I love this community! Thanks to those of you who have sent in ideas for Web Wellness Wednesday and shared what is inspiring you lately.
If you think about what you eat and how you make that choice, so much of it is rooted in factors not on your plate, like your relationships, your creative outlets, your career, and your family. Being healthy goes way beyond the plate. And this is why I was so excited to be introduced to Safe Space Radio. It's the place where people can take stuff that is shameful and get it out into the open. That openness is not only a part of their own healing process, but now studies have shown that hearing someone else's painful story, if it's similar to yours, can help your own healing and lower your blood pressure. The psychiatrist behind Safe Space is Dr. Anne Hallward and her TEDx Talk definitely is worth 15 minutes of your time. I love how she talks about we have a cultural imperative to share our shameful stories not only for our own healing but for the healing of others.
If we embrace the full scope of what it means to be well, then we have to get real about the stories and the lies we tell ourselves that keep us small. One particular lie I've been trying to delete is, "I am too old." I love this recent New York Times article about a woman who is about to publish her first children's book, at the age of 80.
One item I address with clients is creativity. So many of us are convinced we are not creative. And yet many of us find joy in doing creative things from dancing to coloring to taking photos. One effective method for unlocking your creative self is to start a Morning Pages practice. The idea is that by journaling first thing in the morning you clear your mind of the junk that is hindering its creative juices and open up the potential for creative expression. I started this practice last year after I just couldn't get into journaling by sitting down any ol' time and writing. But this is great. No pressure. Three pages. And some days I write a whole post that looks like a to do list (and it is!). Sometimes I start with "yada, yada, yada, I don't want to do this." I've noticed that on days I've done Morning Pages, I am a better writer, more open to new ideas, and have more curiosity.
Now, it's your turn. What is inspiring you these days? Please share in the Comments section below. I'd love to hear from you!
RSS Feed