too simple but not easy .... Living your Bliss

Find your joy. Doesn't matter what it is. Helping others. Making artwork. Writing. Making money in the stock market. Fishing. Living in the mountains. Or in a big city.

You see the secret is to live as joyously as you can. Have everything you want and need. Be all you feel you can be. Live the joy in your heart and find joy in all that you do. If everyone lived in joy, if we all did what we were meant to do, there would be more tolerance. There would be no fear of competition.

Don't Give In to the Madness

It seems almost impossible to have a normal conversation without someone mentioning the gas shortages (in NC), gas prices, the Bail Out, high unemployment rates, health issues, weight issues..... should I go on? I think you get my drift.

It's up to us to change that dynamic, to find the positive in our lives, to find the silver lining, to keep our thoughts and feelings focused on what we DO want in our lives, not what we don't. Yes, I am referring to the Laws of Attraction, as least in part. There are actually many Universal Laws and common threads that lead to the same result, positive results, joyful living, attitudes of gratitudes, ask and ye shall receive.

These days it gets more difficult to avoid negative conversations and you want to watch the news for important information, but instead we're being fed more drama, entertainment, fear-based statements on the state of our union. When someone starts to get frustrated and wants to relay all the trials and tribulations bringing them down in their life, try to acknowledge their frustration, but that you find that when you are in a situation like this, it helps more to focus on all the good things in their life, even if its in small increments. Find some piece of joy in your life, a grandchild, a flower garden, great diverse foods, chocolate, sunshine... anything that brings joy to your heart and maybe theirs.

Giving in to the negative is just so easy to do, we are so used to commiserating with our friends and family, I still can help but agree when they go on and on. But more and more, I am getting better and refocusing the conversation to more positive ideas and thoughts. Because we have become such a society of tv & entertainment junkies (for lack of a better description) we have also become addicted to the drama that we see on the screen, and therefore, we tend to thrive on hearing about others drama in real life, or even make more out of what is happening with our own situations that it becomes a huge drama instead of a situation that simply needs a solution. If it involves others behavior, then more likely we just need to let it go, let them go to deal with whatever it is they need to work on.

As long as we accept that our economy is in danger and that we can't get enough money to meet our necessities and our wants, then you are correct, we won't be able to. It's the dreamers, inventors, creators, who create the life they imagine for themselves. Many of them if not most of them started with nearly nothing. Many lost everything in their life at one time or another, bankruptcy, lost their homes, savings, and even health. But these are the same people who do rise to the occassion and take a negative and make it into a positive. Create opportunities where others see hopelessness.

I am not one of these wealthy success motivators telling you that this is easy to be conscious of your thoughts words and actions. I lost my last job almost a year ago. My husband has health issues as do I. He is an independent consultant without a weekly paycheck. But you know what? I've never been more at peace, I've never been happier. I am learning, and it is an on-going process, that by keeping on creating good things, and thinking in positive ways, then more and more positive things are coming into our lives. I am so grateful that I kept looking for a sign, or some type of support, or a new teacher to help me get refocused on the positive. That ended up being Hay House Radio (hayhouseradio.com) a part of Hay House publishing. I had read many of Louise Hay's books and was delighted to find this resource. Through online radio, I learned more about Abraham-Hicks. At one time I was uncomfortable with the thought of channeling, but over the years, I have found sincere channelers, that when I hear them speak (or sometimes write) you can actually feel the energy shift. I've been hooked ever since.

When I get back, I'll write more about some of these wonderful teachers and words to keep us positive and continue to generate higher vibrations. Don't give in to the fear... just think one small positive thought at a time!

Every day in every way I'm getting better and better

Wow, I looked back on an old post and realize how far I have come in such a short time. Ok, I admit I went through some serious depression and self pity. Let's be honest, in a short year I had lost my best feline friend, my father, my health - mentally & emotionally, and my job. I'm not giving my attention to those things anymore, but I do acknowledge that they happened.

But now it's August 2008... I visited Thailand in February, I am taking a Belly dance class and already had my first recital and I discovered something that will change my life forever.

The Laws of Attraction.... more to come.

Just today - 4/18/08

Depressed...frustrated...anxious...stressed... heck yeah. And except for the obvious help to get to doctor and get on an anti-depressive or anti-anxiety drug... or find a therapist that actually helps, which means a lot of trial and error to find one that you feel connected to and that they will actual help you work through the depression and not just talk about either your childhood or the current situation that has you feeling any of the above.

I am not a counselor or therapist, and though there is always value in seeking professional help, I have found that more often than not I start telling the therapist what they want to hear. "Yeah, I've had a good week, feeling better, been exercising, trying to meditate...." You get the picture.

What I have rarely found is a web site or resource that helped me when I was at my lowest. Though friends are always there to help, sometimes their problems seem just as overwhelming, or somehow they say something that only makes it worse. Not their fault, its just where you are when the severe feelings of depression or anxiety hit you over the head so hard you don't feel like you can pick yourself up again.

If you are out there and feeling like that, feel free to write to me. I can't say I can help professionally but as one person learning how to dig out every time it happens, I'll do my best to respond and offer any words of encouragement I can.

Several steps that I have found helpful along this learning curve (living with depression or anxiety is just a learning process on how you need to come to terms with it in your life):

1. Music - depending on your level of feeling overwhelmed, I have definitely found that playing upbeat music almost always elevates my mood so that I can then do something more constructive with my day. Personally I love global beat dance music, disco (yeah - go figure), or 70's rock n' roll. Most anything I can dance to. If its got a good beat I can't help but start moving around. Try sometime, or maybe every morning to wake up to. It helps (when I remember to do it.)

2. Go outside - even if you're in the city (I'm originally from Chicago), going outside no matter the weather will also elevate your mood. Especially if you can sit by a lake or a forested area. The ozone is higher and it helps just breathing outside air. The worst thing to do is get too comfy on the couch or in your bed. For me, it helps a lot to tend a small potted garden I have. Fortunately now I live in NC, so our Spring starts earlier and Winter later. I find that tending to things that grow gets my mind off whatever is brining me down. Anything outside will definitely help.

3. Talk to someone - even if its a blog or bulletin board. You won't feel so alone. I was lucky the other day when something happened that triggered PTSD and I spiraled out of control, or I should say felt out of control. I found a cool "meet-up" group, locally but online that had a teleconference on a topic that interests me a lot, Laws of Attraction. ("The Secret" was just fluff and hype, but there is a lot more to it and people are talking about. Some good writers like Dr. Lisa Love, Wayne Dyer, Eckhardt Tolle, E & J Hicks, etc.) Anyway, just contacting this group and calling in for the conference really really helped. I'm still struggling, but its not as bad as it was. It's also why I decided to start blogging. Someone my find this when they need it most. If not, its helping me work through my issues with depression, stress and anxiety.

Not easy being where you are, and mostly you feel so alone, because no one is going through exactly what you are. But you know, when you start talking to people you'll soon realize that everyone has something going on. Maybe not the same, but challenges none the less.

I know if frustrates me when I see other people handling issues bigger than mine, and its seems so easy for them. You'd be right to think so. Some people are either genetically more cabable of handling challenges or environmentally better at handling them. Some people have the tools. I think some are born with them, since they often come from backgrounds that seem overwhelming, poverty, abuse, violence, but they rise above it. And then there others that just were brought up with the right tools through their upbringing, if not their parents, than through their siblings or teachers or mentors. Then there are people like me, every time we think we learned the right tools something comes and challenges them all over again. Its a struggle. Its exhausting. And times are you just don't think its worth it anymore.

But it is. It really is.