We get so busy and allow ourselves to feel so stressed that we forget to be grateful for all the foundational elements of gratitude in in our lives

The roof over our heads, the hot showers, the car that gets us from here to there, the food that’s always available in our fridge and pantry

The delicious meals that we eat, the sink to keep our dishes clean, the washer and dryer to enjoy clean sheets, towels and clothes, the comfortable bed to rest our body

The friends and family that love us and we shower with love. 

The list could on and on. 

How often do we stop and choose to be grateful for all the basics and all the love in our life?

Gratitude is a key to manifestation.

True heartfelt gratitude raises us up and enables us to let go of the stuff that we allow to affect us and drag us down. 

What we focus on is what we draw more of into our lives. 

Imagine how different our lives would be if we took moments during every day to be grateful for what we have and who we love.

We can affirm: 

I am grateful for all the blessings in my life.

Gratitude is a choice.

We can choose to focus on what's not working, what we don't have, what others have that we want.

Or we can choose to focus on all the blessings right there in front of us now.

That's empowering and hopeful.

I choose gratitude as my state of Being.

What do you do to take care of your mental and emotional health in an ‘emergency’, when you find yourself triggered, upset, anxious, stressed and generally out-of-sorts? 

It’s important in these moments to have an Emergency Tool Kit at your disposal to bring you back into your heart, back into balance so that you can breathe again.

And this brings me to my first ‘go-to’ when we feel anxious or stressed, and that’s breath work.  Breath work is so easy and natural to do.  We need to breathe in order to live, so why not use the moment to begin to heal and let go of what’s not working for us with breath work?

When we are upset, anxious, afraid, etc. we usually start breathing in a very shallow manner. We may even unwittingly hold our breath.  As we do this, we tell our body, we send the message that our life is in danger and we need to go into fight or flight mode, which is not helpful.

Step one is breath work and here’s three breathing techniques I recommend:

#1 Breathe in and out of your nose with the out breath longer than the in breath.  Repeat 10 times.  When our out breath is longer, we are physiologically telling ourselves that it’s okay to rest and relax; it’s okay to let go of what’s happened and come back into balance.

#2 Breathe in through the nose and hold, then breathe out through the mouth with an ‘Ahhh’ sound and hold.  Repeat 10 times.  This breath work is a great way to release any stress we are still experiencing.  It’s the mind-body’s second signal to unwind and let go.

#3 Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose with no pause through between the in breath and the out breath, also known as Conscious Connected Breathing.  This helps us to align to love and center in our hearts.  It helps us to connect back into the essence of Who we are.  It helps to affirm that I am more than just a body-mind.  I am a Soul having a human experience and I’m so grateful for all my experiences!

Step two is grounding, to be fully present in the body here and now. 

We can do this by visualizing huge roots of light coming out of our feet and anchoring deep into the core of the planet.  It’s like being a strong, sturdy tree that’s able to withstand all manner of wind and storms, where it feels like someone or something trying to knock us over would be an impossible feat. 

We can test this out with someone we feel comfortable working with.  First, stand in a relaxed and see how easy it is for someone to push us off balance using a finger. Next, visualize and feel those roots of light grounding into the core of the planet and have them try again. Notice the difference in that experience and then reverse roles.

Step three is ‘cutting cords’. 

When we are triggered by someone, a group of people or even a country, we establish energetic connections with that person, group or country. Unless we cut cords, we will feel everything they are feeling. 

Whenever one, some or all of them have a ‘bad hair day’, we feel their reactions and their feelings as if they’re our own.  The only thing we can clear or let go of and replace with love is our own feelings.  That’s why cord cutting is so important.

One way to cut cords is to visualize a golden cylinder down coming around our body and cutting all energetic connections that are not about love, just gently cutting them and healing where they were with golden healing light. 

You may need to cut cords every day or several times a day. Anytime we interact with or think about this person, group or country, cords are reestablished; and the same applies when they think about or interact with us. 

To keep unwanted thoughts and feelings that are not ours out of our bodies and systems, we need to constantly aware and diligent.

It’s important to work with our Emergency Tool Kit when we feel okay, when we feel calm and balanced.

And it’s important that we practice a lot.  Any world class athletic or musician has practiced more than we can imagine for years and years until their craft becomes second nature to them and they don’t have to think about it. It just flows naturally from and through them because it’s become a part of them.

If we want to have a new experience when faced with stress, challenges, obstacles, and unpleasant events we need to practice, practice, practice. Practice makes permanent. I love this affirmation: Practice makes permanent.  How cool is that?

Remember, also, that mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow. 

Anytime we forget to engage with our Emergency Tool Kit, it's simply an opportunity to learn and grow. It's counterproductive to beat ourselves up or engage in negative self talk. 

When we make a mistake, we can ask ourselves, “How can I learn and grow from this mistake?  When I face the same or a similar situation again what could I do differently? How could I act? What would I say?  How would it feel? What would support this new, more loving way of being?  And then visualize and feel that! 

Our Emergency Tool Kit is an amazing gift, and mine is just a suggestion.

What works for you?  How do you bring yourself back to center, back into balance and into your heart when ‘life happens’? How can you best support yourself to experience more love and less fear?

Our bodies weren’t meant to eat frozen dinners, canned spaghetti or processed cheese.  We are filling ourselves with inflammatory food-like products that make us sick, fat and depressed.

Here’s a simple list of what to avoid and delicious substitutions that you will enjoy. Some items like highly processed oils are in many things. Read the labels or simply eat whole foods.

These changes can make a huge difference in how we look and feel. It’s easier to be our ideal weight when we eat right. Good eating habits invite good health.

Addendum:

Besides what I've shared above and below: I recommend 1) intermittent fasting 2) carnivore, and/or 3) food combining principles that work with digestion principles for weight loss or maintaining weight.  

I also recommend "know thyself". For example, if you start eating sugar (for example, honey) and that leads to binge sugar consumption, perhaps sugar and/or honey is not for you. 

There are general principles to leading a healthy life, and part of that is honoring what works best for a healthy digestive tract.  What is good for a friend or colleague, might not be good for you.

Step one is discard most products you purchase from the shelves of our grocery stores or are sold in 'fast food' establishments. Read the labels.

The color, additives, preservatives and combinations of ingredients can, in many instances, cause obesity, digestive distress and more. 

My cat is old.  Hobbes came into our lives when my son was a sophomore in high school. Now my son is a father with his own cat and Hobbes is seventy-two in human years.

I love Hobbes. He’s affectionate and lets you know exactly how he feels. The first time I traveled to Australia and back, he peed in my open suitcase, which I had left open by the washing machine upon returning home. He was ‘pissed off’ that I had left him.

Hobbes is a lover. He sleeps on my husband’s chest when I’m out of town, just because my husband misses me; and he meets me at the door every time I come home.

Hobbes used to be an excellent jumper. He was de-clawed by his prior owner, who in the twilight years of her life moved across the country to be with her family. But Hobbes doesn’t see himself as ‘handicapped’ or different. He managed to get to places in the house where I marveled at his flexibility, strength, and agility.

Hobbes can’t do that anymore. He’s lucky to get on the kitchen countertop with the help of a nearby chair. It breaks my heart when I see him jump and miss. Just like Hobbes, I can’t jump as far or run as fast as I used to.

Hobbes is on special food for his digestion and teeth and pukes every time I let him eat too much grass. Just like me, he must watch what he puts in his mouth.

For Hobbes, it is just how it is. He is completely in the moment of being a cat and enjoying his cat life. It’s amazing what wonderful reflections, mirrors and companions our pets can be. They add such richness and joy to our lives.

Here is to you Hobbes. Thanks for gracing us with your presence. I’m glad to be one of the humans in your life.