How To Deal With 'A Bad Day'

We all have those days when we feel like vanishing off the face of the planet - those days when you wonder what your purpose is, when you feel as though life is just somewhere you go to pass the time and you honestly contemplate quitting everything and moving to the South Pole. Believe it or not, those days are the ones we need to be grateful for - those are the days that signal an end to something old and the beginning of something new. If we didn't have those days, we would never have grand epiphanes that change our lives.

 

I have learnt the hard way that days like those should be embraced, not neglected. Instead of waking up negative, feeling grumpy all day and going to bed feeling utterly miserable, embrace the fact that you feel a little otherwise and then keep an eye out for possibility - a previously blocked door might suddenly swing open and offer you the solution you have been looking for.

 

The universe works in mysterious ways and it is up to us to listen to what it has to say. A bad day is not the end of the world, it is a loudly ringing siren that signals a personal discontentment that needs work. When you have a bad day, take 5 minutes to contemplate the following:

 

• I feel angry because.....
• I feel sad because.....
• I feel frustrated because.....
• I feel guilty because....

 

Once you have done that, think about this:

 

• What expectations do I have at the moment?

 

Carefully consider if these expectations are reasonable. If they are, feel them, write them down and find a way to express those expectations to the relavant people. If they suddenly seem a little unreasonable, thank yourself for being so honest and move them out of your head.

 

Now, think about the following:

• What do I want to change in my life?
• What have I been thinking about doing for ages, but haven't yet done?
• How are my emotions affecting my relationships and my job?
• What would I love to do more of?
• What would make me feel fantastic right now?

There should be at least one of these questions that resonates with you - allow it to sink in and create words and phrases in your mind. That is the answer. That is the reason for your bad day and if you listen to the solution and if that solution comes from your heart, you will know what needs to be done to make your days great from now on!

How To Read Your Own Personality

Colour Psychology has been around for years as a mirror to our own personality traits. In the 1940's, Dr Max Luscher realised how important colour was in our daily lives and how various colours affected our moods, emotions, physical being and mental state.

Colours are the key to determining what lies beneath the surface - who we really are and what makes us different from other people. For many years, colours have been used to indicate how we feel about various things - 'green with envy' or 'feeling blue'.

The colour we are most attracted to is our identity colour, which is in harmony with our inner being. In order to find your identity colour, simply ask yourself what your favourite colour is. The very first colour that pops into your mind is yours.

RED: You are full of energy and vitality and have a strong creative force. You are physical and active and have a fast metobolism so tend to be thin or muscular. You are gregarious, outgoing and love life. You may be headstrong and impatient and like to get things done quickly. Sometimes you have a temper that gets heated easily.

ORANGE: You are very practically orientated but cheerful and joyous. People are drawn to you as you are open to others and like to listen. You are also very active and have an attractive physique. You may need to watch your energy levels as you tend to do too much and consequently your immune system suffers.

YELLOW: Yellow people are bright and lively. You are interested in everything around you and love learning. As a result you tend to take on many projects at once and sometimes the burden becomes too much for you. You are a good communicator and are capable of clear, logical thinking. You may need to exercise more frequently to balance your mind with your body.

GREEN: You strive to find balance and harmony in your life. You like to watch the world around you and find out ways to make things right. You are close to nature and love being outdoors, especially with children and animals. You have a strong identity with a tendency towards healing and community work. Sometimes your emotions rule you as green is the colour of the heart chakra.

BLUE: You are soft, gentle and peaceful by nature. You like to be surrounded by a harmonious atmosphere and people feel comfortable around you. You have a highly developed intellect and are a good judge of character. You sometimes struggle to communicate and may experience problems in the throat area as a result.

PURPLE: You are extremely sensitive and very creative in the arts - you may have a flair for music, writing or art. You hurt easily and need to ensure you surround yourself with sympathetic people.Purple is the most intuitive of colours, so you may already feel very spiritually connected or feel the need to explore this further. You are generally called to serve others through healing or psychic measures.

I hope my colour ray shed some light on you and maybe even made you think a little about yourself! Feel free to ask me any questions if you would like to.

Yours in I,

Soph

The 'How To' Guide to Just About Everything

Whilst sitting in my car early this morning waiting for my Zumba class to start, I realised something quite unsettling - it has become an effort for me to enjoy things. This was a very sad moment for me, as I have always regarded myself as quite an optimist.

Nevertheless, I decided to do what I do best - come up with an idea to solve my problem! Here it is: I have decided to dedicate my blog from this day onwards to practical tips, ideas and methodolgies on 'The How To'. My aim is to read as many books, magazines, articles, journals as possible in search of the best advice I can give you. I will strive to make my 'How To' guide exciting, invigorating and accessible so that you will all be able to walk away with tangible techniques.

My first 'How To' is:

HOW TO ENJOY YOURSELF AT THE GYM

1. Never and I repeat NEVER look at yourself in the mirror and then look at the skinny girl next to you - no matter how thin you may be, you will still feel awful.
2. Instead of running for hours on a treadmill and lifting weights heavier than your fridge, go to a dance class - Zumba is fantastic fun for burning loads of calories and shaking your butt!
3. During your workout, think of how your body is slowly but surely sculpting itself into a work of art.
4. Smile at your fellow gym-nians, they are in this with you!
5. Wave goodbye to the man or lady at the desk on your way out and thank him / her for your workout - this will make it feel like it really happened and it is really going to have the desired results!
6. Getting into your car, don't be shy to glance at your bicep and think - 'Man, my arms look hot!'

And that is how I went from feeling average to feeling FANTASTIC during my workout today!

Going Bald for Cancer

Cancer is a disease that strikes with a venomous and deadly tongue at the most unexpected times and affects the most beautiful people. My wonderful grandma, Dot, was taken by this cruel monster before I ever got to meet her, leaving my mum without her guardian angel from a very young age. This post is in her honour.

One of my dearest friends, Jessica Bonin, is standing up against this deadly demon by doing something completely amazing and shaving off all her long, luscious hair on March 5th this year. I would like to thank Jess from the bottom of my heart for having the courage to do what I have not yet been able to do and trade a part of her own being for the greater good of others.

Please visit http://www.shavathon.org.za/ to find out how you can shave, spray, dye or donate to help CANSA to find a cure for this silent killer.

Make it your gift for the day and help Jess and many others to stand up to Cancer!

Meditation Made Easy

Meditation really isn't as complicated or as taxing as many people may think. Here is an easy and effective method of meditation called the Metta Bhavana, which means Loving Kindness Meditation.

1. Lie in a comfortable place with your eyes closed. Esnure there is no background music or sounds unless the music is specifically designed for mediation (no Britney on the radio please!)
2. Allow your thoughts to float freely through your mind, not judging or worrying about the implications thereof. Simply let thoughts come and go.
3. Bring your attention to your breath and focus on taking long inhalations and exhalations.
4. Imagine your heart as a lotus flower, slowly opening up and see the middle of the flower as a space of light.
5. As you feel a warmth creeping up through your body, turn your attention to yourself and repeat the following phrase in your mind a few times - 'May I be well, may I be happy, may I be free'- until you really feel a sense of well-being and happiness for yourself.
6. Now pick someone you know - the first person who comes into your mind and wish them the same - 'May they be well, may they be happy, may they be free'.
7. Next think of someone who you have not spoken to in a while, perhaps someone you had an argument with and do the same.
8. Expand your well wishes to someone who you do not know but see often - that homeless man on the street, your security guard, the old lady at the shops, the kind man at the gym and wish them well in the same way.
9. Now visualise as many people as you can think of, all the people you know, and wish them well.
10. Go even further and think about everyone in the world - 'May they be well, may they be happy, may they be free'.

Once you have extended your wishes of well-being to as many people as your mind can imagine, slowly bring your awareness back to yourself and the present moment, and know that just through your 5 minutes of thought, the energy of the world has shifted into a more positive space.

Thank you!

The Art of Giving

It is sad to think that this beautiful transition of appreciation and love has been tainted over the centuries. We no longer give for giving's sake, but rather we give in the hope of getting something in return.

• We give a tip at the petrol station, but only if the attendant has filled our tank appropriately.
• We give advice to a friend in hope that when we need help, we can turn to that same person and expect a glass of wine and a pair of ears.
• We give presents at birthdays so that we receive praise from the birthday girl or boy for being 'so attentive and getting me just what I needed!'
• We give of our time in hope that we will have more to ourselves later in the day.
• We give to the poor and tell our friends later so that everyone knows how good we really are.
• We give and tell no-one, but hope that Karma notices and rewards us with our heart's desires.

So, in essence, even when we are not out to prove a point, when we are not showing off what we give and how often, we are still under the impression that what goes around comes around. Although that does not truly epitomise altruism, I guess it is a good start - at least we are starting a giving revolution of some kind, right? Gandhi, one of the masters of giving, once said:

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

There are not many of us out there who can live our lives as Gandhi did, but to honour him and his altruistic philosophies, I challenge you all to do one thing: GIVE ONE GIFT EVERY DAY. Start small - send an email to a friend you haven't spoken to in ages, pick up the tab when out for drinks with family, buy a cooldrink for the homeless man on the side of the road, do not allow road rage to affect you when driving, dedicate a day to doing what you love and give to yourself or even just decide to smile at everyone you walk past.

And as much you can, try to give just for the pleasure of giving, without expecting anything in return. You never know - you may discover a whole new version of yourself, a version you have been searching for all along!

To be great, you should...

Be creative - Give form to your intentions.
Be kind - Towards yourself and others.
Be love - Maintain kindness in all thoughts, words and actions; especially when faced with difficult situations.
Be beauty - Appreciate beauty in all things, great and small.
Be ever-expansive - Remain open to growth and don't get attached to old thoughts.
Be abundant - Always think thoughts of plentitude.
Be receptive - Embrace the true harmony of the Universe.