Lightarted Living: Overcoming Stress During Life's Transitions

Lightarted Living: Overcoming Stress During Life's Transitions:  

Overcoming Stress During Life's Transitions

 

'With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.' Dr. Wayne Dyer

 

Stop the World, I Want to Get Off! 

What's Bothering You? 

What life events are you currently reacting to? What's bothering you? Where do you feel everything's about to change and you don't have a handle on it?

Are you:

• Worrying about the Presidential Race not going in the direction you want? 
• Worrying about other people taking your rights away or your children's future opportunities?
• Stepping into a relationship or contemplating tying or untying the knot?
• Moving from renting into home ownership or thinking about purchasing a home?
• Becoming or thinking about becoming a parent, or sending a child off to school?
• Changing jobs or figuring out retirement?
• Dealing with chronic health, pain or abuse issues--or the loss of a loved one?

Road of Life

'No one can create negativity or stress within you. Only you can do that by virtue of how you process your world.' Dr. Wayne Dyer

Times of Transition are Unsettling 

Recently, I've had conversations with people dealing with one or more of these life transitions. As this IS life, no one is immune to dealing with the ever-evolving landscape of life. 

No matter who we are, or what life changes we're experiencing--whether 'good' or 'bad'--times of transition are unsettling and disruptive. Our fears and concerns during these transitions lead us to initially freeze up, and temporarily suspend us in a frozen state of inertia as we try to figure things out in our heads.

Sometimes the number of transitions and worries stack up and we're overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. Even if we try to push the fear and worry out of our head, we can still feel the dread deep in our guts making us even more anxious about the now unnamed, free floating fear.

In the midst of it we want answers NOW as we tire of feeling we're all alone living in limbo and we contemplate the future uncertainty and what it all means. We want the pain and uncertainty to go away. We want a moment of peace and tranquility.

But we don't always get what we want when we want it. More often we're left to figure out how we can persevere and endure the uncertain times and changes.  And through these difficult times we find our strength and resiliency and learn what strong stuff we're really made of.

 Relaxation is who you are 

Tension is who you think you should be.

Future Focus Creates Fear and Worry

What makes us tense in transitions is our focus on the future. We fear what won't happen that we want to have happen, and we fear what will happen we don't want to happen. Our fears, expectations and should-thinking leak into our consciousness and muddle our ability to think and act clearly so we do nothing at all.

'Never underestimate your power to change yourself; never overestimate your power to change others.' Dr. Wayne Dyer

Change Your Focus from Future Tense to Present Ease

How do we ease our minds and begin the journey back to taking positive actions to lead us forward to the next stage of a fully-engaged and worthy life?

When you feel overwhelmed and stuck in 'future tense', stop, take a breath, and ease back into the present. Get off the worry track. Take a day off from fixating on your fears or thinking about 'your situation', and engage in activities that let you know you are glad to be alive.

Let it be. Let today unfold without you worrying it to death. 

Give Voice to Your Inner Thoughts. Get your fears and expectations out of the dryer drum churning round and round in your head by talking with a confidant. As long as you keep the same stuff churning in your head, you maintain your fear and faulty thinking. By openly giving voice to your thoughts, you open yourself up to taking action today in ways to positively influence tomorrow.

Take One Positive Step. Step into the day with one action that brings you into enjoying today. Get out and spend time with people you are happy to have in your life NOW to laugh and celebrate your friendship.  Find a way to make a difference in one person's life each day.

Sometimes we just need to remember--life is to be enjoyed. Stop letting your life be determined by fear and worry. Focus on putting memorable activities into your life each day instead.

'To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions.'   William James

Overcoming Stress During Life's Transitions

 

'With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.' Dr. Wayne Dyer

 

Stop the World, I Want to Get Off! 

What's Bothering You? 

What life events are you currently reacting to? What's bothering you? Where do you feel everything's about to change and you don't have a handle on it?

Are you:

• Worrying about the Presidential Race not going in the direction you want? 
• Worrying about other people taking your rights away or your children's future opportunities?
• Stepping into a relationship or contemplating tying or untying the knot?
• Moving from renting into home ownership or thinking about purchasing a home?
• Becoming or thinking about becoming a parent, or sending a child off to school?
• Changing jobs or figuring out retirement?
• Dealing with chronic health, pain or abuse issues--or the loss of a loved one?

Road of Life

'No one can create negativity or stress within you. Only you can do that by virtue of how you process your world.' Dr. Wayne Dyer

Times of Transition are Unsettling 

Recently, I've had conversations with people dealing with one or more of these life transitions. As this IS life, no one is immune to dealing with the ever-evolving landscape of life. 

No matter who we are, or what life changes we're experiencing--whether 'good' or 'bad'--times of transition are unsettling and disruptive. Our fears and concerns during these transitions lead us to initially freeze up, and temporarily suspend us in a frozen state of inertia as we try to figure things out in our heads.

Sometimes the number of transitions and worries stack up and we're overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. Even if we try to push the fear and worry out of our head, we can still feel the dread deep in our guts making us even more anxious about the now unnamed, free floating fear.

In the midst of it we want answers NOW as we tire of feeling we're all alone living in limbo and we contemplate the future uncertainty and what it all means. We want the pain and uncertainty to go away. We want a moment of peace and tranquility.

But we don't always get what we want when we want it. More often we're left to figure out how we can persevere and endure the uncertain times and changes.  And through these difficult times we find our strength and resiliency and learn what strong stuff we're really made of.

 Relaxation is who you are 

Tension is who you think you should be.

Future Focus Creates Fear and Worry

What makes us tense in transitions is our focus on the future. We fear what won't happen that we want to have happen, and we fear what will happen we don't want to happen. Our fears, expectations and should-thinking leak into our consciousness and muddle our ability to think and act clearly so we do nothing at all.

'Never underestimate your power to change yourself; never overestimate your power to change others.' Dr. Wayne Dyer

Change Your Focus from Future Tense to Present Ease

How do we ease our minds and begin the journey back to taking positive actions to lead us forward to the next stage of a fully-engaged and worthy life?

When you feel overwhelmed and stuck in 'future tense', stop, take a breath, and ease back into the present. Get off the worry track. Take a day off from fixating on your fears or thinking about 'your situation', and engage in activities that let you know you are glad to be alive.

Let it be. Let today unfold without you worrying it to death. 

Give Voice to Your Inner Thoughts. Get your fears and expectations out of the dryer drum churning round and round in your head by talking with a confidant. As long as you keep the same stuff churning in your head, you maintain your fear and faulty thinking. By openly giving voice to your thoughts, you open yourself up to taking action today in ways to positively influence tomorrow.

Take One Positive Step. Step into the day with one action that brings you into enjoying today. Get out and spend time with people you are happy to have in your life NOW to laugh and celebrate your friendship.  Find a way to make a difference in one person's life each day.

Sometimes we just need to remember--life is to be enjoyed. Stop letting your life be determined by fear and worry. Focus on putting memorable activities into your life each day instead.

'To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions.'   William James

Lightarted Living: 3 Keys to Thriving After a Life-Shattering Crisis

Lightarted Living: 3 Keys to Thriving After a Life-Shattering Crisis:  

3 Keys to Thriving After a Life-Shattering Crisis

 

Accept What Is

Release What Was

Create What Must Be

Andrea Balt

Accept What IS

Acceptance

Learning to thrive again after we experience a life-shattering crisis requires us to get to a place where we can accept the truth of our reality today. This does not happen right away as we need lots of time to honor and grieve what we've lost. 

Sit in it

In the aftermath of your crisis, allow yourself to sit in your grief or anger for as long as you need to. Then, only after you're ready, accept the reality of your situation as it is today. 

Release What Was

Let Go

Whether good or bad, we must let go of what was. This is a process of healing. Initially we want to revisit our past experience many times, and that's okay. 

Allow yourself to consciously sit in your thoughts until you're ready to release them once more.

Telescopes and Hot Air Balloons

To put bad experiences away, try viewing the situation through the wrong end of a telescope to gain distance from them. 

To tuck thoughts of nasty people away after you're done revisiting them, visualize putting them into a hot air balloon and watching them fly far, far away. Then notice how blue and open the sky is above you. Feel the moment of unencumbered freedom settle into your bones.

Create What Must Be

Yes, it Takes Time to Rebuild Your Life

When we're in the immediate aftermath of a life-shattering crisis, it's hard to see our way through the fog of emotion. But every time we take one step towards dealing with the situation we strengthen ourselves to take another. 

Initially keep your eyes on your present needs, and take small daily steps to reset your life. Re-energize yourself by eating, sleeping and resting regularly. If you can, take 5 minutes walks throughout the day to help regulate your body and give your mind a rest from thinking. You are strong and resilient, but you must help yourself find that strength and resilience by taking care of yourself in these little, daily ways.

Small Daily Decisions Over a Lifetime Add Up

When we accept what IS and release what Was, we free ourselves up to Create What must Be. This is a process of resetting our thoughts, visions and actions one step at a time.

Small daily decisions over a lifetime add up. We can create what must be through those small daily decisions. When you look back five years down the road after making small daily decisions to take small daily steps, you'll be amazed by how far you've come and how strong you've shown yourself to be.

Stay strong. Be Brave. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

We carry our burden on and on,

until one day, suddenly,

we laugh and set it down.

Muriel Strode

3 Keys to Thriving After a Life-Shattering Crisis

 

Accept What Is

Release What Was

Create What Must Be

Andrea Balt

Accept What IS

Acceptance

Learning to thrive again after we experience a life-shattering crisis requires us to get to a place where we can accept the truth of our reality today. This does not happen right away as we need lots of time to honor and grieve what we've lost. 

Sit in it

In the aftermath of your crisis, allow yourself to sit in your grief or anger for as long as you need to. Then, only after you're ready, accept the reality of your situation as it is today. 

Release What Was

Let Go

Whether good or bad, we must let go of what was. This is a process of healing. Initially we want to revisit our past experience many times, and that's okay. 

Allow yourself to consciously sit in your thoughts until you're ready to release them once more.

Telescopes and Hot Air Balloons

To put bad experiences away, try viewing the situation through the wrong end of a telescope to gain distance from them. 

To tuck thoughts of nasty people away after you're done revisiting them, visualize putting them into a hot air balloon and watching them fly far, far away. Then notice how blue and open the sky is above you. Feel the moment of unencumbered freedom settle into your bones.

Create What Must Be

Yes, it Takes Time to Rebuild Your Life

When we're in the immediate aftermath of a life-shattering crisis, it's hard to see our way through the fog of emotion. But every time we take one step towards dealing with the situation we strengthen ourselves to take another. 

Initially keep your eyes on your present needs, and take small daily steps to reset your life. Re-energize yourself by eating, sleeping and resting regularly. If you can, take 5 minutes walks throughout the day to help regulate your body and give your mind a rest from thinking. You are strong and resilient, but you must help yourself find that strength and resilience by taking care of yourself in these little, daily ways.

Small Daily Decisions Over a Lifetime Add Up

When we accept what IS and release what Was, we free ourselves up to Create What must Be. This is a process of resetting our thoughts, visions and actions one step at a time.

Small daily decisions over a lifetime add up. We can create what must be through those small daily decisions. When you look back five years down the road after making small daily decisions to take small daily steps, you'll be amazed by how far you've come and how strong you've shown yourself to be.

Stay strong. Be Brave. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

We carry our burden on and on,

until one day, suddenly,

we laugh and set it down.

Muriel Strode

Lightarted Living: Ralph Waldo Emerson-The Dog-Shares Wisdom for Dog ...

Lightarted Living: Ralph Waldo Emerson-The Dog-Shares Wisdom for Dog ...:  

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson-The Dog-Shares Wisdom for Dog Lovers

 

Sir Walter Comes Home

Sir Walter, my sweet one, 

You're as rascally as can be;

When I called for you to find me, 

said Kelly, you came immediately.

Funny and energetic,

You're delightful and great company.

I love you Sir Walter

Thank you for blessing me!

Wisdom from Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Dog, for Dog Lovers

(Especially the dog!)

(Come on, let's play)

(What a great decision Kelly made to bring Sir Walter home!)

(The best kind of human to accompany!)

 

(Need I say more?)

Sir Walter

Sir Walter, a Portuguese Water Dog,  came to Kelly Cruser after her beloved and longtime companion dog crossed over the rainbow bridge. Kelly gets high marks from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the dog, for being the type of human who has a soft heart, a grateful and silly nature, and a love of dogs.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is a real dog. He is big and wise. Yes he co-opted Ralph Waldo Emerson's words to apply to the dog world. He's so smart, don't you think?