Daily Moment of Awareness [10.20.2019]

Moments of awareness shared with you

While we enjoy the majesty of this life, we will also experience pain. We all will. There is no avoiding it. In fact, a life spent trying to avoid pain leads to suffering.

Pain happens, whether unexpected (loss of a loved one, natural disaster, etc.) or as a result of our own doing (ruminating in resentment, allowing fear to influence our choices, etc.). The lesson is no matter the source of pain, it’s how (or if) we decide to face it that will shape us. Choosing not to embrace pain will lead to suffering. Facing pain in unhealthy ways (through numbing = drugs, sleep, pretending, etc.) will also lead to suffering. And it is suffering that gives pain power to manipulate you into believing you cannot heal.

Pain is another experience we must move through. Don’t get wrapped up in the pace of it. Do notice if you are stagnating.

Give action to pain. Ask for help (friend, family, counseling, etc.) Meditate. Pray. Journal. Engage in healthy activities (exercise, reading, walking, etc.). Other forms of action include: expressing your truth, acceptance, forgiveness, love.

Move through your pain so you can heal in love.

Daily Moment of Awareness [10.15.2019]

Moments of awareness shared with you

“Why didn’t that person respond as I had hoped?” or “Why didn’t that situation unfold as I had hoped?

Have you ever asked those questions? I do. In fact, I did this morning.

These questions place our attention on the outside of ourselves. Even when our intentions are pure and our preparation is solid, people and situations are ultimately out of our “control.” Sure we can affect both by what we bring to each, but that’s where it stops. We cannot control responses.

However, we can choose how we respond to a person’s response and or the unfolding of a situation. Ask yourself how you feel and why? Ask yourself what you could learn. And then, you can choose to ground yourself in the reality of the present moment.

Daily Moment of Awareness [10.8.2019]

Moments of awareness shared with you

I am discovering what it means to feel all the feelings. Today, was non-stop with emotions. They took me all over the place. I found myself thinking not, “Why am I feeling this?” but instead, “What can I learn from this?”

This is big time progress for me. Rather than racing, full steam into the emotion, I felt it, named it, and asked what the lesson may be? I became more accepting of my choices in life - good, bad, happy, sad, doesn't matter. They are mine and mine to learn from.

I felt like I truly honored my whole being today.

Patience To Heal

Life is filled with joy and pain. And when we are joyous, we don’t want it to end. But when we are hurt, we lack patience for the healing process. We are closed off to recognizing that healing can take on many forms and be an experience of much diversity. Healing can be transformative and restorative. 

The not knowing is the challenge. When? How? 

Healing can be transformative in that your whole life changes AND your pain subsides. But healing can be restorative in that you gain a deeper understanding of the situation or person you feel hurt by. Your lessons help you  so that you can re-engage in a healthier, more grounded way. 

Pain doesn’t always lead to loss or end. Healing can reveal the pain is resulting from misunderstanding. From that lesson, healing can better equip you with compassion, empathy, patience to listen. 

Healing can lead to new beginnings. 

words on image: Michael Barata / image: Ümit Bulut

How You Frame It

Your inner dialogue greatly influences your mood, your behavior, and your outlook about life.

If you are forever re-running something painful from your past in your head, don’t be surprised when the emotions associated with that experience are what you feel. If you doubt yourself or harshly judge yourself, don’t be surprised when you feel “less than.” If you are always giving into fear and telling yourself, “I just couldn’t do that.” don’t be surprised when you don’t make progress.

If you are going through a challenge, how you think and talk about it, matters. A lot! How you frame it is how your whole being responds to it. If you refer to your life (experiences) in a negative and/or defeating way, you will attract more negativity and defeat and feel negative and defeated.

It’s not magic. It’s not being naive. It’s not ignoring the work. It’s all about taking a healthy approach to your life in every moment. Everything you could ever feel or give begins within YOU.

If you’re hurting, acknowledge the hurt, and tell yourself you are healing. If you’re lost, acknowledge being lost, and tell yourself you’re learning. Of course, reinforcing this healthy mindset with healthy behaviors in healthy environments will also help.

words on image: Michael Barat / image: Pixabay