Self-Care is Kindness to Ourselves
Self-Care asks us to give the same kindness to ourselves that we give to others.
When you have negative or critical thoughts about yourself, stop for a moment and ask yourself this: “Would I say these things about a good friend?”
The chances are that you would not. You would not be unkind to someone else.
Now, try being as kind to yourself as you would to a loved one.
The next time things go wrong, accept the event for what it is. Then, apologize for what happened if that’s appropriate. Then, forgive yourself.
Learning from mistakes and moving on is a positive way to get through life.
Forgiving yourself is what allows you to get through life. When you forgive yourself, you are being nice to yourself. It’s easier to be happy that way.
When you forgive yourself, you are offering self-care. This sends nourishing messages to the brain about your self-worth.
Try, every day, to care for yourself in every way possible.
When stress accumulates, this facial massage meditation will relieve muscles and leave you feeling better.
Facial Massage Meditation
For many of us, the day’s stress accumulates in the muscles of the head, face, and jaw. Massaging your face and head can smooth the tiny muscles and nerve endings. Stress and fatigue will have a chance to disappear.
Begin this meditation by finding a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for a few minutes.
Lie flat on a chair, bed, or floor, with your face up. If that is not comfortable, find a comfortable chair or recliner to sit comfortably.
Cover your body with a light blanket or sheet so you won’t get cold as your body relaxes and cools.
Take several deep breaths. Begin these breaths in your abdominal area. Breathe in deeply and hold the breath to the count of three: 1 – 2 – 3.
Now slowly release the breath. When you exhale, you release toxins and stress.
Repeat these inhalations and exhalations 1-2 minutes. As you inhale, you l breathe in healthy air. With each exhalation, you release toxins and stress.
Become aware of your forehead. Mentally relax your forehead to erase wrinkles of expression…the space between your eyebrows becomes bigger. Your eyelids are heavy.
Move your fingers to your forehead and slowly massage it in small circles.
When you feel that your forehead is becoming relaxed, move your fingers to your temples and gently move them in clockwise and counterclockwise motions. Feel this area relaxing.
Notice the tension behind your eyes, and around your eyes and release it.
Now, place your fingers on your temples and move your fingers in small, gentle dime-size circles for a few minutes.
Move your fingers down to your chin and gently, gently pinch your chin and along your jawline to your ears.
Now, move your hands to your cheeks. Massage your soft cheek tissue in a circular motion.
Now, move your hands to your ears. Gently massage along the edges of your ears for a couple of moments. Now, give your ears some long, luscious pulls.
You are finishing your facial massage now. Notice any thoughts, feelings, or sensations you experience now.
Stay quiet for 1-2 minutes while you enjoy and refresh from this experience.
It is time now to return to the present time.
It is okay to return to this place of calm whenever you need.
The goal of this meditation is to experience calm and relaxation using self-touch.
Thank you for reading this article. I sincerely hope it helps you feel better about yourself and those around you.
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This book is now available as an ebook and should be available as paperbook before December 15th. Order it on thurmangreco.com.
I host “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”, a program aired weekly on Woodstock’s own educational TV channel 23. This show is an informative, upbeat hour with no rehearsals.
My guests are various people whose lives have brought them to Woodstock for a day, a week, an hour, a decade, or more. Let’s Live has been running for over 15 years with an occasional intermission, now and then. You can find some reruns on YouTube “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”.
Renee, our channel wizard adds new programs weekly, usually on Tuesdays..
The Friday evening show airs in Woodstock at 7:00 in the studio located in the Woodstock Community Center on Rock City Road for an hour.
Renee and I both look forward to new subscribers.
What to do When it all Gets to be Too Much: Switch Off The Day
The times are overwhelming. It’s as if everyone is “always on”. I find that when I’m always connected, things can quit working. When I’m always connected, I find myself staring at screens, answering every door bell and phone ring.
When things quit working, one of the most effective things I do is switch everything off. This includes me. I switch off – both physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
I turn off electronic devices. The phone goes off. The computer shuts down. The TV is off. I turn off all the lights.
And, you know what? almost everything works better after I’ve unplugged it for a few minutes. And, that includes me.
And, then, I get in my most comfortable chair and give myself a Reiki therapy session.
I begin the session with the symbols and three hand positions to my head. My intention is to relax so that I won’t be so fatigued and overwhelmed.
Now…I know that switching everything off can be difficult. In some cases, it’s impossible. I also know that there comes a time when saying “no” is not selfish.
An important lesson I had to learn as an adult is that when everybody is getting oxygen masks, we sometimes each need to get our own oxygen mask first so we can make sure everyone else is being properly cared for.
So, becoming comfortable with “no” and “off” is something that I had to learn in life.
A life lesson I had to learn was that some people stress me out. Learning to recognize stressor people and situations was (is) important. Once stressors are are recognized, it is easy to avoid them.
Life is more pleasant, less complicated, and easier when stressors are recognized and minimized.
Reiki sessions help. Both Reiki and reflexology promote relaxation and a more positive outlook.
Emergency Reiki sessions are a dramatic improvement. They work even better when they are a supplement to regularly scheduled Reiki therapy sessions.
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For more info, check out my books at Thurmangreco.com. every title is available in hard copy and ebook with the exception of the first edition of “But for Gabriel” This book is available as an ebook only until December.
PLEASE don’t forget to schedule regular Reiki therapy and reflexology sessions.
Please check out the YOUTUBE channel show. New episodes are released on Tuesdays. “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco” is a positive, entertaining series of interviews which I’ve conducted throughout the last 15 or so years. There have been a few intermissions along the way, but not many.
My guests enjoy being on the show and many ask to return. One thing they all have in common: we’ve all met each other somehow in Woodstock, NY
Join us soon!
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Meditation is Self-Care: 3 Ways to Improve Your Meditation Practice
Meditation is one of the best ways I know to deepen your intuition, reduce medical and psychiatric symptoms, and quiet your anxieties,
Three props to improve your meditation practice:
Create a quiet, soothing meditation area. This is, for me, basic.
A bell or chime to open your meditation session is important.
Take a few deep breaths and clear your mind.
Using a timer to let you know that your session is coming to an end is helpful. This timer can a quiet tone or beads which you hold in your hands.
Through the years, I’ve posted meditation articles on this blog. (Find them in the search section).
I’ve also recommended several books:
My favorites are three meditation books written by Larry Moen. They are:
Meditations for Awakening
Meditations for Transformation
Meditations for Healing
Today, in this article, I share a new meditation which I’m calling “A Perfect Place”. In this meditation, you create your own perfect place.
Begin with a few deep breaths to clear your mind.
Wait a moment and then imagine yourself in a perfect place, designed just for you. Look around and ask yourself:
What is around you? Are you inside or outside?
Do you see buildings, mountains, roadways, lakes, streams?
Or, do you see a room with a chair waiting for you? Do you see a meeting hall?
What is the weather like outside? Is it snowing, raining, Or is the sun shining?
Do you see people? Are they beside you? Are they smiling or looking away?
Who are these people? How many are they? What are they doing? Is someone coming over to join you?
Are there any animals? Are they pets? Are they wild animals? How are you connected to them?
What are you doing now? Are you walking along a path? Are you sitting on a bench? Are you in a seat in a theater? Are you alone or with others – humans or animals?
Is this place familiar to you? Do you feel you have ever been here before? Is this space somewhere you have visited in the past? Have you dreamed about it?
How do you feel in this space?
What are you wearing?
Sit for a few moments and let yourself become adjusted to your surroundings. Breathe in the perfect air. Enjoy this perfect place.
You may want to make some notes – or draw a quick sketch even.
Now, check in with yourself – your thoughts, your feelings. What is happening with your inner self?
Now, take one long, last look around. This is your place. It will always be yours. You know that you may return here any time you want.
After a short time, you know it is time to return to your space before your meditation.
You can return to this meditation whenever you want.
Now, take another deep breath and return. Open your eyes gently and slowly and gently move and stretch.
Thank you for participating in this meditation. If it is appropriate, please share it with friends and family. Forward it to your preferred social media network.
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This book is available at www.thurmangreco.com.
Thank you for reading this article. Thanks for sharing this article.
Thurman Greco
What do You Want to Manifest? Five Tips for Success
Several days ago, I researched a special gift for a colleague. What I was looking for was for the perfect gift. I considered a Snowflake. She would really enjoy a snowflake! Where was I going to find a snowflake, of all things?
I put this thought aside.
Then, guess what. Three days later, a snowflake catalogue landed in my mailbox! The perfect gift appeared on page 3. I had a choice of a charm, a pendant, an ornament, or a pin. The prices were right. Whichever one I chose, she was going to be delighted.
For me, this was not a coincidence. Spiritually, I participated in this mailbox event.
We all have these experiences. The trick is to recognize them for what they are. But, you can have these special coincidences and also have challenges with other manifestations.
There is a difference between manifesting a picture in a catalogue and manifesting a something else such as a new car, house, or a dream job.
MANIFESTING on all levels begins when you clarify what is important for you. Once you define your values and what is precious to you, manifesting what you need is going to be easier.
The bottom line: WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
What do YOU think is important? Clearly know what is important to you – not what your mother or your friends or your boss or your social media friends think is important.
What do I want…really? What do I yearn for spiritually? Emotionally, what do I want to experience?
Dream about the world you want to create and live in. This world that you are dreaming of:
Is it responsive –
Do positive relationships matter –
How does cooperation fit into your life –
Does support reach out in vulnerable situations and places –
Is there a reverence for the sacred –
Now, envision what this world is to you. What are you going to do to create this world?
What are you passionate about?
FIRST
Define the person or persons you are concerned about. How will they fit in your manifested scenario? How do they define the situation you are focusing on?
Focus on the situation. Are you passionate about a physical space (a building perhaps) or an energetic situation (leadership or healing)?
SECOND
Know your goals. Do you need to sell your home? Do you need a better job in a new city? Do you need to retrain yourself for the future?
THIRD
What is your manifesting outcome? (A suggestion here – write this down.)
A journal is the perfect tool to bring with you on your manifestation journey. As you write in your journal daily, you have the opportunity to unlock information and secrets to help guide you to your goals. Your entries can give you information about possible challenges. You may discover concerns hiding just beneath the secret of your consciousness.
Reviewing your journal in later readings, you may find that your future is not predetermined. Over the months, what you find in your journal reveals things that can change your attitudes, behaviors, and how you respond to events.
Your future can improve your insights and options in ways that work best for you.
FOURTH.
What is your promise? (What do you have invested in your goal? What are you prepared to do to make your promise a reality? How do you visualize achieving your goals?)
FIFTH
How is your gratitude circle developing? Gratitude is more powerful than fear, worry, anger and anxiety. Gratitude is where you tap into your abundance. Developing your gratitude circle taps you into your unlimited options.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – — – – – – – – – – – – – – — – – – – – – – – – – – –
When you are in a manifesting mode, nurturing is helpful. By that, I mean nurture yourself, your goals, and your concerns.
Maybe things need a REBALANCE. When it comes to money and finances, seek fair, sensible, and practical solutions focusing on comfort and confidence while caring for others and your surroundings. You want the money you distribute to produce tangible results.
SELF-CARE is a deeply personal process you use to regain physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. Self-care facilitates rebalance.
MEDITATIONS can help you reach your goals. Try an 8-week series of daily meditations for 10-15 minutes each. You may want to read a guided meditation daily. For years, I’ve relied on a set of three meditation books by Larry Moen. They are still available on Amazon: “Meditations for Awakening, Meditations for Transformation, Meditations for Healing”
Or you may want to create your own guided meditation.
Finally, you may prefer to focus a few minutes daily on your breath and breathing as you reach calm.
Whatever path you choose for your meditations, daily focus helps you. Don’t get bogged down with rules. Just remember: minds like to wander. It’s okay. Also, trust your inner wisdom to get you there.
Use your senses to see your dreams and goals coming to life. You’ll play a mental movie where you are the director. As you mentally enact your dreams, you will make them a reality.
Finally, TAKE ACTION. This is a weekly event where you do something each week to help you progress toward your goal.
Whenever you can, include reflexology or Reiki therapy sessions in your weekly progress. Every session helps!
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This story is still a work in progress. I hope you get a chance to share it with me
someday. I plan to read it on “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco” in December.
This book is now available! You can order it on www.thurmangreco.com.
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What Needs to Go?
A woman called me yesterday. “My life is overtaking my life” she confided. She spoke about things tying her down: Her life is jumbled up. This includes her work schedule, her personal appointments, her home, her closets, her kitchen, her friends, her goals, her feelings, and her ambitions. Her spiritual practice is caught up in the confusion.
Sometimes, in order to move forward, it’s important to offload excesses. You know something significant is about happen, but it isn’t. You’re doing everything you can think of, but things just aren’t going there.
A transformation will clear the way for the new beginning you’ve been working for. Those things coming to an end can be reborn in the new beginning you need.
You know that it’s not good to just pile your future onto the detritus of the past.
When you walk away from your past and toward your future, leave your baggage behind. This includes old thinking and old habits.
What should you do?
Set up an altar honoring your past. Accept your past for what it was and who it included. Put some items from your past on the altar. Include photos, or some flowers, for example, and some old thinking and old habits. Burn a candle. Smudge the memories. Release your past into the universe.
Be grateful for the past you had. Honor it and put it to rest as you leave it behind.
Embrace the change. Move on. Words like old, outgrown, elimination, unknown, stale, conclusion, and simplify are important now.
Schedule some Reiki therapy or Reflexology sessions and embrace your new possibilities.
Make room for guided meditations.
And, finally, don’t look back!
Make a list of all the things you need to do to encourage your new life. What’s on this list:
Make room for something new in your life
A new job
A new educational direction
A better diet
Getting more sleep
Spiritual growth and awakening
It’s time for you to do everything you can to open the door to your future. When this happens, destiny has a chance to move in!
Thanks for reading this article.
Find out more at www.thurmangreco.com
Please forward this article to your preferred social media network. Share it with friends and family.
If you are interested in learning more, you may find information in previous articles at www.reflexologyforthespirit.com.
There is also more information on “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco – YOUTUBE”
You can purchase my new book: “Ketchup Sandwich Chronicles” at www.thurmangreco.com.
There is another surprise! I have another short book coming soon:
This is a short book about the birth of Jesus.
Thank you.
Thurman Greco
What Needs to Go?
Now is a time of beginnings. Things are changing. Transformation is in the air. What needs to go?
Change can be a scary time…and a scary word.
Sometimes change means to shuffle things around. Other times change means to add another layer. Yet again, it means to move emphasis from one point to another.
Sometimes, a transformation happens. Something comes to an end to make way for something new.
Whether you find yourself angry, frightened, or excited, embrace the new beginning.
Ask yourself: “What needs to go?”
Move on.
Put the past in your rearview mirror to make way for a new beginning.
Get rid of what no longer fits, is worn out, or is outdated.
This includes habits, worn-out schedules, patterns that are no longer effective, cycles, clothes you no longer wear, books and other household objects that are no longer useful to you.
This can also include spiritual beliefs that you no longer identify with.
When these things move off, a new order and life can grow.
Ask the universe to support you in your coming activities. Release what you need to let go in love and gratitude.
This is a good time to send blessings to others and to the world as you welcome what comes your way. While releasing what no longer works for you, include mental housecleaning. Seek guidance to support you now and in your future.
A meditation can work to help you release portions of your life which may no longer be positive. This will help you attract the positive things and situations to support you in your forward journey.
One of my favorite meditations involves clouds:
Find a quiet and safe place to get comfortable for a few minutes. Loosen any constricting clothing. Remove your shoes if possible. Relax your shoulders. Close and soften your eyes.
Begin inhaling from your abdomen as you breathe in fresh air. Notice how each inhale sounds. How does it feel? Slow your inhales. Embrace and enjoy each one.
After each inhale, exhale toxins, negativity, and any stress or other emotions you feel you don’t need anymore.
This is the time to use your breath to let go of those things which you no longer need or plan to use.
As you gently and slowly inhale and exhale, notice what you are letting go from your life.
See a sky with beautiful clouds passing overhead. Notice the things you are releasing as they leave your life, riding away on the beautiful clouds.
After a few minutes, it is time to return to this room. You can return to this meditation any time you want. It is waiting for you to enjoy at your convenience.
Reflexology and Reiki sessions release stress and encourage homeostasis. They are natural bodywork systems which support your releases, housecleaning, and spiritual renewal.
It’s okay to book extra sessions if you feel the need. Reiki, especially, is a good modality for daily sessions.
Maybe this is a good time to learn Reiki so you can offer self-healing sessions whenever you feel the need.
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Find more information by reading past blog pots.
YOUTUBE has information, too.
A Throat Chakra Meditation – Know your Truth
Get comfortable and relax into peace and calm.
Take a few slow deep breaths.
Inhale slowly through your nose.
Exhale through your mouth.
As you breathe deeply, close your eyes. Encourage your whole body to settle down into the calm.
As you let go, feel lighter with each breath.
As you continue your breathing, you see an iridescent, pale blue light surrounding you. This light is encasing and protecting you.
You look around and see you are floating in the air while this light protects you. You drift higher and higher. You float through large puffy clouds.
You float even higher.
Soon you see the earth below as you float higher and higher in your own inner space. You continue your journey surrounded by a cocoon of bluish white light.
You feel comfortable in this cocoon.
As you float higher, you feel this bluish white light filling you with love and light and harmony and peace.
As you look around you, you notice a group of shadowy faces which are familiar. As you look more closely at these faces, you see glimmers of a person you love who has passed over. Then, you notice a face you know who is a guide for you. Everyone is smiling to see you.
You know in your heart that these beings have a message for you. You listen quietly and absorb healing wisdom and feelings.
You are blissful in a holy space of truth and wisdom. You feel blessed.
You accept the gifts of love and light and truth which you receive in this iridescent light space surrounding you.
You pause for a moment to receive a message of truth and wisdom now.
You take a moment to thank these beings for the truth and wisdom they share with you.
You feel a sense of gratitude. – You feel this gift so strongly that you send your gratitude forward as a healing to the earth.
You envision peace and calm and good health for all beings on earth.
The special blue light surrounding you begins its descent into your space now. You are grateful for the wisdom you experienced on this journey.
You know it is time for you to return to your room now. It is time for your special iridescent blue bubble to merge with the air of your place.
You know you can return to your special light of wisdom and truth whenever you want.
You send feelings of gratitude for this experience.
Thanks for reading this article.
More information about chakras can be found in previous blog posts.
Healer’s Handbook also has information about chakras.
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You can reach me a thurmangreco@gmail.com or on Facebook.