Tag Archives: stress

Compassion Is Cool And Good For Your Health.

Posted on July 11, 2016 | Leave a comment

Relaxed and readingI’ve been a bit stressy the last few weeks for lots of different reasons so it is with a sense of great relief that I can declare myself as extremely chilled! Some of this is due to actual events but a lot of it has to do with the big changes that my internal beliefs have gone through. When my Beloved hit some bureaucratic snags that affect our income I did not go into gloom and doom, my focus was rather on all the good stuff that is happening instead. And I made a conscious decision that I was prepared to let go of anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary to our survival including the trip for my brother’s wedding. I didn’t contract over money in fact I suggested we go out for dinner and guess what, the world didn’t end. Not only did the world not end but other changes have taken a whole lot of pressure away from the goals I’ve been striving for and it is all looking very achievable.

sunshine happy

What is really getting me excited is that I responded positively to changing events even when they seemed negative. I found things to be grateful for and took the opportunity to take care of myself by going to yoga and meditation and then having a very relaxing weekend. I was already chilled when the bits of good news came through so things just got better and better! So no matter how hard it might seem to have a practice of gratitude or meditation or yoga, it really is worth doing whether the results are instant or take a lot of time. Having a sense of purpose helps a lot as it can keep you on track with what you are doing even when it seems like nothing is happening. Interpreting events in positive ways is also very helpful and giving focus to those things will pay off in how you feel about life in general.

Being positive

Being generous is also a factor in having a sense of well-being in your life, the article at the end of this post talks about ways in which you can improve the skills that will help you to become healthier and happier. Helping other people feels good and there are numerous studies that demonstrate the truth of this. Become a regular volunteer and you will increase your chance of living longer and enjoying your time on the planet a whole lot more! I’ve been pretty busy and stressed out but that hasn’t stopped me from volunteering at my local neighbourhood centre for a few hours each week and it is contributing to my sense of well-being. Neuroscience is showing us that being kind and compassionate is good for our neurons so if you want to be really healthy it’s time to be nice at every opportunity. And don’t forget to include yourself in that approach!

helping others

Here’s the article I mentioned:

How Science Reveals That “Well-Being” Is a Skill

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Let Mother Nature Take The Load!

Posted on January 14, 2016 | Leave a comment

frazzled and tired catWhen things are going smoothly and according to plan it’s so very easy to be in your heart and to feel the joy of life flowing through your veins. The real test is when you are feeling frazzled and stressed, can you be in your heart just when you need it the most? Today I was still tired from a big and challenging work day and it took me most of the morning to get myself into a space where I was able to head off to my afternoon shift. I’m filling in for holidays this month so the schedule is fuller than usual and I was very much hoping to cruise through the rest of the day with grace and ease.

computer stress

I won’t bore you with unnecessary details but you can probably guess where I am heading with this. There were no great catastrophes or disasters but it was stressful and the kind of stress that comes with a new computer system for routing phone calls going through a bit of a glitch. Nothing earth shattering but when you are already tired it can feel like the straw that broke the camel’s back! I did do some breathing into my heart as I cultivated a feeling of love by thinking of my dear Beloved. It didn’t magically shift me into bliss but it definitely eased the tension I was feeling and helped to keep me on an even keel.

breathe into your heart

Then I got home to find that my Beloved had also had a difficult day talking to phone companies trying to change over to a new provider and plan. And to top it off the B & B guests were being very noisy upstairs, first time we’ve ever heard the TV up there so they must have had it on pretty loud! We shnuggled and we showered, then we drove to a nearby lookout and gazed out at what was left of a gentle sunset. I followed this up with listening to some soft and ethereal music while my Beloved made our dinner.

heart chakra breathe

Now as I sit here and write I can still feel some of the stress, and only sleep and rest will cure the tiredness, but I am coping. Sometimes that’s the best we can do. I’m also giving myself permission to finish this tomorrow as a deep kindness to me. So remember, if life is getting you down, breathe, be in your heart, change something or go somewhere.

sunset water

PS: After an 8 hour sleep and then starting the day with yoga I am back in a happy place! I also found a bit of grass to sit on with trees, sunshine and birdsong before I had to be at work. I sent any remaining stress into the Earth and the Mother held me in her nurturing embrace. Only 10 minutes but oh what a difference! So don’t forget nature when you are feeling stressed, you know what they say: “There’s no Wi Fi in the forest but I guarantee you will find a better connection.” (From Facebook by I don’t know!)

Namaste.

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Occupy Christmas Three Years On!

Posted on December 24, 2015 | Leave a comment

christmas-spice-cakes-with-chocolateHere is a post from Christmas Day 2012, comments on a culture of commodities and consumerism!

You know those cooking shows where they don’t have time to let things cook and so there’s an already finished dish ready to present, well this Christmas Day post is a bit like that. There’s no way I’m going to be writing my blog on that day so here is something I prepared earlier, some thoughts on the whole tinsel and tree, food and presents, family dynamics extravaganza.

The thing that strikes me about the festive season is the amount of stress that people put themselves through, going into debt to buy presents they can’t afford that will have fallen apart by the end of the school holidays. The spirit is still in there somewhere but our culture’s habit of turning everything into a commodity does get in the way at times of the coming together in community that is for me, the essential nature of Christmas.

christmas-decoration

If you’ve read any of my previous entries you may well be sick of me talking about community, but I think it is not only important for me but for the whole of humanity. If we don’t work out how to move into a higher level of co-operation with each other than the sun may well be setting not only on our current civilisation, but on the entire human race. For most of the ‘sheeple’ the fact that we need to do this doesn’t even register as they continue to be blinded and dumbed down by the toxicity of our food, media, government and other institutions.

occupy-wall-street-protest-signs

As always though, I am the eternal optimist; and while I can see that many are still wearing blinkers, there are also many who are beginning to wake up. The internet and social media are playing an important role in this process, it is getting harder and harder for those who are shafting us to get away with it and they know it.

sunshine happy

We really do live in exciting times and I for one am glad to be alive in a time of such incredible transformation. Let the incredible journey continue as we move into the exploration of what the next stage of being human might look like!

 

 

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Positive Currents In The Constant Sea Of Change.

Posted on June 25, 2015 | 2 comments

falling apartI’m late again and this time it’s a positive shift in the sea of constant change that has thrown me into an ungrounded state for a time. I discovered the good news late at night when I was getting ready for bed so the timing wasn’t the best. But I did some slow breathing and managed to relax enough to get to sleep soon enough. The next day which is when this post was supposed to be written my Beloved and I moved into our latest lovely house sit. Another positive but I found myself feeling a bit strange and having a bit of a hard time staying in my body.

spiritual energy

It’s obvious that something deep in me was triggered by yet another shift in the wonky sands of my current existence. I don’t know what exactly but methinks it was quite likely something to do with survival, base chakra stuff, and with any luck that particular bit of energy has now moved on. I tried to be in the moment as we packed and moved and when I got the chance I also followed up on the new potential that had emerged and in the end I found peace within myself. So if you are experiencing a lot of change even be it positive, just remember that it is still stress for the body and you need to practice self-care.

My self-care included love-making and having a lovely meal cooked for me, a nice hot curry to chase away the cold that’s been hanging around for a week now. All activities that will help you get back into your body, dancing or physical exercise are also helpful with grounding. Of course connecting with Mother Earth is probably one of the best methods, touching nature with your bare skin will release all kinds of stress out of your system. Our new place is close to town but you would never know it, lots of tall trees and birds and so quiet apart from natural sounds.

mother earth

Dear Mother Nature, thank you so much for the unwavering support that you always offer to me, thank you for the peace you bring with your very presence!

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The Present Is A Gift So Be Here Now.

Posted on January 24, 2014 | 2 comments
From "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass.

From “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass.

We live in tumultuous times and my chosen path is to navigate through shifting sands, while remaining fairly harmonious and doing the entire thing with a certain amount of ease and grace. Or  at least that’s the plan, I try not to get too far ahead with the details of what I’m creating, by the time I get there details will have quite likely changed, sometimes drastically so. It is the closest I can be to living in the moment, in that space a lot of the time but stuff does still get triggered, which will often bring up the past, and also fears around the future.

Am I house sitting, renting or living with my mother, the how, why and when of all this possibility continues to be perfectly fluid, I hold a piece of potential in my hand and look to the future. I can see how it might shape that landscape but in the next moment it might change completely. So I do my best to give myself to the moment that I am in, and what I find is that the present moment is usually pretty good, nothing to stress about.

I guess I’m challenging the part of me that worries about survival, roof over the head and food on the table kind of thing, we do live in uncertain times and faith is essential in order to be a calm space amidst the chaos that is modern life. The thing is I have never been in the position of not having somewhere to live, I’ve been living in some very nice places with my house sitting. And the food I eat is largely organic, and with very little in the way of processed products, as much a whole food diet as I can manage while listening to the body’s changing needs.

I am feeling a lot more trusting though, everybody is entitled to being a bit shaky from time to time, it’s called being a part of the human race! Most of the time I am very happy on my path, often intensely so, seems that the struggle has finally been let go of, as the  future opens up pregnant with possibilities.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

So be it, so be it, so be it……………

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A New Beginning.

Posted on November 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

Tonight’s post was supposed to be on how to save the planet, but in the end it’s about saving me from burn out as I do my best to imitate Wonder Woman, trying to fit much more into a day than twenty-four hours was ever supposed to contain. As I get clearer and clearer on what I want to create in my life, I can see that more time is required to focus on these goals and the actions that will flow from that place. So I’ve decided to post three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from this day forth.

wonder_woman

I also need to walk my talk and act on the messages that my body has been sending me since I was in bed for a week in August, at the moment I still have the cold that began two weeks ago and it seems determined to linger on. Some of the time that I have been spending on these posts can be channelled into finding a more effective way of supporting myself in the world, and that could lead to all sorts of exciting outcomes. You might get the chance to buy my as yet unwritten book, or listen to the guided meditations I could very well create, or perhaps receive an invitation to an event I’ve organised in some exotic location!

Or perhaps none of the above, I don’t know all the details of the new chapter in my life, what I am sure of is the kind of lifestyle I want, and it’s not only abundant, it’s also very relaxed and easy. Living in the bush near the songline that I resonate with, communicating with nature and with the people in my community, moving into a relationship with my Beloved in divine timing. I don’t want to travel the world, just visit a few specific places, traveling through my own land appeals more to me, maybe singing the songlines as I go!

Just writing about this dream has me feeling more relaxed and at ease, letting go of the need to post every day hasn’t been easy, but I know it’s the right thing to do because of the relief I feel at the lessening of pressure. I talked about reducing stressors a few days ago in “There’s Always More!”, so here I am doing it again and this one is going to make a HUGE difference! I hope that those of you who have been faithfully following will hang in there with me, there are going to be many great stories coming your way from the newly invigorated and re-invented KERRY LAIZANS!!!!!!!

Deidre & Kerry

See you on Friday, until then love and blissings to you all…………

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There’s Always More!

Posted on November 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

I can feel myself coming more strongly into my power, the current shift is not always comfortable but already beginning to yield positive results. When you are juggling a lot of balls simultaneously even seemingly small things can have an incredibly profound effect, and I’ve just reduced my stressors in the most delightful fashion! There was a stall at my regular sunday market with lots of belly dance gear, brightly coloured rich fabrics and sequins gleaming in the sunshine, and lo and behold, there was a black skirt with a HUGE amount of fabric in it. Enough to be perfect for my flamenco costume, add in a couple of scarves and some head pieces and I pretty much have the outfit covered.

See what tresure I found!

See what tresure I found!

May not sound like much to some of you but it’s a weight off my mind, when you are in or on the edge of overwhelm, little things can really make a big difference. So if you do have a lot going on, look for anywhere you can reduce the causes small or large, there are times when shifting your perception cannot change the fact that you are simply doing too much, and so shedding becomes a necessity.

fullofstress

After the last week and a half of being sick with a cold and then the gastro bug, I feel thoroughly cleaned out, and the cold is still hanging around so obviously I still have a bit to go with that particular process. The best response I can come up with is to keep going with what I am doing and see what guidance comes my way, whether it be through my own channeling or someone else offering inspiration. There is much more to tell about my growing empowerment and seeming hiccoughs on the way but that will have to wait for another post, as I once famously wrote in a performance piece some years ago in Sydney, THERE’S ALWAYS MORE!

More LOVE,  more AUTHENTICITY, more PLEASURE……………. More Life to be lived…………….Bring it on I say!

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The Body Remembers.

Posted on September 29, 2013 | Leave a comment

Isn’t it wonderful how exactly what you need turns up at precisely the perfect moment, I’m talking about a holistic counselling session I had a couple of days ago. A friend who is studying was looking for guinea pigs, and so I thought why not, I didn’t really think I needed a session, but it’s always interesting to experience different approaches to therapy. If you happened to read my post “The Truth Of The Heart” a couple of days ago, when I referred to myself as the human yo-yo, you are probably wondering how I could possibly think that I am not in serious need of deep therapy.

All-Screwed-Up

The thing that is on the top of my list of priorities to deal with is the way I keep going into overwhelm and stress, finding income from writing being a part of that but not necessarily the only solution to the issue. So that was what I took to my session, we ended up with a statement about exploring why I feel that way and to move into inspiration, flow, and inner peace. Then I found an actual moment where I had felt the overwhelm very strongly and stepped back into that space, very reluctantly I might add.

I tuned into my body and it was my neck and left shoulder where I was feeling the stress very strongly, it was like a big black blob on my neck blocking the easy flow of energy in my body. And let’s face it, the neck is a fairly critical spot to be all choked up, so it was very freeing to take that blob and throw it away. I kept doing it until it was all gone, then it was the shoulder’s turn, and for that I needed help. So I called in St Germain and the Archangel Michael, Germain held me while Michael used his sword of truth to cut out the black spot in my left shoulder.

The difference after I had done this was very noticeable, the pain in the shoulder was gone and I felt much lighter and happier. Talking therapies can only take you so far, then you need to find ways to access the source of your issues, wherever they might be held in the cells of your body. It wasn’t until I began to experience body based therapies that fundamental change started to happen in my life, even then it took a while, but don’t be dismayed, you may not be as damaged as I was!

More about my session in another post, here is an example of a body based approach known as Gestalt, the child of Fritz Perls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbOAdMdMLdI

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The Truth Of The Heart.

Posted on September 27, 2013 | 1 comment

The absolute truth cannot be realized within the domain of the ordinary mind. And the path beyond the ordinary mind, all the great wisdom traditions have told us, is through the heart. This path of the heart is devotion.

The Buddha.

Meet the human yo-yo, from gratitude to fear and stress! You guessed it, I am finding it fairly challenging to stay in the present moment, the strange thing is that my fearful thoughts came up while I was laying down in savasana at the end of a fabulous yoga class. Mmmmmm maybe not that strange, sometimes a class will integrate and calm and at other times it will stir things up. Initially as I lay there I could feel a lovely tingling in the cells of my body, almost as if I was floating, then monkey mind decided to take a trip into the future and suddenly the yummy lassitude was littered with money worries.

humanyo-yo

It was a busy day where I had to go pretty much from one thing to another before heading off to an overnight shift, so an afternoon sleep was in order as well. I rushed through the shopping I had to do and then rushed home to get on with everything else that had to be done, wishing I could skip it all and just go to sleep for the rest of the day! I was cleaning the bathroom sink telling myself that none of my worries were here in the present moment, that I was borrowing trouble from the future, when I suddenly remembered about devotion.

And that one thought changed everything, if I see everything that I am doing as an act of devotion it seems completely different, becomes lighter and easier. It also brought me fully into the present moment so that the concerns over future affairs melted away, I still felt a bit stressed about the busy day but the levels had gone right down.

It always seems to come back to the heart in the end, and devotion is the magical spell that brings me back into that space…………….sometimes magic is a lot simpler than we realise!

Ohm shanti, shanti, shanti…………..with heartfelt blissings………..

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Balance Of Care.

Posted on September 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

A couple of posts ago I was raving on about how great I felt after evicting what seemed like another nasty bug, it seemed so unfair when I had only recently spent a week in bed, so unusual for me. At the same time that I was feeling that energy surge through my body I was also aware that I was riding a fine line, that kind of enthusiasm can spend your vigour and take you back to a place of ill-health. It’s something we’ve all done at one time or another, when you have been feeling low the return to full life can almost be a bit overwhelming.

So I was determined not to allow that to happen, with two overnight shifts in a row and a busy weekend to follow I needed to make sure that I took proper care of myself. So I made sure to lie down and at least have a doze before going to flamenco class, it was particularly vigorous but I enjoy it so much it ends up giving me as much energy as it takes. If you are going to fill your life with a lot of activities then it is essential for most if not all of it to fill you with joy, that kind of passion will take you a long way although it doesn’t change the message that spirit is sending me to slow down.

Alas the bug was not completely cleared, so I’ve been trying to do what needs to be done at the same time as taking care of myself . That means green smoothies and meditation, after a long session on the laptop I went and lay on the earth for a while feeling the loving support of Mother Earth. Connecting your bare skin with the earth on a regular basis is sooooo important, you can feel any stress draining out, it’s a bit like the earthing wire in electrical systems.

So here I sit still feeling the sickness in my body, looking forward to a medicine circle where I will hopefully be able to journey to a place of full health. Shedding whatever needs to go, embracing the wonderful new beginning that has opened up for me as I move through this transition, into my wondrous new life!

So be it, so be it, so be it…………

For more information on earthing have a look at this website, and if you are intrigued by the whole subject get researching, there is heaps of information out there: http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2013/05/my-simple-home-earthing-mats/

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