No matter where you were headed in your life before 2020, this very unusual year is requiring us to pivot in many ways and begin again in the middle of the path we were on. We’re being Universally directed to slow down, look inward, and change course in some way.
Since you are the master of your life, and consequently your happiness, it’s important that you take a look at where you can redirect your thoughts and actions to start again toward a thriving future. The best place to start is in the areas of your health, wealth and relationships. Here are a few strategies for each area.
Your Health
It is vital that we all take great care of our bodies and keep our immune systems in top shape, now more than ever. Your body is an amazing machine. Think of it like a Formula One race car. If you put low quality fuel in that car, it will just sputter down the road. But if you give it high quality fuel it will be a fast, high-performing super vehicle. Here are some suggestions of how you can fuel yourself and optimize your health.
- FOOD: Make sure you’re eating healthy, high–vibe foods like leafy greens, beans, onions, berries, mushrooms, and seeds. Be careful about overdoing it with junk food and alcohol. It’s understandable that stress may have you wanting to pacify uncomfortable emotions in this way but too much indulgence will cause your Formula One super vehicle to be very sluggish.
- MOVEMENT: Adopt a habit of some kind of daily movement. Whether you enjoy yoga, walking, running, or an online kickboxing class, daily body movement will promote the release of serotonin for mood elevation, strengthen your heart and other muscles, and help you feel good in general.
- ENERGETIC SELF-CARE: Mind, body, and spirit alignment, which I call “The Triad of Wellness”, is vitally important to your well-being. Take time to just BE and connect with yourself each day. Try to limit the stressors in your life that are not serving your mind, such as news and social media. Instead take time for stress relief activities such as meditation, deep breathing, or listening to soft music. Also, listen to what your spirit needs. If it’s connection, reach out for time with friends & family via phone or a video platform. Or, if it’s alone time, carve out some time with the door closed to read a humorous or inspirational book.
Taking a new direction with your overall health can be a game changer in how you feel and how you envision the future.
Your Wealth
One of the realities of life is that money will come and go. It is the yin and yang of life and the balance of the Universe. If you have lost a job or are pivoting a business to respond to the current times, you may have stress around finances. If you are focusing your thoughts on blame, shame, fear, or worry about money, allow me to pinpoint this idea first and foremost:
You are not your circumstances.
It’s important to take a step back. Try to see that what is happening right now is just that. It’s something outside of you that is happening. Period. The meaning you attach to it is how you will experience it.
Adopting new thoughts and actions can help you stay energetically aligned and in a positive vibration around attracting more financial abundance. Here are some suggestions:
- Focus on what you wish to attract. As the Law of Attraction states, “you attract what you focus on”. The easiest way to raise your vibration is to say or write down a list of all of the abundance in your life and what you’re grateful for each day. You’ll be surprised how much better you feel shifting your focus from what’s wrong to what’s right.
- Elevate your vibe with affirmations. Affirmations are a great way to create new positive beliefs and attract what you want. Try saying this affirmation a few times a day: “I am a magnet for money and new opportunities”.
- Use reflective journaling. Remember that all setbacks are temporary and there is a Universal gift in everything that happens, good or bad. Using reflection questions, such as, “What is this situation teaching me? What needs to change?, etc.” will help you learn the lesson and empower you to take action on a new path.
Look at your situation with a fresh perspective. Abundance is everywhere if you truly allow yourself to open and receive.
Your Relationships.
We’re all spending more time at home and that can mean lots of “togetherness”. The situation can be challenging when you’re working and living in the same place day in and day out. While your home life can feel way too cozy, it’s a unique opportunity to look deeply at how you navigate your relationships. Now more than ever before, it’s important to seek out the ways to maintain your equilibrium and energetically put on your oxygen mask. When you are being your best self, it automatically elicits the same in others.
Here are a few methods for how to recalibrate and improve your relationships:
- Practice frequent self-care. It’s challenging in the best of circumstances to be “on” with your family without a break. Find a special space for alone time and ask for 30–minutes undisturbed each day and, perhaps, suggest others do the same. Whether you choose the bedroom, the bathtub, or the treehouse, post a DO NOT DISTURB sign outside, close your eyes, and quietly hang out with your soul. You’ll discover more inner peace and outer patience.
- Respond instead of react. Emotional triggers abound with the constant changes we’re experiencing this year. Tension can be pervasive with your family and co-workers. Give extra compassion for everyone’s emotions, including your own. Remember, the only person you can control is YOU. Some of the ways you can learn to respond are:
- Begin to become aware of your trigger reactions to other people’s words or behaviors.
- What’s the story you are telling yourself about what’s going on? Reframing your story toward compassion is key to releasing the trigger.
- Next time you find you are feeling that emotional reaction coming up: STOP. Don’t speak. Instead, take a breath in that moment and put your attention on your heart. Feel compassion for yourself and the other person. Think of your new, better feeling story and find the words to calmly respond instead of react. Your thoughtful response and open heart will immediately diffuse any tension.
- Feeling lonely and isolated. Loneliness can also be a result of being at home more whether you live alone or not. Being separated from extended family, friends and colleagues can cause feelings of sadness and depression. I encourage you to connect with people regularly in a socially distanced way. Try giving and receiving virtual hugs with friends and family via Zoom or another video platform. Literally lean in and hug the computer screen. Yes, it may seem odd at first, but if you and your fellow huggers really go all-in you can actually feel the beautiful energy and comfort of the hug. Intentional giving and receiving of love energy is a marvelous mood lifter.
As you continue discovering new ways of living your best life, I hope these ideas, plus your well-earned wisdom, will make ‘Beginning in the Middle’ a journey of promise and joy.
