Is pain taking over your life?
I understand all too well about life altering pain! I’ve had times when a part of my body hurts so much that it’s all I can think about.
I remember what transpired in my garden when I lifted too many heavy pails of water one afternoon. I should’ve known better. Right? Well, I injured my shoulder and arm by doing too much.
We’ve all done it. And afterwards, we can be so hard on ourselves! “Why wasn’t I smarter than that?”
But when the pain really kicks in and starts to affect how you’re thinking and what you decide to do and not do, it’s time to investigate possibilities of “what can I do about this pain and help my body heal?”
It’s one thing to have pain resulting from a physical injury like what I just described, or pain from a physical ailment. We can usually wrap our minds around those kinds of issues that create pain in the body. And if we don’t push our body to keep on doing, and if we help the body let go of the inflammation, we can often help healing take place.
It will usually take some extra attention, and of course, I’m suggesting you make use of self-help acupressure to help get on the other side of a pattern of pain.
Emotional Anguish
What if you’re living with the pain for so long, and it just becomes what you expect? And then what happens if your mind and emotions play into that way of being?
What if the pain is happening because of emotional trauma, like losing a loved one or exposure to violence? Or what if the pain is a result of feeling lost and isolated and maybe anxious and depressed?
That kind of pain can be just as debilitating because it’s often harder to figure out what is hurting and how to fix it.
Pain can create such deep, intense feelings that the senses get all caught up in “this way of living.” Well, your body would appreciate if you had another way of dealing with it and helping it not go in that direction.
You CAN change the patterns of how you talk to yourself and how you treat anything going on in your body and help it release old physical, mental, or emotional traumas.
Read on…
Self Conversations
Here are some possibilities of conversations you could be having with yourself about emotions and feelings in association with living with pain:
** Concern and worry
“What is happening with my body? What do I need to do to get rid of this pain?”
This state of unknowing can lead to extreme nervousness and then confusion. And then it becomes almost too easy to go to “what am I doing wrong?” And, when you get caught up in that place, you start questioning yourself about almost everything?
When you’re stuck in that negative mode, it’s important to change your way of thinking to “what are some other possibilities?” That way you’ll increase your chances of getting answers as to how to take care of the pain and many other issues going on in your life. You and your body are now living in the space of believing that you ARE doing everything right to take care of you.
** Major fear that life is going to get really impacted
“What will happen if this pain doesn’t go away? What if this leads to something even worse?”
That sense of “feeling and being out of control” can lead to anxiety. And that’s one pattern we want to help our bodies not experience because it will cause aggravation of pain. Anxiousness is more like a “moment in time.” Being in a state of anxiety can become an issue that can become a project that then needs to be remedied.
The key is to help your body recognize that you and your body together CAN change the trajectory of thought patterns and improve your emotional state of being.
** Frustration and anger
“This pain is driving me crazy. I’m so frustrated that I can’t do what I want to and need to do.”
Significant irritation at how you have to live day-to-day with pain can create belief patterns that cause you to feel like you’re unable to change something that could make a difference in your activities, relationships, and life – personal or business.
** Sadness and grief
“Life is so empty, and I can’t find a way to be happy.”
When pain takes over your day-to-day existence, you can all too easily begin to “miss how things used to be.” When the energetic body recognizes that you’re missing an integral part of yourself and can’t locate what you’re searching for, the body starts feeling like something has been lost. Then comes a state of sadness and grief for what’s missing.
A life that doesn’t seem happy creates an unhappy body. A body that’s experiencing lots of pain is most likely not in a state of experiencing joy and happiness.
** Trying too much and trying too hard – efforting
“My body doesn’t want to do what I need it to do. Everything seems too hard to do, and there’s just not enough time to do it all.”
When pain takes over the body and causes life to feel overwhelming, even expected and often simple daily activities take too much energy and can deplete your overall vitality. If you had vitality and the ability to be an “energizer bunny,” and now that’s missing, you and your body are experiencing a significant sense of loss and not knowing how to live in the world.
Energy Balance
So why this lengthy description of emotions and feelings when we’re discussing pain?
Pain causes so much “stopping us in our tracks” that emotions need to be addressed as we travel the journey of helping our bodies release the symptoms of pain and what is holding the pain IN the body.
When you dive into all that can be affecting your body, you’ll travel through all the systems and places that are being reactive –
- Respiratory
- Digestive
- Elimination
- Muscular
- Skeletal
- Vascular
- Cognitive
- Emotional
Additionally, you will connect with your
- Adrenal
- Endocrine
- Immune
- Lymphatic
- Nervous systems
so they can easily support your WHOLE body fully.
For instance, you may notice that when you’re experiencing a stretch of pain, it’s harder to get a full inhale and exhale. Your breath MUST open up to help spread the energy and be able to let go of ALL that’s in the way of change and healing.
Breath
Do this energy flow to open your breath AND to release the tendency for inflammation to be present in the body when there is injury, ailment, trauma, distress, and the emotions that are talking back. Doing this energy flow will also help your body rediscover easy and comfortable movement:
Right hand – hold fingers on the left elbow
Left hand – hold fingers on the right elbow
Left hand – move fingers to the base of the right front ribcage
Right hand – move fingers to right chest below collarbone
Inflammation Release
Do this simple energy hold to remind the body that inflammation can let go and not be a pattern.
Left hand – hold fingers on the outside of the left knee
Right hand – hold fingers on the outside of the right knee
Be in Flow
Follow with this simple energy flow to remind your body to be in flow and breath and calm!
Right hand – cup your sternum directly below the collarbone
Left hand – hold your fingers on your tummy below your navel
Use these acupressure flows using light gentle touch to get back into an energy balance for your body, mind, and emotions.
What I just shared with you is just the tip of the iceberg that I will be covering in the upcoming THE GREAT PAIN ESCAPE workshop!
>> Get all event details and register<<
Stress in Summer – What a Bummer!
Summer is SUPPOSED to be FUN! Right?! That’s what we all plan for.
From our early childhood, most of us couldn’t wait for school to be over. Then we could do all the fun activities we wanted to do, and not the things we HAD to do, especially studying, tests and exams, and being in bed at a particular time.
My memories as a kid included bicycling daily, going to the lake to fish and swim, hanging out with friends, and reading all the fiction I could get my hands on.
Remember those days? What did you look forward to every summer – where you could almost predict the weather and how your days would unfold?
Now, here we are as adults. We definitely do things differently in the summer. Our activities revolve around being outside and using the longer daylight hours. And of course, most of us are all about enjoying the sun and the warm, balmy weather.
But we seem to now be living with extremes, which can bring on a lot of unexpected mental and physical stress.
MOTHER NATURE 2024
Because of the heat and wind, many are dealing with uncontrolled fires that create havoc, cause loss of homes, and result in losing a sense of well-being. I know that many areas of Canada and the United States are experiencing all that and much more because of fires and drought.
All that smoke affects the quality of air and our breathing. Instead of enjoying being outside, people are forced to stay indoors. Many people are having major respiratory issues show up. Other health issues create the need for medical intervention.
On the other side, many areas are experiencing intense rain. The weather is taxing their infrastructures – properties are flooded, roads are torn apart, and water systems are failing. Because of drainage and flooding issues, people are forced to boil water until the water systems are repaired.
Yep. Mother Nature is demonstrating that we have absolutely no control over our regular summer routines or the special activities and trips we have put into our calendars.
RECOGNIZE THE STRESS
So, why my dissertation about Mother Nature and our hopes and plans for ‘normal’ weather to enjoy our summer?
Did you plan a fun adventure for yourself or your family but it got disrupted because where you were going is no longer feasible, or unforeseen weather events have occurred in or near your home that are thwarting your plans?
You may very well be experiencing the stress of figuring out how to deal with it all, what options you might have, or how to look after yourself and your family.
To support your mental, emotional, and physical stress, it is essential to help your body FEEL at ease and calm, to have your body experience expansive inhale and exhale, full vitality, and the ability to go with the flow no matter what is happening in your world.
What your body wants more than anything is the ability to be prepared for whatever you’re going to ask it to do and be prepared for whatever might come towards it. That could be physical or mental or emotional.
We don’t plan on experiencing stress, but we live in a world where stress exists, and when your routines and plans are impacted or blown up, they CAN be stress-inducing.
HOW TO GET THROUGH IT
So, here is the key. YOU can help your body feel prepared, cared for, healthy, and vital no matter what happens around you.
Spend time each day balancing your energy by doing:
- self-help acupressure
- meditating
- breath exercises
- doing yoga or Qi Gong
- walking
- gardening
- forest bathing
- beach exploring
Do what you can do under your circumstances. When you can, create physical experiences as you discover or rediscover the beautiful places you can visit and enjoy near where you live.
And if you have plans and maybe even a vacation that just got reconfigured because Mother Nature or something crazy took place, just recognize that YOU can help your body avoid the consequences of stress.
Instead, help your body recognize that change does not mean there is a space for anxiousness to be created.
GET YOUR FINGERTIPS READY
Here are some self-help acupressure tips I’ve been using for myself for the last few days.
I’m one of those folks having to accept that we need to change our plans. Our family camping vacation is now being redefined because of fires in Northern California. And, as I’m doing my energy flows, I’m also sending ease and calm and balancing flows to those who have been impacted by the traumatic experiences they’re going through.
You can do the same by using the following simple energy tips. Use your fingertips and hold the suggested acupressure points with a very light, gentle touch as you do them. And remember, there is no wrong because there is no right.
- The Daily Clean Your House Flow™. Doing the Daily Flow brings me balance and a firm foundation for my physical, mental, and emotional well-being. (If you don’t know the Daily Flow, you can get it here).
- Jumper Cables. It’s the 9th step of the Daily Clean Your House Flow. My body immediately experiences deeper breathing and brings calmness as my body says, “You don’t need to go to worry, fear, frustration, sadness, or trying too hard or too much. In fact, your body doesn’t want to live in any of those spaces.”
- Cup your sternum under the collarbone and hold your other hand on your tummy. This simple energy hold brings breath and calm and lubricates all your tissues, including your throat, sinuses, eyes, and ears, as well as your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This simple energy tip will help with shortness of breath and dry throat.
- Hold the base of your skull and the outside of the wrist to connect with the entire nervous system. It will bring calm, the ability to connect with focus and clarity and let go of any anxiousness. It looks like this:
Right hand – hold the right base of the skull
Left hand – hold outside of right wrist on little finger side - And use your Thermostat Controller if you need to cool down!
Hold the outside of your knees. This is how you can regulate your body temperature. It’s also an anti- inflammatory point. So, it’s a great energy point to have in your “remember to do this off and on throughout the day”.
I wish for you a fun-filled and safe summer, whether it’s planned or spontaneous. Stay stress-free and remember to GO WITH THE FLOW!
Hats Off to You Mom!
We all get it. Moms like you have lots on their plates to keep life happening, so Hats off to You, Mom!
First off, it’s everything that NEEDS to get done for the kids – school commitments, after-school activities, and keeping the kids on track with “doing well” at whatever they’re involved in, plus homework and their “I love doing this, and I can’t skip it.”
Sometimes, it seems like way too much getting juggled.
What if you’re caring for a parent or someone else, that’s another timeline that must be included in your day.
And let’s not forget the long list to take care of in your own life:
- work and its requirements
- time with your partner
- connecting with friends
- after-work activities
- exercise program
- quiet time
- sleep
- self-care
You get it – the list is crazy. How on earth do you do it all?
Ask Yourself This
Besides focusing on all the things, take a moment to reflect on yourself.
- Do you ever get to the space of feeling anxious about “too much and not enough time?”
- Do you ever tell yourself that you’re not doing everything good enough?
- Do you give yourself a lecture that it’s time you make some changes and make them now?
All of these are “anxious-making stuff,” and create havoc in your mind, your state of being, and potentially in your physical body.
- Do you notice that you’re holding your breath or clenching your jaw?
- Is your neck taking the brunt and holding up the weight of the world?
- Is your lower back feeling tight and sore, and is it hard to turn, lift, and stretch?
Maybe your body is experiencing one of those glitches or something else.
- Do you sometimes feel on edge, and maybe it’s hard to hold back an angry comment?
- Does your head hurt with the “too much to do” and the mind chatter it all creates?
- Does the mind chatter take over, and you find you’re being super hard on yourself and maybe others?
- Or do you feel like you’re just super tired and don’t know how to make it through the day?
If any of that is happening, that anxiousness is being experienced as a pattern in your body. And if you’re expressing yourself with angry comments or fretful impatience, it’s being noticed by others, including your kids.
If your kids see you being impatient and on edge, that is anxious behavior that they may very well model when they’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
The greatest gift you as a mom can give to your kids is modeling a way of being that is calm, no matter what is going on. When you show up composed, unruffled, and relaxed even when there is craziness in the day, they WILL notice and SEE your behavior as a soothing and peaceful way to be.
My Mother’s Day Gift to You
In the spirit of Mother’s Day, it’s time for YOU to receive a simple, easy way to “just be” and have your body experience breath and calm.
So, here is my gift of “just being.” And everything I share with you will work for everyone else in your life, including your kids, their teachers, your partner, and your best friends. Feel free to share what I’m going to suggest.
Following are some super simple self-help acupressure tips you can do anytime, anywhere.
Your body will start saying, “Do this,” and you’ll find that you and your body have created new habits that will make you feel better, healthier, and happier.
For each of the ‘poses’ below, use your fingertips with a light, gentle touch on the points I suggest, and hold each step for several good breaths.
So here you go!
To expand breath, ease anxiousness, assist with clarity and focus, feel stronger, have more vitality, and just feel good:
- Give yourself a hug – just hold your fingers on the upper arms above your elbows.
- Cup the back of your head using your right hand with fingers on the opposite base of the skull. Then cup your forehead using your left hand with fingers on the opposite side.
- Cup your sternum below the collarbone (thumb on one side and fingers on the other). With the other hand, hold your fingers on your tummy.
- To create more room for everything, including your neck and shoulders feeling more spacious and able to hold up your head and DO everything more easily…
With your right hand, cup your left shoulder near your neck
Place your left hand under your left sit bone or near it
After a few breathes, switch hands.
- Cup your fingers, one at a time (first one hand and then the other, starting with the thumb). This routine is called jumper cabling, and it helps to increase breath and balance emotions.
Keep Going!
Are you interested in knowing an energy flow pattern that takes less than 10 minutes? This energy flow can be used throughout the day, and it can create calm and breath as it works with every system in your body to bring balance and vitality.
It’s called the Daily Clean Your House Flow® , and it’s my gift to you and your family!
Hey Mom! Give yourself a Happy Mother’s Day gift. Bring on the breath and calm and peace. Feel balance and harmony throughout your whole body.
Everyone in your life will appreciate you even more because you’re taking care of yourself. Enjoy your day and every day.
And LOTS of hugs! YOU deserve to be loved!
3 Energy Tips for Your Spring Renewal
Where I live in northern California, spring is in full gear. The oak trees are showing their beautiful new leaves full of silver and sparkles. The daffodils are almost done blooming, but the iris plants are popping up in all their purple splendor.
It’s so much fun to see what flowers show up next. I allow myself to be surprised even though I really do know what to expect. The plants, flowers, and trees have it all figured out; they always know how they fit into the spring journey.
They are always on track, and they navigate the season with ease.
How about you and your journey?
Are you on track to navigate the goals you’ve made? More significant yet – are you happy with how you’re navigating your life, overall?
Spring is the time of year for renewal. The season puts us in a positive frame of mind for possibilities and growth. It provides the opportunity to rethink and refresh any plans you’ve been trying to move forward, or create new plans to step into.
Bloom into YOUR possibilities
It’s a given – life is a journey. Have you had those times when you felt the need to take a strong look at what direction you were going? Maybe you sensed that you needed to take a different route to get to your destination. These questions could easily relate to business or personal life choices.
Whatever happens in your day-to-day experiences or goes through your head, it’s essential to have the energy and vitality to be on your voyage.
And here’s the key – the navigation will be a lot easier when you have focus and clarity, and you can see your options, make decisions, and determine your action plan.
When you allow yourself to grow and bloom, you will fully discover how many possibilities await you around corners, curves, hills, and mountains. Take a chance and soar!
Three energy tips for improved navigation
No matter what destination you’ve put into your life’s GPS, these tips will help you arrive refreshed.
These acupressure poses are super easy to do. Hold each one with a light, gentle touch for several good breaths. There is no such thing as too much self-help, so do these as often as you think of them throughout the day!
1. Remember to give yourself room for grace. YOU are a super important being on this planet – so give yourself some love. Give yourself a hug!
Cross your arms and hold anywhere on your upper arms. You’re connecting with acupressure points that are all about your respiratory and vascular systems. Giving yourself a hug brings in a deep breath followed by a powerful exhale. And it allows your heart to feel the love and care you’re offering to your whole body.
2. Give yourself a boost of calm and vitality. Those two qualities must coexist for your energetic body to be present for all you want to do and accomplish.
Cup your sternum directly below your collarbone. With the other hand, hold your tummy below your navel.
3. Enhance your awareness of ALL that is happening around you, and you will bring clarity and focus.
With your right hand, cup your forehead and hold your fingers on the left side of your forehead. Cup the base of the skull with your left hand and hold your fingers on the right base of the skull. And, you can easily switch your hands to give an extra boost.
Even though it may not be in full bloom in your area just yet, embrace the renewal of spring and support your body, mind, and spirit with some easy-to-do self-help acupressure techniques.
NOTICE!
And if you want to create your own internal GPS system to map out your wellness journey, I invite you to check out my popular 10-week course starting April 17th.
At GPS for Body, Mind, & Spirit 2024, You’ll discover and practice the principles of energy balancing with Jin Shin Jyutsu and self-help acupressure techniques, so you can enhance self-care and improve your energy level for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Get all the class details and registration information here – COURSE DETAILS
Magic in Your Own Fingertips
Have you ever known someone you just can’t get enough of? Someone that’s wise, and funny, and inspiring. For me, that’s Vilma Ginzberg.
I’ve worked with Vilma for over 13 years. She is a retired psychologist, an exceptional writer, and a poet laureate. I relay that information because even though she’s almost 97 years old, Vilma can still express her thoughts and have conversations consistently full of information and insights.
I am inspired every time I see her, and genuinely hope to be like her as I mature into her age.
She’s generous, too. In the beginning of one of my books, “Easy Self-Help Acupressure for Grown-Ups”, she wrote,
“Using Deborah Myers Daily Clean Your House Flow routine is better than being a couch potato. This routine, done daily like brushing your teeth, is easy and rewarding.”
When I recently saw Vilma, we discussed my work with schools and students of all ages, plus workplace wellness programs. I commented that I love helping others discover how to balance their energy daily so they get from where they are to where they want to be.
As I continued doing the energy flows with her, Vilma said that she felt the energy flowing, and it felt like magic. Then she elaborated,
“You know. We carry this magic in our back pockets all the time. Often, we just sit on it instead of pulling it out and making use of it.”
Vilma had hit the nail on the head!
We both started laughing because, as you may know, one of my favorite comments is that we walk around with our fingers 24/7. We just need to pull them out of our pockets and make use of our fingertips to touch energy balance points and help our bodies find physical, mental, and emotional balance and harmony.
Vilma wanted me to show you our holiday picture. I brought the headbands along because I wanted to see that girl smile!
Yes, Sit on Your Hands!
Vilma and I also talked about how one of the Daily Clean Your House Flow® steps is sitting on your hands. That energy balance point is all about vitality and helps your body discover alignment.
When that point is in balance, we are genuinely pulling the magic out of our back pockets and connecting with all the possibilities that are ready to happen. We just have to give those possibilities a chance to show up.
Then there’s the pose that is sitting on one hand and holding the other hand on the opposite shoulder. That pose helps the body release blocked energy and move the energy throughout the body, allowing the meridians and channels to flow easily and effortlessly.
That is when the organs and body systems can fulfill their tasks, and your body experiences balance, rhythm, strength, health, comfort, stability, and happiness.
Can you see that when you help your body be prepared for whatever you want it to do, it WILL respond by taking you forward?
A Special Gift from Vilma
Here is the poem that Vilma wrote for me after the very first time she came for an in-person acupressure session.
healing hands
for Deborah Myers
© Vilma Ginzberg 09-22-2010
you invite me to your table
padded curved and angled
to accommodate my bone-outlined
flesh-defined body of exhaustion
I spread myself atop it
my yesterdays of try-to’s
planked across its ridges
unfinished have-to’s
making stiffened bridges
of old intent preserved in rock of habit
I hardly feel your first fingers
your touch puff-wing light butterfly-soft
don’t you need something more jack-hammer-fisted I wonder
slow as morning light washes over doubt
melts layers of thought-armor
polishes the rusted jadedness
softly subtly slowly they come
subtle awakenings
stirrings of flesh and feeling
worlds entire fall apart while other worlds congeal
universes faint away
give birth to new constellations
you move soundlessly around this altar to life
where I am both sacrificial lamb and sacrament
soon I am as a sauce spilled on shapeless sheets
our mutual though silent rejoicing fills the empty spaces
outside the nearby window finches feed
gratefully on your thistle-seed
and some small uncaged bird in me
chirps again
Let’s pull your MAGIC out of your back pockets so you can achieve whatever you want to have happen in 2024!
Yes, I do in-person session at my home in Santa Rosa, CA, but I also help people to learn how to do self-help acupressure themselves.
Check my online calendar to see what might work best for you. Go to Deborah’s Calendar!
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
Start your year off with a gift to yourself
Is there something you want to achieve or exceed at this year? In your business, personal, or school life?
Let’s get you on the right path to manifest your dreams at my new Do Anything Better workshop!
At this 3-session class, you’ll discover easy self-help acupressure techniques. This experience will open the door to better performance, balanced emotions, and overall life improvement by learning how to manage your body’s energy.
How to Get Magic in Your Holiday Season
Have you noticed? Even before Thanksgiving, we were inundated with ads and signs saying, “The holidays are here!” It feels like it’s been go, go, go time for weeks.
Has your stress level been elevated?
If you as an adult are suddenly feeling pressed for time and maybe even a bit overwhelmed with “all that has to be dealt with,” imagine what kids are experiencing.
They also react to all that talk and hype about Christmas and Santa. You might be seeing excitement, but that too can quickly turn into “going into a tizzy.”
Let’s help all of us – children and adults – discover that we can have magic and joy in the holiday season without the stuff called stress and anxiousness.
Let’s Work Some Magic
In my opinion, magic is what the holidays should be about. I think it’s important to enjoy the preparation for the season, whatever it might look like for you and your family. That is where the magic begins.
Whether you want to be in a space of contemplation or to step into the traditions that bring your family fun and joy as you prepare and experience the season – it should come with calm and the expectation of the magic.
Positivity Wins!
My family contends I’m a “Christmas nut” with lots of decorations, lights, and sparkle. I think I’m stepping into the magic, so move out of the way!
If you have extended family joining you for the holidays, you might find that you have even more on your plate and that your mind starts wondering which family members may create upset during the time together. That type of thinking can create anxiousness.
Well, we know that positive thinking is essential. Being proactive can stop stress from taking over.
Balance emotions and habits, and you will discover how easy it is to be positive, joyful, proactive, and take control of your own well-being. You can even change any negative patterns, like negative self-talk!
You can potentially help each member of your family be at ease and calm and NOT have stress and anxiousness. You’ll discover that you’ll be less reactive to situations and emotions.
Uncover the Magic
Here are some easy ways to empty the stress and uncover the magic and joy. You’ll also boost your immune system, improve sleep, and help your body avoid burn-out.
- Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow®, a nine-step self-help acupressure flow that’s easy and takes less than ten minutes to complete. As a nine-year-old succinctly told me, “It is the Daily Flow, so of course I do it every day! And I do it more than that!”Get the free animated video to show you all the steps. 👉 https://bit.ly/DMW-video
- Keep your breath open. Feel the expansiveness of the inhale and the letting go during the exhale. In the video you download, you’ll also get some energy tips that will expand your breath. Plan on doing them off and on throughout the day. There is no such thing as too much self-help.
- Give yourself lots of love! The first step of the Daily Flow is hugging yourself. It opens up breath, shows your body you are caring for it and connects with heart health.
Practise this flow daily or whenever you think you need a lift. You’ll experience an energy balance in your body that can change your day…for the positive.
Start building the magic for the weeks to come, and enjoy the holidays!
Let me know if you have any questions! Contact Deborah.
Balance, Bliss, and Energy
Align your energy and fly through your days with ease.
Learn how to:
- Stay calm amid daily challenges
- Be ready to embrace seasonal changes
- Align intention and action with your purpose
- Let your energy move and flow
Webinar Value: $597
Regular rate: $247
Early-bird rate: $147 (until August 20)
Register for Balance, Bliss, and Energy
Remedies for Dryness During a Drought
There is no doubt we are in a drought
Drought. Here in Northern California and other parts of the world are experiencing extreme weather: some too hot, others too wet, lots of confusion and shifts in seasonal patterns.
My garden is my cheerful spot. Reflecting on the water situation in my area made me realize changes to the weather are affecting more than the land we live on. Our bodies, the other critters who inhabit the earth, and plants are responding to these dry conditions. I share my thoughts and solutions to keep you feeling your best and in balance.
I took this video in my garden and runs 6 minutes 41 seconds
Lapping up Sunshine
I am down in my garden, lapping up the sun and the vitamin D. It is a gorgeous day. The mid-afternoon sky is blue. The sun is shining. It’s a little warm, but at least it cooled. We’re lucky where we are. Sonoma County has been giving us the experience of waking up to the fog and starting with cool days.
Everyone is talking about the heat and dryness and the drought. I know we’re not the only ones. The need for rain is prevalent in many places throughout the country and the world.
I’m working on saving water
Just like a lot of other folks, I’m collecting water from my shower and finding other ways to reuse water. In my garden, I’m also determining what changes to make. It’s decision-making time. We are in a drought cycle.
I had to make a hard decision a few days ago. I emptied my fountain. That required that it get thoroughly cleaned to ensure that the pump stays viable when it doesn’t have water.
Oh my. I can’t even believe how much I was used to the sound of the water cascading from one basin to the next. I’m already missing it immensely. And I’m also looking at the plants in the garden and determining what I can keep alive. If a plant is in jeopardy and having a hard time, I need to consider whether it is time to let it go. Water is a finite substance, even when you’re on a well.
Bring fluid to your body
Guess what? Your body needs fluid, too. Are you getting enough good water with electrolytes to feed every cell, so your body recognizes that it has plenty to assimilate? Your body needs to experience a state of sustenance.
So, make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D and enough good fluids that feed every cell of your being. Help your body know that you are consistently nourishing it.
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, drought can have an adverse impact on people:
“Drought can also affect people’s health and safety. Examples of drought impacts on society include anxiety or depression about economic losses, conflicts when there is not enough water, reduced incomes, fewer recreational activities, higher incidents of heat stroke, and even loss of human life.”
You can find out more about weather and the environment on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) website.
And where would I be without doing a little energy work?
Ready to help your body receive extra fluidity? This self-help acupressure movement will help your body accept and move lubrication to every cell.
Cup the sternum below your collarbones and hold your other hand on your tummy directly below your navel. It’s that easy!
When you do this, it helps your body accept and let go simultaneously. How can the body do that? It’s magic! The body is so darn clever! The energy balance points under your collarbones give your body the signal to receive, gather, and disperse fluid, food, breath, and energy. When you put your hand on your tummy, you are connecting with an energy balance area that brings all of that to every cell of your being.
Have you noticed that your body seems to take on the dryness of your environment? You may have dry skin, sinuses, ears, nostrils, mouth, and eyes. Do this simple self-help acupressure movement to relieve the discomfort. Hold each energy balance point with a light touch for several good breaths. By the way, instead of problems, I call them projects. Projects are more fun to work with and have a beginning and an end!
For left side pressure/tension or “project”
Right hand—hold fingers along the right side of your neck
Left hand—fingers “travel” along the left side of the “centerline”* at top of head close to “centerline”
* then just into hairline
* next, move fingers to the left side of forehead
* and then to the inside of left eyebrow
* place fingers at left cheekbone close to nostril
* and next, rest fingers just below left collarbone, close to your sternum,For a right side “project,” switch your hands
Take Care of Your Body and Your Home
I hope you find you can do these energy flows easily and effortlessly. That’s what this is all about—helping your body remember how to be in flow and at ease.
You’re taking care of your garden and yard so they can more easily come back after they struggle with dryness. Give your body at least the same amount of attention, and maybe more!
Remember, any body needs to be taken care of. So, be good to your garden, and take care of your property. And take care of this body that you walk around in. It’s your house. It’s there for you. Your body deserves it!
Get Frustration Out of Your Picture!
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
One of the most frequent phrases I’ve heard lately is, “I’m so frustrated!” Are YOU frustrated and finding that it’s hard to stay focused, handle everything on your plate, and get things accomplished? It only makes sense if you find yourself in that place! We live in a world with high levels of uncertainty, confusion, stress, and disruption. Most people find it easy to get distracted by the troubles going on around them. They want to get things done. We’re in for more unsettling moments for a while longer, so it’s pretty essential to get on the other side of the frustration.
Change Your Patterns
You can lower the temperature in the room and make it through the commotion. It would help if you were kind to yourself, remain calm, figure out what needs to change, and give yourself time to implement the changes. To help you let go of dissatisfaction, let’s consider some ways that allow you to feel relaxed and experience ease.
- Make a list of what you love to do to relax
- Designate times during the day that are all about “relaxing and taking care of me.”
- Have a meditation practice
- Have an exercise program
- Eat sensibly
- Get restful and rejuvenating sleep
- Plan, organize, and prioritize what you want to and need to accomplish; make it realistic
- Explore ways to balance your emotions and feelings
Balance Emotions and Feel Empowered
Feelings are important because they give you information about what you need to address before getting bigger and taking over. Whether it’s frustration, worry, fear, sadness, or efforting that is creating upset, you can help minimize these discomforts before they take your breath away.
You CAN manage and balance your emotions throughout the day, so stress doesn’t have room to hang out!
Here are some ideas for you:
1. If you don’t know about it, the Daily Clean Your House Flow is a nine-step self-help acupressure flow that you can do in 10 minutes a day. Many folks spend over 10 minutes because they find it a super-simple way to relax, meditate, experience deep breathing, let go of many aches and pains, and balance emotions.
2. Jumper Cabling, the last step of the Daily Flow, is all about balancing emotions and taking the punch out of stress. Gently cup each thumb and finger—each connects to helping the body experience calm and ease.
Get Frustration Out of Your Picture
To reduce frustration and the effects of frustration:
- Cup the middle fingers
- Right hand—hold fingers at the right base of the skull
Left hand—hold fingers at the outside of the right wrist. - Right hand—cup the forehead with fingers on the left side
Left hand—cup base of the skull with fingers on the right side
To get the step-by-step of the Daily Clean Your House Flow, look for the purple button on my website “Learn the Daily Flow” and click the button to start your free download.
Please let me know if you have questions! And I’d love to hear about the results you get when you create YOUR daily practice of balancing your energy!
I wish all of you a beautiful, prosperous, joyous, and VERY Happy New Year! It’s possible when you allow yourself to experience life with ease and calm.
How to Reduce Stress and Have Your Joy
Did you know that stress can steal your joy? Let’s change that picture!!
Joy is such a glorious experience. It’s a feeling that can bring you to a place of gratitude for what you have and allow you to experience a sense of wonder and delight in the possibilities.
I’m all about joy, especially during the holidays. The spirit of the season and the colors, lights, and sparkle make me smile. I love holiday magic!
Stress takes away the magic
Then here comes stress, that thing that lives on the other side of the proverbial coin. And, right now, the stress level is exceptionally high because of the holidays, the pandemic, travel plans affected, civil unrest, decision fatigue, interrupted sleep patterns, loss of vitality, too much computer time, the list goes on and on.
Stress can take away your juice, affect the quality of your life, and cause you to lose your appreciation of life. In that realm, how on earth can we have great expectations and be positive?? So, it’s no wonder that stress can affect your ability to communicate your feelings and thus influence your relationships. If it’s tough to be positive, it will show up in how you are with anyone, whether in person or virtual, on Zoom, or on the phone.
So, maybe that’s why it can be so tricky during the holidays to be with your loved ones, especially if you’re amid a stressful period. Sad to say, most of us are experiencing high levels of stress. Much of that is because we’re in a “not knowing state of being.” Humans want to know and need to know what’s around the corner. Most of us don’t want to admit that we don’t know! And yet we need to express ourselves.
You can choose to live a reactive or a proactive life
Are you in a place of wanting and maybe even needing to express some of your hidden emotions?? You are not alone!! Did you know that when you communicate your feelings, you will more easily let go of any stress you’re carrying? And that you can even help prevent burnout??
The trick is to recognize you’re feeling something and then acknowledge that you reacted to whatever was going on, whether it was a physical, mental, or emotional reaction. THAT is an awareness that allows you to be on a path of changing how you’re feeling. And then the stress can deconstruct and transform and help you strip away what doesn’t matter.
Changing the patterns of stress
- Look at what is “wrong,” what is stressful, and what you want to change. You’re capable of making it through these times. Look at what you’ve already been through in all parts of your life, what you changed to make it to where you are, and then KNOW that you can do it again.
- Change up negative self-talk. Once you’ve noticed that you’re doing it, you’ll recognize that you’re uncomfortable with it. THAT is the moment you can address the talk and change it up.
- When you’re in that better place of positive self-talk, those around you will notice it too. You will see evidence that you can more easily express your feelings and not hold things in. So, speak and be true to yourself! Be positive, and it will be easier to have gratitude live within you. And you’ll smile more often!
- Recognize that change is just that. And if you’re questioning your ability to change old ways, acknowledge that “you just don’t know how to do the “new thing” yet. You just don’t know yet how to do it differently from how you’ve done it before!! In that moment of realization, you are on the road to change.
- Get support. We rarely recognize how important it is to bring another voice into the picture. Ask for “a listening ear.” Maybe it’s a friend or a colleague who will be your sounding board as you unload. That process lets go of the mind chatter so you can get on the other side of “the voices inside.”
- Get some movement happening. Exercise, walk, garden, whatever you do will trigger a positive feeling, feel emotionally stronger, and lower stress.
- Create a daily practice that is super simple to accomplish. When it becomes a routine that you and your body discover is supportive and healing, you will FEEL stronger, healthier, more vital, and more prepared for whatever comes along.
Discover that rituals help your day begin with optimism and continue with joy
Have hope and faith that the changes you want in your body and life can happen! Embrace the possibility and relax with the process.
Balance emotions and habits, and you will discover how easy it is to be positive, be joyful, be proactive, and take control of your own well-being.
YOU are worth it!
Are you ready for a daily practice that is easy to accomplish??
- Do the Daily Clean Your House Flow, a nine-step self-help acupressure flow that is super easy to do and takes less than ten minutes to complete. As a nine-year-old so succinctly told me, “It is the Daily Flow, so of course I do it every day! And I do it more than that!”
- Keep your breath open. Feel the expansiveness of the inhale and the letting go during the exhale. Go to my website, click on the purple button “Learn the Daily Flow,” and you’ll get some energy tips that will expand your breath. Plan on doing them off and on throughout the day. There is no such thing as too much self-help!!
- Give yourself lots of love! The first step of the Daily Flow is giving yourself a hug. It opens up breath, shows your body you are taking care of it, and it connects with heart health.
- Throughout the day, manage your feelings so stress doesn’t have room to hang out.
A super simple energy movement that allows you to express yourself.
Right hand—cup sternum directly below the collarbone
Left hand—hold your fingers on your tummy
By the way, I’m taking singing lessons, and I cup my sternum and hold my tummy a lot! It opens up my breath, softens my throat and vocal cords, drops my jaw, opens up my face muscles, and projects my voice. If I may say so myself—it’s astonishing how far I have come with my singing! Mostly when I had lost my singing voice after surgery.
Read more about letting go of negativity and stress:
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-let-go-of-negativity-and-stress-3145006
And see what Psychology Today says about stress and joy:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-zen/201804/springing-more-joy-and-less-stress-30-day-guide
