Pure Intention : Cultivate a Sense of Ease

JOMO noun – Joy Of Missing Out: feeling content with staying in and disconnecting as a form of self-care- The Soul Journey with Sarah Moussa

“At its core, JOMO means proudly living life in the slow lane and deriving pleasure from social exclusion. Paradoxically, it’s a wellbeing initiative backed by the Big Tech firmsthat played their part in our social addictions in the first place. By intentionally taking a step back, shunning needless over-exertion and unshackling ourselves from what we “should” be doing, fear is traded for joy. Our most precious resource is reclaimed: time” – By Rosie Bell 21st July 2019 – Worklife 101 Thankfully, FOMO is being replaced by its antithesis: the joy of missing out 20190718-jomo

I absolutely love the idea that Fear is being traded for Joy. How beautiful is that ?

For more than two years now, I have been on a quest for wellbeing. I have learned so much about what it means to care for oneself.

“Self-care is not selfish,” explains Christine Carter, PhD, a sociologist and senior fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California in Berkeley. Focusing on what makes us feel nourished and what gives us meaning is part of easing feelings of stress and anxiety and giving us a more solid foundation, she says.top-self-care-tips-for-being-stuck-at-home-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic

I believe the key is to adopt self-care practices that cultivate a sense of ease.

According to Evano, cultivating ease in your life is not difficult. It can be learned, like everything else. Cultivating Ease and Serenity – August 10, 2021 Cultivating-ease-and-serenity

Evano suggests seven things to consider when you decide to cultivate and nurture ease and serenity in your life.

Intuition and Trust Trying to control everything in your life ? What happens when you decide to let go and allow the pieces to fall where they may? Evano says that “Control gives us a feeling of security when there is chaos around us. But in doing so, we block our full potential. Controlling can show itself in many different areas of life: We want to control what we eat and when, we want to control what we think and feel, we want to control how others perceive us, and so on ” Rather than forbidding yourself any of these things, let your intuition decide. Surrender completely. Trust that everything will unfold the way it is meant to. Choose to enjoy life. Enjoy food. Enjoy simply being and not doing anything at all. Resist nothing. “Inner resistance is often a sign that your subconscious mind wants to protect you. What are you afraid of? What would happen if you let go and surrender?”
Acceptance Life rarely goes according to plan. Resist nothing and accept what is. Evano states”Negatives and setbacks are simply part of life. With compassion for yourself but also for other people, a non-judgmental perception, you can train to accept life as it is.”
Daily Meditation According to Evano, “serenity means that we should detach ourselves from the things that are not good for us. There is no difference between good and bad. Everything happens for you. Even if something doesn’t go the way we want it to, this also has something positive. Even if you don’t see it right away. While mindfully observing your breath, you observe your thoughts and feelings in a completely non-judgmental way. Let them pass. ” I have to come to realize this first hand after my long struggle with Covid. There is something to be learned from each life experience, allowing us to evolve as human beings.
Laughter I often speak of my Mom who was constantly making reference to the fact that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. Thankfully I have always managed to laugh in good times and in bad 🙂 Probably one of my best qualities. “Scientific studies² have shown that laughter not only makes you happier, but it also helps you be more positive and calm in many situations and in life. ” – Evano
Balancing stress For years and years I have personally struggled with this one. I have finally mastered the art of breathing and no longer suffer from anxiety. I have learned to move past the fear response effortlessly ! “In stressful situations our body tenses up and we are anything but calm and full of ease. By paying attention to our breathing in such situations, we suddenly realize how tense we are. When we are stressed, our sympathetic nervous system³ is active and we breathe faster and shallower to get enough oxygen into our system. When we consciously take long, deep breaths, we counteract this and thus ensure relaxation (we activate our parasympathetic nervous system³, which ensures calmness and relaxation).” – Evano
Resolving Hidden Barriers The topic of unconscious self-sabotage is very extensive. Evano has dedicated an entire article to it which, is definitely worth the read. Have you ever heard someone say “you are your thoughts” ? According to Evano, “life is neither hard nor easy, it is what you think it is. Some of us find it hard to believe in ourselves that our lives feel easy, that we are courageous, or that we can accomplish what we set out to do. This is also related to our previous experiences, which we believe to be our reality. If this is the case for you, can you imagine that there are other people to whom everything seems to fly by and who go through life with apparent ease? At this point, please ignore that you may be different from these people, it is only important that you can imagine that there are other people for whom this is so.” – Evano. In other words, your mind is a powerful tool my friends. Use it to its full potential !!
Choose influences you want “We can always push ourselves with our willpower, but this is very tiring in the long run. The easier way is to use our willpower to create an environment that makes our tasks and life easier. Regular and consistent habits and rituals help our brain not to need energy every time to overcome hurdles.” – Evano. Establishing a daily routine and rituals has always been a huge challenge for me. I am gradually starting to live the life I want to be living on a daily basis. Here are some of the practices that I am fully committed to : meditation, yoga, pranayama breathing, eating local and organic food, cooking healthy home made meals, cleansing and detoxing , and journaling.

How I know for a fact that the changes I have made in my lifestyle these past two years, are having an impact on my state of well being :

I took a ride in Sergio’s boat this past summer and actually enjoyed myself . Of course it broke down and we ended up floating down the current towards the rapids. I was so zen, I discouraged him from signalling for help to nearby boaters! For once it wasn’t me sweating it out. We did end up back at our dock but I must admit it was quite the adventure 🙂
I was supposed to go visit my daughter in Amsterdam this past April. I got Covid for the second time and tested positive the day before I was supposed to get my third vaccination (at the time, a requirement for travelling in Europe). No worries. I got a PCR two days before departure and results were negative. Everyone said having Covid was like my third vaccination so, I only needed to take proof. As I waited in line, papers in hand, I prayed that I wouldn’t get the clerk that looked like she didn’t want to be working for Air Canada. Of course she signalled for me to approach the counter. She took a look at my passport and told me I would have to change my return date. My expiry date was three months away and my return date exceeded this by 24 hours. Ok…in my head I was thinking what is the point of having an expiry date but ok ….smile and nod. She proceeded to share with me the fact that she had been working since 1:00 am. I apologized for being her last”case” of the day. I never did get on the plane. No proof of a third vaccination ? No way was she letting me on that plane. I shed a few tears but decided to accept and let go. The old me, the “Karen”, would have totally lost it on this woman. Instead, I chose not to blame or get angry and because I didn’t react, she actually calmed right down. I like to think she ended her shift on a happier note than when she started. I’m finally heading to Amsterdam to visit in a few weeks 🙂 No more tulips but hey, I’ll take it 🙂
I recently lost one of the most special beings in my life. I have had many moments of sadness and miss her dearly but, I am not broken. My sister accepted her circumstances with such grace and courage. She did not resist. She replaced fear with love and died peacefully. My “sista” is my inspiration.

In closing here is something to contemplate ….

“A body in dis-ease is on the road to disease. It does not matter whether symptoms of disease or any manifestation of disease exist at the present moment or not. If a body is not at ease, if it is not within proper function, it is in a state of disharmony – dis-ease.”

“Disease does not need to be attacked or combated as if in a war. Harmony, ease, and proper function only need to be re-established. Un-ease, disharmony and malfunction are the conditions which must exist in order for disease to manifest. The restoration of ease will allow harmony and proper function to be re-established. Once ease, harmony and proper function are established, it becomes nearly impossible for disease to exist and manifest within the body.” disease-vs-dis-ease

Just saying….

Wishing you a beautiful evening,