The approach to Christmas can be a challenging time. Not only is it a busy time for the person preparing the Christmas Day celebrations, but tension can run in families where couples do not agree on the style of celebrations. Do you recognise the scenario?
Lets look at some tips for the man of the house…..
Tip #1 Remember your partner is doing their best to make Christmas a joyous and happy time for all. A little encouragement can go a long way.
Tip #2 Rather than complain about the amount of money being spent, try to find some alternative treats or better still make or cook some.
Tip #3 Try not to be grumpy if the treats you want are not the same as those your loved ones want. Flexibility at least for Christmas Day will bring family harmony.
Apologies for these suggestions to the men who are encouraging, relaxed about the money being spent and flexible with doing what the rest of the family wants on Christmas Day……
3 tips tomorrow for women on surviving Christmas.
Balance in all you do is a key driver for enjoying your life. Many ask,
“How do I balance my work and home lives?”
Many of us struggle with this throughout our lives. Even in retirement, with the increasing trend of grandparents looking after the children of their working off-spring, balance can be a challenge.
Do you feel there is more to you than flesh and bones?
Well yes actually. I am more than my body. I have thoughts, feelings and dreams. I love my parents, my partner and my children even though they annoy me sometimes. Surely all of this is part of me as well as my body.
Your thoughts, feelings and dreams are all energy as much as your body. Have you ever felt your mother’s disapproval without her even speaking a word?
Well of course I have, especially when I was growing up.
You are an energy being and can sense and even read other people’s energy.
You are energy and according to the laws of physics, energy cannot be destroyed.
So what does that say about ‘Who I am?
Energy transforms itself when other forces are applied to it. For example; an acorn falls on the ground. A root grows into the earth and draws water and nutrients to enable a tree to grow. The acorn transforms this food into it’s first leaf which then adds energy to the plant from the rays of the sun. So the acorn grows into a strong tree with thick boughs and lots of leaves. Eventually the tree grows old and dies. The boughs fall to the grown but they retain the energy captured in the tree during it’s lifetime. Over millions of years the wood is compressed into coal. When you light the coal, it gives off heat, releasing the energy the tree captured over a million years ago. Energy transforms over time but is not destroyed.
Am I an acorn too?
You have chosen to bring your energy into a body for a limited space of time to experience a life. You are your body but you are also your soul, that inner part of you that experiences thoughts, feelings and love. Through your life you experience humanity from the perspective you have chosen by being born into this particular life. When you die you withdraw your energy from this body taking with you the memories and experience you have gained from that life.
Why would I do that?
In experiencing a life you are given the opportunity to learn and improve your behaviour, your reaction to events or how other people treat you. I like to call them life lessons. They are things such as the value of listening, defining your personal boundaries and holding them, being non-judgemental. As you learn these skills, they become your personal wisdom. We each have learnt a different composite of life lessons which is what makes each person unique.
That implies we bring into this life our personal bag of skills which then implies we have lived a life before.read more
There are some among us who choose to worship the great god ‘Money’. I have observed that when they have achieved wealth, far from bringing great joy, it brings more work and worry on how to retain it.
Everyone needs a comfortable and safe home, food and warm clothes for their personal well-being. Anything beyond that is a luxury. The time and energy it takes to achieve this ‘luxury’ can make you poor. Poor in time and energy to focus on your relationships, personal study and just enjoying the gift of life.
Many people do not value silence. I have found it to be comforting, nourishing and cosy.
The noisy world is drowning out our creativity and our inner connection. Noise effects our brains causing elevated levels of stress hormones even when we are sleeping. When I was a busy, working Mum most of my day was with other people and their noise. Being on my own in silence was refreshing.
In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) concluded that the 340 million residents of Western Europe (about the population of the United States), were losing a million years of healthy life every year, due to noise.
Science is now showing that silence may be just what we need to regenerate our exhausted brains and bodies. Two-minute silences are far more relaxing for the brain than relaxing music.
Science has the proof not only that noise hurts, but also that silence heals. Two hours of silence per day prompts cell development in the hippocampus, the brain region related to the formation of memory, involving the senses.
With our digital world, our brains get less time to switch off. The constant demands of modern life are placing a lot of stress on our prefrontal cortex–the part of the brain responsible for making decisions, solving problems and more. When we spend time alone in silence, our brains are able to relax and release this constant focus.
The
ancient spiritual masters have known this all along; silence heals, silence takes us deeply into ourselves, and silence balances the body and mind.read more
We all have a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves. Nobody has everything. Even the rich and the successful have their challenges. If you followed them home there may be problems with infidelity, a sick child or perhaps fear of redundancy.
Matilda was from a successful family. She had become a successful teacher but the role had long hours and was burning her out and causing her problems with her boyfriend. She made the decision to change career. However to make the change she would have to take a salary cut. Fearful of telling her parents, she confided in her grandad. To her surprise he said;
We love you for who you are not what you are. All we want is for you to be happy and healthy.
After one false start, Matilda is now happily working in a new career and has a new boyfriend too!
I believe your back grows broad enough to bear the challenges you are faced with. You will not be given a challenge that you cannot cope with, even if it means making the decision and having the strength to walk away from it.
Find the strength to look your challenge in the face.
Frame it with hope rather than despair and you might be surprised with what you discover. Admittedly you might have to either;
accept the situation for what it is,
just let it go,
take action to move yourself to a different and better place.
By taking control of the situation and deciding how you will re-act to it will give you confidence in yourself.read more
We all have a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves. Nobody has everything. Even the rich and the successful have their challenges. If you followed them home there may be problems with infidelity, a sick child or perhaps fear of redundancy.
Find the strength to look your challenge in the face.