Spiritual Enlightenment

Living with anxiety and how to cope with it

anxiety juillet 05, 2018

Looking back to my teenage years, I came to the conclusion that I’ve always been somehow anxious. Worrying all the time about everything and every way it can go wrong. I don’t remember the way that all of this started, I didn’t know that I have anxiety until later in life. It was not consistent, sometimes I can barely sense it, but for other times, it can be an overwhelming feeling that can hinder the simplest task in the everyday life. Feeling powerless about it then getting anxious about not doing those tasks and feeling guilty, panicking about the future and all over again feeling helpless.

What is anxiety, how it can affect our life

Anxiety is our body’s way to keep us safe, it’s a normal response to fear. Our body increases the stress levels so we can escape a dangerous situation, complete an urgent task or finish an exam. However, sometimes this feeling never goes and can persist whether the cause is understandable or not.

Anxiety can make us think CONTINOUSLY about all the ways that our life can/is going wrong, imagining every situation we can face, and going on and on trapped in our mind, not finding a way out from that mental predicament. Here are some symptoms of anxiety:

Symptoms

Excessive worry

We all went through those periods of metal distress, over thinking every part of our daily action and reaction, not knowing what we really feel. Is it fear, anger or depression? The difference between anxiety and a normal stress response is whether, this obsessive thinking is about big and small things, on a daily basis resulting in a lot of suffering and dysfunction for over a six months period. Check out the link below to see if you have an anxiety disorder.

3 mins Anxiety test

Sleepless nights

Having an endless stream of thoughts, a chaos of irrational deductions, popping up is not the best state to fall asleep. Sleepless nights can be a symptoms of anxiety and a result of excessive thinking. Another tip-off that anxiety might be involved? You wake up feeling wired, your mind is racing, and you're unable to calm yourself down.

Muscle tension

You know anxiety really start to kicking in, when you start to have physical problems. A muscle tension all over the body, having difficulties relaxing, a tight tension in the chest, in the stomach. An unpleasant sensation that urge you to move, but blocking you in the same time. I’ve lived with this feeling most of my life, you start to get used to it after a while. Several years ago, I went into vacation for a couple of weeks, it was the first time that I had a real break since I started working after graduation. I was going back to work, and I felt this tension in my stomach all of a sudden, and I realized that I live with it all the time, but I got used to it. It’s in this exact moment when I started questioning the fact that something is wrong.

A general exhaustion

A lot of thinking is tiring, worrying about worrying (yeah it’s a thing lol) drain you from every drop of energy, sometimes I wake up tired, after a not so revitalizing sleep due to an endless stream of thoughts. I can even remember the thought that I had before falling into sleep!

Chronic Indigestion

When you live in this condition for a long time, your body suffers trying to send you signals of distress and agony. You start having chronic indigestion, feeling uncomfortable after eating. Not having a lot of appetite, dizziness and cramps.

Panic attacks

Panic attacks can be terrifying: Picture a sudden, overwhelming feeling of fear and helplessness, which can last for several minutes, with physical symptoms such as breathing problems, a pounding or racing heart, sweating, weakness or dizziness, chest pain, stomach pain, and feeling hot or cold.

People not having anxiety problem can have panic attacks, but if you have it repeatedly that you must ask yourself if you’re having an anxiety disorder.

Ways to cope with it

Here are some ways that I use to manage anxiety:

Seeing a professional: the first step is to see a psychiatric, the only way to stop anxiety is to define your triggers and solve unconscious issues
Find ways to reset and relax: traveling is the best way to relax that I know about, but you can find ways to relax in your own living room! Reorganizing things at home can be a good technique to relax, concentrate on a simple task and getting the reward of an accomplished work and a clean home.
Getting some exercise: If you find the energy to exercise, it can be a good way to let some of the steam out, but a good walk can be a solution too. Don’t set high goals since the beginning, like exercising every day, there is a big chance that you let it down after a couple of weeks. Don’t look for perfection.
Cook: Anxiety can be a little tricky, loosing appetite, not eating and loosing energy. Try to cook for yourself, the simplest is the better. Concentrating on a task at a time, can be refreshing and an effective grounding technic that eases an anxious mind
Listen to music: yeah listen, dance and have fun with your friends or all by yourself, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to feel better. Don’t choose a sad playlist (just saying lol) look for a happy vibe.
Writing: having a journal, and writing down your thoughts can help you relief and calm down.
Watch your favorite movies all over again: it can help you feel safe and comfortable for a little bit and escape your thoughts. A Star wars marathon or Harry potter are my favorite.
Have a pet: having a pet can be a daily blessing and an effective support system that help us handle difficult time in subtle ways. To know more about it, here is: 5 reasons why you should have a pet
Practice gratitude and mindfulness: you can be grateful for a lot of thing, anxiety drive you to think that everything is going wild, but in reality you have a lot to thank the universe for it. Living, having clean water, a roof over your head, not suffering from malnutrition … There is a lot of simple exercises to help grounding and being in the moment. Here are 5 ways to be happier in life and other practices that can help you with anxiety.
Coloring for adults: The time and focus helps the individual remove the attention from the negative concerns and behaviors, and concentrate them in a safe and productive manner.

Life can be hard, it doesn’t matter what we face, but how we do it. Don’t be a victim, feeling helpless can make you think that you are unworthy and self-conscious. Anxiety can be a barrier to meet new people, maintain your existing relationships and advance in school or work. You’ve survived your past, you’re here, reading this article hoping to find a solution to your turmoil, and you have hope and strength. Remember that worrying does not take tomorrow’s uncertainties, but only today’s peace.

BREATHE, you’re enough

XOXO

Meryame

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The Egg

awakening mai 29, 2018

The Egg is a short story written by Andy Weir on his website the Galactanet. I wanted to share it with you today because i think it's a wonderful story about the meaning of life. You don't have to believe in reincarnation, but you can look at it as a mind opening read.

Enjoy!

The Egg

By: Andy Weir

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”

“Yup,” I said.

“I… I died?”

“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”

“More or less,” I said.

“Are you god?” You asked.

“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”

“My kids… my wife,” you said.

“What about them?”

“Will they be all right?”

“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”

“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”

“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”

“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”

“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”

You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”

“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”

“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.

“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”

“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”

“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”

“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”

“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said.

“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”

“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”

“So what’s the point of it all?”

“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”

“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.

I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”

“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”

“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”

“Just me? What about everyone else?”

“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”

You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”

“All you. Different incarnations of you.”

“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

“I’m every human being who ever lived?”

“Or who will ever live, yes.”

“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”

“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.

“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.

“And you’re the millions he killed.”

“I’m Jesus?”

“And you’re everyone who followed him.”

You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

You thought for a long time.

“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”

“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”

“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”

“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”

“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”

“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”

And I sent you on your way.

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5 reasons why you should have a pet

awakening mai 21, 2018

Either you are a dog or a cat person (or something else :D) having a pet can be a daily blessing and an effective support system that help us handle difficult time in subtle ways. So here we have 5 reasons why you should have a pet:

Lowering stress level:

Stress has become a big part of our life and in our daily struggle to feel better. We are living in a fast moving world that force us to get into his pace and that can be stressful. One of the best way to handle pressure is to have a pet, imagine yourself going home after a long day of stressful calls, juggling multiple tasks and feeling exhausted, entering your door and finding your furry companion waiting for you. There is nothing better than a sweet pair of eyes to take you from your stressful thoughts and emotions and feeling more relaxed instantly. Pets need to be handled, fed and loved, so you don’t have time for stewing in your dark place.

Boosting your social life:

Taking your dog out for a walk can be a good way to meet people, the best thing is that you’re sure that those who approaches you, are animal lovers and that already gives you a common interest to start a conversation. Having a pet decreases social isolation and leads to more connections

Providing entertainment

When you don’t have a pet you can’t understand the bond that can be built between an animal and his owner. You learn how to communicate with them, understand them and even speak to them. Being part of a pet’s life, make you recognize, that each animal has his personality, preferences, habits and perks. They will sometimes be silly and funny, and gives you one of the happiest moments in your life. Seriously how can you resist that face?

Teaching you to be more selfless:

"Those who teach about humanity aren't always humans."—Donald L. Hicks

One of the biggest problems of the modern society, is the selfishness that people express in our daily life, it is very common to see us being harsh and cruel to one another in what is often a narrow desire to get ahead in life. If you adopt an animal, you take the responsibility of a living being, you need to feed him, walk him or just prioritizing his wellbeing over yours. And this is how we learn to be selfless. Maybe having this culture of adopting animals, and introducing our children to this kind of behavior in a very young age, can help raise a new generation of compassionate and selfless society members.

Learning unconditional love:

Your furry friend will love you, either you are depressed, happy, in a bad mood or really excited about life. They will always treat you the same, no matter how you are feeling or acting. By sharing their life, you start learning to love like them and accept others for who they really are, and understand that you can’t change others but only accept and love them.

Alternative to adoption:

If you are fearing the responsibility of having a pet, you can choose to foster kittens and puppies. It’s a really effective way to share lives with animals without having to make a decision for a lifetime commitment. You can help animals in need to find a loving home and have your freedom at the end. I fostered several kitten and puppies, and having their owners sending me pictures of them being happy is one of the best feeling you can ever experience.

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Review of “Many lives, Many masters” by Dr Brian Weiss

awakening mai 16, 2018

Review of “Many lives, Many masters”

by Dr Brian Weiss

Psychotherapist Dr. Brian Weiss wrote Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives in 1988. The book documents the doctor’s journey from disbelief to belief in regards to messages from the supernatural world and reincarnation. Widely read, the book launched Weiss’s career as a sought-after speaker and a leading author on past-life therapy.

Themes include spiritual conversion, connection with the dead, and the importance of universal religious teachings such as charity, faith, and love.

The first person narrative introduces Weiss as a classically trained, scientific doctor. Trained at Columbia University and Yale Medical School and having graduated with several honors, he admits to being the last person open to channeling, reincarnation, and parapsychology. He is married with two children, and has taught conservative psychotherapeutic techniques at the University of Pittsburgh.

Weiss was Chief of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, when he encountered Catherine. Catherine was a twenty-seven-year-old woman with major anxiety issues. She also suffered from depression and a wide array of phobias. Mutual friends encouraged her to make an appointment with Weiss. He describes her as a very attractive blonde; she worked as a lab technician at the same hospital that Weiss practiced at.

Weiss treated her with conventional therapy. He suggested anti-anxiety medication but Catherine refused, afraid of what chemical intervention could do to her body. So they choose hypnosis for a treatment.

In the first pages of MLMM, when Dr Weiss describes their first session, he jumps quickly to the conclusion of incarnation and presenting what the patient seeing as antique and from another era. For his question "Go back to the time from which your symptoms arise." He directly interprets her answer as weird and unusual «I see white steps leading up to a building, a big white building with pillars, open in front. There are no doorways. I'm wearing a long dress ... a sack made of rough material. My hair is braided, long blond hair."

The answer that Catherine gave to the doctor has no indication of time or place, and being under hypnosis, is by definition the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction. I’m not dispraising the doctor experience with Catherine, nor declaring it untrue. But for a well-known Psychotherapist, who spent his life in academic approaches and empirical conclusion, a skeptic who became a believer in seconds, make me wonder and question the assumptions of MLMM.

In My opinion MLMM, should be taking as a spiritual message, encouraging charity, faith, and love, and not a literal experience, that present incarnation as a truth. May be it does exist or maybe not, but MLMM is not the book to prove it.

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5 self-improvement books that will open your mind and feed your soul

A new earth mai 09, 2018

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5 Ways to be happier in life

anxiety avril 30, 2018

5 Ways to be happier in life

Gratitude

Sometimes when we are depressed and overloaded by sadness, we tend to forget our daily blessings, therefore we have a tendency to get sucked into this darkness more and more. However, if we remember to be grateful, so much turmoil can be avoided. We can be grateful for a lot of things, like having a loving family, your BFF, a furry friend, even having food at your table everyday (Approximately 842 million people suffer from hunger worldwide. That’s almost 12 percent of the world’s population) or just being alive.

(Each time I look at him, it feels like my heart will explode with love and happiness)

Sometimes, we need to zoom out and look at the bigger picture. When we are depressed, we lean towards negativity and self-pity, but if we put things into perspective and be grateful for what we have instead of looking for what we don’t have, can be a self-sabotaging tendency that could lead to more depression and darkness. Start with a list of everything that you’re grateful for, participate in gratitude challenges, be aware of the words and thoughts you thinking and finally do one random act of kindness every day. It can be holding the door to the person behind you, giving money to a person in need, a genuine compliment or just a smile. And never forget a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles

2. Check the 3 boxes

Every time you are feeling down, ask yourself 3 questions: Am I hungry? Did I get enough sleep? Am I thirsty? This can sound silly, but being uncomfortable is much related to those three things. When you don’t have enough sleep, you can be easily irritated and quick to respond to every stimulus in your environment, from cursing to the A**hole driver next to you to picking a fight with your bae for a text that sounded not right.

Being mindful of your state, and a good self-care routine, can be a key for being more relaxed and prepared for all the daily challenges that you can ever face. So eat healthy, drink a lot of water, and get enough sleep. Go GIRL

3. Stop comparing yourself to others

AHH this one is a little harder, we all did it, looking at Facebook profiles and Instagram pictures and thinking deep down that those persons have a better life than us, a simple thought that can grow like a seed, then you find yourself swimming in regrets and bitterness. But think for a second, when you want to post a picture, don’t you look at it a hundred times before, to make sure it’s the perfect caption that will express this tremendous happiness that you’re living in this exact moment? We all do.

So before saying that this person have a great life, or that they are better than you, think! We are not the same (thankfully!), imagine a world with no differences, having identical experiences, it will be lifeless.

And next time you start having those thoughts, don’t compare yourself, instead use it as a motivator to enhance your life and be passionate about what you do and have.

4. Look inward:

Every now and then this is the last place where we want to be, a chaos of thought, a flow of negativity that pushes you deeper and deeper into depression. But how can you be yourself, interact with other without knowing who you are, what motivates you, your limits, your hopes and dreams. You need to honor the story that got you to this moment, all of your experiences, all the strength that you showed to be in this right moment. We all start like raw diamonds, getting shaped by life to become this beautiful soul that you are now. There is no bad experiences, only the ones that you need to evolve and transform.

Go easy on yourself, the first person who need your help is you, look at your story with compassion and love, don’t be judgmental and condemnatory. You can start by answering those simple questions, like what was the most painful experience to go through? What was the biggest challenge for you? Your biggest regrets? Etc.

When you start this process, the first steps are the hardest, but then you will make it a habit, and habits are the first steps to a life style, and never forget looking outside motivates but looking inward awakens.

5. Feel, think say and do:

Simple mantra, but a lot of work. I’ve always thought that the best state a person can achieve is feeling and thinking the same thing, have the courage to tell the truth and follow it in our day to day life. When I was younger, I was a people pleaser, I avoided conflict and had a lot of friend. But was it me that they liked or the image that I was projecting? Of course it was not me, I did not even know back then how I was ( I don’t say that I know who I’m now, it’s a life time journey)

But the universe always crumble weak foundations, I went through some rough time, and I knew that I needed to change myself to carry on. And this is where I started to love myself more, and had this mantra about honoring my feelings and my thoughts. Whenever I want to say or do something, I stop for a moment and think, is it an interpretation for what I feel? What I really think? Will I do it? If I don’t, so it’s no longer relevant. By doing it I can guarantee you peace of mind.

Be kind, be love, you're enough

xoxo

Meryame

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Pages

Spiritual Enlightenment

Living with anxiety and how to cope with it

Symptoms

Excessive worry

Sleepless nights

Muscle tension

A general exhaustion

Panic attacks

Ways to cope with it

The Egg

5 reasons why you should have a pet

Lowering stress level:

Boosting your social life:

Providing entertainment

Teaching you to be more selfless:

Learning unconditional love:

Alternative to adoption:

Review of “Many lives, Many masters” by Dr Brian Weiss

Review of “Many lives, Many masters”

by Dr Brian Weiss

5 self-improvement books that will open your mind and feed your soul

A new earth by Eckhart tolle:

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho:

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert:

5 Ways to be happier in life

5 Ways to be happier in life

Gratitude

2. Check the 3 boxes

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