A Balanced Approach to Wellness!

Posts tagged ‘Balance’

Connecting with nature

Post 95 nature-1

  • Is going to the mall satisfying for the soul? No, not even to people who love shopping (even if they think so).
  • Is playing game apps or watching viral videos satisfying for the soul? No, not even if the viral video is about a wonderful person.
  • Is sitting at a restaurant satisfying for the soul? It can be, if you are sitting with people who are enriching, but the atmosphere at any restaurant is not enriching for the soul.

Connecting with nature is satisfying for the soul. It just is, because we were designed to be part of nature. Along the way, we lost the importance of our place in nature and we need to get it back. In general, our lives have become very cut off from nature, especially for those who live in large cities or spend too much time in cars or public transportation. There are people who work at staying connected, but they are not the majority.

Post 95-nature 3

How to reconnect with nature

  • Plan regular hikes and actually go on the hikes. The hikes don’t have to be long, but they should be in green spaces.
  • Visit parks and nature areas.
  • Visit humane zoos and petting zoos. Contact with animals is an important part of connecting with nature.
  • Shop at farmers’ markets and find farms that have fruit picking. And go pick fruit!
  • Add more plants and potted flowers inside your home.
  • Visit places with water: beaches, lakes, rivers, and springs.
  • Visit botanical gardens.

Try being more connected to nature and see how entertaining it can be. And at the same time, your soul with be nourished and you will become more balanced.

Post 95-nature 2

Category:

Flora and fauna

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Balancing the balancing—the intertwined design of life

“The design of the body is just exact and nearly as beautiful as the most beautiful object. Being brilliantly designed and executed, the body accompanies its inhabitant throughout the body’s existence. Beautiful in motion, in repose, in its beginning and in its ending, ….”  from the chapter “Connection of the Four Components of Health” in Pond a Connected Existence.

“Being brilliantly designed and executed” is the description of the human body. This description refers not only to the physical component of the body, but also to the nonphysical components—the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual components. The body is a complex interconnected creation that demands balance of all the components to be truly itself. Balance is the key to life as designed.

What does it mean to live in balance?

Achieving balance is important to living well. Living well does not mean being prosperous or famous. Living well means living with purpose and with vitality, with awareness of the rhythms of the world, and with connections. Connections to other people, to the environment, to other creatures, to spiritual presence, and to oneself.

Knowing how to live within the constraints of the human body while enabling it to thrive permits the growth and development of a balanced being. Knowing how to give and take love, kindness, and support permits the widening of the emotions and the strengthening of the body. Knowing how to take interest in the world around and in its inhabitants permits the development of the intellect, the development of the emotions, and the versatility of the body. Knowing how to open to spiritual presence enables the relaxing of the spirit, which then relaxes the intellect, emotions, and body. Spirit—mind—emotions—body; all connected, all the time.

What is the first step towards balance?

The first step to bringing balance to the whole composition that is a person is to accept the intertwined design of life. It is important to understand that each decision, each movement, and each interaction affects the connected body in each of the components. By living as a connected human being—connected to oneself and to one’s interconnected composition and connected to all that is around (the environment, other people, the many creatures), a person can thrive and shine in a life well lived.

What is the second step towards balance?

The second step to bringing balance is to create realistic goals that achieve purposeful living. Here are three examples of steps to purposeful living:

  1. Creating warm and lasting relationships with family members and chosen friends balance all four components of health. This balancing goal can be achieved by scheduling time for visits with, calls to, and fun adventures with family and friends.
  2. Avoiding intentional damage to the environment balances the components of health. Thinking of ways to individually create less havoc in the world—less use of disposables, less reliance on animal products, etc.—balances the intellectual and emotional components of health. Following through and doing these things balances all four components of health.
  3. Avoiding intentional damage to our own selves balances the components of health. This step is not easy, but is necessary for balancing. Examining one’s lifestyle, choices, and activities balances the intellectual and emotional components of health. Following through and making changes balances all four components of health.

A simple way to bring balance

One way to balance yourself is to feel the weather. Rather than rush out of the rain, walk in it and feel the raindrops. Rather than avoid the cold weather, dress appropriately but let yourself shiver and notice your body’s shivering. During the hot months, let your body feel the heat and let it sweat.

Conclusion

By taking steps to connect with ourselves and with our situation (our surroundings, our society, and our ability to bring change), we can create meaningful and well-lived lives!

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Focused living

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Generalizations about Good Health

Breathe

The importance of eating well, exercising, and sleeping enough are well known. Here are reminders about steps towards good health.

  • Sitting at a table while eating improves digestion. Eating while cooking, while moving, and when driving do not.
  • Each person determines the amount of water that is right for him or her. Time of day and season influence. So do age and stress.
    • Everyone should drink water when they arise.
    • Young people need more water than old people.
    • Seasonal considerations for drinking water: shorter daylight (in winter months) requires less water than longer daylight (in summer months).
    • Warm water is better than cold water when the body is tired. It is also better when the immune system is stressed physically or emotionally.
    • General guidelines for water consumption can be considered when determining amounts of water to drink, but the variables listed here should also be considered.
  • By breathing deeply, the body handles emotional changes better. Whenever emotional turmoil occurs, deep breathing and water can help regulate the turmoil.
  • The requirements for movement depend on food consumption, personality, attention capabilities, and seasons.
    • Eating the amount of food the body needs fuels the appropriate amount of exercise based on the three other variables.
    • More movement is required by people who are high energy personalities.
    • The environments in which focus is required add or subtract from movement needs: focus during physical work uses extended expenditures of movement; focus during sedentary work pressures muscles and elimination processes to accelerate reminders to use them.
    • Variations in temperature influence the body’s push towards movement.
  • Activity in the body during sleep is different from activity during awake time. Both types of activity are equally important, just different. Sleep should be scheduled and should be evaluated for appropriateness to age, habitat, and season.

One step at a time–a step towards proper nutrition, a step towards proper sleep, and towards proper breathing–step by step leading to good health and satisfaction!

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Well-being

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SHOUT the Wonder! Energy Guidance Connects to Truth!

infantTruth and soulful existence are intertwined possibilities. Creating a life that expresses soulfulness reveals truth that is real for each person.

Soulful existence is often lost as people are shaped by society. People lose the ability to know their own truth.

Energy Guidance Complete delivers wisdom for each person’s truth and soulful existence. Energy Guidance Complete is guidelines to oneself.

To return to one’s intended soulful self requires effort. There is no magical shortcut.

Energy Guidance reaches each person through communication between Renee and Spirit. Renee receives instruction for each person in the way he or she can achieve balance and true direction.

Physical constraints influence the steps towards balance, as do illnesses and past traumas. Determination to achieve goals and live a life that satisfies brings results with each step followed and each message heeded.

Connecting to Energy Guidance opens the way to healing, reality, and soulful existence. Energy Guidance connects to the Truth!

Energy Guidance has helped many issues and troubles. Here is a list of some of them: https://energy-guidance-complete.com/egc-sessions/

Shout the wonder!shout

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Focused living

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“The main thing to remember is that each life has potential,…

…and each potential bring opportunity for elevation.”

Leaves--Journey

In The Gift for Intuitive, Dedicated Comfort, the journey of life is explored.

“The path one chooses is actually many paths; each path leading into a wider and longer path. The ability to try is the key to creating a valuable life. Valuable here means creatively challenged, joyful, balanced in terms of self vs. community, and accepting of the vagrancies of nature and life events. So many tributaries feed into the river that forms and sculpts our lives. Each chance meeting; each struggle to learn something new, to hone existing skills, to push beyond; each encounter with nature; each encounter with nature’s creatures; each exchange—verbal, physical, or with divine understanding; each decision, non-decision, decision result. All these parts combine, repel, stack, and group to shape, mold, and create the people that we are.”

“…each encounter with nature, each encounter with nature’s creatures…”  Many of us tend to trivialize the importance of our encounters with the environment and with other living creatures.  “The connection to flora and fauna significantly 1) broadens and heightens understanding of cycles and fluctuations; 2) develops appreciative and inquisitive capabilities; and 3) causes people to examine and work with vegetation that aid human life and animals that enhance human existence.” from Oneself-Living.

The photo above is my attempt at nature art. As the wind blew my collected leaves around, I thought about the need to relax expectations (I had collected 1000 leaves). The leaves were interesting to work with: varying colors, sizes, and shapes; easy to work with until the wind whipped them up; and versatile in their ability to form lines, corners, and curves.

The more we encounter nature, the more we understand ourselves.

These books are available on amazon.com: Book1 Cover-Oneself-Living

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Flora and fauna

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Overcoming Yourself

balance

The biggest obstacle facing each of us is overcoming ourselves.

Yes the environment in which we live influences our choices, but our main obstacle is the internal environment of destructive dialog with ourselves. Certainly the effects of childhood traumas lead to misdirected internal dialog. Choices we make afterwards, even though related to those traumas, are still our choices. The old messages cannot be blamed for all that is wrong later on.

Hurt from relationships that were difficult can influence unconnected relationships, but again, the choice is there to bring in the hurt or accept that the hurt does not have to destroy the other relationships. The internal dialog about relationships can stew in the hurt and disappointment or can move on to excitement and appreciation.

Overcoming self-imposed misery is the most important step in achieving satisfaction. External events cannot bring satisfaction if the internal dialog rejects it. Other people cannot provide happiness when the internal messages prevent it.

The key to overcoming destructive internal dialog is to listen to internal directives instead:

  • Quiet urging to explore interests that have been ignored should be heeded. The quiet urging tells you in a hushed voice that is your connection to yourself and to your essence. The quiet urging presents wisdom within.
  • Incessant thoughts about philanthropy are natural reminders of your humanness. These thoughts can be about family members, friends, or social acquaintances. All people naturally consider the welfare of those around them. These thoughts propel acts of kindness and belonging.
  • Strong messages of Intuitive knowledge advise about actions to take and choices to make. Intuitive knowledge advises about split-second decisions, choice hierarchy (knowing the choice that fits your needs and temperament), and uncomfortable situations. Intuitive messages offer contrast to destructive internal dialog.
  • Bodily cues dispute destructive internal dialog by presenting the body’s needs in tangible feelings of hunger, thirst, restlessness, and shutdown. The cues prevent immersion in despair, unless the body is too weak or overtaken by invasive substances (too much legal or illegal drugs).

In the poem “!!Me!!” from Connection—A Collection of Wisdom Poetry, the following words describe aspects of the destructive internal dialog:

The part that sees the needs of others
and holds back.

The part that sees the needs of me
and holds back.

The part that craves love
and then becomes afraid
when love is received.

Overcoming self-inflicted pain is the most important step towards living a life that is true and fulfilling. Shutting off the destructive internal dialog and amping up the internal directives can bring real satisfaction in life.

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Focused living

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Important tests for health

Post 80-Attention

For optimal health, the following health maintainers should be monitored:

  1. Consumption of nutritious and satisfying foods. (Focusing on foods that are bereft of nutritional value or are lacking in the aspects that naturally gratify [for example, fat-free foods] undermine physical, emotional, and intellectual health.)
  2. Interactions with other people. (Too little interaction undermines emotional and spiritual health.)
  3. Participation in physical activities that bring joy and challenge. (Participation in physical activities that are not enjoyed undermines emotional and spiritual health.) Daily physical activity is necessary to keep the bones, muscles, and flows working properly.
  4. Rhythmic breathing that is varied and appropriate for the body’s activities.
  5. Sensitivity to environmental concerns. (Disregard for plant life, water sources, and conditions for animal rearing undermines the grounding of the world and damages physical and intellectual health.)
  6. Appreciation for life’s gifts.
  7. Attention to self-needs. (Ignoring one’s needs damages all the aspects of balanced health. This area does not mean self-centeredness. It means self-support.)
  8. Sufficient and satisfying sleep.

Each of these health maintainers is vital for well-being and balance. Focusing on a few of them is not enough.

“A good life is one in which a person knows that he or she has affected, uplifted, and connected.” from the book “Vitality!”.

http://amzn.com/1499599196

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Focused living

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Expanding Roots

Post 14-environment

People were meant to root like plants, to stay attached to the area in which they were born and attached to the people living around them. People are adjustable, though, and when events happen to uproot them they can adapt to new environments and different ways of functioning.

How do these facts relate to the modern world of less attachment to one place and movement from place to place?

Rootedness is an internal, deep characteristic that can’t be ignored. Rootedness is a mechanism for developing physically and emotionally. Rootedness contributes to feelings of security and the ability to identify expressions, such as expressions of concern and disdain. When a person feels rooted, the displays of personal responsibility are more frequent.

How to increase development of rootedness

  • If you live in an area that is very different from where you lived as a child, aim to create a network of support that provides emotional support and intellectual stimulation.
  • If you live in an area that is similar to where you grew up, aim to create a network of support that challenges you to be involved and influential.
  • If you live in an area that you dislike, create a “What I like about this place” tour and aim to find positive aspects of your location.
  • If you move from place to place, aim to develop relationships at local businesses, religious institutions, and organizations that are similar to ones you were active in in the past or do work that appeals to you. At each place, strive to build friendships, even if they are temporary.
  • If you live where you grew up, take part in the running of the city/town/community. Allow new residents into your network of support.

Personal responsibility through rootedness

When a person feels a sense of responsibility towards a place, natural desire to take part in its care usually occurs. People who are connected to their community tend to involve themselves in communal betterment and social networks. These connections contribute to well-being and health. When a person feels rooted, personal actions take on larger significance and personal contributions to the community are felt. Involvement in outside-of-one’s-own interests brings satisfaction that contributes to balance—balance of the person and balance in the community. Feelings of attachment to a place, whether through birth or through choice, brings gifts that are not often realized.

Wherever we live, we do good for ourselves when we send out roots.

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Connections

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Rebalance

balance

Once upon a time, we were balanced. That moment occurred when we were born, and it continued to occur when our caretakers cared for us in loving and attentive ways. Balance continued when our caregivers saw our individual nature and nourished our individuality. Balance continued to occur when we grew and people in our community accepted us for who we are. We developed our skills and our talents and we each found our way to develop our influence in the community. We built relationships that were loving and giving and we followed our path until the path stopped. Our influence on the people around us was large, because we were balanced and accepting of ourselves and all around us. We were balanced and stayed balanced throughout our lifetime.

A fairy tale? Balance throughout our lifetime?

Staying balanced is key to living a life that is fulfilling and vibrant. Even if our childhoods were not balanced and even if we did not develop our skills and talents to their potential, we can return to a balanced state by focusing on positive aspects of ourselves and caring for ourselves in a loving and attentive way. Rebalance is possible when we truly want it.

Rebalance occurs when we care for our bodies properly with adequate sleep, proper nutrition, consistent care for the eyes (not too much screen time), and enough exercise. Physical care is not enough for rebalance to occur. We must also balance our emotions through releasing negativity (see https://energy-guidance-complete.com/2014/09/30/enough-drawers/) and connecting to others (see https://energy-guidance-complete.com/2013/10/08/connections-are-the-means/).

Rebalance requires deep and relaxing breathing. Rebalance requires regular connection to nature. Rebalance requires seeing oneself through kind and accepting eyes.

Rebalance is possible. It is not a fairy tale.

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Perfection--not!

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Illness and its consequences

illness

Illness is end result of improper or incorrect care. Illness reflects prior actions and illnesses. Emotional responses and imbalance can also trigger illness.

The main contributors to ill health are discussed in an earlier post: https://energy-guidance-complete.com/2014/06/05/the-forty-contributors-to-ill-health-and-to-possible/ These contributors also contribute to the various illnesses that strike. For example, sleep deprivation and dehydration can lead to general ill health and to succumbing to a virus.

The body has defenses to protect against invading germs, but if these defenses are troubled by internal weaknesses or disruptions, then the germs can overcome the defenses. Balanced health is required to keep the germs at bay.

When the body is chronically weak and disrupted, illness can cause life-changing consequences, as happened to an acquaintance. He is now in a facility that handles people who are well enough to not be in a hospital, but are too far gone to be at home. He was an active and innovative community member who overlooked his own physical needs. He slept too little. He ate too little, and when he ate, he often ate foods that did not nourish. He forgot to drink water regularly and he forgot to wear warm clothing when it was cold. He was emotionally inundated with other people’s problems and he would forget to address his own emotional hurts. He was spiritually searching, but not spiritually open to personal spiritual connection. His health was overlooked, and illness was seen as a nuisance. He became ill a few years ago, ignored the illness, became ill a few more times, took various medications (but not better care of himself), and  his body eventually “turned” on him. His decline was all-encompassing affecting his physical, emotional, and intellectual health. Doctors were consulted; medications were administered (with some success, but with too many side effects); workload was lessened; people were avoided. His chronically ill-cared-for body could not overcome the onslaught of germs, worry, medications, more worry, and more germs.

This post is a reminder to take care of yourself and to treasure the body that houses your soul.

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Health afflictions

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Balancing the balancing—the intertwined design of life

balance

(taken from my article of the same name on Healing.Answers.com )

“The design of the body is just exact and nearly as beautiful as the most beautiful object. Being brilliantly designed and executed, the body accompanies its inhabitant throughout the body’s existence. Beautiful in motion, in repose, in its beginning and in its ending, ….”  from the chapter “Connection of the Four Components of Health” in Pond a Connected Existence.

“Being brilliantly designed and executed” is the description of the human body. This description refers not only to the physical component of the body, but also to the nonphysical components—the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual components. The body is a complex interconnected creation that demands balance of all the components to be truly itself. Balance is the key to life as designed.

What does it mean to live in balance?

Achieving balance is important to living well. Living well does not mean being prosperous or famous. Living well means living with purpose and with vitality, with awareness of the rhythms of the world, and with connections. Connections to other people, to the environment, to other creatures, to spiritual presence, and to oneself.

Knowing how to live within the constraints of the human body while enabling it to thrive permits the growth and development of a balanced being. Knowing how to give and take love, kindness, and support permits the widening of the emotions and the strengthening of the body. Knowing how to take interest in the world around and in its inhabitants permits the development of the intellect, the development of the emotions, and the versatility of the body. Knowing how to open to spiritual presence enables the relaxing of the spirit, which then relaxes the intellect, emotions, and body. Spirit—mind—emotions—body; all connected, all the time.

What is the first step towards balance?

The first step to bringing balance to the whole composition that is a person is to accept the intertwined design of life. It is important to understand that each decision, each movement, and each interaction affects the connected body in each of the components. By living as a connected human being—connected to oneself and to one’s interconnected composition and connected to all that is around (the environment, other people, the many creatures), a person can thrive and shine in a life well lived.

What is the second step towards balance?

The second step to bringing balance is to create realistic goals that achieve purposeful living. Here are three examples of steps to purposeful living:

  1. Creating warm and lasting relationships with family members and chosen friends balance all four components of health. This balancing goal can be achieved by scheduling time for visits with, calls to, and fun adventures with family and friends.
  2. Avoiding intentional damage to the environment balances the components of health. Thinking of ways to individually create less havoc in the world—less use of disposables, less reliance on animal products, etc.—balances the intellectual and emotional components of health. Following through and doing these things balances all four components of health.
  3. Avoiding intentional damage to our own selves balances the components of health. This step is not easy, but is necessary for balancing. Examining one’s lifestyle, choices, and activities balances the intellectual and emotional components of health. Following through and making changes balances all four components of health.

A simple way to bring balance

One way to balance yourself is to feel the weather. Rather than rush out of the rain, walk in it and feel the raindrops. Rather than avoid the cold weather, dress appropriately but let yourself shiver and notice your body’s shivering. During the hot months, let your body feel the heat and let it sweat.

Conclusion

By taking steps to connect with ourselves and with our situation (our surroundings, our society, and our ability to bring change), we can create meaningful and well-lived lives!

Category:

Focused living

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The basic tests for maintaining health, Test #3

treble_staff

The post “Monitoring Health” (https://energy-guidance-complete.com/2014/08/24/monitoring-health/) brings awareness of the tests that should be performed in order to evaluate health.

Here is Test #3.

Test #3: Attention to self-needs

Ignoring one’s needs damages all the aspects of balanced health (physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual). This area does not mean self-centeredness. It means self-support.

When we fly, we are told to put on our oxygen mask before we put the mask on any dependent that is traveling with us. First we take care of ourselves so that we can help others. The same applies to our well-being. We must take care of ourselves so that we can help others.

Here are the questions for the basic test:

  1. Sleep: I schedule the appropriate amount of time for sleep each day. Yes/No
    (for people with young children, this can mean sleeping when they are napping)
  2. Relationships: I schedule time to be with people who are special to me. Yes/No
  3. Nutrition: I eat foods that satisfy my hunger for nutrition (eating to satisfy emotional issues is a No) Yes/No
  4. Movement: I schedule time for moving my body—exercise, dancing, walking, swimming, biking, team sport, etc. Yes/No

There are additional questions; however, these four are a good beginning. Consider your answers and then consider the meaning of each question.

Being sensitive to your needs is good for your health!

Hearts

 

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Well-being

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Monitoring health

treble_staff

People monitor their cholesterol levels, their blood pressure, their iron level, their blood sugar level, and their BMI. They monitor other physical issues based on family history, age, sex, race, and individual health concerns.

People are focusing on the wrong health issues. Here are the areas that people should monitor for optimal health (the order is not important):

  • Interactions with other people. (Too little interaction undermines emotional and spiritual health.)
  • Rhythmic breathing that is varied and appropriate for the body’s activities.
  • Consumption of nutritious and satisfying foods. (Focusing on foods that are bereft of nutritional value or are lacking in the aspects that naturally gratify [for example, fat-free foods] undermine physical, emotional, and intellectual health.)
  • Participation in physical activities that bring joy and challenge. (Participation in physical activities that are not enjoyed undermines emotional and spiritual health.)
  • Attention to self-needs. (Ignoring one’s needs damages all the aspects of balanced health. This area does not mean self-centeredness. It means self-support.)
  • Sensitivity to environmental concerns. (Disregard for plant life, water sources, and conditions for animal rearing undermines the grounding of the world and damages physical and intellectual health.)
  • Full engagement in life—filling life with attention to the possibilities and gifts available to grasp.

The tests and chases after physical symptoms are easier to do, but are not the real issues that should be followed. The real issues that should be monitored and cared for are the focuses of true living.

Category:

Breathing, Well-being

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To continue or not

Continue living

When faced with disasters, whether or not they actually affect people, some are unsure how to function. Continue living as before? Stop regular activities and focus on the disaster?

The confusion that surrounds clear thinking during these times is typical, but moving beyond the confusion is important. Real and possible disasters cause people to function tentatively, but tentative functioning is off-wards. Tentative functioning moves towards impaired decision making and time spent incorrectly. From Oneself—Living:

“In life, there are many things to fear! Accidents can happen, animals can attack, people can go crazy. Things can fall or break or burn or tear. Bridges can collapse, boats can capsize, cars can collide. Germs spread, viruses multiply, bacteria proliferate, fungi grow. Schedules change, priorities shift, deadlines get pushed forward. Friends need help, coworkers need support, pets need tending. Mirrors break, windows break, dishes break. Food (which is normally nutritious and good for consumption) causes choking, water (which is usually life-sustaining) carries water-borne diseases. War, pestilence, famine, and death. Many things to fear, many things to cause anxiety, many things to trigger unhappiness.

Being fearful is a result of experiencing, or anticipation of experiencing, events that cause pain or difficulty. Being fearful is a result of internal and external pressure. Being fearful is unique to each individual….”

What to do

  1. Breathe deeply, consider the positive aspects of life, and continue.
  2. Eat nutritious foods so that your mind is nourished properly, and continue.
  3. Sing, play an instrument, paint, move (dance, run, etc.), build something, and let yourself be focused on your creative endeavors.

Continue doing what?

Continue to function, make music, create, move, and connect. Continue to feel. Continue to bond with family and others and continue to care for the future.

If you can participate in disaster relief or prevention, then participate. Participate in living. Participate in participation!

Category:

Healing

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Balanced thinking—a personal calibration

imbalanced thinkingPhysical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual balance: the guarantee for balanced thinking.

When a person is out of kilter in any of the four components of health (physicality, emotions, intellect, and spiritual component), the imbalance can cause thinking that is faulty and narrow. Just one component being off is enough to skew thinking that is broad and wise.

What can cause imbalanced thinking?

The list is long:

Too little sleep, too much sugar, too little intellectual stimulation, too much distraction, too little striving for understanding, too much emphasis on superficiality, too little movement, too much expectation, too little awareness of oneself, too much distancing, too little deep breathing, too much indulgence, too little willpower, and too much procrastination, (The list is not complete, but it is enough.) Too much of some things and too little of others. Not enough balance.

Letting others decide for us is imbalanced living. Choosing the choices and path of someone else is imbalanced choosing. Watching others be hurt and not defending them is imbalanced behavior.

Screen bean-power

What can balance thinking?

  1. Caring for the body with nourishing foods, intellectual stimulation, movement, music, adequate sleep, and proper hydration.
  2. Caring for the feelings of emotional wellbeing: spending time with others, spending time in nature, spending time with animals, and spending time alone doing nourishing activities.
  3. Caring for the intellect through intellectual stimulation (notice that this requirement appears twice).
  4. Engaging in spiritually uplifting activities, alone and in a group.

A personal calibration

Post 7-bracelet

I, _______________________ (fill in name), am ready for balanced thinking. I recognize that life is not meant to be challenge-free and so I vow to bring balance to my life so that I can live broadly and wisely. I am ready to care for my body, my emotional wellbeing, my intellect, and my spiritual connection. I know that I can change the habits that prevent me from living as I should, which is my true self. I am realistic and know that I can make the changes necessary. I can balance!

_______________________________

(signature)

Category:

Healing

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Live abundantly. How? Desire less!

 

Post 123-live abundantly

The way to abundant living is through self-elevating more and complaining less. Complaining raises expectations; self-elevating raises satisfaction.

What does self-elevation mean? Raising oneself by being aware of one’s own abilities and strengths, knowing how to be focused, and knowing how to be appreciative.

Self-elevation requires three things:

  • Living according to intuition and understanding of oneself
  • Being aware of self-imposed stumbling blocks and purposefully removing them
  • Connecting to less

How do I live as I truly am?

You can create a life that is authentic to who you are by noticing how you feel when you do things that un-happy you. Not that you must be happy all the time. That’s not it—at all!

A person can be doing very difficult work, but the work doesn’t cause unhappiness. Only if the work goes against one’s values or against the good of one’s neighbors/community does the work cause unhappiness.

You live an un-unhappy life by cultivating awareness of others’ needs and understanding how their needs and yours are similar. You live an un-unhappy life by cultivating health and healthful living. You live an un-unhappy life by driving yourself to do the things that make you swell with pride and fulfillment.

How can I be aware of my self-imposed stumbling blocks

You build stumbling blocks throughout your life when you internalize negative thoughts from yourself and others. Removing them requires that you realize you are holding yourself back, that you plan action to do the things that are important to you, and that you follow through. Not easy, but doable.

How can I be satisfied with less?

Living with less is key to living abundantly. When you have less stuff, the stuff has more value. This statement does not mean that you have to sell your home and move into a mini-house. It means you can have stuff, but that you minimize it to the stuff you need and that you care for. Collections are fine—even broadening, but not everything needs to be collected and overdone.

When you see something you want to buy, consider whether or not you need it and whether or not is causes you to feel vitalized. These questions can apply to buying almost everything including food, clothes, and electronic equipment. The less you need, the more you appreciate.

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Elevation

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Traveling on airplanes—tips and explanations

Post 114 airplane travel

In my last post “Airplane interactions”, imbalance problems caused by airplane travel are presented. In today’s post, I am presenting tips for lessening the damage and issues to think about. Some of the tips should be familiar to you if you have previously researched this topic.

Preparations before a flight

Food

  • If you eat fried foods as part of your regular diet, be sure not to eat anything fried for the two days preceding the flight and don’t eat fried food on the day of the flight.
  • If you eat sugared foods at most of your meals and in your snacks (foods containing sugar or foods that you add sugar to) and you will be traveling for more than five hours (travel to the airport + processing and wait at the airport + flight + and travel to destination), on the day of your flight eat half the amount of sugared foods.
    If you eat sugared foods about twice a day and you will be traveling for more than nine hours, start limiting your sugar intake to once a day for two days before the flight. On the day of the flight, try not to eat any sugared foods.
  • If you eat well—balanced meals and controlled portions, but you sometimes binge or eat large portions of fried or sugared foods, take nutritious foods with you on the plane to help you resist snacking on the fare provided by the airline.

Hydration

  • If you drink more than two cups of coffee daily and you will be traveling for more than seven hours, start limiting your coffee intake to one cup a day for four days before the flight. If your flight departs early in the morning, wait to drink your cup of coffee on the plane. If your flight departs in the afternoon, drink your cup of coffee at the normal time you drink the first cup. If your flight departs at night, drink your cup of coffee 1 ½ hours before landing. The next day you can resume your regular coffee drinking habit unless you will be flying again within three days, in which case, you should limit to one cup of coffee a day until your next flight.
  • Drink water, and no other drinks, for 12 hours before the flight. This tip applies even to short flights. If you regularly drink coffee or caffeinated tea, limit them to one cup during the 12 hours before the flight.
  • Avoid carbonated beverages for 24 hours before your flight.

Information intake

  • Because of stress that usually accompanies flying, try to avoid reading or watching disturbing information for at least 24 hours before your flight.
  • Even if you have work to do on the flight, bring light reading or entertainment that you can turn to if you feel too stressed during the flight.

Preparations optional

These tips lead to well-being when flying.

  • The following supplements can be helpful if you already take them: Vitamin C, elderberry, and zinc. A small dose of these supplements six hours before a flight can boost your immune system.
  • Exercise before a flight is helpful as long as the exercise is not overdone.

Well-being on the flight

  • If your flight is longer than ½ hour and less than three hours, stand up and move a bit once every ½ hour.
  • If your flight is longer than three hours, your need for movement is much greater; however, if you sleep during the flight, then your need for movement is reduced. Aim to walk and stretch for several minutes between sleeps, movies, meals, etc. The more walking and stretching, the better.
  • Talk to the person sitting next to you, even if you have work to do. The connection on a plane is important for well-being.
  • Airplane food can be nutritious if you eat the nutritious offerings. Try to avoid the processed foods. Bring nutritious snacks with you.
  • If you drink only water on the flight, your body will be very appreciative. Avoid the carbonated beverages and sweetened juices. Limit alcoholic beverages to one.
  • Smile at the flight attendants and feel compassion for them. Their work is harder than it seems.

Layovers in airports

  • If your layover is longer than two hours, make sure to walk around to loosen your muscles and stretch your spine.
  • Avoid eating fried and sugared foods.

After the flight

  • Immediately after the flight, drink a cup of water.
  • Wait a day before resuming eating the foods discussed above, unless you have another flight within three days, in which case, wait until the day after the second flight.
  • Walk for at least 15 minutes to release tension in your body.

Category:

Airplane travel

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Airplane interactions

Post 114-aiplane window

I just spent 14 hours on a plane. Plenty of time for reflection on airplane interactions.

The environment on an enclosed and unnatural airplane is interesting. It is exclusionary because it excludes those who cannot afford the entry price. It is dictatorial because all who enter know they must follow the rules set by the airline and the various ruling bodies that set guidelines for airplane behavior. It is grueling for the attendants because of the fragile state of many of the passengers.

Stress

Airplane travel is stressful. Stressful for all who cross the passenger entryway.

Parents of young children are stressed because they worry that the other passengers will be annoyed by their children, they worry about the state of their children during the flight, they worry about what awaits them on the other side of the flight (visit to relatives, return to home, move to new destination, etc.), and they worry about regular worries (finances, health, etc.).

Business travelers are stressed because of deadlines, expectations from the employer and from family members (if they live with family) or other close people, worry, tiredness, and so on.

Vacationers are stressed from the preparations before, anticipation of what’s to come, and other personal concerns.

People with major health concerns (real and imaginary) are stressed from thoughts of what could happen to them during the flight.

People who fear flying are stressed on top of normal stress.

Lack of movement

“People are meant to move—at all ages, no matter the occupation, no matter the location. Restricting movement is a mistake.” … from Pond a Connected Existence.

If a flight is longer than 30 minutes, then people are not moving enough. The longer the flight, the more the suffering from lack of movement.

Sleep confusion

The body requires a certain amount of sleep, and airplane travel can significantly disturb this requirement. If time zones are crossed, the body doesn’t know how to process the time differences. Flights that depart during sleeping hours confuse the body and guarantee irregular sleep.

Choices presented

Traveling on an airplane presents many choices that can cause imbalance. Sitting by a person who is unlike oneself can be unsettling. Eating food that is not usually consumed can cause digestive issues. Sitting still when the body calls to walk around is a mistaken choice (except when the fasten seatbelt sign is on).  Going onto the plane with negative emotions can lead to disruptive behavior during the flight, digestive upset, and unbecoming behavior towards other passengers. Rudeness towards other passengers is a choice that can lead to discomfort physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Electronic device undutifully influencing

Before electronic devices were so proliferated, passengers had more interaction with one another. Parents were forced to provide entertainment to their children (with help from some airlines). Passengers were forced to take breaks from work, notice others, and think. The electronic devices add some positive aspects, but they mostly distract from connection to others.

The connections that are created on flights may seem irrelevant, but they are not. Short encounters are often enriching and intellectually stimulating in ways that electronically delivered information is not. Yes Wikipedia is intellectually filling, but it is not enriching in the way that connecting with a plane-ride companion is. Being forced to encounter others of different backgrounds and experiences in a shared environment of stress, imbalanced choice possibilities, and regulations develops people in ways that are enlarging and without possibility in normal living.

How to remain balanced when flying

Tips for maintaining balance, even when the flight was started from a state of imbalance, will be presented in the next blog post.

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Airplane travel

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Clarification about the previous post: Unreleased energy leads to laziness

Post 110 clarification about 109-unreleased energy

A friend of mine read the previous post and took issue with how judgmental the tone was about people who are “lazy”.

My friend is one of the least lazy people I know, but sometimes she doesn’t have the energy to train for a 10k run that she thinks she should do. The reasons she doesn’t have the energy to train are far from laziness. She doesn’t train for three reasons: 1) Her life is so full with work, family, volunteering in her community, and volunteering outside her immediate community that she isn’t as focused on the run as she would like to be. 2) Her expectations of herself are too unrealistic. 3) She has more compassion for others than she does for herself.

The last post wasn’t about laziness; it was about unreleased energy. Laziness is a byproduct of unreleased energy. People need to release energy. Not releasing energy leads to many negative and unbalancing effects: physical pains, emotional turmoil, depression, turning inward, turning away from others, frustration, laziness, and self-dislike. Taking breaks from work and physical activity is normal rejuvenative activity. It is not laziness.

Releasing energy is an important way for achieving balance of body, mind, and spirit. Releasing energy is good for each individual and is good for society.

Releasing energy through physical, intellectual, and social pursuits is nourishing, balancing, and necessary.

Energize!

Category:

Well-being

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Personal resistance: resisting manipulation through personal choices

Post 60-finding ones way2I am currently visiting in the States. I am happy to be here and I am viewing all with a sense of newness and interest. There may be too many cars, but I focus on the trees. There may be too many sales, but I focus on the interesting designs of buildings and clever business presentations. I have been in several large supermarkets and department stores with food sections, and in them, I have lost my vitality. (Where I live, I shop in supermarkets and stores that aren’t so overwhelming.)

Too much to take in, too much to choose from.

As I walked down aisle after aisle of prepared foods and other products, I felt a rush of sadness for the bombardment on people by too many products, too many packages to read, too many eye-catching colors and names, too many decisions to be made. Too much time to be spent on relatively routine purchases. Too much pull to buy unnecessary things. Too much effort spent on trying to resist the call of the quick, the cheap, the treat, and the packaging. Manipulation through promises of happiness through tastiness, assuredness of nutritional needs met through ease of preparation.

The thing is—our bodies don’t want the easy stuff. They want the wholesome stuff. They want the foods that nourish, and if these foods are tasty, all the better. Wholesome, nutritious foods are so delicious when we savor them and let them weave their subtle magic on our palates.

Post 106 personal resistance

The assignment: aim to exercise personal resistance by refusing to be swayed by the call of the pretty packages. Choose more fresh fruits and veggies. Try not to be drawn to the quick, cut-up fruits and veggies—buy the whole ones and wash and peel and cut them yourself. Take the extra few minutes needed to touch the whole fruits and veggies before you eat them. You might not have picked them, but at least you can prepare them for their good work nourishing your body. Aim to use whole products in a soup that you make or a casserole or a main dish.  Making from scratch does not take much time if you don’t use too many ingredients and fancy techniques.

Personal resistance is not as small as it may seem. As it says in The Gift of Intuitive, Dedicated Comfort:

“It may seem that individual people have little effect on a large society, and many people believe that their actions are inconsequential. They are mistaken. Each act of kindness, each measure of understanding for one’s fellow, each occupational task performed with enthusiasm, each show of warmth, and each display of affection influences and continues the positive actions of others. The importance of the chain of connectedness must be realized. One link in the chain can create infinite effects. People must always remember that their actions matter.”

Category:

Focused living

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