Moods Come and Go

“Enlightened people, from what I have heard, the moods come and go, the energy shifts come and go. It’s not like suddenly you are enlightened and then the rain never comes. It doesn't mean you don't wake up with a head ache, or a heavy feeling in your heart.  But basically it never goes beyond that, it’s just the quality of awakened energy as it is manifesting right now.  So it is a really profound deep shift of attitude towards our moods and thoughts and our emotions.  The path of liberation depends on not taking everything so personally.”  - Pema Chodron

Getting to Know Ourself

How well do you know yourself? When was the last time you paid attention to how you were feeling? The most important journey you will ever undertake is to get to know yourself, and the only real way to get to know yourself is to have curiosity.  Full awareness of who you are necessitates examining what you are feeling, how it physically affects your body, why you feel it, and when have you felt it in the past. Take the time to look at your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and motivations.  When we can observe how different things make us feel we can reflect on what might be behind our reactions and what it is we really want.

Creative Solution for  Getting to Know Our Self

•   Pay Attention
•   Acknowledge the Re-action. 
•   Breathe. Pause.
•   Investigate the whys.
•   What is it I long for?
•   Find the right direction

Have Less Stress: Learn to Pause

Tara Brach, teacher in Buddhist meditation 

discusses how meditation can help conquer stress. 

“I find that when people are stressed, it’s 

because they’re afraid of failing. We feel bad 

about ourselves and then we get locked into 

this mindset of judging ourselves. 

Meditative strategies are ways of coming back to 

a clear, centered state. 

“The first step is to stop. 

"The sacred art of pausing." 

Just stop your action, then breathe—three or four full  breaths. Soften your hands,and face. 

“The second thing is to listen to yourself and ask, ‘What’s happening inside me right now?’ Then experience whatever is inside—maybe a feeling of anxiety or loneliness or restlessness or sorrow. It’s a way of getting intimate with your inner life.

 “The third step is kindness. Befriend yourself."

This information was taken from an article in the December 2010 issue of The Washingtonian.

Flawed--An explanation

Flawed --imperfection--humanly perfect.

Most of the time 'flawed' is an inside job.  Usually it's a result of how  you feel about yourself? How much do you judge yourself, your feelings, or the reactions of other people towards you?

I was talking to one of my therapist friends about something that was bothering me the other day----and she said, "Oh, don't take it so personally." Such wise words!

The next day, one of my daughter-in-laws said something to me that was bothersome. In that instant, I caught myself falling into the pattern of  feeling imperfect. She must be mad at me, what did I do wrong?  Those feelings of rejection run deep inside  us and float up to our awareness every now and then. The phrase--'don't take it personally'  is  certainly a good response to practice.  It takes the pressure off yourself. What a relief!  In fact, I began to feel as if she was loosing out on my warm and tender ways.

So, don't take it personally helps you to let go. To let go of your fears, the past hurts, the stories that have a hold on you. It helps you to quiet your mind and open your heart.  Let's begin to take things personally in a positive way.

Why do I start or stop an exercise? Why do I change direction?

When you feel pushed, frustrated and/or irritable it’s your internal signal to take a step back and pause for a moment. Clear your thinking critical mind. Give yourself some unfocused time in order to let yourself have space to simply "be" without having to "do" anything.  And then you can navigate towards balance.

In the still quiet part of your mind...

"If we fall, we don't need self-recrimination or blame or anger - we need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to recommit, to be whole-hearted once again." Sharon Salzberg

"Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”  
                  Albert Einstein

Paying Attention

"Awareness requires only that we pay attention and see things as they are."    
Jon Kabat-Zinn

Creative Solution for Mothering Distress

1. Notice any discomfort.
2. Listen attentively; acknowledge and validate your feelings.
3. Pause. Breathe. Let Go.
4. Assess your situation.
5. Gather your self-assurance.
6. Adjust towards positive thinking, behavior, or words.

What matters....

For the meaning of life differs from man to man,
from day to day and from hour to hour.
What matters, therefore, is not
the meaning of life in general
but rather the
specific meaning of a person's life
at a given moment.
~Viktor Frankl~