Living in the now

Every day our inboxes are flooded with headlines of what is going on around the world right now.  Everywhere you look, there is a constant reminder of how much things have changed and how our lives will be forever changed.

With all the information out there, one can feel overwhelmed.  But  we all have a choice – we can focus on the negative, the fears, the worries and the potential chaos waiting to happen, or we can live in the moment.  We can choose to see the positive things happening globally, the progress, the success on a broader scale.  In our personal world we can look at what we can do in our lives to find our joy again, to feel alive and free while staying home, and most of all we can use this as a chance to remind ourselves of who we are within. 

Some may feel like it’s hopeless and impossible to get through the day.
Now is your time to make your rules.  What is Blog3 2right for the next person, even your partner, may not be right for you.  If reading every article and watching every video out there on what’s happening leaves you feeling weighed down, then don’t read or watch it – your loved ones can keep you posted on essential things you need to know and the rest doesn’t matter.  If you feel that having info empowers you, then go that route.  But it is essential to stop, and check in with yourself as you go through your day to see if what you are doing in that moment is lifting you up or pulling you down.  This is your chance to do the things that make you feel happy, energized and passionate.  If something makes you feel bad, just stop doing it.  There is no one to dictate to you what you need to do.

Choose you in this moment and keep doing that all day every day.

Let go of fear.  You fears cannot change or improve a situation.  They cannot influence things negatively or positively.  All you are doing by feeling fear is making yourself feel bad, and in so doing, lowering your internal state and ultimately your well-being.  Having said that, do not judge yourself for feeling fear now and then. 

Choose to be happy.  Bring joy to yourself and those around you, and notice the impact this can have in your home.  Like joy, your fears can also extend to your children and even your partner. 

So how can you let go of those fears? 

  • Firstly by constantly checking in with yourself and seeing if what you are doing makes your feel stronger or more fearful.  Remove anything that you read, watch or do that makes you feel down. 
  • Focus on tasks and activities that help put you in a good mental space. 
  • Find a practice such as meditation, yoga or listening to music, to bring you into balance and feeling alive. 
  • Make it a daily habit to check yourself and if you find yourself moving to a negative state of being, then use tools to “flip” your day around eg. using a gratitude practice or reciting a mantra that fits you.

Once we start to focus on the positive, we will find more and more things daily that are positive.  What you focus on expands.  This is our opportunity to develop practices and habits that serve us.  It is our chance to create a set of tools for ourselves that we can use in daily life.  Eventually things will return to normal and we can use this time to set ourselves up for when that happens.  Finding practices and habits that work for you now, such as ways to flip your day, tools to keep yourself calm and healing practices that serve you, are priceless tools  to have. 

What are you doing at this time that makes you feel alive and free?

If I can be of any assistance to you please feel free to email me.

Be Well, Be Blessed

Santa

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022