Write Your 'Normal'

“Normal is just a setting on the dryer”

Some of the wisest people I know write in journals. They keep their ideas, desires, goals, dreams, feelings and frustrations all in one special spot.   A journal is a safe place to discover and embrace your authentic self -- the perfect place to deeply explore things you are no longer content with and to create dreams and goals for the future. It is also a wonderful avenue to celebrate your accomplishments and is the ideal companion in your personal wellness journey. 

Journaling helps you find your own ‘normal’ setting.  It allows you to be brutally honest, to clarify your thoughts and to gain insight and discover who you are.   It allows you to safely vent, vent, vent without contaminating everyone else with crummy thoughts.  If you’ve ever tried this, eventually, you DO get to a point where you’ve vented so much, you’re sick of hearing yourself.  Then the magic can happen.  You open the path for a new kind of consciousness, you’ve given yourself the gift of experiencing life’s lessons, good and bad, with more grace and ease.

Writing your thoughts helps process emotions and integrate feelings.  This is the magic of a journal.  It listens without talking back, reflects without judgment and encourages self-exploration and bold curiosity. Research shows that journaling promotes physical health, improves cognitive function, strengthens the immune system and counteracts many of the negative effects of stress.

(http://stress.about.com/od/generaltechniques/p/profilejournal.html)

If you’re struggling with weight release, a journal is a must have tool.  It provides a safe space to digest the emotions that are involved with weight.  In a journal you can freely chew on your thoughts, and chew and chew and chew  J … until YOU have made the decision that the advice of a close relative or even a well-meaning stranger is either worth swallowing or spitting out.

In journaling you will discover you have the power to change your reactions, your way of thinking, your way of looking at things and ultimately to find your own ‘normal’!

Tip: Give yourself a treat and have some fun! To get inspired, go to your favorite stationary or bookstore, buy a beautiful journal and start writing!  

Live Happy!

Does it feel some days like the Universe is trying to tell you something?  For me this week, the lesson is about finding ways to feel as great as I can feel and to create more joy and happiness in my life.

Did you know that it’s in our hands to be happy or sad, to have a positive attitude or a negative one?  It’s really all about making a choice. Some people are truly afraid to be happy.  They are afraid to share it with their friends, out of either guilt or a fear that if they claim happiness the other shoe will drop and something bad will happen.

Actually the opposite it true.  It takes less energy to be in a good mood than it does to be in a bad one, but as a society, we bond over common complaints … the weather, the traffic the economy … the list of things to complain about can be never-ending. We meet all kinds of situations during that day that are not conducive to happiness. The trick is to try to find the good in each situation, there are two sides to every coin.

For most of us, it’s the simple everyday inconvenient things that ruffle our feathers most frequently.  Like being stuck in traffic … think about it.  Is getting frustrated and losing your patience really going to make the situation any better? I personally have enforced a no-honk policy on myself.  It isn’t just about having self-restraint and reducing noise pollution … it’s a gift I give to myself and to others -- a gift of being patient, respectful and polite.  Surprisingly in most cases, my courtesy is returned tenfold! 

Ask yourself, what kind of impact do you have on other people you interact with during the day?  Do you want to be the one who shows up flustered and angry and spreads that kind of energy?  Or do you want to be the one who arrives happy and in a calm state of mind with a smile on your face?  Who would you rather see arrive at your home or office?

It’s time to break free from the complaining trap and get into the happiness habit. Our attitude toward life determines our level of success. Like the Richard Carlson said, ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.’

Here’s a tip:  When you find yourself complaining about the small stuff, try and let it go, and if you absolutely can’t then ask yourself, ‘what lesson am I supposed to be learning from this?’  

Inner Critic and Emotional Eating

Did you know research indicates the average person talks to himself/herself about 50,000 times a day? And that 80% of the time, that self talk is negative?

Everyone has an inner critic, a voice that speaks to you in such a powerful way that it can prevent you from achieving your full potential.  It questions you – ‘who do you think you are?’  It challenges you – ‘you should just give up cause you’re never gonna get it.’ And it belittles you – ‘you’re not smart enough to succeed.’

This inner critic is so controlling it affects your confidence, your willingness to act and even your physical health.  So one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves is ‘how do we tame our inner critic?’

The first step is to see it and acknowledge it for what it is.  The second is to understand that everyone struggles with this type of negative self-talk.  Ask yourself, where is my inner critic holding me back? Is what my inner critic saying really the truth? Where is it creating unnecessary obstacles for me - in my weight, in my business, in relationships? Be curious and be aware.

For many of us the inner critic activates emotions that cause us to overeat.  When that happens, it’s important to ask yourself ‘what is the emotion I’m really feeling?’   If you really have to eat, give yourself permission and then get over it.  Don’t beat yourself up. Recognizing which emotion (anger, anxiety or doubt for example) caused this behavior is a HUGE step toward taking action.  Formulate a success plan for the next time that emotion strikes. (And it will again!)

Here are a few things you can do to squash the inner critic:

•            take a walk
•      get out of the environment – go to a store or the par
•      last, have a good laugh - watch a funnyYouTube video or watch a funny movie or ask a friend to tell you a good joke (Laughter is healing!)

Let go of the need to be perfect. The best we can expect is progress, not perfection.  When we understand this, we reclaim our focus and are able to pursue our dreams and work to obtain our goals with fearless, unabashed passion.

Is there a strategy you already use to silence your inner critic? If you do, share here.