Back to nature always helps...

There is something in the air at the moment.  Some sort of energy, that seems to be sucking good, positive energy from me.  It feels restrictive... stifling....    It seems to be hanging around, even when I take steps to improve my own energy, thoughts and feelings... 

A few weeks ago I was feeling a little homesick, and a little at odds with our big city life compared to the small city tropical north Queensland life we had moved away from.

Life in the city - so much traffic!

I was missing being surrounded by beautiful mountains covered in nature.  I was missing seeing all that from my front door, the drive to work, any drive really...

So a few Saturdays ago, I suggested we take a drive and go somewhere green and rainforest-y.   

This is the view when you land in Cairns!

Everyone was very into the idea.  Yay!  So, come Sunday morning after cleaning the house (had to be done!), we piled into the car and set off for Lamington National Park to check out some caves near Binna Burra.

Oh how lovely it was to spend time in nature with my family. When you forget the  "are we there yet?" whinging, being hungry every five minutes, and not wanting to go into the cave "cos the bats will get her" we had a lovely family day out.  The views were amazing, the drive spectacular and lunch in Canungra was delish - they even have gluten free bread!

Me & the kiddies - look at that view...

DH & the kids...

We didn't do the full cave circuit, but the plan is to go back better prepared (more water anyone?) for a whole day and explore the area.  I won't tell them what my boss told me about the funnel webs out there though!

No bats here...

I felt so revived after our little day trip, and I again feel like we are where we are supposed to be.  We are so lucky to live in a city with so much nature on it's door step.

Yet, this energy funk just keeps hanging around....  I meditate. I journal.  I affirm.  I connect with others.  I get some green (nature) time, but...   Just when I find a nice balance, that heaviness returns. WTF?!?!?!?!?

Is it just me?  Is it all in my head?  Should I take it as sign of something else to come?   

What is it?  I can't put a finger on it....  Any enlightened friends got any ideas?

Anyways, I will continue with what I know works for me when it all gets too heavy and hope that it passes soon, very soon.  Luckily that includes getting some green whenever I can!

Yours throwing back the heavy blanket,

                                Mummy in Disguise
                                                                     xoxo

The Gratitude Jar Project

You all know how I am into gratitude and how much it has helped with my depression and wellness.  I give thanks daily for the people, places, things, actions - everything - in my life.  Nothing is too big or too small to be thankful for.

I've got gratitude down pat.  Not so sure about my kidlets though!

Time to fill in the family...

So this year we are doing a family Gratitude Jar Project. (heads up to my DH!!)

Do my children even know how blessed we are?  We don't have a lot of money at the moment but I don't want them growing up with resentment for the things they didn't get, nor do I want their childhood memories infused with constantly hearing "we can't afford it" or "we don't have enough money for that".

We're not rich... but we're not poor either.  We have enough to pay the bills, buy food and necessities with a little left over for the occasional treat!  Yet, it would be easy for them to hear "we don't have enough money" as meaning "we're poor".

It's also easy to feel overwhelmed with our everyday lives and for our kids to see all of our busy-ness. Too often the kids hear how we are running late, or we have to go here or do that.  What they need more of is to hear all the things we can be thankful for.  I want them to have some perspective and to learn just how good they've got it!

So, I want them to REALLY grasp the concept, and a great way to do so is with a gratitude jar.  This is a very simple project.  It is a place to write down and keep all the things you are thankful for. Whenever you are grateful for something, someone, an activity, a kind act, or an aspect of your everyday life, you write it down on a slip of paper and stick it in the jar.  Over time you accumulate a jar full of blessings, a visual reminder of all the abundance in your life as you watch the jar fill with reasons to be grateful.

All set up on the buffet ready to go - you can't miss it here!

You can give thanks daily, or just when you think of something to be grateful for.  It is just as important to add to the jar on days you or the kids are struggling, as this is where the lesson lies. This is when you want them to see that even though they might be having a bad day, it really isn't the end of the world when they still have things to be grateful for.


I hope that showing gratitude will give them a better perspective of our lives - financially, emotionally, spiritually...

So what do you do with all of those thankful thoughts once the jar is full?  

• Read them as a family at the end of the year, once a month or at a time decided by the family
• Read a few whenever you are having a tough day or need a pick me up
• Pick your favourites and frame them, make a poster for the kid's bedroom, or create a family scrapbook that you add to every year.

The reading them together part helps you relive those cherished moments, or you may even learn something new about your children or partner!  Pass the jar around and take turns reading.  I know when I read back over my gratitude journal, I appreciate those moments even more, so I imagine it would be the same for the jar.

Time to fill that jar...

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, so I think we will do this part at Christmas time -- that tricky time of year when we can all get caught up in the consumerism of the festive season.

Hopefully this project will help them find the balance between wanting new things, getting new things and appreciating what they already have; and to see the difference between having stuff that you need to live and all the other stuff... I am determined to raise my children to see materialism as undesirable...  If they grow up to have lots of money and wish to fund our retirement, that's fine as long as they maintain a good perspective of their needs and wants!  

This project is also a great opportunity for me to lead by example; and maybe start a new tradition for my little family.

Here are some other ideas for a Gratitude Jar Project:

• Thanksgiving Gratitude Jar  

If you celebrate this holiday, you could set this up for the month of November up to Thanksgiving.  Then read out on the day as part of your celebrations.  

• Christmas Gratitude Jar  

Same as thanksgiving, but for the month of December and the results are shared as a Christmas present.

• 365 Days of Gratitude 

Start the jar on a given day, i.e. New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, your  birthday, wedding anniversary etc, and keep adding reasons everyday for the next year.  

• Classroom Gratitude Jar 

Create a jar for the classroom with students writing down what they are thankful for whenever something reminds them to be grateful.  The reasons can be shared and the paper slips turned into a poster or scrapbook for the classroom - what a great teacher present at the end of the year!

• Gift a Gratitude Jar 

A Gratitude Jar can also be given as a gift to anyone who may want to focus more on being grateful and giving thanks!

Credit: Blissful Living Now (Blog)

If you decide to do your own Gratitude Jar this year, please keep me posted on how you go and feel free to share your jars with me in the comments, or on the Facebook page!

Gratefully Yours forever,

                 Mummy in Disguise                                             xoxo

Small Business - Big Deal...

So, in September last year, I started my little business called Light Heart Therapies.  I am now a practicing meditation teacher and holistic health coach.  

Numbers like this every week
would be good!

It's a slow going process though and..... it can take a toll on you mentally.  Most people know that small business can come with incidence of depression, stress and mental health issues.  So it was a big deal to take those tentative steps tow
ards having my own business in the year that we were staying away from stress, in particular, and anything else that may be negative for our health.

Yet, I did it and I was really proud and excited and happy with my efforts.  But it hasn't been smooth sailing...

When classes don't fill, or no one turns up, there are so many questions you ask yourself....

What am I doing wrong?
What sort of impression am I making that they don't turn up when they say they will?
Am I really bad at this?

Self doubt creeps in...

I must be a bad teacher.
I'm not passionate enough.
I haven't done enough...
I can't do this.
I suck at this.
I am not good enough...

Gah!  There it is.... I'm not good enough.... :-(

It takes a lot for me (for anyone!) to come back from saying this to myself over and over.

If I give it time in my head it then becomes the biggest demotivator you could possibly come up against!  I find myself procrastinating like the pro I am.  I end up lazing on the couch, watching terrible day time television, or catching up on sleep I don't need...

Why take the time to market my little business if it's only going to fail cos I'm just not good enough?  Why bother at all?  (even though it is what I really want!?!)

Urgh!

There is light at the end of the tunnel though....

I tell myself everyday this most important of all affirmations:

I love and approve of myself.  I give myself permission to shine.  I love and forgive myself for past mistakes.  I am filled with light, love and peace.  I am enough.

I know I am good at what I do.  I have a decent head for business and I can talk about meditation, stress, depression, happiness, food and nutrition til the cows come home - sometimes a little too much actually that you may need to knock me off my high horse!  Needless to say, the passion for my chosen field is there!

So now I am printing and delivering flyers with gusto.  I am hanging posters everywhere I possibly can.  I am talking about meditation whenever I possibly can, you know, just casually dropping it into conversation when I see an opportunity!  I may have picked up a new private client on the weekend as a result!

I feel energised and I feel good enough.

We live in times of extreme stress and increasing pressure - to be successful, to have all the right stuff, to be perfect or have the perfect life!  When you consider the economic climate at the moment, there are a large number of businesses facing financial stress; and the thing about small business is that it's the sole responsibility of the owner for the financial performance of the business. And the pressure affects everyone around them!

A little off topic, but this is
my dream office!

Some small business owners working from home can experience isolation, which in turn can lead to depression.  Isolation, boredom, or even unrealistic performance expectations can also apply to staff of small business, who often suffer in silence because they need their job.  In fact it is common across the board for employees to keep silent about their depression, no thanks to stigma and the fear that it may hurt their career if they do speak out.  

Bloody stigma...  

Affirmations alone are not going to make me or my business successful - my actions and good planning will do that!  The affirmations do help to keep me in the right headspace to plan and take action though.

Finding balance is also a big part of the plan.  Over doing it in one section of your life is simply inviting the black dog in and asking him to make himself comfortable.  Not in my house he won't!

Stay tuned for more Light Heart Therapies news.  I have a blog planned where I can write more about wellness and meditation, and learning to live with a light heart.  I have great plans for 2014, which I will share when I can.

Until then, shine bright my friends!

Yours filled with light, love & peace,

Mummy in Disguise

xoxo

I don't do resolutions...

Have you set yourself New Years Resolutions for 2014?

How are they working out for you so far?

I am genuinely interested to know if there is anyone out there that truly sticks to their resolutions year in, year out?  I mean, really, you must be a rare breed if you do - and I salute you!

I was going to write about New Years Resolutions today and how I don't do them, and why I don't like them, yada, yada.... but I couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound condescending and superior!

Life got good...so write about that!

Well hello there!

Is my little blog as dead as this plant?

Yeeesss, I know it's been a while, and yeeesss, I know I've been quite neglectful...

I didn't even tell anyone I was leaving...  I just stopped.

Sorry bout that...  Happy New Year?

I did try to write.
I did try to scale the giant wall in front of me, but said wall seemed to reach endlessly up into the sky, with no summit in sight.

A-ha moment...

So I mentioned in my last post that I recently had an "a-ha" moment that was both eye opening and painful. 

A few weeks ago I was listening to a motivational speaker who was talking about the idea of self sabotage and how this may be what stalls our affirmations and positive thinking.

It was such a light bulb moment for me.  I am constantly sabotaging my diet.  Constantly.  I get really great and it's clean and healthy and I am making good choices and happy with where I am, then BAM, I need that

What artistic brain function?

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

Or been swallowed by some mysterious sinkhole in Brisbane....

I am still here, suffering some serious writer's block.  Or so I thought...

Lately, I had been thinking that the reason I haven't written since my last post in February was due to writer's block - a creative shutdown, the death of invention, a complete blockage of my artistic brain function...