Cooler Weather!
We are well into May with cooler weather, a new school term and winter sports for the kids.
With the reduction in sunshine hours over the coming months, consider taking a Vitamin D supplement, eg 1000IU, which is much more than a multivitamin will provide. It’s great for bone and joint health, and, they think, the nervous system. As evidence, studies have shown that Multiple Sclerosis, an affliction of the central nervous system, is more likely the further one lives from the equator. Oily fish and egg yolks are good natural sources of vitamin D.
Magnesium supplement may also help with nerves and sleep quality, although I find it does mess with my digestive system, so I only take it once a week or so. Natural sources of magnesium include legumes, seeds, nuts including peanuts, whole grains, soy, and fruits like bananas and dried apricots.
Present Moment and Flow
Most of you are familiar with my love of being in the present moment, most of the time. Sure I make plans, like my holiday in June wouldn’t be happening without some planning. But I don’t obsess about the future. I quite like living here, in this space, in this moment, and sometimes those moments may include you on my table, and that’s a beautiful thing!
I’ve found that being in flow, and allowing life to show me the way forward, allows me to let go, and surrender to what’s next. Once you’re in the flow of the river of life, you still get to make choices. I still can intuit - should I veer left or right as I go along? I just get a sense for what is right, what ‘feels right in my bones', or gut, when I try a choice on for size? Or does a different choice give me the heebie-jeebies’? Kind of a fight-flight response. (Don't mistake heebie-jeebies for genuine excitement though - they feel different.) I don’t need to figure that stuff out in my head. My body gives me great feedback.
If I’m still unsure, I sometimes do some strength testing, or lean testing. I used this to confirm whether to buy this house that I recently moved into. I can show you how to do that sometime if you’re interested.
One of the key benefits of being more in the present moment is that it’s way less stressful. If one has regular feelings of guilt, anger, shame, sadness, isolation, unresolved grief, anxiety and so on, then there is a likelihood that divisive thoughts are at play, either about what might happen, or what has happened that maybe ‘shouldn’t have’. This means that we’re not here, we're back there, or up ahead. And it is the random thought generator in our head that takes us there, repeatedly.
The mind is a great tool. Buildings, bridges, cars and fast airplanes wouldn’t have got built without someone conceptualizing them, trying some things out, and refining plans. When we use this wonderful tool of the mind, we can accomplish some stuff that is really useful.
The trouble comes when we let the mind tool randomly take charge of our thinking processes. Because random thoughts, in general, have a negativity bias, we tend to focus on the bad stuff, like the TV news does. If we continually mull over something that somebody did to us, that they ‘shouldn’t have’ done, then we get upset. Thoughts generate emotions, no emotion without a thought behind it. But we are the one’s repeating the old victim story over and over, recreating the conflict in our own head, we promulgate our own stress. Whatever happened, happened. No amount of arguing or judging in our mind will ever change that. But it will keep generating stress in us, if we keep going back to it.
Now I know some old trauma is very deeply rooted in our patterns and beliefs. If we need help with rooting that old unhelpful stuff out, find a therapist, or see me for some Somato Emotional Release.
Otherwise, come back to the present, just deal with what’s in front of us here and now.
One other thing - don’t try to let go or try to surrender. ‘Trying’ and ‘letting go’ are mutually exclusive activities. Trying burns up a whole lot more energy, that we don’t have because we probably already burned it being stressed.
Relax into the present moment and just see what comes up. No anxiety required. Then letting go will just happen on its own. Then let the flow of life take over. Try it out. You’ll probably enjoy it. And you’ll be way less stressed.
Because I’m away all of June in the Netherlands, my next newsletter will be in July. Ka kiti!
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With caring and kindness,
Rhys Dwyer
If you know anyone, from kids up who maybe struggling with body-held tension, energy levels, stress, anxiety, or choices, then please ask them to check me out. Bodywork and present moment awareness may just make a big difference.
Note that bodywork is always complementary to prudent medical care.