Archive for 'Stress relief'
Walking a labyrinth is a gift we give ourselves
My dear friend Joan and I decided to take a walk in the St. Thomas labrinth in Houston. We had a wonderful time relaxing our busy minds. We feel that we should all take a break from the every day routine of life and find things that we enjoy. We regulally look for interesting, fun opportunities to expand our lives and we highly recommend that you find ways to get out of your routine. We absolutly loved our time and plan many more days like this.
A labyrinth is a pattern with a purpose and they are undergoing a resurgence of interest. Walking a labyrinth is a gift we give to ourselves that helps us relax enough to get past our ego to a deeper place within. Many people find wonderous insight and creative ideas, relaxation and stress release, happiness and even answers to serious life questions. Its many turns reflect the journey of life, which involves changes of direction, transition, some uncertainty but also discovery.
Thinking is not required to walk a labyrinth and at the same time, one must remain alert to stay on the path. This combination of reduced mental activity and heightened awareness makes the labyrinth ideal for walking meditation or prayer. Some walk or dance the labyrinth just for the fun of it, or to express a certain intent or wish. Walking the labyrinth is more about the journey than the destination, about being rather than doing. If you’ve never been, we encourage you to try going with a question in mind intending to find the answer you’ve been looking for.
We hope that you will find a labyrinth near you and take the time to enjoy the journey!
Loving life and all it’s twists and turns!
Writen by
Marian LaSalle
Starting fresh every day!
Today is a good day to start fresh, to make a commitment to ourselves to be the best we can be just for today.
There are two selves that exist in every person. One is the temporary self that has been created by the conditions of society and which usually has a limited appreciation of itself or it’s possibilities. The other is the REAL SELF; that spark of life, which causes you to have life. The one who knows that there is a bigger picture who can see life for what it really is. You can have a good conversation with the big YOU anytime you want to.
Here is how I started fresh today.
Confronting yourself
- Mirror Talk- Talk to yourself in the mirror just like you would a good friend who needs to have a reality check. Give yourself a self assessment. Be kind but firm. Confronting yourself can be just what you need to get started doing something you have been putting off (procrastinating). I found this technique worked so well that I want to tell everyone about it.
- Exercising everyday-Setting up a new routine for fun exercise took a while but I have finally made a solid commitment to myself to enjoy 30-60 minutes of fun activity everyday. Most of these free or low cost activities can be alone however it’s always more fun when I do them with others so I have recruited some friends to join me whenever they feel up to it. Here is a list of some of the ways I can get going:
Walking-walking is really fun for me and I just love going to Memorial Park and using the 3 mile loop.
Playing Pickleball -The name sounds funny but this game is growing in popularity and I expect more and more people will be hearing about this fun way to meet new friends and get a solid work out.
Jumping on my mini-trampoline -Just 15 minutes on this cute little jumper is fabulous for your whole system. Circulation, cardio, building strength in your legs and much more.
Swimming - I found a wonderful place near my house that has a saltwater pool and a regular pool that’s open all year round. I LOVE to swim.
Try the Mirror Talk technique and let me know how well it works for you!
Written by Marian Lasalle
2010 © Good Life Guide All Rights Reserved
TURNING WEAKNESS INTO STRENGTH
Turning weakness into Strength
Success is the natural course of life. Nature wants to grow, expand and is constantly moving towards cleansing and creating. We can work together with nature in a conscious evolved state cooperating with God to clean out our thoughts of lack and weakness and replace it with thoughts and actions towards success. A mental motion of success.
Staying conscious of the energy in the human mind that forms habit patterns of weakness that if left unchecked, controls us, causing us to feel we have no power to overcome thoughts of overeating, overdrinking, procrastination and self defeating behavior.
All the therapies and solutions that we have been given by our social structure to help over come our weakness has proven that NOTHING is as effective as a FACE to FACE confrontation between the power of the weakness energy or self-defeating mental energy that is holding back your success and the God-Power of the UNIVERSE in your mind.
You can achieve mastery over ANY weakness in your mind!
Direct Confrontation is a metaphysical science technique that will overcome your weakness right NOW if you use this technique daily until your weakness has been eliminated from your mind on all levels.
Weaknesses are unevolved habit patterns of mental energy within the subconscious mind that surface to one’s conscious mental activity in an attempt to control one’s mind and nervous system.
Make sure that you re-read this lesson every day for at least seven days remembering that the weakness energy occupying your mind is temporal and it will pass given time and through confrontation you cause that evolution to take place NOW.
A positive mental attitude about the confrontation will assure your success.
If you are to completely succeed
- You must REALLY want to change
- You must REALLY want to succeed and be happy
- You must TRULY believe that no temporal energy of your mind can stand up to the eternal energy of the God-Power at the center of your mind.
You CAN do it! RIGHT NOW!
This confrontation power technique is the unlimited healing, transforming, eternally present primal energy power “centered” in your mind that has ALL-Power to directly confront and eliminate the hold of negative weakness energies from your subconscious.
Whenever any weakness energy enters your mind, call within to the universal God Center of your mind which contains the power presence of the universe. Look at yourself in the mirror or talk to yourself just like you would if you were confronting another person and say the following confrontation affirmation.
Examples:
Self-doubt
The God–Power within me is greater than the power of self-doubt within me. I yield my mind and body to the God-Power within. The God-Power within me gives me the peace and power to get up, go out, travel to, and have this interview. (or make this decision, or ask for what I want)
Overeating
The God-Power within me is greater than the power causing me to overeat. The God-Power within me brings peace to my mind and body.
As you use the confrontation affirmation, think thaink and FEEL the greater power taking over your mind. FEEL this until you no longer feel any influence whatsoever from the weakness energy of your mind.
When this happens say the following…
I give thanks to the God-Power of my mind for giving me Self-Mastery.
Posted on 28 April '10 by Joan, under Affirmations, Conscious Languaging, Good for YOU!, Good Life Guide, Healthy Life Styles, Living the Life of our Dreams, LOA, Mysticism, Spiritual Journey, Spiritual Processes, Stress relief. No Comments.
Family Happiness
Family Fun
You can learn from the Massoud family, they really know how to get everyone in the family in on fun and happiness.
This story is really told in the picture. They are all in matching red onzies, complete with feeties, their names on the bum AND a snap up trap in the back. This family has always had the tradition of new PJs on Christmas, but this year the head of the household took it further than ever before. They even got one for the soon to be Son-in-Law, spending his first Christmas with this fun loving family. He is 6’5 so the PJs were a little short. He was a real sport and hung out in them all day with the rest of the family.
Perhaps you could start a fun tradition in your family giving everyone something to talk about and look forward to.
Traditions can be started at anytime during the year so don’t wait until the holidays to start yours!
Benefits of Walking
We can take many things for granted, like walking. I am reminded of this today as I can barely get out of my chair. I injured my lower back moving heavy boxes and plants this weekend. I have a renewed enthusiasm for walking around when my back heals. This is one thing I won’t take for granted again for a LONG time.
Each day we limit the steps we take by driving or sitting for long periods of time. We become unconscious of it as we get busy with work and chores. Just think of all the benefits of taking a break and walking even a few blocks a day, not only for our health but for our spirit. As we walk, we connect with mother earth. If the weather permits you can get your much needed vitamin D from the sunshine and you can also build up leg muscles that will assist you in burning calories. If your weather is frightful, then you can walk on a treadmill or walk the halls of the mall.
- We can allow ourselves the time to stop and smell the roses.
Taking time to simply notice our breath while we walk will help us become more thankful that we can breathe and if you practice breathing mindfully, you can gain a sense of calm and tranquility. The problems and troubles of the day slowly fade away because we are in the “now.” You can’t be worried about your problems at the same time you are enjoying a beautiful bird song or watching a squirrel run up a tree with an acorn in his mouth.
Taking a few moments to walk each day and become more aware of what we take for granted will open the door for the beauty of the world around us to come in. We all need to experience more beauty in our lives so do yourself a favor and make a commitment to yourself today!
A Decision to be Happy!
Deciding to be Happy
We had our first Feel Good Gathering last night and I’m pleased that it happened in the first week of the New Year. Most of us want to see some action quickly after we have made a decision on changing our life or improving a portion of our lives and that’s exactly what we did last night. For those that like to be around happy, upbeat people or those that want to be one of those happy. upbeat people it was THE place to be.
Being happier requires taking inspired action, but it’s the action we take on the inside that makes the difference. If you surround yourself with like minded people and make a commitment to take inspired action then you will be well on your way to a DELIGHTFUL journey connecting to your higher self and living the best life you were meant to live. AND it will get easier and easier the more you practice.
Inspired action starts with an inner knowing of what is true and right without anyone telling you. When intuition puts you in touch with your higher self, you feel at peace, content, even in the midst of a difficult situation. Once you feel at ease and comfortable you can make the right choices. It really does come down to feeling. FEEL it and leap toward what feels good.
Some people call it intuition, hunches, sixth sense, higher self, or the inner voice. Whatever you call it, we all have it. Some people seem to have developed it better than others but that’s only because they’ve practiced. Have you ever had a hunch to do something that worked out well for you? You probably couldn’t explain the source of that thought, but you knew it was the right and good thing to do.
The best way to get in touch with your intuition is quieting the inner chatter. It’s then that you can hear your inner voice or intuition. We believe that the best way to start this practice is to meditate. As we discussed in our Feel Good Gathering, everyone is different so whatever way you can achieve this is fine. Try all kinds of methods and see what works best for you.
Some people have to physically sit still to shut off those thousands of thoughts that race through our heads (we like to call it our MONKEY MIND). Some achieve this through the many forms of meditation, others through self-hypnosis, and others through listening to soothing music but there are many more ways to quiet your inner critic. Walking in nature, watching fish swim around and around, sitting in front of a fireplace and one that was shared last night that EVERYONE could relate to was while in the middle of kids screaming and other irritating sounds while in a confined area like a plane is a decision that all is ok and just relaxing into all the noise, confusion and drama.
The more you practice getting in touch with your higher self or intuition, the more you will be able to FEEL the way you want to feel (GOOD) This will help you to allow in the relationships you desire and create the inner joy and happiness you deserve.
Sending this with LOVE,
Marian
Positive Reactions to Life’s Challenges
Want to react better when life throws you a curve ball?
Each day we are faced with choices and if you stay aware when your life gives you a challenge or an opportunity to react, you can choose the experience that you really want. Watch your responses to events and people who scare you or make you angry.
- Remember that all of our experiences happen first in the mind. Everything we see and imagine, all we hear, feel, touch and taste are perceptions of our mind.
If you decide ahead of time you’re not going to react the way you have been noticing you’ve been doing in the past, but instead you react with a smile and an attitude of its ok, you will notice a HUGE difference. Ask yourself-How will I feel about this in 6 months, a year or 10 years from today?
Every moment of every day we make choices about what we want to experience. We really can select our response but it takes time and effort to reprogram your reaction if you’ve practiced a negative response for a long time. It’s worth it, so give it a try.
One of our greatest challenges is to become aware and awake as to what is happening in our thoughts. You need to get your conscious mind and your unconscious mind in the same vibration. Stay aware and choose better reactions and see how your life changes…for the better!
Try writing the experiences down in a journal and see for yourself how much better your life can be and the people around you too!
Enjoy your day!
Marian
Happy Relationships
My dear friend who was in a deep depression said to me one day that I should stop trying to make her happy and just be myself. My first instinct was “Well I enjoy making you happy and that IS who I am so, who am I if I can’t make you happy?” What kind of a friend lets someone they care about wallow in sadness without trying to help them feel better? I was miserable and allowed myself to get depressed right along side of my friend.
I gave this conversation a great deal of thought and finally realized that even though I truly do enjoy helping others and seeing them happy, I did have a responsibility to make sure that I get to be happy too. We had a few hard days where we just couldn’t see each other’s perspective but when I finally decided to just let her be unhappy if she wanted to, and assure her I was there for her when she wanted to FEEL better, why everything changed. Most of the time what people want is to be heard and understood. Let them know you understand but that you can’t join them in the sorrow.
- If someone chooses to be unhappy and we can’t get them to come into our happy state (vibration) then we can learn to accept it and let them know that when they are ready to feel better, we will be there for them.
Each person in your life is there for a reason, and that reason always has something to do with love.-Tut
- When we finally decide to show kindness and true empathy, that kindness inspires kindness in return.
Another dear friend of mine said to me one day after she had an argument with a co-worker “I decided I would rather be happy than to be right.” from that day on her so-called conflicts at work seemed silly and much less stressful. Her life changed for the better at work and at home. Contrast is a natural part of all relationships. Focusing on creating a balanced compromise rather than winning or losing an argument can draw you and your friends/co-workers closer together and allow deeper relationships to flourish in all areas of your life.
- Feelings of irritation and frustration grow when we remain silent so make your feelings clear but do so with empathy, a real honest look at their perspective.
The relationships you nurture with others will mirror the relationship you have with yourself. Learn to take responsibility for your own happiness and treat yourself with kindness and compassion.
Sending this with LOADS of ~kindnness and Love~
Marian
Classic Christmas Movie
It is that wonderful time of the year for a favorite classic Christmas movie. We can all appreciate a quality Christmas film. Don’t you remember spending a countless hours watching classic holiday movies? Christmas Eve after everyone went to bed was my favorite time to get teary eyed with a good “ feel good” movie. So what if Christmas movies tend to be a bit sappy? They warm our hearts and help us forget about the stress of the holidays, the possible loneliness of some, and if living up north, the snow piling up on the driveway.
We’ve unwrapped our five favorite classic Christmas movie flicks that will help even the stingiest Scrooge or crankiest Grinch crack a smile. Let us know what your favorite holiday movies were!
Here are some must-see favorite movies for your Christmas season:
Holiday Inn, 1954, this Bing Crosby classic includes the song “White Christmas” and has you watch as a once favorite spot for lodging is restored and brought back to life with music and entertainment to once again draw festive crowds.
It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946 – this is one of our favorite feel-good holiday movies. George Bailey along with the residents of Bedford Falls never fail to remind us that no matter how much money you have, life really is wonderful if you have friends and family to share it with.
Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 – there’s no time like the holidays to re-examine beliefs. Is there really a Santa Claus? Even if you don’t believe in Kris Kringle, this Christmas movie puts your beliefs to the test.
A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965 –In this holiday classic, Charlie, Snoopy, and the rest of the “Peanuts” gang discover the true meaning of Christmas.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2000 –this popular Dr. Seuss book was transformed into a movie, and it’s usually a great kid-pleaser. Enjoy the songs, rhymes, and antlers on the dog! See how the Grinch shows that nothing, not even a green grouch, can spoil the spirit of Christmas
Leave a comment below and tell us which holiday movies you enjoy!
All of us at the Good Life Guide wish you and your family a joy filled Christmas.
What are you focused on?
I Love this quote-
“If we threw our problems in a pile with everyone else’s we would grab ours back” Author Unknown
I often wonder when I’m going through a tough time what kind of lesson I will learn when I’m on the other side. If you stay focused on the outcome and take the time to think thoughts like this, it really does help you get through the most challenging times. We all have them and they are different for each of us. My fears and negative thoughts might seem silly to you and the same goes for yours, so don’t try to compare your life with anyone else’s.
- Stay Focused on the outcome or goal
Staying focused on the outcome can be hard if you just try to remember but if you turn it into a habit, it will come to you quicker and easier. When I first started trying to remember- as I was experiencing a problem, it might dawn on me a week later or even a month would go by, but as I stayed with it and continued to study and learn the principles of the Law of Attraction it got easier and came faster. Soon I was able to hear myself say “Oh that’s right I’m staying focused on the outcome” or “In my old life I would have reacted that way” and snap out of my funk or feel soothed instantly. The feeling of being connected to source and ALL THAT IS, is so comforting that it’s worth the time you take to make it a GOOD HABIT!
“In order to attain balance, we have to learn the art of patience even as we strive to achieve our highest vision of who we are” Daily OM
- Stay focused on the outcome or the goal and everything else will fall into place.
Sending this with LOVE….
Marian
Recommended Readings:
The Attractor Factor by Dr. Joe Vitale. A book which presents the step by step process to manifesting and attracting what you want into your life.
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, this book revealed how many people use the secret to achieve success.
