One of the biggest hurdles to my self-development and overall joy is that I never took time for myself.  While awaiting the birth of our 3rd son, it really hit me hard just how much I had lost myself.  I was convinced that I would have my time to shine when the kids were older.  I made myself less important and never took action to follow my dreams.  However, when you don’t do things that make you happy and grow your soul on a daily basis, your energy and life-force will take a heavy hit.

I found it hard just to make it through the days, and by the time the kids were in bed there was nothing left in my tank to fuel my evenings.  I was lethargic and often zoned out in front of the television for an hour just to have some “me” time.

But let me tell you this: Sitting in front of the TV for a few hours has nothing to do with recharging.  It’s going to deplete your energy tank and it’s going to make you shrink instead of grow.  And if you’re not growing, you’re dying.

The odds are that you’re not watching shows based spiritual enlightenment or a documentary on how to make yourself independently happy.  Chances are pretty high that you’re watching The Walking Dead, Duck Dynasty, or caught in the soul sucking habit of endlessly flipping through 100s of channels and then complaining that “nothing is on”.

If I happen to watch TV these days it’s because there is a specific show that brings a lot of joy to me.  Which means that I watch a LOT less TV than I ever have in my entire life.  There is nothing wrong with watching a little TV, provided it makes you happy and feeds your soul, but if you’re watching endless hours of television each and every night, ask yourself this: What am I avoiding?  What am I numbing in myself?  What am I missing in my life?  What do I really desire, and how do I want to feel?

These days I choose to end my days very differently.  I read, blog, research, and plan.  I practice gratitude, ask for guidance, and do whatever I can to show myself love.  I talk with my husband more.  When you connect with your family instead of the television, relationships will flourish and love will grow.

When I regard my past, I realize that I don’t want to keep falling into the same loop of behaviours over and over again.  I want to bust through the house I have built around myself and venture into the unknown.  The only way to do this is by learning and growing.  Be in the present moment and look for joy in those moments.  Look people in the eye and talk.  Ask questions.  Make connections.  Send and receive love.

So turn off the TV and grow.  Go outside. Play hockey. Do whatever it is that feeds your soul and you can fill your energy tank with love and joy.  Shift your focus. At the end of the day my tank is full because I spend my time wisely, and I feel whole and complete.  I wish the same for each and every person on this planet.  Do what you love, always.  Grow yourself, and you will have the love and energy you need to live your best life.

XO.

When I am not grounded I feel incredibly anxious.  And when my partner is not grounded I am anxious times a thousand.  I can feel it.  To say there is tension in the air is an understatement.  When my partner isn’t grounded it’s like there is a spider web filling every ounce of space in the room, and I cannot avoid getting stuck in it.  It makes me physically ill when it’s there, and there is no escaping it.  Or is there?

This is when I send an emergency text to my energy healer and have her send clearing and grounding energy immediately.  When she is able to do so there is an immediate shift in the way I feel.  Suddenly there is no more emotional charge hijacking my soul.  I am no longer lost in the non-physical dimension of downward spiraled thought and I am present again.  Being grounded can actually turn a horrible experience into a very uplifting one.

How is this possible?  When we are grounded, energy is allowed to flow through our root chakra instead of getting stuck and building up.  Thoughts and feelings can flow through us rather than being over-processed by our minds.  Grounding allows us to be fully present in our physical body and allows us to enjoy what is happening in the current moment, irrespective of seemingly omnipresent problems.

How can you ground yourself?  Of course, not everyone has an energy healer on speed dial.  I often ground myself instead of calling wolf.  I only contact my energy healer if I’m having a do or die kind of moment, like when my partner’s ungrounded energy feels like it is literally going to kill me where I sit or stand.  I know I am very lucky to have this kind of help in my life.  Perhaps one day I will learn how to ground my partner, but for the time being I am able to ground myself.

3 Ways to Ground Yourself

1) Walk Barefoot Outside.  This isn’t possible at the moment, being -10 C in Canada, but if it were even remotely feasible I would be out there rolling around in the earth right now.  Being in direct contact with the earth allows your body to assume the same electrical charge as the ground, stripping away the damaging electrical charges that unhinge us.  Alternatively you could probably go hug a tree!

2) Visualization.  Sit or stand with your feet touching the ground.  Imagine roots growing from the soles of your feet and see them diving deep into the earth where they wrap around the earth’s core.  Picture the earth sharing her energy with you and becoming one with the ground.  Tree pose in yoga is one of my favourite poses for this reason.  If you can visualize yourself as a tree and become one with the earth, it is amazing how strong your balance becomes.  It is for this reason that this pose is one of the very first poses performed in a yoga class!

3) Exercise and Proper Nourishment.  I find this the easiest way to stay grounded, simply because these habits promote grounding without necessarily having to think about it.  Clean eating and exercise are not difficult tasks once you make them a priority.  Daily exercise is important for the mind and body, but it’s not enough.  I would say that it’s even more important that you properly nourish yourself.  This means drinking filtered water and eating as clean as possible: fruits, vegetables, organic meats.  It also means limiting the bad stuff such as dairy and processed foods.  Eat as close to the earth as you possibly can.  This means preparing food from scratch rather than ordering pizza, though I have been known to order the odd pizza – I’m human after all.

Lately I have been listening to The Untethered Soul in audio book format.  I would highly recommend this book!  I am only about 1/3 of the way through it but it has already resonated with me so much.

It’s all about letting energy and experiences flow through you rather than holding onto events, both positive and negative.  It’s about being aware of your awareness and being in the present moment, which is something that I have been focusing on a lot during the past 7 weeks.

The best part about listening to an audio book is that you can multitask while you learn!  You can take a bath by candlelight and close your eyes while submerging yourself in self exploration, which is what I did last night.  Or you can listen while your 1 year old is thoroughly enthralled by Percy the train as he circles around the track for the 100th time, which is what I did this morning.

I have been going to a Quantum Energy Healer for some time now.  I can go into a session feeling so overwhelmed and just raw with emotion and 5 minutes later my energy field is completely sorted out and I am on top of the world.  I really could not have gotten through this personal crisis without her.  But now it is time for me to learn how to sort out my own energy field so that I can feel on top of the world all the time instead of texting her to sort out my depressive emergencies.  I really can not thank her enough for the love and care she has shown me.

In The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer makes it seem quite easy to keep your energy system flowing freely.  His advice is this: simply do not close yourself off.  Open your heart and leave it open.  For example, do not cower in fear if a stranger approaches you to chat, but be open to meeting someone new.  So far it really does seem that easy.

I don’t know where I came up with this personal motto, but I use it daily: Send love to those you initially judge.  There is one man in particular that has annoyed me every single day when I pick my son up from school.  Since starting this journey to reinvent myself, the next time I crossed his path I opened my heart and realized what a nice man he really is.  You really can open your heart and let go of thoughts that don’t serve you.  Feel them and let them pass through you rather than dwelling on them.  See your heart glowing with pink light and open yourself up to both send and receive love.  It really is that easy.

First you must be aware of things that bother you, acknowledge them, and then let them go.  Stay in the present moment and notice the next item that enters your physical world or your consciousness.  Energy and thoughts should be constantly flowing and not repeated or dwelled upon.  It may not be easy at first, but it is definitely worth the challenge to free yourself and unleash the power within.