Clarity Counselling suggests some other ways to help clear your mind and creative positive energy in your life!
Some people may see their counsellor weekly, but others are OK with fortnightly or monthly. Regardless, this still leaves a lot of spare time to work on other areas of your life to complement the therapy.
Smudging
There are many different plant materials you can use for smudging. Some common ones are: sage, cedar, sweet grass, and lavender.
With the chaotic nature of today's modern world, the idea of cleansing our spaces and ourselves of negative energy sounds quite appealing. Cue the ritual of sage burning, also known as smudging.
"Research is showing that sage can also be used to benefit physical, mental, and emotional well-being," says Reshma Patel, PA-C, MMS, CEO and founder of Ananda Integrative Medicine.
The ancient practice of burning dried sage for cleansing has roots in Native American tradition. Shamans burned sage over a fire to cleanse people of negativity and promote healing, wisdom, and longevity. It's something we should always be doing with intention, reverence, and deep gratitude to those who did it before us.
Start at the front door of the home and light your smudge stick. Then, begin to move around the home. Move mindfully and with care, walking clockwise around the entire perimeter of the home. Be sure to allow the smoke to drift into even the hidden spaces, like inside closets, basements and dark corners. If there are stairs, just go up or down when you encounter them. Then keep moving clockwise until you meet the stairs again. Then continue to go down or up the stairs and resume the main floor.
Journalling
Everyone is different and some people will like to go into a lot of detail and others would rather jot down a few notes. Whichever works for you and something you are going to be able to commit to on a regular basis. There are many types of journals available to buy, or you can create your own with some colourful pens. Some pointers of things to include are:
Your good deed of the day
Someone/something you are grateful for
What unexpected thing occurred that made you smile
Identifying something that you have done for yourself today. Whether that be for health, mental wellbeing, a difficult conversation or even taking 30-minuites to read that book you’ve been meaning to get to!
A takeaway learning from something you feel could have gone better, said something differently, reacted or acted differently
Affirmation Cards
Affirmation cards are a great way to start your day. Pick a card at random and read the positive affirmation. This may be:
I am honest
I am creative
I am a good friend
I am positive
I am creative
I am calm
When having thoughts and making decisions throughout the day, you can reflect back to this positive affirmation and let it guide you.
“The message of learning from yesterday, cherish today and dream big for tomorrow” – Lisa Messenger
Manifesting
Like with the Law of Attraction, a manifestation is where your thoughts and your energy can create your reality. If you are constantly being negative and feeling down, then you are going to attract and manifest negative energy.
When picking a thing to manifest, ask yourself the following questions:
Do I really want this in my heart of hearts?
How will I benefit from having this?
When I think about having this, does it feel right?
How will it be good for me and for others?
But, first things first, even though manifesting is about turning your dreams into reality, it does require that you take proactive steps towards whatever it is that you desire—so you shouldn’t expect it to happen instantly or overnight while you sleep.
Essentially, a manifestation is bringing something tangible into your life through attraction and belief, i.e. if you think it, and it will come.
Angelina Lombardo, the author of A Spiritual Entrepreneur- “You are the only one who dreams your dreams, so whether it’s a new partner and a healthy relationship or a better job, know it and own it,” she says.
Once you’ve pinpointed exactly what your hopes, dreams, and goals are, you need to ask the universe for what you want. This can be done in a variety of ways—prayer, meditation, visualization, speaking your intentions out loud, a vision board or a “future box,” which is a container full of pictures of items you want to manifest—but you need to say exactly what you want.
One method says to initiate your manifestation three times in the morning, amplify it six times in the afternoon, and complete it nine times in the evening. That basically means you should write your manifestation down three times in the morning, six times in the afternoon, and nine times in the evening.
In addition to changing your mindset and behaviours, you will need to remove any obstacles or limiting beliefs that may cloud your vision, including fear and negative self-talk.
Everything You Need to Know About the “75 Hard Challenge”
The basic principles of the challenge include:
Work out twice a day for at least 45 minutes. One of these workouts must be an outdoor session, although it’s not explained why.
Drink 4 liters of water per day.
Read 10 pages of nonfiction a day.
Take a 5-minute cold shower.
Take progress photos every day
If this is going to be too much (as it would for the average person) you could design your own version that will challenge you but is also realistic for you to work towards.
