Tag: Coping

Working The Soil

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Write down the first words that comes to mind when we say . . .

. . . home.

. . . soil.

. . . rain.

Use those words in the title of your post.

I have lived in many homes with poor to medium quality soil. And while rain makes things grow it is not the only element required. Without care and nutrients, the soil is not fertilised and plants don’t grow. When we have live in  the property long enough, we are usually able to work the soil adding mulch, worms, fertiliser, nutrients and better quality soil, to make the original soil grow plants.

The other option with poor soil is to change the type of plants required. When we lived in country New South Wales, the soil held a lot of salt, so we needed to plant salt-resistant plants—Australian natives—there was no choice. Everything else would die. They also don’t need a lot of rain, which is another problem out west. However, as there are many Australian natives to choose from, outsiders never knew there was a problem with the soil. All the gardens looked beautiful, despite the problems.

When we aren’t happy with the soil of our life or home—we have options.

  • Adapt
  • Change
  • Work

Whatever we choose—nothing will improve, if we choose to do nothing.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/free-association/

Purple

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I am often described as the lady in purple. I wear purple at every opportunity—it is my favourite colour.  Up until recently, my hair was also purple, matching my clothes. There are many shades of purple so I don’t get bored and have plenty of variety.

Apparently, I have a purple aura. Who knew? People who have a purple aura are known to be highly psychic, attuned to the emotions of others and very sensitive. They are also known to be healers and teachers. This describes me well. Empowering people to improve their mental health and be the best version of themselves is what I do. This blog complete with its purple trim is based on inspiring people.

I am both grateful and inspired by the colour purple. Every time I need extra support to get through tough times—I wear purple. I use it as a protective armour. It works for me and gives me confidence. Purple helps me be creative and my writing desk has many purple accessories.

The colour purple has a long history associated with royalty, spirituality and significant events. It is a mixture of red (warm) and blue (cool) colours, so it is balanced.

What colour inspires you? Is it you favourite colour or a specific you wear when you need a lift?

 

Way Out

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You were caught in an avalanche. To be rescued, you need to make it through the night. What thought(s) would give you the strength to go through such a scary, dangerous situation?

As an Australian, I am unfamiliar with avalanche safety procedure. However, I won’t be giving up easily. In this situation, I am assuming that I am alone and know that help is on the way. With this in mind, my first thoughts are the same as in any crisis.

St Francis of Assisi quote

Start by doing what is necessary. In this situation, what is necessary is to stay alive. Breathe. Breathe deeply and regularly.  This is will keep me calm. The other essentials for life are to remain warm and awake.  These will also be the only things possible, so I will focus my thoughts on reasons to live.  I will do this by reliving special memories, making future goals and planning a holiday. Anything that is positive and pro-life.

Negative thoughts are out. I believe in positive thinking and all my energy is harnessed in a positive direction.

Yes.

It has worked. I can hear help coming. Now to put my goals and plans into action. Thanks for the reminder of how precious life is and how easily it can change.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/under-the-snow/

Making A List

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I am not a big list maker. Usually I have a handful of things I need to do everyday, which I can prioritise and organise in my head. However, when I have many things on my to-do-list and limited time—I create a list. The more things I need to do, the quicker I start my list.

When writing my list, I always add more things than I originally thought. Partly, I think that this is because I get on a role and partly it is because I want a few small things on my list I can tick off quickly.

I find this empowering. If I have 3-5 things I can complete in  the first two days—I am more likely to focus on achieving my goal.  Rather than only thinking about it with no follow through plans.

Adding some things I have already completed before writing my list, helps too as it shows my progress. Where possible I break  big jobs down into smaller tasks. This allows them to be marked off quickly and helps my moving forward momentum.

If you are always forgetting things or need help prioritising, make lists of the tasks required—daily, weekly or monthly—whatever works for you.

Mindful Exercise

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Good news — another hour has just been added to every 24-hour day (don’t ask us how. We have powers). How do you use those extra sixty minutes?

I fit most things I want to do into my 24 hour day. Being given the gift of an extra hour would allow me to have no more excuses for the two activities I run out of time to do—exercise and meditation.

While I walk daily as part of my commute to work, any other exercise program is very hit and miss. I would love to flex my muscles weekly in other ways. Options I would like to investigate include:

  • Aqua aerobics
  • Cycling in the open air
  • Resistance training
  • Swimming
  • Yoga
  • Zumba class

The other area I believe I would benefit greatly from is developing a daily meditation practice. I like walking meditation. My preference is to walk bare foot on grass or sand—connecting with nature. My reasons for this are:

  • Grounding me with the earth and its energy
  • Stimulate the reflexology points in my feet
  • Massage my feet improving circulation
  • Connecting with nature reduces my stress and quickly clears my mind
  • I love the feeling of sand or grass on under my feet—its a different healing sensation

 

016 - further along the beach still getting wet feet

Walking on the beach as a birthday treat

I believe a nice mixture of both of these activities will be a great way to spend my extra hour. They would be so beneficial to my health that I may need to reprioritise my current activities to include at least some of them each week. Both will give me more energy and creative awareness, which will be a blessing and worth the effort.

What do you need to reprioritise time for in your life? After all—this is the secret, I believe of getting an extra hour in our day. To make better use of the ones we currently have.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/twenty-five-seven/

Make It Count

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You’ve been given the opportunity to send one message to one person you wouldn’t normally have access to. Who’s the person you choose, and what’s the message?

My message is a life skill and is for everyone. Arguments and disagreements happen regularly. But how do you know when to push your point and when to back off. The answer can be found in five little words.

“Is it worth the argument?”

No. I’m talking about for the sake of pride but what the outcome needs to be. If the answer is “yes, it is,” continue with your argument and make it count. It is however important to keep checks on how your argument is going. Ask yourself regularly, “is it worth the argument?” Because what was once worth the argument at any point may no longer be working. Discussions may have become heated, nasty and overemotional. If left to continue they may begin to have a marked impact on the relationship between the people involved. The argument itself hasn’t changed but discussing it any further at that moment “is not worth it.” Both parties need space to consider and hear what the other person is saying. During this time, stop the argument. Consider a statement that works for you, similar to the following.

“We need to stop now, this is no longer working. No further discussions will be entered into.”

One example of the above situation may be parents/teachers setting boundaries with teenagers about acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour. It may take them years to understand but keeping them safe is definitely worth the argument.

One the other hand, arguing about smaller issues isn’t worth the argument. Does it really matter whether the cup is blue or green when it could be described as either?

Next time you find yourself arguing with someone or even yourself—make it count. Ensure whichever way you go, you are moving forward.

 

 

 http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/make-it-count/

Getting Through Tough Times

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Everyone has them, “tough times”. They cannot be avoided however,during my latest run of “tough times” I discovered a powerful quote by St Francis of Assisi which really helped.

 

St Francis Quote

 

Following St Francis of Assissi’s  advise makes it easier not to get overwhelmed during difficult times. Sometimes at the start of a crisis, very little is possible.  All you can do is absorb what has happened. This is true particularly when coping with the loss of a loved one or friend. Allow yourself to be in shock, numb and use this time to make a basic plan of what needs to be done. Remember, although you may want everything fixed instantly, somethings can’t be rushed and healing takes time.

As time passes, the actual time elapsed will vary for everyone, you will move from only dealing with the necessities to looking into new possible ways of  getting through your “tough time.” The healing will be commencing and if you are coping with a loss of a loved one or friend, you can remember the good times and using laughter, you can help your body heal.

Eventually, looking back you realise that you have done the impossible and although your world has changed forever, you have recovered from your “tough time” and you have grown as a person in the process. This is the silver lining to your dark cloud, and helps you to realise that you are stronger than you think.

Thanks for the advice St Francis.