self-care

Managing stress is my number one strategy for being happy, healthy, and creative. It’s my long-term plan for healthy aging and what keeps me sane in a chaotic world.

Let’s start with what I actually mean by “managing” stress. I’m not talking about avoiding it altogether. As if! While I do make targeted efforts to minimize external stressors (by saying no to voluntary tasks that don’t bring me joy and being mindful about the amount of sensory stimulation I expose myself to), it’s not possible to avoid it completely. Certain kinds of stress, such as some challenges and physical exercise are even beneficial.

I’m also not talking about tropical vacations or spa days. These may or may not be helpful in managing stress, but they are too few and far in between to be relied upon. If you experience stress on a daily basis, you need a tool in your back pocket ready to go at all times.

What I am talking about is working with the stress that occurs in your life to prevent the potential damaging effects on your body and psyche. It’s not so much the stress itself that’s the problem, but the way your body instinctively responds to it, specifically via the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn (or the 4 Fs) mechanism. When you get stuck in a perpetual state of hyperawareness and survival, you’ve got all the ingredients necessary for chronic pain, fatigue, tension, anxiety, depression, illness, and burnout.

Why? When your primitive brain perceives a threat, it responds by preparing to run away, attack, hide, or … (insert other survival strategy that would have made sense to a cave dweller, but is not so much helpful to a modern day person) to survive. It deliberately shunts life force energy to the extremities, the heart and lungs, and senses. Digestion, detoxification, cellular repair, elimination, fertility, sexuality, focus, clarity, creativity, and all systems that are not essential in a crisis go offline. It’s not a problem when this happens occasionally, but many of us live in this state of having nearly all our energy usurped for action that never actually occurs.

Learning how to activate your body’s natural antidote to the 4Fs will allow you to experience more ease, vitality, joy, and peace despite outer circumstances. You can learn to become the eye of the hurricane rather than reacting to every dumpster fire that those around you might be starting, fanning, or lamenting. (I’d enjoy having more company here in the eye of the hurricane! There’s plenty of room for you in here.)

Popular culture would have us believe that turning to alcohol, comfort foods or social media is such a remedy. This is a myth. While there’s nothing wrong with mashed potatoes, wine or Instagram, in general, these are tools for distracting ourselves and have absolutely zero impact (make that zero positive impact) on how your body metabolizes stress hormones. They might make you feel better for a quick minute, but the 4Fs remain unchanged.

Instead, I’m inviting you to try something different. Something somewhat radical. Something that will actually help you feel better, not just feel less.
1. Notice. The first step is paying attention to your inner landscape, so that you can recognize when one of the 4Fs gets activated. This means slowing down, tuning in, and developing a relationship with yourself so that you can recognize when the survival urges kick in. I’ve yet to meet anyone who learned this growing up, so it will take a bit of practice. Believe me, having access to this early warning system is immensely beneficial.
2. Breathe. Breathing into your belly and gently extending your exhales sends a signal to the nervous system that you are safe. Adding an audible sigh is even more potent. Unless you’re in a business meeting, that is! Getting fired is unlikely to help your stress level.
3. Shake. This is what animals do in nature, but generally we humans are too self-conscious to allow this impulse to manifest. It might not be appropriate in the situation you find yourself in, but as soon as possible, make your way to a private space, such as the restroom, and shake it out. Start with jazz hands, turn it up, let that movement spread to your arms, into your shoulders, neck and head. Let it flow down into the hips, let your knees jiggle, and and maybe lift and lower your heels, letting them thump on the floor. Keep breathing and keep shaking as long as time allows or until you feel a shift in your body.
Once you’ve turned off the alarm bells, it’s much easier to move to the next stage: prevention. Now that you have a strategy in place for dealing with stress in urgent situations, I’d suggest a follow-up; creating a daily practice to build up your resilience, a preventative strategy to minimize the amount of time you need to recover from an activated 4F situation. There are lots of ways to do this, and the only “right” way is the one that works for you and is enjoyable enough to keep you coming back.

Massage, Reiki, meditation, mantra, yoga and nature are tools that give me tremendous benefit. You might already have some tools ready to go or a list of things in your head that you’ve heard about and would like to try. Once you get out of the chronic survival mode that 21^st century living seems to inspire, you’ll have a much better chance of following through and implementing any plan you make.

If your plate is overflowing and you just want to lie back and receive some nourishment and healing, that’s exactly what I do for my clients. Reiki and gentle massage are both incredible remedies for chronic 4F activation. You could schedule a remote Reiki treatment from anywhere in the world or a Reiki-massage or in-person Reiki in Philadelphia if you’d like some support managing stress and moving beyond survival mode. Or get on the mailing list to be informed about upcoming classes and learn how to heal yourself with Reiki.

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Three Simple Ways to Manage Stress

Managing stress is my number one strategy for being happy, healthy, and creative. It’s my long-term…
Many of my recent posts have detailed the importance of having a healthy relationship with our bodies. I call this befriending the body, as opposed to treating the container that houses the soul as an inconvenience, a burden, or even an enemy.

Healing means accepting ALL of ourselves.

Including cellulite.

And wrinkles.

Grey hair.

Achy spots.

And body fat.

I made a short video of one of my favorite, super simple practices for befriending my own body using the infinite well of compassion that resides in the heart center.

I hope you’ll give it a try and perhaps consider making this a regular peace offering to yourself to cultivate greater health and happiness.

Reiki can supercharge practices such as this by infusing them with spiritually guided life-force energy. If you’re interested in having lifetime access to healing energy at your fingertips, consider attending my Reiki for Self-Care and Empowerment online training beginning 3/23/23. For those who want to actively participate in co-creating their highest and most joyful good, it’s a game changer.

Befriending Your Body Practice

Many of my recent posts have detailed the importance of having a healthy relationship with our…
There seems to be a common misconception that receiving a remote Reiki treatment is some sort of pathetic consolation prize for folks who can’t make it to the office for the real thing.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

In fact, I often find the potency of a remote session to be even more powerful. As if I can plug into the energetic grid directly without having to first sink through the layers of flesh.

Sure, it’s nice to get out of the (possibly chaotic) house and enter the serenity of a professional space. To have pleasant surroundings and a comfortable place to lie down where you won’t be disturbed for the duration of the treatment. I can’t argue with that. But the environment is just the icing.

Reiki is not dependent on the setting in which it’s received.

Healing life-force energy surrounds us all, all the time. Sadly, as a modern society, we have become disconnected from nature’s rhythms and energies. That which was likely an organic and harmonious relationship for our ancestors has become estranged these days. For a trained Reiki provider, however, accessing this energy is simple and connecting it to others, near or far, couldn’t be easier.

Just as an automatic deposit into your checking account is no less valid than personally depositing a check at the bank, getting a Reiki infusion from the comfort of home is just as potent as an office visit.

Particularly for people who are too busy or not well enough to travel. You can get your medicine delivered to you, wherever you, at the times when you most need it!

Clients often wonder what they will feel during a session. That depends. How attuned are you to feeling subtle energies? Most of us have zero training in this realm. It’s common not to feel anything. For those with a devoted meditation, yoga, tai chi or qi gong practice, there might be some awareness of sensations like warmth or tingling. Perhaps not. Not feeling anything doesn’t mean it isn’t working. It just means we haven’t developed our feelers.

So how does it work logistically? That’s easy! Contact me to arrange an appointment and let me know what your goals for the session are. There’s absolutely nothing you need to do during the session itself. (There is no link, no recording. There’s nothing to see.) You can set yourself up for a period of relaxation if that feels good, or you can go on about your business. Reiki requires nothing from you other than the willingness to receive it.

I’ll connect Reiki with your energy field and open to guidance from a combination of Reiki itself, intuition, and directions from your higher self, or soul. Afterwards, I’ll send a message outlining the work I was led to do and follow-up suggestions, if any come through.

It really is that easy!

To make it even easier, I’m offering a Spring Special. The 4 for 3 Bundle. 4 Remote Reiki sessions for the price of 3 if purchased before June 1, 2023. You’ll have a year to use the sessions, so you can space them out accordingly.

Some people like to get biweekly or monthly treatments, others wait for special occasions or particularly stressful events. They could also be used as extra doses in between in-person sessions. It’s your choice, but I will just mention that consistent application is more likely to make noticeable shifts in wellness than sporadic application. Just like exercise and dental hygiene.

30 or 45 minute sessions are available.

Four 30 minute sessions = $150

Four 45 minute sessions = $225

That’s a 25% savings!

If you’d like to purchase a bundle as a gift, we can arrange that as well. I can provide a PDF gift certificate for you to email the recipient.

It’s my goal to make Reiki as accessible as possible to people who want to receive it. Next to taking a class and giving yourself daily doses of medicine (get on my mailing list if that’s your preferred route and keep in the loop about upcoming trainings), this is the most affordable option on my menu.

Remote Reiki -it’s just as powerful as in-person sessions.

Really.

Contact Me to Purchase a Bundle

Spring Special/ Remote Reiki Bundle

There seems to be a common misconception that receiving a remote Reiki treatment is some sort…
Recently I wrote about my choice to heal a knee injury holistically. It prompted some questions about what holistic healing actually means.

First, a disclaimer.

I’m not a doctor and have no intention of providing any medical advice. I’m just sharing my story. I’ve been in training for the past 30 years, learning to listen to the wisdom of my body, my intuition, and divine guidance. This makes me particularly well equipped to go on such adventures.

I feel qualified to give this a go without medical intervention. I am able to walk freely, use the stairs, and put on my own socks. There is only mild inflammation in the joint, and no swelling or edema elsewhere. No discoloration or zingy nerve pain, tingling, burning, or numbness. Having treated hundreds of clients with injuries over the years, I feel confident that I’m within the realm of what I can handle.

Should I one day get a nudge to see a doctor and get X-rays or whatever, I will grumble for a few moments and release the attachment I have to doing it my way. I’m not too proud or too stubborn to get the help that I need.

Disclaimer complete.

To me, “holistic” means looking at the entire being, correcting any imbalances, and addressing ALL obstacles to wellness. This includes physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, energetic and circumstantial.

Rather than looking at the one joint that is complaining, I’m looking at every possible factor that affects this joint.

That means investigating the stability, strength, and flexibility (or lack thereof) of the feet and ankles. ALL the muscles that attach near or cross the knee (on both legs, they work as a team), particularly the quads and hamstrings, glutes, adductors, abductors, lateral rotators, and my frenemy, the psoas.

It means getting quality sleep, developing better body mechanics when I’m working, providing the nutrients that my body requires to repair tissue and heal. And flooding my entire system with Reiki frequently.

I’m also looking at my internal chatter and directly addressing the feelings and thoughts of irritation, annoyance, and impatience that arise around the situation. I’m not suppressing any of these, but I am actively engaging in cultivating acceptance and compassion as my default zone.

I’m seeing this event as an opportunity to do some internal inquiry and have found a deposit of old resentment that may not be related, but is definitely doing me no good. I’m letting myself feel the underlying hurt and disappointment while letting the energy move and release so that it will no longer impede the flow of life-force.

I’m also looking at the yin-yang (im)balance in my life. Am I overly focused on doing at the expense of being, am I relying on thinking more than feeling, or giving out of proportion to receiving? Do I need to slow down even more, stop and smell the roses, sit my butt down and be still?

A trusted friend has recommended barefoot shoes. I think that’s what they’re called. Shoes with a minimal sole. He makes a good argument and his story is compelling. I found myself utterly resistant as last year I bought FIVE new pairs of shoes. (I realize that might not be a lot for some people, but for me it really was.) Apparently, at age 50, my feet had grown (what?!) and I needed to replace a lot of my footwear. I went with cushy soles on all of them.

Then I caught myself- am I resisting a potential remedy simply because I’m highly invested in something else, something that might be less than helpful, and potentially harmful to me? Sheesh. That would be a YES. It’s so strange catching myself doing something so very human, yet so utterly ridiculous!

Which highlights the practice of examining attachment to the way things are and resistance to change. That is a pattern that can really inhibit mobility, particularly in the joints. Can I change my mind about something despite having spent a lot of money on it? Am I committed to continuing on my current path just because I don’t want to admit I might be going the wrong way?

These are the areas I’m exploring on this healing journey. I’m playing detective and investigating anything that could be contributing to the imbalance that causes this pain. Should I decide medical intervention in the form of a shot or pills would be helpful, I’d continue my sleuthing to get to the root of the problem, knowing that suppressing the symptoms is a temporary fix at best, and can sometimes mask deeper issues.

It’s been over a week since I started writing this article. I got sidetracked and am finally returning to put the finishing touches on the words I wrote many days ago. In that time, discomfort has decreased drastically and I’m able to move more freely. There are some movements that are still unmanageable, but there is definitely progress.

Whatever treatment you pursue for whatever ailments you may experience, I hope you’ll also make the effort to look at the bigger picture as well. These things tend to recur if the underlying conditions aren’t resolved. I hope I’ve managed to demonstrate that “underlying conditions” can mean any sort of imbalance- physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, energetic, or circumstantial.

At the very least, it will give you something to ponder while you’re resting and waiting for the body to heal.

If you’d like to learn how to use Reiki to support endeavors like this, it’s last call for my Reiki for Self-Care and Empowerment online training. We begin on March 23. Having access to healing powers at my very fingertips is what makes all this possible.

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Holistic Healing; What does that even mean?

Recently I wrote about my choice to heal a knee injury holistically. It prompted some questions…
Taking good care of ourselves can be a radical act in this day and age. Tapping into our inner wisdom, choosing to stay present with ourselves, and responding with compassion is downright revolutionary.

I’m not talking about tropical vacations, spa days, bath bombs, mani-pedis or goopy facial masks. (Unless that’s your thing.) There’s nothing wrong with pleasure-full indulgences, but that is not the heart of self-care.

What I’m talking about is committing to a daily practice of caring for yourself in only the way you can.

The simplest, safest, yummiest, and most impactful way I know how to do that (and I’ve been exploring for nearly 30 years!) is Reiki.

Anyone can learn how to do Reiki. It’s simply the art of connecting with universal life-force energy (which surrounds us all the time) and using intention and attention to direct it for well-being or any other goal that is aligned with your highest good.

It can be used to support magical and mystical studies, but in and of itself, it’s a very practical technique. There’s no need to have any woo-woo inclinations whatsoever (unless that’s your thing). The power is in the application. Meaning, when you make time to give yourself consistent Reiki treatments, over time you’ll see tremendous benefits.

It doesn’t require any special skills or pre-disposition. No fancy setup, music, crystals, oils, or herbs are necessary (unless that’s your thing).

All you need is a desire to experience something different and a willingness to take consistent action.

You’ll notice that I’ve used the word “consistent” several times. That’s because the work of healing means restoring balance in a world that is constantly promoting imbalance and integrating body, mind, and spirit in a culture that values the mind at the expense of the rest. Changing patterns against the tide requires devotion.

But it doesn’t need to be hard or even time-consuming. 10-20 minutes per day, most days of the week can contribute to amazing results. If you truly desire change, that’s a small price to pay!

I’ve created the most compact training for ordinary folks who want to participate in cultivating their own wellness, happiness, and creativity. My Reiki for Self-Care and Empowerment Class is coming up soon. It’s three 90- minute online classes. It’s the most convenient, affordable, accessible class I teach and it begins March 23, 2023.

Investment in yourself = $113.

Come and join the revolution.

Easy, Accessible, Doable Self-Care

Taking good care of ourselves can be a radical act in this day and age. Tapping…
Several years ago, I had a knee injury that I treated holistically. The chiropractor did a series of osteopathic tests and the conclusion was a torn meniscus. I documented the journey and have included the links to the full series below. After several months of a variety of natural and metaphysical treatments, I declared it good enough. The pain had ceased entirely and I had decent range of motion. It didn’t really want to bend deeply, but I came to terms with that pretty easily.

This week the pain has returned despite there being no moment of re-injury. It seems pretty clear to me that the work I’ve been doing to treat the stiffness and aching in my left hip and lower back loosened up the muscles that had been recruited to protect the knee.

Muscles in my thighs, gluts, and hips had rigidly tightened to prevent the movements that triggered knee pain. Over time, this imbalance affected other joints, causing problems elsewhere. Treating these secondary problems revealed the incomplete status of the previous healing. Not surprisingly, the hip and low back discomfort predate the knee injury, and likely stimulated the entire cycle decades ago. Just as I typed that last sentence, I recalled another knee incident, that harkens back to my days as a bicycle commuter. Oh, how easy it is to forget these things!

At each stage, healing has happened to the greatest degree it could at that time given my circumstances, resources, and abilities. As I’ve expanded my capacity to stay present with myself during uncomfortable feelings and sensations and accrued greater healing resources, I’ve now been given another opportunity to reach the next level of healing. Yay me.

Healing is not usually a linear process. Often there is no clear indication of the goal being achieved or what further steps need to be taken. I’m writing this post because I think it’s so important to understand that this is a common occurrence. There is still an imbalance that is calling out for my attention. I’ve decided to document, once again, the process I undertake and to share it for others on a similar journey. There are a lot of us!

While this seems to be a straightforward physical problem, experience has taught me that there are mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual components. I want to address all the parts of myself as their interconnectivity is not optional, even if unnoticed. For example, I do have strong feelings about experiencing pain, particularly pain that I thought had been healed. I have thoughts popping up about what I could have done differently and what my future entails. I have a distinct desire to turn away from the sensations and distract myself. These are all ingredients in my soup pot. Ignoring any of them won’t change the flavor of my soup.

So here’s the starting point. I’m allowing myself to really feel my body and what it’s saying to me. There are definitely movements that are being highly discouraged. Sitting cross-legged, particularly on the floor, is a big NO for now. I’m paying attention and complying as much as possible.

I’m not avoiding any of the accompanying thoughts, stories, projections, or emotions; neither am I feeding them. The container of my consciousness is vast enough to hold it all while still allowing the wiser parts of me to steer. I’ve come to a place of acceptance, the precursor to peace. I don’t mean resignation, the doomsday feeling that it is what it is and there’s nothing to be done. No, I simply mean accepting that this is indeed happening and there is no sense in fighting against reality.

For the most part, I haven’t often felt the need for any OTC meds because the pain generally arises only when I make certain movements. However the first night of this episode, I found myself unable to sleep despite propping my leg just right, so I took some ibuprofen. I’m not an advocate of unnecessary suffering and I also want to be able to receive the information my body provides. Somewhere in between pain and numbness is a balance.

I’m also flooding my knee, legs, and feet with Reiki. I trust that healing energy will help my body make the adjustments and repairs necessary as well as guide me to any additional interventions. I’m using my heating pad quite a lot. During the original injury, I followed the traditional guidelines and applied ice for the first 36 hours and it seemed to make the pain worse. I don’t need to repeat that lesson!

For now, that’s all I have to report. I’m sure additional therapies will come in to play and I’ll keep you posted.

Anyone else experiencing the return of symptoms from an old injury? How are you handling it?

Here are my previous posts, dating back almost exactly 5 years. It will be interesting to see how different the current treatment turns out to be.

Healer, Heal Thyself Part 1

Healer, Heal Thyself Part 2. Body-mind-spirit Healing

Healer, Heal Thyself Part 3: Yoga

Healer, Heal Thyself Part 4: Massage

Healer, Heal Thyself Part 5: Reiki

Healer, Heal Thyself Part 6: Slow Down

Healer, Heal Thyself: Balance

Healer, Heal Thyself: Listen!

Hello Old Injury and the Spiral Nature of Healing

Several years ago, I had a knee injury that I treated holistically. The chiropractor did a…
Check out this amazing 10 week meditation program my teacher is offering! I’m choosing to sit this one out as I’m already enrolled in her 8-month program which overlaps this one. She provides so much content and support that I don’t have the time for both. But I can wholeheartedly recommend Eva Beronius as a guide who is quite capable of showing you the realm beyond identification with the mind, and the freedom available to all of us who are willing to do the work.

I’ve copied and pasted the latest email from Eva below. I hope you’ll at least check it out, maybe get on her mailing list or listen to her podcast. I have no financial affiliations here, I’m just sharing the work that has shifted my trajectory dramatically. Plus there’s a significant discount available until the end of the month.

Here’s what Eva has to say.

Pamela,

9 years ago, I didn’t know how far away from feeling alive I was.

I thought what I was experiencing was living.

Because it seemed to be how most people around me were living.

I felt tired, drained of energy, and uninspired.

I experienced episodes of anxiety and panic attacks.

I had reactions in my relationships that I didn’t understand because none of them felt truly like me.

Insecurities, jealousy, and anger that I felt ashamed of after they appeared.

Reactions, patterns, and emotions that I wanted nothing to do with.

So I tried to escape.

By managing them with control and distraction.

Diving into work projects. And life projects. And working out.

I got addicted to the dopamine and the satisfaction that these projects gave my ego, and my mind would drive my body hard.

With no energy left for being, for enjoying.

Without connection to what I truly wanted or trust in myself.

And the emotional reactions would still bubble up – often stronger than ever when they managed to surface.

Do you recognize this, Pamela?

Reactions that seem scary and out of control?

Negative mind chatter that is weighing you down?

Escaping into work or distractions?

Lack of energy and no trust in life or what you want?

And even when you have started growing your awareness, changing beliefs, and have found self-awareness and healing work…

…the voices have morphed and are telling you that you:

👉 have to practice more

👉 will feel bad if you miss your morning meditation

👉 should do more journaling

👉 should be further along by now

👉 are failing when you’re having an uncomfortable emotion

👉 are failing when you’re making a judgment

And every time your mind is telling you this, or something like it, you can feel your body contract, your stress levels going up.

The impulse to fix, to do better, to work harder.

Or to pull a blanket over your head and give up.

Even though you are trying to counter with breathing and gratitude.

That old program of protection, “shoulds”, and “musts” is still there, just in a new form.

And you feel beaten down by it.

Trapped in your head.

Stuck in analyzing and trying to figure it all out.

Struggling with feeling and connecting with your emotions.

Struggling with connecting with what you want.

Are you willing to keep paying the price of identifying with your mind?

Or is this a time in your life when you feel ready to make a deeper shift in how you relate to your mind?

Often, the price of making the investment in commitment, time, energy, intent, and money to make the change, is a fraction of the investment you’re making in managing the old structure.

The investment you’re making every day into believing lies.

Today, I know that 9 years ago I was living without magic.

Disconnected from the magic inside that had been there all along.

I was identified with my thinking mind, and therefore, believing its view of the world and myself.

Today, life is still this strange, un-knowable place with pain and struggles at times…

The difference is that I truly and fully love it.

Every moment of it.

That I feel alive.

That I feel consciousness inside me and in everything around me.

That I feel what I want and navigate from there.

That I allow all experiences – especially the hurt and discomfort – to crack me further open.

I want you to experience that too.

That’s why I share what I share, in the best way I can at the moment.

So I encourage you to invest in magic.

In feeling fully alive.

In changing the relationship with your mind.

And I celebrate however you make that investment.

If you want to do it with me, join me in Beyond the Mind.

The 10-week online journey into consciousness, with simple weekly practices that, when followed, will make the shifts for you.

You need about an hour per week + 15 minutes most days + 1 minute of playful awareness here and there.

The doors are open now – with a 30% discount until March 1.

=> Join Beyond the Mind with the limited-time discount

You move through the practices in your own time, and the monthly live sessions will keep going, so you could get it now at the discounted rate and start working through the course content whenever it suits you.

Wishing you the experience of YOU,

Eva

Want to Change Your Story Around Suffering?

Check out this amazing 10 week meditation program my teacher is offering! I’m choosing to sit…
For the past few months, I’ve been making videos about how I approach common maladies with holistic and energetic techniques. Life gives me consistent material and I simply record what I’m doing for myself. There are a number of very simple tools that can be used for a wide variety of challenges.

Awareness

Compassion

Slowing down

Reducing unnecessary stimulation

Breath

Sound

Movement

And my all-time favorite, Reiki

If you experience overwhelm, you can get relief in just a few minutes. Better yet, you can minimize overwhelm’s frequency, duration, and intensity by aligning your behavior with your values and vision and regulating the nervous system.

The most effective and affordable approach I know it to learn how to give yourself Reiki treatments. If the do-it-yourself suggestion triggers even more overwhelm, consider booking a session. Relief is just a few clicks away.

Work with Me

Feeling Overwhelmed? I am, and here’s how I’m working with it.

For the past few months, I’ve been making videos about how I approach common maladies with…
ohmygosh! I just found this article buried in my files. I wrote it four or five years ago while serving on the Health and Wellness Committee at my local food co-op. I have since learned that my personality is not a good match for committee work, but still the words I wrote then ring true today.

Cultivating Wellness

Just as we all have our own gifts to share with the world, we each have a unique recipe for cultivating our own wellness. There are countless paths to choose from. While it may seem like an impossible feat, every action taken towards wellness brings us closer to our goal. If we are willing to pay attention, our bodies make requests for the nutrition, movement, rest, connection, and pleasure they require. Sometimes these requests arrive as symptoms informing us of having lost our way.

As an adolescent, I suffered from low back pain that ranged from uncomfortable to debilitating. It interfered on a daily basis with my activities, and looking back it was one of the best things that ever happened to me! It may sound absurd, but this seeming tragedy changed the trajectory of my life in a dramatic way that led to tremendous growth. When western medicine was unable to help me, I sought out alternatives. I began to understand that wellness was something that I could cultivate with my behavior and thoughts.

Understanding health as more than just the absence of major disease, I began to explore techniques that would improve my comfort and vitality. I discovered the joys of yoga, affirmations, and meditation. I soon realized that spending an hour in the morning practicing self-care set me up for feeling centered and energized throughout the day. I became interested in nutrition, the concept of food as medicine, and an anti-inflammatory diet. I enjoyed so many benefits from receiving bodywork that I went on to study massage and Reiki.

I’ve noticed that choosing activities which bring me joy are easily incorporated into my daily routine. Those that I think I should do but dread have no staying power. I’ve experimented with a wide variety of wellness therapies over the past two decades and have learned that will power is limited, but devotion to fun, harmony, balance, freedom, and vitality comes easily. Just as symptoms alert us when we have strayed from our wellness path, joy points us in the right direction.

Over time my back pain dissipated and now occurs as a message from my body that something is out of balance. When I feel that first twinge of discomfort, I’ve learned to slow down and check in with my thoughts, words, and actions. Where am I not honoring myself, my values, my health, or my intentions? How can I take better care of myself? Rather than ignoring or suppressing this valuable clue, I investigate it as an effect pointing me toward an unhealthy cause.

Remember the Chinese proverb, “A thousand mile journey begins with just one step.” Why not begin today?

Cultivating Wellness

ohmygosh! I just found this article buried in my files. I wrote it four or five…