Just for today pay attention to one small ritual, way of thinking or way of being in your daily life and do it differently.  It can be absolutely anything.     The beauty is (I believe), by making one small adjustment to how you think or move through your day has the potential for you to experience life with a much deeper sense of satisfaction.

Sometimes we do things or think certain thoughts because that’s what we’ve always done.  Without questioning, why we are doing it.

Well, of late I’ve been doing my own little bit of questioning and I must say its been a healthy and rewarding process.

As most of you know I love simple.  Simple is gentle and kind.  Simple creates flow.  Simple fuels your heart with all the good stuff.  Simple creates spaciousness both in and around you.  So, lets start simple.  Just for today do one simple thing differently.

So, if you are not sure what to do differently here’s a little list to help get the ball rolling.

Enjoy, and let me know what you did differently.

Just for today do one small thing differently:

1. Just for today I will say “no” more often and know that its OK

2. Just for today I will “earth” myself by walking barefoot

3. Just for today I will step back, let go and trust in the flow of my life

4. Just for today I will imagine what I would be doing if I wasn’t afraid

5. Just for today I will listen to my life

6. Just for today I will sit down every time I eat

7. Just for today my mantra will be “My happiness brings me more happiness”

8. Just for today I will pause for 15 minutes of intentional rest with my eyes closed

9. Just for today I will not sit for too long

10. Just for today I will drink more water and less coffee

11. Just for today I will pause and look at the sky – for as long as it takes to feel calm, centred and grounded again.

12. Just for today I will  ”push less”

13. Just for today I stop the “over analyzing”

14. Just for today I refuse to read, listen to or watch gossip

15. Just for today, I will do everything 10% slower

16. Just for today I will do my best to let it all go – it’s time

17. Just for today I will think, work, eat and talk gently

18. Just for today I will stay connected to my body.  I’ll walk in nature, meditate, focus on my breath or simply feel the sensations in your body

19. Just for today I will listen carefully to how I talk to myself

20. Just for today I will eat only healthy food

21. Just for today I will practice the art of pausing. Think before I talk. Breathe before I react and rest before I exhaust myself

22. Just for today I will practice random acts of kindness on myself

23. Just for today I will do only one thing at a time – mono task

24. Just for today I will bring a more loving energy into my home

25. Just for today I will ignore my distractions

26. Just for today I will listen to my favourite music, over and over again

27. Just for today I will say “I love you” to the people I care about the most

28. Just for today I choose to respond to life by “breathing” – and not clenching or stressing

29. Just for today I will ask myself “What’s the hurry?’

30. Just for today I will journal and get to know myself better

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My recent book recommendations:

Restful Yoga for Stressful Times by Judith Lassater

Chakra Foods for Optimum Health by Dr.  Deanna Minich

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

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“The essence of zen.  Doing one thing at a time”

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you’ll know my personal power word for the year is “gentle”.   Think gently.  Talk gently.  Work gently.  Eat gently. Do gently.

For me its all about slowing down the speed of my life, taking a few deep breaths and feeling a deeper connection with whatever I am doing.   When I’m listening to my children, I’m really listening  to my children.

So in my desire to sink with relaxation into the present moment and experience it more fully, I rediscovered a wonderful article in my archives (its below), written by the gorgeous Marelisa from the republic of Panama.  It shares the teaching of Eknath Easwaran from his book - Take Your Time: Finding Balance in a Hurried World.

It reminded me just how revealing listening to your own thoughts in slow motion can be.

Our minds can be such a busy highway of sentences and words darting all over the place – each demanding that they are more important than the other.  No wonder we find it tricky relax and sink into the present moment and stop rushing.

So, why not give it a whirl now, listen to your own thoughts in slow motion and let me know how easy, hard or revealing it was for you.

9 ways to have a zen like day:

Written by Marelisa at Abundance Blog

Eknath Easwaran (1910 – 1999) is a spiritual teacher whose method is a practical approach that fits naturally into any faith, philosophy, or lifestyle, enabling us to bring universal ideals into daily life.

He talks about slowing down, taking time for the important things, and living in the present.

The following 9 ways to have a zen-like day were taken from his writing – Take Your Time: Finding Balance in a Hurried World

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the whole earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

1:  Slow Down Your Mind:

Eknath Easwaran uses the analogy of driving a car in his book, to describe what happens when your mind speeds up.

He explains that when you’re driving and you’re going too fast, you can’t control the car. In the same way, when your mind is racing you can’t pay proper attention to what is going on around you, heed warning signs, and make the right judgment calls.

He adds that there is nothing more disobedient than an untrained mind, and there is nothing more obedient than a trained mind. We can train our minds to slow down by listening to our thoughts, slowing down our pace of life, learning to prioritize, doing one thing at a time, and through reflective practices such as yoga, tai chi, meditation, and so on.

2: Train Your Attention To Be Fully In The Present:

When your mind is rehashing the past and recycling old resentments, or worrying about the future, it’s ill equipped to handle the challenges of the moment. Learn to remain focused completely on the present.

3:  Take Time For Relationships:

Relationships are usually the first casualty when your life speeds up and you’re overbooked.  Especially when it comes to children, slow down and move at their rhythm, instead of expecting them to scurry to keep up with yours.  Get back into the habit of sitting together with your family at meal times and eat at a leisurely pace.

4: Transmit Serenity To Others:

In my article “Five Joyous Tips for Being Happy” I talk about a study that has shown that happiness is indeed contagious. As Eknath Easwaran points out, pressure is contagious as well, but so is goodwill. One person slowing down and not putting others under pressure helps everyone else to relax. Choose to be the person that remains calm when everyone else is rushing about, setting an example for others to relax as well.

5: Get Up Earlier:

If you start your day in a state of hurry you’ll carry that feeling with you throughout the rest of the day. We rush through breakfast, run out the door, sit in traffic tapping our hand against the steering wheel impatiently and muttering, “Come on, I’m late, where’d you learn to drive?” at other drivers under our breath, and arrive at our morning’s destination frazzled and disheveled. You can avoid the morning rush by getting up earlier.

6: Take Steps To Put An End To Information Overload:

Stop trying to be on top of it all. You can’t read everything, you can’t be constantly aware of the latest breaking news or fad, and you can’t absorb every bit of information that is thrown at you. Accept that. You have to make choices: decide what information is really important to you and discard everything else.Leo Babauta from zenhabits.net describes the following process for putting an end to the email avalanche:

• The first step is to reduce the flow of e-mails coming in: take action to stop nonessential e-mails from getting to your in-box. For example, unsubscribe from newsletters that don’t really interest you and post your e-mail policies on your blog or web site.

• The second step is to deal effectively with the flow of emails that comes in.  He advises to stop checking your emails constantly; instead, check it at regular periods.

• The third step is to stop dealing with the same e-mail over and over again: make a decision, take action, and move on. That is, delete, file, forward, write a short reply, or add to your to-do list.

7: Don’t Crowd Your Day:

Sit down and make a list of all the activities that fill up your days:  all of the associations you belong to, all of the activities you’re signed up for, and all of the commitments you’ve made to others. Now take a red pencil and cross out everything that is not necessary or beneficial to you.After doing this you’ll find that you have more time to do the things that are really important to you and more time to spend with those you love.  In addition, you’ll have time to do things for yourself such as exercising and finding time each day to spend in meditation and quiet contemplation.  Keep sight of the most important things each day.

8: Master The Art Of Concentration:

Give your attention to one thing at a time; complete concentration is genius.  Again, Eknath Easwaran uses the analogy of a car: imagine that you get into your car and start driving north toward your house; then, all of a sudden, the car turns left and starts heading toward the supermarket; then it makes another sudden turn and starts headings toward your sister’s house; then . . . you get the picture.  When it comes to our attention we often have as little control over it as we had over that car.Follow Buddha’s advice: whatever you’re doing, do it mindfully.

9: Repeat A Mantra:

By repeating a mantra–such as “Rama”, “Peace”, “All is well”, or anything else that works for you–you’re applying a break to the mind.  When the mind begins to race off with thoughts of worry, frustration, fear, or anger, we can effectively slow it down by repeating our mantra.In addition, repeating a mantra can help you to focus.  I once read of a monk who taught his students to repeat in their heads the tasks they were engaged in at the moment.  So if they were walking they would repeat: “walking, walking, walking”; if they were doing the dishes they would repeat:  “doing the dishes, doing the dishes, doing the dishes”; and so on.

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You might like to try Ananga’s guided meditations and music to help you sleep better.

Click here to sample “Natural Release & Progressive Relaxation

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“Deep rest is a state where there is no movement, no effort and the brain is quiet”

Rest is not a sign of giving in or being lazy.   Quality rest makes a valuable contribution to your body, to your mind and definitely to your soul.  Now more than ever, as stress and anxiety levels rise on our planet, moments of quality rest throughout our day are essential for the prevention of exhaustion, fatigue and confusion.

I’m a strong believer that quality rest is an exceptionally restorative, nurturing and healing practice. The body, when given the opportunity, can and will, begin to rejuvenate itself.   Rest is a vital and essential process that decreases wear and tear on the mind and body.

Crocodile pose (makarasana)

Of course when I talk about rest I’m not suggesting chilling out on the computer or in front of the TV.  I’m talking about giving yourself permission (for 5 minutes or longer) to switch “off” totally.   Withdraw your attention from the outside world, direct all your energies inwards and simply sink into your body.

Try this fabulous deep rest exercise:

Don’t be fooled by the seemingly simple relaxation exercise pictured above.  It’s one of the most effective ways to calm yourself down and trigger the feeling of deep rest.  In fact at my recent Rest and Rejuvenation retreat in Bali one of the participants felt incredibly restless.  We tried childs pose, legs up the wall, and quite a few more, and the only relaxation exercise which conquered the restlessness was crocodile pose (pictured above).

Calm an anxious or nervous stomach easily:

Crocodile pose (makarasana – as shown above) is a deeply restorative yoga pose.  It calms the mind, soothes the nervous system, and focuses the mind.

This is a great pose for connecting with and really feeling your breath.  It helps quickly identify any anxious or nervous feelings you might have around your stomach area and gives you the opportunity to let go and relax this area of your body.

I don’t think I need to give specific instructions for how to rest in crocodile pose.  The picture explains it all.   Lay down on your tummy, rest your forehead on folded arms, close your eyes and follow your breath.  The rest will happen automatically.

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Guest post by Stonesoup

Traveling for work can be fun. Takeoffs and landings. Fancy (and not so fancy) hotels. The security of a corporate credit card. Traveling to places that the average tourist wouldn’t ever think to visit.    But there are times when the constant eating out and room service can make you feel a little bleeah.

Which is exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago when I was traveling for work. Four days into the trip, I found myself badly missing my kitchen and craving a big salad. Not those tiny mixed leaf room service options with bad dressing, floury tomatoes and exorbitant price tags – but a seriously big healthy salad – preferably made by my own hand.

And so it was that I found myself wandering though a supermarket close to the hotel, racking my brain as to what I could cook for dinner that would be:

• A. Healthy and involve salad and
• B. Able to be prepared with the cooking equipment in my hotel room – namely a teaspoon.

Lets just say thank heavens for prewashed bags of mixed salad leaves. And for things in cans – with self opening lids. And that lemons can be persuaded to give out their juice with a teaspoon. Who would have thought?

Since then I’ve been experimenting with minimalist, low prep salads. The tuna chilli is definitely a favourite. The chickpea and parmesan comes a close second. I had it for lunch at work the other day. One of the guys from marketing commented on my lunch saying ‘That looks amazing – where did you get your salad?”

Do you think he would have believed me if I told him I made it with a teaspoon?

Tuna chilli salad
serves 1

Tuna with chilli oil is my new favourite thing, but feel free to choose plain tuna if you aren’t up for a little spice. I like to use the oil from the tuna as a bit of dressing for the salad. By all means use tuna in springwater (drained) if you have a low fat fetish.

1 bag pre washed salad leaves
1 small or medium can tuna in oil with chilli
1 lemon

Open salad and pick out few leaves to make room for the tuna. Flake tuna and chilli oil into the salad bag and shake a little. Punch lemon with the handle of a teaspoon (see image below) squeeze lemon juice over salad through the hole. Enjoy.

Chickpea & parmesan salad
serves 1

The tricky thing with this salad is that a whole tin of chickpeas can be quite a big eat. If you’re not super hungry feel free to ditch some of the chickpeas. I was also a little worried about not being able to properly wash the chickpeas but they tasted lovely with a little canning juice left on.

It’s been a long time since I last used pre-shredded cheese. If you are preparing in the luxury of a kitchen – or somewhere with a cheese grater handy at least – I’d recommend going with better quality parmesan. But the pre shredded stuff was surprisingly good.

1 bag pre washed salad leaves
1 can 400g (14oz) chickpeas, drained
1 lemon
1 small handful shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Open salad and pick out few leaves to make room for the chickpeas. Add the desired amount of into the salad bag and shake a little. Punch lemon with the handle of a teaspoon (see image below) squeeze lemon juice over salad through the hole. Sprinkle over cheese if using.

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Alternative traveling salads on my list to try:

• canned red salmon and lemon,
• cottage cheese with smoked salmon
• canned lentils, yoghurt & pinenuts
• ricotta with canned baby beets

Jules blog the Stonesoup specialises in minimalist home cooking.  Wholesome, delicious food that is easy to prepare and still fun and satisfying to eat.  It’s about reducing the number of ingredients, the amount of equipment, number of steps involved and the time spent in the kitchen

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In the thirteenth century, Dante listed the Seven Deadly Sins on the pathway to Paradise: Gluttony, lust, greed, envy, pride, anger and sloth.

Now, almost eight hundred years later, people are still committing these seven sins in Work Life Balance.  So let me share with you the Seven Deadly Sins of Work Life Balance … and how to avoid them.

Photo by myyogaonline:

1. Gluttony: Trying to be all things to all people:

Don’t try to be all things to all people. If you try to please everybody, you will end up satisfying nobody.

The secret to being successful at balancing life is to allow yourself to be human and stop feeling guilty when you can’t do it all.  Everyone gets wound up at times.  When you notice it happening simply acknowledge where you are at and then do something about it.  Take a breather.  Don’t give yourself a hard time.   If you try to be all things to all people, you’re not just a glutton – you’re a glutton for punishment.

2: Lust: Falling in love with “gimmicks”

Focus your time, money and energy on the things that matter.  Stop getting distracted with things that keep catching your eye.

When it comes to balancing your life, this means stop buying new stuff every time you feel stressed or unhappy.  Shopping has become the latest quick fix for short term happiness.

Next time you have the shopping urge, speak to a close friend or colleague and share how you are feeling.  Pause.  Breathe. Acknowledge where you are at, and it will pass.  Go for things that offer more lasting happiness like spending time with good friends.

3. Greed: Looking for too much too fast:

When you first get started living a balanced life, there’s a temptation to do everything at once. But if you chase two horses, you’ll catch neither of them. The best way to get started is to choose one activity that is likely to give you high value, do that well, and then move on to the next.

4. Envy: Copying tactics that don’t fit your strategy:

A Russian soldier stationed in West Berlin after the Second World War wandered into an empty house and saw an electric light bulb for the first time. Fascinated by this magic light-generating globe, he cut it off with his bayonet and put it in his knapsack so he could carry around the light with him wherever he went.

The same is true with living a balanced life. Don’t just do what somebody else tells you to do, unless you know the whole picture.  By all means, look around to see what others are doing, but don’t just copy their tactics without understanding how and where they fit your life.

5. Pride: Holding on to things that aren’t working:

If what you’re doing isn’t working, do something else! I know that  sounds obvious, but it never ceases to amaze me how often people keep repeating unsuccessful patterns.

If you’re running tired all of the time,  look at what you are doing.  Your lifestyle is obviously not working for you if it is sucking the life out of you. Find a system you can use to get what you want out of life and implement it one step at a time. Just as you would with any new system in the workplace.

6. Anger: Blaming other people for your lack of success:

If you’re not getting the success you desire, look to yourself first. Even if it is somebody else’s “fault”, you could be waiting a long time for them to fix things for you. It is far better to take responsibility yourself to find a solution.

For example, if you have lost your spark for life and your health is suffering, you need to look at what you have been doing to get to that state. Perhaps you need to say no more often, reduce your commitments or start meditating.

You are responsible for what you put in your mouth each day, for how you treat yourself and for what you get out of life.

7. Sloth: Dragging your feet:

Above all, do it now! None of the other advice in this article will do you any good unless you take action.

It’s too easy to say “I’ll go to the gym next week”, or “I’ll start eating healthy tomorrow”, or “I’ll fix my office environment after I finish this next project.”

Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people don’t do.

Thanks to Jennifer Jefferies for this guest post.  Jennifer is the author of 7 Steps To Sanity.

Note: As there are literally hundreds of articles in the archives I thought it would be a good idea to share a popular post from the past once a month.  The archive articles will be refreshed and updated as my writing way back then was somewhat embarrassing.

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“Change one thing in your life, and it effects all your life”

To celebrate the success of the Rejuvenation Lounges facebook page I thought I’d share 44 of the most popular rejuvenation tips, all in one article.   Enjoy!

Photo by carf’s

44 ways to rejuvenate your life naturally:

1: Remember to breathe. Inhale. Exhale.  You have approximately 26,000 breaths a day.  How many are you aware of ?

2: Un-hunch your shoulders.  Hunched shoulders reduce the flow of blood to your brain, holds in stress and restricts your breathing.  Drop your shoulders, lengthen your neck, part your lips slightly to release tightness in your jaw and then breathe into your collar bones, feeling them spread and open as you relax this whole area of your body.

3: Seek silence.  A study found that city dwellers may experience up to 73 days with less than 5 minutes silence.  Silence helps to settle, calm and nourish your nervous system

4: Eat mindfully.  Arrive at your meal.  Get present.  Take a few calming breaths to settle yourself down. Eat in a calm space.  Avoid busy places that will aggravate your nervous system and stress your digestion. Do not multi task.  Do not watch TV.   Do not gulp.   Smell, chew, taste and enjoy.

5: Buy a metal tongue scraper to remove the build up of toxins and bacteria (ama) that have formed on your tongue overnight.    It also gently helps stimulate your organs which are connected to certain energy points on your tongue.  Ayurvedic medicine recommends scraping your tongue first thing in the morning.  It prevents toxins and bacteria being swallowed back into the body.

6: Yogic cleansing bath.  Perfect for cleansing your aura and body from negative energies and toxins.   Add  1lb baking soda, 1 cup sea salt to a full bath tub.  Soak for 20 minutes.  Repeat once a day for 7 days.

7: Improve Your Sleep.   Remove all clutter and storage from under your bed and stop sleeping on stuff from the past.

8: Sipping hot water has a gentle cleansing action.  3 to 5 cups of hot water daily is a simple yet effective cleanse.  It has a hormone balancing effect and warms your digestive organs.

9: “Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are”  Chinese Proverb

10: By repeating ” I trust” a chain reaction takes place flowing through your body, mind & then into your life.  Things start to shift and change.  It’s a great mantra to use when life becomes a little challenging.

11: Hum your stress away.  Place one hand on top of your head & the other on your belly. Close your eyes, now hum. Feel the tingly vibration of your hum as it flows from your stomach to your head.  Feel it clear away tight and tense energy.  It has a very cooling and calming effect on both your thoughts and body.

12: If there is something worrying you, then change the way you are breathing.  Anxious thoughts equals tense, tight and shallow breathing.  Oxygenate your body and calm your nervous system with full belly breathing.

13: Power snack at your computer.   Eat natural raw almonds, they are magnesium rich which encourages your nervous system and adrenals to relax.

14: Eat food that smiles.  If fruit and vegetables could smile, I’m guessing organic and farmers market produce would always be smiling.  They have traveled less and been grown with love.   Processed foods are a convenient way to shorten your life.

15: Alternate nostril breathing calms an agitated mind, oxygenates your body, balances both hemispheres of the brain and balances your nervous systems.  I personally find this one of the easiest way to take control of stress and tension.  Click on the link below to learn how to practice alternate nostril breathing.

* 12 great reasons to start alternate nostril breathing:

16: Focusing on any part of your body (including naval gazing, organs, chakra’s or even feet) has been shown to increase blood flow to the part of your body.  Improve your bodies circulation with a little focused, mindful breathing.

17: Practice keeping your life simple and uncomplicated. Your stuff takes up more of your time and money than you think. We are realizing owning more stuff does not make us any happier in the long term.  In fact, our stuff can be a burden, suck our time and energy, consume our focus and cause problems for the environment.

18: Ayurvedic healing mantra.  Repeating “hoom” as a mantra, dispels negative states of mind, helps digestion and clears toxins.  This sound is connected to your solar plexus chakra and will increase heat into your stomach area.

19: Walk barefoot, feel grounded and feel the difference.  Walking barefoot is healthy for your feet.

20: “Breakfast should not be rushed or eaten on the way out of the door with car keys in your hand.  This causes the nervous system to become agitated and disrupts digestion”  Kester Marshall.

21: You know you are disconnected from your body, when you care more about emails, messages, the tv and gossip magazines than your own needs. Take regular time out from technology and the media to ground yourself and come back to your centre.  Remember your body and your life needs your attention too.

22: A fun clutter busting game. Pick a number between 1 – 10, write on fridge/computer, and that’s the number of things you must clutter clear each day.  Or try my favourites – pretend you are about to move overseas.

23: An affirmation is a handy tool for difficult times, and encourages you to respond with a confident calmness to a challenging situation.  It’s ideal for attracting a healthier energy around you.  16 affirmations for difficult times.

24: Iron energy drink for your afternoon slump.  Soak 6 almonds (preferably blanched), 2 dried dates, 1 dried fig 10/15 sultanas/raisins in 2/3 cup of water, then wiz.

25: The 3 arrivals is a fabulous well-being practice that encourages your mind, body and breath to arrive – into the present moment with awareness and calm.  Arrive with your body by encouraging it to unwind and chill out.  Arrive with your breath by simply noticing your inhales and exhales.  Arrive with your mind by not getting involved with your thoughts.  If you do nothing the mind arrives.

26: The essential oil cinnamon essential oil helps fights exhaustion & feelings of depression & weakness.  Perfect for your oil burner when you come home from work.

27: If you suffer from anxiety or insomnia then a warm sesame oil foot massage before bed can work wonders.    Warm sesame oil massaged daily over your body is said to be very grounding & nurturing.  It helps stabilize your nervous system & kidneys.  It is recommended to do first thing in the morning.

28: Avoid gossip.  Gossip sends your energies into the opposite direction of where you really want to be going.

29: De-stress.   Grab ear lobes between your thumb & index finger.  Gently allow the weight of your arms to release tension from your neck & head.

30: My personal top 5 health tips. Breath into your belly, drink plenty of water, move, eat for energy and meditate.

31: Yoga detox tea. 1/4 tsp coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp of cummin seeds and 1/4tsp of fennel seeds. Mix with 1.5 litres of hot water.  Sip throughout the day. (Note: This recipe was given to me by my Ayurvedic practitioner.  I make this tea in my thermos each morning, so I can carry it everywhere with me)

32: Always relax your head first.  When you focus on relaxing all  parts of your head your body will follow.  Soften and relax your forehead, scalp, cheeks, eyes and ears.  Part your lips and teeth then feel the release of tension in your jaw and neck.

33: Chewing your vegetables in a natural de-stressor.  It releases four times more serotonin says  David Wolfe.

34: Stop wasting energy on other people’s business.  Remember Byron Katie’s rule – There are 3 types of business. Your business, other peoples business and god’s business. Stick to your own business.

35: Deep breathers tend to live longer.    They are generally healthier and more relaxed.   Take three deep, gentle slow breaths right now.  Never force.

36: Sooth your nerves by listening to the Blue Danube.  Dr. Masuro Emoto has scientifically proven that whilst listening to the Blue Danube your nervous system will be revitalized.  Emotionally it is nourishing for fatigue and stress whilst physical healing to the nervous system.  Read my full article on it here:

37: Soak your tension away.   Treat yourself to a healing bath. I cup of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) added to your bath water will relax your nervous system, draw out toxins, relax muscles and even reduce swelling.

38: Calm yourself before bed.  Dab the essential oil “vetiver’ onto the souls of your feet.  Vetiver has a very grounding and soothing effect on your nervous system.

39: Eat your water.   Fruit is 90% water.  Grapes and oranges can be as high as 98%  water content. Dehydration effects the brain first.   A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy thinking.  Lack of water is the number one reason for day time fatigue.   The brain is the first place in the body to become dehydrated.

40: Lift your worries with a Buddhist kindness prayer.  “May I be free of worry, May I be well, May I feel safe and at ease, May I be at peace”

41: Calm yourself down.  Close your eyes. The eyes are linked to your nervous system. By softening your eyes you can trigger the relaxation of your entire body.

42: Reduce caffeine intake. Swap one cup of tea or coffee a day for a delicious mug of miso soup. It is highly nutritious and can be made in an instant.

42: Push away stress and drama.  Spend longer on your exhale.   It will create some much needed space between you and the busyness of the outside world.

43: Protect yourself from other people’s stresses:  Carry a piece of unpolished black tourmaline (crystal) with you.  Black tourmaline is well known to transmute negative energies.  Attached to your water bottle to help improve the vibrational qualities of the water.   Put under your pillow to help with disturbing dreams.

44: Improve your sleep and health by reducing your exposure to harmful electromagnetic radiation.  Remove as many electrical appliances from your bedroom as possible.  Never have anything electrical (this includes chargers) within arms reach of your head at night.  Never sleep against a wall which adjoins the power box for the house.  Lepidolite (in mica form) is a crystal I have used for around 10 years (under my pillow) to protect myself some harmful electromagnetic radiation.  I also place a piece near my computer, TV and other frequently used electrical gadgets.

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“Remember tomorrow, recycle today”

Creating a chemical and toxin free home environment is very important to me.   Each year I look at new ways I can improve the quality of air in my home and reduce my families exposure to hidden chemicals and toxins.  After 15 years, its still a work in progress but the small steps I take each year means my environment is getting greener and healthier for my family.

Photo by elana’s pantry:

Eliminate all things plastic from your kitchen:

My big focus last year was to eliminate as much plastic from my home as possible with particular care given to the kitchen.  I’m pleased to report after 12 months, plastic chopping board gone, bamboo chopping board in.   Plastic storage containers gone, glass storage containers in.  Plastic cooking utensils gone, stainless steel and bamboo in.  Plastic kettle gone, stainless steel kettle in. Plastic mixing bowls gone, stainless mixing bowls in.  Plastic coat hangers gone, wooden coat hangers in.  Plastic pegs gone, wooden pegs in.  And so my list goes on.

Go with kinder cleaning products:

This year my focus is to go even greener with my cleaning products.  Homemade if I can.  Haven’t got time for complicated recipes or hard to find ingredients so I’m looking for easy and inexpensive.   For years now I’ve been using my favourite all purpose bench spray (recipe shared below) but thought it was about time I extend my range.  So, I borrowed a few green lifestyle books from the library, both of which I can highly recommend:

Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life by Sophie Uliano:

Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices by Renee Loux

In fact Sophie Uliano has a wonderful you tube station and shares 5 simple uses for common inexpensive household products.  There’s topics like 5 simple uses for white vinegar, and one of my absolute favourite 5 excellent uses for aloe vera juice.

5 kind green cleaning recipes:

Here’s five clean green cleaning recipes that I have already started using this year (with the exception of the all purpose spray).  Of course I hope to add more as the year progresses – small steps at a time.

I hope these very simple recipes inspire you to make at least one little green change to your cleaning habits this year.

1:   Wash your toothbrush with white vinegar:

Toothbrushes can easily breed germs particularly when they are never really dry out totally.  Soak your toothbrush at least once a week in straight distilled white vinegar.  Vinegar of course kills most moulds, germs and bacteria.  I soak my for the whole day.

If possible put your toothbrush outside regularly in the sun to completely dry out.  The sun also helps to kill bacteria.

You can also clean your toothbrushes by adding a few drops of grape seed extract to half a cup of water.  Leave for at least 30 minutes.

2:   Clean your fruit and vegetables with grape seed extract:

Water alone will not wash off all pesticides, chemicals and whatever else your fruit and veg may have been exposed too.

Grape seed extract is ideal solution that has many benefits.  It is known to fight many virus, eliminate parasites, and remove pesticides and bacteria.

Wash your fruit and vegetables in the sink add a few drops of grape seed extract along with a splash of vinegar and give everything a good wash.

3:  All purpose spray:

Fill a water spray bottle with half water and half vinegar.

Add 4 or 5 drops of lemon and eucalyptus essential oil.

Lemon and eucalyptus essential oils are naturally antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. It leaves the walls, benches, floors and surfaces smelling great.  And, vinegar of course is great for zapping germs and bacteria.

4: Remove smells from carpet:

Baking soda/bi-carb soda is a fabulous all purpose, non toxic cleaner.  It can remove stains, used as a mild scourer for pots and sinks, a deodorizer for the fridge, down drains and on the carpet.

I simply sprinkle baking soda on the area of carpet that smells and leave for at least 15 minutes before vacuuming up.  I recently used baking soda to rid the carpet of vomit smell and it worked immediately.   I was impressed.

5: Soda fizz toilet scrub:

As I have 3 boys having a clean but more importantly nice smelling toilet is always a challenge.  I simply refuse to buy commercial toilet cleaning products as their fumes literally make me feel ill.

The following recipe I discovered in Renee Loux’s book  Easy Green Living. Enjoy.

1 tablespoon of castile liquid soap

1/3 cup baking soda

1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

8 drops of essentials oils (lavender or rosemary)

Squirt the soap into the bowl, dowse with baking soda, then pour in the vinegar and essentials oils.  Let it fizz and sizzle for 3 minutes, then scrub and flush.

In Australia I currently buy Melrose castile liquid soap, 15 years prior I was buying Dr. Bonners which is sold world wide.  Both are excellent, Melrose is just a little cheaper for me and also made locally.

For a quick toilet fix, pour one cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl and leave for 15 minutes before flushing. Vinegar is a great deodorizer. Smells are instantly gone.

The only bought air freshner I have used for toilets is Orange Power. Not sure if it is sold elsewhere in the world but its certainly sold in all supermarkets here in Australia.

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There is nothing helpful nor healthy about clutter.  Clutter is restrictive and heavy.  It is well known for effecting one or many areas of your life – day in day out.

The burden of clutter becomes screamingly obvious when you physically sell, give away or throw it out.  You then realize just how emotionally or physically draining and life interfering all your clutter has been.

Photo by bonbongirl:

The flip side of course – clearing clutter is one of the greatest ways to boost your energy, get yourself out of a rut, feel lighter, improve your health, remove obstacles and create space for the new to arrive.  Clearing clutter is a proven therapy for creating change in your life.  Now is always the perfect time for a focused clutter busting session.

Simplify your living space and feel the difference:

To help reveal the many sneaky disguises of clutter I have shared with you 10 common forms of emotional clutter that may be lurking unknowingly in your home.  Some will speak loudly to you whilst others will not.  Some will be a total surprise and others will just act as a reminder.  Either way they are intended to give you an extra nudge in supporting you release stuck, thick heavy energy lingering unhelpfully in your home or office.

Start simply with one kitchen draw or your hallway cupboard.  If you find clearing clutter a burden then make it a game,  pretend you are about to move overseas (I use this method often), simply repeat a mantra  “I am happy to let go of my clutter sooner, rather than later” to find your momentum or gather more inspiration by clicking here.

Remember clutter is anything unwanted, unloved, broken, unused, doesn’t work, expired or doesn’t fit.  It is both healthy and helpful to regularly simplify your work and living space by clearing clutter.

The 10 most common types of emotional clutter:

1. Emotional guilt clutter:
Presents and gifts hiding around your house that are not lot loved nor used can be classified as clutter.   You simply feel obliged to keep them.  If you threw them out you would feel guilty.

Shift your thinking to “conscious sharing” or “re-gifting”. Start this year by “re-giving” your unwanted, unloved  gifts to those who really would value and appreciate them and release the emotional guilt energy from your home once and for all.

2. Fear of  “lack” clutter:
You keep all kinds of stuff just in case.  Just in case you might need it some day,  just in case you couldn’t afford to buy another one in the future, just in case you might read it some time soon, just in case you lose weight or just in case for no particular reason. The fact that you haven’t used it in 2, 3 or 5 years generally means its once useful purpose has expired.

To create flow in your life things must be constantly be coming in and going out.   You must let go when no longer needed and receive when necessary.  Once you block stuff going out of your life ( by holding onto your clutter with scarcity and fear of lack)  you stop the flow of abundance.

3. Unhappy relationship clutter:
Keeping stuff from past unhappy relationships keeps a part of you tied to that relationship and tied to the past.

There is absolutely nothing healthy or advantageous from hanging onto memorabilia or gifts from a past unhappy relationship.  Be strong, be honest and ask yourself, what is the benefit for holding onto these things.

If in doubt as to your attachment and the draining effect then try the “energy up, energy down” exercise.

4. Depression clutter:
People with depression tend to have a lot of things stored on the floor. Stuff on the ground pulls your energies down and encourages you to withdraw from the world emotionally.

If your floor surfaces are covered with lots of stuff make an effort each day to start moving things up from off the floor. I guarantee it won’t be long until you start noticing a difference in your moods and how your home feels.

5. Addiction clutter:
Compulsive buying for the sake of it and addicted to sales and bargains without any thought simply adds to the congestion and confusion already filling your home and life.

Take an honest look at your stuff and see if you have any addiction clutter floating around.  Better still never go shopping without a list, consciously choose what you intend to bring into your home and for every new item purchased throw out at least two.  Keep the energy flowing.

6. Need to impress clutter:
You feel your sense of self worth is reflected by the appearance (or value) of the stuff in your living space. You generally don’t like many of your possessions but have them because they are the latest trend, most impressive or even most expensive.

Filling your home stuff to impress your ego or others, simply means you are out of alignment with your life and the energy in your home.  This can be as obvious as a bookcase full of books that you never look at or even care about.  It simply gives the impression you are well read and knowledgeable.

7. Unhappiness clutter:
Buying stuff to make you feel happy again is a quick fix solution. It does not bring deep long lasting satisfaction to your life and the item you bought only brings happiness momentarily. Unhappiness clutter can then turn into guilt clutter when you realize a few days later you don’t really need it and feel guilty for buying it.

8. Emotional hiding behind your clutter:
Overfilling your rooms, cupboards and home with stuff is often used to hide from the outside world or your true self.   It keeps the attention away from you and focused more on the hundreds of nick knacks you have everywhere.

9. Denial clutter:
If you are scared of change then you will have denial clutter.  You have a sense that your world may fall apart if you start removing serious amounts of clutter from your home.  You may be consistent in throwing out surface clutter but when it comes to a serious clutter busting session to invite wonderful change you consistently tell yourself this item or that possession is not clutter.

Do you really need all those plates and salad bowls in your kitchen or clothes in your wardrobe?

10. Other peoples  clutter:
When you look after stuff for other people get clear with how long you are minding it for.  Short term is generally fine as you are being helpful.  If however their stuff turns into annoyance or frustration then your act of kindness has evolved into energy draining clutter that’s not even yours.  Your friends or family need to find other arrangements or put it in storage.

More articles I’ve shared before on clutter:

* Six simple things you can do when you can’t shift your clutter:

* 6 excellent reasons to uncomplicate your life:

* 4 fun clutter busting games:

* The energy up, energy down exercise:

* Detox your home and feel brand new:

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I use and love Ananga’s guided meditations and music

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Clutter represents a build up of too much yin (stagnant/stale/dead) energy in your home, which in turn can lead to confusion, a depletion of energy or procrastination.  The interesting part is you don’t even need to see the clutter to be effected by it.

I know from my own personal experience, there is no easier way to change any problem or situation in life than by having a serious clutter clearing session.  It simply shifts energy – and then your life moves forward.

Photo by triplezero

Clearing Clutter Moves Your Life Forward:

To inspire you find your clutter clearing groove I’ve shared a few games below which I have used over the years.  It’s all a matter of finding an approach that works for you. My personal favourite is to pretend I’m about to move overseas.

Enjoy.

1: Pretend You Are Moving – Overseas:

Act as if something great is about to happen in your life. You’re moving overseas, interstate, moving home or about to live on a boat.

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now will know that at the beginning of last year I assumed the position that I was about to move overseas.  Yeah! After 2 months my home and life had never been so up to-date and organized.  It’s also worth mentioning that many great things started happening not long after.

You are welcome to read my guest post over at unclutter from July 2008.

2: Pick a Number between 1 and 10:

This is a great little game I learnt from space clearing expert Karen Kingston. I’ve recommend her book Clear Your Clutter many times on this blog.

Simply choose a number between 1 – 10, write the number on a piece of paper, leave it somewhere obvious, and that’s the number of things you must clear from your home each day.

Trust me, this is actually quite a fun clutter game.

3: Start a daily 30 second clutter clearing habit:

Lack of time can no longer be your excuse for not clearing your clutter.   Anyone can spare 30 seconds to throw out at least one (and hopefully more) unwanted, unloved things from your home.

30 seconds requires virtually no energy, effort or thinking power.   This game is also perfect if you are feeling in total overwhelm at the very thought of clearing out your clutter.

To grow your 30 second clutter clearing muscle simply start with something easy like your clothes or a kitchen draw.  You then have 30 seconds to find one or two things that you no longer need.

To further boost your enthusiasm, here’s a fabulous super short video called  Weed out useless utensils by Peter Walsh

4:  Buy one thing then, throw two things out:

This game is easy and the rules very obvious.

If you buy one thing for your kitchen then make sure you throw out two things (from your kitchen) that you no longer need, that are broken, have missing lids, have expired etc.

If you buy a new pillow go through your linen closet and throw out two unwanted towels, sheets, pillow slips etc.

This is a great way to stop the build up of clutter with minimum of fuss.

* Let go of your emotional clutter:

* Simple solutions when you can’t shift your clutter

* Detox your home and feel brand new

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Low energy, exhaustion and fatigue are at epidemic levels.  Now is not the time to suck it in, grit your teeth, clench your fists and press on. Get wise and stop (or reduce) all unnecessary energy drains.  It’s time to get clever and start rebuilding your personal energy levels now.

Photo by maddest hatter’s

All suggestions below I have successfully applied to my own life. Some are a work in progress, like avoiding energy vampires, gossip and simplifying my life.

I strongly encourage you to start with getting rid of your excess stuff.  You’ll be amazed at how much energy you claim back instantly.   The lighter the energy in your home, the clearer your thoughts, the less distractions and the more prepared you’ll be energetically for tackling other habits and areas of your life.

Enjoy, the tips and start boosting your energy now.

12 changes you can make now to boost your energy:

1: Lift your worry with a kindness mantra:

Worry drains your energy.  If you are a worrier (like me) or an over-thinker – a mindful habit in the form of a mantra/affirmation,  can turn excess mental exhaustion  into a positive energy giving experience. Obviously the more you repeat this mantra the more positive energy will be fueling your body, mind and soul with.

“May I be free of worry, May I be well, May I feel safe and at ease, May I be at peace”

2: Calm the energy in your bedroom:

To wake feeling refreshed, the energy in your bedroom needs to feel deeply, deeply calming to all your senses. Your bedroom is not a multi-purpose room.  Remove all things that might overstimulate your mind and body (e.g too many books, bright colours or lighting,  work papers, TV, computer, exercise equipment).

Clutter drains your energy. Uplift and lighten the energy in your room by throwing out or giving away all unused, unwanted, unloved, broken or doesn’t fit stuff from your bedroom.

Remove as many electrical appliances from your bedroom as possible, particularly around your head area. Turn everything off at the wall at night.  Do not recharge gadgets next to your head while you sleep.  Electromagnetic currents from electrical gadgets can interfere with your health and well-being.

* The ultimate rejuvenation recipe for your bedroom:

3: Eat for energy:

Eating consciously is a very easy way to refuel your body with energy.  Avoid dead, frozen, tinned and lifeless food.  Do your best to cook your meals from scratch, buy at local farmers markets, never skip breakfast and eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible.

Always eat sitting down in a relaxed environment to support your digestive system. Do not multi task while eating. Go brown and eat a full range of colours in every meal.  White bread is an energy sucker.

* 12 habits of mindful eating:

* Energy suckers v energy givers:

4: Is your stuff zapping your energy?

Your stuff can be a burden, suck your time, energy and consume your focus (more than you think).

The less things you have to store, clean, insure, repair and look after, the more time you have to do what you love doing and the more energy you will have.  Life was not meant to be spent buying and looking after stuff.

* Six excellent reasons to uncomplicate your life:

5: Trust your gut and know when to walk away:

Your gut will tell you when to walk away from a situation, politely say no, change TV channels or turn it off.  Listening to your intuition and trusting “that feeling” in your stomach will prevent you from wasting buckets loads of energy on  people, places, TV, computer distractions, and many other situations. A big energy drainer for me is large indoor shopping centres. If I am there any longer than 1/2 an hour I’m drained.

* Limit yourself to toxic people

6: Ask for more hugs:

Touch is healing that’s why hugs are healthy.  Hugs nourish your sense of touch, comfort, calm and relax you in stressful times. Hugs simply fuel your heart with the good stuff and boost your energy.   Are you suffering from skin hunger? 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance and 12 hugs a day for growth.

* 10 hugging tips to grab on the run

* 20 ways to be kinder to yourself:

7: Go on a gossip diet:

Gossip is one of the biggest energy drainers around.  Giving your attention to gossip plugs you into it.  Receiving or sharing toxic gossip weakens your immune system and diminishes your boundaries. When your boundaries are compromised you have difficulty connecting to your centre, you feel scattered and pushed around by life.

8: Stop letting technology drain you:

Technology is everywhere. It’s busy, fast, flashy, instant, noisy, demanding and very, very stressful when it doesn’t work. Technology can push you to go faster when you don’t want too and keep you up late at night.

Technology doesn’t know boundaries so its up to you to create a healthy distance between you and your technology.

Have a technology free weekend with no computer, mobile phone etc.  Test it, and see how much energy you claim back.

9: Vitamin B12 boosts energy:

“Try B12 instead of coffee” Dr Mercola

I recently had my bloods tested for nutrient levels and discovered I was low in B12.   This is normal for me being vegetarian.  24 hours after having my B12 shot my energy levels improved greatly.  I then did a little research and found a fabulous video by Dr. Mercola explaining the energy benefits of B12.

Did you know that vitamin B12 is the largest vitamin that we know of, which is why it is not so easy to absorb. I personally have an injection every 3 months but apparently there are new oral sprays of B12 which I’m keen to try.

I highly recommend getting your blood tested for nutrient levels e.g iron, calcium, vitamin D etc.  It’s a much more accurate way of knowing you are well nourished rather than just taking a multi vitamin and hoping for the best.

10: Release the toxic burden from your body:

Sweat once a day.  Sweating regenerates your skin and helps detox the body.  Couple this with drinking lots of water and you are well on the way to gently detoxifying your body and releasing stagnant energy from your body. Less toxins equals more energy.

* Three easy one minute detox rituals:

* Five simple ways to detox your body naturally:

11: Lack of water; reason for day time fatigue:

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy thinking.  Lack of water is claimed to be the number one reason for day time fatigue.

Muscles are 75% water, blood around 84% water, and bones 22% water.  Water is essential for carrying waste material out of your body.  If waste remains in your organs and body you will feel tired and sluggish.

* 10 tips to grab on the run for staying hydrated:

12: Move your body:

When I exercise or walk regularly I have more energy.  When I skip a week or not I notice a difference in my energy levels.  Exercise improves blood circulation, refreshes my mind, improves sleep and oxygenates my body.  I love my yoga and walks on our local beach.  Find a regular practice that suits you. e.g Qi gong, tai chi, pilates, aeoribics, belly dancing or latin dancing.  Anything that gets your body moving.

* 100 wise tips to feel better now:

http://thehealthylivinglounge.com/2010/06/07/how-to-avoid-and-protect-yourself-from-gossip/

“When you calm your body & your emotions, you restore yourself, and restore peace to the world around you.”  Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh

Are you being pushed around by the speed of the world or starved for time?  According to Pew research center nearly 25% of Americans feel rushed all the time and 50% some of the time.  Rushing, in a strange way, seems to have become the acceptable norm.  Do more, and fit more into your schedule, at any cost.  Who’s idea was that anyway.

Photo by: Malias

Feeling rushed is not a pretty sight:

Feeling rushed turns us into someone we are not.  Our faces become tight and squished, we snap at people, become unkind, make mistakes, drive like lunatics, forget things and stress our bodies to the max, unnecessarily.

To help dissolve that rushed feeling inside and come back to a kinder pace of life I’m sharing a few tricks I’ve either picked up from workshops, personally use or friends have sworn by.

The key of course, is to notice when you are feeling rushed.

If you only have time for one tip (because you are too rushed) remember your breath is the bridge between your body and your mind.  The more you focus on your breath the less chance you have of living in your head, feeling disconnected and rushed.

15 clever ways to stop feeling rushed:

1: Cheat. Take a herbal sedative: I don’t mind saying, I am addicted to the herb, passion flower. I prefer it in liquid form rather than tablet.  Whilst I’m not a herbalist, I do know from years of experience, whenever I’m feeling rushed or stressed passion flower slows me down on the inside and takes off the edge.  It never fails me.

3 potent natural herbal sedatives:

2: Listen to your thoughts in slow motion: This little trick is perfect for when your mind is rushing along at 1,000 miles per hour.  Simply spend the next 30 seconds listening to your thoughts in really, really, slow motion.  You’ll notice how rushed and cluttered your thoughts were before hand.  Slow the speed of your thoughts to feel less rushed.

3: Unhunch shoulders and unsquish your face: A tight, tense and squished up face is not a good look.  Loosen the frown, relax your face muscles (smile) and unhunch your shoulders.  This is a good start to slowing yourself down from the inside and releasing some of the built up stress.

* 12 ways to release muscle tension (on the spot)

4: Empty your thoughts by writing them down: I need to do this more often, especially before bed if my mind is still in rushing mode.  Once the scramble of thoughts are out of your head, and onto a piece of paper you’ll find yourself breathing a sigh of relief.  Sanity will prevail, and you can let it all go until the morning. Journaling is very therapeutic.

* The benefits of journal writing

5: Close your eyes: Your eyes can easily absorb lots of stress and anxiety from what they are witnessing.  Close your eyes, give them a rest and withdraw your visual attention from the outside world. Keep your eyes closed as you  “pull in” your scattered energies.  A few minutes resting your eyes with a yoga eye pillow will soothe your eyes, calm your mind and relax your body.

6: Focus on one thing for 30 seconds: A rushed mind cannot focus; not even for 30 seconds. It’s always jumping from the past into the future and then back into the past again, conveniently forgetting about, the here and now.  Grow your 30 second “slowing down” muscle simply by focusing on one thing, your breath, an object, thoughtful word or calming mantra for 30 seconds.

7: Spend time alone: Often its your external living or work environment that’s overstimulating you. Removing yourself from noisy, busy, hectic environments can be the perfect medicine in allowing yourself to come back centre again and feel calmer on the inside. Turn off the phone, unplug the noise and be with yourself.

* Rest is not a weakness, its essential.

8: Go outside: Nature never lets you down.  Nature has a very natural ability to ground and centre you. Nature is very healing. Try walking in nature, standing and looking at nature (sky, tree, clouds) or simply sit and eat your lunch in nature.  Living in a concrete jungle disconnected from nature, encourages you to live in your head. Let your feet touch the ground, grass or sand, let your nose smell the air, let your skin feel the breeze, let your eyes witness the beauty.  Spend time in nature and get grounded.

9: Stop listening to others: Other people, the news, computers or radio, can contribute to your rushed feeling. Be mindful of what you are hearing and listening too.  Do you best to limit yourself to people who are worry warts and stress heads, particularly when you are feeling fragile and depleted. Use your exhale to push their energies away.

10: Listen to music: Block out the toxic urban sounds around you with a good dose of sound therapy to soothe that rushed feeling inside.  Dr. Emoto, in his research, has proven that listening to the Blue Danube and other pieces of music will nourish your nervous system in times of stress and fatigue.  At the moment I’m listening to The Flow Of Grace by Krishna Das

11:  Walk away: Feeling rushed is not a productive state.  Walking clears your head and shifts the energy in your body.  Treat yourself to a change of scenery by walking and calming your agitated mind.  Walking reminds you that you have a body. As Dr. Christian Northrup says increased blood circulation equals increased joyful feelings.

12: Create some breathing space: Rushed thoughts lead to tight, tense, short and shallow breathing.  You deprive your body and mind of oxygen.   Deepen and slow down your breath to encourage the flow of energy to your extremities.   Spend longer on your exhale, as you imagine pushing it all away.  Use your breath to create space around you, your thoughts and your environment.

* Your breath as medicine

13: Grab a hug: Hugs are for feeling (not thinking).  Hugs nourish your sense of touch, comfort, calm and relax you in rushed times. Hugs simply fuel your heart with the good stuff.  A good hug will get you out of your head and back into your body.   Click here for 10 hugging tips to grab on the run.

14: Think of the word I trust:  Believe it or not this little trick works a treat for me.  Just saying or thinking the word I trust (a few times) reminds me that I can’t control everything, and I simply need to trust in life’s process and that everything happens for a reason.  Repeating the words I trust brings me gently back to my centre and into the present moment.

* A valuable tool for a worried mind

15: Avoid caffeine: A sure fire way to speed yourself up even more is to drink more coffee, soda or energy drinks. Switch one caffeine drink a day for a glass of water, mug of miso soup or green tea.  May I recommend a mug of miso as a great alternative if you are wanting a warm drink, it’s really nutritious.

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Guest post by Jennifer Jefferies:

The biggest source of energy suckers in your life is yourself. You are the one cutting corners by not respecting your own needs, eating well, exercising or making time for fun in your life. Anything that takes the fun out of your life is an ‘energy sucker’ and anything that puts the fun back into your life is an ‘energy giver’ and feeds you energy. Identify your ‘suckers’ and replace them with ‘givers’ that feed you with energy and enthusiasm.

Photo by tukasz strachanowski’s

Energy Sucking Foods:

Foods are one of the biggest energy suckers in our lives. Our bodies function most efficiently when we eat foods that are close to their natural state – the more fresh foods, free from preservatives and human intervention that you eat, the better. If you’re not eating a diet high in natural, fresh, raw foods then you are robbing yourself of energy.

Keep a food diary for a week and see what you are really putting into your body every day. The reality of what you are doing is usually quite different to what you think you are doing.

Energy Giving Foods:

• Go for brown in everything: wholemeal bread, pasta and rice. Be careful with grain breads, because many have a white refined-wheat base, making them same as white bread, but with seeds.
• Concentrate on making sure that you have a full range of colours in every meal.
• It’s not as though you haven’t heard it before…drink more water, two litres of pure, filtered water every single day.
• Enjoy your foods and always go for quality before quantity. I am into hot chocolate as one of my ‘free day’ treats, and I would rather go without during the week so that I can enjoy my double white chocolate with caramel topping – that’s quality over quantity.

Energy Sucking People:

Have you ever noticed how some people can really suck the life out of you? They rely on the dramas in their lives for attention and fuel their own energy by taking yours. You know the type of person; they only seem to want to speak to you so that they can re-live their dramas in every painful detail.

The way I have learnt to handle people like this is to first realise that they are handling life in the best way that they know how and second, to realise that I don’t have to buy into their games.

If you must spend time with someone like this, try changing your perspective. Listen to them, pay attention, be present, and realise that they have something to give in their own way. By changing your perspective, they will not be able to suck the life out of you. If you go into the conversation thinking ‘okay, here we go again’ you will open yourself up to their energy-draining ways.

Energy Giving People and Attitudes:

When you find yourself whinging about something or someone? All it does is drain your energy. Choose to focus instead on the positives in life and surround yourself with positive people.

We all go through cycles and sometimes we can get caught in a negative groove; if you’re in one at the moment, choose to change your perspective about what is happening in your life. Focus on what you do have and what is working for you, rather than on what you don’t have or are missing out on. Allow five minutes to feel sorry for yourself and then get on with it. Don’t go around draining the rest of your life and others because you’re in ‘poor me’ mode. Changing your perspective is as easy as catching yourself being negative and consciously changing your thoughts.

Energy Sucking Beliefs and Habits:

We all have negative habits and beliefs at times, it’s only human, so don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s your life, and if you choose to do something that has a negative impact on your health such as smoke, at least do something to balance it out, you might take Vitamin C daily to lessen the impact for example.

Noticing your behaviour and refocusing on something to balance out the negatives will be more productive than guilt-tripping yourself will ever be. By giving yourself a hard time, you simply reinforce the negative and make it more difficult to correct.

Energy Giving Exercise:

The easiest way to get more energy is to give more energy and you do that by moving your body. When you are feeling low in energy, get up and move around the office, do a set of wall push-ups and breathe the energy back into your body.

In Chinese medicine we say the way to get energy is to give energy. So when you are tired at the end of the day the fastest way to recharge your batteries is to get up and move your body in some way. Even some fun play time with the kids outside or a short walk around the block can be enough to recharge you.

Remember your life will always be filled with challenges. Waiting for the right time to allow yourself or to choose to be happy is futile, the right time never comes. If something is “sucking the life out of you” do something about it and replace it with an action that feeds you energy.  If you choose to not replace that energy sucker, stop whinging about it, change your perception, get your head around it and get on with life. Your sanity depends on it.

This article was written by Jennifer Jefferies Author, motivational speaker and natural health practitioner:

A note from Carole, Editor of the Rejuvenation Lounge: If you liked this article you are welcome to subscribe for free to the Rejuvenation Lounge articles by email.

More resources:

A complaint free world – the web site
A Complaint-free World: Experience the 21 Day Challenge That Will Change Your Life:

guest post by Marelisa at Abundance Blog

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the whole earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Photo by Rickdavid

Eknath Easwaran (1910 – 1999) is a spiritual teacher whose method is a practical approach that fits naturally into any faith, philosophy, or lifestyle, enabling us to bring universal ideals into daily life. He talks about slowing down, taking time for the important things, and living in the present.The following 10 ways to have a zen-like day were taken from his writing:

1:  Slow Down Your Mind:

Eknath Easwaran uses the analogy of driving a car in his book, Take Your Time: to describe what happens when your mind speeds up. He explains that when you’re driving and you’re going too fast, you can’t control the car. In the same way, when your mind is racing you can’t pay proper attention to what is going on around you, heed warning signs, and make the right judgment calls.He adds that there is nothing more disobedient than an untrained mind, and there is nothing more obedient than a trained mind. We can train our minds to slow down by listening to our thoughts, slowing down our pace of life, learning to prioritize, doing one thing at a time, and through reflective practices such as yoga, tai chi, meditation, and so on.

2: Train Your Attention To Be Fully In The Present:

When your mind is rehashing the past and recycling old resentments, or worrying about the future, it’s ill equipped to handle the challenges of the moment. Learn to remain focused completely on the present.

3:  Take Time For Relationships:

Relationships are usually the first casualty when your life speeds up and you’re overbooked.  Especially when it comes to children, slow down and move at their rhythm, instead of expecting them to scurry to keep up with yours.  Get back into the habit of sitting together with your family at meal times and eat at a leisurely pace.

4: Transmit Serenity To Others:

In my article “Five Joyous Tips for Being Happy” I talk about a study that has shown that happiness is indeed contagious. As Eknath Easwaran points out, pressure is contagious as well, but so is goodwill. One person slowing down and not putting others under pressure helps everyone else to relax. Choose to be the person that remains calm when everyone else is rushing about, setting an example for others to relax as well.

5: Get Up Earlier:

If you start your day in a state of hurry you’ll carry that feeling with you throughout the rest of the day. We rush through breakfast, run out the door, sit in traffic tapping our hand against the steering wheel impatiently and muttering, “Come on, I’m late, where’d you learn to drive?” at other drivers under our breath, and arrive at our morning’s destination frazzled and disheveled. You can avoid the morning rush by getting up earlier.

6: Take Steps To Put An End To Information Overload:

Stop trying to be on top of it all. You can’t read everything, you can’t be constantly aware of the latest breaking news or fad, and you can’t absorb every bit of information that is thrown at you. Accept that. You have to make choices: decide what information is really important to you and discard everything else.Leo Babauta from zenhabits.net describes the following process for putting an end to the email avalanche:

• The first step is to reduce the flow of e-mails coming in: take action to stop nonessential e-mails from getting to your in-box. For example, unsubscribe from newsletters that don’t really interest you and post your e-mail policies on your blog or web site.

• The second step is to deal effectively with the flow of emails that comes in.  He advises to stop checking your emails constantly; instead, check it at regular periods.

• The third step is to stop dealing with the same e-mail over and over again: make a decision, take action, and move on. That is, delete, file, forward, write a short reply, or add to your to-do list.

7: Don’t Crowd Your Day:

Sit down and make a list of all the activities that fill up your days:  all of the associations you belong to, all of the activities you’re signed up for, and all of the commitments you’ve made to others. Now take a red pencil and cross out everything that is not necessary or beneficial to you.After doing this you’ll find that you have more time to do the things that are really important to you and more time to spend with those you love.  In addition, you’ll have time to do things for yourself such as exercising and finding time each day to spend in meditation and quiet contemplation.  Keep sight of the most important things each day.

8: Master The Art Of Concentration:

Give your attention to one thing at a time; complete concentration is genius.  Again, Eknath Easwaran uses the analogy of a car: imagine that you get into your car and start driving north toward your house; then, all of a sudden, the car turns left and starts heading toward the supermarket; then it makes another sudden turn and starts headings toward your sister’s house; then . . . you get the picture.  When it comes to our attention we often have as little control over it as we had over that car.Follow Buddha’s advice: whatever you’re doing, do it mindfully.

9: Repeat A Mantra:

By repeating a mantra–such as “Rama”, “Peace”, “All is well”, or anything else that works for you–you’re applying a break to the mind.  When the mind begins to race off with thoughts of worry, frustration, fear, or anger, we can effectively slow it down by repeating our mantra.In addition, repeating a mantra can help you to focus.  I once read of a monk who taught his students to repeat in their heads the tasks they were engaged in at the moment.  So if they were walking they would repeat: “walking, walking, walking”; if they were doing the dishes they would repeat:  “doing the dishes, doing the dishes, doing the dishes”; and so on.

10: Keep In Mind That It Is Not Necessary To Lead A Frantic Life To Accomplish Many Things:

Eknath Easwaran uses the example of Ghandi, who accomplished more than most people in history, and yet always looked relaxed.  What could be more ambitious than filling our schedule with the things that are most important to us, spending more time with those we love, and living life at our own pace instead of trying to keep up with others?

Conclusion:

I’d like to conclude this post with the following words by Eknath Easwaran:

“A slower life . . . is more effective, more artistic, much richer than a life lived as a race against the clock. It gives you time to pause, to think, to reflect, to decide, to weigh pros and cons. It give you time for relationships.”

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This article was written by Marelisa Fabrega who blogs at Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online (http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com), where you’ll find tips and resources to help you increase your creativity, be more productive, and simplify your life.  Marelisa lives in the Republic of Panama.

You are welcome to come back and visit my blog the Rejuvenation Lounge anytime

Subscribe To My Articles by Email – It’s free:

Books by Eknath Easwaran:

Take Your Time: How to Find Patience, Peace, and MeaningPassage Meditation:

Bringing the Deep Wisdom of the Heart into Daily Life

“What we hear, how we are touched, what we see, what we taste, and what we smell,  can reinforce or disrupt our healthy balance” Deepak Chopra

I’m bored with years of vision boards. In particular the poster board with glued on pictures. My dreams for the year ahead certainly deserve to be expressed with more excitement and enthusiasm.

I need a fun, visually stimulating reminder to keep my wandering mind on track with my dreams for the year ahead.  Something that’s a bit more alive and interactive.  Something that I actually feel excited about.  Something that will change and grow with me.

Ta! Da!  Enter the string of inspiration.

Photo by Vee:

It’s Time For A Change:

It was then, after being left in limbo, that a series of events happened starting with a creative thought about a string of Christmas cards across a wall.

Needless to say, I’m now excited and really looking forward to creating my very new, and very hip string of inspiration. I even think I’ll funk it up some more by switching to a vertical string of inspiration instead of horizontal.  How cool is that!

My string of inspiration will of course be environmentally friendly. I’ll be using natural string and wooden pegs instead of plastic clips as shown in the picture above.

6 fabulous benefits for your string of inspiration:

1: Perfect for small spaces:

The string doesn’t always have to go across a wall and take up space.  Why not create a vertical string of inspiration where the string runs from the ceiling to the floor (up and down) a corner or small space.

2:  Always current:

You can easily take off goals once they have happened, so your string of inspiration is never out of date.

3: Grow with your string of inspiration:

As new dreams and passions grow inside of you add them to your string of inspiration

4: Upgrade to more inspiring images:

Upgrade the images whenever you want.  I have a great picture of Bali that I am adding to my string of inspiration, but, if in a couple of months I find a more inspiring picture I’ll simply take off the old one and replace with the new one.  Easy.

5:  Fresh and alive:

If a picture becomes tatty, old or faded you can easily switch to a fresher, newer looking picture. Adding and changing images keeps the energy for your string of inspiration fresh and alive. By physically interacting with it regularly,  I feel creates a stronger energetic connection between you and your visions.

6: Stay connected:

Enjoy creating your own string of inspiration or share how you stay connected to your dreams and visions for the year ahead.

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Thanks for reading my post.  Carole

You are welcome to come back and visit my blog the Rejuvenation Lounge

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More posts:

11 rules for being human:

20 ways to be kinder to yourself:

15 essential things to know about your breathing:

10 Confucius tips to grab on the run:

“The most important experience of my life, I would say is that of transcending to a place of stillness and silence – twice a day, everyday.” Deepak Chopra.

Self care priorities are mindful habits that support and grow your emotional, physical and spiritual well being.   Enjoy and experience them as often as possible throughout your day.

Photo by TerenceKearn

Here’s my top 5 self care priorities for the year ahead, which I’m very happy to share with you.   You may relate totally to mine, or have a completely different set of self care priorities altogether.  Either way, I encourage you to put yourself first more often, and nurture your physical, emotional and spiritual needs by creating your own top 5 self care priorities.

1:  Remember To Breath:“The True Man breathes with his heels; the mass of men breathe with their throats” By Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu

You’d be surprised how many times a day you actually hold your breath, gasp or “suck in” stress and frustration. Stop often, and spend a valuable 30 seconds or more slowing down and deepening your breath.Calm relaxed breathing is my sanity saver.  It slows down a racing mind, soothes the nervous system and unhunches the shoulders. Remember to inhale way past your belly button and deep into your abdomen for full benefits.I intend to focus on my breath hundreds of times a day, particularly when driving, waiting in queues and sitting on the computer. I know it will help me stay present.Discover 15 clever things about your breathing by clicking here:

2: Spend Time In Silence Each Day:

Withdraw your attention from the outside world and give yourself permission to relax, unwind and experience the bigger picture of life.  Turn everything off, close your eyes and simply observe your breathe or listen to your body.  

Lying down (in corpse pose) triggers a whole new response in your nervous system and is an excellent way to spend time in silence.  Meditation, of course is another  great option. Meditation and silence will always be a part of my self care priorities.  The biggest shift I personally have noticed with meditation is that my responses to challenging situations are far less stressful.

3: Move And Nourish Your Body:

Fuel your body with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and avoid overly processed, packaged, canned and deep fried foods. Home cooked meals are the best.  Clear the blockages in your body by moving it.  Find time each day to walk, stretch or take a class.

This year I intend to walk more drive less, continue with my yoga practice and work on improving my flexibility, particularly the hamstrings. Most of my meals are cooked from scratch, organic where possible and always vegetarian.

* 44 ways to rejuvenate naturally:

Boost your energy now:

Super easy one minute daily detox rituals:

4: Be gentle on yourself:

You can either push and fight your way through life or be graceful and go with the flow.  Accept the present moment by thinking gently, eating gently, drinking gently, cleaning the house gently, shopping gently, talking gently and driving gently.

When you think, act and respond gently you trust more in the flow of life and fill your body with a peaceful energy. Rushing and over reacting cannot exist at the same time when you are being gentle with yourself.

5: Un-complicate Your Life:

Simplify, simplify, simplify.  Eliminate all that is weighing you down, stressing you out or complicating your life. Get rid of your clutter, bad attitudes, wasteful habits, busyness, excess bills  or over committing.

The less you have to worry about and look after, the lighter and happier you will feel. Once a month I focus on one specific area of my life, to simplify and uncomplicate.  At the moment I’m focusing on my kitchen and shopping habits.

* Six excellent reasons to uncomplicate your life:

* Let go of your emotional clutter

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I love and use Ananga’s guided meditations and music:

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“Practice seeking joy in the natural world rather than seeking fulfillment in ownership” Wayne Dyer Living the Tao.

Living simply with less, is quickly becoming the new black.  Why?  I believe our souls are craving a life with less stress, less worry and less pressure.   We are realizing owning more stuff does not make us any happier in the long term.  In fact, our stuff can be a burden, suck our time and energy, consume our focus and, cause problems for the environment.

Photo by jo3design’s

Enjoy More And Worry Less:

My mantra for this year is to enjoy more and worry less. My plan is simple.  Uncomplicate and simplify all things in and around me.

So far this year, not only have I cleared the clutter but I am now in the process of eliminating my excess stuff. Do I really need 6 salad bowls, the extra dinner set or coffee tables?

If you are in any doubt as to whether your stuff complicates your life, I have compiled (what I think to be) six excellent reasons to get rid of your excess stuff (in addition to clutter) and become more mindful about your future purchases.

1: Your stuff takes up more of your time than you think:

Your stuff can drain your energy. Your stuff can demand your attention.  Your stuff can cause you to worry. Your stuff can cost you time and money.

The less things you have to store, clean, insure, repair and look after, the more time you have to do what you love doing.  Life was not meant to be spent buying and looking after stuff, as well as keeping it safe and protected.

Less stuff equals less things to worry about.  Only keep stuff that you absolutely love or use often.

2: The benefits of a clean simple Zen environment:

• You most definitely feel lighter
• Your mind is clearer, as there is less confusion, over crowding and busyness around you
• It extra easy to keep neat and tidy
• It is much easier to find thing
• Saves you loads of time and energy in cleaning and dusting
• Less time and money needed on repairs, maintenance and insurance
• You don’t need as much storage space
• With less stuff you can live in a smaller more affordable home
• You enjoy and appreciate what you do have
• You may even prefer better quality stuff now that you have fewer things
• Your living and work environment is a joy to be in.  It does not drain you nor cause you to worry

3: Your stuff has global consequences:

I encourage you to watch this very simple yet informative presentation called The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. It will teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

4: A satisfying lifestyle becomes your priority rather than your stuff:

“A fish in the water that is thirsty needs serious professional counseling”  An ancient proverb

As your focus shifts, you release your attachment to your stuff and a whole new world begins to open up for you.  You delve deeper into the real you, the bigger picture of life.  You explore what really brings you inner peace and happiness.  You now value your time.

5: The law of diminishing returns:

The more you have of something or the more you experience a pleasure, the less you notice and enjoy it over time. The initial rush of enjoyment when buying something new gradually declines with frequent exposure. This is certainly true with children who are overwhelmed with excitement at first, only to find the novelty quickly wears off. Buying more stuff to make you feel better or as quick pick me up does not offer any lasting satisfaction.

6. Conscious consumption:

Switch from mindless or addictive consumption to conscious consumption. The simpler you live the more conscious you become about your spending choices. You value each purchase. You have a greater awareness as to the consumable items environmental impact and effect on sustainable living. You buy wisely with the bigger picture in mind. You now consume wisely and consciously.

Practice daily, keeping your life  simple and uncomplicated and enjoy the peace that follows. Carole Fogarty

Recommend Reading:

1: Power of Less, The: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life

2: Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic (Bk Currents)

3: Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle

4: Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough

5: The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living

6: Living With Less: The Upside of Downsizing Your Life

7: It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

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If you liked this post please share on stumbleupon or digg.  Thanks,  Carole.

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More articles:

4 effective and fun clutter busting games:

Uplift your thinking with the 5 reiki principles

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By Carole Fogarty

Editor Rejuvenation Lounge and facilitator of Women’s Rejuvenation Retreats:

Rejuvenate Your Lifestyle: 

I have just returned from a trip to Melbourne and Sydney with my boys, and realized in the process of my travels, I had lost the plot.  My always reliable rhythm to daily life had done a runner. Vanished.  Disappeared. Poof. I’d lost my rhythm.

 Photo by Riot Jane:

I was missing yoga classes, would forget to eat lunch or morning tea then experience energy slumps in the afternoon,  couldn’t manage to complete a blog post to save myself (sorry about that) and was totally disorganized for school lunches and meals.

Naturally I was still busy doing stuff, working on my blog, even facilitating women’s rejuvenation classes but I certainly didn’t feel remotely close to having a daily rhythm and feeling in the flow of my life. I felt like I was going around in circles.

I looked everywhere for my daily rhythm, under the bed, in the fridge and even in my hand bag.  It was no where to be found.

Lucky, for me I was able to establish the reason for my loss of rhythm quite quickly and began to incorporate really simple remedies into my day (I’ve shared them with you below).

And the reason, you ask,  for losing my rhythm – I was not grounded.  Meaning I was not fully connected and present in my body. My energies were too scattered from all the travel.  You may have experienced an ungrounded feeling before of being vague or spacey after spending way too long on the computer or TV.  Or you are listening to someone talk and haven’t heard one word they’ve said, as your mind is somewhere else.

So I thought as Christmas approaches, it was timely that I write this post sharing a few simple tips that you may need one day when feeling a little ungrounded and “off centre” yourself.

Firstly, Check To See If You Are Grounded: 

Step one for me was to write down how I was feeling.

Words like scattered, unfocused, spacey, restless and unbalanced all appeared on my page.  This pleased me.  They are all classic symptoms of not being grounded.  Gosh, I wish I had done this exercise 5 days earlier.

When you are “not grounded” you are disconnected from your body and not fully aware of everything that’s happening around you.  You live mostly in your head, which is either traveling back into the past,  zooming off into the future or simply spinning around in circles going nowhere fast. Staying focused and completing tasks or even sentences is very tricky, as you are easily distracted and your mind wanders off.

Key symptoms of being ungrounded are:

• Not being able to stay focused
• Vague, spacey
• Not fully aware of everything that is happening around you
• Easily distracted
• Prone to accidents, bruises and bumping into things as you are not fully present
• Forget to eat and drink
• Make decisions and choices which have not been thought through properly

Note to self:  Next time you lose the plot don’t wait one week to write down how you are feeling.

Three Simple Ways To Get Grounded: 

1: Eat and Drink Well:  Firstly meals became my priority.  Three meals and two snacks eaten around the same time each day. I prepared all warm light home cooked meals as much as possible.   Certainly no take-away junk food eaten on the run.  I simply gave my body the fuel and attention it needed.  After around 3-5 days my mind and energies began to shift.  I felt much calmer, my thoughts were less crowded and I became far less reactive to the world around me.

2: Feel Your Body More:  Yoga, tai chi or qi gong are all great practices that bring your full awareness into your body.  I literally had to push myself back into yoga classes but once I got there I was literally connected in an instant to my rhythm of exercise.  My body was very grateful. Of course any exercise like walking, jogging or aerobics brings your attention back into your body.

I also made a point of being in nature more often and letting my bare feet actually walk on the sand or grass. Simply sitting under a tree or on the ground in a park will ground your energies after a short while.  Stay as long as you like or until you notice a shift.  I personally sit on our local beach and watch the waves and people pass by its very therapeutic.

4: Useful Daily Habits: Remember to breath, it reminds you, you have a body.  Whilst breathing is automatic, a healthy deep, cleansing breath needs to be conscious.  I imagined breathing all the way down to my feet. It cleverly redirected energy out of my head, and back into my body.     Daily Self Massage is one daily habit which I stopped whilst traveling and never started back up again.  Big mistake.  My morning and evening self massage obviously helped greatly in grounding my energies.  Simply massaging your feet can be extremely grounding.

Thanks so much for reading my article, Carole. You are welcome to come back and visit my blog the Rejuvenation Lounge anytime or grab daily rejuvenation tips from me over at twitter.

More Great Ideas For You to Rest, Relax And Unwind:

15 clever things to know about your breathing:

20 ways to love your body more:

The authentic chocolate facial:

Five simple and cheap ways to detox your body naturally:

Pack rejuvenation into your hand bag:

A proven solution for overburdened nerves:

By Carole Fogarty

Editor of  Rejuvenation Lounge and facilitator of Women’s Rejuvenation Retreats:

Rejuvenate Your Habits:

Is it time for you  to start looking after you more often by turning down your “go fast – never stop” dial?  I’m guessing this months dare has come just at the right time for you. This month I’m daring you and myself (of course) to consciously monitor and adjust the speed at which we both travel through our day.

 Photo by Tony V

More About Our Monthly Dares:

All monthly dares at the Rejuvenation Lounge are not about turning your world upside down.  They are simply ideas for you to look after you more often.

Our monthly dares offer you an opportunity to try something different for 30 days, and trust you will feel more relaxed, more plugged in to you and enjoy the flow of your day much more.  To help support you with this months dare don’t forget the “priority you time” formula:

When You Rush, You Push Hard. This Is Not How Nature Intended Us To Live:

I must admit, I have been watching the speed of my days closely for the past few years. The worst rushing symptom ( for me )  is that I lose synchronicity in my life.  The magic stops happening, and I find myself “pushing life” instead of honouring the rhythm and flow of it. I lose connection with my gut feelings and my stress levels rise and energy levels drop.  I often wonder why I ever let my mind take over and run the show in the first place.

Luckily these days I am able to sense the feeling of “speeding up” quite early on.   One of the most supportive “slow down” habits for me is to deliberately start my days gently and meaningfully.  When I start gently, my day flows gently. Becoming more aware of my breath throughout the day has been great for “checking in” with the speed of me.  The breath never lies, as its the first function to react in the body.

The Top Eight  Side Effects Of Rushing:

1. Causes accidents
2. You are prone to making silly mistakes, wrong choices and forget stuff
3. You neglect your body and forget to drink and eat properly. You don’t have time to sit quietly and eat.
4. Your nervous system becomes overstimulated which increases the stress levels in your body
5. Your breathing becomes shallow, quick and short which stimulates your nervous system even more
6. Basically you are living life in “fight or flight” mode, as the caveman did
7. You are exhausted, drained and depleted by the end of your day
8. You use caffeine and sugar to keep you going

10 Ways To Adjust The Speed Of Your Day:

1: Admit you are rushing in the first place: How can you adjust the speed of your day if you aren’t even aware that you are rushing. Be still, then be honest. Are you showing any of the sides effects of rushing as listed above.  Or, ask yourself this question “Can I live more gently?”  – drive more gently, cook more gently, speak more gently, think more gently, work more gently, be with my children more gently.  I’m sure you’ve got the picture.

2: Start your day slow: Dare yourself to lie in bed for 5 minutes before zooming head first into your day.  Say hello to your body, connect with how its feeling and ask it what it needs.  How you start your day effects greatly the flow or speed of your day. Enjoy your breakfast and enjoy your early morning routine without rushing. The first hour of all my mornings are deliberately relaxed and calm.  I love the private “me” time before the kids get up.

3: Breathe into your belly to slow yourself down: If you are rushing your breathing will reflect this with quick, short shallow breathes.  Consciously direct the flow of your breath into your belly which will relax your nervous system and slow your thoughts down.

4: Eat sitting down in a soul satisfying environment: Rushers find this hard to do. Its very easy to skip meals, eat in the car, walking down the street or whilst on the computer multi tasking. Eating and drinking in a pleasant environment will nourish your nervous system and encourage you to slow down.

5: Is your “to-do” list running your life?  There is a much bigger picture to life than just your “to-do” list. If your “to-do” list is pushing and pushing you, then take control of it right now.  Simplify the speed of your day by reducing the number of things on your “to-do” list. Most importantly, make sure you are on your “to-do” list.  Don’t forget yourself.

6: Add 5 minute moments of unwinding into your day:

Hand yoga to release tension and toxic emotions: 

Pack rejuvenation into your hand bag:

9 easy ways to soften yourself up for a great nights sleep

A daily5 minute self massage to nourish your nervous system

10 tips to grab on the run to be kinder to yourself:

7: Adjust the speed of your day at traffic lights: Being caught in traffic or waiting for the lights to change are both wonderful opportunities to slow down the speed of your day and invite more pockets of calm and relaxation.  A must read if you are anxious and stressed out in traffic. Invite good karma at traffic lights.

8: Stillness has powers:  Stop. Do nothing for 5 minutes. Withdraw your energy, attention and senses away from the outside world. Being still allows you to regroup your scattered energies back into you.  Being still triggers a whole bunch of different responses in your body. Stillness is a healing and rejuvenative medicine.

You can be still anywhere.  Sit in your car for 5 minutes before getting out. Arrive early to an appointment so you can sit and be still. Lock yourself in the toilet (if you have too). By the way, stillness is not slouching on the couch watching TV.  Its simply you spending time with just you.

9: Step back into your body by getting grounded:  When you are ungrounded your energies are scattered. You are split in two. There is no connection and flow between your mind and body.  Whilst you physically might be here reading this article, your mind is already sorting out stuff in future and is not fully aware of everything happening around it right now.  Becoming aware of your breath helps grounds you.  Walking outside in nature definately grounds you.  Getting hydrated reduces stress on your body and grounds you.  Eating and drinking regularly is vital to being grounded. For more great suggestions read:  Get grounded or get pushed around by life.

10: Reduce excess stimulation:   External stimulation can speed you up. Excess sound, tv, computers, busy places, phones, mobiles, emails can all demand your attention, then stress and over stimulate you. Be mindful of which external forces encourage you to speed up.   For me its loud noise, traffic and shopping centres. There’s nothing wrong with turning off your mobile to slow yourself down.

The benefits of rushing:    Mmmmmm can’t think of any.

Thanks for reading my article, Carole.  You are welcome to come back and visit my blog  Rejuvenation Lounge  anytime or join me in Bali, Italy or Australia for my Womens Rejuvenation Retreats or Evenings:

Previous Monthly Dares:

I dare you to laugh yourself healthy this month:

I dare you to put yourself first for one month:

I dare you to quit participating in gossip:

More Articles To Rejuvenate You:

The ultimate rejuvenation recipe for your bedroom

15 clever things to know about your breathing:

Hand yoga for rejuvenation and to prevent exhaustion: 

Flick off negativity and lift your vibe in an instant:

Relax and unwind with your own yoga eye pillow

Eight successful ways to connect to your inner wise voice

When did you decide to put yourself last:

Here’s a radical thought.  Why not practice random acts of kindness on yourself every day for a whole month.  Your whole being will simply feel loved and repay you with less stress, more energy and a greater sense of well being. You deserve more genuine moments kindness.

Photo by iujaz’s

This month I’m daring you and myself to consciously become aware of where we could be kinder to ourselves as we flow through our day. Perhaps we could spend longer enjoying breakfast, spend 5 minutes lying gently in bed before getting up, treat our bodies to a daily self massage, eat at least one wholesome meal a day or indulge in a massage.

20 ways to practice kindness on yourself:

1.  Be kinder to your intuition. Too many times I hear of people not trusting their gut feeling or intuition, only to realize – when it’s too late, that they were right in the first place.  Be kind to your spiritual well being by trusting that little voice inside.

2.  Slow down your thoughts: Over-thinking creates tension and stress in your body.  The speed of your breathe measures the speed of your thinking.  Slow your breathing down by breathing into your belly.  Try some fabulous yoga – child yoga pose -  hand yoga – walking meditation – legs up wall: Cup your hands over your ears, close your eyes, breathe into your belly, now listen to the sounds of your body.You might even be able to hear the ocean.

How to focus on one thing at a time:

Shake off your afternoon slump:

3.  Be kinder to your digestion: Don’t re-direct your energies away from digestion by multi tasking. Get maximum nourishment out of all your meals by promising yourself to never eat whilst walking, standing up or doing something else at the same time. Avoid multi tasking while you eat.

The yoga of eating:

4. Be kinder to your largest organ. Treat your skin to a daily body brush to improve the removal of waste from your body. Use only natural or organic products.  Feed your skin with regular doses of vitamin D – exposure your skin to the sun daily.

5. Treat yourself to a massage. You know you deserve it. Touch is one of the most healing and nurturing gestures you can offer your body. Be kind to your body.

6. Pause before driving: Before rushing off in your car, sit quietly for 60 seconds, take a few deep breathes and ground yourself. Be kind to your thoughts and actions as you drive. Don’t get caught up in driving stress. Create breathing space between you, stress and the traffic before you leave your drive way.

7. Be kind to your ears. Turn off the artificial noise. Let your ears hear the peaceful sound of silence.  Give your ears a rest and switch off all the man made sounds from your phones, TV and mobiles.

8. Be kinder to your nervous system. Stop rushing through your day on full throttle.  Add pockets of down time to give your body a chance to unwind, de-stress and settle.  Create 2 minutes of “priority you” time every hour.

100 wise tips to feel better fast:

An awesome shake that soothes your nerves:

9. Be kinder to your feet. Go barefoot.  Give your feet the freedom and space they deserve. Wear comfortable shoes, take a relaxing foot bath or massage the souls of your feet before bed with a little oil therapy.  Exercise your feet, whilst sitting at your desk by rotating your ankles, taking off your shoes and allowing your toes to wiggle.  Alternately go grab a small ball and roll the arch of your foot over the ball, then give your toes a toe hug by spreading your fingers in-between each of your toes and wiggle them all about.

10. Be kinder to yourself. Monitor your thoughts and reduce the negative chit chat you may have about yourself. Grab yourself an affirmation to replace your negative conversation with “I am happy healthy and whole” A Louise Hay affirmation. My personal favourite at the moment, “Every cell in my body is loved and healthy”

11.  Make your morning teas simple acts of kindness. Enjoy your cuppa or drink away from your desk, the phone or  TV.  Make sure you throw away that chipped mug and enjoy your cuppa from a mug or cup that you love to look at, touch and sip from.

The importance of tea and friendship:

12. Be kinder to your sleep. Keep your bedroom free from electrical appliances, clear the clutter from under your bed and remove the triggers that may cause over-thinking such as computer, work papers and TV.

Clever tips for a great nights sleep:

9 ways to soften yourself up for a great nights sleep:

13.  Take care of your lungs: Breathe to oxygenate your body. Breathe to detox.  Breathe to empty to your lungs.  Breathe to slow your thinking down.  Relax your shoulders, unhunch your shoulders and invite space into your body by inhaling fully into your lungs. Let your body inhale fresh air and sunshine.

15 clever things to know about your breathing:

14. Be kinder to your sense of smell. For me personally I love putting  4 drops of pure essential rose oil each morning on my face.  The smell is nothing short of divine. Better still fill your home or office with smells that uplift your spirits.

Burn essential oils or incense to enhance the sense of smell in any room.

15. Be kinder to your sense of touch: It’s time to hug more often, hug loud, hug well and hug longer. In fact experts say that we need at least 4 hugs a day minimum for survival and 8 hugs a day for maintenance. A hug supports our emotional well being and releases lots of little happy vibes into your body.

10 hugging tips to grab on the run:

16. Be kinder to your eyes.  Don’t stare for hours at a screen, treat your eyes to natural light, circular movement or rest by closing them.

Relax and unwind with a yoga eye pillow:

17. Fuel your body well: Make time throughout your day to eat well and stay hydrated. Avoid angers foods, and drink plenty of water.

Snack happy with bliss balls:

18. Ground yourself: Take your shoes off and let your feet feel the ground, soil, grass, sand or mud. Hug a tree, sit on the grass and breathe into your feet.  Connecting to nature is a wonderful way to bring more kindness and well being back into your body. Your body relaxes in nature, it doesn’t relax fully in a concrete jungle.

19. Be kind to your body by moving it more. Go for a walk, enrol in a yoga class, grab a belly dancing dvd, try walking meditation, buy a push bike or dance like no one is looking when you clean your home.

20.  Be kinder to your smile. Laugh more. Don’t take life too seriously. Laughing is great for your health, it’s one of the easiest and cheapest ways to relax your body. Laughter helps you feel young again, they even say its anti-angeing.

Laugh your way to a healthier you:

14 quotes on smiling to lift your spirits:

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Thanks for reading my article. Carole.

You are welcome to come back and visit my blog the Rejuvenation Lounge anytime

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Post written by Carole Fogarty  Facilitator of Rest and Rejuvenation Retreats

Rejuvenate your habits:

You feel exhausted, washed out and empty.  You’ve got nothing more to give.  You’re waiting, hoping and praying for someone to whisk you away on a holiday.  A very long holiday.

Whilst I can’t do that right now for you,  I can share a rejuvenation formula that has been designed just for you. Yes, just for you.

jillhugins

 ”You time” shouldn’t happen by accident:

You deserve some time out, you deserve some fun, you deserve some space, your deserve some pampering and you deserve regular moments to rest, repair and rejuvenate yourself.

Promise yourself from this day forward not to let “priority you” time happen only by accident. Make a wise rejuvenation choice from this day forward to create daily, weekly and monthly “priority you” time.

Stop putting yourself last. It’s time to start receiving more energy in than you are giving out.

Priority “you time” formula:

Go grab your diary now and allocate the following priority you times into your calendar.

1:  1/2 an hour a day

2.  1/2 a day a week

3.  1 day a month

Its all about receiving energy.  Receiving more energy than you are giving out.

Even if you have absolutely no idea at this point what to fill your “you time” with – it doesn’t matter.  Pretend, guess or make it up.   Soon life will reveal or remind you what makes your heart sing.

A personal thanks to my chiropractor who over 15 years shared this sanity saving formula with me.

Join me at my 2011 Balinese Rest and Rejuvenation Retreats.  There is one in July and one in September.  Bookings are now being taken.    Click here for the 2011 dates.  Maximum of 6 participants per retreat for individual support.

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Return anytime to the Rejuvenation Lounge.  Peace, love and chocolate,  Carole.

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 More articles:

44 ways to rejuvenate your life naturally

Attract more positive energy

A valuable tool for a worried mind

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