Becoming Yourself

Developing a Better You

Category: Spirit (Page 19 of 51)

Beat the Holiday Blues with a Five-Minute Thanksgiving Exercise

November 27, 2021 / / 0 Comments

The holiday season is a mixed bag.

Hopefully, you’ll get to enjoy at least some of positives—family, friends, parties, gifts, time off work and travel. But you’ll probably also have to face at least some of the negatives— stress, busyness, disappointment, loneliness, depression and financial pressure.

When you’re feeling the downsides of this sometimes dubiously named “Season of Cheer,” try this quick exercise to lift your mood:

Think of various categories in your life, then for each one, remember something you’re grateful for in the past year. 

This is in no way denying the very real hardships of what was an extremely difficult year for so many. But even if 2021 has been brutal for you, I’ll bet you can find some things to be grateful for. Here are some of my examples from this year:

FAMILY – I’m so grateful I got to officiate my son’s wedding and have an extended visit with my daughter.

FRIENDS – I’m so grateful for the many vaccine-enabled reunions with my friends.

CAREER – I’m so grateful that, after years of trying to break in as a children’s book author, I got my first book deal (a series with Penguin Random House slated to begin summer of 2023).

HEALTH – I’m so grateful that my dad survived his heart surgery.

NECESSITIES – I’m so grateful that I always had more than enough food, clothing and comfortable shelter.

WANTS – I’m so grateful that my wife and I got to renew our love of travel with several cross-country road trips.

So how about you? What are you grateful for in 2021? What categories would you choose? Take a few moments to ponder. Think outside the box. Be specific. Choose gratitude. If you do, you’ll give your mood a boost, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

Feeling Anxious? Believe in Something Bigger Than Yourself

October 30, 2021 / / 0 Comments

I recently felt anxious for a few days. 

Anxious about money. About my career. About my future. During my morning time of meditation and prayer on one of those days, I talked about those feelings with God. As I did, some lyrics to an unfinished song I’d written years ago came back to me:

If You carved the mountains

If You formed the valleys 

If You filled the oceans

You can care for me

If You call the sunrise

If You paint the starlight

If You hold the whole world

You can care for me

As I reflected on those words, I felt myself grow calmer. If God is who I think God is, then I’m going to be okay. My financial needs, my career, my future will work out. Do I need to plan wisely? Yes. Do I need to work diligently? Yes. Do I need to be anxious? If my beliefs are well placed, no. 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

the Bible, philippians 4:6,7 (New living translation)

I found relief from my anxiety by believing in something bigger than myself. For me, that’s God. For you God may be a non-starter. I completely understand and respect that position. The “bigger than yourself” principle can still apply. Consider a group, an organization, a philosophy, or what twelve-step programs call your “higher power,” whatever you choose that to be. Find something bigger than yourself to believe in, to hold onto, to lean on when the anxious times come. Make it something worthy of your trust. If you do, you’ll find relief and take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

How to Refresh Your Mind, Body and Spirit

October 16, 2021 / / 2 Comments

It’s cold this October morning in Vancouver. 

I snug my jacket closer and take another sip of hot tea as I gaze up at the star-filled sky. Dawn is still an hour away, and the only sounds are the gurgling stream and the birds stirring in the nearby forest. 

I love the walkable city in Arizona where my wife and I live. The convenience. The restaurants, shops, activities, and friends.

But after awhile, I feel a pull in my spirit. A restlessness. An itch to wander beneath towering trees. To breathe clean, crisp air. To soak in the beauty and stillness of nature.

The Vancouver park behind our Airbnb

Here in Vancouver, Canada where our daughter lives, nature isn’t hard to find. The deck of our Airbnb sits on the edge of a primal-looking forest criss-crossed with trails. Stepping a hundred feet off the road is like being transported to Middle Earth.

I’m far from the first to point out the positive effects of being in nature. How it heals our spirits. Cleanses our minds. Awakens our bodies. But as clearly as I know this truth, I’m prone to forget it. The busyness of life, all its demands and distractions, pushes the need for time in nature to the back of my mind.

The Vancouver park behind our Airbnb

So I write this as a reminder to myself as well as an encouragement to you. Find ways to regularly spend time in nature. Stroll through a park. Take a drive to the country. Make the effort to get to a natural environment for a week, a weekend, a day, an afternoon, an hour. Go for a hike. Sit in silence. Soak in the beauty. Just be. If you do, you’ll find yourself refreshed in more ways than one, and you’ll take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

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