The Benefit of Taking a Deeper Breath

I find myself caught up in the hurry scurry of everyday stuff much of the time. Work can be categorized as putting out fires much of the time. Sure, we’ve got regular duties, but intruding upon that are the urgent needs of many people. That’s why I liken it to putting out fires. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. Many people have the same issues at work and at home, so it’s not that I’m complaining. More, I’m trying to understand why I allow myself to get caught up in it so much of the time.

If I could set aside some time for me and me alone, I think that might be an answer. And, interestingly, as I sat down here to write this entry I closed my eyes while my fingers rested on the keyboard and took a really deep breath. It didn’t take but 3 seconds. Then, when I opened my eyes it was easy to start writing.

It was a co-worker who told me to breathe deeply the other day. She could tell I was moving into over-load. I hadn’t noticed since I was on the roller coaster and didn’t have plans to get off of it anytime too soon. I’ve thought more and more about what she said to me. Even before I knew the value of breathing deeply prior to beginning a session of writing but I just hadn’t thought a great deal about it in the midst of a very busy day at work.

The two halves of my life sometimes seem to be so different from each other. But, I suppose, in reality they are not. I’m here in my blogs and at my website to serve. I try to help people through the uncertainty of psychic awakening, through the grieving process, and to a place where they might take a mature and responsible hand in the direction of their own spiritual growth. I suppose I must try to bring something of the same to my work.

So, it’s a small step. Or, breath. It took only a few seconds and I feel a lot better too.

How to Get a Move On

Inspiration and opportunities are all around you. If you’re sitting there waiting for the big opportunity or idea to hit you might be in for a long wait. What you have to do is to sit there like a catcher. You’ve got to be ready for the opportunity or idea. You need to seek a place where you are tuned into the idea of being able and open to catch an idea as it floats by.

There are different ways that you can be prepared. First you can be healthy, or, at least relatively healthy. You can be sure to be getting enough sleep. You can limit your use of alcoholic drinks and you can stop doing drugs right now. If you believe that a drug induced high is what you need in order to be brilliant let me disabuse you of that idea. It won’t work. So, quit doing the drugs and get some therapy and try to find a normalcy in your life. Then, open yourself up for creativity and ideas to flow more easily. If you are smoking stop doing that too. Add another 7 years to your life right now. Quit smoking.

If you find that you are too highly strung to relax you can practice being relaxed. Try to meditate. Just take a really deep breath and blow it all out. As you exhale imagine that you have attached little bits and pieces of stress and tension to the breath as it is exiting your body. Imagine that toxic laden breath moving out into the air and attaching itself to the nearest tree where it will be absorbed into a living thing that doesn’t have as many hang-ups as you do and will be converted into life force energies that will come back to you and others. It’s a cycle.

I have never been a believer in the one fix all solution. I think it’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that which over time come to smooth out our rough edges and allow us to do the things we’d like to be doing.

Another thing that you can do is eat right. Our bodies are full of a lot of junk food. Granted, it all tastes really good, but over the years you’ve become dependent upon it. It’s sort of like being addicted to cigarettes. Pull those smokes away suddenly and you’re going to be one really sick and cranky person. Same thing with all your junk food. Start by adding healthy stuff to your diet and crowd the junk food out. If you generally eat lunch out 5 days a week see if you can’t select something healthier from the menu. If you want to save some money start taking your lunch to work. Nowadays there are many people who are trying to save money. If you take your lunch to work, a salad with dressing on the side, some crackers for crunch and a piece of fruit and you’re going to save a lot of calories and a lot of money.

I Know What You Need

Okay, here’s something to chew on. If you get a psychic sense about somebody is it your responsibility to volunteer that information? My answer is no. Hold your tongue. Wait until they ask. I have learned the hard way that people do not appreciate being given unsolicited advice, psychic or otherwise. If they wanted help they would ask.

But, what do you do about somebody who is pissing and moaning about this, that and the other thing and whether you are psychic or not you know in your heart what would solve their problem. Interestingly, the same rule applies. Don’t say anything. They just want to hear themselves piss and moan. What you can do is not listen to it. You could set your timer for 10 minutes and at the end of it say goodbye, change the subject or, God forbid, tell them you don’t want to hear it anymore. Much as you may love these folks, they are energy sappers and at the end of it you will be all roiled up in their sorry stories. You've got a life to live too, so the sooner you stop listening to their crap the sooner you can rebound and go do something you'd like to do.

Do You Really Need a Psychic?

What you really could use is a new perspective on an old situation. For you certainly, as the old saying goes, cannot see the forest for the trees. You are likely so immersed in the events of your own life that it is difficult to step back to have a look at what is going on.

In the best sense of what a psychic can do for you is to give you something to think about. It is always up to you whether you wish to follow the advice.

You can also get advice from relatives, from friends and from co-workers. But, you might also consider that the advice you get from them could very possibly be tainted with what they think they know of you particularly if they’ve known you for a long time and pride themselves on being uber familiar with you.

Everybody has secrets. There is always that one little corner of your heart that you don’t really tell people about. Or, if you have told them perhaps they haven’t really understood exactly how you feel. This distortion of what a person thinks they know about you is certainly going to affect the kind of advice they give you.

Also, if they’ve got their own personal axe to grind any advice you get from them is going to slant toward and support whatever causes they are in favor of.

That’s life.

So, you listen to advice, mull it over and decide to take it or not. Maybe you can keep the advice given to you in mind and customize the plan, doing it your way.

Pretend

This morning I’m recommending an activity that everybody does especially children. Pretending is generally viewed as a childish, playful activity, but I feel it is actually more important than that. Caught gazing off through the window in study hall a student is admonished to stop daydreaming, but I’m asking you to do this as a vehicle to make your day more interesting, to help you move past a physical pain or a fear and to enjoy your day more fully.

As a child we pretend all the time. As an adult we have put away our childish things and moved on with life. I’m asking you to pretend. And, I know you can do it. Notice I’m not saying the word visualize? Visualize was actually a tough one for me to do as an adult. Pretend I was okay with.

So, let’s pretend.

Take a deep breath and pretend that your shoulders are relaxed. This is like a runner prior to a run where they shake out their arms and legs and stretch some. Now, stretch your back and twist it some listening to all the little cracks going on. Quiet yourself and once again pretend that not only are your shoulders relaxed, but your back is too. Take a deep breath. Remember how relaxed you were this morning when you woke up, how it was to lie in your bed thinking it was the weekend and you did not have to get up right away. Remember that and with the pretending allow that feeling to come back again. Take another deep breath.

Now, this is where this exercise can begin to focus in on something you would like to work on. Say you need some courage for something. You are getting promoted and don’t know exactly if you can do this new job. And, you are afraid and you need some courage. How exactly would you use this pretending to do this?

Think back to when one other time you once needed courage. Something a long time ago where in the doing of whatever it was you were in this same boat, nervous leading up to it, moved through it okay and came out the other end victorious and competent and did well with the task. It doesn’t have to be a promotion. Something that illustrated that you had courage. Like the time you had to speak in front of your whole class. You imagined then that they were actually interested in what you had to say. That was all it took. And, you moved through it.

It was natural. It was seamless. Time moved smoothly as it always does. It was years ago. You can do this again. It’s not quite the same but it’s the same fear you had then that you have now. You’re afraid they won’t listen to you? You’re afraid they won’t take you seriously in your new position? Pretend they are grateful to have you to advise them. Pretend that you are competent. Pretend that you really know what you are doing and guess what? Anything you don’t know you will learn. All will be well. And, for a few moments in time you can begin to lessen the fear you are holding about this upcoming promotion just by pretending like you did as a child.

Opening to Spirit

Here's an email I got today:

The situation in my life is as follows. I am in a deep financial crisis. Each time something good happens to me 10 more things go wrong. I am a very spiritual person and have been trying to develop my own personal gifts by reading and meditation. I am finding it difficult to let go of the past so that I can grow into my own as I know I am meant to be. I feel an incredible power in my heart that wants to be born but I am not sure how to release it.

My Answer:

Open to Spirit from a place of peace. Any other road is going to be difficult and distorted. Which means you take care of your first problem first...the financial crisis. It's not that you have to be completely solvent before you can open to Spirit, it's just that when you try to pray and the spector of fear is riding your shoulder you just can't pay complete attention and give your heart over to the wonderful experience. You're too busy being afraid.

Pick up a copy of, "Creating Money" by Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer. It will do 2 things at once for you. It will help you get on the road to solving your financial problems and at the same time show you a way to Spirit.

Calm Down

What good is a psychic if all they do is tell you things you already know? You’re tense. Yeah, and the Pope is a Catholic. But, did you think that maybe somebody who doesn’t know you who picks up on the fact that you’re tense might also be a nudge from the Universe that you need to calm down some?

Why would you want to calm down when you get so much accomplished in a wired state of mind? Frantic and Frenzied you’re a Firecracker. Mello you’re a Zero.

Well, that’s an opinion. Calm down anyway.

Ask yourself why you’re moving at top speed all the time. Ask yourself why it is important? You might be surprised at some of the answers that pop up. Calmer people don’t have high blood pressure. Calmer people live longer. Calmer people seem to enjoy living in the moment. At least, that’s what I figure. It couldn’t hurt, could it? Just to calm down a little bit? This coming weekend set aside an hour to do something you’ve wanted to do for some time now. Something fun. Something that doesn’t involve work or chores or cleaning up the garage.

Will I Get Married?

One of the reasons a person might go to a psychic is to get reassurance on something they are contemplating doing. The psychic will, likely, see either rocky road or smooth sailing, but in both cases it is still what you plan to do that is the more important event. Based on a pscyhic’s advice of, “no” would you not marry somebody you are in love with?

Every relationship is occasionally beset with rocky roads as the two people learn to live as a couple. You learn to forgive, you learn understanding, you learn compassion, but eventually the association is going to settle into the ordinariness of everyday living. Granted, there are areas of concern with somebody who has or who develops a substance abuse problem, or with someone who has trouble taking care of their money. But, they either eventually get help, the couple stays in relationship even though one of them or both are unhappy, or the couple splits. In the first instance there is a constructive and creative attempt to address the situation. In the middle example we’re all stuck. In the final example the solution is to break off the association and start new lives. Is one better than any of the other choices? No. They are what you’ve chosen to do. Are there repercussions? Certainly. Are you willing to pay the price? That’s your decision.

Based on someone else’s recommendation, what would you do?

I suppose, if you were going to ask a friend for their advice about your upcoming or contemplated nuptials you could also go to a psychic and ask their advice too. My advice? Don’t ask either one of them. This is an incredibly important decision that demands your complete attention. This is one of those things you have to do by yourself and it is one of those things that you just cannot blame on somebody else. Make the decision and then take the responsibility to nurture and care for the relationship.

In the Mood

Do you have to be in the mood to experience something spiritual? Is having that “feeling” of joy and ecstasy, of tingly sensations that ripples from the base of your skull down to your toes mean that finally you’ve done it and have experienced contact with the spiritual side of things?

Or, is everything spiritual? I was yakking with my guides the other day on the way home from work. Actually, I was whining and generally feeling sorry for myself. I thought that I’d really get a boost to my spirits if I could feel God, if I could feel that spiritual side of things I almost can’t describe. That’s when they said I should sort of look for it no matter how I felt. That the sensation of spirit doesn’t mean that’s the only time I’m in the zone.

Something to think about.

Resolutions

This month’s recommended activity. Honestly, I’m having trouble with this one. I don’t know why. I’ve returned again and again to this smallest section of my newsletter wondering what little interesting something I could put in for my January edition. I’m stumped.

Once, during the course of the month, as I was almost knocking my head against the edge of the desk one of the guides suggested, “On your knees and pray.” I thought that was actually quite funny. There’s one thing they have is an incredible sense of timing for the one-liners they come up with. But, here I am 2 weeks later and I still haven’t come up with anything.

So, I thought I might approach it in a way that is similar to how I am currently trying to fashion some watchbands to go with the watch faces I bought. Just sit down and do it and see what happens.

I know we’ve done breathing and writing was last month. I’ve recommended CD’s and movies and books. In January some people might be concerned with fresh starts and the resolutions they’d made. And, I know how hard it is to stick to a resolution. I’m all fired up about in the beginning, but as time wears on my enthusiasm wanes and eventually I stop whatever healthy or good activity I’d chosen as my resolution.

Maybe because there was no reward for me to do the behavior. Maybe in creating a resolution you also need to create the reward. I haven’t tried that one yet.

Okay…so, say my resolution is to lose weight. Rewards for me, any day of the week, would include chocolate. So, that would suck. What kind of a reward could I have for losing weight? Movies? Books? Clothes? A day off. Yes, I could ask for a day off from work to do whatever I want. But, the deal would be I’d have to lose 8 pounds first. 10 pounds? No, 8 pounds. More than 5 and less than 10. I can manage 8 pounds.

Okay, so what other rewards would be good? I guess I could come up with a generic list of rewards, but, they really need to be crafted for the individual person. It’s the donkey and the carrot routine.

I’ve never once been able to stick to any of the resolutions I make. But, I’ve also never had a reward for good behavior either. Maybe this year it might work out better.

Remind Me

This isn’t rocket science, but I think it’s important as a reminder. I tend to forget stuff. I also tend to be easily distracted. So, I need to remind myself to do things. Maybe you are wired the same way and might benefit from this slightly.

Index cards. Yes, I know this is sort of really low tech and simple, but they work. If you don’t have 10 of them kicking around in your house go to the store; grocery, drug or office supply store, and purchase a pack of them. Whatever color you desire. They come in basic white and a few pastel colors.

On these ten cards, in pretty large letters, write something you’d like to do. Think of it this way: You go to work every day and once you are there you know pretty much, exactly what you are supposed to be doing. Or, you go to school every day and your schedule is mapped out; you know what you are doing. Do this for yourself.

On the top of each card write something you’d like to be doing. It might even be as mundane as keeping your area clean. That’s what is on one of my cards. I tend to whirl into my study, set myself down at the computer and go to town. Behind me, beside me and in front of me is a mess. I ignore it, but when the focus of my attention loosens from whatever I’ve been doing to become aware of the mess around me I am disheartened. That’s what I don’t need anymore; that feeling of helplessness and hopelessness about my mess. So, pick it up. That’s what’s on my card. Not, “Clean up the study”, because that could take 2 weeks. Instead, my card reads, “Spend 5 minutes cleaning up the study”

Here are the rest of my cards:

* Drink a glass of water now
* Do 10 slow stretches now
* Do your eye exercises now (Sometimes I see double. To force my eyes back to center I focus in on the tip of a pen held out in front of me. I bring the pen closer to my face all the while focusing on the tip and then move it out again a few times every day.)
* Spend 5 minutes walking in place
* Practice 5 minutes of Tai Chi
* Jump and dance around to the count of 50
* Drink another glass of water now
* Smile to the count of 25
* Learn one new word in a foreign language

The rule with me is that I go once through these cards every day. As I finish one task the card goes to the back of the pile and at the beginning of every day the one card (pick up the study) is at the top.

To make it fun and give you some sort of incentive/motivation you could have some of those little stars you could paste on each card as you finish the task or on the top one to show you’ve been through one day’s worth of stuff.

It takes 3 weeks to establish a good habit. With me I think it must take 3 months. But, these are things that I’d like to be doing more often. Maybe you’ve got something you’d like to be doing more too.

Tune Up

I used to charge for readings. People didn’t seem to appreciate the fact that I was spending my time with them and resented paying for anything I didn’t “work” to do. Yeah, like my time isn’t worth something. They also didn’t like what I told them.

Well, I don’t charge for readings anymore. But, I will not ignore pleas for help. And, in the interest of a busy schedule I keep my replies pretty brief and rather to the point. So, when I tell somebody to go see a therapist I am NOT pussyfooting around.

It’s your decision whether you will eventually go or not. But, seeing a psychotherapist can only bring good things into your life no matter where you are in your travels.

Go get tuned up.