Category: Uncategorized

Gut feelings, Intuition, Listen to yourself, Trusting Yourself, Uncategorized

Do You Trust Your Gut When You Feel Red Flags?

Our intuition is one of the most powerful ways we can know what is right or wrong for us! The key is to listen to what it is telling you to do. For me, in the past I tended to give the benefit of the doubt to people longer then I should which means I am dismissing my own gut reaction. Our bodies warn us when something is not right usually by a feeling, thought or reaction in the body such as faster heartbeat, gut reaction (literally you feel it in your stomach) or some type of sign to get your attention. Our job is to pay attention to the warning signs so we can respond appropriately.

Your body is a very complex system but can also be your best friend in understanding what is really going on with you. We tend to hold stress in our bodies or even traumatic memories which have been stored up as pain memory. Your body has an automatic survival system that makes you flight or fight in dangerous situations. There is also one more to mention which is freeze! This can paralyze you to the point of not knowing what to do. It is imperative to calm the central nervous system down so you can really pay attention to what is causing your body to react so strongly.

Have you ever had something not feel right but you couldn’t put your finger on it? Have you ever just went ahead with it even though you knew something didn’t feel right only to learn you should have listened to yourself? Right there, is the exact moment to pay attention! How did your body respond? What thoughts were you having? This will be a great way to learn for the next time you are in this situation to avoid going down that same road again.

It’s easy to dismiss these reactions because we want to believe the best in people or not have conflict but in the end we are the ones who suffer. I liken these warning signs as “red flags” that say to us stop! At that point, we need to reevaluate what is going on  before we convince ourselves to ignore what we are feeling.  Perhaps, it wasn’t as big of a deal the first time you felt it but then it happens again creating this same reaction within you. Maybe you say something to the person letting them know you didn’t like certain behavior or felt uncomfortable but then it happens again! What do you do? Sometimes people go numb to their own feelings just to keep the peace in the relationship but that only hurts you.  It is time to pay attention because by not listening to yourself you are only prolonging the inevitable.

In order to get clarity on what you are feeling you need to remove yourself from the situation.  Take some time to journal what you are feeling then read it back to yourself.  This will give you better insight about the what is going on.  Notice what you are feeling when you are in the situation.  Ask yourself is this something that I can change?  Since we cannot change people it is important to recognize what you can do.  If it is not something you can change with setting boundaries then it may be time to listen to those red flags.  Another way to gain clarity is to pray and meditate on it.  Get quiet within yourself to see what comes up for you when you let go of the situation.  Take time to connect with your higher self that knows the truth.  This may help gain better perspective on next steps.  Discussing what you are feeling with a close friend may also help you hear what you are saying enough to understand the warning signs.

The most important way to be true to ourselves is to honor our feelings.  This means acknowledging what we feel when our gut reaction is trying to get our attention out of respect for ourselves.  We listen to ourselves by not dismissing our true feelings. Learning to accept ourselves as we are with what we feel is a work in progress.  Sometimes we may look back wishing we would have listened to ourselves sooner.  Trust there was a lesson to be learned in that situation no matter how long it took.  You are exactly where you are supposed to be.  Next time, you feel the warning signs you will be able to address it quicker then before because you have grown from that experience.  Learn to be kind to yourself when you pay attention to those red flags.

Giving yourself permission to be where you are in your journey helps to let go of judgement.  Some lessons just take longer to learn or we find repetition will get our attention.  Learning to accept your story no matter how long the lesson took is being authentic.  It takes courage to do this.  Courage is not the absence of fear but rather doing something in spite of the fear.  You have to be brave enough to love and honor yourself to live your best life.  If you don’t, it comes back on you as shame, remorse and guilt preventing you from a full quality of life.  Make it a point to listen and become aware of those red flags.  More importantly, heed the warnings.  You deserve the best!  You are destined for greatness in this world.  Self love will always bring you to a whole, healthier, happier you.  Therefore, listen to your God given intuition it won’t steer you wrong.  You were designed with a built in warning system for your benefit.  Use it!

Something to think about:

Do I listen to myself when I feel something doesn’t quite feel right to me?

Affirming thoughts:

It is ok to listen to myself when I feel something is off with a person or situation.  I can take time to reflect on how I need to handle it.  I will pay attention to the warning signs in my body.  I will honor what is important to me.  I will be gentle with myself as I go through this process.  I can trust by getting quite that my higher self will guide me.  I set appropriate boundaries that support what feels right to me.  I am a work in progress.  I trust this situation is getting my attention for a reason.  I will be gentle with myself as I am going through it.  I trust everything works out for my highest good.

 

Mindfulness, Positive attitude, Positive thinking, Uncategorized

Do You Realize The Impact You Have On Everyone Around You?

We all have an opportunity to influence the people within our circle positively or negatively.  In our day to day lives this may not even be a thought because you are just busy doing your daily routine as usual.  However, if we step out of our everyday life to give this some thought we will realize just how much what we do and say matters!  Our own words and reactions can make those around us feel good or bad just by how we behave.

Our actions have a ripple effect within our families, friends, social circles, work environment, community and so on.  It all starts with your attitude.  Are you conscious of how you are coming across to others?  Are you being kind?  Are you being impatient?  Are you being helpful or selfish?  Taking time to think about this is very important because it is not just the people around you that are affected but more importantly YOU!  How so?  Well it takes energy to be angry or negative and makes you feel frustrated.  It naturally feels better when you are in a positive state of mind.  You can give the benefit of the doubt to others because you do not get caught up in bitter feelings.  Therefore, you actually feel better by making the decision to be a better person.

When we are being positive in our attitudes it reflects in our actions.  People tend to gravitate towards good energy rather than someone who is impatient, frustrated or negative.  Negativity pulls people down around you and just makes YOU feel bad.  It creates a lower energy that is toxic to those you influence.  It creates shaming feelings for all involved lowering self esteem, creating stress, anxiety, depression, sadness and overall frustration.

Positivity is infectious!  It makes those around you feel uplifted as well as yourself.  It creates an energy force that expands around you.  This is the place where creativity comes from.  When we are being creative we are feeling happy and enjoying ourselves.  Life tends to feel better in this place.  You feel lighter, happier with more contentment regardless of the circumstances you are going through.  It reflects in your overall being mind, body and spirit.

Making a “choice” to be mindful of your own attitude and actions will help you have a more positive outcome in your life.  Take a time out to ask yourself, “how do I want to feel?” or “how do I want others in my life to feel?”  Recognizing this will help guide you to be more conscious of how you feel and influence those around you.  We can’t be positive all the time because we are human.  However, by becoming aware of how we react to situations we can change the trajectory moving forward by not continuing to stay in a negative state of mind.  We can enjoy our lives more when we feel better.  We also have an opportunity to be a blessing to those in our own inner circle which is more gratifying for all.

Something to think about:

How do I want others to feel after being in my company?

Affirming thought:

Today I will be more mindful of my words and actions as I go through my day.  If I fall short of who I want to be, I will begin again, with a more positive attitude.  My intention is to influence others in a good way.  By me doing so I will feel good too.  I have an opportunity to be a blessing to those around me.

Uncategorized

How Can You Catch The Early Warning Signs Of Stress Before You Suffer The Consequences?

Each person has their own threshold for stress.  One person may tolerate and endure so much more then another.  What we all have in common is a breaking point!  To understand what that looks like for you will help you decrease the chances of that happening.  Nobody wants to appear like they cannot handle their life.  However, if you do not take the time to understand your limits you will continually be in a vicious cycle of frustration or temporary fixes with no reward for your efforts.

My goal is to help you recognize the warning signs to gain control over stress before stress controls you.  We all have a dialogue in our head that tells us the story about what is happening in our life with a particular problem or circumstance.  In fact it is not the problem or circumstance that is stressing us out rather the story we tell ourselves about the problem.

My story tends to look like this, “if only this wasn’t happening I would feel better”, or  “once I get through this I will be ok”, “I don’t think I can take this much longer”, “why do I always have to be the one to step up?”, “if things were only different I would be able to live my life” etc.  I also tend to become short tempered, less patient, sleep in, don’t sleep, racing head, anxiety, depression, negative view, self pity, martyr, perfectionism, over-do, over achieve, stay busy, not to mention all the vices etc.  All of these things just avoid the inevitable which is dealing with ourselves before the stress takes over us!

See what tends to happen is we start the dialogue in our heads that perpetuates more of the same negative self talk which then makes us more stressed out.  The last thing a person wants to do when they have a problem is to stop thinking about the problem because it seems counter intuitive!  The truth is if you don’t examine what you are saying to your yourself about your problems then you will continue to create the same result for the future.  The very thing that you don’t want to do is just what you need to do to feel better.  Let’s face it life happens to all of us with it’s blessings and struggles but if you want to feel peace in the “eye of the storm” then this is critical to your well being.  You must change the messages you are saying to yourself.

Finding a new story that serves you will empower you as you are going through a tough time.  Messages like “although I feel hurt/angry/sad this is temporary it will pass”, “I am exactly where I am supposed to be”, “there is a purpose for what I am experiencing”, “I may not understand this but I am open to learning”, “everything happens for a reason even when it doesn’t make sense more will be revealed”, “with every problem there is a gift”, “all problems have solutions” etc.  Take care of yourself mind, body and spirit.  Just as you say these gentle thoughts to yourself you can also do something physical to release the tension such as walking, biking, swimming, working out, yoga or whatever your thing is that brings your back to center.  The same goes for nurturing your spirit where you do what connects you to that place of serenity whether it is prayer, going to church, a nature walk, reading, meditation, yoga, being of service to others or whatever your spiritual practice may may be.  This does not mean that all the problems are gone but you are able to maintain your composure rather then hitting a breaking point.  The stress may be there but you are in a different frame of mind to handle it!

We don’t have to let stress take over our lives.  Stress can be both positive or negative so watch out for the warning signs.  Life happens to us all.  Just remember to take care of yourself especially during a stressful time.  Take a time out for you to evaluate the story that you tell yourself about the problems in your life.  If it doesn’t feel good then there is an opportunity to change it so you can feel better.  Think about this carefully so the next time you don’t have to suffer the consequences as long from stress.  Your self talk will be more soothing as you navigate difficult times.

I would love to challenge you to try this approach in your life.  Leave your comments on the messages that you caught yourself saying about the problem and how you were able to turn around the stress in your life.  Best of luck to you all in catching the warning signs of stress before you hit your limit.  My hope is to that you have less stress and more peaceful days filled with joy and happiness.

Love, blessings and peace always,

Yvette