The Accidental Forest Bather

This morning, while meditating outside on a stump surrounded by nature, I found myself tuning in to the chirping sounds of the birds and frogs, feeling the sensation of the sun and wind on my skin, and I began to wonder if I was actually Forest Bathing.  In truth, my exact thought was “Is it Forest Bathing if you are fully clothed?”*⁣
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A quick post-meditation google search confirmed that this was, in fact what I had been doing.  Forest bathing is simply the experience of sitting quietly in nature while mindfully noticing the information coming in through your five senses.  And it’s lovely.⁣
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Research shows that exercising in a green space provides extra depression-busting benefits beyond exercise alone.  This benefit is even more enhanced in a “green and blue” space, where water is also present.  It seems logical to suspect that the same is true with mindfulness practices and meditation.⁣
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So, if you want to boost your health, happiness and mental well-being, commit yourself to a regular meditation practice.  If you want to supercharge your practice, get outside!⁣
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*(Side note- I wasn’t doing an awesome job letting go of my thoughts as they arose...  I am very much an imperfect meditator 😂😂😂).⁣

What To Do When People Doubt Your Awesomeness

What do you do when faced with Doubting Debbies?  The people who tell you that what you want to do can’t be done?  Or, worse yet, that YOU specifically won’t be able to do it?!  

Do you internalize and adopt their lack of confidence in you?  Do you get angry?  Or do you use their doubt to fuel your motivation?

This vacation week, I found this 1000 piece puzzle (with hidden objects!!!) at a consignment shop for a couple of dollars and decided to buy it to give the kids (and myself) something to do when it rained or we needed to have some indoor down-time.  

As we started the puzzle, and realized how daunting of a task this might actually be, my father innocently commented that he wasn’t sure we’d be able to finish it within the week.  And my husband agreed.  

Here’s where my semi-oppositional nature kicked in.  I try to use this particular trait for good, rather than evil, but when I’m told I can’t do something my inner voice automatically says, “Oh, Heck no!”  

When they were starting to prep me for interventions with my son after 23 hours of labor, on pitocin, without any pain management this is what my inner voice said to me as I stopped their evil plan and pushed that baby out.  When they were prepping the OR after birthing my daughter because (without getting into the gory details) the things that are supposed to happen after birth weren’t happening on their own in a timely fashion, I heard that voice kick in again, and no surgery ended up being necessary.  

“OH HECK NO” is the automatic neural network I’ve built when faced with other people’s doubt.

So when I heard two of the significant men in my life doubt our collective ability to complete the task at hand I knew that this puzzle would be completed before we ended our week.  When I found this sign at a store in Sunapee Harbor, I knew that I needed to have it simply from the fiery motivation I felt just from reading it.

So we worked on the puzzle on and off over the days and...  it was missing one stinking piece!  😂  While this was a good lesson in humility, I’m still going to own our success.  And anyway, my sign covers the missing piece perfectly!  

More importantly, I’m bringing my sign home to put in my office to fire me up when I start to have doubts about my own hopes and dreams.  And I’m encouraging you to adopt this attitude as well. 

If someone ever tells you that you can’t accomplish your dreams, I hope that your inner voice responds with a big old “OH HECK NO!”  And, if your inner voice isn’t quite there yet, feel free to use mine.  We are all capable of far more than we realize, we just have to be brave enough to stand up to the doubt.  

Disconnecting to Reconnect

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I’m rarely alone.  With a husband and two children, a job where I work with people, and friends who I wish I connected with more frequently it’s unusual for me to be doing something by myself.  Generally speaking, I’m happy about this.  I love people.  They’re my species!  However tonight, I found myself on the lake watching the sunset while completely alone.⁣
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I’ll be honest.  At first I felt kind of sorry for myself.  You see, I often watch my neighbors going out for long paddles with a close friend or spouse and I envy that intimacy and wish that I had the space (and companionship here) to do the same. ⁣
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But once I settled in on my paddle board and quieted my thoughts I realized that I was experiencing a perfect moment.  The sunset was spectacular and the water was calm.  The dragonflies skimmed the surface of the water occasionally landing on my board and joining me for the ride.  Interspersed with the sound of the birds was the singing and laughing of children at the various residences around me.  And the sky was wide open with the water reflecting the blue and orange hues above.⁣
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I realized that I did not feel in the least bit lonely despite being alone.  As I floated around on this lake that I have been coming to since I was an infant, I felt profoundly connected to this space that feels like home.  I felt connected to past incantations of myself and the various stages of my life.  I felt connected to the invisible strangers surrounding me on the lake who were enjoying this spectacular evening.  And I felt connected to something bigger than myself and my life.  ⁣
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If I had shared the moment with a loved one, I likely would have been stuck in my head, processing out loud the thoughts that were filling our minds.  I would have felt connected but also distracted from the gifts around me.  Being alone allowed me to be fully present in the moment, soaking up the gifts around me.⁣
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Temporarily disconnecting from other people sometimes allows us to reconnect to ourselves and the world around us.  Sometimes we need to be alone with the awesome beauty in this world to remember who we are and why we are here.  

Join me on Goodreads!

Hi all!

I've finally created a Goodreads profile for my practice and would love for you to connect with me!  This is an easy way to check out the books I've read and recommend, (or not), that you may find helpful with your own growth and healing journey.

Check out my profile here! Christy's Goodreads Profile!

Self Care in Times of Transition

With every change of season and transition, my self care practices need to be tweaked. It seems like as soon as I’ve got a routine running like clockwork, something changes that makes my practice not fit into the realities of my life anymore. ⁣
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So while I had gotten into the habit of meditating, riding my exercise bike, and journaling every morning, trying to continue this with my kids home from school turned a practice that had been nurturing into an exercise in frustration. ⁣
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The importance of being flexible and adaptable in creating self care routines is essential. What works for you in the beautiful weather of summertime might feel punishing in the depths of winter, (I’m looking at you, former running routine!) Injuries happen that require us to give up on or temporarily suspend daily exercise routines. Schedules change in yoga studios. What used to excite us starts feeling like a chore.⁣
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So I’m in the process of recreating my self-care routines so that they work with my two children now being underfoot in the mornings. My time on the bike and sitting meditation has been traded for yoga videos with an extended shavasana, practiced outside when the weather permits or closed away from my kids when I need to stay inside. I’ve encouraged my kids to join me in my practice as a strategy to avoid their interruptions (with no success... yet!)⁣
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So if you have established self care routines that have stopped flowing with your life, try not to rigidly hold on to what you have been doing and instead figure out what activities could give you similar benefits but might fit a bit better with your current realities. Until, inevitably, it all needs to shift once again.

Solstice Rituals

Happy summer solstice! ☀️

We are officially experiencing the longest day of the year and the peak of our energy before the sun begins its long retreat tomorrow. ⁣
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I try to mark each solstice and equinox as a time for reflection and to realign myself with my intentions and goals. It is also a time for me to reconnect with nature and the natural rhythms we experience during the year. ⁣
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Personal rituals can be an important way to create growth and refocus our life’s intentions.⁣
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#solstice #ritual #nature #intentions #therapistlife #therapy #hellohappyliving 

#christyacolelcpc

Yoga for Stress Relief

As many of you probably know, I am a big fan of yoga as a form of stress relief. Yoga combines deep breathing, meditation, exercise, and muscular relaxation to create a powerful way to relax your entire body. My personal experience with yoga has convinced me that profound emotional and physical changes can occur when a person commits to a regular yoga practice. In fact, research is increasingly showing that yoga can be wonderful therapy for anxiety, depression, and many other mental illnesses and issues.

Yoga classes can be a great way to get started and there are many local resources available to us. However, for many people individual practice is the best option due to time and financial constraints. There are many great DVDs and videos that can get you started with this powerful practice. Here are a few of my favorites.

I've recently discovered that the web can be a wonderful place to learn more about yoga. In fact, many websites are offering streaming yoga videos that allow you to practice for free in the comfort of your own home. My favorite, http://www.yogatoday.com/ , offers a free, hour-long yoga class for every day of the year. You can also sign up to receive a free 15 to 20-minute yoga podcast that can be downloaded directly to your video i-pod or mp3 player at http://www.yogamazing.com/ . These are just two of the many resources a person can find on-line and can be a wonderful way of relieving stress, (and, for my students, a great way to complete their relaxation homework assignment!) Namaste!