NYMuse

Put It In The God Box...

There are times when we all need a God Box - a place where we put all our worry & concern for safe keeping, for God to take care of while we try to go on with our daily lives.

I read about this practice of bringing our concerns to a Higher Power some time ago, and you may find it useful.  Try it out!

A God Box is any container – a shoe box, a glass jar, wooden container, metal can, or a paper bag – anything you can decorate and put slips of paper in & take them out.  Make a list of those things that you are worried or anxious about today – your relationship to a particular person, your money, your health, your livelihood, etc. 

Take a piece of paper and cut it or rip it into smaller pieces.  Write down each concern you have on its own slip of paper.  One at a time, place each concern into your God Box while saying a prayer, surrendering that concern to God. 

Your prayer might sound something like this:  "Dear God, I am giving this concern to You for Your keeping.  Please resolve this issue in the best possible way for all involved."  

Once you’ve given your concern to God, you no longer have to worry about it.  Now it’s God’s concern.  If you decide that you want to start worrying about that concern again, you literally have to go to the God Box, take out the slip of paper with that particular worry on it, and hold it in your own hands.  When you are finished worrying, surrender your concern again to God by placing the slip of paper back into the God Box and repeating the prayer.

~NY Muse

Who Else Wants Less Stress in EveryDay Life???

 

There are tons of studies that show meditation offers a wide variety of benefits.  Below are just a few that highlight some of the results:

"Meditation decreases oxygen consumption, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure, and increases the intensity of alpha, theta, and delta brain waves—the opposite of the physiological changes that occur during [stress]."
Herbert Benson, M.D. Harvard Medical School, author of The Relaxation Response

 

“Recent research has looked at precisely what happens during meditation that allows it to cause these positive physical changes…A group of people who had meditated for four months [were found to produce] less of the stress hormone cortisol.  They were therefore better able to adapt to stress in their lives, no matter what their circumstances were.”
Psychology Today, May 2001

 

So where do we begin?  Let's start by following some simple steps below:

• Be Consistent. Try to meditate every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. Probably the best time will be in the morning as you're starting your day.  The benefits are cumulative, and you'll really start to notice that after sticking with it for awhile.

• Location is Important. Find a quiet space in your home where you won't be disturbed. Try to meditate in the same spot every day.  And try to eliminate all distractions - turn off your phone, blackberry, etc.

• Breathing is key. Focus on your breathing to help clear your mind and relax your body.

• Try not to think. That sounds really hard.  Actually, that is really hard.  But as you focus on your breathing, try to listen to your heart and feel the energy in your body.  Your mind will inevitably jump from thought to thought.  Let the thoughts come in, but just as quickly let them pass and re-focus on your breathing.

• Don't be hard on yourself with too many expectations. While there will be great benefits to meditation in the long run, the immediate results will likely be subtle.  Be patient with it.

• Keep that calm & relaxed feeling going throughout your day. As you leave your meditation space, bring that relaxed & focused feeling into your day. Whenever you remember throughout the day, take a moment for a deep breath and visualize yourself in your meditation. It will give you the time to pause & re-focus so you won't lose that relaxed state of mind.

 

GOOD IDEA:  Start Meditating Just a Few Minutes Each Day.  And Reduce Stress in Your EveryDay Life! 

EMPTY YOUR MIND!!!

Last week I focused on giving up trying.  This week I've decided I need to "empty my mind."  Specifically, I'd like to work on emptying my mind of worry and anxiety.  Wouldn't that be great?  To be able to just make all of those stressful negative thoughts that crowd your mind just disappear?  Poof.  Gone.  Just Happy Thoughts.

Well, as luck would have it, I walked in to Barnes & Noble yesterday, started flipping through The Power of Positive Thinking, and randomly opened it to a page that told me how to do just that!  Insane.  Truly the law of attraction was at work in that moment! 

So, according to this book, the best time to "empty your mind" of anxieties, fears, and insecurities, is at bedtime.  Apparently, the things that occupy your mind just before you go to sleep tend to have a serious impact on you.  Ummm...yeah.  [Mental Note: Watching news before bed - murders, killings, war, death, destruction - not a good idea.]  So here's what you're supposed to do right before you go to sleep:

• Tell yourself that you're emptying fear & anxiety out of your mind.

 Use creative visualization to imagine you're actually "draining" your mind of all worrisome thoughts.  I guess you can picture yourself emptying a bottle of liquid down the drain.  Recite this to yourself 5 times.

• Then tell yourself that you BELIEVE your mind is now emptied.

  You have to go through this step.  You have to believe in yourself and in what you're doing.  Recite this to yourself 5 times.

• Next thank God for freeing you from fear.

  Showing gratitude is an important final step in this process.  You've accepted that you've truly emptied your mind of all worries and you recognize that your ability to do it lies in a power greater than just you.

• Sleep.

J

• Next day & daily after that: Fill your mind with good stuff, positive images & good thoughts.

  Once you've emptied your mind, it can't just stay empty.  You have to refill that empty space with all the right stuff that will keep you worry-free!

Sounds easy enough!  My goal this week will be to do this every night & see if I'm able to achieve a more relaxed life because of it.   Just a few minutes before bedtime....talking to myself & most likely feeling a bit odd doing it.  But who cares?  The benefits totally seem worth it!  I invite you to try it too.....and let me know how it goes! 

 

GOOD IDEA:  EMPTY YOUR MIND!  Break the worry habit & live a more relaxed life everyday!

Just Give Up Trying!

 

I read something over the weekend about how important it is to eliminate the word "try" from your vocabulary.  Basically, the point was that "try" is filled with so much inaction.  And if you could just replace it with an action word, then you can actually get somewhere!  So I've decided that my goal this week will be to "try" to do that.  Of course, I'm not even past the third sentence, and already I've failed at "trying" not to use the word "try."

So let's start again.  This week I will stop using the word "try".  Instead of telling a friend I'll "try" to meet her for lunch, I'll tell her that I "will" or I "won't."  Instead of telling myself I'll "try" to get around to doing my laundry by Friday, I'll either just do that or don't. 

I invite you to "try" this out too!  Scratch that.  I invite you to do it too. 

GOOD IDEA:  Just Give Up Trying!  Make it your goal this week to remember the wise words of Yoda who truly said it best:  "Do or Do Not.  There Is No Try." 

.....and May the Force Be With You!☺

A TO-DO List is a Great Way to Get Organized!

  

Are you constantly feeling overwhelmed? Do you have too many errands, deadlines, and other things to keep track of?  Do you keep forgetting that something you were supposed to do?

Then it may be time for you to start keeping TO-DO Lists.

I'm a big list person.  I've got a million lists going all the time.  But the daily to-do list is usually pretty standard if I want to have some sense of organization in my day.  (I will be the first to admit that I often slack on doing the list, because even a Muse can get lazy!  But it's never a good thing when I do.)

Anyway, so much to be done in a day, and so little time!  Here's what I find works best for me:

• Write your to-do list either the night before or the morning of.  When I was working, I liked to have my morning coffee and take a few minutes to write my list.  It gave me a sense of order and structure for the day ahead.  Now that I'm not working, it's better that I write my list the night before to prepare in advance for the next day.  Otherwise I wake up feeling too free flowing, with too many ideas of what I could/should do, and in the end, do nothing.  Having the list ready the night before somehow really does make things happen for me.  See what works best for you personally in your daily routine. 
• Write your to-do list in the order you plan to get it done.  This is sometimes a bit hard to do as it requires some thought & planning.  It may come down to what's most practical to get out of the way first.  Or simply what you'll be in the mood to do first.  In any case, when I'm planning my list, I'm also planning how my day will play out.  So writing things down in a certain order helps me eliminate some of the stress of feeling overwhelmed.  If I need to go to the super market, post office and the dry cleaners that day, I can plan what order works best based on where they're all located, etc.  If I have a bunch of phone calls to make, I can bundle them in all together in the morning & finish them before it's time for errands.  A little planning logic goes along way when you're busy. 
• Write your to-do list on an index card.  I am truly in love with the index card!  What a fine piece of paper it is for notes!  It's sturdy, feels substantial when I hold it, and makes my list feel important.  I've tried post-its and note pads, but it's just not the same.  It feels flimsy and meaningless, and so my list ends up feeling that way too.  Strange, but true!  If there's one thing I can encourage you to remember it's that I'm convinced that the magic of it is all in the index card!  If you haven't had success with lists before, consider the paper you've been using might be to blame.  Of course, some people keep electronic lists on a blackberry, etc.  But I'm really all for the hand-written list in this case.
• Carry your list around with you, and refer to it frequently.  As you go through your day, you may need frequent reminders.  I know I do.  Half way through the day, I've always forgotten at least 1-2 things I had on my list.  Checking the list often helps it stick in my mind.  Sometimes I find more things to add on as I go too.
• Cross a line thru the completed item.  This is the best part of making these lists -- Crossing it out!  (which is SO much more satisfying in writing than on an electronic device)  Ahhh!  The sense of accomplishment when the to-do thing is finally done!  Phew!  What a relief!  When you've finally crossed it all off, and there's nothing left that day, you're complete & ready to start with a fresh new card in the morning.  What a very feel good moment!