human body
Signs You Might Be Overstressed
Almost all of us are under stress of some kind, whether it’s from work, family life, financial situations, or countless other sources. But how do when we know when it all gets to be too much?
Sadly, we tend to overlook the very real, physical signs our bodies give us, to let us know that the stress is all too much. If you’re experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it might be time to take a look at how to reduce stress levels and get your total health on track.
Pain in our bodies is probably the most obvious sign something is wrong, yet it tends to get ignored until it’s almost too late. Aches and pains, stomach issues, muscle tension, and heart palpitations are among the most common. Also, when we’re under stress, our sleep may suffer. Sleep is crucial to a person’s well-being, and if we’re not getting enough sleep (or too much) the entire body suffers as a result. Continue reading
Good Vibrations
The Beach Boys hit song Good Vibrations is more than just a catchy title. Our bodies and minds are constantly engaged in “pickin’ up good vibrations.” We are all composed of energy manifesting as matter, as are our environments. At a very basic level it is the interaction of atoms and molecules, and our behaviors have a lot to do with those interactions.
The unfortunate truth is, we’re also surrounded by negative influences. Stress, poor diet and nutrition, and lack of exposure to a natural environment are common in the busy, urban world many of us now live in. Literally, they are everywhere we turn, and it can be overwhelming.
Often we treat these symptoms with even more harmful solutions, such as artificial medicines, negative thinking, alcohol or narcotics, or non-wholesome foods. It’s a vicious cycle. However, there is a way to escape and break free. Continue reading
What Your Face Is Telling You
There is an ancient belief system that everything can be seen in one’s face. Your emotional state, your physical state, warnings, strengths and weaknesses. Lines on the forehead are said to represent issues with the intestines. Lines between the eyebrows, just above the eyes, represent issues with the liver, while lines under the eyes represent issues with the kidneys. Lines or swelling of the nose represent issues with the heart, and lines above the lip, below the nose, represent issues with the sexual organs.
Lines or wrinkles are inevitable. However, we have all seen someone in their 20s who has lines as deep and prolific as an 80 year old, and sometimes you see an 80 year old who has the skin of a 25 year old. What is their secret? Continue reading
Your Pain Is Telling You Something
Spirit recently communicated the power of pain and the importance of forgiveness to me in a way I had never quite conceptualized before. Pain is a natural process of the human experience. It is a messaging system that tells us something is not quite right with our situation.
This is true for our physical body, as well as our emotional body. The difference between the two is that physical pain is often more easily recognized, and the appropriate steps to relieve and even to heal the pain can be taken when it is recognized. Emotional pain, however, is more often left unrecognized, or the messages that are being sent are pushed aside.
Both men and women are taught to suppress their pain. Traditional adages like, “boys don’t cry,” or “keep a stiff upper lip,” are reflections of emotional ignorance. We now also live in a society where we are being medicated for emotional issues at rapidly increasing rates, which only adds to the ignorance of our emotional state. Continue reading
What The Mind Believes, The Body Perceives
What your mind and heart believe your body perceives. Our self-talk and mind-chatter play a vital role in optimum health in body, mind and spirit.
If we wake up in the morning and tell ourselves, “I’m really feeling lousy, I’m still tired. I really don’t want to get up and face this day,” you can be sure that the body will respond in just that way. You will be moving slowly, feeling every ache or pain twice as intensely. That kind of self-talk can even affect digestion by slowing it down, because that is what you are telling the body to do with this kind of negative thinking. By thinking, “I really don’t want to move fast,” the message the body receives is to slow down. The body will always comply with the thought process. Continue reading
It’s Okay To Take Care Of Your Self
Only you know when it’s time to come out of the closet. Only you know when it’s time to live the life you have always wanted, or were called to live. Is your life like a hamster on a wheel, same old, same old? If you do the same old thing the same old way, you will always get the same old result. Step off the wheel and try something new in your life.
Get rid of the shoulds and should nots. You will always hear that little voice inside your head saying, “I can’t do that, I’m not smart enough… I’m not good enough… I don’t deserve that..” On and on, downing and judging yourself. Only you know when it’s time to clean house, get rid of the useless mental chatter and feel good about yourself. Continue reading
Grief As A Spiritual Life Lesson
Just under a decade ago, a decision I made to let my eight and a half year old Rottweiler Sophie go, was one of the hardest things I have ever been faced with. Sophie had suddenly become ill over the course of four days and nothing could have prepared me for the subsequent grief. Although time heals, I still recall the way it felt when she was gone – like my heart was being ripped from my chest.
Grief can be described as the universal response to loss, and a very natural, yet terribly painful internal process. When there is a significant change, or loss in one’s life, grief is both a physical and emotional response to that change. Grief brings its own stresses, and continued grief actually compromises our immune system, because all cells in our bodies are affected by intense emotions. Continue reading