Have you ever tried journaling your affirmations?

I have and there's one way to do it that doesn't seem to work at all. I don't recommend it...

"I am so happy I'm wealthy! I have been able to buy a mansion, ten cars, a home for my parents, and a yacht. Life is so thrilling now."

Just as I mentioned the other day, I find that I have to find the truth in my affirmations. So, writing ahead what I am going to feel on Dec. 31st doesn't quite quite work, either.

What works better for me is to tell myself a story. So if wealth is your intention, and your affirmation is something like, "I have all the money I need," then you might write that at the top of a journal entry & then tell yourself the story of how it's true.

Let's imagine that I am working on wealth as an intention, using that affirmation, and I want to imagine that I won the lottery (gotta admit, I like the sound of that.)

Here's a way I might write it...

"The abundance I want comes to me effortlessly...

Right after we won, the first thing my son wanted to do was buy a new car. We certainly needed one, but I just wasn't ready yet. After daydreaming all my life about the perfect home, and watching all those House Hunters episodes, all I could think about was buying a house. It's so much fun to walk into a model home and imagine yourself there. So I loved every minute of looking at houses, and then finally decided which one I wanted. Only then, did I get around to looking for a car, and thank goodness, we found one in the perfect color."

In that example above, not only did I tell myself a story, and place myself in it, I also wrote it fairly close to the way I think I would describe it if it happened.

When you write yours, the most important thing is to be able to believe it.

So, in your own journaling about your intention, how could you make it sound real enough that you not only start to believe it, but you can feel it as you write it?

(1) Use experiences you have had already, weaving them into the reality you are describing in your journal entry.

(2) Do it often, but vary the story each time.

For instance, if your intention was to find love, you might write a journal entry about getting ready for your second date, dancing to your favorite song, how you each take turns choosing the movie you'll watch, the moment when you got engaged.

Journaling in this way helps you practice having the intention come true and gets you used to the idea.

Using affirmations, and journaling and/or meditating about them will change the way you think at other times, too, and may lead to your making choices that make the manifestation more likely.

What do you think? Is journaling your affirmations something that might work for you?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

Do you get winter blues each year, too?

It starts in the fall for me, but the winter months are the most difficult, followed by March when it seems like it should be over, but isn't yet. Though the worst winter depressions are likely to need medical or therapeutic intervention, here are a few things you can do on your own...

(1) Surround yourself with light - if you can actually get outside for half an hour of sunshine, please do. But a light box may help, too. I use mine every day. I also light candles & hang up fairy lights to add even more light coming my way.

(2) Do something hygge - wrap yourself up in something warm and cozy, have a hot cup of cocoa, or a big cup of tea. Watch a family movie with the kids, or plan one for when you get home from work.

(3) Have a day of Christmas - play "Christmastime is Here" and make Christmas cookies. Wear red, and watch a Christmas movie.

(4) Dance - moving physically can sometimes help you change the way you feel emotionally, just long enough to create a shift that will last all day. I have friend who dance for 15 minutes when they first get up and they tell me it helps a lot.

(5) Eat carbs - many people are missing serotonin in the winter, and find that carbohydrates may help to replace it. Plan a potato-based meal. Sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top may feel like a special treat.

(6) Laugh - search YouTube or Netflix for your favorite comedian and watch 15 minutes or so, at a time, throughout the day.

Here's my 7th suggestion for feeling better today.

Every time I think about him, and listen to that speech, I am moved by it, proud of the work he did in the world, and happy to know that our world, imperfect as it is, is nonetheless forever changed because of him. Love, Jeanine

Watch the "I Have a Dream" Speech

Ive been sharing a series of posts about affirmations this week, and I have one more coming next week. I wanted to take a break today to talk about the super blood moon and eclipse we have coming on Sunday...

During the next few days, you may find that challenges are coming to an end. One of the articles I read suggested that things may resolve on a national level - which would be great - but here, I prefer to focus closer to home, in case there are things that will be meaningful for you, personally.

Because these are predictions that may or may not seem to come true in any particular person's life, I think of them as possibilities. And what I do is set an intention to be open to those possibilities.

I have quite a few challenges I'd like to see turn the corner and/or come to an end, so I will offer them up for completion. Do you have anything like that in your own life?

Another article suggested that if you look back over the past few years, you may notice your own personal growth in areas that had been a challenge for you. That sounds good, right?

And for me, there has been a spiritual shift that's connected to a challenge that began just before the time the article mentions (early 2017). Are you beginning to resolve any challenges that began a couple of years ago?

Apparently, it could be easy to get into arguments and feel the need to prove yourself right over the next few days. I always cringe inwardly whenever I hear something like that because it's so easy for me to fall for that trick.

I have an intention to be careful this weekend - but I can be so unconscious at times, without even meaning to be, and I find myself wandering into a disagreement and then thinking, "what just happened?" Does that ever happen to you?

I am sick most of the time, so I am often not really paying attention, or I'm distracted by something I am worrying about, so if I can stay present, I might have an easier time of it. And isn't that the truth all the time?

It's also going to be a full moon, which offers its own energy. The full moon will marry the sense of completion and resolution to the opportunity to celebrate. You may see glimpses of new moon intentions coming true or being empowered.

And for this full moon, take a moment to celebrate any completions, closure or shifts you experience. If you have moonstone, it would be good to have it nearby to keep you calm all weekend and lean into the curve in an emotional sense, where the moon is concerned.

In fact, here's a quick ritual you could do - grab moonstone & amethyst, and place a slip of paper underneath them that offers up whatever you want for completion during the eclipse and the full moon.

I also suggest resting this weekend. Sounds like there could be changes. You'll need your sleep.

Wishing you a peaceful weekend!

Love, Jeanine

Have you ever ordered something in the mail and looked forward to getting it. I remember, way back when, they used to have those music clubs that offered a ton of new music for only 99c. You'd agree to buy one a month for a year, maybe, and you could choose exactly which one you wanted.

I placed the order, and then, began to imagine them arriving. I'd sit back and listen to the music. Or I might sing my heart out or get up and dance. I'd be transported away from normal life and have moments of feeling like I was inside the music. Some of the music might even lull me to sleep, so I could trade worrying about what time it was, and how much less sleep I would get that night, for drifting off to sleep peacefully and waking up with happy music as a companion while I got ready for work.

Well, it has been said that setting an intention is like placing an order with the universe. And that imagining your joy when it arrives is the way you help to summon it. But it also helps you get used to the idea, so the changes aren't as sudden.

Affirmations can help with that - they announce a new truth, but one you just don't see yet, like those CDs that were on the way but not yet here. Combining the affirmations with meditation is like my daydreams of what listening to all my new music would be like.

(1) The first step is to set your intention. What do you want more of in your life? What change would you like to make?

(2) The next step is to figure out where you need support and encouragement around your new intention. If your intention is to get a new job, one that pays more than your current one, then maybe it's hard to believe you could get a new job.

Or you're worried about what to say during the interview, imagining that you'll say the wrong thing. Because of your fears, you know you might put off updating your resume or filling out the applications.

(3) The third step is to create affirmations that will inspire, reassure and motivate you. You might create one that reminds you of the experience you have that qualifies you for the job you want, or that tells you that they would be lucky to have you.

If that's hard to believe, pull in some affirmations about what your current boss has told you. Or previous jobs you did well.

(4) Once you have several affirmations you can use that will be easy to remember, the next step is to create brief meditation stories that affirm the truth of what you'll be telling yourself and help you practice getting the job you want. You might imagine yourself updating your resume during the commercials as you watch a favorite movie.

Or you might imagine doing well at each interview, answering every question well, and knowing after each one that you'd aced it. You could imagine getting the phone call that offers you the job you want. And then, driving there for your first day of work. Imagine doing the job and knowing you're doing it well.

(5) The final step is to practice the feelings. With each affirmation and meditation, add the feeling.

Imagine feeling confident as you answer questions in an interview. Anticipate the excitement you'll feel when they call to offer you the job. Imagine the joy you will feel as you do the job and become more confident about how perfect you are for it.

If the job will offer more money, imagine what you will do with it. Perhaps you'll be able to buy a new car or save for a house. Or afford to renovate the house you already own.

Once you have done each step, you'll have created the support you need to trust that your intention is on the way and that trust will help you manifest. You'll have conquered the fear that might hold you back.

As you read through the process, were you able to imagine using it with your own intentions?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

 
The problem with affirmations is that sometimes they don't work. For me, it has always been because I didn't believe them. I'd say something, and immediately experience cognitive dissonance.

Today, let's take a look at how to resolve that, so we can use affirmations in all the ways that do work...

One way that affirmations can go wrong is having a sense of disconnect as you say or write them. You think, "well, that's not true!" and no amount of repeating them connects with you in any way after that moment.

Because of that kind of experience, when I was in my 20s, I decided that they don't work. But I gave up too soon. The trick is to find the truth in them. And then, practice telling yourself the truth.

When you have a bill you can't pay, saying "I am wealthy" will create cognitive dissonance. If you want to practice being wealthy, this is not the way to do it. Because lying to yourself will never work. Tomorrow, I'll give you some ideas about how to work with something that's not true yet.

But meanwhile, if wealth is the issue, I would choose an affirmation that is true. "One way or another, the bills get paid," and "I have paid my bills at every income level," then "being wealthy would make paying bills even more fun." After that, you have set yourself up to dream about the future, which I will say more about tomorrow.

Find a way to make it true. If you want to be better at taking care of your house, but right now, there is clutter everywhere, don't start with "I keep my house perfectly clean and tidy," even if that's where you want to go.

"I love my home. I want it to be cozy. With the freedom I feel when everything is put away, and I can walk through my beautiful home without wincing. I can't wait to experience that again. I love my home and I want to take care of it." I would break those up into chunks, or write it as a paragraph in your journal.

Let me give you an example of how that worked for me. There's a woman I know who liked to inspire her people to declutter and clean, so that they can make room for the best versions of themselves and their lives.

But since I have chronic fatigue syndrome, I run out of fuel long before I have cleaned the house from top to bottom. I have moments of tidying up, but sometimes a day or two goes by before I get to it. And I can never dedicate a whole day to cleaning and tidying, because they next day, I would pay for that in painful, not-get-out-of-bed kinds of ways.

So I often felt regret when I read this woman's posts, because I couldn't do what she talked about doing. But in a conversation on her page, someone else mentioned that her motivation was to make things look cozy and lived in. I responded to her about how important that is to me, too, and that I could work with the idea of isolating the cozy.

Immediately, I got up and tidied up a bit in my room and then, in our family room. The next day, I cleared off two counters so that the area where my son and sit to watch TV would be the easy focus of that room & not the clutter.

Now I ask myself if it's cozy, and what needs to be cleaned or moved so that it will be. If I can do it, I do it right then. If not, it is on my list for the next time I can. And I've appointed my son chief scrubber for the harder tasks (he is the bottle washer already), so it is now easier to feel good about the way my house looks.

Based on my standards.

My affirmations were about how good cozy feels. And what is important in the room. What feels good to walk in and see, etc.

How could you use affirmations in moments like that, for things you have to do over and over again that you'd rather not do.

What dreams could affirmations support?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

Positive affirmations are words or phrases that we repeat to ourselves daily or whenever we are struggling. Instead of letting our inner voices mirror the critical voices in our lives, we can replace those with tracks of our own crafting that inspire us to keep reaching for greatness.

We can interrupt our neural pathways when they have been programmed toward negative thoughts by interrupting them with positive affirmations.

Instead of thinking, “I’m too stupid to do this,” for example, we can interrupt that negative thought by saying, “I can do this!” to ourselves.

So once you have set your intentions for the year, you might know that you have some limiting beliefs that will get in the way of manifesting them. Affirmations may be a way to change your mind. And to create new positive expectations about your intentions coming true...

Do you agree? Can affirmations work?

More, tomorrow, on how to use affirmations, especially when they don't seem to be working. See you then!

Love, Jeanine

You may remember from my posts about meal planning here and here, that though I am not starting a diet this year, I do want to try healthier meals, and am hoping that by trying some new recipes, eating well will be more fun and not the boring same-old same-old. I intended to try at least one new recipe a week and tell you guys how it went.

I picked one out to try from the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle - Simple Vegetables and Rice Pilaf. But I forgot to look up the ingredients and when we got to the store, my son and I just shrugged. We ate rice, peas and parmesan cheese, instead.

It was good, though!

I think for next week's healthy eating, meal-planning post, I'm going to choose something for breakfast - or breakfast for dinner! ;)

This week, through a combination of meal planning and choosing what's on sale, I saved $10 on my grocery bill. I'm really pleased and hoping to add in coupons and save even more.

I've been reading that ebook from the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle, Dinner for a Dollar, and am really motivated to keep making changes. This week, I didn't get our meals down to a dollar per person, but they will be about $1.50 for each of us. No bad, right?

I did hit some resistance while I was in the store. I had some things on the list that I wanted to get on sale, but not only were some not on sale, when they were, it was not a brand I was willing to choose. So I switched plans right there in the store.

Hoping it gets easier and better as I go!

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

This year, I am planning to develop a repertoire of ways to manage stress. I believe that stress and anxiety have been problems for me almost all of my life. I have high blood pressure, now, so I am determined to conquer it once and for all this year. And create peace, in general, in every way I can. Are stress and anxiety ever a problem for you?

Make yourself a cup of tea, and curl up on the couch with your journal to answer these questions...

(1) How do you know you have stress?

In your journal, make two columns - symptoms, causes. In the causes column, right down anything you know already is part of the stress problem. A relative who criticizes you, a boss you don't like, worry about your kids, etc.

Then, in the symptoms column, list any physical or emotional symptoms you think might in any way be caused or exacerbated by stress. Like the headache that starts as soon as you get to work, or the stomachache you have when someone you care about is angry with you.

(2) Is there anything you already know helps you release stress?

Taking a walk, or having a cup of chamomile tea. From what you already know works, make a list and figure out where you could put these things into your schedule. What would work best where?

(3) What 5 tools or techniques would you like to try this year to lessen your stress?

I'll share some ideas over the next few weeks and tell you how they can help. But what you are already interested in trying is more likely to work. So Google some of the ideas you already have and try one or two.

See you next week! (I'm taking weekends off)

Love, Jeanine

This week, I have been sharing my own intentions for the new year. And always, without even having to think it over, I choose healing. I pray for healing, I look for ways to heal, and when something goes wrong, my first thought is how I am a part of the problem, and what I might need to heal as part of resolving it.

Imagine all the people [doing exactly the same thing.] You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

What if the story of who you are and of your life, thus far, includes not only all the good that has come your way and all the character traits you inherited, learned or developed on your own, but also, they way you have been changed by wounds that didn't heal? The way the course of your life has changed because of them?

One of the things I like to say is that there is a life that's waiting for you. I believe that healing is the most important part of the path to getting there. Taking a step toward that life without healing would be like trying to get there in the dark.

I have been a healer for about 18 years. Working on healing myself and getting the privilege of helping others heal, too. And I remember early on, having a sort of a-ha moment.

I realized because of intense self-examination that there were ways in which I wanted to change that I just couldn't make happen. Right then. It would take healing to make it possible. And I discovered exactly what was preventing that change.

It felt like setting an intention about what I would do differently or how I would react differently, heading toward it and having a locked door pop up in front of me.

What just happened? I did the same thing I always do. I found myself thinking the same thing, saying the same thing, feeling the same thing. Instantly off the path I thought I was on.

And then, it occurred to me that that might be true for all of us in many different ways. We want to change ourselves or our lives but we are locked behind the door because of things we don't even know are holding us back. Or maybe we can't even dream of the change yet.

But over and over and over again, I have seen healing make it possible to dream, and then, make dreams come true. Maybe you have seen or experienced it, too?

I want to give you an example from my own life about not believing something was possible. My parents were both college professors. My mother was a math professor, and I often teased her about thinking there was a formula that would solve every problem in life.

Academics, I think, believe what they can see or prove is true. Or at least, they did.

So when I began to get interested in the paranormal at a young age, my mother tried to shut that down. And my father just sort of absently seemed to be allowing me to go through that phase, as if I would come to my senses.

I am strong-willed, so I kept going to the library to look for all the information I could find. But my ability to wholeheartedly believe in things like that, that you can't see, was broken.

Later in my life, when I decided I wanted to become more intuitive, I read a lot about it. But it didn't seem to work for me.

When I became a healer, I experienced a lot of cognitive dissonance. I disagreed with my mother, who discounted the idea at first, but her voice was in my head.

I loved my mother, but I have struggled to live as myself all my life, in part because she was such an authority. She knew, even if we didn't, that she was always right.

So me? A healer? Me? An intuitive? It has become a way of life, but it took a long time to take it in and fully believe it.

Especially to understand that it has been my purpose, all along. Deep in it, I sometimes thought, "is this real?" Even as I knew it was.

Both my mother and grandmother were intuitives. But they hated it, and denied it. And did their best to kill it. So I inherited their struggle.

Healing it, in myself, required seeing that struggle through the eyes of compassion, healing the limited beliefs, the fears, etc. And anchoring in the ability to go my own way, and listen to my own guidance. It was multi-layered and did not happen overnight.

Healing is not linear. And definitely not easy. Often, it's not immediate, and instead is an onion-like process.

But boy, is it powerful. And I highly recommend it.

What do you believe about healing?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

My memory of it is a little hazy, but I believe I read an article a few years ago that said that research suggested that it's better to pause before moving from one activity to the next every day.

That somehow, overall, it conserves more energy? Not sure. I have gist memories, unfortunately, so now I have this image in my head of a woman sitting on the sofa without leaning back and to me, it means, don't rush to the next thing.

So while we're pausing, why not make it hygge?

Actually, Country Living, I believe it is pronounced "hue-ga," but that definition does capture the essence of it. So hygge breaks aren't just a temporary pause in your day, they are moments you create on purpose, to engender coziness or wellbeing.

It would mean sitting on the couch and leaning back, while reading a book for a few minutes. Curling up under a big blanket and having a cup of tea.

So that each big activity in your day was broken up by pleasure moments that give you a break. Hopefully, a refreshing one, so that you feel better and find it easier to resume whatever you were doing.

But I also believe that hygge can be its own reward, so I often create hygge moments for no particular reason.

When was your last hygge moment?

I have them every day, several times, if I can. I drink a big cup of tea, mid-morning, while reading a book. I often light a candle, for cozy ambiance, even when I'm working on a blog post, etc.

My son and watch TV together & pause what we're watching several times to discuss what's happening. Last year, when my mom was sick, but before she died, we watched two seasons of the reboot of One Day at a Time. Then, we spent the summer watching 7 seasons of West Wing.

And we've just started Madam Secretary. Being him while we watch it is hygge, but the tension & stress I feel during danger moments on the show is not. I've told him we will see how it goes.

We also hang out during The Good Doctor & This is Us. Did you know that watching TV as a family could be hygge? It can.

Almost anything can, depending on how it feels. If it brings coziness and warmth, or a sense of wellbeing, it's hygge.

If you aren't familiar with creating it on purpose, tell me what you'd like to try first. If you were with me through months of diving into it as a blog topic, are there any ways I inspired you to try it yourself?

My hygge intention this year is to rest more, and to rest with hygge comfort, even when I am sleeping. For example, my sleep situation isn't as cozy as it could be when I'm going to sleep and I am going to work on that this year. Also, I think I might like to add back a bedtime cup of tea.

What would your hygge intention be?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine