Thursday, December 13, 2012

Healing During the Holidays...

Journal Your Way Through

By Contributor,
Angela B. Thompson


‘Tis the Season for Journaling!
 
Some of us find the holidays one of the most enjoyable times of the year, while others find it a very difficult time to get through because of personal, financial or emotional concerns. Through journaling you can record your thoughts, dreams, emotions, aspirations, fears, triumphs and experiences in a small writing book, PC, electronic tablet, or notebook. 

Journaling is self expressive.  No one is looking over your shoulder.  So you do not have to be concerned with grammar or spelling. It’s an intimate way to be self-expressive with SELF. If you can look at your situation(s) in a mature way, what would you change?

The psychological definition for the term MATURITY is used to indicate how a person responds to the circumstances or environment in an appropriate manner (Wikipedia.com). What’s appropriate to one may not necessarily be appropriate to another.  That’s the beauty in journaling.  You can be as free and expressive as you want!

No matter how old one becomes there is always a lesson to be learned.  There is something to be said about the process of maturity.  Not necessarily with age comes maturity, but maturity is an aged process. 


Living in a world that has embraced the fast pace, everything has to be quick, fast and in a hurry in order to be a measure of importance and value.  There are some things that are learned in progression, over a period of time.  Take for instance, any fine cook or chef will tell you that from experience some of the most delectable meals are made on a slow burner, savoring the essence and the flavor of that particular dish; allowing the natural flavoring, the nectar and nutrients to deliciously blend together. 

Journaling Exercise 1:
Question:  What areas of your life do you need to put on the slow burner, add some spice to and stir up?  Take as long as you like to freewrite (write without stopping) any thoughts that come to mind after reading this question.  Don’t worry about the grammar, spelling or forming complete sentences.  Express yourself freely and naturally. Just as a fine wine once aged is sipped and hits the palate; or the magnificence of the morning glory flower covered with dew unfolding its beauty at daybreak; or the conception of life, the act of birth, and the nurturing of our children- these progressions cannot be appreciated without the necessary steps preceding its natural order. 
 
Through journaling you can form a creative expression that gives you the opportunity to turn the filter off to openly listen and communicate with yourself (emotionally, socially and wholly) while working through your holiday challenges.

Journaling Exercise 2:
Instead of complaining about life’s little lessons, how about taking the mature route and plan a better future for 2013?  List five things that you want to accomplish next year and what resources you may need to accomplish your goals in year 2013. 

Happy Journaling!~~

Angela B. Thompson is an author and expressive writing coach.  She believes in the power of words transforming the ordinary to extraordinary.  She teaches others to find their own creative expression through their written inspiration.   For more info on her work—express yourself at: www.realyricals.weebly.com


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Tis the Season to...


COLOR ME HAPPY

By Stephanie Rainbow Bell


Let's start at the beginning shall we?

The definition of HAPPY is:

hap·py/ˈhapē/
Adjective:
.       Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment,    and/or
           Having a sense of confidence in or satisfaction with (a person, arrangement, or situation).
Synonyms:
 glad - fortunate - joyful - lucky - merry - cheerful

I believe HAPPY is a "state of mind" and is independent of circumstance!

Big, Bold Statement YES?

YES!

In my world, it IS possible to be HAPPY even if you are out of work, sick and/or lonely.  Or you can fill in whatever [negative] situation you'd like.

No – I am NOT crazy.

I totally get that if you have health issues, your bank account is empty and your house may be too that you could choose to feel sorry for yourself and say that your situation makes it impossible for you to be happy.

But that's my point entirely.

Happiness is a CHOICE.
And so is Unhappiness.
It's all in your perspective.
And your perspective is always YOUR CHOICE.

To be happy you just have to feel pleasure, contentment (peace), glad, fortunate, joyful or lucky! And one of the quickest routes to get to those feelings is via GRATITUDE! Being HAPPY is easy when you feel GRATEFUL. And we ALL have something to be grateful for if we choose to look for it.

There's that "CHOICE" word again!

Because I grant you --- when you are sick and broke and lonely --- it's not always EASY to look for something to be grateful for.  But that doesn't mean it's not POSSIBLE!

You have to decide how you want to feel in any given moment.

That choice is ALWAYS up to you.

With a few possible exceptions . . . . like . . .

You are being chased by a bear . . .  or

Your pants are on fire . . .

Seriously --- as humans we are hard-wired for "fight or flight" instinct – so when you are in physical danger, the adrenaline kicks in as well as a bunch of other chemical stimulators and you do what you have to protect yourself (or your loved one) from imminent danger.

But even in imminent danger you have a choice to be calm.  Maybe not happy . . . but calm. You have the choice if you practice being calm in your life on a daily basis. And the same is true for HAPPY and GRATEFUL. On a daily basis, you can choose to look for things to be grateful for.

Like the fact you are breathing.  Or the sun came up today.  Or that the stars twinkle.  Or the birds sing sweet songs.  Or your fur angel (aka dog, cat).

Once you find SOMETHING to be grateful for – happiness is only a skosh (teeny step) away!

How can you not be happy petting your pooch?

How can you not be happy feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin?

Oh sure, I'm certain some of the skeptics out there can find scenarios to be miserable.  And that's their choice.

We all get to choose.

So what will your choice be?

Rainbow Blessings of Great Happiness To You!~


If you feel stressed, depressed or pissed off about your body, career, bank balance or relationships, STEPHANIE RAINBOW BELL will get you back into alignment with your Divine Greatness. A best-selling Author, inspiring Speaker and respected Mentor/Coach, Stephanie re-connects you with your inherent Brilliance so you can stop struggling and get on with manifesting your heart's desires.  Become a VIP and be one of the first to receive your ALIGN & SHINE YOUR GREATNESS Analysis (soon to be released) at www.StephanieRainbowBell.com.