Presence

In what ways are you present for others?

How do you practice being present for yourself?

This topic of presence is probably why I am in the field I'm in, doing what I can to help people learn and understand the importance of being present through mindful living.

Why? Because presence is what was missing for me in my childhood which then turned into a learned behavior where I was seldom present for others or myself. I didn't know how to be.

I lived in my own bubble staying highly focused on what was wrong, what I wanted, what I needed, and how others were impacting me rather than how I could positively impact others.

This was painful for the child in me, the teen in me, and the adult me.

When people say they want and crave connection with others, what they're really saying is that they want to feel presence. We all want to feel that our presence matters just as much as we want to feel that others are present for us during an interaction.

As a mindfulness counselor, I've been honing in on presence and its meaning by starting with me. Meditation is my practice of being present with self by placing my focused attention on breath, body, mind, and more importantly, spirit and emotions.

When I can sit still in silence with myself and tune out all other distractions, I am experiencing presence. I am growing my capacity for brain and body to be still, to feel and be felt.

This is what we all long for. To be seen, to be heard, to be felt and to be accepted just as we are.

I offer presence through eye contact, listening, touching, tasting, and smelling.

I offer presence through reaching out to the people I care about.

I offer presence when I am curious and ask questions.

I offer presence when I take walks and admire trees.

I offer presence when I move my body and truly feel its layers of skin, muscle, and tissue.

I offer presence when I look up at the sky and feel gratitude for the sun shining.

I offer presence by opening my heart and sharing my deepest and true feelings.

I offer presence whenever possible because this is the best way I know how to show love.

For me, presence is EVERYTHING.

Pulsating

Raw

Energy

Sensationally

Exchanged

Now

Continually

Existing

Be present moment to moment as often as possible - Observe. Notice. Receive. and Repeat.

Presence matters to all people (kids especially) and Life deserves it!

Transitions

In life, change is inevitable. People normally respond to a change in one of two ways – with open arms feeling nervous excitement or with lots of resistance and feeling fear because change takes us out of our comfort zone and away from what we are used to.

Summertime is coming to an end fairly soon. August is the month where the heat comes on strong just before the subtle cool down begins.

Kids go back to school. Vacations are wrapping up. And Mother Nature does her work to remind us of where we are through changes in temperature, climate, and moon cycles.

As a person who has worked in schools for the majority of my adulthood, life for me used to happen in semesters and when I left schools to work as a psychotherapist, life happens in seasons.

With each season come changes, both in our external world and our internal world regardless of whether or not, we are consciously aware of it. Often times life takes care of making change happen for us in the form of transition.

For various reasons, we either choose to make transitions or we get catapulted into making one to help in our evolution. We transition from being in a relationship to getting out of one, from working one job to transferring to another, from leaving one home into one that better meets our needs, from being full-time parents to empty nesters, from being students to employees, and from living in one city to moving to another.

Even when we don't understand why these transitions need to happen, the universe or God forces us to make this change for our betterment. In the midst of the transition, we may not feel that the change is what's best for us, but there is something inside that pushes us to keep moving forward and taking the steps necessary to complete the transition. The consistent choice we must make is to accept or resist.

For years, I have seen life in this way, so change is something that comes natural for me. Most of the time, I face change with ease because change is what I can expect. Life truly is like a river, full of transitions and changes that take twists and turns which are often unpredictable and vary between calm and chaos.

Life has taught me that nothing remains the same because there is no permanence to any one living thing. Trees, leaves, plants, flowers, grass all grow, die, and then grow back again. Streams, rivers, and oceans move and change direction with a perfect balance of smoothness and strength. People and animals are always aging and with this comes change in physical appearance along with mental, emotional, and (hopefully) spiritual growth.

Recently, I invited some friends to float the Clackamas River here in Oregon. What I was imagining to be a relaxing day of fun in the water with sun and tree gazing unexpectedly turned into being a crazy adventure of uncertainty, anticipation, worry, tons of fear, some panic, and above all connectedness and a lot of faith!

The low level of the river brought about moments of being stuck on rocks, the force of the rapids caused a few of us to fall over and scrape ourselves, the setting of the sun came too soon which brought on purple lips and shivering bodies, and we were faced with the frightening reality that we may not make the shore before the sky turned pitch black.

In the midst of what was happening, I kept reminding myself to trust God and Mother Nature. Each time that we were plunged into a moment of turbulence where someone fell over and hurt themselves, someone lost their float, or we couldn't see our end in sight around the next bend, I would take deep breaths and help in whatever way possible to reach safety again. I calmed myself by consciously connecting with the peace of the water's waves and the sky which had turned into a pinkish purple dusk.

I share this experience of the river float because what I learned from this memorable adventure will forever stick with me and seems pertinent to this topic of transitions.

The river teaches me that:

• Change will happen.

• We are never alone.

• There is always someone to ask for help or someone you can lean on for support.

• We are meant to live in connection with others.

• People will step up when it is a matter of life or death.

• Our comfort zone is temporary.

• The experience we are in now is impermanent.

• Just like waves, life's energy will push us down and we have to get back up to move forward.

• The best way to survive is to go with the flow AND be aware of what we need to do when the change feels harder.

• Let go and let the water (life's purpose for you) lead the way. 

• There is always a reason to be feel grateful for life and the beauty of nature that surrounds us.

River warriors

This in dedication to the 'Nailed It' river float team. Thank you for being warriors on this day of unexpected and scary transitions. Being on dry land has never felt better and I am so thankful that we all braved the changes that were forced upon us by the mighty river of life. Let's float on!

Feelings Matter (part three)

What Emotional Neglect is NOT…

Being Present and Giving Attention because this is True Love.

Towards Self

• Give attention to your feelings.

• Make sure you get your needs met.

• Talk about a situation that is causing you strife or confusion.

• Be true to yourself (even when it requires you to make a difficult decision).

• Care about how you feel just as much as you care about others feelings.

• Show yourself compassion even when you feel shame or regret for a choice you've made.

• Cry when you feel sad or hopeless.

• Listen to yourself.

• Teach people how to treat you by demonstrating how you treat you with love and respect.

• Comfort yourself in moments of fear or anxiety.

• Lift yourself up by taking an action that will ease your pain or sorrow.

Towards Others

• Give attention to another person's feelings when it is clear they need to be felt by you.

• Do your best to meet the needs of those you love and care about.

• Talk through a situation, particularly when you notice that someone feels hurt (it doesn't matter if you think you're in the right or not).

• Be your authentic self with others.

• Care about others feelings by taking actions that show you care (a phone call, a text, a visit, an invitation, a pat on the back, a hug, a kiss, send a card, write a letter, give a gift).

• Show others compassion by listening to them and putting yourself in their shoes (pride and aloofness create disconnect).

• Allow for someone to cry in front of you if they need to and when they are finished, give them an embrace or a gentle touch.

• Listen to people by giving them attention with your eyes, ears, and your heart.

• Ask others questions about themselves or their experiences and be interested in what they have to say.

• Comfort the people you love and care about by being present for them.

Let’s Talk Kids

Emotional Neglect has the capacity to damage a child's self esteem and self worth. As children we need to be seen, heard, and felt by the people who brought us into the world. Many people have children without thinking about what it truly requires to raise a whole, healthy and confident human being.

If you know that you don't have the physical, mental or emotional energy to be present for and give attention to a child perhaps having children is not really something you want to do in your life.

I write this for all of the children in the world now and for all of the adults in the world who were once children. Every human being deserves to be seen, heard, and have their feelings validated especially in a moment of suffering and through the challenging phases of growth. Life is beautiful and also very hard.

Parents - Please teach your children that their feelings matter and that you care to know how they feel by talking openly about your own feelings and modeling to them that having feelings is a natural part of being alive. Allow them the space to know and understand that emotions are not something to be ashamed of.

People – Let's celebrate when feelings are shared! You may find that in your relationships, there will be more sharing, more connecting, increased confidence, a stronger sense of belonging and a deeper love experienced among all.

Feelings are just as important as Thoughts. Let’s Celebrate that we can feel and let’s not be afraid to talk about them!

Feelings Matter (part two)

Emotional Neglect. It may possibly be the root of all human suffering and global chaos.

If you missed part one on this topic, you may want to refer back for context.

Emotional Neglect is making the choice to do nothing about your own emotional state and choosing to ignore the emotions of the people you consider yourself to be in relationship with - adults and children.

My brain has decided to divide Emotional Neglect into categories in hopes that this may be more helpful in understanding how neglecting emotions rears its ugly head and infiltrates our day to day living.

Emotional Neglect towards Self:

1. suppressing feelings that cause you to feel discomfort.

2. choosing not to talk about what you feel out of fear of how it will be received or misperceived.

3. dismissing any emotion that feels too heavy to express, particularly if you feel shame about what you’re feeling.

4. telling yourself that you don't want to deal with feeling...sad, disappointed, hurt, angry, anxiety, fear.

5. pretending you are not hurt when really, you are deeply hurt by a situation or by a person.

6. resisting an emotion like anger because you think it is not okay to express anger because someone in your life influenced you to either fear anger or feel disgust towards anger.

7. refusing to listen to your own needs.

8. not giving yourself what you need in the moment when your body, mind, spirit, and emotions are clearly communicating what that need is.

9. holding back tears when every cell in your body is begging you to release them.

10. doing nothing about feeling depression and anxiety and instead choosing to be a victim of these states of being.

11. choosing not speak your truth with others because of fear that you will be judged, rejected or abandoned.

12. making choices that do not align with what your true self is wanting and needing.

13. not being compassionate with yourself.

Emotional Neglect towards Self is rejecting Yourself.

Emotional Neglect towards others:

1. telling others around you how to feel or what not to feel.

2. shaming someone for feeling a certain way.

3. refusing to talk to a person you know is feeling hurt, sad, or angry because those emotions cause you to feel discomfort or scare you.

4. pretending like feelings don't exist or instilling the belief that feelings are inadequate.

5. laughing at a person when they are crying or throwing a temper tantrum.

6. brushing things under the rug particularly when people’s feelings are involved.

7. placing value on what others think and not caring about what others feel.

8. choosing to ignore a person's needs because doing so would inconvenience your needs or desires.

9. not believing someone when they tell you about an experience that felt painful or confusing.

10. being dishonest and choosing to hide the truth out of fear of how you may be judged or seen.

11. not comforting a person when it is clear they are seeking comfort either with words or affection.

12. not validating a person's feelings when it is obvious (through actions and words) they need to feel seen, heard and felt by you.

13. not being compassionate with others.

Emotional Neglect towards others is a form of abandoning another person.

From my years of experience working as a counselor and hearing people's stories, I have learned that most of us feel a deep seated pain from feeling either rejected or abandoned at some point in our lives.

Rather than dwell on how we have been rejected or abandoned by others, the path to healing requires that we stop rejecting and abandoning ourselves.

We all have the power and awareness to know what we need, when we need it, and how to get it.

Love is intrinsic and comes from your very own heart. The way in which we grow our capacity to love is by first exploring what it means to love Self by learning to meet our own needs. We connect with our mind, body, spirit, and emotions, listen to what they need from us and we nourish them the way a mother or father would feed his or her own child.

Unconditional Love is the opposite of Emotional Neglect :

Love = Attention / Emotional Neglect = Not giving Attention To.

Feelings Matter (part one)

Emotional Neglect. This is a topic I have been wanting to write about for quite some time now.

I remember the first time I heard these words voiced out loud thinking to myself, 'wow, this very well may be the root of all human suffering'.

As years go by and I sit in my therapist chair listening to people's stories of pain that brought them in to talk with me, I am amazed at how every person's experience can look and sound so different and yet, the common thread circles back to Emotional Neglect.

What is Emotional Neglect anyway?

Well, before I look it up on google, I will share what my brain makes of these two words when you clump them together. Emotions that are ignored. Feelings that are not validated. A child whose needs do not get met because the adults in the room either 1. do not know how to meet the need 2. do not know how to feel their own emotions 3. do not know how to talk about feelings and 4. feel total and complete fear of the energy in the room that requires an overwhelming amount of attention, patience, and understanding.

Now, the google definition 1 says: Emotional Neglect is, in some ways, the opposite of mistreatment and abuse. Whereas mistreatment and abuse are parental acts, Emotional Neglect is a parent's failure to act. It's a failure to notice, attend to, or respond appropriately to a child's feelings.

I also found this information on what is Emotional Neglect in a relationship which says: When a couple is emotionally attuned to each other, they experience emotional connection and emotional intimacy. In a relationship or marriage emotional neglect is when a partner consistently fails to notice, attend to, and respond in a timely manner to a partner or spouse's feelings. ...Emotional neglect is common.

All of us adults know exactly what it feels like when we are not getting the attention we need from our partner. We know when we are feeling an emotional disconnect with someone we love or when a feeling we express is not validated by the person we are seeking to be seen, heard, and felt by.

But, why is this so f..ing hard?

From my own experience and what I know about other humans, I can say that 1. feeling emotions we don't want to feel is extremely Uncomfortable 2. knowing how to validate your own feelings is hard enough so validating someone else's feelings will naturally be a challenge and 3. we are all afraid to show others our big feelings because A. what if we get rejected? B. what if we are seen as weak? C. feelings are for sissies and D. thinking and doing is way more acceptable than feeling.

There is so much more I want and need to say on this topic because it is intricate. It's like an onion that you can never stop peeling the layers of. Sticky, sharp, and pungent. You just want to cover it up, seel it tight, hope and pray that its smell doesn't seep out and start to linger all over the place.

The irony is that, just like an onion, this is exactly what neglecting your emotions will do. Feelings are alive and have a mind of their own. Like an onion, emotions are strong, powerful, pervasive, penetrating, suffocating, and stifling when you ignore them and choose not to express them.

When was the last time you acknowledged how you truly feel inside?

When was the last time you validated your partner's or your child's emotions?

Take a moment to identify what you feel in this moment and name it.

Take a few moments to look at your loved one or child in the eye and say 'I can see that you are feeling sad or angry or disappointed right now, do you want to talk about why?'

This is how we bridge the two hemispheres of our brain. This is a practice that helps us to feel whole.

To be continued….

Feel the Earth Embrace You

What is your relationship to mother earth?

Do you ever think about how much she does for all that lives and breathes?

In yoga a few weeks ago, a lovely teacher ended the class with these gentle words during Shavasana, 'let the embrace of the earth come to meet you exactly where you're at'.

This stirred up warm, fuzzy feelings inside of me as my mind visualized trees spreading out their branches to hug me as I walked by on the cool, moist grass soothing my achy feet and feeling comforted by the blue open sky with soft puffy clouds.

My relationship with mother earth has been growing more and more since I discovered my love for trees and the ease that being in nature brings me. The epiphany I had when I moved to Portland was ‘you are never alone, but when you do feel lonely, go be with the trees’.

Mother Nature has become deeply rooted underneath me and also inside of me because her calm and wisdom and love is infinite when I choose to listen.

This past weekend, I was catching up with an old friend from my counseling graduate program who shared that in the last few days she had participated in a group meditation that invited her to connect with the spirit of mother earth to offer gratitude for all that she provides us humans. My friend said that in her 43 years of life, she had never experienced this kind of awareness and love for mother earth before.

It dawned on me that perhaps there are many people like my friend who don't have a close and personal relationship with nature. Much of this has to do with nature vs. nurture. If you live in a place where being in nature is part of daily life, then perhaps you will grow an affinity for it. And if you were born in a place where concrete has replaced the majority of trees and dirt, then it's possible that awareness of mother earth is an afterthought.

There has been quite a bit of talk about this past week being the end of a cosmic cycle and the start of a new galactic year. A time to release old energy and forgive the past before moving into a new cosmic year with a brand new frequency to our planet based on alignment and our ability to attract soul-fulfilling connections and experiences.

What this means for us all is that the energy of the earth is something we feel each day regardless of whether or not we are aware of it. Earth is consistently holding us, feeding us with its energy, and embracing us. We are the creatures which inhabit her. We live in symbiosis with mother nature because this is what we need to live and survive.

Take time out of your daily concrete and steel confinement to breath in the air, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, and the moisture of the grass beneath your feet. Mother earth wants for all of us to thrive and feel more alive.

Last Saturday, I went to see a wonderful movie call Yesterday. The premise of the movie is a struggling singer-songwriter who discovers that no one has ever heard of the Beatles music and so he decides to spread the beautiful words of love and truth from all of their songs. This inspired me to research if the Beatles ever wrote about mother nature and well, of course they did! Go on, take a listen…the lyrics are below the video.

Sing to Mother Nature and make her happy!

Mother Nature’s Son by the Beatles

Born a poor young country boy
Mother Nature's son
All day long I'm sitting singing songs for everyone.

Sit beside a mountain stream
See her waters rise
Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies.

Find me in my field of grass
Mother Nature's son
Swaying daises sing a lazy song beneath the sun.

Mother Nature's son.

Expectations

I've come to learn through my own experiences and from counseling others that there are a few ways we can ensure pain and suffering for ourselves.

To name a few are: resisting change, making comparisons, focusing on what we're lacking rather than on what we have, and ah yes...those funny things we conjure up in our minds called expectations.

My mother gave me this Serenity prayer many years ago. When I look back on that time, I am certain that I lived with a whole lot of expectations of not only myself, but of others and of life. I was full of pain.

Serenity prayer in English reads:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

In the last month or so, I have found myself repeating the wise words a friend of mine shared with me a couple of years ago...'people will rise to that which they are capable of'.

I remember when hearing these words, thinking to myself 'wow, if I could just keep reminding myself of this, I could save myself a lot of hurt and disappointment'. The truth is that for years I've known that human beings will disappoint. The answer to why is very simple. People disappoint one another because they are imperfect human beings with different upbringings, experiences, perspectives, needs, and desires.

It is true that we all have a mind, a body, and a heart, but that doesn't mean that these parts of us are identical to any one person on the planet. And so, what this leads to is a plethora of people living amongst one another and trying to live in harmony without much understanding as to why we say, do, and respond (or react) in the ways we do.

This is not to say that we can't have needs. It is important to distinguish between needs and expectations.

A need is a want or desire that you have identified to be something important for your self preservation. An expectation is defined as a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future or that someone will or should achieve something. Your need is based on a knowing truth you feel inside yourself, whereas an expectation is a belief based on imagination, not reality.

Needs are meant to be voiced and met. Expectations are illusions meant to be tamed.

When we have expectations of what another person is going to say or do, the result can be feeling hurt and disappointment. If we have expectations of what our life is going to be like and it turns out differently, the result can be much more painful as we experience feelings of sadness, despair, and hopelessness along with a lot of confusion.

In the years I've lived on earth thus far, there are a few things I've learned to embrace: change will happen, expect nothing, appreciate everything, and accept things just as they are.

After much trial and error, I have come to realize that every moment truly is a gift. Every experience I have is a combination of fortune and will. Certain things come my way effortlessly and well...other things, I have to will myself either with great or mild effort.

Rather than give my energy to focusing on how I wish something would have turned out differently or how I wish something were different in my current life, I make the conscious choice to give my energy to what is. If I'm not satisfied with my here and now, then I focus on being present to take the necessary actions required for change.

When we can live our life knowing and actually believing that we are in charge only to a certain extent and that the rest is and will unfold as it is supposed to, then we can stop placing expectations on others or having expectations of what we want from life.

The more you let go and become the observer of what people say and do or what happens in life, while dropping expectations, the more likely it is that things will naturally shift and come into sync. This way, living feels much like you are floating down a river and less like you are climbing over boulders that you yourself have placed on your path.

Self Worth Comes From?

What do you base your self worth on?

Here is me being vulnerable and real with you about what I don’t and what I do base my worth on.

I DON'T base my worth on:

-the attractiveness of my face or body because true beauty comes from within.

-the size of my bank account because money does not define my value.

-the job I go to each day because I don’t live to work, I work to live.

-how many friends I have because quality means more than quantity.

-what my parents think about me because although their opinions matter, they are not perfect either.

- what people say about me because I've learned that when people talk about others, they are mostly criticizing what they don't like about themselves.

-how much a man loves me because having a partner is a part of life, not life itself.

-being a mother because giving birth to another human being doesn’t make you who you are.

-how I think others perceive me because there is no validity in one person's perception.

-the degrees, certifications or licenses I’ve earned because they are just pieces of paper that confirm I made an effort and showed discipline. Nothing more.

-the color of my skin because skin sheds. It’s just an outside layer that protects my inside world. No one color is better than the other.

-people's love for me because how others love me is incomparable to the love I can feel and show myself.

-my achievements because they are things I’ve done well, but I am a human being, not a human doing.

-things like cars, clothes, and other material objects because stuff is just stuff. When I’m on my deathbed, I won’t be thinking about stuff.

-whether or not I receive praise from others because the most important words I need to hear come from inside me.

I DO base my worth on:

-my relationship with God and how often I am able to trust that I am being taken care of.

-how often I practice living with faith rather than with fear.

-the ways that I take care of myself each day.

-how nicely I talk to myself and others.

-how well I listen to myself to meet my own needs.

-choices I make moment to moment that either nourish me or deplete me.

-the compassion, patience, consideration, and love I show others.

-my ability to be flexible in difficult situations.

-the relationships I make effort to cultivate and grow.

-my capacity to remain calm rather than be reactive.

-practicing perseverance in the midst of a challenge rather than giving up.

-how closely I live my life in alignment with my truth and my dreams.

-mindfully communicating my thoughts, feelings, and needs with others.

-the thoughts in my head that I choose to listen to and believe.

-my willingness to follow through with a goal I have set for myself.

-practicing acceptance of what is, rather than what I want it to be.

-the quality of my interactions with people I work with, those I love, and even strangers.

-my ability to keep my word and show integrity.

My Self worth is a process that waxes and wanes. It does not stay the same because I myself am a process that is constantly changing, cultivating, engaging, and rearranging.

If there is one thing I have learned in the last 6 years of working as a psychotherapist, it's that people suffer most from the relationship they have with their own Self. They think they are suffering from a toxic relationship, feelings of rejection from others, not having enough, not being given enough praise, not being respected or loved in the way they long to feel love.

All of this begins with Self. We are the captains of our own vessel.

- If you are in a toxic relationship, learn to set boundaries, demand respect or leave.

-If you feel rejected by others, notice if you are often rejecting yourself.

-If you focus on not having enough, ask yourself when the last time was that you felt gratitude for what you do have?

-If you feel you aren't being given enough praise from others, begin with giving yourself praise rather than expecting it to come from someone else.

-If you feel you aren't being respected or loved in the way you need, pay attention to how you are showing yourself respect and love.

Recently, I heard a quote in a movie 'Dreams are the seeds of action'. This led me to think that our dreams might possibly be the root of our Self Worth because when we truly listen to our dreams, we are listening to what our highest Self is calling us to do. When we take actions that align with our dreams, we are being true to our heart and spirit.

When was the last time, you heard your dreams tell you to 'make more money' or 'buy the bigger house' or 'drive the expensive car'? These are not dreams, these are desires which mostly stem from a place of lack or insecurity.

I believe that our dreams whisper things of more substance such as 'create something with your hands' or 'write a book' or 'tell your story anyway you know how to' or 'build a family' or 'design your life the way you want it to feel' or 'do what you love to do as much as possible' or 'experience something new'.

My dreams encourage me to write from my heart. To speak my truth on paper and share with others in hopes that they may gain insight or feel some sort of healing from it.

If I could sum up in a few words what I think about Self Worth, I would say that your worth depends solely on how you view you, how you treat you, and how you choose to think, feel, and act in accordance with what you want and what you believe will make your dreams come to life.

Rest in Nature and Receive its Good Vibes

In the last few months here in Portland, I've noticed the new buzz topic is on the benefits of being in nature. One of the local radio stations announced last week that the ideal time to be outside connecting with nature is 20 minutes a day.

Naturally, I feel inclined to spread the word because being outside is what I do best. I've spent the majority of my life outside amongst trees and/or being in water since this is something we folks from Texas do a lot of to handle the heat and stay cool.

When people ask why I left Texas to move to Portland, my response is always the same, 'For the trees'.

What I didn't know then, that I am sure of now is that I want to help people feel better through rediscovering life outside of themselves and the places where we spend the most time – our cars, our office, and our home.

Root&Connect recently branched out to become its own business and one of the things I feel most excited about offering is eco-therapy, otherwise known as nature therapy or green therapy. This form of therapy is a practice of the emerging field of ecopsychology which believes that people are a part of the web of life and our psyches are not isolated or separate from our environment.

Essentially, we need nature to help keep us in balance. The reason I want to incorporate this practice into my clinical work is because I believe that we were created to be in connection with earth and its systems. This is what is natural because we as humans are part of nature.

The buzz around town is that being in nature for 20 minutes a day contributes to our overall well-being:

• Emotional- helps us to feel better emotionally by decreasing feelings of anger, fear, and stress; and increasing our pleasant feelings or higher emotions.

• Physical- helps by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. A new report reveals that exposure to green space reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and preterm birth.

• Mental- has been proven effective in reducing anxiety and depression because different parts of our brain activate in nature.

The Root&Connect approach is to interweave talk therapy with nature therapy through earthing and practicing mindfulness in nature. I realize that this form of therapy is somewhat outside of the box, but again that is precisely the idea!

We need to get out of our boxes to experience the outside world and feel our very best whenever it is possible.

All it takes is the first step from being indoors to outdoors. Then researching to discover what parks or green spaces are within a 1 mile radius of your home or office. Form a new habit of visiting these spaces often to rest in nature and receive its good vibes. Your whole self will thank you for it and you will notice that you do indeed feel better.

To learn more about the practices offered at Root&Connect, visit these links:

http://www.rootandconnect.com/earthing

http://www.rootandconnect.com/mindfulness-in-nature

My Number One Value is Freedom

While on a walk with my best friend, he asked me a question that I've been reflecting on mindfully for the last 2 to 3 months. His question, “If you had a memoir about your life, what would the title be?

What came to mind within seconds was 'My Journey to Freedom'. The explanation as to why is because my number one value is Freedom and if I look back on what has been important to me throughout the stages of my life, the answer has always been to feel Freedom.

When I think about what freedom means to me, I immediately notice a sense of elation in my heart, body, and mind because the very thought of feeling free gives my life more purpose.

I'm not sure how many people in the world ponder freedom in the same way I do. What I believe is that we ALL ultimately long to feel freedom in one form or another.

We have our desire to feel Freedom from's:

Freedom from stress

Freedom from body pain

Freedom from wanting more

Freedom from our addictions

Freedom from comparing ourselves with others

Freedom from worry about what others think of us

Freedom from worrying about money

Freedom from our negative thoughts

Freedom from emotional pain

Freedom from our racing or irrational thoughts

Freedom from fear of failing

Freedom from feeling insecurities

Freedom from the voice in our head that tells us that we aren't good enough

And our desire to feel Freedom to's:

Freedom to speak up and say what we really think and feel

Freedom to do what we really want to do, when we want to do it

Freedom to make choices that align with our own truth

Freedom to leave a toxic relationship that brings us down rather than lift us up

Freedom to decide what medications we want to take to heal our illnesses

Freedom to choose love over fear

Freedom to choose acceptance over resistance

Freedom to say no

Freedom to say yes

Freedom to be who we really are

Freedom to think for ourselves

Freedom to believe what we want to believe about our self and about the world

Both of these lists could go on and on...Perhaps you could think of some of your own to add.

A similar question you could ask yourself that may help you to identify your number one value is 'what do you live for?'

I know that for me, I have decided to dedicate my life to helping people feel free from mental health symptoms that weigh them down and cause them to question if their life is worth living for.

Depression and Anxiety have become my specialties because these are two mental health disorders that I inherited from my ancestors. I feel a fierce determination to do something about changing the way that many people treat them, refer to them, and even think about them. Lifting the stigma of mental health is one of my reasons for living.

I envision a world where everyone feels freedom from the mental, physical, and emotional pain that these disorders cause people to experience.

We ALL deserve a life where we can honestly say we are free to feel, think, and do as our heart wishes to, as long as we are living in accordance with our highest self while respecting every human being in the same way we want to feel respected. I believe it is possible for everyone to feel this sense of freedom I am talking about as long as our core needs are being met.

Abraham Maslow proposed this theory in psychology in a 1943 paper called 'A Theory of Human Motivation' where he proposed that humans behavioral motivation is based on a pattern and he called it Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Each of these levels must be satisfied within an individual before the next level for motivation can occur. The levels are:

1. Psychological needs

2. Safety needs

3. Love and Social Belonging

4. Self esteem

5. Self-actualization

The goal in Maslow's theory was for humans to attain the fifth level being Self-actualization which for me basically equates to Freedom. I believe that when you spend the majority of your time focusing your heart, thoughts, and energy on your desires to feel the Freedom to's, the outcome will naturally be that you begin to live in service of what You truly value most, rather than focused on what your parents, your peers, or your partner thinks you 'should' value.

I feel very happy to finally open up my own practice after 5 years of holding onto a vision of what I wanted to do without the freedom to do so.

Root&Connect's purpose is to help guide people towards discovering a deeper relationship with Self through the daily practices of:

• Being Present for Yourself, People, and all Living Things.

• Living in accordance with Your Values.

• Connecting with the Whole You Compassionately because Your Heart, Body, Mind, Spirit, and Emotions all need Nourishment from You, then from Others.

• Mindfulness in Nature because this is what saved me from living in the darkness of Depression and Anxiety. My connection with trees was what initially drew me out of my own suffering. For this, I am eternally grateful to trees for their presence, their shade, and their beauty on planet Earth.

• Self Love through Self-Care.

Freedom is my number one value because my purpose for living is to feel free to be me by thinking, feeling, and acting in accordance with what I believe to be true and important.

If you were given the Freedom to write your own story, what would you call it?

GOAL~ Get Out And Live!

Lately, I've been contemplating what it means to be bored because I have a number of clients, particularly kids, who tell me they feel bored all of the time.

Bored defined is feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one's current activity.

When thinking of how to encourage people to counteract boredom, I started imagining what it means to have a goal and why it's so important for us to create small goals and big goals for ourselves.

Having a goal in mind is like fueling a fire that can easily become dormant or go completely out if we don't give it the energy it needs to stay alive. A goal focuses the mind and gives us motivation to take action towards something that feels meaningful.

Once a goal is achieved, we can appreciate our efforts and bask in feelings of self confidence and self worth that grow out of the knowledge that we are capable, we are enough, and we can do what we discipline our mind and heart to do.

It seems to me that a life with goals, is a life that is being truly lived. Rather than just dream about the things you want to do and accomplish, begin with one small step. A few small steps might quickly snow ball into one big step and before you know it, you are making your dreams a reality.

Believe in yourself, squash your doubts or fears, and set goals that will inspire you to Get Out And Live!

Create

In early August, a good friend came to visit and I got to show her around gorgeous Portland. She and I both love practicing yoga so we went to a studio called Love Hive Yoga. During the class, I was next to a woman who had colors tattooed on her arm. For some reason I was mesmerized by this tattoo and noticed myself asking...What does it mean?

The next day, while I slept in to get some extras z's, my friend walked to a local cafe called Destino which means Destiny. Later I walked there to meet her and inside the coffee shop I discovered some beautiful pieces of wall art.

These were simple yet stunning pieces of art with splendid colors that lit up the cafe. Beside the art was a printed letter by the artist named David Bennett. In the letter, he wrote something along the lines of 'I have created these tapestries to enrich others lives and walls. I have been diagnosed with cancer and not sure of how much time I have to live.”

I feel so thankful that the middle right tapestry is now hanging in my office just left of the couch where my clients sit. During sessions, I now shift my gaze from making eye contact with people and their pain, to look at these marvelous colors and take small breaks to diffuse the energy in the room. These colors evoke peace inside me.

This is a practice I’m now calling Color Relief. Think of it as comedic relief only instead of a humorous character or witty dialogue, I am using color to relieve tension.

What color(s) brings you joy and/or peace? Do you surround yourself with this color?

I am grateful to David Bennett who I believe has passed away. May he rest in peace knowing his creations are admired and useful. The time he dedicated to making this wall art will now forever be alive and appreciated. God Bless those who find the courage to create and share their art with others.

What is something you have always wanted to create, but haven't yet found the time or energy for?

Don't wait until tomorrow to begin. Start today. Now.

Trust

Part I

If there is one topic in a therapy session that I consider to be complex, it's this one. I often tell my clients that when we get into a space of talking about trust and what it means, we could potentially be here for a while because trust is something with many layers. I say that trust is dynamic. 

The definition of dynamic is (of a process or system) characterized by constant change, activity, or progress. 

I know that I myself have been in a space with trust for quite some time now and the more I meditate on this topic, the more I learn what it means to me, the better I understand the role it plays in my life to influence how I exist in the world. 

The urge to write about trust first came to me sometime in the late summer, early fall of 2017. At the time, I was living in Portland and had begun contemplating whether or not I felt that Portland, Oregon was the city where I wanted to plant roots and stay put for a while. I remember telling myself that I would Let Go and Let God decide since that was what much of my time in Portland had been centered around since moving here in January of 2016. 

My moving from Texas to Oregon and leaving everything that was familiar, everyone I knew, and all that was comfortable for me took real courage because deep down, I felt fear about being so far away from my comfort zone and the people I love and care for most.

I remember a good friend of mine named Jenny, who I've known since I was 3 years old saying to me in early February of 2016 (about a month after arriving in Portland), 'I have a New Years challenge for you...Why don't you ask God what he's about. Ask Him if He's real. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

These words stuck with me like paper on glue and shifted my perspective in such a way that forever changed me. It felt as though this message from my dear friend was the initiation of a new beginning and a much needed transformation in my life that involved my letting go of control, embracing uncertainty, and fully trusting that God was going to lead the way AND show me how to follow. 

A definition of initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community. Moving to the Pacific Northwest at the ripe age of 39 and watching what unfolded in terms of who I met both in my office seeking therapy from me or outside of my office in my personal life,  felt like an experiment of learning how to do adulthood in a new land. It felt like an experiment in trust because I was finally ready to work on my relationship with God in a way I had never done before. 

In a sense, I turned my fear of living so far away from 'home' into a challenge of seeing how much faith I really had and how much I was willing to allow God to steer my ship. A challenge to see how much control I would be able to give up in order to see God's plan and accept his will for me. 

This continues to be a day to day challenge for me, for most of the people I come across in my office who are struggling, and for people who I call my friends and family. In my opinion, this process of learning how to let go, to really let go and allow for things to flow in the way they are meant to...IS a life long journey that requires patience, compassion, love, and oh so much surrender. 

Part II

Back to my urge to write about trust in late August, early September of 2017.  So I tell myself to Let Go and Let God help me to decide what is best. Around mid summer in June or July, I decide to reach out to a realtor who connects me with a loan officer to see if I qualified to buy my own place. By this time, I had been in Portland for 1.5 years and was feeling happy to be here on most days with the ever so often residual feelings of homesickness for Texas (aka my comfort zone) and more importantly, feeling the need to see and be with my parents. 

I remember praying to God (prayer: otherwise known as talking to God or having a dialogue with God that involves you talking about what's on your mind and in your heart and practicing silence/stillness as you wait to hear a response or an answer). It was clear I felt confused about what the best next step would be for me because I felt I needed to choose between staying in Portland to plant roots and call Oregon home or go back to Austin because well...Texas has been home for the majority of my life. It's where I'm from. 

For some reason, I always told myself that no matter where I would stray away to, Texas would be where I would end up because that is where I've lived the longest and it's where people know me and have known me before 'the initiation'. 

In late August of 2017, I took a trip to Dominican Republic which I also like to call el paraiso (paradise). It was precisely in this week of my experiencing the land of paradise, that the land I called home during my childhood and adolescence was hit by Hurricane Harvey resulting in all kinds of d's – drowning, destruction, devastation, dreadful, disaster, deaths.

My parents living in Houston during Harvey were fortunately blessed to be taken care of by God as destruction happened all around them, but somehow they managed to stay protected and dry. I distinctly remember the moment I was sitting in the Miami airport waiting for my flight back to Portland, watching the news on Harvey, seeing the aftermath of this natural disaster, and saying to myself 'I am so far away from home', 'what if something horrible were to happen to my parents?', 'how would I be there for them if I live so far away?'

Shortly after getting back to Portland, it was the weekend and I was buying groceries to restock my fridge after being gone for so long. I vividly remember I was picking out fruit and suddenly I had a 'feeling' and then felt an inner voice inside me that said 'it's time to go home...back to Texas'. I was so sure of what I felt and heard that I remember sending a text message to one of my closest friends Leah, telling her that I would be moving back to Texas in the next month or so once I was able to find a job in Austin. The date I sent her the text was September 2nd. 

That same day I began looking for work in Texas with complete faith and trust in God that if I was meant to be back there, something would open up and sure enough it did. On October 2nd, I was given a job offer. This solidified for me that I was doing 'the right thing' and that my decision to go back 'home' was what my heart, my mind, and what God wanted for me. 

On November 1st, I was all packed up to begin the road trip back to Texas in the yellow beast otherwise known as Penske truck with my good friend Duncan who I've known since I was about 8 years old. 

Part III

After 4 days and 3 long nights of driving across the country through some beautiful states I had never laid eyes on like Idaho and Utah, then through New Mexico, and the long drive that is Texas, I arrived in Austin around 2am on Sunday, November 5th of 2017 (daylight savings day).

On Monday, November 6th, I was expected to show up to my first day of work at the new job. I started as planned and within a few weeks, I knew the position was not right for me nor was it what I had imagined nor what I had been communicated it would be. 

In addition to the job not panning out as I had hoped, Austin did not feel like home to me anymore. I felt foreign in a city that 1. is my birth place and 2. is where I have lived on and off for the last 20 years of my life. For some reason, Austin no longer felt familiar to me in the way it always had in the past. Within the first few weeks of my move back Texas, I realized that moving back to Austin was a huge mistake. I was having a visceral reaction and every cell in my being told me that this was no longer where I was supposed to be. 

By early December, I started getting sick with cedar fever. Things went from bad to way worse when my allergic reaction to the cedar pollen was preventing me from sleeping at night and actually causing me to feel asphyxiated. I would wake up in the middle of the night at 2 or 3am and have to sit up in bed  so that I didn't feel as though I was drowning in nasal congestion or suffocating to death from not being able to breathe. 

One night while I was awake from about 3am to 5am, I decided to google cedar fever. I discovered that 2018 was recorded as the worst year for Austin's cedar season because of the increased rain and particularly rains from Hurricane Harvey that increased the pollen levels. In a typical year, the pollen count in Austin is anticipated anywhere between 5,000-10,000 grains per cubic meter of air. In 2018, the pollen count could range anywhere between 10,000-60,000, which is rare.

I made the decision to move back to Austin in the absolute worst month of the year just in time to experience what I refer to as cedar fever hell! It's amazing how much you grow to appreciate your natural breath when you're in a physical condition for weeks that no longer allows you to breathe easily. I can honestly say, that those 5 weeks spent with cedar fever were by far the worst allergic reaction I have ever had and (fingers crossed) that I ever will have again. I was sleep deprived, groggy, tired, lethargic and cloudy in my head. 

On January 13, 2018, I had an emotional meltdown and could not get out of bed as I cried hard knowing that I felt stuck in this new job I did not want to work, in a dark apartment that felt more like a  cave which I no longer wanted to live in, and wanting the life I had just left behind in Portland.  

I reached out to people in Portland to begin communicating what was happening for me. Some of the most comforting advice I got was from my cousin Sabrina who understands me well. She said, 'Live the life you want to live. You need to decide where you want to be and truly commit to building your life there'. A good friend named Sloan heard the news and wrote me this: 'Damn girl, sorry to hear about the pollen situation, it totally sucks when nature doing her own thing fucks us up! At least you had the courage to go back to Texas, if nothing else a learning experiment'. 

These words stayed with me. They helped. 

The realization I came to on this day was that moving back 'home' to Texas was indeed a move of courage. Not because of the logistics, the time, money, and effort it took for me to move from one city to another. The courageous part was recognizing that my fear was what had driven me back to Texas in the first place and now my heart was telling me that fear cannot be the driving force behind any big decision I make for my life. It dawned on me that the real courage was in the acceptance that Austin was no longer home for me. 

Austin, the place where I was born, where I went to college and learned, where I established some of my closest friendships in my late teens and early 20's, where I tasted freedom, partied like a rock star, explored myself, fell in love a few times, and experimented with the highs and lows of coming into adulthood, now felt like a different place for me. 

For years, Austin was a security blanket and a safety net I would run back to when things felt hard, got messy, lonely or uncomfortable. I left Austin in 2000 to move to Paris, France and came back in 2001. I left Austin in 2003 to move to San Francisco and came back in 2004. I left Austin in 2009 to move to Houston and came back in 2010. I left Austin in 2016 to move to Portland and came back in 2017. 

Here I was in 2018, 18 years later being faced with one of my biggest fears staring at me right in the face. This fear spoke to me and said, 'Angela, when will you finally stop being afraid of commitment?' and 'When will you stop running away from the discomfort of feeling lonely?' 'Now is the time make the decision to just be where you are and feel at peace within your own self regardless of whether or not you have someone to walk this life with you or not'.

Part IV

Once I knew what I had to do, the universe/God began assisting and forcing me to make changes and make them quickly. My last day of working the job I was miserable in was on February 2nd and by March 31st my cave apartment was nearly packed up and ready to be moved with the generous help of my family. While my brothers Ricardo and John Paul moved the furniture into the yellow beast, my mom and dad assisted with getting the last few things wrapped and packed up. It was a family affair which I have to say felt really good for me. 

I think in my 41 years of life, I have probably moved out of one place and into another at least 10 different times and never in all of those moves had I had the courage and felt vulnerable enough to ask my entire family for help. It was wonderful to see how my parents and brothers stepped up to the plate to help me during this rocky time in my life of feeling unsettled and emotionally drained from so much change in so little time. 

My last few days in Texas were spent in Houston with my parents and my beloved gato Lamar. On Thursday, April 5th (exactly 5 months later from the date of my arrival to Austin), my dad and I ventured out in the yellow beast (Penske truck) to drive across the country for the next 4 days. There were moments when the driving was exhausting for us both, but luckily we survived the trip without any major wounds. 

It was a true blessing to have been able to go back to Portland with my father. He shared stories with me from his past and about his ancestors. I felt proud of him for being able to brave such an intense road trip and grateful to him for being my companion on this journey back to the place I was consciously choosing to now call home. We spent a few days together in Portland as I got to show him some of the places I love most around the city. This was a special time for us both that I know we will remember fondly. 

Part  V

So much has happened since my dad left Portland on April 12th. Too much to go into detail about because the truth is, I would rather not remember a lot of what happened in the first few months of my being back. What I will say is that my test of faith did not end in Austin, Texas. 

My trust in God was escalated to levels unfathomable that seriously rocked me to my core and caused me to feel more fear than I have ever felt in my life. 

Uncertainty took on a whole new meaning and loss became a part of my day to day when I was forced to find a new home for myself without Lamar who had been my best friend for the last year after adopting him on April 30th of 2017. I grew attached to Lamar which for me isn't an easy thing. As you can imagine, someone who moves around as much as I do, has a tendency to not get too attached to anything because attachments just get in the way of making changes when it's time to step into change. 

The wonderful news is that God graced me with a new best friend who I happen to have met shortly after arriving back in Portland. He isn't as fluffy and soft as Lamar was, but what is even more fantastic is that this new friend loves to sing just as much as me so we can have fun anywhere, anytime. As long as we've got our voices, we are just fine. Actually, we are better than fine. We are happy as we take small steps daily to bring joy into each other’s lives. 

This person showed up during a time when my trust was wavering strong and I truly needed a friend to help heal my Lamar wounds. He showed me that I could trust him and so the only thing left for me to do was to continue my work in learning to trust God...No. Matter. What.

I learned that when all hope is lost, hope is actually just around the corner. In times when I want to grasp or control or hold on tight, what I need to do instead is truly Let Go and Let God lead the way. I believe that this is the secret to living a peaceful existence, to feel real joy and gratitude for all the ways in which life abundantly blesses us each day. There is no magic in learning how to trust. The magic lies in Believing. 

It has taken me 41 years to figure this out. I can now say with a whole heart that I know and believe God loves me. I believe God is always taking care of me. I believe God is with me and inside of me moment to moment and breath by breath. 

I believe and understand so I will continue to let go by trusting this process we call Life.

I trust God because I know I am being guided each day to learn, laugh, love, and truly live with presence and truth towards myself and with others. 

Writing this blog post has taken me almost a year to complete. I have felt fear about putting myself out there this much. I have also gained a lot more courage and feel much more comfortable being vulnerable because these difficult life experiences from the last year have humbled me and helped me learn how to move towards my fear rather than away from it. 

Ironically, these last few words fall during the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey so I dedicate this act of courage and vulnerability to those who suffered in Houston one year ago. To the people who showed tremendous courage in the face of fear and uncertainty in their own lives. I also dedicate this to Lamar who will always hold a special place in my heart because falling in love with Lamar came so naturally. The feline who taught me how to love more. 

Trust is the way. I Believe it is the only way to live with peace. I Believe and so I Trust. 

Lamar at my place in Kenton - 2017

Dad and I at Council Crest Park (highest point of Portland, Oregon) - April 10, 2018

Sharing my voice ~ Introducing Root&Connect

I have finally been able to lovingly push my fear aside and find the courage to post some videos on youtube that I made in Portland, Oregon on October 1st of 2017.

My plan is to begin sharing videos in hopes to share my voice and passion for mindfulness as a natural remedy for managing depression, anxiety, and our Self as we journey through this thing called Life.  

Here is a the description for my youtube channel that I thought worth the share:

Welcome to Root&Connect. Want to Feel Grounded, Be Focused, and Live Balanced? My name is Angela Guerrero otherwise known as your Self Care Coach. 

I am a human being, teacher, counselor, yogi, meditator, writer, photographer, and mindfulness advocate. As a person who has struggled with depression, anxiety, and ADD most of my life, I dedicate my energy to helping others understand that feeling well is an inside job that takes practice.

My vision is to teach people how to grow a deeper connection with Self by connecting with and nourishing all of the parts that make us whole - Mind, Body, Spirit, Emotions, and Community (Relationships). I believe that mindfulness and social emotional learning are the way!

Mindfulness is a Daily Practice of being present and aware with full acceptance of things just as they are in the moment without  judgement. It's learning to be the calm observer of your life by noticing what happens on the outside and tuning into how you feel on the inside with compassion. Our hand reminds us daily that mindfulness practice is as simple as connecting with one or all five of our senses to feel more connected and alive. 

For those of you who enjoy reading my posts, happy listening! 

More videos to come so stay tuned...

We Are Only Human

What does it mean to you when you see someone wearing a shirt that says 100% Human?

Better yet, what it does it mean to you to be Human?

This seems like a rhetorical question, but truth is, each of us probably has our own definition of what it means to be human and more importantly, what it feels like to be human.

For me, 100% human = 100% perfectly imperfect.

When my clients talk with me about their mistakes, shortcomings, poor choices, regrets, and worst of all their inner critic that hounds them relentlessly, I invite them to take a pause and stop the noise in their minds that tells them why they are all wrong.

Next, I invite them to take a deep breath with me and notice one thing they see in the room that catches their eye to draw in their 100% focus. Preferably an object in the room they enjoy looking at they may bring some sort of peace or calm. 

Once they find that one thing, I encourage them to sit, stare, and maintain all of their focused attention on that one object. The looks on their faces tell me that 1. they don't understand what I'm leading them to do 2. they have a hard time keeping attention on that one thing and 3. they are struggling not to talk about the story or stories that are causing them to suffer.

As soon as I see a person relax into the exercise, I encourage them to notice what happens inside of them as they let go and allow for their focused attention and energy to be placed on one simple object.

I ask, 'what do you feel in this moment as you notice this one thing here in our space?' and 'what is happening inside of you as I invite you drop the story line and just be here in the moment with me?'

I watch this process go from chaos, to confusion, to calm, to compassion. Like a hard, cold block of ice melting and becoming warm water.

Usually my client will return their attention to me with a tender gaze that I translate as 'I was just able to notice what I feel and experienced my Self and my emotions (energy) in a new way which helped me shift perspective. Now I feel more compassion towards myself.'

Once I have allowed for this moment of unspoken truth to pass, I ensure that my client feels seen, heard and felt by me and ask, 'what did you experience during this exercise, tell me about it?'

Being present for another person and allowing them to talk, to feel, and give them space to remember that whatever their pain is, whatever the struggle, they are not alone and it too shall pass...is what being 100% human means to me.

This simple act is what feels like the most human offering I can give another human being.

After all, we are all one in the same. Each of us with a heart, spirit, body, and mind with an array of emotions. We are all just trying to make it in life as we learn how to love and accept one another and most importantly, love and accept our Self.

*this is dedicated to my oldest brother Ricardo, who I love and care for 100% 

Tree therapy

Your roots are what ground you. Your trunk is your core where you hold your soul’s purpose. Your branches are the actions you take to reach your soul’s purpose, and your leaves are the fruits of your love and labor. Another way to see it...Roots are Your Beliefs and Values. Trunk is Your Intention. Branches are Your Actions and Leaves are Your Dreams Come to Life.

~ Root&Connect worth the share

Inner compassion

Are you aware of your inner voice and how it speaks to you? Our inner critic can run our lives if we allow. Mindfulness practice helps us take notice of the inner critic and make a conscious effort to turn the inner critic into the inner compassion. Words either spoken or thought hold the power to transform or destroy our self worth and our lives. Catch the inner critic when you can and choose to say compassionate, kind, and loving words to yourself. Particularly when you are in a moment of suffering. Choosing to hear the inner compassion is a practice of self love that will comfort you until the struggle passes.

~ Root&Connect worth the share

Mindful messages everywhere

Mindful napkins. What a great idea! Anything to help people pause these days to take a moment to self reflect and be mindful of: their gratitude practice, actions to help humanity, a lesson learned, life’s highs and lows, and what makes them laugh in this crazy and complex world we live in. We need more messages out there to help grow our awareness of Self, other, and the Now. 

~ Root&Connect worth the share

Love

Love is when you feel your heart soften enough to be vulnerable and let someone in...to truly see who you are on the inside. That person can be other and Self. 

~ Root&Connect worth the share