So, the culmination of my stressful year is coming to an end. I am strongly hoping the door will not open to a new series of stressful events, however things are looking about 50/50. I won't go into the details on what might or might not happen. I am aware of the future possibilities, because it would be ignorant not to acknowledge them, however I intend to keep my focus on the positive possibilities, with a close eye on any potential kinks in the plan to head off any downward spirals.
Here are the positives, my husband is returning from Afghanistan next month! It has been a difficult year, but I've somehow managed to get through it. I have been asked to help found a new non-profit organization. While this will not be a paying job, I don't care. It is for an amazingly great cause and the experience will be more valuable than any paid job I could find. I will get to employ my research skills as well as learn some more management techniques. The home base is halfway across the country, but I'm hoping to make a road trip and meet the families the organization helps in the future. I know we can make this a great thing, I have complete faith in all of the wonderful women in this with me. Also, in terms of money, since I'll need something to help out in the wallet, I've started selling Pure Romance, and so far it's going well. My name is getting out there, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve to market more. I think things are going to be going well for me here in the next few months!
Now for a little spiritual spin, I need to refocus. I always say that, but right now I really want to. One thing I really need to do is concentrate on myself. Figure out who I am deep down, and I want to find a matron/patron deity that speaks to me. I've always focused on the Lord and Lady, with no specific name, however I can tell, lately, that it is time to find a more specific connection. The Lord and Lady will always be a part of my life, however this distinction is getting into a whole different post that I will tackle at a later time.
I'm looking forward for my husband to come home, not just to see him, because I miss him like crazy, but because he acknowledges I need some time away from everything. He knows I need a vacation, even if that means, me lounging in bed all day without any worries of the house. Just time to do what I want, when I want...and a lot of that time is going to be spent in reflection of myself, spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Showing posts with label Stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stress. Show all posts
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tossing the Stress Aside: Visualization
I was thinking as I wrote my last post that I need some type of visualization that I can quickly do to help remind me to refocus and this is what I came up with. I actually think this has been done many times over, but I find it appropriate here and the image is just sticking in my head, so here we go.
When stressed and you literally feel like the weight and energy of the stress is weighing down on your shoulders until you look somewhat like Atlas carrying the Earth on his back, it may be time to refocus that energy. While this visualization is not the end, and doing it only once probably won't be enough, it is something quick to do to bring you back to a more positive, and self based perspective.
First of all, visualize that stress as a huge boulder on your back, it is so heavy, no wonder your back hurts and your neck and shoulders are tight. You've probably been carrying this for awhile and it's time to get rid of it. Close your eyes and visualize yourself bending your knees a bit with a good stance with feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Visualize taking your hands and getting them to fit under that boulder on your shoulders. Next spring up from the bent knees and use that momentum to help you use your hands and arms to propel that boulder off your shoulders and back to the mountain side where it belongs. Once you've done that, take a quick look at the mountain you threw that boulder back to. It wasn't so big after all, actually, you can easily see over the top of it! Now that you've done this once, you'll be able to do it again, and hopefully it will get easier to throw that boulder to the side each time you need it.
I can see a lot being done with this imagry, so I'll work on it. If I come up with any additions to it, or meditations I'll let you know. But I can already tell you that my back feels somewhat better after doing this, and I do have that feeling of a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I hope this works for you, if not, tweak it or move on to something else. If you have ideas for additions to this or variations, I'd love to hear them, just leave them in the comments!
Bright Blessings,
~Ava
When stressed and you literally feel like the weight and energy of the stress is weighing down on your shoulders until you look somewhat like Atlas carrying the Earth on his back, it may be time to refocus that energy. While this visualization is not the end, and doing it only once probably won't be enough, it is something quick to do to bring you back to a more positive, and self based perspective.
First of all, visualize that stress as a huge boulder on your back, it is so heavy, no wonder your back hurts and your neck and shoulders are tight. You've probably been carrying this for awhile and it's time to get rid of it. Close your eyes and visualize yourself bending your knees a bit with a good stance with feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Visualize taking your hands and getting them to fit under that boulder on your shoulders. Next spring up from the bent knees and use that momentum to help you use your hands and arms to propel that boulder off your shoulders and back to the mountain side where it belongs. Once you've done that, take a quick look at the mountain you threw that boulder back to. It wasn't so big after all, actually, you can easily see over the top of it! Now that you've done this once, you'll be able to do it again, and hopefully it will get easier to throw that boulder to the side each time you need it.
I can see a lot being done with this imagry, so I'll work on it. If I come up with any additions to it, or meditations I'll let you know. But I can already tell you that my back feels somewhat better after doing this, and I do have that feeling of a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I hope this works for you, if not, tweak it or move on to something else. If you have ideas for additions to this or variations, I'd love to hear them, just leave them in the comments!
Bright Blessings,
~Ava
Take a Deep Breath...Now Refocus That Energy!
For those of you who know me personally, you know I'm working towards a Masters degree in Psychology. If you know this, you probably also know I am a stay at home mom, I am the spouse of a currently deployed soldier and I am at wits end with my Statistics "professor." All of these things equal out to STRESS!! I'm not naive enough to think I'm the only one with stress, or that I'm the only one in my type of situation with stress, or that there isn't some one (many someone's) out there with more stress than me...I know all of these things are true. However, knowing they are true for other people does not reduce the fact that my stress is there for me and it is my responsibility to diffuse it somehow. Ah, the old self responsibility value, going strong here, maybe a little too strong as I try to take responsibility for everything imaginable that comes to me, lol.
This past week has been a nightmare, not the worst nightmare I've ever had, but enough to catch me with a short fuse, and unfortunately those in closest proximity get the worst of the explosion (I can't apoligize to my children enough! We've talked about how wrong Mommy has been for the way she has acted and I vowed to find a new way to express my frustration; a lesson I talk with my children a lot about when it comes to tantrums...I throw big ones too). So, here's the deal, with the high level of stress, it makes the small things seem to be mountains, and the only thing I'm hearing is "you can't do this!!" However, that's my voice and no one else's, in fact, everyone else is screaming with confidence "YOU CAN DO THIS!!!" Goes to show you how easy it is to hear things when they are close, this is another reason why self responsibility is so important! The more I've told myself "I can't" the more I've believed myself and the more down I've gotten. The more down I've gotten, the more the stress builds (all that pressure coming down on my shoulders), the more the stress builds the more I find things wrong in every situation, and the more I find things wrong in every situation the more negative I get...and you see where this horrible cycle is going.
How on earth am I going to get myself out of this cycle!! Well for starters, let's see what I can do about stress. Is there anything I can remove from my life? *looks around room, checks day planner, mental inventory of activities* No, nothing I can remove. Since I can't remove anything I need to do something about organizing and managing it better. If anything I need to add more things to my planner. What's that you say? Am I crazy? An already full planner causing immense amounts of stress and you want to add things! Yep. I guess I am crazy. I never denied that, however, I promise you, what I'm going to add will actually save me time and sanity. What I need to add is a little something people refer to as "me time." Yep, you heard me right. I need to squeeze some time in every day to do what I want to do. This me time cannot include Facebook or pointless games. I suppose blogging will be okay, but it can't be about anything but something I WANT to write about, and it can't be negative (which I try not to be). Once I add in some me time, I should find that I am happier and more productive. This will be a huge stress reliever. Both because it will give me a chance to relax and also because it will make me more productive, which means getting more of the clutter cleared out (mental, emotional and physical).
In other words, I need to refocus my energy on the positive and not the negative. Here is one way I am doing that. Remember that Statistics professor I mentioned? He hasn't been a good teacher, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe, just maybe something is going on in his life causing this. So, rather than my perception of him get me down and let it affect me, I'm going to do the best I can with what I have. Therefore, I'm going to work my butt off and still get an A in the class, even if he doesn't help me out with it! Now, this plan is a little late since I'm on finals week for the class, but it's a lesson learned. Refocus the energy from a negative to a positive. I built up so much energy worried about what he was going to do, that I failed to put just as much or more energy into what I was actually doing. This is how people and situations can consume you if you let them. Take control of your life and don't let other people lead you around by the ear. You are responsible for you. I'll be practicing refocusing my energy, I hope you'll give it a try too if you need it.
Brightest Blessings,
~Ava
This past week has been a nightmare, not the worst nightmare I've ever had, but enough to catch me with a short fuse, and unfortunately those in closest proximity get the worst of the explosion (I can't apoligize to my children enough! We've talked about how wrong Mommy has been for the way she has acted and I vowed to find a new way to express my frustration; a lesson I talk with my children a lot about when it comes to tantrums...I throw big ones too). So, here's the deal, with the high level of stress, it makes the small things seem to be mountains, and the only thing I'm hearing is "you can't do this!!" However, that's my voice and no one else's, in fact, everyone else is screaming with confidence "YOU CAN DO THIS!!!" Goes to show you how easy it is to hear things when they are close, this is another reason why self responsibility is so important! The more I've told myself "I can't" the more I've believed myself and the more down I've gotten. The more down I've gotten, the more the stress builds (all that pressure coming down on my shoulders), the more the stress builds the more I find things wrong in every situation, and the more I find things wrong in every situation the more negative I get...and you see where this horrible cycle is going.
How on earth am I going to get myself out of this cycle!! Well for starters, let's see what I can do about stress. Is there anything I can remove from my life? *looks around room, checks day planner, mental inventory of activities* No, nothing I can remove. Since I can't remove anything I need to do something about organizing and managing it better. If anything I need to add more things to my planner. What's that you say? Am I crazy? An already full planner causing immense amounts of stress and you want to add things! Yep. I guess I am crazy. I never denied that, however, I promise you, what I'm going to add will actually save me time and sanity. What I need to add is a little something people refer to as "me time." Yep, you heard me right. I need to squeeze some time in every day to do what I want to do. This me time cannot include Facebook or pointless games. I suppose blogging will be okay, but it can't be about anything but something I WANT to write about, and it can't be negative (which I try not to be). Once I add in some me time, I should find that I am happier and more productive. This will be a huge stress reliever. Both because it will give me a chance to relax and also because it will make me more productive, which means getting more of the clutter cleared out (mental, emotional and physical).
In other words, I need to refocus my energy on the positive and not the negative. Here is one way I am doing that. Remember that Statistics professor I mentioned? He hasn't been a good teacher, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, that maybe, just maybe something is going on in his life causing this. So, rather than my perception of him get me down and let it affect me, I'm going to do the best I can with what I have. Therefore, I'm going to work my butt off and still get an A in the class, even if he doesn't help me out with it! Now, this plan is a little late since I'm on finals week for the class, but it's a lesson learned. Refocus the energy from a negative to a positive. I built up so much energy worried about what he was going to do, that I failed to put just as much or more energy into what I was actually doing. This is how people and situations can consume you if you let them. Take control of your life and don't let other people lead you around by the ear. You are responsible for you. I'll be practicing refocusing my energy, I hope you'll give it a try too if you need it.
Brightest Blessings,
~Ava
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