Phase 2 in the Journey - Acceptance and Investigation (A Journey Into A Holistic Approach to Disc0vering Balance During Covid19 - 5)

​At this point in our journey it's accepted that you have embraced the idea that the health of mind, body and spirit are all integral to our holistic well-being, and that it's totally ok to have any and all emotions during changes in your life that affect all parts of you. If you're not at this point yet then move backwards through the previous blog posts...this next part of the journey is interesting, playful and enlightening.

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Each individual's path towards Holistic balance is as unique as they are and the next part of the journey will assist you to discover just what works for you, and what doesn't. It's time to explore! While most of this part of the journey can be playful, fun and filled with AHA moments, it can also bring some anger, tears and upset over the amount of time you've spent with what hasn't worked and how much time and effort you've given to that.

I will say it again. Cut yourself some slack! You are here now and you're putting energy towards your present and future self. The past probably taught you a lot of life lessons and we need those moving forward. They've created who you are today.

Let us Investigate

Journaling, writing notes, quite meditation, drawing, painting...what ever feels right for you to explore the following:

• What isn't working in your life? Make a list and beside each point place a tick beside those things that you're still doing or putting effort into even though they aren't working.
• By hanging onto and continuing to follow a path that doesn't serve you, there must be some reward or way in which that activity is serving you. What is it?
• If you allowed yourself a few minutes to day dream, what could you replace the activity or action with that would "feel" better, or as though it would work.

​We often continue what isn't working out of habit, a need for the reward or because we are "shoulding" on ourselves. (I should do this because....) So it means some further exploration...

• What beliefs, patterns, habits are yours and work for you, as opposed to the ones you were taught or are because of societal expectations?
• Are those beliefs, patterns and habits working for you? Do they still fit?
• For those that don't feel like they do any more, what could happen if you let them go (the worst that could happen and the best)? Would you be ok with that?
• What beliefs, patterns and habits would you like to embrace? Does it feel safe to do so?

Change can be hard! For example: If we embrace a pattern of panic when our life changes it could be because it's what we've always done or we witnessed that as a continual response from an influential adult as we grew up, or it can also be that we're picking up on the panicked energy of those around us, that the energy really isn't ours, it just feels like that.

I embraced this pattern of panicking about change for years and still at times will feel it raise it's head, it took some work to discover where it originated. I've always been very sensitive (empathic) to the energies of people around me. In my profession it's been a wonderful trait to have, however at times it can be draining. But that didn't feel as though it was where the panic response originated. So through journaling and meditation I traveled back through my life and hit on where it originated. My mother was prone to histrionics and could have the entire household in a panicked uproar within minutes. While she may have been panicked and hysterical over something small, as a child I didn't have the ability to determine that. So there were a lot of things that I felt scared and panicked by, that really were not that big a deal, and that I could eventually put aside as a threat or a danger.

Growing up during the last World War, in Portsmouth, where bombs were dropping and air raid sirens blaring, I understand why my mother had developed this pattern. It would have been a frightening time for children and the adults around them. Her parents died before I knew them, but it could also have been a trait that one or both carried and therefore, passed on to my mother.

Coming to that space of understanding really helped. There was no blame to place here but instead a starting point for my journey in understanding and releasing my panic response to change. An "AHA" moment!

Resources for Investigation

The journey from this point forward is really quite interesting. Discovering those patterns of habits and beliefs, exploring their origins and deciding if they still work for you or if you want to release them in moving forward.  

Think about how you respond to change on all levels: mind, body and spirit. Take your time and begin to investigate and explore where your responses originated. Do you want to make changes?

​Take your time with this and understand that it's a task that is never really completed. As we journey through life we peel the layers of the past away, like the layers on an onion. There is always another, deeper layer to investigate. It's fascinating.

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While investigating be sure to replace the energy of what you want to release with a picture for the future. Ask yourself what makes you feel enthusiastic about life? What increases your energy on a holistic level? What activities can you participate in that support and are consistent with new beliefs and habits? Fear and resistance may come up and are common when we are exploring the unknown. Take your time

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Tools to help

• Meditation and Prayer, Activities that help you to be "in the moment"
• Creative Visualization during meditation, vision boards...
• Positive self talk, affirmations, mantras
• Journaling - in written or art forms
• Having some automatic stops in your mind to any negative or resistant messages that pop up. Some use "Cancel, cancel, cancel" when they find their mind wandering to negative ideas
• Don't compare yourself with others and keep conversations to those people who are supportive of your journey
• Fuel your body with good nutrition, embrace mental engagement and actively nurture your spirit
• Practice Reiki on yourself or ask a practitioner for a long distance session
• Do you read cards such as Angel cards, Spirit Animals, Tarot or other? Sometimes they can be a reassurance that you are on the right path, or may put forward new ideas moving forward. Book a reading if you want an objective opinion

Books that may help: 
The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle,
Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self Care by Janet Gallagher,
Books by Byron Katie,
Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain,
The Artists Way by Julia Cameron,
​Something More; Excavating your Authentic Self by Sarah Ban Breathnach

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​Have fun with this exploration! Play! Try different music or tools for meditation, take it outside, look in the mirror when repeating affirmations, read a new book, listen to a lecture, draw, paint, colour, journal, ...
These are tools that you can use to explore many aspects of your being. Find what works for you.

​For now we'll keep it to working towards Holistic Balance through change, but later you may want to take it elsewhere.