Tips For When You Feel Powerless
Everyone seems to have an area where they feel powerless in their life. It may be a relationship, a health challenge, or a job. Sometimes it is just life circumstances that are beyond our control. The question is what do you do to find your power?
I asked for a vision on this topic the other day. I saw a beach with strong waves smashing on the shore. The waves would crash hard on the sand and then pull back. Within the wave I saw a small fragment of the shell. I watched as it was pounded by the waves and dragged back and forth. I saw an image of the shell as it had been when it was whole. Then, it had provided a home for a creature and was perfect for what was needed. Now, it was no longer functional and the beating of the waves was slowly pulverizing it into sand.
The message was that the situations where we feel powerless bring forth opportunities for transformation. Often, some well worn pattern in our personality or experience is continuing to be followed even though it has outgrown its usefulness. The waves represent the challenges which push us to change so that we can create new approaches that fit our life now.
I thought about how it would feel to be that shell. I can imagine the power of the water forcing me down into the sand and pulling me out into the ocean, only to toss me back up onto the same shore. There is pain in the experience, both in the forcefulness of the challenge and in the need to let an aspect of one transform. For me, there is also the message about how to allow this transformation to occur the most easily. If the shell resists the pull of the ocean and fights against the change that is occurring, the pain increases. If it accepts there is wisdom in the cycle that is occurring and allows it to pull and push it into a new form, there is at least peace within.
Putting this into the terms of one’s life, this means to me that we accept that the challenging things we face in life exist, at least in part, to help us to grow. Part of that growth is in learning to trust. For me, that trust means looking to God and to myself, instead of those around me, to bring me what I need. It means trusting that even though change is hard, it always brings new joys and new opportunities.
Below are some simple steps to help you the next time you feel powerless.
1. Come back to yourself. What do you need right now to relieve the stress you are experiencing? Would it help to take a walk? Talk to a friend? Exercise? Have a cup of tea? Take care of yourself as you would a child. How can you comfort and nurture yourself?
2. Turn it over. Once you feel calmer, it is time to turn the problem over to a higher power. I believe and have experienced that the Divine does and always will provide for all my needs. Stop and send a quick prayer for assistance with the situation that is challenging you. We usually know what we’d like to see happen, but sometimes it helps to just leave it open. Ask to have your needs met on all levels. Ask to love your life, your relationships, and your work. Trust that it will be so.
3. Turn your attention to something else. I know it is hard to let go of something that is bothering us. We want the situation to be resolved and we want it to be resolved quickly. Sometimes though there is nothing for us to do except to take care of ourselves, and find something else to focus on. Look for something you enjoy doing or something that will really grab your interest. Do you have a hobby you enjoy? What about a work project that is absorbing or even a good book? Pick something and turn your focus to it, even if you have to keep dragging your attention back there when your mind wanders back to the problem.
4. Have faith. Sometimes the transformations we need to go through happen quickly and other times they take a little longer. Keep yourself in the moment. Pray for guidance and grace. It may take some time, but the shell will eventually become sand and the challenging time will be over. Find as much joy as you can in the other areas of your life during the process.
As always, if you need some support through the process, give me a call!
Blessings to you and yours,
Nancy
Nancy Nicholas is an Intuitive Life Coach who works with clients who are feeling powerless because of a relationship, health situation, job, family matter, or other concern. She offers Empowerment Readings which combine Divine guidance with practical coaching tips to help her clients make the necessary changes to move into a better situation. Readings are available by phone or email. Economic Recession Rates are $15/15 minutes. Visit my website to learn more or call (330) 416-6184: http://www.empoweringlightworkers.com/Readings.html
Peace of MIND, Tips to Quiet the Mind and Relieve Stress
Have you ever felt like your brain will not be quiet? I’ve had a real struggle with this for a lot of my life. Whether my mind is obsessed with worries or involved in creative brainstorming, sometimes it will not leave me alone! While I get a real high when my brain starts off on a creative spiral, I’m not so crazy about the nervous system overload that comes with it. Anxiety and sleeplessness get old very fast. Over the last few years, I’ve done a much better job of stopping myself before I get caught in a mental frenzy of activity. Today, I have a confession to make…I fell off the wagon.
Thankfully, Spirit intervened, bringing me a vision to get me back on track. As I’ve talked to many others who have been suffering with the same problem, I thought I should share what I learned.
So here’s my vision…The first thing I saw was a nest of sea turtle eggs. I watched as they all hatched and these adorable, tiny turtles started making their way to the ocean. I felt this wonderful elation followed by panic. How could I possibly get all these wonderful creatures to the ocean safely?
The message was that I couldn’t. The reality is that only a few sea turtle hatchlings actually live to become full grown sea turtles. The same is true for my ”brilliant” ideas. Only a few of those ideas are meant to manifest right now and I’ll have plenty of time to nurture them to fruition (at least I will if I stop running frantically around the beach trying to scoop up baby turtles!).
In case you’ve found yourself with an unending to do list and a brain that won’t turn off, I thought I’d post a few tips to bring back your peace of mind. Give them a try!
TIPS TO ENJOY YOUR LIFE WITHOUT ANXIETY AND STRESS
Pay attention to your body. The best defense to help yourself avoid moving into a stressed out, anxious state of being, is to notice how your body feels. Get in the habit of regular check ins. Ask yourself: How does my stomach feel? How about my muscles? Is my jaw tense? If you are feeling any discomfort, then take a deep breath and work on relaxing your muscles. Make yourself set aside what you are working on until your body returns to a more relaxed state. Believe me, it is worth the time.
Turn off your work mind by 7PM. It is really important to get a good night sleep. One of the keys to sleeping well is to avoid giving your mind lots of juicy things to think about right before you are telling it to shut down for the night. Make a firm cut off time (at least a couple hours before you go to sleep) to drop any serious topics or work items and stick to it. Do something relaxing before you fall asleep. I find it helpful to visualize all the stresses of the day washing off me in a gentle lake or at the beach. Pick something that is soothing to you and make it part of your nighttime ritual.
Exercise. I’ve never been a very gung ho exerciser, but a couple of years of living with anxiety completely changed my opinion about its importance. The bottom line is that exercising reduces stress hormones. A walk outside. Time on an exercise machine. Yoga. Playing a sport. All of these things help to get you out of your head and into a more relaxed and comfortable body.
Yoga Mudras. I think Sabrina Mesko should hire me to handle her publicity. Honestly, I am a HUGE fan of yoga mudras and I own all of Sabrina’s products (check out my Amazon store in the blogroll if you’d like to get your own copies). Her three minute hand postures are amazingly powerful. They really do help to shift the energy, calm the body and the mind, and bring you to a peaceful state of being. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Listen to Relaxation CD’s and/or peaceful music. I escaped my two years of anxiety Hell through the wonders of a technique called nervous system settling. When I finally understood that what was happening was simply nervous system overload and my constant mental gymnastics to bring it under control were actually increasing my anxiety, I had what I needed to end the cycle. I learned about this technique from Gary Peterson, an author and nervous system expert. He has a great CD to help you settle your nervous system. You can purchase it at http://www.Energiabooks.com or learn more about it on his website: http://www.StarInstitute.us. Besides his CD, I find relaxing music to be very helpful to soothe my overactive mind. Enya is a favorite artist of mine. Find something you enjoy and put it on the next time you find yourself overthinking.
Get some help. Sometimes it helps to talk with someone objective to get things back in perspective. Talk with a good friend, a counselor, or make an appointment with me! As I’ve explained, I’ve had lots of practice with this, not only with myself but with many clients. To purchase a life coaching reading, visit my website: http://www.EmpoweringLightworkers.com.
Here’s to peace of mind for us all!
Nancy
Nancy Nicholas is an Intuitive Life Coach who empowers her clients to overcome feelings of powerlessness and to make changes to create a life they love. To learn more about her services and products, visit her website: http://www.EmpoweringLightworkers. Nancy is also the owner Sanctuary at the Crossroads and Crossroads Coaching.
Trust and Becoming a Wise Innocent
I love the message of the Fool card in the Tarot deck. The version I have depicts a man smiling happily as he is about to step off a cliff. The interpretation speaks of this card as the state of a wise innocence. A person who is able to have a child-like trust in the good of the Universe and therefore avoids harm, no matter what path they take. They live a charmed existence where Angels intervene to keep them from harm…a harm they often don’t even know was there in the first place.
While pondering this card, I was shown a vision of a child approaching a dog. The child was young, 2 or 3 years old, and it was so excited to touch the dog. I could feel how much she longed to wrap her arms around the dog’s neck. The child’s mother stood near the dog and seemed to be saying it was okay for her to approach, but when the child did rush up to hug the dog, the dog bit her. The mother was as shocked as the child.
The purpose of this vision was to help me understand the dynamic that takes place within us as we seek to have faith and trust in the Divine and in ourselves. Such early experiences, as illustrated by the dog example, teach our innocent self that it isn’t safe to trust. The parent who loves us, can’t always keep us safe from danger. The love we feel in our hearts isn’t always reciprocated by the object of our affections. It teaches us how to pay attention and to learn what we need to know about our environment to avoid danger and stay safe.
This brings me to a universal question…how can one trust and feel safe in an unsafe world? How does one become a wise innocent? Is it possible, after earlier experiences that have taught us the world can be dangerous, that we can find a state of blissful ignorance where unseen helpers leap to whisk us out of danger before we even know the danger exists?
For me, the only path of serenity in the midst of constant change is to find an anchor. For me that anchor is the Divine and while I realize that my faith in God’s guidance and protection doesn’t exempt me from the hurtful experiences in life, it does guarantee me that I will never have to walk through any circumstance alone. I’ve been blessed to see how our Divine helpers will come to our aid whenever we ask. They work through our thoughts, our feelings, through books, and other human beings. They step into the place of fear and pain, and bring comfort and love. We just need to ask.
Today, I encourage you to take a look back over the course of your life. Find a moment when life felt hopeless and filled with despair. Did someone show up to comfort you unexpectedly? Did things work out in a way that, while maybe not what you’d hoped for, were what you really needed? Letting go of our fears and the parts of ourselves that need to evolve for us to grow can be painful, but it is also necessary. So ask for comfort, ask for love, ask for healing, ask for God to make smooth your path and guide you in making wise choices. Then remember… help will come for you. It always does.
Blessings to you and yours!
Nancy
Nancy Nicholas is an Intuitive Life Coach. She offers Life Coaching Readings, Divinely Guided Messages by email, Divinely You Readings, coaching clubs, and other products to inspire and empower. For a free Divine Purpose Survey and to learn more about her services, visit her website: http://www.EmpoweringLightworkers.com.
Hand Turned Bowls and Discovering One’s Unique Self
I’ve been working with a very gifted artist, named Jim Holland from North Carolina. He makes these amazing hand turned wood bowls, vases and containers. They are really beautiful and each is so unique. I am keeping my favorite stones in one. I purchased one for a friend of mine for Christmas and filled it with tiny stone chips used to balance the chakras (the stone chips are from Corky Larson at Inner Harmony Wellness Center). I have two other vases holding incense and eucalyptus and I’ve just ordered another one for my desk.
As you can see, I really love his work! His website is http://www.HandTurnedBowls.biz if you are interested.
I was thinking about the vases and how each one is so different. A vase starts off as a block of wood…shapeless and without character, like the one below.
Uncarved wood block from Jim Holland
And through the belief that there is something more than the surface reveals and through the willingness to be guided by the Divine, the true beauty and character of the wood can be shown.
Hand Turned Vase created by Jim Holland
I received an email from a woman who had purchased several Divinely You Readings from me for her family. She wrote, “The Divinely You readings gave me such a great new perspective on my family and my one friend! It showed me that we really sometimes don’t realize all of the great qualities that our family and friends have.”
I think this is often true for all of us…and it is also true about how we view ourselves. Sometimes it is easy to focus on what is wrong with those around us. Today, I challenge you to look for what is right…both in your loved ones and in yourself. What do you love about yourself? What do you love about the other people in your life?
Feel free to share what you discover by commenting here and remember to also share it with your loved ones!
Blessings to you and yours!
Nancy
Nancy Nicholas is an Intuitive Life Coach and owner of Empowering Lightworkers, Crossroads Coaching, and Sanctuary at the Crossroads. She provides Life Coaching Readings, Intuitive Coaching Clubs, and products to empower her clients to understand their life and experiences from a spiritual perspective and to live their life purpose.
Spiritual Ascension and Tough Times
In the last month, I have heard more tales of illness, job loss, and fear than I have heard at any time in my life. I realize that I’m highly sensitive and therefore feel things more intensely, but I’m guessing everyone is feeling the brunt of this period of transition. I’ve asked for some guidance on all of this to help me stay centered and balanced as the world goes through birthing pains. Below are the things that have come to me through others and through my own intuitive ability. I hope you find it as helpful as I did.
From Notes from the Universe (a free daily email sent to your inbox… go to http://www.tut.com to sign up):
“I can imagine that from your perspective, it must seem like some truly awful things happen in time and space. So if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to weigh in. Nancy, you live in a world of illusions. A world that springs from a much deeper and far greater reality. And while at times the illusions are indeed ugly, with your physical senses you only see the tip of the iceberg. If you could see the whole, you’d discover that the unpleasantness was only the tiniest piece of a most spectacular puzzle that was created with order, intelligence, and absolute love. You’d see that contrary to appearances, in the grandest scheme of things, nothing is ever lost, no one becomes less, and setbacks are always temporary. And you’d understand that no matter what has happened, everyone lives again, everyone laughs again, and everyone loves again, even more richly than before.”
From the Ascension Companion by Karen Bishop (http://www.WhatsUpOnPlanetEarth.com):
“In addition to much departing in regard to who we are, or old ways and old energy, and many other lower vibrating non-physical creations, we are also experiencing loss at physical levels. Friends, relationships, family members, jobs, careers, are leaving our spaces at a rapid and regular pace. If you have chosen this page, you are being asked to come to terms with loss. As many things leave our lives, better and more suitable things begin to arrive for us. As the New most certainly begins to arrive, it is more in alignment with who we now are and fits us so much better! Know that you are also becoming lighter and lighter and learning that an attachment to Source is your only real and necessary attachment.”
Note from Nancy on above: To me attachment to “Source” (God in my vocabulary) comes to us through our love of others. For those who have lost loved ones recently, Bishop says that some souls are choosing to leave because they have decided not to go through spiritual ascension in a physical body. While that isn’t much comfort for your own loss, at least it suggests that those who have passed weren’t forced to do so, no matter how it seemed to their Earthly self. To know they are at peace brings some comfort for me. I also believe and have experienced that when someone passes, our inner connection with them continues. After the pain of loss eases, you can feel them again…and know that they are still with you and the love between you continues and always will. It isn’t the same, but at least there is comfort in knowing they aren’t truly “gone.”
Finally, here is a vision I was shown about the situation in our world right now:
I walk across the river and climb up on the bank on the opposite side. I feel the moist dirt and cool touch of the plants growing along the bank. As I step up onto the ground, the scene changes. I see upheaval around me. Trees have fallen, pulled up by their roots, and there are cracks in the ground. I hear a sound over my shoulder and I look up. I see a bird flying low and coming to land on a fallen tree in front of me. It is a peregrine falcon. The falcon lifts off and I look down at the Earth from its eyes. I see waves of green and healing rolling across the land moving closer to the place I just left. The place looks like a smaller circle. I watch as the green touches each area and see that it is transformed, bringing lush forests, and healthy rivers. I see the circle where I stood and I see water bubbling up from the ground. The water spreads, filling in the holes and cracks and life begins anew. Spirit says come home to your own center. Be still within, and trust that the world will transform without. All is well and will be well. The old must die to give birth to the new.
So, in conclusion, I’m focusing on taking one moment at a time, staying centered in myself, and trusting that what looks like disaster, is only the breaking down before a new period of growth begins. As you go through this period of change, remember to ask your Angels and spiritual support team to help. Even if they aren’t able to completely alleviate the pain you are going through, I’ve found that they can and will bring you comfort and help you to transition as gently as possible.
Hang in there everyone! This too shall pass…
Blessings to you and yours!
Nancy
http://www.EmpoweringLightworkers.com
Holiday Self Care
Happy Holidays!
This time of year it is easy to wear yourself out. Below are some simple tips to help you stay healthy and in balance. Best wishes for a lovely holiday season and a wonderful 2009!
Nancy
Say No when you need to. Remember that for you to give to others, you must have time and energy for yourself. It is not only appropriate, but necessary to say no sometimes, so you can take time to recharge. Remember to ask for help too (both Earth plane and Angelic)!
Schedule “You Time” for one hour everyday. Time alone to do those activities that restore your energy and enthusiasm is essential. Put one hour a day (it can be in two half hour blocks) on your daily to do list and use the time to do activities that help you feel good. You’ll be amazed at how much more energy you will have to share with others.
Take care of your physical self. Try thinking of yourself as a child you are taking care of. You would be sure the child was eating healthy meals three times a day, getting enough rest and exercise, and having time to play. You need the same thing! Include adequate time to eat, drink water, exercise and rest in your daily schedule and don’t compromise those times, especially during this busy season.
Give yourself a mental break every 90 minutes. This is an amazing strategy that really works. The key to this strategy is to not only take a physical break, but to also take a mental break from whatever you are doing. Often, we are physically “resting” but our minds are still “working” which means we are still using a lot of energy. Try doing a yoga mudra (see below), stretching, eating an energy bar, listening to peaceful music, saying a positive affirmation (“I am relaxed and peaceful” for example) or going for a quick walk for at least 5 minutes every 90 minutes during the day. Even five minutes of “mental rest” every 90 minutes will make a huge difference in the amount of energy you will have by the end of the day.
Reward yourself once a week. Remember when you were a kid and you’d get a present or a special treat? Do you remember how fun that was? Well, now that you are all grown up, it is time to start giving a special treat to yourself. You deserve it! Make a list of simple things that make you feel good or that you enjoy. Keep the list handy and pick one thing a week to buy or do for you. Maybe pick out a special Christmas gift for yourself and put it under the tree. Remember this doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming. Even scheduling time for a half hour nap on a Sunday afternoon can make a big difference in how you feel. The point is to remind yourself that you are taking good care of you!
Try this yoga mudra from Sabrina Mesko to help you recharge! From Sabrina Mesko’s Cards: Yoga for the Hands~ Preventing Burnout: “Sit with a straight spine. Bring your forearms up in front of you at your heart level and bend your elbows to the side. With your palms facing the ground, fold your thumbs across the palms of each hand until they reach the bases of your fingers. Bend your fingers slightly and touch the backs of your fingertips together, forming a V shape with your hands. Hold for three minutes and keep the elbows from sinking. Relax and rest. Breath: Long, deep and slow.”
Avoiding Burnout Yoga Mudra
To purchase Sabrina Mesko’s Cards: Yoga for the Hands or her other great books, visit our Amazon Store: http://astore.amazon.com/sanctuary0a-20?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=6
A Move to Right Brain Thinking?
I’ve been reading a very interesting book by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D called My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey. I discovered the book through an interview with Dr. Taylor that appeared in Science of Mind magazine.
Dr. Taylor suffered from a massive stroke that resulted in her being unable to access the language centers housed in the left side of the brain. What she learned through the experience was the difference between the way her left brain saw her world and how her right brain viewed it. She discovered that without the language processing ability of the left brain, she felt very connected to the Universe and very able to live in the joy of the moment. Dr. Taylor said of this experience, “My stroke of insight is that at the core of my right hemisphere consciousness is a character that is directly connected to my feeling of deep inner peace. It is completely committed to the expression of peace, love, joy and compassion in the world.”
I found this fascinating because as I’ve grown in my own spiritual development I’ve noticed two very distinct parts of myself. My intuitive self is very willing and able to let God work through me without attaching to the outcome. That part of me thrives in peaceful, gentle experiences and doesn’t feel the need to strive or accomplish. My analytical self enjoys deep thought and analyzing my emotions and experiences. It derives great pleasure out of accomplishment and anything connected with language and communication. It loves to help things grow. While I love and appreciate my analytical side, I do realize that it is also the seat of worry and anxiety. I can become so caught up in what I am creating, that I lose touch with my physical self and the moment I’m in or become too engrossed in the speed with which things are growing. On the other hand, if I spend too much time in my right brain, I lose a sense of being grounded and connected to my Earthly existence.
My interest in Dr. Taylor’s work was to learn how she has gone about integrating these two parts of herself…her left brain and right brain personality. I find her advice about “stepping to the right” very meaningful, as I often hear God calling me to come and rest with him when I am becoming wound up in a project or impatient with delay. At first, it was very challenging to “step to the right” as I felt very emotionally invested in whatever I was working on or worrying about. I’m finding though that the more I am able to go to a more peaceful space within myself, the easier it is the next time. I’m learning to recognize when the one way of thinking is becoming out of balance and needs to be “checked” by the other side.
Dr. Taylor says of working with both sides of our personalities, ” Some of us have nurtured both of our characters and are really good at utilizing the skills and personalities of both sides of our brain, allowing them to support, influence, and temper one another as we live our lives. Others of us, however, are quite unilateral in our thinking-either exhibiting extremely rigid thinking patterns that are analytically critical (extreme left brain), or we seldom connect to a common reality and spend most of our time “with our head in the clouds” (extreme right brain). Creating a healthy balance between our two characters enables us the ability to remain cognitively flexible enough to welcome change (right hemisphere), and yet remain concrete enough to stay a path (left hemisphere).”
For awhile, I felt that I needed to “subjugate” my left brain, as it seemed to “take over” and lead me on a high speed race to which there was never any end. After reading about Dr. Taylor’s experience, I’ve come to a more peaceful view of these two aspects of myself. I do need both aspects, but I also need them to be in balance. For me, this means moving to the right more often and learning to let the more “laid back” part of me lead the way.
Dr. Taylor closes her book with the following passage, “I think Gandhi was right when he said, ‘We must be the change we want to see in the world.’ I find that my right hemisphere consciousness is eager for us to take that next giant leap for mankind and step to the right so we can evolve this planet into the peaceful and loving place we yearn for it to be.”
How about you? Are you ready to see life from a more balanced perspective? I encourage you to pay attention to your reactions and actions. Which part of you is leading? Is it leading you somewhere you really want to go? If not, remember you can always choose again! Breathe deeply, remember the peace of a warm summer’s day, and let yourself return to a state of calm. From there, all things are possible.
To purchase Dr. Taylor’s book, visit our Amazon Store: http://astore.amazon.com/sanctuary0a-20?node=15&page=2
