HOLD ON TIGHT
I hope you’re all doing well!! Miss you all!
I can imagine by now you might have figured out some “survival” techniques for the times and are learning to adapt to this new way of life. It’s different for sure. I find myself appreciating everything, especially the quieter days here in Los Angeles.
My fiancé and I are still being careful about getting out and seeing people. We haven’t ventured out to a restaurant other than take out and we still limit store visits. I’ve been cooking up a storm though!! My guy is my constant entertainment while I’m whipping things up in the kitchen. His jokes are way better than mine but I’ll still “pepper in” my corny humor any chance I get. Like changing lyrics to songs when I want him to stop teasing me - “just zip it, zip it good – rather than “whip it, whip it good” or “I’m definitely gonna let you go” rather than “Never gonna let you go.” You get the point. I’ll spare you the rest.
I’ve been trying to create as much as I can while working through any anxiety that often creeps up from being isolated from people I love. Truly, the hardest part of all of this is not seeing my family and friends. I can imagine many of you can relate. Thank goodness for Zoom and FaceTime! We plan to make a trip next month to see my parents/family. Thank goodness!! It seems many of you have already connected with family and friends. We can only be outsiders for so long. Ha!
Now, I want this blog to be positive – as with all my messages, however sometimes I need to be direct and share my perspective. You okay with that??
I believe everything happens for a reason. I said earlier that 2020 would be the year of “ascension” and an “expansion of our consciousness.” Over the last several months, many truths have been revealed. We had time to reflect on our lives, see where things are imbalanced and hopefully learn to appreciate the things we often take for granted on a daily basis. I’ve observed with curiosity the divisive views on wearing a mask, conspiracy theories about the virus, and witnessed firsthand the range of emotions related to Covid. Ultimately, I think many people are tired, “over the virus” and just want to get back to their lives. We cannot pretend though that our lives are the same or force life to go back to how it was. Within my small circle I know people who have had the virus and survived, those that are still having complications from the virus months after and those that have died. Yep, died. Healthy people with no preconditions.
It’s a running tape in my mind thinking about how people are doing, how everyone is managing. Many people have lost their homes, apartments, businesses as a result of the pandemic and our situation in the US. Many parents are juggling their work while simultaneously ensuring their children have what they need daily – the schooling component has added another level of anxiety and stressors for many families.
Stress is the worst thing we can do for our immune systems. I’m all for safely doing things that help you feel “normal” and connected in your world if that makes you feel better. I sometimes feel like my fiancé and I are abnormal when I see so many people bopping around traveling, hanging with friends and groups of people. Maybe we’re being too cautious? I don’t know…I’ve been on a natural health kick since I was 15 years old. I haven’t taken conventional medicine other than half a pain pill when I had my wisdom teeth out in 2005. I took an Advil for the first time in years recently after a horrible allergy attack due to the fires here in LA. My diet has been natural, non-processed foods for over 20 years. I’m “healthy” and believe in my body's ability to heal and recover from illness, however this is a new virus and I don’t pretend to know exactly how it will affect me or others.
I always encourage people to be informed – to look at what is for the greater good. If wearing a mask is helpful for preventing the spread of the virus, can we all just simply do our part and be done with it? For me, it just feels right to wear a mask anytime I leave the house – even on my walks which I do daily. I take it off if there is no one around when outside. Otherwise it’s on and I have to say I like being incognito! I wear a hat, sunglasses and most of my face is covered with my mask. It’s wonderful. Hahaha.As Larry David would say: “Prettay…pretty…cool.”
I now have to GET TO THE POINT!
I feel the lesson we are learning though all of this is EMPATHY. If you didn’t learn certain lessons or do healing in the past, you might have found in the last few months some difficulty and a surfacing of emotions. There may be a new awareness around your needs, what needs to change and what you need to heal/work on. Some of you might be fighting your emotions - looking for distractions to take you away from dealing with it all. All real CHANGE starts with EMPATHY. Empathy for ourselves and empathy for others. Healing and growth is a process. We are not the same today as we were yesterday…no matter how we resistant we are to change. Inevitably life keeps evolving whether we choose to or not. I feel that taking our minds off ourselves for a minute can be a catalyst for change. When we think about others, what they might be going through it not only expands our hearts, but on an energetic level positively thinking about someone else brings them healing. That’s pretty amazing isn’t it? Think about if we consistently sent positive thoughts and prayers? What if we did the same for ourselves? Send ourselves love rather than criticism? Sounds awesome to me. There is science to this “energy” thing. What we think and feel has an effect. Watch Einstein’s Quantum Riddle about Quantum Energy on Amazon. You’ll see for yourself.
Empathy holds the key to truly having meaningful relationships. We don’t always know what other people are going through – even those closest to us, but we can have empathy, love for them. We can be supportive, check in on them, send them light and love when we think of them – even when our days are busy and filled with responsibilities we can still send people love and let them know we care. We can’t rely on social media to really know how people are doing. Sometimes we have to make an effort to check in.
I hope these times have built an appreciation for life and those that you love. It seems like it has.
To be empathetic takes curiosity, understanding, listening and care. In the big picture of life isn’t our love, connections, and contribution to others all that matters? Empathy teaches us about love – and in these times, that’s pretty miraculous.
Tools for Empathy
Empathy starts with opening the heart chakra. It may take some initial healing work which isn’t always fun. Sometimes we block our hearts and go to our intellect to make sense of things. However, our minds, although amazing, are limited. We have to get in touch with our hearts, heal our pain in order to truly love.
Some great books to assist with healing are:
You Can Heal Your Life - Louise Hay
Loving What Is - Byron Katie
Positive Energy - Judith Orloff, M.D.
Letting Go - David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D
Compassionate care and listening:
Sometimes people just need to be heard. Often holding space, simply being there for someone makes a world of difference. Being empathetic doesn’t mean we have all the answers. We can simply listen and try to understand with healthy, loving detachment. We can hold space for a person to share. We cannot always understand what someone is going through unless we’ve experienced it for ourselves, but we can go to the heart of the feelings they are experiencing and relate to that. We all know what fear, sadness, anxiety, joy, love feel like.
Deep Breathing:
Deep, rapid breathing helps awaken stagnant energy in the body and clears the bodies chakras and meridians. When you are in a state of anxiety or feeling stuck, I recommend deep rapid breathing in sets of 20. At the end of each round take a deep breath in and hold for a count of three and exhale for a count of three
Aromatherapy
Lemon, Frankincense and Orange essential oils are wonderful for activating the heart chakra and clearing negative thoughts. Diffuse in your environment or simply inhale from the bottle for three deep breaths.
Love 4th Chakra spray
I formulated this spray specifically to awaken the heart chakra and clear blocked energy. Spray on palms, inhale and feel a sense of relieve. Spray all over aura to keep the vibes high. Can also be sprayed in the atmosphere and on linens.
Therapy, Intuitive Guidance and Healing
Sometimes we need a little support with our healing. There are wonderful professionals out there that are specialized in healing. I’m also an advocate for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Intellectually, it’s helpful to understand ourselves, our pain, limitations and to learn tools to empower ourselves.
Separately, sometimes getting a massage or getting craniosacral or myofascial work can release dormant/repressed emotions in the body. Yoga can do the same.
I’m also available for readings and healing sessions should you want more intensive healing.
I hope you are all doing well. Please always feel free to send me an email or text message if you need support and I will do the same. I truly feel the love from this community, and I am grateful for every one of you!
Be well. Be happy. Hold on tight to those you love.
All my love.
Carrie