Zen Chick

Zen Chick

Slow down. Simplify. Love your life.

"There is more to life than increasing its speed. Slow down, breathe and enjoy. "

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Archives for November 2014

Why Your Wellness Routine Needs A Little “Zen”

By Gay Barefield Leave a Comment Nov 30

“A bodily disease, which we look upon as whole and entire within itself,

may after all be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part.“

  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter 

The holidays are here and you are safeguarding your wellness routine. You continue to work out, eat healthier and keep doing “all the right things.”

We jump on the healthy bandwagon thinking we have all the bases covered, exercise for stress reduction and cleaning up our diet to eliminate the bad stuff. Things are moving in a positive direction and you think you are doing everything you need to do to feel better.

But are you? Are you feeling as good as you think you should considering all the changes you have made? 

There are two very important aspects of your new and improved lifestyle that you may have forgotten about, your mind and spirit/soul.

The mind, body and spirit make up a trilogy and represent a complete and whole person. Each aspect of this trilogy requires nurturing, strength training and regular engagement to be as healthy as it can be.

How many times have you heard someone say that a person they knew had done “all the right things” but still got sick. Our emotional needs, the needs of our soul/spirit are just as important as our physical body’s needs. In fact the longer you ignore one aspect of the mind, body, spirit connection the quicker chaos can wreak havoc on your life.

This is where adding a little “Zen” into your wellness routine can round things out and nurture your “whole” body.

Here are some simple suggestions:

  • For your mind do something that takes away your normal mind “talk.”
  • Everyone immediately thinks of meditation which is a wonderful tool but understand that meditation comes in many forms other than sitting on a cushion and being still. (which is fine too)
  • A walk in nature, alone or with your favorite pooch can be very meditative.
  • Losing yourself in a great work of fiction (no self help or business books allowed) can create a lot of great head space.
  • Journaling can create that space too as long as you don’t edit what you write or worry about getting it all done correctly.
  • Games like Sudoku, crossword puzzles, Scrabble (Words with Friends) or anything that challenges your mind, gets you totally involved in the moment are not only good for your focus but a great workout for your brain.
  • For your soul do something that truly connects you to the joy of your soul, that feeds it on a deeper spiritual level.
  • Sitting in nature.
  • Connecting with people who feed that spiritual side of yourself.
  • Attending a workshop or gathering that truly speaks to your soul.
  • And sometimes just sitting still, being quiet and going within.

These are things that you may already know but have forgotten along the way. A little more “Zen” sprinkled into our lives is what keeps us well grounded and moves us along a healing, healthy path. Try lots of different things and keep the ones that truly speaks to the trilogy of your mind, body and spirit.

As always I love to hear your comments on our FB page and share the love of this post with someone in your life that might need some “Zen” in their wellness routine.

*** To help you along your wellness journey, I have a BIG announcement. ***

Starting in 2015 I will be hosting several workshops based on The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte. As a Desire Map Facilitator, I will be helping you find your “Goals with Soul”, which means living your life according to how you want to feel and setting those goals according to your “core desire feelings.” This work is deep, filled with lots of soul work and so worth it! So stay tuned right here and if you are not a part of our Zen Chick community, sign up below so you will get all the good stuff first!

You and Me, I'll lead, you desire.

 

photo credit: ePi.Longo via photopin cc

Take A Break And Be Amazed At What Happens Next

By Gay Barefield Leave a Comment Nov 15

“Don’t miss all the beautiful colors of the rainbow

looking for that pot of gold.”~Unknown

Everyone needs a break, a time to step back and create distance from something you enjoy doing. When something becomes dull or you lose focus, this is when a little time away can open up a world of possibilities.

Most of the time we think that working through this feeling of dullness or lost focus will pass and things will go back to normal. But pushing through will only cause you to lose the passion or enjoyment of something you once loved to do. 

This has happened to me time and time again in my life with good and bad results. The times I pushed through are the times that I ended up hating the end result or walking away entirely. 

Pushing through is the norm of our society. “Suck it up and get over it” is the cry of the people who think taking breaks are a sign of weakness and you just need to get over it.  

But there is always a little voice in your head that is calling you to slow down, ease off and walk away for awhile.

Listening to that voice, your intuition, allows you to trust your heart, your soul and not your nagging mind that keeps telling you to “suck it” and keep going.

That small voice confronted me recently about taking a break from my writing schedule on Zen Chick. Not only did I have to deal with the negative chatter in my head but also the fears that accompanied that chatter. 

My fears were that I would lose my passion for writing, I would lose my community on Zen Chick and that I would try to quickly find something to fill the void of not writing. All valid fears in my mind but not so in my heart and soul.

So I struggled with those fears, put them to rest and in the end gained some amazing insights during my break:

  • Once the cobwebs cleared from my mind, I found a new freedom. I was free to let my mind wander more (without a deadline) and the result has been more creative ideas for my writing.
  • I was able to see more clearly the direction I need to go in and discard the other paths I thought I needed to take.
  • I found the real reason for my fears that showed up before my break.
  • I also realized that if this break turned into a permanent one then something else was coming my way.
  • And last but definitely not least, sometimes you need to let go and trust!   

Head space happens when you take a break and opens up a whole new world of thoughts and things that might be hiding under the stress of just pushing through. It doesn’t matter how much you love doing something, stepping away or standing back from it can re-ignite that passion and love giving you a whole new perspective.

What about you?

Is there something in your life that you need a break from right now?

If so don’t let fear or negative head chatter keep you from taking that much needed break and gaining some new perspective or just some very needed down time. You won’t regret it!

 Share the love of this post with someone in your life that might need to take a break and talk to us on our Zen Chick Facebook page about what you have learned from taking a break from something in your life.

 

photo credit: ms.Tea via photopin cc

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Welcome to Zen Chick!

This is a place where we learn to slow down, enjoy our lives as they are right now, and simplify through reconnecting with nature and the moon. Learn more on the About Me page.

Charities

These are charities that I believe are making a difference in our world. I welcome you to check them out and please donate if one speaks to you.

World Central KitchenWorld Central KitchenI believe that food, shelter and water are basic rights for every human on this planet. Jose’ Andres’ and his WCK group step in to provide beautiful, nutritious food during disasters, the pandemic, and any other opportunity where people need to be fed.Learn More Foothills Humane SocietyFoothills Humane SocietyThis is my local shelter, in Columbus, NC, doing a wonderful job at remaining as close to 100% no kill as possible. Animals make us more human and I believe in adopting not shopping for pets, saving a life with a new beginning.Learn More Trees, Water & People Trees, Water & People Caring for Mother Earth by planting trees, helping people live sustainably and decreasing our carbon footprint are things that I see as very important for the next seven generations.Learn More Lakota Law ProjectLakota Law ProjectI have a strong kinship to Native people and this group works to change many of the injustices done to the first people that still go on today, such as the right to vote.Learn More

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