She'll be right mate!
Being of mature age, I remember the 70’s like it was yesterday. On a long road trip sometimes we had to stop on the side of the road to let the car motor cool down. You would see cars with bonnets up scattered along the highways for miles. It didn’t matter where we were going or when we needed to be there by, we just had to stop. If we didn’t stop to rest the radiator we may not have even gotten there at all.
Now days it’s just go, go, go . The cars are designed to withstand travel and seem to not be met with this fate of old… However, our lives now don’t get a chance to STOP either. You would usually see a sight to remember when the bonnet was up. A kangaroo, unusual bird or even a wonderful cloud formation…..
"When is the last time you stop to stare at the clouds in wonder?"
Having busy lives and minds keeps us from stopping. This can be helpful, at times, in order to avoid unpleasant feelings, get to where we need to go or to meet deadlines. We may just soldier on and focus elsewhere. In the process, however, it can stop us from feeling all feelings. This includes good feelings. We need to train ourselves to stop.
So, how do you do that?
The ‘stopping the car’ scenario is the same with us humans….We need to STOP to let our mind quieten so we can feel gratitude and other good feelings like joy and connectedness.
Much like waiting for the radiator to cool. When we recognize that Stopping and ‘feeling’ is an important element in maintaining good mental health, we prioritize. The priority - take the time to stop, rest, smell the roses, and feel. We are then being kind to ourselves knowing we are doing ‘good’ for our self, our family and our society. Feeling guilty for stopping or thinking that we ‘don’t have a choice’ is wasted. There is ALWAYS choice. With priority and practice you can train yourself to STOP and get your mind to work for you and not against you.
Focusing on the good, positive and helpful things in your life, works to maintain good mental health. It assists with improving sleep, relationships and instills a happy disposition.
Feelings of discomfort may come up too at this quiet time of STOPPING…. LOOK at them as well. Talk to a trained therapist or friend over coffee about them. Don’t just ignore, cover up, and squash them down. Some may even use drugs, gambling, gaming, food, alcohol or the such just to not STOP. Rushing past them and being busy ultimately leads to a road all of it's own.. Feelings need to be recognised. They need to be acknowledged.
“Easy for you to say” you might think. Well, I myself have had my fair share of tragedy, heartbreak, Divorce, nearly dying and illness,sexual abuse, and even have been totally 'pennyless' and living in a caravan park. Had I not put into practice this one, of many principles, I would not be available to be healthy, thrive, succeed and be a in a place of giving. My motivator was this saying - “The more you’ve got, the more you got to give” . So I better get cracking and cracking I did.
I started with waking up on any day and thought about being grateful for being alive. You may think “it’s just another day” but it’s not. Before I close my eyes at night I consciously think of things that day that made me FEEL grateful. See video
As a therapist and challenged life thriver, not only survivor… I know too well the power of thinking and ability to retrain the brain. That’s why I became a hypnotherapist almost a decade ago. I know it works. I now am heavily into neuroplasticity and understanding how we have a chance at making our lives better through our thinking…
Start and more good things will follow. You deserve it!
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Get the most out of your life!
One must Stop - Feel -Think -Act and most of all be kind to our-self