Within each one us lies an internal compass which I liken to our own personal GPS system. The still small voice, hunch or inner leading that guides us in the right direction and helps us find our way through the forest. This GPS helps know which direction to take on the path of life, and when we follow that internal compass we feel more confident, mentally clear and physically stronger.

Free yourself from the self defeating thoughts that make you sick!

Lately I have received many emails about how to work through feelings of low self worth and shame. It seems this is something we can all struggle with at certain times in our life.

Why are we often our worst critic when it comes to accepting and loving ourselves? Why do we beat ourselves up with self defeating thoughts?

How are you feeling these days? Are you stressed out and overwhelmed? Do you find yourself annoyed and frustrated at the same people, places and things over and over and over again?

Does anyone remember the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? He lives the same day over and over and over and over, well; you get it, AGAIN, in frustration, anger and exhaustion. When he finally comes to accept the circumstances of his life and confront the problem he begins to enjoy his life and POOF, he wakes up to a NEW DAY. I think, for most of us, we all have a little bit of Groundhog Day within us. Rather than fix the problem, we want to dwell in the circumstances that bring us down and keep us anchored in unhappiness. Let’s face it, dwelling in our problems and never focusing on the solution keeps the drama alive and well.

The Importance of How you keep your Space

As I was channel surfing the other night I caught an episode of Hoarders. If you haven’t seen it, it is a show that helps people who have hoarding addictions by sending in a team to clear out the garbage and help them with the emotional root of their addiction. As I watched the team of people attempt to remove tons of garbage and junk from a distraught couple’s home I felt my heart race and my palms sweat. The clutter was making me feel anxious and uncomfortable. I actually had to turn the channel to something more peaceful and drama free, like The Real Housewives on Bravo. A few days later I could not shake the discomfort of seeing that home full of clutter. Have you ever noticed how our physical space parallels our emotional space? The more clutter in our homes, the more likely we are to experience anxiety and bouts of depression. Our emotional state is always linked to our physical space.

How is your mental state these days? Are you experiencing peace and joy in your everyday life or frustration and impatience? Are you living your life “on purpose” or going through the motions feeling numb and dead on the inside? How is the garden of your mind? Are you tending to your garden or letting the weeds take over?

When I lived in Boston I lived next door to an elderly woman who had a beautiful garden. Every morning my neighbor was outside in her floral “moo-moo,” (cirqua Mrs. Roper from Three’s Company), tending carefully to each plant and flower. She would spend hours walking around her garden joyfully humming and making sure her flowers were strong and healthy. Many mornings I would sip my coffee and watch her peacefully pulling out the weeds and tending to her precious flowers. To this day I remember how tall and lovely her sun flowers were. I think our mental state can be compared to tending to a garden, do we have beautiful sunflowers of joy and peace or toxic weeds of bitterness and guilt?