Tuesday, February 24, 2009

What Happened to Those New Years Resolutions?

It has been nearly two months since you made those New Years resolutions…. So, how are you doing? Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

Physically: Have I been eating well, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, saturated fats, sugar and simple carbohydrates as often as possible and eating good amounts of protein every few hours? Have I packed healthy snacks to take along with me when I’m away from home, like cheese, nuts and fruit? Am I well hydrated, drinking at least 64 ounces of pure water each day? Have I been keeping regular bedtime hours, getting a sufficient amount of quality sleep? Am I keeping moderate exercise a priority in my life?

Emotionally: Have I been attending to my feelings and expressing myself appropriately; not holding in feelings or stuffing them down with unhealthy foods? Have I really been taking time to nurture myself? When was the last time I truly relaxed? Have I been writing in my journal to give myself a place to vent or explore my feelings? How often am I eating for emotional reasons?

Socially: Have I been spending time with positive people that I enjoy being with? Am I having fun? Am I paying enough attention to my relationships? Do I stay well connected so I don’t find myself isolated and lonely? Do I apportion my time with others with the alone time I need to stay balanced?

Spiritually: Have I been taking quiet time for myself? Do I spend time every day praying, meditating or just sitting and quietly breathing? Do I remind myself often to stay in the present rather than worry about the future or hang on to difficulties from the past?

Environmentally: Have I brought what I need to set up a comfortable environment in my home? Is my living space order or do I need to take a little bit of time to attend to that?

Whether on or off the road, it is essential to take gentle care of yourself. Please attend lovingly to your own needs. Only by doing so can you truly appreciate the precious time you spend with others. I wish you the happiest day today and radiant health!

It may be two months into 2009 but it definitely not too late to recommit to your own care!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

vacation

I have decided to take my own advice and to head south to the warmth of the sun for a few days of rest with my daughter. Pleasse follow my lead. You may not be able to walk out the door and head for a favorite vacation spot but think of ways you can make today a mini-vacation for yourself... an extra long walk, some quiet time with a good book, or a visit over a cup of tea with a friend. Enjoy your day, be well and I will be back on track next week....
warmly,
Dr. Denise

Monday, February 9, 2009

Abundance and Prosperity

Lately I have been thinking about abundance and prosperity and how most people I know long for these in their lives but seem unable to actually manifest them. I wonder why that is. Have you ever wished for something but ended up frustrated because you didn’t get it? Did you dream and your dream didn’t come true? Did you wonder why?

Why are some people so blessed that they seem to get anything and everything they want? Are they just lucky? I don’t think so.

First, you must ask yourself what abundance means to you. Is it all about money or fame? Is it about fulfilling work, the perfect body or close relationships? What exactly do you dream of? It helps to ponder this question and strive for clarity because we often don’t focus and get clear and precise about our desires and then we attract through mixed messages and confusion and we become victims of circumstance.

So, step one is to stop and breathe and to clarify for yourself what really is important to you and what truly makes you feel joyful. Perhaps it is time in the woods or by the ocean or playing with a child or visiting a friend. Next ask yourself what about these experiences makes them so important to you. You may be surprised as you delve deeper into the substance of your happiness. You may find that you are already much more prosperous than you thought you were. You may discover that blessings abound in the day by day occurrences of your life.

If you love yourself and are surrounded by love then you are living in abundance. You may want more. It is part of our human condition to want to improve ourselves and to desire “more” in our days. Perhaps you would like a new car or a vacation. We are designed to have wishes and to move towards manifesting them but the trick is learning how to let our good fortune in.

It is vital to appreciate all the blessings we do have and to live each day as gratefully and joyfully as possible. We may need to remind ourselves of this repeatedly and some days will be harder than others. But if we can remind ourselves to appreciate the blessings we already have we will gradually develop an attitude of prosperity. Only then will we be ”letting it in” and allowing more blessings to flow into our lives.

So practice gratitude and love yourself and see what happens. I do not say these words to preach but instead to gently urge you to be friendlier with yourself and others. It will pay off and all good things you have dreamed of will come your way. Emotional eating will no longer be an issue and life will be joyful. Try it and see!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

What will you invent today?

Children are full of energy. They are spirits in little bodies and they are extremely creative.

Just observe a little toddler at play and you will see this. My children enjoyed endless hours of creative play using their imaginations to construct towns, tents and racetracks and to invent all sorts of imaginary activities, games and scenes. I remember Fischer-Price doll houses, fire stations and farms. I particularly remember the day my tiny daughter decided to put her gerbil into her Fischer-Price phone booth. It was a fabulous idea on the surface but she failed to realize that the little animal would protest by plunging its teeth through her finger. She learned a very painful lesson from that but still she forged on undaunted by the experience to create new forms of play.

She didn’t try to make the poor gerbil part of her imaginary play any longer but she continued to be inventive and she recruited other children in the neighborhood to put on plays and shows she directed. I remember wonderful days before television captured children and held them hostage sitting still spellbound and motionless watching the activity outside of themselves instead of delving within their minds to ignite the sparks of their own creativity. That is not to say that there are not benefits to much that we find on our television screens and in our computers but many young children spend too many precious hours of their days watching mindlessly instead of thinking and acting.

I was horrified one day when I took my grandson to the toy store to buy a toy. He had earned the toy and our much anticipated outing was very special. He looked carefully at the many choices on each shelf and picked up a toy here and there to carefully consider which would be the best choice. At one point he held up a particular truck, turned to me and asked, “Grammy, what can this toy do for me?” Instead of wondering what he could do with this toy, he wondered how it would perform and entertain him. I thought this was quite sad.

He was, and still is, a creative, loving child but I’d have preferred that he purchased clay, paints or lots of paper and crayons. I wanted so badly for him to use his imagination and take pride in thinking for himself and constructing his own reality. Do you recall playing as a small child and using your fabulous gift of imagination? A stick could easily become a magic wand or even a gun or a sword. A cardboard box could be a vehicle or tipped on its side, a doll house. It might become a bed for a favorite doll or pet or perhaps a playhouse. There was no limit to its possibilities. What has happened to the sense of inventive and creative play?

As adults we also fail to appreciate out inventive, creative selves and end up doing the same things we've always done in the same ways -- and we often end up, as I wrote about in The Taming of the Chew, eating emotionally because we find our lives boring or disappointing. So, today I challenge you to do something different. Rearrange your schedule or your furniture, paint a picture or take a break and go snowshoeing (that is if you live in snow country as I do... If not, how about a long, relaxing walk in a pastoral setting?). Do something that you normally wouldn't do. Try out a new hairstyle or outfit. Play with your ideas and see what you can come up with. Then go enjoy yourself. That's what life is all about! And, above all else, have fun!

warmly,
Dr. Denise