Tuesday January 3rd 2012
Walking helps cure a lot. It’s not just exercise for the body, but also for the mind. The repetitive motion of your legs, the sound of your feet as they hit the ground, the swish of your arms by your side as you move forward - all of this helps you focus on what you are actually doing, and forget what plagues you. By concentrating on the motion, you can empty your mind and thus rid yourself of your troubles, or at the very least ignore them for a while. The repetitive action of walking induces a form of light self-hypnosis, whereby the mind is triggered and the imagination soars. Thoughts are clearer in fresh air, and therefore solutions to problems are more easily found. Visions and memories appear sharper, dreams flood your brain, hope seems within reach. As you draw in the clean sea-side air, your lungs breathe in oxygen which stimulates the cerebral cortex which orders blood to flow faster around the body. The heart beats faster, as it also needs to pump extra blood to all the moving muscles, and not surprisingly, with a quickened pulse, you feel energized before you can feel any tiredness. As your heels draw soothing energy up into you from the ground beneath, you feel a sense of relaxation, and your emotions cool off as your body warms up. This allows you to think more sensibly, to feel more powerfully, and asses more accurately. Everything appears to work better, answers arrive without struggle, questions arise without warning, ideas flow freely. Everything seems to move with natural force, as we gather momentum.
The two legs we were born with were made for walking. We humans were destined to walk, and to move ahead, to be more exact. Walking is therefore a metaphor for life; as we take steps forward, we propel ourselves into the future, creating our own continuously changing destiny. With each stride, we change where we are, we change our point of view, and at any given moment - as long as we keep moving - we will find ourselves in a different place, and a different time.
Walking is essential, and keeps us in good health and even better spirits. Without regular walks, our bodies would not function properly. Our muscles would become atrophied and deteriorate, our bones would shrivel up and crack, our tendons would become weak and tear, and our internal organs would become blocked and inflammed. Our bodies would be clogged up and stiff, and circulation would be poor. We would be in pain, and unable to support ourselves on our very own two feet. We all know the expression “to stand on your own two feet” which means to be able to support yourself – not just physically but mentally i.e be independent. So, in a sense, standing or walking on your own feet, is a symbol of taking care of yourself and being your own boss, making decisions for yourself, taking charge of your life and making progress. That is how important walking actually is.
Walking with company is a way to share and can be fun when done with friends, and intimate when done with loved ones. Walking alone, however, is truly relaxing and a different experience altogether. When you put one foot in front of the other and take that stroll on your own, your isolation allows your senses to become fully aware, and you benefit from the walk the most. Alone you can notice everything: your attention is on the buildings and trees one minute, then on the sea and ground the next. You can see every detail of the world around you; you can watch people as they pass you by or sit around in cafes or on benches; you can absorb the most minute fluctuations in the waves, clouds and sky; you can distinguish each and every sound, from the bird cry to the engine humming of the car as it zooms by. And each time you walk alone, even if you are taking the same path, over and over again, you will notice something different, something amazing, fun, interesting, or new. You will experience the things you are familiar with too, and derive some sort of comfort from this. All in all, the promenade will be one full of experiences, full of life. Simply full.
So take that walk, empty yourself of your problems, so you can fill yourself up with that incredible feeling and all the benefits that you can only get when you walk.
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Wednesday, 4 January 2012
2012 MY DIARY - JAN 2 - emotional detoxing
Monday January 2nd 2012
Detoxing is hard. The hardest day is always the first, when the craving is strong, when habits are still so firmly imprinted in you that they seem impossible to change. Change is the ultimate goal, the biggest challenge to face, because detoxing is simply another way to change your life by ridding yourself of things you are normally used to which are not good for you.
A detox diet is hard enough when it comes to ridding the body of physical toxins – like sugar and alcohol, caffeine and nicotine - but even harder when attempting to rid it of emotional poisons. There are those people who we have grown accustomed to in our lives to whom we turn, speak or see regularly – but are they really good for us? Perhaps those people we have become somewhat attached to are actually hazardous to our emotional well-being. Maybe they throw stones at our spiritual walls and leave us with large gaping holes, or perhaps they abuse us in ways that are not obvious, silently chipping away at the paint, exposing the cement beneath, slowly picking at our emotional well-being, until there is nothing left. There is no denying that there exists such a thing as a poisonous relationship, and ridding your self of it will no doubt make you mentally healthier.
The first few days, weeks even, will be torture – there is no avoiding that. But what will keep you going is the knowledge deep down that it is for the best. After all, you would not be detoxing if you were not sure that all the suffering you will put yourself through will be worth it, that you will be better off at the end of the day. Deep down you know that you need to free yourself of the emotional and physical addictions in your life, so you can experience true freedom of body and mind, and thus true health and happiness.
How do you identify the toxic relationship, the person you need to detox from? They are the one who you turn to when you need something, but who don’t actually do you any good at the end of the day. Like a drink to an alcoholic, they are a shot of vodka when you feel reckless. Like a cigarette to a smoker, they are nicotine to calm you down, like sex to a sex addict, they give you a high when you feel low, like drugs to a drug addict, they provide a distraction from your own loneliness and depression, a boost when you feel down. But like all those things, they come with undesirable consequences too. Your obsessive compulsive behavior towards them is a clue that your involvement with them is toxic, and this is further confirmed by the withdrawal symptoms you experience when you are unable to speak/see/be with them. This person will have you in some sort of trap, a sort of endless cycle, and only with the detox can this destructive catch-22 end. Only when you have completely eliminated them from your life can you be independent and responsible for your own happiness. Only then do you have the power to control your life and steer it in the direction you wish.
Detoxing may be excruciating at times, but if you have tried it before and succeeded, you will know that it is worth it. That is works. Every detox is a little different depending on the object of elimination, but the test of endurance is always same. You will suffer, but feel better for it in the end. Whether it is food, drink or other substances, emptying or detaching your body from it all, will help cleanse your mind, and clearing your mind will in turn help purify your heart and soul. Finally, the decontamination of your heart, the distillation of your soul will help get rid of the hurt, pain, worry, angst, fear, anger and sadness that are clogging up your arteries and blocking your spiritual sensors. Only when you are entirely empty again, can you begin to fill yourself up with good, nutritious, consoling and healthy energy, be it in the form of physical or emotional sustenance.
Detoxing is hard, but necessary. Who wouldn’t want to better themselves, be happier and healthier? I don’t want to be attached or addicted, I don’t want to be a slave to anything or anyone… ever again. Which is why I choose to detox, now. I can envision myself lighter and feel myself freer already.
Detoxing is hard. The hardest day is always the first, when the craving is strong, when habits are still so firmly imprinted in you that they seem impossible to change. Change is the ultimate goal, the biggest challenge to face, because detoxing is simply another way to change your life by ridding yourself of things you are normally used to which are not good for you.
A detox diet is hard enough when it comes to ridding the body of physical toxins – like sugar and alcohol, caffeine and nicotine - but even harder when attempting to rid it of emotional poisons. There are those people who we have grown accustomed to in our lives to whom we turn, speak or see regularly – but are they really good for us? Perhaps those people we have become somewhat attached to are actually hazardous to our emotional well-being. Maybe they throw stones at our spiritual walls and leave us with large gaping holes, or perhaps they abuse us in ways that are not obvious, silently chipping away at the paint, exposing the cement beneath, slowly picking at our emotional well-being, until there is nothing left. There is no denying that there exists such a thing as a poisonous relationship, and ridding your self of it will no doubt make you mentally healthier.
The first few days, weeks even, will be torture – there is no avoiding that. But what will keep you going is the knowledge deep down that it is for the best. After all, you would not be detoxing if you were not sure that all the suffering you will put yourself through will be worth it, that you will be better off at the end of the day. Deep down you know that you need to free yourself of the emotional and physical addictions in your life, so you can experience true freedom of body and mind, and thus true health and happiness.
How do you identify the toxic relationship, the person you need to detox from? They are the one who you turn to when you need something, but who don’t actually do you any good at the end of the day. Like a drink to an alcoholic, they are a shot of vodka when you feel reckless. Like a cigarette to a smoker, they are nicotine to calm you down, like sex to a sex addict, they give you a high when you feel low, like drugs to a drug addict, they provide a distraction from your own loneliness and depression, a boost when you feel down. But like all those things, they come with undesirable consequences too. Your obsessive compulsive behavior towards them is a clue that your involvement with them is toxic, and this is further confirmed by the withdrawal symptoms you experience when you are unable to speak/see/be with them. This person will have you in some sort of trap, a sort of endless cycle, and only with the detox can this destructive catch-22 end. Only when you have completely eliminated them from your life can you be independent and responsible for your own happiness. Only then do you have the power to control your life and steer it in the direction you wish.
Detoxing may be excruciating at times, but if you have tried it before and succeeded, you will know that it is worth it. That is works. Every detox is a little different depending on the object of elimination, but the test of endurance is always same. You will suffer, but feel better for it in the end. Whether it is food, drink or other substances, emptying or detaching your body from it all, will help cleanse your mind, and clearing your mind will in turn help purify your heart and soul. Finally, the decontamination of your heart, the distillation of your soul will help get rid of the hurt, pain, worry, angst, fear, anger and sadness that are clogging up your arteries and blocking your spiritual sensors. Only when you are entirely empty again, can you begin to fill yourself up with good, nutritious, consoling and healthy energy, be it in the form of physical or emotional sustenance.
Detoxing is hard, but necessary. Who wouldn’t want to better themselves, be happier and healthier? I don’t want to be attached or addicted, I don’t want to be a slave to anything or anyone… ever again. Which is why I choose to detox, now. I can envision myself lighter and feel myself freer already.
2012 MY DIARY - JAN 1 - goodbye
Sunday January 1st 2012
This is the first time I write to you, but these words must be said, as I have spent the entire last year of my life with you. You were good to me, kind in many ways, but sometimes you gave me pain and sorrow. I shared so many new and memorable experiences with you – so many highs, so many lows - that you have become a part of me altogether now. You were my inspiration for every tear and every heartbreak, each and every laugh and smile, song and word I wrote. Through tough times and joyful ones, you were always there.
You were with me, all along the way, forever in my thoughts. I could never get you out of my mind. I worried about you constantly, about not having enough time with you, of wasting any time we had left together. I tried to make myself as present and conscious as I could be, with every moment that we shared. I tried to live each day like it was my last… and makes things last. But it wasn’t so easy. The clock seemed to tick too fast; the days and nights with you never seemed long enough.
There were times when I struggled. I felt old ties pulling me back, I felt myself repeating past mistakes. Yet, for a change, I sometimes managed to stop myself in time, or at the very least be aware of the error of my ways - enough to learn from every wrong move and every wrong turn. You showed me how everything is a life experience worth having – even the difficult or seemingly bad moments. I may have taken some risks that did not pay off, but I don’t regret them. In life, it’s easier to regret things you haven’t done, than things you have. Now, upon reflection, my time with you was a turning point for me. With you I ended a cycle of my life, where I kept clinging to things I didn’t need any longer, or needing things that weren’t good for me, where my cynical self ruled and there was no faith.
You made a believer out of me. You gave me hope. It was with you that I realized that I was over the past, and ready to dare to wish for a better future. You made me feel like I deserved to be more than just content, that I deserved to be immensely happy once again, and that it was fine to ask for more. You made it clear to me that if I desire things in my life it is not because I am unfulfilled but only because I have the imagination for dreams and the capacity to make them come true.
Because of you, I realized that I was ready to love again, to truly live again, and more importantly, to accept the way my life is for now and feel blessed for it. You made me understand that my life is good, and that I don’t have to focus on what I don’t have all the time. Being happy with what I do have is not settling. It’s simply a wise way to be peaceful… as long as it does not stop me from aspiring for whatever my soul seeks. Searching for my soul mate or striving for success has nothing to do with lack of acceptance or gratitude. I grew to see that I could be both happy and ambitious. With time by my side, anything was possible. All I needed to do was to enjoy every moment I had and have faith that there would be many more to come - just as wonderful, if not better.
Since with the first day of the new year, one has to say goodbye to the last, and farewell to the past, I thought it appropriate to write this final letter to you – an apt way to say adieu and let you go, as I begin a new era of my life. A part of me wishes we did not have to part; I grew used to you and somewhat secure with you, but the future beckons me. Thank you for all that you have given me, for all the love you have bestowed upon me, for everything we have shared and that you have silently promised me. For all that I will never forget you. You stood by me through all this. You meant so much to me, and still do, but now it’s time to move on.
Goodbye 2011. Happy New Year!
This is the first time I write to you, but these words must be said, as I have spent the entire last year of my life with you. You were good to me, kind in many ways, but sometimes you gave me pain and sorrow. I shared so many new and memorable experiences with you – so many highs, so many lows - that you have become a part of me altogether now. You were my inspiration for every tear and every heartbreak, each and every laugh and smile, song and word I wrote. Through tough times and joyful ones, you were always there.
You were with me, all along the way, forever in my thoughts. I could never get you out of my mind. I worried about you constantly, about not having enough time with you, of wasting any time we had left together. I tried to make myself as present and conscious as I could be, with every moment that we shared. I tried to live each day like it was my last… and makes things last. But it wasn’t so easy. The clock seemed to tick too fast; the days and nights with you never seemed long enough.
There were times when I struggled. I felt old ties pulling me back, I felt myself repeating past mistakes. Yet, for a change, I sometimes managed to stop myself in time, or at the very least be aware of the error of my ways - enough to learn from every wrong move and every wrong turn. You showed me how everything is a life experience worth having – even the difficult or seemingly bad moments. I may have taken some risks that did not pay off, but I don’t regret them. In life, it’s easier to regret things you haven’t done, than things you have. Now, upon reflection, my time with you was a turning point for me. With you I ended a cycle of my life, where I kept clinging to things I didn’t need any longer, or needing things that weren’t good for me, where my cynical self ruled and there was no faith.
You made a believer out of me. You gave me hope. It was with you that I realized that I was over the past, and ready to dare to wish for a better future. You made me feel like I deserved to be more than just content, that I deserved to be immensely happy once again, and that it was fine to ask for more. You made it clear to me that if I desire things in my life it is not because I am unfulfilled but only because I have the imagination for dreams and the capacity to make them come true.
Because of you, I realized that I was ready to love again, to truly live again, and more importantly, to accept the way my life is for now and feel blessed for it. You made me understand that my life is good, and that I don’t have to focus on what I don’t have all the time. Being happy with what I do have is not settling. It’s simply a wise way to be peaceful… as long as it does not stop me from aspiring for whatever my soul seeks. Searching for my soul mate or striving for success has nothing to do with lack of acceptance or gratitude. I grew to see that I could be both happy and ambitious. With time by my side, anything was possible. All I needed to do was to enjoy every moment I had and have faith that there would be many more to come - just as wonderful, if not better.
Since with the first day of the new year, one has to say goodbye to the last, and farewell to the past, I thought it appropriate to write this final letter to you – an apt way to say adieu and let you go, as I begin a new era of my life. A part of me wishes we did not have to part; I grew used to you and somewhat secure with you, but the future beckons me. Thank you for all that you have given me, for all the love you have bestowed upon me, for everything we have shared and that you have silently promised me. For all that I will never forget you. You stood by me through all this. You meant so much to me, and still do, but now it’s time to move on.
Goodbye 2011. Happy New Year!
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