wellbeing

How to be a Fear Freedom Fighter!

~ Stephanie Powell Wellbeing ~ Leave a comment

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‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ … right?

… If you’re brave enough, strong enough, desperate enough, then perhaps.

But what if the consequences of ‘doing it anyway’ seem so insurmountable that it’s like asking you to pop on your walking boots and climb to Everest base camp, better still the summit.
For those who say ‘it’ll be fine’ or ‘just do it’ or ‘what have you got to lose’ have never walked your path, worn your shoes or if they have, they’re using their own cognitive processes to rationalise it. 

My mantra used to be, and still is to an extent, ‘Just do it!’ – Nikes tag line. For me it was a great motivator in many aspects of my life … ‘should I’, ‘shouldn’t I’ scenarios where often categorically concluded with the ‘Just do it’ voice in my head. But that was when the agonizing was over stuff that wasn’t defined as life changing or significantly pain staking in any way.

A client of mine has just ‘felt the fear and done it anyway’. A big, fat, scary fear with significant consequences and possible far reaching effects … I’m very proud of that person. Fear represents a wide range of emotional issues. They themselves didn’t define it as fear, they saw it as an infliction on another, a compassionate curbing on consequences yet it still came down to fear. Fear of hurting another, fear of insecurity … fear of the unknown and fear of losing control. Continue reading →

How would you like your peas & pear?

~ Stephanie Powell Wellbeing ~ 2 Comments

Late last year I was diagnosed with the early symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis … for anyone this is a major blow. For me it felt greater. My whole belief system and work orientation is the mind / body connection and how mental and emotional responses affect the physical state and therefore disease. Rheumatoid is considered an ‘autoimmune’ condition – medically, your own immune system attacks your own body … self-rejection came to mind and this I could not or would not accept.

hammock lady

So I asked the heavens … actually I screamed “If this is real and I am attacking my own body then fine, I’ve got some issues to deal with. BUT, if it’s not real and there’s a different theory TELL ME … SHOW ME so I can go and figure it out!!”

The next day I was shopping for a book for a friend’s birthday. I walked out of the shop without her birthday pressie and instead with a book called the ‘Medical Medium’. I’d walked in, picked it up and bought it within a minute … usually I’m a slow motion book browser!

Reading this book showed me that the context of the condition wasn’t necessarily as I’d thought or how the Medical establishment currently assume it to be – rightly or wrongly. I won’t go into the details of the book because basically if you have a chronic condition then you really should read it. This book is however beginning to change many people’s lives. There’s some revelationary info on the underlying causes of some of the most common diseases and a reinforced message on how to completely overhaul your immune system. It gave me hope that there wasn’t a line written underneath this condition which labelled a life of pain, limitation and frustration.

My Mum has suffered with a variation of this disease since she was in her early 40’s – my age. It took a long time to diagnose and I’ve seen that her once, very active life shrink around her with pain, suffering and fear. Her life became a series of medicinal concoctions with adverse side effects and a slowly fading belief that she could overcome it – she believed she would be THE medical marvel that defied this disease. She has made significant progress due to diet and lifestyle changes but sadly this disease has defined her for many years. So if she wasn’t going to be a medical marvel then I’ve decided I will!

Continue reading →

Feeling a little confused? Try 7 STEPS to Successful Meditation …

~ Stephanie Powell Wellbeing ~ Leave a comment

I’ve had some ‘head versus heart’ stuff going on recently. A conversation that I almost don’t feel quite part of yet caught in the middle of. The quiet, unassuming wisdom of my heart versus the forthright and determined tantrum of my head. Presently I feel like a back seat driver, passively mediating a conversation between the two and allowing each their full expression before I cast the final call.

My heart is the passively assertive director nudging its way into my world. I am aware that it will take no prisoners should it not be heard. My head however will scream and shout and tell the internal world that it’s ‘this way or the highway’.

At the moment I’m not sure how to mediate a resolution between the two but I do know that they each have viable requirements. I trust my heart, it’s voice, it’s wisdom and sincerity in that it always knows what right for me. My head is a little less reliable but always comes up with a good argument for the defence! It’s just that right now I’m unsure of the compromise to be made and neither want to back down.

heart & brain

So I’m bringing my recently lapsed meditation practise back in to the game with a disciplined attendance. I am hoping that amongst the quiet yet assertive echoes of my heart and the dogmatic and formidable force of my head, I may just come up with a solution!

Often when I am facing a minor indecision or a need to become clear on something, I sit quiet, push the issue to one side and focus on my body. I get centred, I concentrate on my breathing and I become mindful. I stay with this for about 10 minutes. When I return to my issue, 8 times out of 10 the answer is clear.

I’ve been teaching and guiding people through the practise of meditation and deep relaxation for a few years now which prompted my development into Hypnotherapy.
One thing people often say in the beginning is ‘I don’t know where to start’, ‘It’s so hard’ or ‘I just can’t do it!’. If you’ve been busy or had a stimulating day, then you’re going to be hard pushed to sit down at the end of it and physically or mentally just ‘let go’. You’ve got to come off the boil – simmer down, collect your thoughts then centre and focus. That takes time, commitment and lots of discipline!

The greatest pitfall in establishing an effective meditation practice, especially in the early stages is not understanding or appreciating that it is a DISCIPLINE.

Discipline as defined by the Oxford dictionary – ‘training that produces orderliness, obedience, self control …’

That just about sums it up!

Continue reading →

Me, the dog and a bacon sarnie!

~ Stephanie Powell Wellbeing ~ Leave a comment

Otto & I

I’m sitting in the garden on the most glorious of winter mornings. The sun is warming my face from a clear blue sky. A thick hoarfrost is slowly creeping away from the fence line as the sun’s rays meet the ground. A transpirational mist is ascending across the lawn.

I have the dog at my feet, coffee in hand and bacon s’wich by my side. As I raise my face up to the sun and close my eyes, all is well in my world and I am happy!

The dog then tries to pinch my bacon, the coffee cup’s a gonna and all hell breaks loose; in that fleeting moment my peace is shattered and my acquisition of happiness gone … ! We’d already had words earlier about my need for a little personal space, he is however ever loving and ever faithful but ever PRESENT around my legs and my food!

His happiness comes from sticks, bones, food and being with his humans. I see him most happy when we’ve been separated for more than 30 mins! In my conversation with him earlier I’d explained my need for him to stop following me, go away and perhaps lie down or go outside, his face fell. Those big puppy dog eyes drooped, his tail dropped and head hung low – my guilt gave him a big hug and he was happy again.

Is he a happy dog? Most definitely! Is he happy all the time, certainly not, but he can ping back into happiness at the drop of a hat. He’s a smiler, big time and it’s lovely to see him greeting anyone and everyone with that big toothy grin. Are all dogs like this? No they are not.

So, is happiness nature or nurture and what exactly does ‘HAPPY’ mean anyway??

Seriously I’m asking you … ‘What does happiness mean … to you?’

For some it’s a long term aspiration – ‘I just want to be happy’ an easily achievable goal and not too much to ask yet often quietly elusive. For others their happiness lies in the ‘moment’, that mindful appreciation of a bacon sarnie in the sun WITHOUT a dog by your side!

Continue reading →