Workshop Week Two

Again to start the series Please head over to Hope-Filled Living Magazine Workshop Week One
To read all of Today's advice - help - care and the full (beautifully written) Workshop please visit Hope-Filled Living Magazine Workshop Week Two.

The title for lesson two is: Extreme Self Care



She speaks of her dark valley of failed business, failed self and her self depression. We all have had those moments, dark moments that threaten to pull us under.

Mine started the day my mother died OR rather I should say, It should have started that day.
Due to many things going on, weddings, moving, good-byes, pregnancy ect.
I ended up putting my feelings and grief on hold.
1. Yes, you can do that
2. No, its a really bad thing to do!

The main problem is, if you are a super self control freak like I am - you can have the self control to put off a major emotional meltdown. However, (you knew there was a however coming didn't you?) those emotions will leak slowly out of your control.
Like a pressure value that has a very tiny leak - it starts out siphoning very small amounts out and soon the tank is empty.
The main problem with this is that by the time you notice that your emotions once nicely bottled up are out, normally by then you are numb to them.
That's what happened with me ~ instead of grieving and moving on ~ I froze and became apathetic.
After several years of BLAH I realized that Grief can become a habit!

In the workshop we are asked to find a life verse ~ something that you can hold onto ~ something that always speaks to you.
I have several, but I am going to go with Matthew 19:26 "With God all things are possible."
Next after you have found your verse (and followed her instructions again read her week lesson) condense it into one word ~ sum it up if you will.
Mine word and what the verse I chose means to me is: Hope

What things seem out of balance in your life? (mostly a financial question)
Can you list a few?
1. My creative side is awake and wants to FIX everything
2. I have really expensive great taste
3. It's fun to find sales then come home and put things away

What feelings do you have when thinking about these areas of imbalance?
I am trying to make up TOO much of lost time and ambition too fast, too soon and too out of budget. I need to pace myself.

How do YOU eliminate stress? 5 activities I do (or need) to help eliminate or reduce stress in your daily living:

1. Breathing - relaxing exercise
2. Writing (book, blog, journal)
3. Tai Chi
4. Cleaning/ organizing
5. Cooking

Don't forget the most important thing you can do is make a positive choice! One step at a time, with realistic goals, you can choose to leave the dark and reclaim your life!

Again this is my worksheet filled out - my "cliff notes & take" on the workshop. To fully understand my answers, the questions please click the top links and join us!
Also you don't have to blog all your answers personally like I choose to do, what can I say? I have no shame. I am who I am - the good and the bad.

Topics for next week:

Appearance
Daily Rituals
Quality of Life