As 2013 draws to an end, I hope you are feeling a growing sense of inner peace within, having read and hopefully practiced a few of the four preceding tips.  This final post for the year reveals the last tip which involves mindful creation.

Tip #5:   Reduce or eliminate negativity.  Negativity is derived from both internal and external sources.  Examples of external sources include negative marketing campaigns, toxic people and all forms of media news.  Each of these contribute negative energy to your environment  while negative self-talk and self-doubt keeps the pot simmering within.  Take action against negative energy by raising awareness of its presence and mindfully creating a positive environment for inner peace.

Take a vacation from external negative forces and resist watching the news for a while, especially before bedtime.  Abstain from television dramas, video games, and documentaries that showcase violence in any form, verbal or physical.  Be vigilant with every negative energy that enters your awareness.  Stop negativity within by practicing compassion for yourself and loving-kindness meditation.  There is a time for engaging in the world and a time for withdrawal.  Maintain healthy boundaries and mindfully create an environment conducive to inner peace.          

Inner peace is available when you surrender to the flow of life and trust the nature of evolution.

Tip #4  Embrace change.  Change is a natural force that moves continuously throughout our entire lifetime.  See change as a normal and necessary part of life.

Change is often difficult because it involves endings.  Consider a different perspective.  What if change were viewed as beginnings, opportunities to grow and explore new adventures?  How would you approach change differently?  Perhaps you might adopt a more positive outlook, fuelled by hope and optimism.

Change is basically a transitory state.  It is a place where you move from one situation to another, one perspective to another, or one behaviour to another.  Focus on excellent self-care during transitions and heed your intuitive voice within, the loving nurturing part of yourself that supports your best interests.  Allow space for compassion to arise and time to heal emotional pain.  Make self-care a priority during changes and a sense of inner peace will wash over you very naturally.

Inner peace may feel elusive at times.  This is especially true when we adhere to old belief systems.  The third tip for inner peace involves personal responsibilities.

Tip #3:  Take responsibility for your life and accept the current realities.  What is reality?   You can determine this by assessing the degree of truth in beliefs you hold.  Explore your feelings both with the belief and without it.  For example, if an old friend has not called you for a long time, you may believe that they no longer value your friendship.  To test this, ask yourself if you are 100% certain of this.  Most of the time, a margin of doubt exists.  Ask yourself how you feel believing they no longer value your friendship.  Maybe it is sad or angry.  Now ask yourself how you would feel without this belief.  Perhaps it might be joyful and relieved.  Take time to figure out the root of your beliefs.  You may discover they are rooted in old thinking habits.  In this example, you may discover a lack of confidence or self-love that requires attention.  Take responsibility for your own happiness in life.  It is essential work that we must each do for ourselves.  Inner peace awaits.

Inner peace involves a state of deep contentment.  Coming to terms with all parts of your life, past and present, is an important part of inner peace.  This second tip involves letting go and becoming fully present.

Tip #2:  Free yourself from past problems and worries about the future.  Know for certain what you can control and what you can’t.  Let go of what you cannot control.  Embrace what you can control and that is your choice of responses and emotions.  Choose a state of calm trust, believing that everything is unfolding in its own natural way.  Remind yourself how everything in nature unfolds in its own perfect time.  Trust that you and others are also evolving in the same natural way.  Then let go of cumbersome thoughts and immerse yourself in the present moment.  Engage your senses in your current task.  For example, if you are walking in nature, feel the ground beneath your feet, smell the air, notice the plants and wildlife around you, and the colours of the sky.  Immerse yourself in your experience and allow a sense of inner peace to wash over you.  Inner peace is available to all of us, whenever needed.  Open your mind to make space for inner peace.

Inner peace is the ultimate state of mind.  Inner peace is difficult to maintain since we humans are intricately tied to the outer world.  It takes a clear and open mind to consciously create and maintain peace within.  The good news is that we all have the capacity to cultivate it through mindful practices.  As 2013 draws to an end, inner peace will be the focus of the five remaining posts with hopes for a lighter and brighter new year for all!

Tip#1: Maintain healthy boundaries with your outer world.  Filter out what does not serve you well and incorporate more of what doe serve you well.  Practice unconditional love for yourself.  Free yourself from judgement and your inner critic.  Love yourself as you would a best friend and nurture your mind, body and spirit.  Remind yourself that the quality of your thoughts reflects the quality of your life.  Purify those thoughts to bring out the very best in you.

Your body is your vehicle in life.  Take care of your body and your body will help you to achieve all that you aspire for in life.  Make healthy food choices, exercise regularly and ensure adequate rest.  Embrace solitude whenever possible and connect with your higher self, that loving nurturing side of you that brings wisdom and insight.  Heed this intuitive voice within, for this voice is your very own personal guide to inner peace.  When you align yourself with your most authentic nature, inner peace comes as naturally as blossoms come to a tree!

Information overload leads to brain fog.  Too much information and too little processing time affects our ability to remember details.  How can we avoid brain fog when this happens?  Aside from ensuring adequate rest and downtime, making conscious effort to absorb new information is key.  Once it has been added to our long-term memory, recall is more likely and with even greater detail than we realize.

Take time to absorb new information on a deeper level.  Find answers to what you ponder, establish key points and consider a variety of ways for looking at these.  Examining key points from different angles is a highly revealing exercise that can also be quite amusing.  For instance, if I am learning strategies for increasing happiness, I would also consider ways for increasing misery in my life.  My list might include things like isolating myself, neglecting a healthy diet, regular exercise, and spiritual needs.  Each of these points highlight very clearly what I need to do to increase happiness in my life.  

Review this new information in as many different ways as possible.  Share it in conversation, write a story or poem about it, sing it, sketch it and even act it out, if possible.  The more ways you engage yourself in learning, the greater your retention.  Take a pro-active approach to maintaining clarity throughout life.  Be vigilant against brain fog and steer yourself towards clarity.  Happiness awaits you in the clearing!  

Brain fog is thick and heavy when we are energetically out of balance.  When we have tipped the scale too far towards depletion, brain fog arises with all of its drama.  Unable to receive any more information or methodically process what is currently going on, our mind signals to us loud and clear the need to pull back and practice self-care.

Adequate rest and downtime is vital to maintaining clarity.  Similar to a charging an electric vehicle, sleep provides our minds with the necessary time and space for restoring mental abilities.  Meditation and practices in mindfulness can also help to refuel mental reserves throughout your day.  Incorporate breathing and walking meditations for immediate relief and profoundly powerful benefits.

If you find yourself feeling tired throughout your day and performing below your expectations, this may be a signal for you to make sleep and downtime a priority in your life.  Ensuring this most basic need is met will help to keep brain fog at bay!

What do you do when your mind is consumed with worrisome thoughts?  How do you move beyond this to a place of peace and clarity?  Overwhelming negative thoughts can block our ability to see clearly.  Similar to anxiety, worry hinders natural our thought processes and keeps the mind in a state of foggy confusion.  Break through worry-induced fog by trying one of the following strategies.

Consciously give your mind a break and focus on the current task at hand.  Bring your full attention to the moment, using all your senses.  Feel the satisfaction you get from immersing yourself in the experience.  This mental break may be all you need to return to clarity.  If not, repeat as necessary with activities you enjoy, such as walking in nature or creating something with your hands.  Other alternatives include scheduling 20 minutes of worry time when it is conducive to your wellness, connecting with a support person, or journalling your stream of thoughts to flush out lingering concerns and brainstorm possible solutions.  Experiment with one or any combination of these.  The important thing is to take action and not allow worry to take over.  Move through mental fog with definitive action and just as blue skies eventually  return, so too will clarity!

Brain fog blocks our ability to think clearly.  The fog is especially thick when accompanied by anxiety and intense emotions.  Emotions are a strong force that impedes logical thought processes and problem solving abilities.  How do we maintain a clarity in the presence of strong emotions.  The answer is with mindfulness.

Bring yourself to the moment with your breath.  Focus on each inhale and exhale as you relax and allow brain fog to dissipate.  The key word here is ‘allow’.  This involves letting go of all thoughts and attachment to the turmoil you are experiencing in your mind and rest in the reality of the moment.  The reality involves your body’s senses, your breath and the physical environment just as it is, without interpretations.

Tune in fully to the moment and what is.  Focus on grounding yourself in this moment and like debris settling in water, the chaos of your mind will gradually settle to renewed clarity.  When this happens, rest in this clear and easy space  you have created for yourself.  Take a few deep breaths to further relax yourself and as you do this, solutions will rise within like bubbles rising to the surface.  Clarity awaits in moments of intense emotions, when you practice mindfulness.

Mind Master is pleased to present its newest program, a 3 part series entitled G.L.A.D., the remedy for S.A.D.  GLAD is an acronym that reveals 4 proven effective strategies for dealing with SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder.  SAD is a type of depression that affects many people who live in northern countries like Canada, where significant changes in daylight hours dramatically impacts quality of life for many.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, Seasonal Affective Disorder affects 3% of the population at some time in their life.  SAD generally occurs between September/October and April/May of each year.  Many people in Metro Vancouver experience six months or more of decreased energy and low moods.  What can one do to ward off the effects of SAD and minimize its impact?

Join insightful conversations in this participant-centred, dialogue driven series where you will discover keys to overcoming SAD and becoming more resilient in winter months.  More than just strategies for releasing negativity and embracing positive thinking, this program covers proper diagnosis, various types of treatment and available resources in the area.  Embrace a mindful approach as you assess your strengths and create personally effective goals that are realistic and achievable.  Treat yourself to the true gift of lasting Joy this season.  Sign up for all 3 sessions at the special price of $99+GST or choose one session for $40+GST.

Session #1 opens your mind to possibilities with enhanced awareness of your situation and strategies for releasing negative thought patterns and beliefs that keep you in a depressed state.  This session takes place on Tuesday, November 19 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Douglas College, David Lam Campus, 1250 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, in Room C1004.  Register now!

Session #2 teaches mindfulness with techniques for generating greater peace of mind, compassion and better choices for enhanced quality of life.  This session takes place on Tuesday, November 26 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Douglas College, David Lam Campus, 1250 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, in Room C1004.  Register now!

Session #3 promotes authentic alignment with techniques for drawing out natural strengths, talents and positive energy in life.  This session takes place on Tuesday, December 3 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Douglas College, David Lam Campus, 1250 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, in Room D1020.  Register now!

ALTERNATE OPTIONS:

Join an afternoon discussion at Glen Pine Pavilion on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.  This session covers essential habits for warding off Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Register on-line at coquitlam.ca/registration, by phone 604-927-4386 or in person at 1200 Glen Pine Court, Coquitlam.

Create your own discussion group with 4 or more friends at a local coffee shop.  Click on S.M.A.R.T. Cafe to register.