Awakening From Sleep Walking Through Life

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Kristin Larsen

Bringing back feelings from being numb in life

Everyday stress and suffering over time becomes a self defense of numbness that is carried
around each day.

It may feel like, “always going through the motions in life.”
Not wanting to feel the hurtful or painful feelings. It pushes away the other emotions that are
wanting to be experienced. The joy, the gratitude, the possibility, the wonder within each day.

It is extraordinary how a perspective shifts that numbness. Refocusing on what brings life and
energy into each moment.
It no longer feels like things are “going through the motions.”
There is a purpose and commitment to feel again. A revitalized awakening that slowly opens
vision to exciting possibilities.
The realization that intention must be focused on the thoughts which demand attention to be
experienced.

The emotions need to be processed, acknowledged and accepted. A gentle handling without
judgement. An openness to refrain from judging the judgement of the emotions. Shame and
guilt are not wrong. They are sending me a message to uncover what they are trying to tell me.

Offering the choice to let go of suffering

The one small step of being in the presence of thought and emotion begins to shift perspective.
The soul wants to wake up.

It wants to be seen, it wants to be heard.
It is waiting for permission.
Each passing day that the soul is asleep, it becomes restless.
Continually trying to attract attention.

All the soul truly wants is to be reunited with the heart. To be guided in life with connected trust and courage.

Break the continual pattern of numbing out in an attempt to feel better through extreme
satiations that fill the void.
Binge watching, screen scrolling, addiction choosing activities to quiet the mind and avoid
feeling.
Fear of the attempt to break free from the safe space that has been established.
Curiosity and self discovery await a committed focus.

Begin to explore the questions,

“What wants to be acknowledged?”

“What part of me wants to be heard?”

“What would I rather be experiencing instead?”

“What do I need, what is required of me?”

Let my soul awaken from it’s slumber.

Let it breathe the fullness of being alive again.
Let the healing begin.
Let the unravelling be revealed.
Allow the transformation to unfold within.
May I see the vibrant colors of life.
May I be grateful for this moment I chose to see.

Slowing Down To Create Healthy Momentum

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Kristin Larsen

Value your needs by slowing down

It is so easy to get caught up in the fast paced moments in life.
Going from one place to the next. Doing one thing to the next.
Sometimes, (insert the metaphor) “running around forgetting that my head is attached to my
body.”

Slowing down may not seem like an option. There may not be an understanding of how to do it.
Thoughts of, “how can I afford to slow down when there is so much to do and there is not
enough time to do it all?”

Slowing down gives the opportunity to tend to your own needs while also creating healthy
momentum through presence. It allows someone to “be there” for others attentively.

It adds quality to the moments of interaction and connection. By slowing down, you also give
yourself time to process and reflect. There is the creation of perspective. In doing so, it
nourishes mental health.

Without taking time to slow down in life, it could lead to anxiety and neglect of personal care.
Then it is a constant feeling of, “I need to do more” because you might feel you are not doing
enough. Not tending to your own needs.

Some easy and effective ways to slow down are:

Take a mini break to check in with yourself
Feel yourself breathing, bring attention to your breath and control it with deep, slow
breaths
Spend some time in nature
Schedule times to put away the cell phone
Set priorities and boundaries – commit to them
Manage time efficiently through organization and delegation
Eat slower

There may be resistance to slowing down. It may be something that has just been part of
everyday life for as long as you can remember.

The creation of slower-paced moments in life is a choice that rejuvenates the mind and soul.
The creation of calming peace in your day.

It simply equates to presence. In presence there is freedom from worry about the future or past doubts.
Time is flexible and can be adjusted in many different ways. The perception of time and it’s
limitations is what makes it rigid and fixed.

When your needs are valued, life can be enjoyed in all it’s moments because you slowed down
to be in them with presence.

Self Compassion Perspectives

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Kristin Larsen

Acceptance of self and situations equals freedom inside self

What often confines the suffering in life?

It is usually the choice or lack of choice to stay immersed in the identity of the suffering.
Staying immersed in the identity of the suffering often leads to self judgement and other
survival strategies that take away the freedom to exist in what is being experienced.

It develops into a continual pattern of suffering with no escape.
Isolated thinking occurs and the pain is ignored or pushed away. Shame and guilt take over to
mask the continual thoughts that are perpetuating in their own biosphere.

Something that helps release the shame and guilt

An inner giving of freedom starts with self compassion.

Self compassion is a practice of acceptance. Accepting self and acceptance of situations is
essential to let go of the thoughts, “I am the suffering” as opposed to “I am suffering.” Do these
two thoughts seem different in what you might experience?

Self Compassion assists in relieving the intensities of anxiety and depression.

Three elemental constructs of self compassion

These three self compassion foundations help to shift the perspective of suffering.

Self Kindness instead of Self Judgement. This means being warm towards self in the
midst of failure, suffering or inadequacy.

Common Humanity instead of Isolation. The realization and recognition that you are not
the only one going through the experience being encountered. Seeing that all humans
are imperfect or make mistakes.

Mindfulness instead of Over-Identification. Being aware of our thoughts and feelings,
acknowledging them without trying to deny or suppress them. Having receptive
acceptance of them without the judgement or attachment to the negative reactions.

What would an example look like in a moment of simplified self compassion?

Accept and acknowledge the experience, “this is a moment of challenge and it feels
stressful.”

“Challenges are a part of life and I’m not alone in what I’m feeling.”

Say to yourself, “May I be kind to myself, may I forgive myself and give myself the
compassion that I need right now. What do I need, what can I give myself?”

The effects of self compassion in life are the ultimate shift in perspective about self. It
continually cultivates the resilience necessary to move through suffering and setbacks in a way
that acknowledges who you are with love and acceptance. The opportunity to give compassion openly as a reflection of love and acceptance.

Uncovering the freedom to appreciate what is being experienced without the need to resist.
Accepting the true essence of being alive in all it’s vibrancy, including the emotional gifts.

Comforting self through the process in kindness and grace. Connecting to love with harmonious
congruency.

Inviting Cognizance Into Meditation

Posted on July 3, 2023 by Kristin Larsen

Awaking to awareness within yourself

The word “meditation” is commonly used when the topic of presence is discussed.

There are some people that say, “I can’t meditate because I can’t turn my brain off.”

Some misconceptions about meditation

Mediation is not about turning the brain off.

It is about being present with your mind through a deeper state of awareness.

It is about training your mind to allow thoughts to come and go without directly attaching self to them. This helps to increase awareness of yourself and surroundings.

Furthermore, it enables someone to manage their thoughts while enhancing creativity, emotional balance and overall calmness.

Meditation doesn’t always feel relaxing. At the beginning it may be an uncomfortable process to be present with yourself. Someone might think there are so many other things to be done on the to-do list and meditation takes away from time that can be used for other tasks. The process of connecting to oneself actually improves the efficiency at which steps are taken with clarity and effectiveness.
The method of meditation does need need to be self evaluated as right or wrong. There is no wrong way to meditate. Gradually it becomes efficient in the way you become present with yourself. That is all part of the process.

If you start by meditating for 2 minutes, that is good enough. If your mind is wandering for those 2 minutes and you find it hard to sit still, that is good enough. Repetition and discipline of the routine will gradually enhance the experience over time. That is where shifts in awareness are visible.

Meditation can take various forms.

9 common types of meditation practices

Mindful meditation is a practice that helps you become aware of what your sensing and feeling in the moment without judgement.
Spiritual meditation is a practice that connects you to something greater than self, to develop a deep relationship with the human spirit without the need to hold identities and labels.
Focused meditation involves focusing attention on an object or physical sensation using any of the five senses to help increase awareness of the present moment.
Movement meditation involves being mindful of the sensations that occur during movements.
Mantra meditation is the repetition of a word or phrase that is whispered, chanted, spoken while being repeated during the meditation.
Transcendental meditation is a practice where you mentally repeat a Sanskrit word or phrase with your eyes closed until a state of inner peace is reached.
Progressive meditation is a technique that involves two steps of intentionally tensing each muscle group in the body and then focusing on relaxing them.
Loving-Kindness meditation is the practice of generating loving-kindness towards self, others, all living beings through goodwill, compassion and kindness.
Visualization meditation focuses on using guided positive imagery, ideas, symbols, thoughts, feelings or sensations.

Through the various types of meditation, the sole purpose is to center yourself. The various forms of meditation offer ways to do that.

Meditation offers the opportunity to develop emotional intelligence by connecting with emotions, the body or enhancing overall awareness.

This is accomplished through expanding states of consciousness and self realization.

You get to have present moment awareness by shifting from thinking to sensing.

Here is a simple meditation to help connect to your inner awareness;

Now is the time to be aware of the present moment. Say to yourself, “I let go of the past and future.”

Turn your attention to your senses.

Focus on the sounds right now that take minimal effort to hear. As you concentrate more, begin to notice other sounds. Just continue to be present with all the sounds that come and go.

Turn your attention to your body.

Take a moment to feel your arms wherever they might be. Your legs wherever they are. Bring awareness to any pains or tightness in your body. Any feelings that are present. Be aware of the shifts in these body sensations while being present to them as they come and go.

Turn your attention to your thoughts.

Watch your thoughts as they appear and float away. Allow them to arrive and pass without grasping them. There is no need to act on them or respond to them. You are just observing them. Each thought is just a message. There is no judgement behind the message. See the messages and let it pass by without attaching a meaning to it.

Turn your attention to your breathing.

Feel your breath as you inhale and exhale. Notice the sound, the air entering and exiting your lungs. Notice the speed of your breath. Slow the pace down as slow as you can.

Allow your breath to become deeper.

Sit and be with all the senses you were just conscious to without concept of time.
Allow yourself to exit from the meditation when you are ready.

What did you notice about the present moment?

What did you notice about your awareness for your inner self?

How has your perspective of the present moment changed?

Immersed In The Healing Of Nature

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Kristin Larsen

Return to wholeness through nature

Imagine walking through a forest with the trickling flow of water from a stream, overlooking a landscape filled with lush trees and plants.

It can feel so calming, so peaceful.

Being in the presence of nature realigns your energy.

I find it brings me back to my senses.

Just through simple observation of what is seen, concentration on what is heard. Directing my attention to the smells of surrounding plants and vegetation.

There is scientific evidence that suggests a strong connection to nature enhances emotional wellbeing.

Benefits Of Being In Nature

First, the cognitive adjustment in how we think and function is a complimentary benefit. The step of taking a break from electronic screen time and exposure to everyday tasks. Allowing the mind to relax and settle into a peaceful state.

Second, simply taking the initiative to get outside into a space where the senses can be awakened to ascend into a ritual of mindful surrender.

The natural sounds in nature such as birds, wind, etc, have a calming effect throughout the mind and body.

Third, the experience deepens your connection to the natural world and shifts overall mood in the process.

The effects can be noticed with reduced stress, lower blood pressure, immediately improve concentration and focus, and the release of endorphins which contribute feeling a sense of wellbeing.

Fourth, the experience offers a deeper connection to life. A deeper connection to self.

With that felt connection is the soothing effect it has on mental health.

The ability to relieve anxiety in the moment, to bring calmness in the mind and body.

Nature provides presence with the wonder, possibility, and beauty for the creation of life.

It allows you to surrender to something greater.

An understanding that being alive is enough.

It teaches you about life. You notice the movement from the wind. You see the curiosity in how things grow. Exploration in how these living things adapt and thrive in their environments. There is a powerful possibility in it’s grandeur.

There is an eternal gratitude for nature as the sole supplier to our survival with food, water, shelter, medicine and materials.

It is part of the contributing factors to what brings joy in life.

Breathing In Mindful Awareness

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Kristin Larsen

The benefits of mindful breathing in your day

Instinctively we know how to breathe. It is something we are born to do and is part of everyday life.

Is it something we are conscious of?

The awareness of breath directly impacts many outcomes in regards to overall health.

How we breath is an essential part of regulating stress.

It calms the nervous system. This alleviates the various stress responses that would normally be engaged in survival strategies.

Choices are available that are not manufactured from the reactions of fight or flight response thinking.

Dr. Joe Dispenza, neuroscientist and author, explains clearly how the breath affects the internal functioning in the body;

“When we begin to close our eyes and take a couple of slow deep breaths and become aware of it, we’re literally switching nervous systems.

We switch from that fight or flight nervous system.

As we begin to breathe and we begin to turn on the other nervous system called the parasympathetic nervous system, that nervous system is the nervous system of relaxation.

Your heart rate slows down, your respiratory system slows down, your blood pressure changes.

All your blood flow goes into your internal organs and into your brain and metabolism, or better said, energy is being rejuvenated and restored and no energy is leaking out to address emergency situations, to address threats.”

“By changing patterns of breathing we can change our emotional states, how we think, and how we interact with the world.”

– Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, Harvard-trained psychiatrist

Extended Benefits of Mindful Breathing

Overall, the benefits extend to improved focus, increased energy, shifted mood, and effective preparation for quality sleep.

All that is required is becoming aware of your breath. However, being aware of the breath is an action commonly disregarded throughout each day.

“Yoga teachings state that if the mind is moving so are the heart and respiration.

When we are angry, our breath quickens; when we sleep our breath slows down.

By consciously slowing down the breath and making it rhythmic so that consciousness is not disturbed by it, we can achieve corresponding tranquility.”

– Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, psychologist, philosopher, & researcher

This means that mindful breathing has the ability to support anxiety and calm it’s intensities.

When stress is perceived, the breathing pattern changes. The breath becomes shallow and short while improper muscles are incorporated in the breathing process. The functioning of the body is disrupted and symptoms of anxiety expand.

Controlled breathing with slow breaths can bring the body back to operating in a non-stress state so it can function effectively.

Types of breathing techniques

Depending on your curiosity and experience with breathing techniques, here are some types to try:

Lengthen the exhale
Equal breathing
Resonant breathing
Alternate nostril breathing
Box breathing

Practice breathing into a moment of stress

Imagine a moment of anxiety or tension.

Feel into that moment.

What thoughts are you experiencing? What feelings and emotions are you experiencing?

How is this affecting you in the moment? What are you doing? What are you not doing?

Now, imagine yourself taking a deep breath. Inhaling deeply, and then exhaling slowly and controlled.

As you inhale again, slow the breath and focus on the deep control you have of that breath. Before you begin to exhale, pause for 5 seconds and hold that breath.

At the end of that pause, exhale again slowly.

As you repeat the inhaling, pausing and exhaling a few more times, bring awareness to how that moment has changed.

What is different now?

What do you notice now that wasn’t present before?

What new choices opened up in that moment?

Did you see other benefits that accompanied awareness of your breath?

The awareness of the breath brings you back to your inner self.
Access to your inner knowing and acceptance of trust in the moment.

Future Worry To Fading Presence

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Kristin Larsen

Fading Presence Into Future Worry

Thinking about the future is something to look forward to. It is something that gives hope and possibility. It is the hope and possibility that create a vision. The vision may be within ourselves, others or the world.

Meanwhile, a fixation focused on the future becomes an obsession.

The fixation on the future overlooks the present moment. It transforms into attachment of an outcome or result.

Surprisingly, many important steps are overlooked in the process.

Some steps in the process include appreciation for the learning and growth, acknowledgement of utilized capabilities, celebrating the actions taken.

The need to control the outcome is one area where the focus is misplaced.

Trying to control the outcome is driven by the perceived fears. The fears most often threaten love, safety or belonging in one’s life.

We create meanings from an outcome. It could perpetuate the worry of, “if it does not happen in the way I want, then it will mean…”

Eventually, worst-case scenarios begin to present themselves. It begins to drive the need to control.

The stress response becomes active. We view the possible unwanted outcome as a threat to our survival of living.

Refocus The Worry

Focus needs to be directed back to the present moment, which helps alleviate the worry. It needs to be part of where you are now.

In some cases, our inner dialogue asks the question, “Is it enough, am I enough being where I am in this moment right now?” This question wants to immediately take you into the future to escape.

Instantly, deep breaths calm the stress response. You can continue to calm the worry. It needs reassurance of safety. It needs assurance of support.

Let the part of you, that wants to worry, know it is accepted and appreciated. That part of you is acknowledged in the present moment.

Take a step back and look at what might be creating the worry.

You can enroll trust in the steps you have taken. That will allow you to acknowledge they are leading towards the future.

Redirect your focus, what is possible now?

What choices are available to you now?

What steps can you take now?

Being present in the moment is the only way to be guided gracefully along the path to the future.

What can you do to bring yourself back to this moment?
What part of you has concerns about the future?
How might you acknowledge this part of you?
How might you comfort this part of you by the choices, steps and possibilities that are available in this moment?

The Prize For Unwanted Anxiety

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Kristin Larsen

The anxiety of a racing mind and worried heart is not wrong. Maybe it is something you believe is wrong?

Anxiety Situation

Imagine you have a big presentation, an event or a speech in a few hours.

Maybe there are many “what-if’s” that begin to enter your mind.

Your imagination starts to take over and your heart is beating faster, trembling of nerves tense your body. You can’t think normally with clear thoughts.

You feel like you have already lost the confidence to do your best.

Trying so desperately to win a self made validation that isn’t real.

The misleading prize is assurance that the outcome will be what you want.

What if the outcome does not happen or questions arise about the possibilities that might prevent it from happening,? Worry and concern creep into the moment.

It is something we have all experienced in our life.

Anxiety and worry is nothing to be ashamed of.

It is part of our survival makeup.

Anxiety is something that becomes a constant background noise that is learned to cope with. It is not comfortable or enjoyable. It becomes something that is hard to turn off.

How can you accept worry and concern when it disrupts clarity of how you would like to function in the moment?

There are ways to reduce the intensity, (possibly turn it off) to trust in who you are and what you are doing again.

First step is to stop, take a step back. Reassess the situation. Acknowledge the worry and question with curiosity the purpose of the worry and what can be done to alleviate the worry right now.

Breathe. Take deep, controlled breaths. Place your focus on the breath as you inhale and exhale. Pausing to hold between inhale and exhale.

Count to 10 slowly, and when you reach 10, say to yourself, “I am safe.” “I will be okay.”

Assure yourself you will get through this experience, and place gratitude that you are alive and get to have this experience.

Create a new meaning of failure. Whatever the outcome is, respect the things that make it successful regardless what the result is.

Releasing the shame surrounding anxiety is an available choice. The decision to let go of the idea, “I’m not good enough” because of experiencing anxiety or worry is powerful transformational acceptance.

Reframing the approach to a situation and acknowledging the present moment means you have already won the prize.

Ideas That Ignite Curiosity To Love With Courage!