Your Year of Miracles

Category: Happiness

  • The Antidote to Anxiety Spirals

    The Antidote to Anxiety Spirals

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About The Antidote to Anxiety Spirals…

    People are more anxious than ever these days. A recent poll by the American Psychiatric Association found that 43% of adults say they feel more anxious than they did last year. And the American Psychiatric Association suggested that anxiety might be more rampant due to the unprecedented exposure that we all have to everything going on in the world. 

    I’m sure you’ve experienced having a spike in your stress levels after spending just 5 minutes on a smartphone. You could even be staying away from news, but just checking your social media feed can wreak havoc on the nervous system – whether you see people sharing about current events or get FOMO (fear of missing out) after seeing someone’s fabulous travel photos. 

    You can also get caught in anxiety spirals when worried about the state of the economy, the climate, or the pace that technology is evolving… Or if you’re worried about a family member’s health, or our kids’ future, or finances. The list goes on. 

    Whether it’s personal or it’s an issue that affects all of us, how can you break out of the anxiety spirals when you’re stuck in them? 

    A renowned anthropologist and a beloved mentor of mine, Angeles Arrien, had a saying that goes, “Action absorbs anxiety.” The idea is simple – by taking an action, the anxiety and despair you’re feeling about a situation is absorbed – whereas if you just sit and ruminate on a worry, the anxiety grows.  

    A lot of things are out of our control. By focusing on what you can do, you can shift our internal state, and make a positive and energized step forward.Now, when you’re stuck in anxiety, taking action can feel overwhelming or difficult to do. This is why it’s really important to take a small baby step.

    There’s a word in Japanese called kaizen which literally translates as continual improvement.

    Using Kaizen, you accomplish the most through small consistent steps, because it is the best way to overcome resistance to change. 

    The brain often views change with fear, so if you make gradual steps to change, you fly under your brain’s fear radar. And consistent baby steps will actually take you where you want to be farther and faster than trying to do it all. 

    And so the next time you find yourself stuck in an anxiety spiral, first, put your phone or device away. Put your hand on your heart, your other hand on your belly (calms the vagus nerve) and do some breathing to support your system to regulate. Watch today’s video and let’s do that together…

    Try this technique to free yourself from anxiety:

    1. Put one hand on your heart and the other on your belly
    2. Breathe in to a count of 4
    3. Hold the breath lightly for a moment
    4. Exhale to a count of 8
    5. Repeat as many times as feels good to you (at least 3-5)

    Now bring your attention to the thought that is most triggering the anxiety.  Maybe there are a few of them – but focus on what’s strongest. It might be a relationship challenge, or financial stress. Identify what the mind is most hooked on in this moment. 

    Next, brainstorm – what are some baby steps I could take to support myself in this area right now? Just brainstorm first to get yourself thinking forward. For example, if it’s a relationship challenge, maybe there’s a phone call you need to make or you can take responsibility for your part in a rupture. If you’re in anxiety about finances, look for an empowered baby step you could take, like reviewing your accounts instead of avoiding them. 

    You can always look to a supportive self-care action you could take – like reaching out to a friend you trust, putting on your shoes and going for a walk outside, taking a bath, or making yourself a cup of tea.

    Once you get yourself thinking in terms of positive baby steps, if you still need a boost of help in that area, visualize yourself actually taking the baby step forward. Imagine yourself successfully taking that step. And then do it. Lace up those tennis shoes and walk out the door, or give the friend a call, or whatever it is. Take the baby step. That will propel you into a more supportive energy to move forward in your day. 

    This week, I invite you to notice if you’re stuck in an anxiety spiral, and if you are, come back to this process and take one baby step forward to absorb the anxiety. 

    So I’d love to hear your thoughts on what baby steps you can take to shift out of anxiety spirals – please share in the comments. And I’ll leave you with this quote by Aesop: “Little by little does the trick.”

    Have a fabulous week – I send you love!

    Music Credit: Jim Oliver “Soul Heart Merge”

    Please share with us below what your experience is with using this approach to counteract anxiety spirals.

  • Shift Into Being a Miracle Thinker

    Shift Into Being a Miracle Thinker

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Shifting Into Being a Miracle Thinker…

    A Miracle Thinker sees life as being full of possibilities. They have the perspective that we live in a benevolent Universe, and that Life is for us, not against us. And this is so important to living in the Miracle Zone. 

    Now, most people are not Miracle Thinkers by default. In fact, 80% of the average person’s thoughts in a day are negative. This is because of the negativity bias that we inherited from our caveman ancestors. For them, it was more critical for survival to avoid a dangerous situation than it was for them to pursue a positive or helpful one. They had to constantly be on guard for danger, so our minds and nervous systems have been evolutionarily wired that way.

    In our current day and time, we don’t have the same extreme need for the negativity bias like our ancestors had. We don’t have to go out and hunt a dangerous animal in order to feed our family – we can have our favorite restaurant deliver food to our door. And we aren’t living out in the elements – we can take hot showers and baths and wrap ourselves up in cozy blankets. 

    But we’re still wired to seek out the negative, and this can show up in big and small ways.

    In our relationships, we can take things personally and assume the worst about someone who might just be having a bad day. In our career, we can hold back from going for our big dreams of writing a book or starting a business because our thoughts go to the worst-case scenario.

    All of this stops you from living the truly miraculous life that’s available to you. 

    The good news is that you can shift out of the default mode and create new neural pathways in your brain to become a Miracle Thinker! One way you can do that is through consciously looking out for the good. Another way to say this, is to look for the gift in every situation. 

    Here are just a few of the amazing benefits of being a Miracle Thinker:

    • When you have the perspective that you live in a benevolent Universe, then you can start to see how everything that happens in your life, even the challenges, is for your greatest good and greatest benefit.
    • You trust that there are always possibilities for miracles in each moment.
    • And because what you put your attention on grows stronger in your life, the more you focus on how Life is for you, the more that becomes the reality of your day-to-day experience.  

    Be sure to put yourself in a quiet place and watch the video above where I guide you through a short process and visualization that will help you to shift into being a Miracle Thinker.

    Afterwards, you may want to stay in this energy for a while of connecting with your Wiser Self. You may want to journal on what you received during this visualization.

    This week, I invite you to practice consciously redirecting yourself to be a Miracle Thinker. Take that empowered action that your Wiser self shared with you. Know that all of this is helping you to live more in the Miracle Zone. 

    Please share in the comments below about your experience becoming a Miracle Thinker. I love hearing from you!

    And I’ll leave you with this quote from Plato, “Reality is created by the mind. We can change our reality by changing our mind.” 

    May you have a beautiful week full of miracles. I send you love!

    Music Credit: Jim Oliver “Bloom Natural”

    Please share with us below what your experience is with being a Miracle Thinker.

  • Trusting In Divine Timing

    Trusting In Divine Timing

    Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Trusting In Divine Timing…

    Have you ever felt that you’re behind in life? Whether it’s in the area of career, relationships, family, or some other kind of personal achievement, do you have a nagging feeling that you’re not quite where you’re supposed to be? 

    Well, today, I want to share a profound and comforting concept with you, inspired by the teachings of the wonderful anthropologist and educator, Angeles Arrien, who was one of my biggest personal mentors and influences.

    It’s the idea that in life, “You’re right on time.” This simple yet powerful belief can help you to embrace where you are right now in your life’s journey, giving you greater peace of mind. And this also helps you get into greater energetic alignment with the miracles that you’re calling in. 

    I know personally, I had this nagging feeling of being behind in life throughout my twenties and thirties when it seemed that everyone I knew was finding their match and pairing up and starting families. While I knew I didn’t want to have children, I did want to find my soulmate and life partner. But in the process of calling that in, I went through one disappointing experience after another and had a lot of heartache and tears. I just couldn’t find my guy!

    I couldn’t figure out why this area of life was so stuck for me. In my early 40’s, I met my now husband, Sergio, and even then, I still had to go on a bigger journey. We got together, we went through challenges, and we broke up. It wasn’t until years later, when I gave him a call and said, “I think there’s something here and we should try this again.” We did, and we’ve now been together for 25 years.

    When I look back at my journey of romantic relationships, I can see that in all of those years, I was still growing into the woman I needed to be. Even though a part of me felt really ready for my soul mate, I didn’t realize that I needed the time it took to be ready to fully commit to a life partner. So now, when I look back, I’m so grateful for the lessons learned, not to mention that I’m grateful it didn’t work out with any of those other guys and that I ended up with Sergio.  

    Angeles Arrien taught that every experience, every moment, is divinely timed, and the most powerful thing we can do is to trust the timing of our lives and believe that we’re always right where we need to be. 

    In whatever area of life you feel behind in, what if everything is happening exactly according to schedule? What if you’re learning the lessons you need to, you’re becoming who you need to be, and life is directing your path to what’s truly right for you?

    When you take on this perspective, you can release the anxiousness and the habit of comparing yourself to others. And this also puts you in a better energy for manifesting. You’re able to take actions forward with greater ease and be a stronger energetic match for higher vibration miracles you’re calling in. 

    Angeles Arrien also said, “Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.” When we understand that we’re right on time, we open ourselves to more joy, more acceptance, and an incredible sense of peace.

    Now, let’s take this idea of trusting your divine timing from the mental or emotional place to really feeling it in the body.

    In today’s video, I take you through a short process called the Inner Ease Technique, and this is adapted from Gregg Braden.

    So if there’s any remaining concern or worry about where you are with an area of life, this meditation is going to help you to come into greater coherence and harmony. From this place of coherence, it’s easier to trust in the universe and trust in your divine timing.

    I want to end this Miracle Moment with a wonderful quote from Lao Tzu who said “Nature does not hurry, yet everyting is accomplished.”

    Here’s to saying yes to life and yes to the miraculous gift of divine timing. I’d love to hear from you! What is your experience with recognizing the flow of divine timing in your life? I wish you great joy in knowing that you’re right on time and that the Universe is always working in your favor.

    Please share with us below what your experience is with trusting in divine timing.