Wow, what a year 2008 was! The financial crisis has touched us all from Wall Street to Main Street. Many have lost their homes or their jobs, and we watched as our retirement savings went down the tubes. If you find your head spinning, and wonder what happened and what is going to happen next, you are in very good company. We are living in interesting times indeed! Yet in every cloud there is a silver lining. This can be the perfect time to rebuild our spiritual bank accounts and become happier and healthier. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Regaining balance: Financial advisors recommend that you periodically review and rebalance your financial portfolio as you get closer to retirement. Perhaps now is time to review and rebalance your life! There is a Chinese proverb that states: “crisis is opportunity riding on the dangerous wind.” What new opportunities can open up for you now? What is really important and makes life really worth living? What gives you passion? What do you want to keep in your life and what do you want say good bye to now?
Often what appears as a crisis turns out to be an opportunity for something better. A friend of mine just called to say that she will be loosing her job due to the economic down turn. I asked her if she was worried, and she replied: “The last two times I changed jobs I found better ones – with a significant increase in pay, better benefits and work that I enjoyed more.” She views loosing her job as a great opportunity. Another friend who had his hours cut sees this as a great opportunity to do more traveling and visit with his grandchildren. This might just be the perfect time to make an important change in your life too!
Lessons to learn: One of my favorite sayings is that “we have ideas of how we want to live life, and then life shows up gives us something completely different and often unexpected.” And this happens to all of us! But this is exactly when we get to learn some of life’s most valuable lessons. If these lessons came easy we would never pay attention.
Sometimes we have to be slapped in the face to wake up. Loosing your job or your home is never easy or wanted, but there are valuable lessons to learn. What can you learn from your current situation?
Take care of yourself: Clearly we are living in stressful times. And this stress can take its toll physically, emotionally and spiritually. Maybe you are having trouble sleeping at night worrying about your 401K? Perhaps you get an upset stomach every time you look at the stock ticker, or you are feeling overwhelmed when you go to pay your bills. If you let stress build up, overtime it will lead to disease states like insomnia, high blood pressure, digestions problems, anxiety and mood disorders, etc. The good news is there is much you can do to handle stress and feel better. Mind-body practices like yoga, Pilates and tai chi are perfect for helping you deal with stress. Of course any exercise program will be helpful at reducing stress and improving overall health.
Here are a few more proven ways to negotiate stressful times: Keep a daily journal of your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Get a massage. Don’t allow yourself to become isolated – reach out to friends and family. Meditate. Pray. Take up a hobby. Eat well – sound nutrition is foundational to feeling good, overall health, and maintaining stress hardiness. And remember, this is just a moment in time - it will pass!
Surrender: To move from one place to another in life we have to let go of what we have had. We have to surrender to make it to the next phase. Sometimes it feels quite natural to surrender as in when we are really ready to take a next step, or become positively motivated to effect change in our lives. At other times the need to surrender is thrust upon us. Regardless of how it happens, the strategy for moving through change is the same and includes surrendering - letting go. How do you know it is time to let go? When you have done everything that is possible, its time to surrender - and let the great mystery of life take its course.
Howard Allan VanEs, M.A. is a wellness writer and certified yoga instructor located in the Bay Area of California. He is the author of Beginning Yoga: A Practice Manual, ABS! and Tight Shoulder Relief as well as numerous yoga audios and a health/wellness newsletter. Visit the website: http://www.letsdoyoga.com/ for free yoga downloads and the newsletter or contact him directly at info@letsdoyoga.com.
1 comment:
It often requires a radical life change and a deep desire at the soul level. The soul is seeking peace, thus living in fear, distrust, frustration, and other negative modes not only impacts our physical well-being but it withers the spirit. It is through the true understanding of unconditional love that the healing begins.
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