ONE OF OUR MOST ENDURING LESSONS WE LEARN IN KINDERGARTEN

ONE OF OUR MOST ENDURING LESSONS WE LEARN IN KINDERGARTEN

 

“Come on Honey, it's time to go to Big Boy/Girl school.”

“I don't want to go! I want to stay home with you!”

“Come on sweetheart you will have a good time and meet all kinds of new friends and play new games! You'll love it!!”

Sullenly, “OK.”

 

AT THE SCHOOL:

 

“Here we are, hop put and let’s meet your teacher.”

The water works start and then the screaming, “NNNNNOOOO! MMMOOOMMMYYY! You are terrified of the unknown and don't want your comfort, your known quantity to leave.

 

The teacher gently but firmly takes you back into the school while Mom quickly walks away with a big smile and promises to come back after school is over.

 

As you become interested and then engrossed in the day’s lessons and play, Mommy fades to the back of your mind and you begin having a wonderful time. Soon the bell rings and Teacher says, “It's time to go home.” and Mommy appears at the door.

 

The waterworks start in reverse, this time not from fear but frustration. The fear you felt earlier has been replaced by fun and new things, you will learn quickly the coming and going of school and you move on.

 

This is a conversation I had with a friend of mine several mornings ago.

 

Friend: “Why do we hang onto the very things we know we must let go of?”

 

Me; “Comfort zone stuff. We get comfortable with the situation and change is scary. Knowing something and acting on that knowledge are entirely two different things,

F: “So I guess we will ultimately change when the push to change becomes less uncomfortable than the draw of staying the same?

M; “Bingo! When we can “act in” and “do courage”, then we grow. Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway.”

F; “Excellent point! It is a choice after all.”

M: “It is and always has been a choice.”

F; “It's the kindergarten thing again then Hun?”

M; “Yes, who knew THAT would follow us so far?”

F; “It is interesting how we speak(think) our lives into existence! ...When we see that...oh boy! Life is getting fun!”

And there it is, The Kindergarten Thing. It isn't just an event in our lives, It is something that we go through over and over again as we live our lives. Elementary school, entering high school, dating, doctors/dentist appointments, speeches, marriage/divorce, new jobs, childbirth, a death in the family and, maybe the most frightening of all spiritual growth. We face changes all of our lives. Most of the time we breeze right through them but there are the ones that take us right back to kindergarten.

The more personal these things are the more we resist them and hang onto the very thing(s) we KNOW we need to let go of. The fear of the unknown will sometimes stop us cold. Now here is the problem with that; most will stay where they are not happy and complain, worry and internalize their fear and frustration, putting themselves in the roll of “victim”. All the while blaming the boss or the situation when all they have to do is decide to make a change for the better. While they are feeling stuck and spinning themselves up into a frenzy over their “bad luck” and being the victim, they are making themselves sick. Then, when their bodies succumb to the eternal stuff that they are CHOOSING to put themselves through they can cry victim once again because they are now very sick. Here is where you face the choice to stay feeling sorry for yourself or deciding you don't want to play anymore.

 

When you face your fear of change and step out in courage and trust that you can help yourself, your life begins to change in wonderful and unexpected ways. The next time you have to go back to kindergarten remember this and you will do well. Bright Blessings and Happy First Day of School!

 

© Chessie Roberts 2011 all rights reserved

 

GRATITUDE REALLY? FOR WHAT?

         GRATITUDE REALLY? FOR WHAT?

“Change your thoughts, change your life.” (Dr. Wayne Dwyer)

I was contacted by one of my clients recently who was feeling overwhelmed and not in a good space. She told me that cleaning house constantly was a very ungratifying job and she was very close to using the “H” word to describe her feelings on the subject. She then asked me what to do to turn that around for her. My response was to do it with gratitude, do it as a service of love, as a gift for life.

She stopped talking and just looked at me for a moment. Finely she blurted out, “Gratitude? Really? For what? A service of love? A gift for life? You’re joking right?

I asked her what her least favorite chore is and laundry was the answer. I instructed her to consider what goes into doing the laundry. She still didn’t see what I meant, and she told me to break it down for her, so I did.

“Be grateful for the fact that you have the physical ability to do the job. Be grateful for the fact that you have a washer and dryer to help you (I’ve had to do it all by hand and that is not an easy task). Be grateful for the fact that you can afford to pay for the soap, water and electricity to run the appliances that help you. Be grateful that you have the clothes and linens to wash and someone to wash them for. Be grateful for the fact that you have a home to house the appliances that wash and dry the clothes, and the storage containers that you keep them in, and those you wash them for. Consider that you really love the people for whom you are doing this service and, that to them, it is a gift from you to make their life better …do you see now what I am talking about?” I asked her.

I was met with a long silence and then she said “Oh, now I get it, I think maybe laundry just might be my favorite gift of love for my family, thanks.” I answered, “You are welcome.”

This will work with anything you are feeling bad about, anything at all. The reason it works is because as you change the way you think about something, the way you think changes. You actually create changes in your brain chemistry for the better. As your chemistry changes, shooting ‘grateful chemicals’ into your system, your feelings change, your attitude changes and you feel better about what you’re doing. These changes in you will spill over on those around you so that everyone benefits from this seemingly unimportant decision. Why not give it a try and experience the Bright Blessings, Love, service and gratitude that comes with that change of mind, C. S. Roberts

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved

TO MOTHERS; A SPECIAL GIFT FROM THE UNIVERSE

                                  TO MOTHERS

          A SPECIAL GIFT FROM THE UNIVERSE


By Chessie Roberts of Evolution of Self; Journey into Body, Mind, Spirit Balance

Here’s to that first very personal, fleeting question teasing at the back of awareness, “Am I? Could it be possible? Now?

Here’s to the thrill of knowing and telling everyone, “Yes, I’m expecting! To the preparation, the waiting the celebrating, the wondering, Boy? Girl?

Here’s to the unique bond that is forged as you feel them grow, there, just under your heart all the while filling it, expanding it to dimensions never dreamed of before in your imaginings.

Here’s to the finding out and the realization that your life is about to change in ways you can only imagine.

Here’s to finding out you were so off the mark, those changes are more wonderful and terrifying that anything you could have thought up.

Here’s to the ‘firsts’, all of them the tiny and the huge. The ones that were important to them as well as the ones important to you.

Here’s to that gut wrenching paradigm shift that comes the first time you say/do something your mother used to say/do and you now truly understand the ‘why’ of it.

Here’s to the smiling support for their grand plans and the secret terror that they might get hurt. The pride in their accomplishments and the secret relief that your fears were for nothing.

Here’s to standing straight and tall, pride shining from you while you weep inside as they step out…

Here’s to watching them start their lives, on their own, in their own strength and with their own honor.

Here’s to stepping aside to enjoy learning their new family traditions and smiling warmly at the ones that they have held on to from the traditions that you taught them.

Here’s to laughing in private at their expectation of family, at their attempts at parenting while supporting them through their perceived failures. Holding them up and helping them find their strength in their new roles.

Here’s to attending the games and performances, babysitting and watching as their children grow into the wonderful people they are meant to be.

Here’s to the grace to becoming Grammie, to allowing them just to be. And through it all…

Here’s to that unique, special, indefinable bond, that special LOVE that makes you Mom. Happy Mothers’ Day

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved

WHO IS HOLDING YOUR POWER?

               WHO IS HOLDING YOUR POWER?

A few months ago, a dear friend of mine asked me a question concerning suicide; “What would do if everything you do is wrong? When everything you say is wrong? Why not just end it all, just put an end to everything?”

I told my friend that this is a question that only they could answer. But I ask you to consider; why would you (the collective you) give ANYONE that much power over you, your life, and your mindset? Who are they to hold your personal power in such contempt and why in the name of common sense would you allow it? If you mean so little to yourself, how do you expect anyone else to see your worth?

Maybe the problem is not in "saying the wrong thing". Maybe the real issue is in your need to love yourself and in doing so, take your power back, stop living your life through what you think others think of you and stand in your own power and reclaim the soul that is the true you. And there is the truth of the entire thing.

You, each and every one of you, all of us are SOULS living a human existence. We are here to learn whatever it is that we came here to learn. We CHOSE to come here in order that we learn, accomplish and teach. We did not come here to live our lives by committee or to throw up our hands and lie down and be a victim. We did not come here to see how sick we can make ourselves and our planet. We came here to enlighten ourselves and to share that with those around us. We were created to be happy, healthy, loving and to be the best that we can be.

This week I challenge you to take your power back. To own your happiness, create it, share it, enjoy it and embrace it. See you as the divine creation that you are and stop being a victim in any way, no matter how small. If you have already started on this path, I congratulate you and ask you to see how you can share your information with others. Just as you can’t diminish the flame from a candle by lighting another from it, sharing happiness, love and gratitude does not diminish you, sharing only makes the good feelings grow, Bright Blessings, C. S. Roberts

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved.

ENERGETIC “SEEING”

                          ENERGETIC “SEEING”

                         My Journey of Awakening 

                                     Perceptions

 

“By seeing everything around me as exquisitely beautiful,
By hearing every sound as the most beautiful of music,
By feeling every rhythm as the very heartbeat of life,
My habitual perceptions of the world will change,
Transform and I will move beyond the outward surface of all things around me and truly connect with what is “the source”, the “I AM”.”

We can all see the beauty of Nature but today I experienced feeling the energy of beauty. I was struck by the depth at which I was affected and by the length of time the feeling stayed with me.

When we see with our eyes, we register whatever it was the caught our attention and then it’s gone. Yes, we can call it up in our memory and that is good, but this is different, deeper, fuller, more whole, if you will. But to allow the energy of beauty to penetrate you is a remarkable sensation.

As the energy of beauty joined with my personal, familiar energy they seemed to join to form a new energy; one of stillness and peace, very much like a point of crystal clarity and total acceptance, integration and peace.

This totally new concept of energy, calm and peace has stayed with me and expanded to encompass everything that I have come in contact with. I feel that this peaceful center is what I have searched for all my life and I can hardly wait to see what the next level will be.

Bright Blessings and Energetic Seeing to all of you,
Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved

What Are You Thinking?(About)

                   What Are You Thinking?(About)

Grant Morris said, “Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the weight of oceans and the turning stars. Whole universes fit in there! But what do we choose to keep in this miraculous cabinet? Little broken things: sad trinkets that we play with over and over. The world turns our key, and we play the same little tune again and again and we think that tune's all we are.”

Unfortunately, he is correct. Humans have a tendency to keep and hold all the hurtful and broken bits of life. We hang on to them like they are our defining images. Because we identify so strongly with and invest so much emotion and energy into these nasty little tidbits that we eventually manifest that broken energy as the person we project to the world. We actually believe that it is these “sad little trinkets” that define us and so that is what we become; “…little broken things…playing the same little tune again and again and we think that tune's all we are.” Personally, I don’t feel that I want to be sad, broken, small, or having the “world turning my key” so that I dance to the tunes of others. I want to be my own master and play my own music and be all that I can be but, I am asked often, is this change possible?

Consider that Morris also said “Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the weight of oceans and the turning stars. Whole universes fit in there!” so I challenge you to see this side of being human; this part of us that will allow us to do away with the false beliefs and notions and allow the seeing of the magnificent, positive thoughts and universes that we can embrace and create.

Everything in life should please and astonish you with its awesomeness and that is what you should embrace. Embrace it, hold it close, share it with everyone and let it shine out from your innermost being. Understand that you can change what you think about as well as how you think about things. By doing this one thing you can and will turn your whole world around and make it the beautiful, exciting and loving place you live in. Consider this as you form your opinions and beliefs from now on.

Bright Blessings, Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2011 all rights reserved

Projecting Abundance and Gratitude Above the Fear Line

              Projecting Abundance and Gratitude

                        Above the Fear Line

“Because the Universe reflects back to you at the level which you are able to accept, appreciate what you have and project abundance in your emotions, self-talk, your thoughts, and visualization. Remember that emotion is energy in motion and that is what drives all manifestation.” C. S. Roberts

I have had a series of Aha moments over the past few months. Moments that have brought the truth of something I said a while ago (the above quote) and made this concept crystal clear.

Emotions fall into two categories, love or fear. Any emotion that is at or below the ‘fear line’ will drag you down into the depths of stagnation and inactivity. Any emotion above that line will push you up toward happiness, joy and finally into manifestation.

I had, on one level, believed and understood what I was saying but, on a deeper level was missing an important point. As I have stated on many occasions I am, as we all are, works in progress so yay for finally getting it. The whole point is that down in that part of you where only you go, where the tough questions are asked and answered is where the acceptance of this statement needs to truly and gratefully happen. This is where you need to determine that you are no longer ruled by anything at or below the ‘fear line’. Only then will your ‘emotional energy engine’ crank into life and drive the upward motion that will create manifestation.

If you can honestly accept everything you have as a good thing and gratefully rejoice in your abundance with your entire being, you will touch this place within and begin to manifest without. EXAMPLE: your furnace breaks on the coldest day of the year and it is a holiday and guests are coming; how do you react? Let’s face it that would be very upsetting on the surface of things but, since you know about emotions and manifestation, you are truly grateful for the fact that your oven works, that you have space heaters and blankets and that you know that your guests will understand and be just fine with it. You celebrate in joy, love and gratitude. You invite others to celebrate with the same attitude and, by your every thought, emotion and deed you turn the unfortunate happening into an exercise of gratitude for abundance and share that outlook with those around you, thus lifting you and everyone else to a higher vibration. In return you manifest the money you need to fix the furnace, your holiday was exceptional, you taught a valuable lesson without realizing it and your life stays above the ‘fear line’.

I invite you to examine your life as you start this new beginning in 2011 to find your abundance, joy and gratitude. Once you do that share that attitude with as many people as you can and watch your manifestations soar.

Bright Blessings, Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2011, all rights reserved

IMAGINATION, YOUR FORGOTTEN ALLY

       IMAGINATION, YOUR FORGOTTEN ALLY

Did you ever play outside, in a world of your own making? Where everything you wanted was there for your enjoyment, for your satisfaction? A world that adjusted to your script as you changed your story line to fit where you wanted it to go next? A special place that was just for you and maybe a friend or two. I challenge you to go back in your mind and heart to that time and recall how you felt, the excitement, the pleasure, the joy. Now hold on to that as you continue reading.

When you have a desire you create a ripple in the Universal energies that can, if driven correctly, manifest your desire. Just having the thought, the desire is not enough; you must drive it with something. That something is emotion, emotion that is fueled by your imagination. What you can imagine and become excited and joyous about is what will manifest. CAUTION: the same is true of the energy created by the emotion of fear. Because any strong emotion will drive manifestation you should be sure that you don’t fuel your nightmares, fuel only your dreams.

You may ask how to start. I suggest that you use your forgotten ally, your imagination. Get a clear picture in your imagination of just what you want to create. Put in the details and get excited about it. Feel how you will enjoy it when it is manifest and enjoy that sensation, hold it as long as you can. Remember the feeling every time you think about your desire, your goal, your dream. In order for you to “create”, your thoughts, attitudes and emotions must be focused and directed toward a productive end so that their power is molded into the force that will bring you what it is that you desire.

Your next step is to do the next thing needed to make your desire happen, change any attitude that may interfere with your goal, talk to others, tell your friends, make plans, lists of materials or steps that you need to work through to create this desire. Decide how the list needs to be handled, prioritize first, second, next etc. and do something every day that moves you forward. All the while, keep your emotion focused on the finished project. Not necessarily the exact outcome (that can be distracting) but on the excitement and joy of creating this thing you are manifesting. The idea is to feed the emotion of your desire and keep it strong, focused and positive. If you allow doubt or despair to creep in (it will, we are human after all) let that be your signal to take a SHORT break and re-group. Take an hour (set a timer) or a weekend, just walk away and let your mind rest. Chances are that you have either missed a step or a priority is in the wrong order. Both of these can be fixed and the joy and excitement will return.

You may ask what if I have a setback. Same answer: give yourself a break and your mind a rest and the answer will appear, maybe as a new idea for a solution or a different thought process, but you will get an answer. Remember that “you don’t have to push a river, it already flows.” (© Chessie Roberts “Don’t Push A River” from ‘The Angles Sang’) If you don’t put garbage in your river that will block it, you can guide it in the direction you want it to go.

Wishing you Bright Blessings and joyous and imaginative creating.
Chessie

©2010 Chessie Roberts all rights reserved.

CHAKRA TWO

                               CHAKRA TWO

The second chakra area is called ‘The Belly’ or ‘The Spleen’ Chakra and is located between your navel and internal reproductive organs. It corresponds to your sacral vertebrae, and the nerve ganglion called the solar plexus. Your sciatic nerve is attached here at your body’s center of motion; it is also referred to as the ‘sea of life’.

The elemental correspondence for this area is water because all your body’s liquid functions are in its prevue; circulation, urinary elimination, sexuality and reproduction. It is also your seat of emotion. These emotions can create pleasure, movement and nurture. All of which are natural and desirable.

Dr. Masaru Emoto in this book “Hidden Messages in Water” tells us that an adult is 70% water and children are a bit higher %, which makes us tidal beings. Because of this, the second chakra area is related to the moon and is affected by it just like the tides are. This tidal cycle causes oceans of energy, both inside and out, and gives chakra two subtle qualities of its’ own. This is why a person with a true passion for a goal seems to reach it in, what looks to others, like an effortless manner.

The ebb and flow of desire creates a duality that is important in stirring movement and change. This is the reason you long to learn how to reach out to others to absorb and share knowledge.

This chakra is visualized in a vibrant orange. The Sanskrit name for this chakra comes from the root ‘to sweeten’ and refers to the pleasure derived from our sexuality. Here is where you learn to accept the fact that you are endowed with a sexual nature by the Creator and it is OK to like it.

The job of the second chakra is to move you from the survival mode of number one to the acknowledgment of a second caregiver; i.e. another person in your life, to help you become independent, to stand alone, to develop your personal strength and be self-sufficient. Your maturation gives you a need to unite with another person in order to create a whole. Here is where the understanding of ‘self’ includes awareness of others on a new level. It also includes a longing for unity to fill the void that is brought on by this new awareness. At the same time there is a need for the separateness you worked so hard to achieve in chakra one. You need to learn balance of your time/your needs with the time you share with another person. This will be so in all facets of your life.

You will want to encounter differences that will stimulate questions that challenge your essence. These challenges = growth. Growth=desire. Desire= action. Action=vitality. Vitality= movement. Movement = new levels of power and love.
If you find that desire has become need that is born of pain, tension and/or estrangement you can be sure that you are out of balance in your second chakra. All of this comes from parts of yourself that you that you have let go of when you should have held on or ones that you are trying to repress. You begin to look outside of yourself for substances to make you feel ether something or nothing. These attempts damage you, both physically and mentally causing you to push away those who can help you or pull yourself away so that a viscous cycle is started. Every failure creates an attachment to the method you have chosen (drinking, drugs, sex, excessive time online etc.) hopping that it will work next time to make your imbalance correct itself, but instead you get locked into the feeling that you have no escape.

The water based chakras’ flexibility and fluidity of desire is good. Know that the form of the desire is not as important as the force of the desire. The force is the root of passion that equals growth toward power and understanding. Desires act like waters movement, they ebb and flow and we handle them accordingly

Blockages create pressure. Rising pressure erodes the blockage. Just as water seeks the path of least resistance, not caring what it must flow around or what shape it must take to get where it is going, desire acts in the same way. If blocked, desire will manifest another way; if it is thwarted completely, you will experience illness, addiction or dangerous behavior.

Balance here = you know pleasure is Creator Given and an essential facet of life to ensure your body’s’ health and harmony and you enjoy it without shame or guilt. You can know you are in balance when “Every perfect action is accompanied by pleasure. By that you can tell you ought to do it.” (The French writer Andre Gide.)

Here a goal=movement toward pleasure which is the root of desire. Desire= the seed of movement; they build on each other to keep us whole and balanced. For balanced, whole people, pleasure attracts and pain repels. Pleasure is the rejuvenator of the spirit, the healer of personal and cultural relationships; it tells you that ‘all is well-situation resolved’ and it give the freedom to turn your attention to other things.

RECAP CHAKRA TWO
1) Location, womb/belly
2) Connection to lunar cycle, wisdom and creativity
3) Fertility

PHYSICALITY; lower vertebrae, pelvis, bladder, hips

ISSUES; change, emotions, ability to see beauty in others, delight in your own creations, satisfaction of your own desires

BLOCKED BY; guilt

UNBLOCKED BY; accepting the reality that things happen because of you or someone else and not allowing them to cloud your mind or poison your energy and forgive.

Bright Blessings, Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2010 all rights reserved

YOU ARE DENIED NOTHING, EVER!

             YOU ARE DENIED NOTHING, EVER!

What makes you angry, sad, miserable, jealous, ashamed, guilty? How about indifferent, vengeful, disdainful, demanding, hopeless or apathetic? Know that all of these emotions come from the fear end of your emotional spectrum.

Each and every one of these emotions does several things to you,

1) they make you ill on some level of your being,

 2) they lower your spiritual vibrations so that you are farther and farther from your source which will make it harder for you to get back up there, and

3) they will bring down everyone around you until you are surrounded by those who like it down there or

4) you will have no support at all. And

5) YOU WILL GET MORE OF WHAT IS BOTHERING YOU.

The reason for this is that the Universe has no filters. It hears/feels your emotions and gives you more of whatever your emotions are putting out there. So, you ask, “How do I turn this around?”

You start by changing your emotional response to everything. Don’t panic, you can do this. Begin by looking for things, anything, that make your emotions respond from the love end of the spectrum. What makes you feel loving, merciful, at peace, satisfied, joyous, blissful, understanding or forgiving? How about illuminated, serene, or optimistic? All of these come from the love end of the spectrum and they raise your vibrations up to meet the Universe, and it responds to them too. The difference is in what you receive, MORE OF WHAT YOU DO WANT.

Which way do you want your life to go; up or down; into love or fear; into want and need or abundance and prosperity? The choice is yours to make. Remember, you are denied nothing, ever, all you need to do if ask/feel.
Bright Blessings, Chessie

© Chessie Roberts 2010 all rights reserved

WHERE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHERE YOU ARE NOW?

               WHERE IS MORE IMPORTANT

                THAN WHERE YOU ARE NOW?
          © Chessie Roberts2010, all rights reserved

When I was a teenager the trend of the day for the girls was to wash and roll your hair in the morning and to keep the rollers in until time for your ‘special event’ of the day. Your ‘event’ could be a date, shopping with your friends or going out to dinner with the family, anything would do for the main happening for the day. My Mother and I would argue horribly over this particular teenage tradition. One day I was reading a newspaper column by Ann Landers where she asked a (what was for me) life changing question.

“Where are you going that is more important than where you are now?”

I was recently reminded of this question when I was talking to a friend of mine. He was lamenting the fact that he had not had a good time at a play that he had attended. I asked what had happened to keep him from enjoying the play and he told me that the lights had been turned down and he could not read the book he wanted to read. I would have thought he would have been watching the play that he had paid to attend rather than reading a book. Who does that I asked myself?

I soon discovered that even on camping trips people are playing video games, texting (and being annoyed by incoming texts), talking on cell phones and being upset by weak signals to their appliances. Even getting to the woods, children must now be entertained with movies rather than paying attention to what is outside the car window. My thought is why go camping if you are going to stay tethered?

As I work with people in the Evolution of Self program, I find that many people are very unhappy because they are trying to be in more places than where they physically are. I can see that there are times when this is required but not every minute of the day. (I also learned that our minds do not actually multi-task, they just do more than one thing poorly.)

Start looking at where you are now, what you are supposed to be doing now and concentrate on that, be in that ‘now’. Don’t worry about where you will need to be in the next hour or day and do your best where you are now. Begin asking yourself, “Where is more important than where I am right now?” Make your ‘now’ as important as your ‘later’ so that you stay focused. Then, when you finish that time frame move on to the next.

Anticipation is a good thing but not to the detriment of you being in your ‘now’. Learn to enjoy the ‘now’ no matter where or what it is and you will find that your days go by better and your enjoyment of life increases.
Bright Blessings, Chessie

FEAR; IT IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF Part 3, Where is Your Comfort Zone?

   3 FEAR IS NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF Part 3

                        © Chessie Roberts 2010, all rights reserved

Where is Your Comfort Zone?

Our comfort zone is the little box we live in where everything is j-u-s-t the way we like it, we are comfortable. Sounds great right? Well, I guess it can be, but we need to watch out because it can keep us from growing, moving, sharing, or creating. To do that, we must (shaky, scary letters here) STEP OUT OF THE ZONE. That is sometimes a very fear-inducing thing to do.

Where are the boundaries of your comfort zone? Do you feel comfortable talking to strangers? Is it easy for you to eat alone in a restaurant? How do you feel about public speaking? How about going into a social situation unescorted? Would you rather hug someone (not family), shake hands or hide in a hole? Does interstate traffic make you wish you were driving a tank instead of your poor defenseless car? Do places of authority scare the starch right out of you?

I understand, there are things outside everyone’s comfort zone. Things that you would rather chew broken glass than face. things that you fear and that is ok. Here is where we talk about changing that. Don’t panic, you don’t have to make a speech on top of a speeding truck on the interstate, baby steps, baby steps.

What I am advocating is just expanding the zone of what is comfortable for you. As you overcome things that make you fearful, your courage to try something new grows. As that happens, you become more and more powerful and fear less.

Let’s break it down. To be able to begin talking to someone you don’t know very well try just asking the time or complementing something about that person. When this is comfortable you can ask questions that require conversation on the part of the other person. Soon you will be able to speak to anyone.

Eating alone in a restaurant is intimidating to a lot of people so know you are not alone. Start small with a fast-food place. Everyone is in a hurry, and you won’t be noticed. Then move up to some place that caters to your neighborhood. Next, try the larger chains, by then you will be able to go anywhere.

Public speaking is the most feared thing out there and I strongly suggest a public speaking club such as Toastmasters. They will walk you right through it with all the support, encouragement and guidance you can ever want.

Get the picture here? Just take one small step until you feel comfortable and then the next. Every time you reach and stretch, you grow closer to handling your fears in a powerful, productive and positive way.

Until next week, Bright Blessings. Chessie

DE-STRESS WITH EOS

                    DESTRESS WITH EOS 

                                                      © Chessie Roberts 2009 

                                          used on blogspot & linkedin by permission

Do you have concerns about this economy, budget cuts, cash flow, life in general, higher demands on your productivity, resources or or performance, your next business meeting? Then you have stress

I caution you here that stress is the number one killer in the United States (possibly in the world). Nine o’clock on Monday morning is the optimum time for this to occur.

Did you know that your emotions are contagious to yourself and others? This is because thoughts are actually fluctuations of energy that are carried throughout your body by chemicals called neuropeptides. Because you brain and physiology talk to each other through these neuropeptides, your brain is constantly eavesdropping on your body and your body is constantly eavesdropping on your thoughts. Because of this eavesdropping phenomenon, your body will react to a thought before you are even aware of it. Have you ever been startled by what looked like a snake in your yard only to realize, after you jumped and screamed that it was the garden hose? Maybe a spider appeared in an unexpected place only to turn out to be a fuzz ball? That is what I am speaking about.

I had this lesson taught to me very strongly one day at my chiropractors’ office. I had come in for relief from some horrible spasms that were occurring in my lower back He and I were chatting as he was making adjustments and he asked my opinion about some subject. My reply was forming on my lips when my spasm started in full force. What my reply was to be was; “That makes my butt twitch”. Do I have to tell you I don’t say that any more? The point here is that you think it and your body does it, whether you realize it or not, whether that’s what you want it to do or not. Therefore, we need to pay attention to our selves on a more conscious and aware level. If we do that, we will know sooner when we are reaching our limits and be able to lower the stress levels in a safe and positive manner.

A lot of my clients ask me just how stress hurts us. At each end of each chromosome are things called telomeres. These act much like the aglets (or fluggle-binders for those of you who are ‘Cocktail’ fans) on the ends of shoe laces. The telomeres are thinned down by stress chemicals, making them less and less effective in their ability to protect the chromosomes and when they are gone, the chromosome is opened to damage which can not be repaired. (60 Minutes report, August, 2005)

Some of the things we can do to help lower stress are easy and don’t cost anything. (Ha, more stress relief) Deep breathing, the in through the nose, out through the mouth kind, as you let go of tension helps. You don’t need to make yourself dizzy doing it, just two or three will help more than you realize and can be done just about anywhere. Regular breathing exchanges about 98% of your bodies a toms overt the course of a year. Conscious and aware deep breathing raises that exchange rate thus creating faster renewal which refreshes you and makes you better able to handle stress.

Since EOS is a Journey into Body, Mind, Spirit Balance, let’s break this down the same way;

DE-STRESSING YOUR BODY; make some small lifestyle changes. Walk when you don’t need to drive (that will help distress the environment too) Take the stairs instead of the elevator, make better food and beverage choices, lower your use of alcohol and nicotine; some people see them as stress relievers but in reality, they stress your body more. Set a regular sleep schedule for your self. Go to bed and get up the same time every day, even on the weekends. Be sure you are getting the deep restoring rest that satisfies your personal requirements. Balance your time between work, family, rest and play. Play is important as a stress reliever; it lets you connect with you on levels you may not be aware of. Don’t over commit, it is OK to say no when you need to. At work, take short breaks frequently. When on longer breaks, leave your desk, office/workspace or the building when you can. Prioritize tasks and delegate when you are able. Hydrate. Your body is about 75% water and if you are dehydrated, you will not perform your best and you body will be stressed. I suggest ionized water because your body can more readily absorb it therefore it is more beneficial to you.

DE-STRESSING YOUR MIND; Learn to meditate and do it daily, learn and practice correct self talk; both of these disciplines help you develop a better communication with yourself and others. Read positive and uplifting materials that are not related to your job or profession, save those for when you are in ‘business mode’. Find or make a calm quiet place, go ahead, it is OK to do that, we all need quiet time. Learn to truly like yourself with no judgment or criticism. Hydrate. Your brain id about 95% water so when it is not hydrated properly, you don’t make good choices and decisions, nor do you feel well and your brain is terribly stressed.

DE-STRESSING YOUR SPIRIT; Attend regular religious/spiritual rituals with those of like mind. This connects you to a Greater Power, pray to ask and meditate to listen, help someone else. Helping another lightens our load because we are in the ‘giving mode’ rather than in the ‘stressed out/worried mode’. Laugh with genuine humor, learn something new and creative, learn to enjoy where yourself where you are right now rather than fret over what is wrong with where you are right now. And on of the simplest yet difficult things is to be grateful, genuinely grateful for everything you can think of. An Attitude of gratitude is one of the most powerful things we have at our disposal and, I would venture to say, one of the least used. Try it, you will be amazed.

To help you identify stress I have included a list of warning signs below. Please pay attention to the paragraph under the heading. If you are not sure what your stress level is, email me for a free work sheet that will assist you in placing just where you are in your level of stress.

Bright Blessings, Chessie


Warning Signs of Stress
These indicators can be caused by other possible medical situations. If you feel that you are experiencing any of these symptoms or warning signs, please see your physician for an exam to be sure of their origin.


Changes in Your Behavior; Changes in your Thought Process;
• Nervous habits starting or coming back
• Shaking foot/leg while waiting, nail biting, pacing
• Pulling away, isolating yourself
• Eating (too much, not enough)
• Use of nicotine, alcohol or any drug
• (prescription or recreational)
• Neglecting your responsibilities
• Procrastination
• Sleeping (too much, too little) • Difficulty or inability to concentrate
• Focusing on only the negative aspects of you life.
• Problems with memory
• Difficulty or inability to focus for any length of time
• Displaying poor judgment
• Overly anxious
• Racing thoughts
Your Physical Body; Your Emotions;
• Loss of sex drive
• More frequent occurrences in;
• Colds, respiratory problems i.e. Sinus infections, bronchitis, etc.
• Gastro-intestinal problems, frequent diarrhea, constipation, gas, cramps, nausea
• Dizziness
• Pain in chest/upper arm
• Heart rate becomes rapid
• General aches and pains • Feeling overwhelmed
• Moodiness; irritable, can’t relax, can’t get going
• Short tempered
• Depressed, don’t care
• Feeling alone or isolated (even around others)
• Unhappy with everything/every one
Remember; “The definition of relaxing is not lying on the couch sleeping or being lazy; it is a mentally active practice that leaves the body relaxed and refreshed. It is best done in an awake state. It is a trainable exercise that gets better with practice.” The University of Michigan Health Center


Evolution of Self; Journey into Body, Mind Spirit Balance
Chessie Roberts; President, Meditation Coach

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