Right now, the theme of my life is freedom. Creative freedom. Experimental freedom. Free speaking. Free-flowing days.
The opposite of all this freedom is tension, blocks and resistance. Whether the tension is physical or mental, it takes a toll and pulls my focus off of my day and into feeling and thinking thoughts that are a downward spiral.
Whether the blocks are creative, logistical, self-created or situational— if I try to force them to go away, they force me back.
It’s like pushing against a locked door— you can push all you want, but unless you can kick the door in, you’re just going to feel the equal force of your pushing come right back at you.
I talk a lot about ease and flow and energy, and lately, with the addition of Lauren Roxburgh’s body alignment classes in my weeks, with new projects on the horizon and so much to create, so many adventures to have… I have a new awareness of how this tension/resistance/blocks/stuckness can creep into my own life.
A few shifts of energy have made all the difference to stay with my energetic compass pointed toward feeling great. Shifting out of tension doesn’t just feel great, though— it’s the most receptive, most door-opening and abundant energy there is when you’re relaxed and loving life!
Here are a few simple practices that have made all the difference in my energy in the last few months that you can use any time you need to revel in more freedom and openness— the energy that creates all those happy coincidences, opportunities, chance meetings, brilliant ideas, solutions and love!!!
Scan your body frequently to see where tension is gathering. When I gained awareness of my body more profoundly, the discoveries of tension were vast. My neck and jaw bear the burden of my mental stress and misalignments. My posture slumps to make up for the lack of strength.
I check in with myself throughout the day now. If I am typing and feel my neck and jaw get tense, I stand up and walk around and stretch. I have done that twice while writing this, unwinding a really deeply engrained habit. That physical tension may not seem so terrible in the moment, but the cumulative effects are extreme.
Physical stress, as my acupuncturist Dr. Wing taught me, leads to emotional stress. We don’t need more of either.
This little scan has also shown me where I’m pushing and forcing myself creatively, rather than truly engaging. When my jaw locks up or my shoulders get tight, I know I am due for a break and lots more deep creative inspiration.
Check in with your feelings throughout the day to see if you need things that are getting drowned out in the busy, noisy and hectic pace.
I’m generally happy, and you may be, too. I still experience all kinds of unacknowledged feelings because the days are full and I cant fully process things while I’m in the midst of designing, making, writing, sharing, meeting people and doing things. My general happiness or even joy can take a slow slide down if I stop checking in with myself. Whether it’s upsetting news or social media posts, a difficult phone call, not enough rest, not enough downtime… it can be a slow and precipitous slide for my mood that messes with my creative flow.
All emotions are valuable, but I don’t need to have slow landslides in emotion that could easily be avoided with more time to check in.
Even a few minutes of meditation sprinkled throughout the day can keep things more grounded in genuine emotional depth rather than disconnection.
Whatever isn’t essential can go from your home, your closets and your days!!!
While this may seem like an extremely minimalist statement of living with just a few things hanging in a closet, being very austere and highly functional without fun– what has happened to me was the opposite!
I let go of non-essential obligations, extra things on my to-do list, extra steps to do things, beauty products that had expired, workout obligations— and what came into my life was so much more! A more exciting natural beauty routine filled with K-beauty (!) emerged (10 steps instead of 2!), workouts that are more in-depth that I love, love, love… all kinds of incredible clients and projects that are extra-exciting…
This is all the essential stuff that I’ve been loving.
While I hardly look like a minimalist, my routines and days are extremely spacious because I feel so connected to every single thing I’m doing!
Review your relationships daily.
It’s startling how quickly things can obscured so that you miss how much you’ve been out of touch with friends, neglecting a partner or… allowed toxic relationships to linger.
Check in with people you love. Send them love every day, even if you can’t connect in person. Note what’s gone toxic (if anything) and decide how to take responsibility for this (*even if it means that you have to step away!) so that love can flourish.
More love flowing though your days is always more manifesting magic.
All of these dynamics are less overt than a pile of papers on your desk or a looming deadline, yet these are the things that have tripped me up over and again, flinging my life into tension and stress.
Most of it was wholly avoidable. Most of it was easy to shift.
And, the results– beyond feeling amazing— have been nothing short of a massive shift.
You can do so much more and feel so much better in the process.
And, however you can bring that fee-great energy into your days, I hope you do!!!
xoxo!!!
Dana
P.S.: If you’re ready to take the energy around you to the next level, detox the negativity and make space for joy, the Joy Immersion: 30 Day Negativity Detox is here for you.
THE JOY IMMERSION is a commitment to happy-making, mirror-polishing, life-lifting and simple space shifting for 30 days. It’s loaded with lots of actions that can help you detox from your own negative stuff, uncover more of your greatness and light, and see happiness everywhere you look…!
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