By Janeen Diamond for Hope After Divorce
“Sometimes, life is about just being here and feeling gratitude and enjoying all we are blessed with.”
I have been spending a great deal of time lately with a good friend who is deep into self healing, meditation, de-stressing, clearing buried emotions, and other ideas that go along with living a healthier, happier life.
I love feeling good, and I’m very open-minded about new ways to improve my health in every sense. When we go through a great deal of stress in our lives — and who doesn’t? — it affects us in ways we sometimes don’t notice until it’s too late, and our health suffers. I never want this to happen, so I try to stay ahead of the game.
One of the things my friend has had me do is ten minutes of meditation twice a day. The first time I tried it, I was opening my eyes and looking at the clock before even two minutes had passed. He explained this is because of all the chatter we have going on in our heads. It’s difficult to shut off our minds and just “be.” Just try to sit still for ten minutes and totally clear your thoughts, and you’ll see what I mean!
Related Link: Changing Your Life in Those Quiet Moments
I had another friend tell me a few years ago, “Janeen, you are too busy! Sometimes, life is about just being here and feeling gratitude and enjoying all we are blessed with.” She really made an impression on me and had me working to simplify and clear the clutter out of my life. I have realized recently that family, church, service and work — the things that are most important to me — take up the bulk of my time. The things that are important to you may be slightly different, but I believe each of us has to be really choosy about the other things we let come into our lives.
It’s so easy to:
— get busy with things that don’t matter;
— let toxic people stay in our lives because it’s more difficult to do something about it;
— let Internet shopping and social media fill our down time;
— and ignore our responsibilities because mindless activities are more fun.
It can be really easy to get off track and start spending our time doing unimportant things. I know someone who fills his life with so much noise, and I have to ask myself why. He can’t be in the car or working without the radio blasting. He can’t sit still long enough to have a conversation, so he’s always fixing things, moving things, turning things on and off. In my observations, I have come to realize that there are things he would rather not have to think about. When we allow ourselves to just be quiet, we are forced to think about our lives and dwell on the things we have done and on the things we need to do going forward.
I want to inspire you to become the kind of person who can work to clear the clutter, so you can get rid of the anxiety, the stress, and the unhappiness. Begin with these suggestions:
Decide what’s causing you distress and write those things down. Maybe there are some little annoying things you need to deal with, and maybe there are some big, life-changing things that need to be faced head on. Start making a plan. And remember: Sometimes, the plan can take months or even years to achieve. Patience is going to play a vital role.
Take these things one at a time and begin putting them out of your life. Start with something small so you can have success quickly and gain some confidence. You have to ask yourself: Do I want to live with this for the rest of my life, or am I willing to make changes now so I can look forward to a better life?
Set goals and decide when each item will no longer be a part of your day. Having a date in mind and on the calendar will help you do what it takes to get where you need to be.
Related Link: The Most Powerful Tool to Help You Find Your Soulmate
Stress is a part of life. We all have to deal with it from time to time. But we don’t have to let it take us over or ruin the enjoyment we get from family, friends, and meaningful work. Make sure you do the basics everyday: exercise, eat well, meditate, do things that bring you pleasure, and laugh.
Do what it takes to stay healthy and full of life. Get rid of as much stress and anxiety as you possibly can. And be grateful for something every day.
For more information about Hope After Divorce, click here.
