What do you do for yourself to nurture your inner spirit?
An empty vessel will provide sustenance to no one. You must take care of yourself mentally and spiritually, as well as physically to live a happy and meaningful life. We all experience despair, depression, anger - all those negative emotions - sometimes to the point that they engulf your life, in fact become your life.
We all have a different method of propping up our psyche in order to not allow those negative emotions to become our reality. They can range from meditation, yoga, reading, some form of physical exercise to relieve stress. But they can also be very simple things that you can do in minutes, at any time, in any place.
Mindfulness is one thing I try to practice before things get out of control. It's a way of focusing on what is going on RIGHT NOW, not the past or the future. Mindfulness is a way to focus on what you are feeling and help you manage your emotions. By practicing mindfulness as an inner block you can lower your stress, prevent dwelling in the past, ward off depression, and help you cope better with troubling situations.
You can practice mindfulness as full-blown meditation session when you have the time. I like to relax in our hot tub, light some candles, slip in some scented oil for aromatherapy and listen to soothing music, sometimes meditation music, sometimes the Blues. My cell phone is shut off and far away. Losing myself in that environment, feeling the swirling hot water, achieving total relaxation allows me to fully concentrate on the moment.
First I start with deep breathing then focus on the physical characteristics of the ambiance, enjoying all the sensations. Then I begin examining individual feelings I am having. The trick for me is not to get caught up in blame or guilt or judging myself about whatever it is I'm examining. I allow myself to feel the emotions and the responses I have to the emotion. By concentrating on these situations and allowing them to scroll through my mind calmly, I am able to not allow myself to get totally caught up in the negativity aspects.
This is one of my main Inner Blocks that helps to keep me on even keel and feel positive and in control of my emotions. After a "hot tub mindfulness session" I feel like I'm rejuvenated and at peace with myself. The problems that I had before are still there, but my ability to deal with them and not be overwhelmed is the true benefit.
Having a hot tub at my disposal is a true blessing and it gets much use at our house, but a nice hot bath will work as well. And there are many times that I stop and have a mindfulness session wherever I am at the time. Just by stopping, closing my eyes and doing much the same things as I do in the hot tub - concentrate on my breathing, my physical feelings, then move to examine the current emotion that is bothering me. This Inner Block has saved me more than once from careening out of control in a stressful situation.
As a closing thought, one thing I like to do at bedtime, in those few minutes (hopefully only minutes!) before falling asleep is to be mindful of the day and call to mind at least one thing I have accomplished or that went well during the day. Instead of hashing over mentally all the mistakes or problems, I try to end the day on a positive note.
I hope you all have some Inner Blocks to help keep you happy and positive, with the ability to enjoy your life and share your good vibes with others.
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[credit@EdibleCthulhu]