In Chicago, I instantly feel taller with all the major architecture rising along the river as I walk for miles in awe of how striking it is.  When I’m in those spaces of tall verticals, I’m reminded of how space and energy moves in every direction in a truly visual way.

Today, though, I’m not going to talk about skyscrapers and cities, though the sleek upward energy is so appealing as a change from my usual Los Angeles landscape!

I want to talk about something that I’ve had to learn in the past few years in major ways… something that held me back creatively and in pretty much every way… and something that I’ve come to see is not unique to just me.

When you decide to be deeply happier, lighter, and, to use the terminology being popularized, “live in a higher vibration” in life, it’s a huge and awesome shift.  Studies of millions of people have proven in every measurable way that this more peaceful, joyful and mindful way to live- close to love and far from anger, fear and worry as a set point that is usual- is key to a more prosperous life with greater wellness and greater creative power.

That said, if you’ve gone on this path to higher vibrational lightness- as I bet many of you have or you wouldn’t be reading this!- you might find that it can be disorienting at first.   It may seem crazy to stop worrying and stay relaxed and creative… it might be wobbly to turn attention away from anger and toward the exploration of solutions that are still unknown… and yes, it may actually be a little lonely to get space from the usual gang of folks who want to stay in fear and anger and worry and all sorts of stuff that feels like it’s perpetually spiralling you down…

Today, let’s look at a few ways to actually stay higher and lighter and acclimate to that higher, lighter way of life without being tempted to slide back into the habits and ways that were not serving us well…!

If the space between the two- what you want and what you’ve got-  feels vast, it’s frustrating.

And then, frustration brings us further away from that awesome space of greatness we want to live.  And that’s more frustrating.  And maybe worrisome, too.  And the spiral in the wrong direction begins, even though you set upon a big mission to be happier and have more of an awesomely mindful, high vibe life!

Here are few simple concepts that have helped me adjust lighter ways of life and get used to the lighter ways…no matter what is happening at the moment. I have seen them work for others and I hope they help you if you need some help staying lighter and higher, too!!!

Eating more often.  When I am in a real flurry of excitement, I need to eat every few hours to maintain my mind and body in sync with my life.  Veggies, fruit, snacks of salads, smoothies… all are vital to keep the flow going.  It’s only when I’m super-tired or very hungry that I slide down emotionally into a space that doesn’t feel great.

Rest when you need to rest. Big deal.  See above!

Tune out.  The easiest way to acclimate to higher energy is to stay away from media, TV and all kinds of messages that are loaded with fear, anger or more.  It’s one thing to stay informed and another to be bombarded.  You might find some helpful ideas here to stay light in the face of the negative:

Seek ease.  In Buddhism it’s called The Middle Way.  It’s not extreme in any direction.  It’s not sooooo high and then soooo low.  It’s not working 24 hours a day and it’s not relaxing on a beach 24 hours a day.  It’s also never about forcing things to go a certain way because you think they “should.”  “Should” is often very much a word of clutter, force and limitation.

For myself I’ve seen that when I move away from how believed things “should” be, a whole lot of brilliance was waiting.

You can play around with this idea when you find yourself in a place where things feel unfamiliar, like when you feel relaxed and un-phased where you used to be stressed.  When you feel the urge to get stressed and start overly-controlling things because it’s how you used to be, you may want to pause and remember that the old ways didn’t work out so great…!

Keep seeing the Middle Way where it’s not extreme and you may find extremely good things happening! This was not easy for me because my nature is a love of creative extreme and I feel things in extreme ways and so… I pushed back of the idea of “the middle” way.  I wanted the greatest way.  This was not just unsustainable and it held back my entire life 100%.    Ease = Awesome!

Keep organizing. There’s a reason why people who complete the 8 Week Catalyst Camp Home & Life De-Clutter and feel super-full of fresh energy continue on to more sessions of the Camp after the first, even if they skip a season or two: the more organized and clear minded you are the easier it is to feel comfortable at a higher level of life.

Imagine this: you have been living in disorder for a long time (because it’s common in our very busy lives) and then you become more grounded and present.  Now… you’ll see and feel the disorder you were once not able to register because your mind was so full.

As you get higher emotionally toward more and more joy, the chances are your ability to see detail, harmony and discord will raise up, too.  Yes: you may see more of a mess to clear.  And that is a good thing! Cleaning and clearing helps to maintain higher energy all the time!

What I learned for myself:  it can take time to adjust to a new way of being, to find more of a group of friends that is like-minded, to get used to relaxing more and being happier (yes it’s true!!!)… but it’s so worth it!  Even if it feels wobbly at first, if you feel happier, more energized and overall more elevated, there’s so much greatness to unfold if you sink into a new way with your own version of grace and patience and inspiration guiding you!

xoxo Dana

P.S.: The Catalyst Camp Life De-Clutter is coming soon!

It starts with a FREE 3-Video Class  to revolutionize your clutter clearing… with lots of Feng Shui magic mixed in, too!

You can sign up HERE to get started!

Clearing clutter- even the overwhelmingly tough stuff- can – and will-  be super-fun!!!