Neutralizing Negativity

Hi!

You know, it's about that time to have that talk when the holidays start coming down the pike, and I have to remind everyone that this is the time of year to do exactly this: SLOW DOWN.

Yes, that's right. I don't mean to sit down on the couch or face down on the bed without any movement. I mean, focus your mind and thoughts towards your goals and plan carefully for the spring of your winter's current stasis...so if that means that you don't feel your exercise and nutrition plans are going quite as well as you may have expected, know that it's only part of the solution to health. Your emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness means just as much.

No, I'm not talking about having to go to a church or stop being emotional or that the thoughts running through your head have to stop. I mean, this is an excellent time to pull all parts into balance. Truth is, I can't write while I'm jogging, and I can't sleep while I'm exercising. There is a time and a place for everything, and

YOU HAVE TIME TO DO IT ALL. You really do.

You just have to know that there is a plan beyond yourself and you are fulfilling it, each and every moment of the day. Now. Can you accept that? Or will you fight this truth, tooth and nail?

Another truth is that our negative self-talk begins to permeate our existence like a poison. Haha. I said, OUR. We all do it. I do it at times when I am not even aware. I have a few best friends to apologize to today, in fact....Yes, it is important to be heard and to be understood. At a certain point however, you might try working a bit harder to offset a particular response that your body tends to use, in order to protect yourself from potential harm.

The kidneys really take one for the team. The kidneys produce cortisol, a hormone that kicks up during a physiological stress event, like exercising, along with adrenaline. Both of these hormones create the fight or flight response in the chemistry. Now, I just heard a workshop given by a phenomenal doctor that made me remember why so many people seem to be responding from this stressy, angry, fearful place, a place we learned to respond to as children. And believe me, we want these fears assuaged, or at least we think we do. But everytime they are, we are being told that those fears, and that emotion, is not okay to have, so we never end up healing from it.

Instead, we carry this stress response into our adulthood and we act out fears and create these boundaries around our fears that keep us in this safe little box, that over time, shows itself as fairly unreasonable. With every negative interaction, like a putdown for example, even if it's not meant to be taken seriously, coming from yourself or others, incites the cortisol response.

Now how much more stressful do the holidays need to be?

Do yourself a favor and enjoy the moment in the day when you feel guided to sit down. When you do, take a deep breath, say a quiet affirmation, bless the affirmation with gratitude, and forgive yourself. Remember what this season is for, and remember how much I Love you.

Blessings,
Connie