WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU FORGET
Dear Reader,
Happy Spring! May this article find you with a renewed heart and healthy body. I hope you are feeling joyful, light and peaceful. But what if you are not feeling light at all? What if your heart is heavy and your body is achy and you’re in a slump? How do you find your way back home to YOURSELF?
First of all, know it happens to the best of us! We are human after all and part of our human experience guarantees that we will feel a broad range of emotions. This is a good thing! If we were robots we would just respond to all stimuli with neutrality, but as humans we will get triggered! When something sad or catastrophic happens we can be moved to tears even if we don’t know any of the victims personally. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, 2018, that took the lives of 17 innocent people, shook many of us to the core. When I first heard of the shooting, I felt like a bomb went off in my chest. But unlike the young survivors who so quickly channeled their anguish into unparalleled activism, creating the NEVER AGAIN movement calling for stricter gun control laws, I felt utterly depressed and powerless. As a mom, the thought of losing one of my babies in a senseless shooting left me nearly speechless. I watched in horror as we learned the identities of the shining stars whose lives were taken so short! I’m embarrassed to say I felt stuck in my grief. Not for days, but for weeks! It was as if quicksand had engulfed me and I felt limp and weepy. My brain was telling me to pull it together and in the presence of my children I did, which is not to say they didn't notice me kissing them more, and holding them longer and tighter with each hug. But when I was alone, I felt lost.
My usual Self-Help Tool Kit of meditation, hot yoga, and eating clean was not helping me out of my slump. My brain kept reminding me that I wasn’t actually helping anyone by being despondent, but my intuition didn't want to rush my grief. I felt there may be an important lesson for me in this pain and I wanted to be fully present to receive the wisdom and not just minimize my feelings. I thought about the Law of Attraction that states what we focus on grows. I reminded myself that I have a choice of what to think about and I could continue to replay the tape of the tragedy or I could think of cute puppies cuddling. But the cute puppy image felt inauthentic and fake against my very real feelings of loss and anger. So I just accepted the pain and asked it what it wanted to teach me.
As a fellow human, you surely have your own experience with pain and sadness. It may be your own response to the shooting or your own personal tragedy. Several of my dear friends are currently battling their own adversities whether it be the death of a spouse, a serious illness, a loss of a job or a child who has gone astray. These challenges trigger fear that can find residence in our bodies causing more aches and fatigue. Pain can feel like punishment but it is actually a powerful teacher in that it gets our full attention! Just as our baby’s cry stirs within us a need to respond, so too does our own pain call for US to show up for OURSELVES!
At our core, we all want to feel better. So how do we get to the feel good place while acknowledging the very real, very sad aspects of our lives? How do we tap into the higher frequencies of love, peace and joy?
Here are some tips that are helping me find my way back to my buoyant self. May they help you find your way back home to yourself. With love, Diana
What to Remember when you Forget – how to find your way home to yourself when you feel lost, lonely and disillusioned (how to reboot your life with ease, peace and a plan!).
1. Just Breathe!
2. Slow down! Meditate! Take a time-out!Just say NO!
3. Get moving! Exercise, focused activity, connect with nature
4. Get into Yourself! Honor your primary relationship with your higher self through journaling, vision boards, and self-nurturing
5. Get out of Yourself! Connect with family, friends, and community
6. Input - Feed your body, mind, and spirit with poems, prayers and positive affirmations
7. Output – Digestion and Decluttering. What can you get rid of that is not serving you?
8. Focus on Fun – make joy a priority! Insist upon doing something fun or watching a funny movie
9. Personal Motto – create a mission statement to guide your life’s journey
10. Be Gentle with Yourself! We are all connected and the more tender you can be with yourself, the more tenderness you can offer to others!
Diana Stone, M.A., is a Wellness Consultant and inspirational writer and speaker. Connect with her at dianalynnstone@me.com or www.dianalynnstone.com
