LIFE | LOVE | LOSS
“May the Sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being,
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.”
-Apache Blessing
EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
“Our mental and emotional diets determine our overall energy levels, health, and well-being to a far greater extent than most people realize. Every thought and feeling, no matter how big or small, impacts our inner energy reserves.”
– Howard Martin
Have you ever thought in terms of emotional consumption? The word consumption can bring interesting thoughts or feelings up. However, consuming just means what you take in. That can be in your body, mind, heart, or soul. So, in terms of emotional wellbeing what things are you taking into your mind & heart on a regular basis? What thoughts are you thinking the most? If I asked what emotion, you feel eighty percent of the time what would it be? Peace, happiness, contentment, fear, jealousy, uncertainty, upset or joy?
Do you have a regular practice to restore balance when you get knocked off center? Is that meditation? Regular exercise, time in nature, journaling, salt baths with candlelight, spiritual reading or activities? What helps ground you and bring you back to peace?
This month I invite you to spend a little more time and awareness on your mental and emotional consumption. Put things into your mind and heart that feel good. Make time to sit with and release the things that don’t serve your highest and best self. Below is a checklist with some suggestions for doing this. Breathe in peace, breathe out the BS!
Emotional Wellness Checklist
Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change or difficult times. Here are tips for improving your emotional health:
Brighten Your Outlook
Some experts say that emotionally healthy people have fewer negative emotions and bounce back faster from difficulties. This quality is called resilience.
Another sign of positive emotional health is a person’s ability to stay upbeat for longer and appreciate the good times.
To Develop a More Positive Mindset:
- Remember good deeds: Give yourself credit for the good things you do for others each day.
- Forgive yourself: Everyone makes mistakes. Learn from what went wrong, but don’t dwell on it.
- Spend more time with your friends and family: Surround yourself with positive, healthy people.
- Explore your beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life: Think about your principles and what’s important to you. How can you use these principles to guide your life in a positive, meaningful way?
- Develop healthy physical habits: Healthy eating, physical activity, and regular sleep can improve your physical and mental health.
LASTING LOVE
“For life is not forever, but love is.”
– Ata Johnson
Many of you have likely heard the saying that grief is unspent love. One thing all of us who have lost people we loved deeply can agree upon is that loving them didn’t end with their last breath. Love is a beautiful and powerful force. It can take us to the highest heights and bring us to our knees in pain.
As the days, weeks, months, and years grow between you and those you have lost allow the love you shared to also grow. Speak the name of the person who is gone. Write their story. If telling the tale of who they were and are to you isn’t your thing then find something that is. Write their story in your actions, the way you live and love others. Eat the foods they liked to eat. Do some of the activities they enjoyed. Listen to music they loved to hear. Incorporate them into your habits to they can live on through you and your love for them.
As we know all too well, life has an expiration date. There is one for all of us. What lasts is love and the impact we share with those around us. I invite you to create gifts of experience this month. Allow yourself to practice something that honors the love in your heart for those who have passed. Learn something new that makes you feel closer to them. Sit longer inside your own mind and heart so you can exercise the option of peace and healing.
If you are giving a gift this month for a birthday, new baby, wedding, or any other event consider sharing a gift that is an experience. Buy gift cards for a meal, tickets to a concert or venue to share a night out. Get tickets to a play or exhibit. Go to a pottery or painting class so you can make memories! Memories are so precious, and time together is a gift that keeps on giving!
All my best,
Genna
The Next Adventure 