Wednesday 11 December 2013

What is Important to You?

I asked my daughter to remind me to take the trash cans out to the curb, her response was, “Well Mom, that not all that important to me.”

Think about that statement, “Well, that’s not all that important to me”.  A good way to determine what is important to you is to look at how you utilize your resources, time, money, and energy.  It is one thing to talk about what is important and your values; it is another to take action.

I can SAY it is important to me to keep my house neat and clean.  Well, if I consistently prioritize cleaning related tasks to the bottom of my to-do list, relegated to yeah, yeah, I will get to it land, let’s be honest – a Neat and Clean House is not that important to me.  It’s a nice to have, but not important.

First, you need to define and acknowledge what is important to you – Self, Family, Work, and Community?  These are big, general topics.  Each person defines what is important and the appropriate associated resource allocation and actions for oneself.  Also, each person has different needs to restore and receive and different capacity and methods to give.  And these priorities and actions change over time.  You have the power of choice to create and define your life.

One aspect of Self is Health, how do you define feeling and being healthy?  One person may not think much about their health, they are relatively healthy with no physical, mental, or emotional concerns.  Another person may be all consumed with their health, concerned about every symptom.  What actions do you need to include in your life to be healthy?  For one person, it may mean running a marathon, while someone else may be walking around the block.  As someone that has experienced a lot of time very ill, my goal is to remain balanced and maintain my overall feeling of well-being, one of my main priorities self-care.

Family as an example, roles changed from child, to single adult, to in relationship, to parent, to parent’s care giver – so does how much time and resources are dedicated to Family.  As a child, your role and actions were defined by your caregivers.  As an adult, you had more freedom of choice.  Some people spend the majority of their time with their family.  So, they allocate a larger portion of their resources to Family.  Well other people are fine to see their family at the holidays.  So, their allocation to Family may be much smaller.  Both people agree family is important, but they choose to allocate their resources differently.

Within Community, let us look at Friends, I am not referring to your Facebook friends, I am referring to your direct support network.  Keep in mind, not one person can fulfill all your needs.  That is why it’s important to have a well-developed support network.  Understand that each person has a unique skill set.  Your task oriented go to person, may not be able to provide emotional support.  Or maybe, your logical friend isn’t going to be the spontaneous lets go out and dance the night away friend.  That’s ok, appreciate your supporters for who they are and they will do the same.

Our work life can consume a lot of resources.  Living in passion is wonderful, motivating, and life changing.  Without passions, you may feel without purpose, leading to a feeling of listlessness and depression.  The other side, passions can be all consuming, taking priority over Health, Family, and Friends.  I love being with people that incorporate their Passions in a balanced life.  Listening to someone speak about their passion, the energy is infectious, spreading hope and giving permission for others to live a passionate, purpose driven life.

Now you have determined your main priorities.  You can start looking at your secondary priorities.  And, maybe even look at behaviors and actions that no longer serve you and need to be removed to free up time and resources for your main and secondary priorities.

More Information please visit site :  www.simpleabundantwellness.com

Thursday 28 November 2013

Thank Yourself for Being the Wonderful YOU

With Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season quickly approaching, we hear more and more about Gratitude.

You may want to start a GRADITUDE journal.  I struggled with this concept at first, there were nights I sat for 30 minutes and could not come up with one thing I was grateful for that day.  As I continued with the practice, over time it became natural habit.  I practice this with my children, it’s a great conversation started, “What is new and good with you today?” Now I have an abundance of things I am grateful for each day.

I started with a small notebook, each day I would sit down and write three things, outcomes, or opportunities I am grateful for today.  If it works for you, pick three categories.  Some examples are work / career, family, money, accomplishment, food or exercise choices; the list is endless.  If there is a particular area of your life where you are struggling, make that one of your topics.  Keep it simple, once you start, it’s amazing how your gratitude list expands.  I selected 3 topics, something about myself, something about my family, and wildcard.

Journal entry example:

1.    I am grateful I prepared a healthy dinner for my family and they enjoyed it.
2.    I am grateful my children played nicely at the park.
3.    I am grateful taking a nice nature walk with my friend and all the children.

If you are still struggling to find gratitude in a particular area of your life, you may need show yourself compassion and release resentment.

If you are struggling with Negative Self Talk, the focus of your Gratitude Journal could be YOU!  If you are feeling unappreciated and overlooked, start celebrating YOU!!!  When you sit down to write in your Gratitude Journal, write about all the WONDERFULNESS about you.  All Acts of Kindness you expressed, how you showed up today, made a positive difference in life.

More Information please visit site www.simpleabundantwellness.com

Reconnect with Massage

Being unhappy with our bodies has serious, and sometimes lifelong, ramifications. Feelings of unworthiness our bodies and reconnect with ourselves. Massage can help us release physical and mental patterns of tension, enhancing our ability to experience our bodies (regardless of their shape and size) in a more positive way. Just as it facilitates our ability to relax, massage also encourages  and self-loathing can set up a lifetime of self-deprecating behaviors. What regularly scheduled massage allows us to do is “get back” into an awareness of the body, often allowing us to more clearly see and identify destructive behaviors, including overeating or purging.

Massage also creates a sense of nurturing that is especially powerful when it comes to poor body image. Accepting the nonjudgmental touch of a trained therapist goes a long way toward rebuilding an appreciation and respect for your own body. If we find acceptance for who we are and how we look, we are giving ourselves permission to live comfortably in the skin we have.

Call Diane Lauer at 610 334 3710 to schedule your appointment at A Center of Well Being, Douglassville, PA!

More Information please visit site www.simpleabundantwellness.com