 As a kid, I absolutely hated taking naps. As an adult, I miss those days. I was lucky to experience siestas while I lived in Mexico in the 90’s. I would student teach all morning, go back to the casa where I was staying for lunch, which is the main meal of the day, and then it was siesta time. Everyone in the house did this. Whether they slept or watched tv, it was a time to rejuvenate before heading back to work or school. Sadly, the siesta isn’t a very common practice these days. We live in a world where it’s go-go-go all the time. When we feel sleepy during the day, instead of taking a short rest, the go-to is usually caffeine. When we don’t get enough rest we can feel scattered, stressed, moody, have a foggy brain, be more easily triggered, be less productive, and our immune system can be impacted - and not in a good way. “Instead of asking, 'Have I worked hard enough to deserve a rest?' I've started asking, 'Have I rested enough to do my most loving, meaningful work?’” -Nicola Jane Hobbs I think this quote provides a great re-frame for prioritizing rest. We all have a million things to do, but if we can’t take care of ourselves then how can we show up fully in our life? Why is it that we don’t allow ourselves time to rest? Why can’t rest be included on the must-do lists we have running each day? I’m not saying to carve out an hour - though if you can, that’s great. Even 15 minutes to just decompress would be better than not at all. Use that time to lie down and close your eyes, to relax, or sit comfortably and meditate. If you can’t leave work, try getting outside and finding a bench to sit and relax on. The point is to give yourself some time to let your body slow down, to disengage your brain, and to take a break from the screens, notifications, emails, and scrolling. "You often feel tired not because you've done too much, but because you’ve done too little of what sparks a light in you." - Alexander Den Heijer Another way to look at this is that we over-program ourselves with everything we feel we have to do and not enough of what we want to do. Life isn’t meant to be oppressive. There are so many ways you can incorporate some joy into your life on the daily. What lights you up? What helps you feel more energized? What are you passionate about? How can you incorporate what sparks a light in you into any given day? “You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day – unless you're too busy; then you should sit for an hour.” - Dr. Sukhraj Dhillon I think the above quote can also apply to rest. As the holidays approach, we’ll be busier and likely more stressed which is all the more reason to prioritize some time to rest. Resting is self-care. It allows us to fill our cups so we can share instead of depleting from a deficit. What do you do when your phone battery is low? You charge it. You are way more important and valuable than your phone, but are you taking care of your battery? If you are too busy to take a quick siesta, make sure you incorporate into your day something that lights you up, that energizes your soul. Take some you-time so you can be more present, more refreshed. It’s a gift that gives to everyone. Heart hugs, Adrienne :)
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Something you may not know about me is that I love K-dramas (Korean dramas). They are so good. I usually can’t sit through any US show for more than 5 minutes, but K-dramas are full of twists, turns, surprises, and emotional roller coasters. I recently watched one called Daily Dose of Sunshine which is currently on Netflix. It’s about a nurse who transfers to the psychiatry department. We are brought into a world of those dealing with mental health issues from panic attacks to self-harm, depression to schizophrenia. It’s not just about those in the psych ward, but others who are out in the world trying to live their daily lives while caring for their mental health. This drama addresses the denial, the prejudices, and the heartbreak that those with mental health issues, as well as their family and loved ones, experience. The nurse ends up in a psych ward herself for a while due to the suicide of one of her patients - offering viewers another perspective. This drama was beautifully done. It’s well-scripted, well-acted, and definitely worth a watch.
We need more awareness and compassion for those who are struggling with mental health issues and for those around them who are trying to support them. Thankfully, these days, mental health is starting to get the attention that it deserves and is much needed. Decades ago, it was so taboo to even think about seeing a “shrink.” I probably would’ve been a lot happier and handled things way better had I found some help, but the idea of that somehow becoming a stigma against all of my hard work and achievements kept me from taking that step. I handled it all on my own, the best I could manage. It wasn’t until I ended up in a specialist’s office for ocular migraines that it was suggested that I see a psychotherapist and that doctor happened to know one of the best. This was about 2 years or so after my gifts opened up in Sedona. I thought it would be good to get a professional’s opinion on whether I was crazy or not. I figured she’d gently let me know if I was delusional as I explained my work with the Angels. It was quite the opposite. Harriotte was one of the best gifts the Universe could’ve given me. She helped me see that I wasn’t crazy and that I don’t have to go through so much alone. She helped me see where I had to reframe my thinking. She saw my Light - which in turn made me want to see it too. Back to the K-drama. As I watched the episodes unfold, I could resonate on so many levels with the emotions and difficulties the actors were portraying. I started to do some reflection and introspection and I had some great breakthroughs that were perspective shifting. One realization I had was around self-worth. As someone who struggled for decades with low self-esteem, it all of a sudden seemed so obvious: there is no such thing as self-worth. There is no living being who is more or less worthy than another. We are all inherently worthy, yet we tend to base and scale our worth on others' expectations and perceptions - how many followers one has, how much money one makes, how much success one has, to name a few. I realized that it’s not even about whether we’re worthy or not, it’s about meaning. It’s not even a question (though we do tend to question it) whether our life has meaning - every life has meaning. We, as we exist, are meaning-full and our existence has meaning. There’s no scale to judge yourself by, unless you choose to lean on one. You have meaning, your life has meaning, and that is enough. The fun is in figuring out what that meaning is for you, what you can contribute and share with others. Another realization I had was about growing pains. We have them when we’re physically growing, but we also have them throughout our life as we face challenges and situations that either force us to grow or are opportunities for growth. No one wants to be in pain, but it is there to get our attention, it can teach us something, and it needs to be processed and released. Since I can feel other people's pain empathically, I just want to take that suffering away from them. I want to help them return to a state of feeling good or at least better. It doesn’t work that way. I’m not here to take away my clients' pain, I’m here to help them move through it more quickly and easily than if they tried to go through it on their own. This realization gave me more clarity on the work that I’m putting out into the world and it unexpectedly, and gratefully, took some of the weight off my shoulders. In the drama, they suggested to the lead character that she keep a compliment journal. Through this exercise, she discovered that complimenting herself was a lot more rewarding than receiving a compliment from others. We’re usually so hard on ourselves - judging, criticizing what we did or didn’t do on any given day. How often do we cheer ourselves on? I’ve started putting this into practice. It’s actually an awesome exercise. How often do you compliment yourself? Can you find at least one thing to compliment yourself on each day? It can be on the most trivial things or the ones that you feel proud of. This exercise helps us become less reliant on external compliments and gives us a stronger sense of self. Mental health is something we all should be paying attention to. What thoughts are you focusing on? Do they bring you peace or the opposite? Just as it’s important to feed your body healthy food, it’s equally important to feed your mind healthy thoughts. Are you immersed in the news or pulled into scrolling on your phone? What nourishment are you giving your mind that feels good and gives you a sense of joy or lightness? The last line of the drama states, “Each one of us is standing on the border between normal and abnormal.” Just as anyone can get physically ill, anyone can encounter mental health issues as well. Addressing our mental health and getting the help we may need - there is no shame in that.
P.S. I was listening to a playlist and this song by Lily Meola came up. I think it fits this blog post.
Sending you the biggest heart hug, Adrienne ☀️
One of the biggest questions we have is ‘What happens after death?’ Do we just disappear? Do we end up in Heaven or maybe Hell? There is plenty of evidence from mediums, people who have had near-death experiences, and peoples' very own personal experiences that our loved ones still continue to exist once they’ve left their physical form. One belief that many religions and ancient traditions hold is that the soul continues after death. Personally, I’ve been visited in my dream by my best friend after she passed away. I've felt my grandpa’s energy so strongly, like his energy intermingled with my cells for a moment, the day after he passed. I’ve delivered messages on behalf of the deceased. I’ve helped and watched many cross over. I’ve witnessed a squirrel die and then saw its energy pop up right next to its body. To me, there is no doubt that we continue on once we disconnect from our physical body. It’s also my belief that hell is a man-made creation, but that’s for a different post.
Today is Día de Muertos - Day of the Dead - a day when the souls of the deceased return among the living to visit with their loved ones. November 1st is dedicated to the souls of children and November 2nd is for adults. There are still towns and people in México who celebrate this pre-Hispanic tradition that morphed with Catholicism. They set up altars in their home, or at the cemetery, using candles, photos of those who have passed, and some kind of religious symbols - usually of the Virgen de Guadalupe. They also put out the deceased's favorite foods for them to enjoy, as well as toys, if it’s a child or alcohol for the adults. Traditional orange marigold flowers are used due to the belief that their scent and color help lead the departed back to their loved ones. Día de los Muertos isn’t about the absence of those who have passed on, it’s about celebrating and honoring their living presence. I know many of you reading this have experienced the passing of family, friends, or other people who are dear to you. Death is not easy for the living as we’re left to cope with the grief of loss of the physical. Honor those emotions and feelings. Give yourself a chance to feel and process them. When you feel ready, I invite you to create your own tradition to celebrate those who have passed on. Something I do on the deathdate of my best friend is I find a beautiful flower and toss it into a body of water - whether I’m near a lake, ocean, or pond at that time. It can be as simple or as grand as you’d like to make it. It's a beautiful way that allows us the time and presence so we can have that connection with our loved ones in spirit. Life should be a celebration - and death as well as it’s just our transition back home, it's not the end. I found the following short clip from Coco that shows an example of an altar:
Heart hugs, Adrienne :)
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October 2024
AuthorHello! I'm Adrienne Almamour, an empathic intuitive conduit. I assist people by detecting and clearing their subconscious emotional energy blockages. This blog is a commentary and reflection of life from an intuitive standpoint which also incorporates ways that allow us to be from our heart. |
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