Living with Less - Detoxing Your Mind

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Lately I've been having trouble sleeping. I've gone to bed thoroughly exhausted but no matter how tired my body is, I can't seem to shut my mind off.

As soon as my head hits the pillow, my thoughts start to race. I start to think about all the things I have to do, and the plans I need to make the next day. I'll think about all the things I'm worried about, and think of ways that I could fix the issues in my life. An hour or two (or three) later, I'm finally asleep.

The next day, I'm too exhausted to achieve all the things I thought about the night before which leave me feeling frustrated and planning when I go to bed the next night, and the cycle starts all over again.

I'm sure you've been there before and understand how frustrating it is when you can't control your thoughts. A racing mind can leave you consumed with worry and stress which negatively effects your overall health and well-being - an unfortunate side effect of our busy world!

I'm working on controlling my thoughts so I can create a more peaceful home inside my head which in time will create a healthier and happier me. It's time to s l o w  d o w n and edit your mind - so you can get some peace of mind!

Clear the busy air around you.

Turn your phone off, close the extra tabs, seek out somewhere quiet. Even if you're in a busy, urban area you can create your own peace and quiet by limiting your interactions with technology and other people.

For me this usually means putting my phone on silent in another room, or waking up while everyone else is asleep so I don't have to focus on anyone else but me for a while.

Let go of any regrets and accept them as lessons learned.

A lot of times when we stress out it's because of something we've done or said. We like to call these things "regrets".

Instead of regretting an experience, try to look at the experience as a lesson learned. Forgive yourself for making the mistake, tell yourself it won't happen again, and use your experience to create a better you in the future.

Accept the apology you never received.

Don't waste your energy and thoughts on someone that wouldn't do the same for you. It took me forever to learn this lesson, but it's an extremely valuable lesson.

When you hold off on forgiving someone (even for something as minor as bumping you on the bus), you're only hurting yourself by holding onto those negative feelings. If it's something major, don't accept the same poor treatment from someone (lesson learned) but allow yourself to live as if they already apologized and move on. If it's something small, don't sweat it!

Focus on your breathing.

The next time you're feeling overwhelmed by your thoughts, try focusing solely on your breathing. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat. Let this task distract you for a while and calm you down. I've used this technique several times to help me fall asleep at night or when I've felt a sudden rush of anxiety.

Empty some of your thoughts on paper.

When your mind is racing with worry and thoughts, try emptying some of them onto paper, or into a journal. If you take a few minutes to write down your thoughts and acknowledge your feelings about them during the day, they'll be less likely to haunt you at night.

Indulge in less stimulants.

A stimulant is anything that increases your psychological energy. This can be caffeine, drugs, sugar - even certain people can be stimulants. Energy is good and essential to daily living, but too much can make your heart (and mind) race. Try cutting back, or eliminating your intake of stimulants to feel more balanced in life.

Let go of judgement and replace it with love.

Many of my negative thoughts in the past have revolved around my expectations and idea of what someone/something should be. Society has taught us that if someone/something is different then it's wrong. This idea is close-minded and does not contribute to the evolution of our world. 

Instead, replace judgment with love. Be open minded to new ways of seeing things, new ideas and new people. 

Let go of fear and replace it with trust.

As children we may have been afraid of the dark, or the monster under the bed however now that we're adults our fears have turned into something much worse.

We could be afraid of not being able to pay the bills, we could be afraid of losing our partner, or if not that - we could be afraid that we might be alone forever. We may be afraid of losing our health, our happiness, or even our hair. The options for things to fear are endless! No wonder half the world can't sleep at night.

A while ago I read a quote that resonated with me. "Worry does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace." When you let your fears control you and constantly worry about things, you're only robbing yourself of time, peace, and energy. Don't let this happen.

Replace your fear with trust. Trust that things happen for a reason. Trust that you can find a solution and get through this. Trust in the timing of your life.

Focus on the positive.

Sometimes I get really wrapped up in the all the negative in the world. It feels like my newsfeed is always plagued with another shooting, another genocide, another injustice, (or another certain president). When we're constantly bombarded with negative energy in the world, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed with sadness and anger, and feel depressed.

When I start feeling like this, I try to step back and think about the progress we've made in the world - and the progress still to come.

Change doesn't happen until someone rocks the boat. Sometimes you have to fall in the water to learn how to swim (a.k.a. a bunch of bad can eventually lead to a bunch of good.) The key is to keep fighting for what's right and surrounding yourself with those people that believe in the same love and beauty that you do. Let your positive and loving thoughts trump the negative ones. Pun intended.


Your mind is a powerful tool which effects your entire well-being and peace of mind - don't forget to cleanse and nourish it, as well as your body! 

Affirmations:

I let go of resentment, and replace it with forgiveness.
I let go of judgement, and replace it with love.
I let go of fear, and replace it with trust.
I am in control of my thoughts and happiness.
I allow peace and positivity into my life and mind.

Namaste.

Brittany
@simplylynne


***On a side note - it's my birthday this weekend, yay! I'll be taking it easy and spending some time with loved ones. To celebrate I'm doing a sale on Etsy - Everything in the shop is 15% off until January 23rd. Just use the code "SURPRISE" during checkout!***

My 3 Biggest Fears and How I Plan to Overcome Them

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Whether you celebrate Halloween or not, it's impossible to avoid the sights and sounds of the season.

Stores are filled with candy and costumes to thrill every trick or treating whim. Horror movies are on a constant stream on TV and pumpkins are on many doorsteps awaiting children who come to call. 

I can remember one Halloween night when I was younger, and some children came to the door for candy. It was after the early evening rush and some of the older kids were now making their rounds. 

The doorbell rang and after opening the door, there stood a tall kid in the infamous Scream Ghostface costume. My little brother (who must have been 3 or 4 at the time) saw the spooky face and yelled screaming and terrified, "Funny monkey! Funny monkey!"

While this was hilarious to most of us, the genuine terror on my little brother's face was real. For many years following this, he's had some night terrors - whether or not they stem from this experience is to be determined. One thing is for sure though, and that is that fear is real.

We're all afraid of something. 

Some of us are afraid of spiders, snakes, or the dark. 

Some of us are afraid of terrorism, getting sick, losing a loved one or the unknown. 

Some of us are afraid of fictional characters -  Chucky (this was me for many years), Norman Bates, or more recently, American Horror Story's The Butcher. We may even be scared of real life psychopaths (and for good reason).

It's okay to be scared. Fear is part of being human and part of our basic survival instincts. 

It's important however to recognize when your fear of ____________ is interfering with your life, and if it is to figure out a plan to change this. 

I'd like to share my 3 biggest fears with you, and my plans for overcoming these fears. While I know I can likely never erase the fear completely, I know I can prevent fear from controlling my life and keeping me from living.

1)  I am afraid of not having enough time.

I'm sure you can relate to this. After all, we're only given so many years and days and minutes in our lives. We don't have time to see everything or do everything there is to do (unless you're an immortal vampire). 

The first step to conquering this fear is to accept that your time is limited and one day you will be too old, too sick or too dead to do anything. Accepting this simple fact of life will bring you a great deal of peace. 

The second step to conquering this fear is to prioritize your life. 

Make a bucket list, and actually work on it. Don't make excuses such as "I'll do it one day" or "I'll go there one day". The time to live is while you're living. Don't let excuses such as family, work, etc. hold you back - work around them. 

Choose the things which are most important to you, and forget the rest. Pick a job that you're passionate about so it doesn't feel like work. Spend time doing things you love and take time every day to be grateful for the opportunities and time you have (so far) been given. 

2) I am afraid of not being heard, and being misunderstood. 

For some reason, this fear has plagued me for years - it's probably why I've become a writer and artist. 

I've had dreams where I've lost my voice and can literally not be heard. I've had dreams where I can repeat myself 100 times but the person will still not understand what I'm trying to say. I've had dreams where I've even tried to kill someone because they were physically dragging me down and not understanding. I'm always aware that I'm dreaming and the things in my dreams aren't real, but I still fight them (waste of a dream if you ask me!)

This fear stems mostly from situations with difficult people - people who don't quite have the same sense of reality or awareness that I do. 

It stems from feeling like I don't have a voice, or can't make a difference. 

It stems from seeing others who aren't being heard and knowing that I can't save the world. This is especially relevant when I see the violence and injustices in the world which I feel I can't directly help. 

This too unfortunately, is part of life. 

We can't save everyone. We can't make everyone understand us. The world is much too vast.

But this doesn't mean you don't have a voice. It doesn't mean you can't speak up when you see injustice - this is especially easier in today's technological world. We can connect and give light on bad situations and inspire people with our thoughts and actions. You do matter and you can change the world, slowly but surely. 

If you have this fear, I encourage you to write more, create art and find other healthy ways to communicate. Develop your communication skills and surround yourself with people who think the same way you do; there is power in numbers. 

Also be sure to remain open to new thoughts and ideas - just because something is different does not make it wrong. We all just want to be understood and have our feelings validated. 

3) I'm afraid of pain, gore and needles. And doctors.

Again, a basic human fear. There aren't too many people that don't have this fear to some degree. Being in any sort of pain isn't enjoyable and if the pain threatens our life, or is for reasons unknown then we have that to deal with as well. 

Being more exposed to your fear does help you conquer it. Maybe this is why my tolerance for gory and horrific movies has broadened over the years (catch last weeks episode of The Walking Dead, anyone?) This is in a way a perk (if there is any perks) of the desensitization of gore in North American culture. 

I'll admit, in the past I have cried and made a scene when I've had to get a needle. 

When I got my first bloodwork done as an adult, I had a friend go with me and still was a little theatrical. 

I've had a few more since then, and while the process makes me anxious and is uncomfortable, I've gotten better and better at dealing with needles. It really does make a difference when you bring a friend that is capable of distracting you during the procedure. I hope to one day, not need a friend there at all.

In regards to gore and doctors - I've been working on accepting that sickness and getting hurt is inevitable in life and the best action is preventative and educational measures.

I make many efforts to keep myself in good physical condition to avoid trips to the doctor when I can.

I read up on the human body, and occasionally watch clips of minor surgical procedures to understand heath care and the workings of the human body so as not to fear it. Knowledge is power.

What I find works best for this fear however is controlling my mind. There is no sense worrying over something that likely will never happen. If I have an anxious thought about something bad that could happen, I take that thought and tell myself that we can cross that bridge if we come to it.

Worrying about a fear of needles, doctors and gore doesn't help your health - it threatens it. Which is the whole thing we want to avoid in the first place!

We're all afraid of something but controlling that fear is essential to living a full and healthy life. 

As Halloween festivities come to a close in the next few days, I encourage you to do something truly scary - *look death in the face and say "not today". 

Pick a fear that you have, even if it's something minor and choose to face it. Consider where your fear stems from and how this fear could be affecting your life. Then choose to change it.

I accept my time is limited.

I will make the most of the time I have.

I have a voice and I can create change.

I am not a slave to my fears.

I choose peace over fear.

I choose to live.

Wishing you all a fear free and safe Halloween.

Best,

Brittany

(*Thanks Game of Thrones for the epic quote reference).