Where is your better feeling place?

We all have times – minutes, hours, days, months when we feel “down.” Life catches us off guard sometimes and we can easily find ourselves in what I call a major funk and often overeating to soothe our emotions. When you find yourself stuck with unhappy feelings and nothing much seems to go right, what do you do to turn it around? Where can you turn to reconnect with yourself – to make contact with your more pleasant feelings?

I know that for me I forget my own advice at times and try to do all the things I know to do to move me forward to a happier place. I don’t like feeling out of sorts and sad. I think that I will find my better feeling place when I feel better. That makes sense on the surface.

But I fail time and again to realize that I have it backwards. To feel better, I have to consciously go to my better feeling place. This is what works for me: First I have to give myself permission to relax and remove those perfectionistic self-expectations that sabotage my efforts to accept myself as the human being that I am – not super-human, not bionic, but vulnerable and frail at times just like everybody else. (Can you relate to this?)

Then I ask myself where this body of mine would be most comfortable. I may choose to lie down for a while or sit in my favorite chair and read or meditate. I could choose to do some sketching or take my little puppy to the ocean for a walk. At any time, on any day my better feeling place changes. It is vital to go there though, wherever it is at the moment, and to do whatever I want to do at the time.

This is my better feeling place – wherever I need to be in the present moment to take care of myself. Later things usually seem more manageable and I can relax a bit. Think of where you can go and what you can do when daily stress overwhelms you. Then be patient. Your feelings will pass but you may feel better sooner if you allow yourself to retreat for a while and take time to reconnect with yourself.

And please do check my website from time to time for new workshops, articles, services and products. And make today a fabulous one! Do something fun!