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You really can get sick from complaining!

6/24/2016

When you see a big water glass filled to the halfway mark how do you see it - half-full or half-empty?

When you start the day, do you typically jump out of bed or do you just want to roll over and keep hitting the snooze button?

If you consistently find things are half-empty or a chore, it's difficult to enjoy life, isn't it? People might say you're filled with negativity. I take issue with labeling anyone that way as it seems to only heap more negativity and it isn't really useful; given a choice, wouldn't most people want to feel happier or fulfilled? (There are exceptions, people whose dourness or sucking the life out of a room serves them but this isn't what I'm talking about)

You may have heard a "less than" (negative) outlook can contribute to many health related issues including depression, heart disease, and lowered immune system function. It can also affect your sleep, weight, the quality of your relationships, your social life, and even your ability to hold a job.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Laozi) so what can you do, right now, to start making a difference? Imagine what your life can be like when it's filled with more lightness, fun, passion, connection, health, and possibility?

5 Simple Tips to Filling Your Cup (even more!)

Pick one of the following action steps, start with small steps.

Give compliments. Give them freely. Notice the good in others. You may start to see more of the good in yourself as well!
Find, focus on, and pass on good news (hint: you won't find it in the media outlets) Here's a place to start: http://revitalizationnews.com/
Go for 30 minutes complaint free (DOUBLE BONUS: while driving!) and see the positive no matter how small or minor it appears. Then expand the amount of time---2 hours, a day, a week.
Send yourself a text with something you saw, felt, or experienced that made you smile (even if just in the inside).
Focus on what you want, not what you don't want.

Now practice, practice, practice (the answer to “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?); the more you do it, the easier it gets. The payoff? A happier, healthier life and one you want to get out of bed and live!

Beth

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Never being enough

6/17/2016

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The summer before I started junior high I went to a weight loss camp. One of my bunk mates was slender and wore a 2 piece bathing suit. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she was there and on some level I resented her as she was thin! It took years for me to get it - she did indeed have a weight problem, it was actually a body image problem that was as much of a struggle, as I had with the scale. In essence she could never be good enough/thin enough.

In the late 1970's, I was in an eating disorders therapy group. We were a mix of "disorders" – from compulsive overeating to bulimia to anorexia. The last two groups were thin and once again, even after I heard their struggles around food, I didn't feel like we belonged in the same group together. I had the food struggle and I was overweight. They 'only' had the struggle with food, but could fit into the culture at large.

Then in the early 1980's I did individual work with a therapist. The focus wasn't on my body size or food, but was instead on the culture of living in a patriarchy, why dieting doesn't work (that felt like heresy at the beginning), and listening to my body for whether I was hungry and what food would satisfy me. It was then that I was introduced to the concept of "humming and beckoning", which helped me to stop dieting (initially freaking me out!) and led me to feel more freedom around food.

Hypnosis took everything I'd experienced and put it on steroids, so to speak, and as a result of my journey, I'm comfortable in my own skin, I'm free of the shame I had lived with for so long, I shed the weight both emotionally and physically, and my weight has been stable over the last 3 years - something that never ever happened before!

What else have I learned from my journey? Don't judge a book by its cover, as you don't know what's contained there within. Struggles can appear different but be the same. Overnight success is built on the days, months, and years it takes to get there.

And absolutely, learn how to be kind and gentle with yourself on whatever path you're on!

Beth

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I'm struggling

6/10/2016

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When you are overwhelmed and scared it can be so tempting to pick up your marbles and go home.

I've been struggling with loss; really it has been a struggle with the resonance of what I perceived through my own filters. There are a number of places in my life, including relationships, where change is coming and well as occurring.

I know (this my intellect talking here) change isn't inherently "bad" but it's the number of areas being affected and the intensity with which they're resonating, that is creating much of the struggle. Thankfully, I'm finding my balance with the help of friends, walks in nature, getting enough sleep, as well as fun and play. I know I can't do this alone nor should I.

I recall when my sons' father was deployed for 13 months during 2003-2005 and how difficult it was to reach out for help----I was juggling as fast as I could, I was tired and stressed, and didn't have the down time I needed. There was also a part of me that thought I should be able to handle it all on my own. During the deployment Jim's brother and mother also died 2 months apart. I tapped into strength, competence, and abilities I didn't know I had as they were never before put to the test like those 13 months did.

My commitment this time is to reach out, accept support, and, in regards to relationships, keep my heart open even when I'm scared to be so vulnerable. There was a moment when I thought wanting to put my defenses back up again meant I was backsliding but I realized this IS what it means to live wholeheartedly, a choice we make every moment we're confronted!

I hope you too are able to see the strengths you have available to help you with the rough spots. It will also help if you increase your self-care, get enough sleep, and reach out to caring people who can and will support you. We all need and deserve it.

Beth

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The trouble with habits

6/2/2016

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We all have habits; your brain is actually wired to set them up! Habits start as organized thoughts that become behaviors over time. Think for a moment of the habits that help you like brushing your teeth, knowing how to work the electronics in your life, and how to drive a car.

Habits allow you to use your time economically or you'd have to wake up at an insane hour to get to work as you'd always have to look up the directions of how to use your coffee maker or tea kettle or operate your car before you could use them. Personally, I'm thinking it would be wonderful if I consistently remembered all of my passwords!

The problem with your habits is not all of them give you the results you ultimately want. Think of the habits you have that fit this category. Knowing the cue and what reward the habit gives you will help you to change it. However, the conscious mind (the logical mind) is usually clueless as to why, as it doesn't have access to this information. It is, however, one of the functions of the subconscious mind. If you didn't already know, hypnosis is a tool to access the subconscious mind so you can access this information! Here is a link for more information on the habit cycle and what you can do to create the habits you want.

Want help? Click here for your complimentary Hypnosis Discovery Session and find out how we can help you!

Beth

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You really can get sick from complaining!

Never being enough

I'm struggling

The trouble with habits

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