So the holiday season has come and gone and I don’t know how you feel about it, but I’m a so grateful that is over!  And now we are well in to the new year, the new resolutions are either broken or waiting for another day.  And then there is the cheering that is happening as the sun begins to spend a few more minutes daily.  So where are you at?  How are you feeling about things today?

Do you find yourself falling back into a rut? Maybe your finding yourself or depressed, so much so  that even taking time off or resting doesn’t seem to change the way we feel.  I have a question for you, have you stopped paying attention to our feelings are you listening to your heart?  I found myself in this very place, having been so caught up in the demands of the season and then adding unexpected travel for family emergencies, planetary alignments and blood moons and lunar eclipses, all leading to my forgetting what was important in all of it. And that was me!  I forgot to take time for me, found myself in hotels and family homes, eating foods that were too rich or just not the wisest choices for me.  And I kept telling myself everything would be better when I got home.  It would all return to normal.  When I had actually given my power away, to the mercy of all sorts of people and things.

Now I’m sure you can guess what really did happen.  I returned home to work that was off and running (thinking I was back in my familiar space, able to drop the requirements of days before). Messages piled high and things that urgently needed to be done. Suddenly, the routines and feelings that had created the successful steps in the past were no longer there and I had fallen into patterns that were self defeating at best. The days started to drag on and things seemingly devolving.  

I understand when you have the same failings but what to do about it, how to change it.  How do you get out of that rut?  As you’ve probably heard before, checking in with yourself is the first step.  And that actually requires you slow down, give yourself time to rest, and refresh and then check in with yourself.  Become aware of our feelings, recognize they are taking you in a direction that is your past.  Making a conscience choice about how you feel and how you respond allows you to start taking control back in your life.  Start first with something as simply as reflection over a cup of coffee or tea.  And gradually try other ways to connect with your present.  Your breath can be a cue to remaining present.  Set a time on your phone, set a time to check in with your breath.  The simple act of a deep breath, or going for a walk all can create an internal environment for you to become aware of sensations, sights, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes.  All can reconnect you with your power