, and nutritious food.  This year I am not setting myself up with specific weight loss numbers or depriving myself of specific foods.  This year I am focusing on altering my relationship with my body and trusting it knows how to re-balance itself.

If you’re tired of subscribing to society’s weight loss frenzy, then join me and lets create a body makeover from the inside out.

Hate your physical flaws? Acceptance is the Answer!

Have you ever noticed that the more one focuses on what they don’t like about themselves, it seems to magnify the situation? Take weight for instance. I’ve battled with it my entire life and so I can attest to detesting various parts of my body that seem to bulge or sag. Even so, the more I focus on it, the worse the problem became. We’d think that with all the diets floating around out there in the world we’d be a nation of skinny people; but we’re not. Why? My reasoning is that because self-loathing doesn’t equal positive changes or acceptance. Despite all the research, surgical options, fads or exercise options, people still aren’t finding lasting solutions or peace in their own skin. More Americans are overweight than ever while we have all this information to lead us on the path to health. What do we do?
I’m learning that acceptance is the answer. Acceptance of the body I have right now. Acceptance of my feelings in each and every moment. Acceptance of what “is”, instead of what I’m told “should” be. Acceptance is the path to freedom and even weight loss. I’m finding that the more I love & accept myself…my body and my life, the happy and more apt I am to make necessary changes. Certainly years of berating and self condemnation didn’t work. This is my new approach for the 21st Century. How about you?

Are you tired of being told what “healthy” is/looks like? Are you fed up with comparing yourself to “air brushed” models on tv, the movies or in magazines? Are you depressed over feeling like an outcast? Then stop abandoning yourself and stand up to self love & acceptance by holding your head high, wearing clothes that fit, and moving on with your life. Show the world and yourself who you’re made of by not waiting to live your life until you loose x, y, or z pounds. Be a role model for your children, family, and friends of what “real” self- love looks like by using positive language about yourself and others; start accepting compliments instead of deflecting them. In order for any lasting changes to occur on the outside, we have to learn to get real on the inside by becoming comfortable in our own skin and with ourselves.

This is my intention personally and professionally. Confidence is created by authentic communication that comes from within. What messages are you sending? I’m determined to send messages of love and acceptance as well as hope and healing. Regardless of the outcome (weight loss or not), the world needs to stop judging acceptance by the size of our clothes or shape of our bodies. If we don’t start with our personal views then who will?

Welcome back to loving yourself like you did when you were a child. Welcome back to smiling with confidence and the freedom to participate in all of life’s activities. Welcome back to recognizing the individual beauty that is YOU!
Welcome home to your body~

3rd Chakra; Fire, Ego & Identity

Chakra Three: Manipura

Fire, Ego identity, oriented to self-definition

According to Sacred Center.com, “this chakra is known as the power chakra, located in the solar plexus and rules our personal power, will, and autonomy, as well as our metabolism. When healthy, this Chakra brings us energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, and non- dominating power”. http://www.sacredcenters.com/chakras/

So what is your body trying to tell you? To find out, look no further than inside of yourself. Get centered. Breathe. Trust yourself. How has your energy been lately; appetite for life? The Chakra’s are energy centers within the body corresponding to vital organs and if they become blocked, our body’s effectiveness is greatly diminished; adversely affecting clarity/focus, stamina, and routine bodily functions. So it is imperative that we tune into our Chakra’s regularly and clear out any negative thoughts or feelings.

To find out, look no further than asking yourself some pointed questions.Where do your passions lie? Are you confident in your own SKIN? How about in your life? Do you hold yourself back, live small, and play it safe? How we think about ourselves radiates out into the world who will treat us according to how we treat ourselves. So with that in mind, what are YOU going to do to connect with your fire (identity/passion) within?

To help get you started, Sacred Centers.com suggests “developing core strength to increase your sense of personal power”. Below are some exercises to help you feel your solar plexus and ignite your power house!

In general, stomach crunches (modified sit-ups) are always a good bet for creating abdominal strength. But the best is working in plank pose.

Start by lying on the floor, face down. Place your hands below your shoulders, arms straight. Lift the entire body off the ground, toes curled under, body and legs one straight line, parallel to the floor. Hold for at least one minute. For added challenge balance on your forearms, elbows directly underneath the shoulders. For even more challenge, alternately lift each leg of the floor and hold. ~ Sacred Centers.com~

Loving your body means maximizing your personal awareness of SELF and fully accepting the beautiful Spirit you are!

* Let me know if this post helped you connect with your Solar Plexus? If not, keep reading, as this one article post is in no way comprehensive and therefore, there will be many others throughout the month.

Release and Let Go!

Sometimes we forget to breathe. I have become increasingly aware of this in  myself lately. Why? Perhaps we’re carrying tension from the anxiety of others or within ourselves from a lack of forgiveness or acceptance. Pent up negative emotions take the breathe of life away from us only allowing a fraction of what is truly needed to embrace the fullness of life. Yet, we can take our power back through mind body practices like yoga or Tai Chi and defy that which takes our breath away by breathing deeply regardless of how we feel or think.

This weekend I learned of such an amazing practice called Sign Chi Do; The Art of Moving Prayer. Utilizing American Sign Language, prayer, and some Tai Chi basics, this practice helps to facilitate deep breathing, increased focus, centering, and a release of emotions. It helps the student come into the present moment with ease and grace while moving the body gracefully and purposefully. The various prayerful routines invoke deep feelings that otherwise lay quietly beneath the surface. While practicing this intimate routine with others for about two hours, I felt an incredible release of emotions thru my tears early on that grew into peace, joy, and serenity. Afterwards, I was fully aligned in mind, body, and Spirit. It is something one must truly, experience for themselves as words cannot adequately do justice.

Go to the website, http://www.signchido.com/ , and get the special book and DVD offer with Healthy, Happy, Holy routine and music for just $19.95. I am ordering mine this week and look forward to adding this to my daily Spiritual practices. I am not an instructor or paid for my testimony, nor do I have anything to gain. I merely feel called to spread the word about this sacred practice that I shall enjoy for the rest of my life. This really will help you to release and let go of whatever may be blocking your energy, enthusiasm, or passion for life. What have you got to lose?

Love Your Imperfections!

We all have parts of our bodies we don’t exactly love. Maybe its a mole/scar on your face, the color/ texture of your hair, height, or the size of your lips, hips, waist, butt, thighs, feet, or breasts. Perhaps you walk with a limp, stutter when you talk, sweat uncontrollably, have skin challenges/ abnormalities/conditions, or feel ashamed of that double chin. Whatever “it” is that you feel is “imperfect” or are “self-conscious” about; embrace it!

The health and beauty industry spend trillions of dollars every year selling us on ways we can “cover up”, “fix”, and “loose” unwanted x,y,or z. The American culture is obsessed with looks, age, and weight. This bombardment of negative energy only hurts our self-esteem, driving an even bigger wedge of disapproval and separation between ourselves and others. We compare ourselves with models who have their “imperfections” airbrushed so we don’t see them and forget that these people are less than 1% of the population to begin with!

The truth is, everyone is Imperfectly Perfect! There are no two people alike (even identical twins share many differences). We are all beautiful individuals with different looks, shapes, personalities, talents, and abilities. With this in mind, imperfections are just the differences that make us all unique. Therefore, there is no reason for us to not love and accept ourselves exactly the way nature intended us to be (ourselves). Acceptance is the key to self-love and true beauty. When we can do this, others will feel more relaxed about themselves and less apt to be judgmental towards us. A win-win for everybody.

Loving your imperfections especially applies to your weight, because even though we have some control over this part of ourselves, restrictive dieting and obsessing over the numbers on the scale isn’t going to motivate change. When was the last time that being disgusted in your clothes really contributed to lasting change? For me, it only led to bulimia. However, by loving and accepting yourself, will you be able to care for yourself in a healthy manner. For years, I have been a yo, yo dieter and fallen prey to societal pressure to be “thin”. Equating thinness with beauty and acceptability so I would “fit in”.  Although the media has switched their emphasis to leading a “healthy lifestyle”, I have continued  to struggle with the level of self-care required to fulfill and maintain this goal. And why? Because I can’t change what I don’t feel deserving of. Acceptance is about releasing shame, guilt, and unrealistic expectations of ourselves in order to create space to cultivate growth.

My journey, like so many others, has been a road filled with pain, trauma, fear, and loss. Studies show that releasing these pent-up emotions are essential to releasing excess weight. Pair up an addiction to sugar, white flour, and processed or fast foods and you can see why Americans suffer from obesity more than any other culture in the world.

So, as you can see, we’ve been set up to focus on our “imperfections” and hate ourselves in the name of capitalism. Now, the choice is ours; will we continue to allow the media to influence how we view ourselves? Will we continue to give our power away to others?  Or will we learn to love, accept, and respect ourselves by not buying into advertisements and gimmicks that only fuel self-hatred.

I, for one, am taking the self-love and acceptance path since I am learning that it is the only way I will be able to restore myself to optimal health and a better relationship with my body. I hope you will join me in Loving Your imperfectly Perfect Self too!