Know Thyself, and to thine own self be true....

There's a joke about someone who is very self-centered person talking incessantly about their opinions. 

“Well, that’s enough about me … now what do YOU think about me?”

While conversation is not about one person constantly talking, and another person listening, it is important to have, and express an opinion.  The reason is simple: That opinion communicates your preference of what you want, and what makes you happy. If you don’t know what makes you happy, you are not going to be happy!

So, what makes us feel an emotion?  What makes us happy or sad?  Actually the answer is quite simple.

We are happy when we get what we want, 

and alternately, we are  unhappy when we don't get what we want.  

Now, this is actually VERY important information that mystifies many people.  Some people believe that they're just depressed and that it's not related to anything specifically.  There are many who really are not in touch with their "needs" and desires.  These are the kind of people who may always answer your question,
     "what do you want to do?" with,
     "I don't care, whatever you want is fine."  Indeed that person may be you!

For a while it might feel fine to always do what you choose, but when you have a relationship with a friend or partner, it can become a burden to always be the one to decide what activity, what food, what movie to see!

If you are the person who is mostly deferring to others, I hope you are paying attention!  You might want to learn more about personality types by reading about the Enneagram with particular attention to Type 9.  In fact, anyone who is interested in self-knowledge will benefit from learning about the powerful tool called the enneagram

It's true that sometimes the cause of our moods is truly elusive.  But we come equipped with a fail-safe, built in, canary in the coal mine: OUR BODIES!  Yes, when we are not paying attention to our feelings over time, our body provides a back-up system.  In the beginning for some of us, it's literally "a pain in the neck".  Listen to the words you use to describe something that annoys you, and then see if that's actually where you get your reminder about unhappiness!

Our bodies are going to react to our negative feelings with symptoms.  When those feelings become habitual, and go from the realm of mild annoyance to habitual negative feelings, this is the definition of stress.

Tight shoulder muscles is common area that is indicative of mild stress.  But when we ignore our feelings for long enough, our body is going to increase the hint: Pay Attention!  Depending upon the cause of your feelings, you may have different symptoms and illnesses according to one of my favorite authors, Louise Hay.

There are many illnesses and disorders that can be directly linked to untreated stress.  They may begin as annoying problems, perhaps with skin rashes, and manageable pain, but can become life-threatening and life altering illnesses.  Hypertension means what it says: You have anxiety and tension that is overwhelming, and effecting your body.

Did you know that most heart attacks take place on Monday morning at 9am, when people are returning to work after the weekend? Our heart is telling us something!  Why do you think it's called a Heart Attack?

According the American Institute of Stress, 75-90% of all visits to doctors result from stress related disorders.

The question is, with all of these warnings, symptoms and finally life threatening diseases, why is it that people still opt to take a pill to lessen the symptoms rather than deal with the source of the problem?  The source is that you are unhappy, and you CAN do something to change that!  Happiness is a choice.  I don't mean to belittle anyone's terrible loss or personal suffering, or to be a "polyanna" but many people who suffer horrific losses in their lives have found new meaning and a reason to live on and be happy.

There are so many ways to find happiness.  Living a life of purpose: serving others with your talents,  passion or unique qualities is the path towards living a life in Integrity.  When you live your life in this type of alignment, happiness and satisfaction is a natural byproduct.

Do you know your purpose?  It's time you rediscovered the things that make you joyful.  Fill your life with them and watch the tension go down, and the happiness rise to the top. Happiness is your birthright, it's your personal responsibility! The path to happiness and health is to know yourself and what you want in life.

You don't want to be on your deathbed thinking:  "I should have...."

from the heart,

Lianda

A SIGNPOST ON YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

So many people consider themselves “spiritual” rather than religious, nowadays. We think about, read, learn and practice pursuits for the health and nourishment of our soul. Because our soul is occupying our body, we must realize that one of the ways of connecting with our soul’s needs is by understanding what is going on in our body.

Mind/body medicine is attempting to bridge the gap between the way that allopathic doctors treat symptoms of illness by combining complimentary techniques such as meditation, prayer, hypnosis, and mental healing. I think that the spiritual seeker, and mind/body practitioners may still be missing an important point. 

STRESS IS A SIGNPOST ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

When we feel “stressed out” our body may react with tense muscles (one of the first signs).  Over time and by not dealing with the cause of the stress, this may become chronic pain (tension become more “pressing” or intense). Eventually degeneration of the health in practically any way can become the result of ignoring the soul’s message.

Stress is a SOUL message telling us: “There is an incongruity; a disconnect between the way we want to be, and the way we are living our lives.  That becomes emotional and physical stress.  (To clarify terms, this is referred to as a stressor; and the result is a stress reaction in our bodies.)

We cannot separate the mind and the body. Think about the words we use to describe our actual experience:  We “think” in our hearts (learning by heart), have “gut” reactions, and it’s been shown that all of our cells have this ability. (“Molecules of Emotion”, Candice Pert, Ph.D).  When you pay attention to the subtle physical signs as you do/say/feel something that you don’t want to be doing, some part of your body is going to be giving you a signal – tightness in the chest, nausea, a headache?  In scientific terminology, this is called a “feedback loop”: a cause-and effect that goes around in both directions.  Your mind informs your body, your body informs your mind.  Each one of us is different, and has our own physical path that gives us more evidence that we have to stop and pay attention to what we are doing!  The more we ignore the symptoms, the stronger and more insistent those symptoms will become!

There is no doubt: the mental stress will REVEAL itself in someway in our bodies.  The sad thing is that we mostly treat the stress symptom (the muscle aches, the headaches, poor sleep, belly fat), and ignore the core reason that we feel stress in the first place!  A spiritual person who ignores the signposts, the symptoms of illness in their body, is practicing only PART of learning their soul’s message. That message is written on our health.  We cannot clear a physical condition until we pay attention to discover what those symptoms are telling us about the decisions we’ve made and their impact our lives.

Whether stress is an event in our present life or from the distant past, it creates a reaction that leaves its mark on our health.  You can spend your money on dealing with the symptoms, or you can identify the root cause and heal your mind/body and soul.

There are effective techniques to help you understand the message of your body.  As a licensed coach, I use HeartMath’s^® techniques along with meridian tapping to get to the “heart of the matter”.  Contact me for more information about how I can help you hear your soul’s inner message, and restore your health and wellbeing.

From the heart,

Lianda