List out Fears:

When you are facing a crisis, write out everything that is frightening you. Once you have jotted this down, rip it up or burn it! That’s right, just release it. There is no room for that junk in your mind. What you focus on you create, so all that negative thinking will bombard you with negativity. 

I used to be fear-based. I found ways to worry about everything. All that did was make me sick. Positive thinking is incredible, just on your physical body alone. We do an exercise called muscle testing where a person is asked to worry about something, hold out their arm and we will push down on the arm gently just to note how strong they are. Next, we have them focus on something that is uplifting and brings them great joy, then again have them hold out their arm and we will push down one more time. It is proven that when the mind is positive, the brain secretes neuropeptides which enhance the immune system, aid in digestion, and slow down the aging process. You wouldn’t guess that I am 120 years old. Well… that’s what I tell my group. But, for a 67-year-old, I am acting and feeling half my age because of remaining happy. Unrealistic in these times? Not at all. There is always something to feel grateful for.

In focusing on the negatives, you are taking time off your life. Disease = dis ease. Focusing on the worst thing that can happen is the real downfall of this society. Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best is backward. Enjoy the best and in case of the worst, handle it in your strength, not your weakness.

Now, you military types may disagree with this, and that is granted. For the defense of our country of course we need to be prepared. But, are you in the military? Are you going to make the preemptive strike before they get you? This seems to be happening more and more and it has bred hate and separatism in this country and in the world. A client recently traveled in the Middle East and was targeted by police wherever he went, because he looked “American.” Oh, it is happening and are you going to join in the negativity or see the planet loving and whole?

We do a peace meditation every morning which is basically a hug meditation. First, you start out by giving yourself a hug, and once filled to the limit, you imagine hugging your loved ones, places in this country, and in the world. It is a process of embracing whatever and whomever. On some level, people pick up on the good energy you are throwing their way. One day my mother told me she worried about me and I told her to stop, that it was ruining my health. She told me that’s what mothers do to show their love. I asked her to show her love by giving me hugs in her thoughts. 

A few clients are considering packing up and moving to Canada. When the going gets tough, I guess. If there is a problem, we ask people to move toward that problem and address it with love. This is how you emotionally heal. If something bad happened to you in the past, then talk with that younger part of you, show it you care, and do fun activities with that wounded part in you, so you can heal that issue for the last time. But this isn’t emotions, it’s a mindset that some force is going to wreak havoc on us all. With that type of thinking, be careful. Spiritually speaking we may create it.

During the Vietnam War, there was a talk show in Arizona that was interviewing Mother Theresa. They asked her if she was there to take part in the anti-war parade the following day. She replied, “I won’t march against the war, but if there is a march for peace I will gladly join in.”

In troubled times, the most important thing is to care for yourself. If you are overwhelmed, cut back on your obligations. Delegate responsibilities to others in order to free up your time and aid in you feeling more at ease. List out your obligations, prioritize them into A – urgent, B – secondary, C – not my problem or someone else can do this for me. When you organize yourself in this way, then you know what you are facing. With the most difficult problems, break them down into incremental steps. The overall picture may seem too much but it is easy to care for one item, then the next, and then the next. For example, I had a friend whose house looked like a bomb went off and there was clutter and debris everywhere! Living in that environment bred laziness and overwhelm. He decided to focus on groups of five. He would clean up five items and then ask himself if he wanted to do five more. Within a short period of time, his home looked like his home again.

If you suffer from panic attacks then consciously breathe. Drink water. Breathe. Go for a little walk and focus on your breathing. Did I recommend breathing? Your heart is pounding because it lacks oxygen. Relax your muscles and breathe. Tell yourself you are safe. Stay in the here and now as the wave of panic flows past you.

Past posts have addressed how to address your emotional self. I can attest, myself, that tools like opposite hand writing, and opposite hand play had a major impact on the abuse I suffered as a child, and it was the root cause of my panic. Until I learned to apply love to that younger child in me who suffered something that was horrific, the majority of my anxiety lifted. I knew I was on the right course when I could go on an airplane, take an elevator, be in close quarters with people, and talk to large groups of people on stage. The pinnacle for me was giving a speech to the graduating cadets of the LAPD – a group of around 500 policemen all in uniform. It was my ultimate test because a decade before I was running away from them when I was selling bootleg t-shirts at concerts. Who knew?