Hey, hey, my friend!! If things in your world are as chaotic as things in mine, thought you might appreciate a few hints on living happier. If you don't need them now, I'm so glad to hear it! But, keep these handy. Life is 50/50, good and bad, incredible and devastating. You will need the reminders at some point... ;)
These hints are taken from A Letter to My Daughter, 40 Things I Learned About Living Happier by Nataly Kogan, author of Happier Now...and I've tweaked and personalized a few of them for you...
One sweater you really like is better than five sweaters you kinda sorta like and bought because they were on sale. You'll know the one sweater...it's the one your daughter continually asks to borrow... ;)
Don't wait for one person to give you all the love and care you crave. No one can be your all, but some people can be your a lot. Cherish them.
Stop trying to be fearless. If you are trying or learning, you will face fear. It's okay. Remember why you are on the journey and hang onto that...it will guide you through the fear. Remember, everything you want is on the other side of that fear.
Read the whole recipe before you start cooking...
Be grateful, even for the tiniest of things. They all matter. Find something to appreciate. It will lift you up.
Treat yourself as you would treat your best friend.
Most things are better after a good night's sleep...
Don't save the good dishes or the nice clothes for a special occasion. Every day is a special occasion.
You can only change yourself - not other people, not relationships - just you. If you want to change anything - even the world - start with you.
Be.Here.Now. Don't rob yourself of living today because you are lost in yesterday or already leaning into tomorrow.
One spoonful of the real stuff is better than a whole cup of the low-fat stuff...always...
Hiding your unique gifts from others isn't humility. It's stealing. There may be someone whose life will be changed by them.
There's no such thing as a wrong emotion. Feel what you feel, even if it's hard. The less you try to fight or avoid a feeling you don't want to have, the easier it will be to move through it. Stop trying to hold that beach ball under the water...
You are enough. You are lovable, amazing and deserving exactly as you are. You were born worthy. Own it.
People care a lot less about what you do or how you look than you think. We are all mostly focused on ourselves, so stop worrying about them. And remember...what others think of you is none of your business. ;)
It's okay to have a mess of a day. Sometimes you need to eat too much, binge Netflix or hide away under the covers.
Be more honest. Being vulnerable doesn't make you weak - it makes you real. Be real. It's a gift - not only to you but to those around you.
Be creative. Cook, paint, plant, play an instrument, anything. Take a break from living in your head.
Give up ideas of how life should be. Stop shoulding yourself. Nothing has gone wrong.
Most things taste better right out of the container...ice cream, milk, cookie dough, frosting...
Break your own rules as often as possible. Try spicy food even if you're "not into spicy food". Wear something bright if you are like me and love wearing black. Read something you normally wouldn't. Give yourself freedom to explore.
Take care of you. It's not selfish. It's your responsibility to the people you love. There's no glory in being a martyr...
Never be too busy for a hug...or too grumpy...or too proud...
Just because you can't see it right now doesn't mean the path isn't there. Keep taking those steps.
If you have to force it - an idea, a piece of writing, a job, a relationship, a shoe - it's not meant to be. Working hard and forcing something are two different things. Learn the difference.
It's all really about love. Not romantic love, not any specific kind of love, just love. It's within you. Find it. Nurture it. Share it. Grow it. Swim in it. It's always the right answer, although sometimes you'll have a hard time seeing it. Keep looking.
I hope you found one thing on this list to make today easier, brighter, less restrictive...
Live your best life today, my friend.
Tell me, my friend, have you ever heard of Vitaflex?? I hadn’t either…but let me share part of what I have recently been certified in alongside Raindrop Technique.
Vitaflex, or “vitality through the reflexes”, is a tremendous tool that uses your body’s own balancing process to support healing and is an effective way to deliver the benefits of essential oils throughout your body. It is a safe, non-invasive technique that uses a rolling motion of the fingers on reflex points on the feet, hands and/or other areas on the body.
It is an ancient Tibetan healing methodology that was brought to the United States in the 1920s by Stanley Burroughs, that can be done with or without essential oils. Oils are normally used as they increase the technique’s effectiveness.
Voltages produced by Vitaflex create currents along the nerve pathways. Oils are also electrical in nature and Vitaflex helps move those healing molecules along those pathways. When a gap or malfunction, caused by toxins, damaged tissues or loss of oxygen, is found along the way, the oils and voltages jump-start that faulty electrical circuitry, helping to restore proper function.
There are 5000 Vitaflex points throughout your body, encompassing body and mind, that are capable of releasing many kinds of tension, congestion, and imbalances. Vita-Flex taps into and supports your body’s self-regulating system to allow healing.
While similar to reflexology, according to Tom Woloshyn, Vita-Flex is “a more extensive and comprehensive therapy because it is applied throughout many more areas of the body.” (Woloshyn, 2007) Whereas reflexology is only done on the feet, the vita-flex massage technique can be applied almost anywhere.
There are techniques to support clearing your colon (that also administers to your bladder, ovaries, prostate, sciatic nerve, spine, thyroid and brain); respiratory system; sinuses; head and brain (including eyes); ears; heart; lymphatic system and hip/atlas.
This technique, along with Raindrop, are performed using only Young Living oils as they are the only company that CARE has found that are grown, manufactured and/or packaged in the US that fulfill all the standards for Natural, Organic and 100% pure therapeutic grade oils. 98% of other brands are diluted, refined, adulterated with synthetics and/or are improperly grown, harvested and/or distilled. They may fulfill the standards for foods and fragrances, but not for healing applications like these.
If you see “100% USP grade oil” on the label of your favorite oil, please understand that USP equal US Pharmacopeia, which equals food grade, meaning it has been manipulated to fit a standard and by definition, it means the oil has been adulterated. Wrigley’s gum wants all of their spearmint gum to taste the same every single time you unwrap a stick and pop it into your mouth… Therapeutic oils cannot be played with in any way. They contain a life force and even just one little bit of synthetic ingredient poisons or even kills it. Purity matters.
Curious? Want to check it out or learn more? Simply hit “reply” and let me know! I offer this along with Raindrop Technique (more about that in another email!) and Ionic Foot Detoxes both here at the house and also at a local salon.
Looking forward to chatting with you soon!!
Be well,
by: Vicki Lyn Merrill©
Holistic Practitioner
Certified Vitality Lifestyle Coach
207 480 0356
All Rights Reserved
Without Prejudice
You've heard me mention Raindrop, but just what is it??
Raindrop stimulates every organ, muscle and bone of your body at the cellular level through the oils, supporting the immune system and bringing your body into structural and electrical balance, releasing toxins or disease wherever they may be lodged, even in your mind and emotions. It is truly incredible to experience.
There are many versions of Raindrop out there, but the same oils are always applied, just not always in the same sequence. The first set of oils go in and open the cells. The second set act a bit like bouncers...cleaning up the junk and misinformation in your cells, while the third set of oils reprograms and corrects information in your cellular memory, restoring and maintaining both physical and emotional wellness.
Gary Young was exploring natural modalities for healing through a variety of healers, including the Lakota Indians. They would cross the Canadian border to enjoy the frequency of the Aurora Borealis, lift their hands in the air, plant their bare feet in the ground, and draw energy from both the ground and the lights while someone lightly stroked feathers up their back from the ground to the base of their skull.
As with VitaFlex, only Young Living oils are used as they are the only ones CARE knows of that are grown, manufactured and packaged in the US that meet all standards for Natural, Organic and 100% pure therapeutic oils. About 98% of other brands are diluted, refined, adulterated with synthetics and/or are improperly grown, harvested and/or distilled and may meet standards for food and fragrances, but not for healing applications. If you see “100% USP grade” on the label of your favorite oil, that is US pharmacopeia = manipulated to fit a standard = adulterated by definition. Remember, Wrigley’s wants all it’s spearmint gum to taste the same every single time you open a stick and pop it in your mouth…
Therapeutic grade oils, however, can’t be played with in any way. Chemical analysis is not the only property that an oil has. It also has electromagnetic and frequency properties. An oil can either contain life force or not, and therapeutic grade oils must contain that life force. Even just a little bit of synthetic material added to that living oil poisons it, diminishes it, and may even kill it all together.
Adulterated oils don’t work and can cause allergic reactions, however, pure steam distilled oils do not. You may see a detox reaction or have a psychosomatic response but not a true allergic reaction. You can even be allergic to the plant, but you cannot be allergic to the pure oil. How fascinating is that?? It's all in the chemistry...
Why the name Raindrop?? I drop the oils 6-8 inches above my hand before applying and vitaflexing them into the spinal points on your feet, as well as before feathering them onto your spine. This allows them to pass through your energy field, and mine, increasing their energetic frequency. Also, when we apply them from that distance above your back, it really can feel like raindrops...
Issues in your body and mind are in layers, like an onion. During a session only those layers you are ready and willing to release will be released, both physical and emotional. Raindrop can lead to permanent healing but not all problems can be solved in a single session.
Benefits to your mind, body and emotions start taking place during a session and these adjustments can continue throughout the following week, while some benefits may be subtle and not noticed for awhile.
That's Raindrop in a nutshell! Coming soon I will be offering hands on workshops on both this and Vitaflex where you can learn how to do the techniques and you will experience each technique. I will also be offering a Healing Oils of the Bible class – fascinating information in that one!!
Until then, my schedule is filling up fast, so if you, or someone you know would like to experience this first hand, feel free to reach out. I am currently offering sessions at my home in Norridgewock and also at a salon in Skowhegan. The price varies depending on the location so reach out if you are ready! I am already booking well into September, so don’t wait!
Be well,
by: Vicki Lyn Merrill©, CRTS, LSH
Licensed Holistic Practitioner
Certified Vitality Lifestyle Coach
207 480 0356
All Rights Reserved
Without Prejudice
You have 12,000 to 60,000 of these a day...any guesses what they are?
Thoughts.
And guess what?
80% of those thoughts are negative...and 95% play on repeat over and over and over...
This might just be why you can't stop thinking about that one critical comment sandwiched in among all the praise, or that one driver who cut you off out of the hundreds you encountered.
Dr. Rick Hanson says, "In effect, the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones...Most positive experiences flow through the brain like water through a sieve, while negative ones are caught every time."
Can you relate, too?? I thought you might...
There is good news though! You can create the new habit of being more positive. You always have a choice about how you look at something and how you think about it. What if you practiced more gratitude or started expecting the good to happen instead of always the negative?? One of my favorite lines is, "What's the BEST that could happen?" That's a change, isn't it??
"Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses." - Alphonse Karr
"When every day seems the same, it is because we have stopped noticing the good things that appear in our lives." Paulo Coehlo
How about a few things to be grateful for to get you started? Family; friends; sight; hearing; touch; smell; taste; the ability to talk; your heart; lungs; immune system; hands; legs; mind; health; tears to help express your deepest emotions; fear so you know where to grow; sadness to appreciate happiness; rain; technology for making our vast world a little closer and communication easier; books; music to help you dance or sing it out when those emotions are running high; enemies who help you uncover those things you want to sweep under the rug; laughter; love...and how about you. Can you be grateful for you and what you bring to this wild and crazy world?
So, tell me, my friend, how will you choose to cultivate positivity today?? What are you going to let go through that sieve or slide off that Teflon?
Are you in a season where some relationships are challenging...or just straight up miserably hard at times? Let's journey together through ways to make our most important relationships more joyful...including the relationship we have with ourselves...
When you think of one emotion you feel a lot in your relationships (marriage, children, other family members, friends, co-workers...), do you think of words like stressed, disappointed, misunderstood, bored, content, secure, angry, alone, thankful, overwhelmed, frustrated, lonely?
Was joy in there? or fun? or adventurous? Nope...they weren't on mine either.
Do you want to know the secret to having more fun, more joy in your life? Do you want it enough to work for it?
Joy is an emotion brought on by having what you desire...or maybe it's by desiring what you already have...hmmm...
Fun is amusing, entertaining, light-hearted, a true pleasure. But, let me ask you...is it truly fun or is it a buffer? Will it have a negative effect in the long run? I'll tell you, it was really fun to eat those perfectly crisp, warm, greasy, chocolate donut holes, all 14 of them, a few weeks ago, but doing that on the regular would definitely have a negative effect over time, right? Or is your fun something that brings you true pleasure, like going for a walk, sitting by a lake, kayaking, playing with your kids, hanging out with friends, reading a great book?
Adventure is an exciting experience. Have you planned for any?
How often do you think, "I'll be happen when..." or "This will be fun if..."? You know, when certain things outside of you, that are totally out of your control, come true...if you get that raise, if you go on that vacation, if kiddos act a certain way...then you can experience fun, joy or adventure. You think you need circumstances to line up in order for you to experience the emotions you want...that "if...then..." game. We've all played it.
What if I told you that it's not about the stuff that is outside of you, or out of your control, that can bring you fun, joy and adventure?? What if it is as simple as how you think, feel and act that brings results? The planets don't need to align, your bank account doesn't need to be overflowing and that certain in-law can treat you however they do, and it's all okay.
How do you want to show up? How do you want to think? What are the feelings you want to generate? What do you want to create in your home? Relationships? Intentionally decide. You have the power to create something different by what you think and how you show up.
Focus on possibilities, not problems. You can always make a list a mile long of problems because your brain is wired to focus on them. If you don't redirect it, that's all you are going to think about.
Remember those chemical cocktails like anxiety, overwhelm, stress, fear, frustration, your body can mix up so quickly because it gets sooo much practice with them? You can create the thoughts/cocktails for fun, joy, adventure, love, trust and more, with intention and on purpose.
Are you grateful for what you already have? How can you love the life you have more? The spouse you have? Family? Home? Job? the body? The calling? When you can do that, everything brings more joy.
Lighten up. Problems are everywhere. Stop living in serious negative overwhelm, making problems the focus of life. Decide you are a person who looks for happiness
.
. How can you be more playful? Enjoy life like a child...Say yes more often. Why restrict yourself? Why withhold joy? Why be irritated?
Create fun in those every day tasks...make challenging things more fun...
So, how are you withholding the fun, adventure and joy by the stories you are telling yourself? How can you create more joy every single day? Only you can decide to create joy, fun and adventure in your life. Are you up for it?
