Restorative Reflections

03/25/2022

Relationships evolve over time, ideas about relationships change, and beliefs that once held true, shift beneath our feet to create something different. Has your perception about relationships changed lately? If so, how? Please comment below 😀

11/22/2021

11/03/2021

Let stressors melt away at the end of the day. Dont take toxic residue from the days events hone to your loved ones. Release and do your absolute best to refrain from talking about the negative elements of your day. Doing a mental dump on the drive home allows us to enjoy time with those we love. When we feel good, relationships thrive.

11/02/2021

There are so many things that we learn about life as we go through it. Sometimes these things come easily and we take no notice of the transition from where we are to where we end up. There is a natural progression in the learning that elevates us from one stage to another gracefully. Then, there are harsh lessons that occur when exposure and knowledge are limited, and we struggle with the harshness of a reality we're not yet familiar with. Relationships can be difficult to navigate due to varied exposure to people with a myriad of different experiences. How can we possibly navigate relationships eloquently when we come across people with differences in values and experiences from our own? Truthfully, when we are vastly different from another, we find communication the most difficult. Yet, this is when we must be the most open and willing to communicate. It can seem daunting to communicate our weaknesses to another, but this level of communication opens a doorway to better relationships.
Righting wrongs, expressing our needs, being appreciated, respecting differences and valuing ourselves and others, allows relationships to grow into meaningful connections. When you are able to transform your relationships everything else improves.

10/22/2021

Enough said!

10/21/2021

There are parts of ourselves that we suppress and dislike, and often these parts of us just need to be acknowledged and integrated into who we are. Today, is a good day to be grateful for those parts of us we keep in the shadow, unnoticed by others. That part of you whether tirant or warrior, will get louder if ignored. Pay attention to where you feel inadequate and mend the perception that is keeping you in the dark. You were never broken 🤗

10/20/2021

Perhaps, one of the most pervasive of all shadow emotions amongst the human population, is withholding love. Withholding love includes the dark feelings of rage, maliciousness, rejection, betrayal, and deprivation. These feelings are not active in us all of the time, but are triggered by certain individuals in our lives. When these feelings are triggered, it can feel like a storm brewing within us. Noticing the darker feelings that emerge under certain circumstances, allows us to understand our true nature. Shedding light on these deep emotions, creates an openess that may not have existed before. When we are open to every aspect of ourselves we can create the antidote. Give yourself space to feel whatever comes up inside of you emotionally. Recognize that its purpose is t o show you the facets of yourself that you suppress, so you can be present with all of your emotions. This doesn't mean that you express them verbally to others in a rampage! Deal with the root cause of the emotion and heal the underlying perception or misconception. Expressing your emotions to others prior to healing, can cause unnecessary torment in your relationships.

10/19/2021

The way we respond emotionally is largely due to learned behaviors. As children, we watched and learned from caregivers, community, and were molded by societal expectations. This can be very constructive if we learned how to process our emotions effectively however, most of us did not. Instead, we suppressed and ignored our feelings by not thinking about them. We carried on not recognizing the importance of our feelings. Feelings are processed by the brain and associated with good or bad memories. More simply, feelings are data about our perceptions and the way we respond to them, and they are solely our responsibility. Science tells us that we repeatedly have the same thoughts and our memories keep us trapped in the same emotional experience. However, emotions can be cultivated, and we can achieve new setpoints over a short amount of time. Which means, we can create a different experience. You can set a new standard for your emotional experience. What do you want to feel? Commit to feeling that feeling several times a day. The more you focus on the new emotional response, the easier it is to establish a new setpoint.

10/18/2021

The most important aspect of ourselves, is our self-worth. Success in all areas of life requires a strong sense of our worthiness.

10/17/2021

The need and fear of love is an illusion. Love is a pure force within us that feels joyous and satisfying. Love does not require anything outside of ourselves to exist. If something feels "off", "heavy", or "negative" take a step back. Never allow anyone to take away your ability to enjoy love in your life. When you allow yourself to feel less or act with less love, your power gets taken away. Love can always be trusted. When you give up on love, life becomes less meaningful. Love doesn't have to go down with the ship infact, it can't. It is always with you ❤

10/12/2021

Memories of experiences in the past color our present thoughts and actions. In terms of relationships, issues of distrust cause us to exercise caution in new relationships. Yet, the past cannot be repeated unless we take the same course of action as before. Even so, a different person will most likely respond differently than the previous one. Relinquishing suffering is necessary as we move from one relationship to another. Instead of closing off our emotions so that we no longer feel the suffering of the past, we can take a step towards nonreactivity. If we can see our past as fleeting moments that are here and gone, we can build a bridge from past to present. We don't need to carry our past experiences with us. We can release them and create a path of no resistance as we move forward. We begin to understand that bridging the gap between past and present is an effective strategy to release ourselves from our self constructed mental prison. We begin by noticing our patterns. The way we think about ourselves and others, can easily be changed. Consistency is a game changer! The more we notice, the more we can improve the way we respond. Each new action brings a new response. It begins by laying the framework for which new mental constructs can be formed. What would it feel like to trust? What will it cost you if this pattern doesn't change? Notice all the ways you demonstrate distrust. Notice your body language, words, the ways you create distance or avoid certain conversations. Then, recreate your thoughts as though you are trusting. It takes repetition to create a new way of being but you can restore the feeling of trust and that, will attract healthy relationships to you.