A dear friend of mine asked me, “If you have any tips for fighting the mental and emotional battle that comes with long term health issues, I am all ears. You are my inspiration in “keep going”.” It was great to hear that my journey has been an inspiration for her! I turned my answer to her question into 5 tips for emotional wellness to share with you.
Dealing with the mental and emotional ups and downs that come with long term health issues has definitely been a challenge for me and it still is at times. I had mysterious chronic health issues for many years. It’s ongoing work and something many of us have to work with! Here are the 5 things that I found the most helpful.
5 Tips for Emotional Wellness
1. Plant Spirit Medicine Healing
The number one thing I absolutely do not skip are regular Plant Spirit Medicine treatments. I’ve been receiving Plant Spirit Medicine since 2005 because the plant spirits continue to help and support me. The plant spirits are masters at getting our emotional flow moving and they connect us back to the dream of Nature. They help us get out of our heads and into our hearts and experience a deeper, more joyful connection to life.
My personal healing experience with Plant Spirit Medicine is what inspired me to train as a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer so that I could pay it forward and help others. You can read my personal experience here and if you live in Santa Cruz I’d be happy to work with you. If you live out of my area you can click here to find a Plant Spirit Medicine Healer near you.
2. Looking at the deeper meaning of life and gratitude
Looking at the deeper meaning of things has been crucial for me. It really helps my mental/emotional state to look for the meaning, value and learning of each challenge in my life. I ask what is the Divine trying to teach me? What can I learn from this situation?
But it’s important to not get caught in the trap that you’ve done something wrong or are being punished somehow. Don’t torture yourself. I only say that because that’s what I use to think! That’s not what it’s about, it never is. Sometimes life is just trying to give us a message to get our attention to lead us in a new direction. Life is always presenting us with opportunities to learn and grow.
I find that there are always many things to be grateful for no matter how hard things feel. Putting my attention on the many blessings in my life through a daily gratitude practice has opened my heart to joy and connection.
3. Spend time with people
It’s crucial to reach out to people and share your feelings. When you’re not feeling good, either physically or emotionally, it’s easy to isolate from being social. But over time, if your condition is chronic, it’s really important to make an effort to let people in. Spending time with people is what we’re designed for! We always need this but even more when we’re going through a hard time. This could be time with your friends or family and sometimes finding a therapist to help you sort through what you’re going through makes all the difference. Contact me if you need a referral for a therapist or life coach.
4. Spend time outside in Nature
Nature is a great healer in all her forms. Spending time outside on a daily basis is the best medicine. It will reduce your stress, uplift your spirit and remind you of the bigger picture of life. This could be as simple as sitting in your back yard. If you can, take a walk in the forest, visit a stream or the ocean that’s even better. I also highly recommend that you put your bare feet on the earth for 20 minutes. This will greatly benefit your body, mind, spirit and emotions.
You can also bring Nature inside, although this is not a substitute for being outside. Healthy plants and fresh flowers brighten our environment and cheer us up. Even pictures of nature have a positive affect. Studies show that fresh flowers actually reduce pain and help people to heal faster. Treat yourself on a regular basis to a bouquet of flowers, it will uplift your energy and it’s good Feng Shui!
5. Feng Shui your home
You may have guessed, Feng Shui has been a huge support! Any home aligned with Feng Shui supports mental, emotional, physical, spiritual health and well-being. For me the root of of my health problems was not the Feng Shui of my environment but balancing the Feng Shui has supported my well-being and helped me to feel better in myself and in my home and find my path in life.
I credit my first experience Feng Shui’ing my home with leading me to the healers who’ve helped me the most. This same experience is also how I found Plant Spirit Medicine. I’ve Feng Shui’d every single one of the places I’ve lived in since I became a Feng Shui practitioner (8 places) even when I knew it was only a temporary place to live.
For some, the Feng Shui of their space actually initiates health issues and balancing the Feng Shui can really help the healing process. Click this link to read the personal story of one of my Feng Shui teachers, Jetsun Ma Master Teacher Ho Lynn, and her journey with a life threatening health condition and how Feng Shui brought her back. If you’d like to support your health and well-being by balancing the Feng Shui of you home, contact me to set up a Feng Shui consultation.
