Flowers or Weeds, What Are You Planting In Your Spring Garden?

Don’t Use Your Energy to Worry, Use Your Energy to Grow & Bloom

Up until 23 yrs ago, I struggled with chronic anxiety and had panic attacks and
vertigo as a result. I was an over-thinker, and I lived with a lot of noise in my head.
It felt like I had full- time bully, in permanent residence, parked between my ears.
After years of traditional therapy, I figured this was just the way I was and I toggled
between numbness and anxiety most of the time.

But at a certain level, I did believe in divine intervention and divine timing, and
unbeknownst to me, I found myself at a mindfulness retreat center, thinking I had
signed up for a spa week. I found myself upon the first hour of arrival, lying down
on the floor, body to body, in a meditation class, and 90 minutes later, I stood up
and I just felt different. I felt present, peaceful, yet I also felt the beautiful hum of
aliveness in my body. I felt I was in my body and my mind was clear. What????
I thought to myself, “my mind has never been clear,” and “how could I be allowed
to feel this way,” it was the first time I caught a glimpse of who I really am,  I
remembered who I really am, and I have never been the same since.

I have been an avid meditator ever since (tip #3). I have also been practicing tips #1 & #2 for many, many years and I hope they serve you, today, and going forward, as you bloom & grow!

Here are my 3 tips:

1) Please pay attention to what you say to yourself and others. It takes practice. It is so easy for us to default to criticizing ourselves, worrying about the worst possible scenario, so we need to train ourselves to have a positive mindset. For example, I get tennis elbow a few times a year and there is usually no rhyme or reason why it flares up. I haven't changed my exercise routine, or done anything differently, and I could easily go to "I must have overexercised, that's what you get, Liz, you're so stupid", "now get ready for months of physical therapy"...etc. However, I have learned how to train my mind to instead think about all the things I can do while my elbow is flared up, and so I say to myself "I'm so happy it's getting warmer so I can walk in nature more, and now I can have more time to dance and hula-hoop, which I love doing so much," or "I'm such a great healer, my body knows how to heal, this elbow will be better in no time." Can you sense the difference? 

Decide today to catch any negative thought as if you are digging over your pot of soil and toss out any weed you don’t want, that doesn’t serve you.   As soon as you notice yourself saying something negative out loud or inside your head, just imagine uprooting and tossing out the weeds and in its place plant the seed of a positive and encouraging and loving thought instead – if you get stuck with this, the easiest way to do it is to say to yourself the complete opposite of what you were thinking. Or, instead of saying, for example, “That could never work”, replace it with “What if it could work”, so start the turn-around sentence with “What if..........”

2) Count your blessings daily…..This is so important because if you can appreciate your blessings, you can spread those feelings to others, to those who may be going through a more difficult life experience than you are. As in, “let’s all carry our Ukrainian sisters and brothers in our hearts,” for example. 

Making this a daily practice strengthens your roots and anchors your foundation, especially when you are faced with challenges. It is much harder to look for the blessings when things are difficult if you haven’t established a practice of doing so on the good days. 

It is like a muscle that you work out every day, and when you need to do some heavy lifting on some days, you have the strength and fortitude to do so. The practice: Every evening (or morning if that works better for you) make a list of at least five to ten things you are grateful for and keep it in a journal. You can include daily events (things that went well that day), positive feelings about your children, your values, your delicious cup of coffee, your faith, or an experience while walking in the park, for ex. All it takes is the awareness to see all the beautiful little things in your life. Never underestimate the power of these joyful, ordinary moments in your life.

3) Meditate!.....  Meditation can put us on the fast track to happiness by increasing activity in those parts of the brain that are responsible for positive emotions. It has the potential to drop you out of your head and into your heart quickly, when practiced regularly. If you’ve never tried it, I encourage you to consider adding it to your life. Look for a qualified instructor or just start small by sitting quietly and watching your breath or your thoughts for five to ten minutes each day and get ready for the positive results you’ll reap. I can say, with absolute certainty, that meditation changed my life forever. 

Isn’t it wonderful to know that we can dramatically influence our growth and vitality by tending to our mindset and cultivating happiness? It’s an inside job, so it’s not dependent on outside influences. We are more powerful than we will ever know to create the life of our dreams.

I hope you will be incorporating these practices into your daily life! I am committed to supporting you in having an epic life, cuz it’s your birthright! You are meant to flourish!