(alex dally macfarlane’s spectacular photography)

We want things to go one way… and they go another.  And… how do you bounce back?!

I love using Nature as my ultimate teacher because, despite human pollution and abuses, Nature finds a way to soldier on, grow, expand and adapt pretty brilliantly.  The above photo taken by Alex Dally MacFarlane is a perfect example of working with obstacles and around obstacles!  Watching animals, trees and entire ecostystems adapt to change is something spectacular.

Learning to be more like wise trees, more adaptable and bendy and able to work around obstacles, is a big deal.  We hear often that success is all about how you can pick yourself up and start over again after you’ve come up against obstacles, and it’s proven true in so many ways all around me and in my own life, too.  Today is all about that awesome resiliency!

(via)

Learn to be more resilient and you’ll keep expanding and growing. With the thoughts and resarch of my sister Nicole, today’s feng shui on bouncing back and leaping forward in life is super-exciting.

In feng shui, resilience is a force of the wood element.  It’s dynamic, open to new ideas, collaborative, active and flexible.  Wood element helps you find your way.

Spend lots of time in Nature and cultivate your own wood element.

Bring more wood and plants into your home.

And stay creative.

Learning To Be More Resilient 

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines resilience as: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens.

Resiliency is essential for living a happy and healthy life. It is impossible to live life with a positive mentality when you feel helpless and victim to circumstance. If you let your emotions get the best of you during hard times, you leave yourself at the mercy of fear and doubt…the very culprits that perpetuate negative interpersonal and personal conflict. The world can be unpredictable; it changes, our lives ebb and flow, we do not have complete control of circumstances in our life all the time, but we can hone some skills that make it easer to get back up after we feel we’ve been kicked down.

Sheri Van Dijk, MSW, a psychotherapist in Sharon, Ontario, Canada, believes that resiliency is ESSENTIAL. Through her research she has found that people who lack resiliency are more likely to ruin present relationships based on past break-ups, can cause people to neglect responsibilities at home while stewing over their emotions of defeat, and are more prone to “high blood pressure, chronic pain, lower immune system function and other stress-related illnesses.” (more HERE)

Resiliency can also be a form of protection. As explained in an article HERE by the MayoClinic, being resilient can reduce the chances of being arrested by mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, because we are able to cope with the situation instead of letting it override us with debilitating emotions.

Want to be more resilient? Here are some simple reminders…

Stay Positive:  When traumatic events happen we often have tunnel vision filled with negativity, and its hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Take the time to remember that you have been through tough experiences in the past and you came out the other end.

Develop Ways to Manage Stress: What helps you reduce stress?  Write your emotions in a journal, hike, run, do yoga, go to the beach, walk through the woods, take a bath…decide what works for you and use it.

Learn to Learn: View life as a journey where you don’t have all the answers.  What benefit is any experience if you don’t learn from it? Perceive the experience as an opportunity for personal growth and find lessons you can internalize from everything that happens along the way.

Don’t Be a Victim, Be Proactive: Sitting around waiting for some big change will most definitely leave you feeling like a victim.  Take actions.  Go to the gym, walk outside, visit good friends, read an empowering book…these actions will help you feel like you are taking action over your life.

Do Something Meaningful For Others: When something traumatic happens, it’s easy to feel like we’re alone and the only one suffering. Broaden your view.  Volunteering at a hospital or a local charity can get your mind off yourself, while bringing much needed joy to others who could use your help greatly.

Eat and Sleep Well:  Lack of sleep and nutrition can definitely take a toll on our ability to think, focus and concentrate. You might want to try meditation or yoga to help calm down your mind and body.

Perseverance: You must BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. You can’t persevere if you do not believe you can do it. You develop resilience in action, just like you develop a more bendy and stretchy body in yoga from practice.  Wake up every morning, shower, eat, and move toward what you do want!

It’s way easier to bounce back from hard times when you are surrounded by clear space with no reminders of disappointment & upset.  Clear away that clutter and your life will soar.  The Catalyst Camp home & life de-clutter starts soon and HERE you can sign on to watch the free feng shui clutter clearing video series that can help you make even more clear space to flourish & prosper!

xxoo Dana

***************

Welcome to Creating Genius!

I spent the last year creating this e-guide to balancing and unblocking life by pulling together the best of a decade of space-changing and life-shifting feng shui! It’s 50 days and 50 ways to use feng shui to shift your space and your routines to move from “stuck” to creatively inspired and alive.

Start Creating Genius right HERE!

And… As a special bonus when you get the e-guide– a bonus that thrills me!— I’m leading a private Creating Genius + Artist’s Way Group for all of you, to guide you online through twelve weeks of creative awesomeness this year!

Gather up your magic & make gorgeous dreams come true!

xoxo Dana