Have you ever been on an airplane when the flight attendant stands in the centre aisle, giving you the safety instructions of what to do in an emergency, asking you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping anyone else?
Why is that?
Honestly, we all know that if we don’t put the oxygen mask on ourselves first and something happens, we will be no good to help anyone else, right?
I have actually trained my brain to use this image of the oxygen mask as a reminder, to stop and check-in with myself, especially when I am feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and holding onto tension in my body.
We know that without oxygen, we will die. But why is it, in the day to day living, that women find it so hard to put the masks on themselves first?
Why are we always putting everyone else at the front of the bus, while we are slouched over, gasping for air in the very back?
I learned the hard way that you can’t pour from an empty cup.
I was trying to be everything to everybody. I didn’t know any better, that’s just how I thought it was supposed to be. My wake up call …
It was 2012, I was sitting in the dentist chair for the second time in just a few short months where I was about to receive another dreaded root canal.
“Are you experiencing a higher amount of stress than normal? Your teeth are showing the signs due to extreme clenching and grinding?” the dentist asked.
I slumped down in my chair, embarrassed. I didn’t want people to know that the superwoman persona I was living under was a complete fraud. Inside, I was crumbling. The weight of the world being held on my shoulders. I nodded.
He went on to tell me, “When we sleep, any worries or concerns we have – even if only in our subconscious mind – can lead to clenching, nocturnal grinding and in some cases temporomandibular joint dysfunction (pain and dysfunction of the jaw muscles).”
I left the dentist’s office that day, in pain, with my ego dragging on the floor behind me, determined to figure out how to get myself out of this internal mess I was in.
It was at that moment that I decided to take full responsibility for my life. I couldn’t live like this anymore. What kind of example was I setting for my children? I needed to find a way to be healthier, happier, and more balanced. My life depended on it.
I didn’t really know what ‘Living a Life of Ease’ meant, but I was on the hunt to find out.
I started by paying attention to my body and whenever I felt that tightness, especially in my shoulders & in my chest, I would consciously ask myself, “Is what I am doing necessary? Is this helping me create a life of more ease … or more chaos? What can I let go of, how could I make it better?”
As I gathered information from books, podcasts, and the different courses and seminars I attended, I had a life-altering, light bulb moment. Prior to becoming a young mom at the young age of 17, I was on a path of self-destruction. I had experienced a multitude of adversity in my childhood and never dealt with any of it.
So, when my daughter was born, I took all of the trauma and emotional baggage that I held within me, wrapped it up in a big ball and set it off to the side, without ever receiving outside support or doing any healing work. My focus now became solely on creating a better life for my new baby girl, as I never wanted her to experience the pain and heartache like I knew from my past.
Since then, I’ve learned that the trauma never actually goes away, it remains held in the subconscious mind until you do the inner work to release it.
Trauma changes the brain in such a way that it keeps a person operating in fight or flight, stuck in survival mode, with no way of thriving until it is brought to the surface, revealed and healed. What this means is, all of the chronic stress that I was experiencing was not only coming from my present circumstances of the life of busy motherhood, it was also the unhealed trauma that was bubbling up from my past, requiring my attention, and asking to be released.
I somehow knew that I needed to quiet my erratic, troubled mind, so as challenging as it was, I started meditating.
I connected with a councillor and I changed jobs.
I created a list of everything that brought me joy, and added to my list daily.
I challenged myself to begin living from this list and to make my self care needs a priority.
I gave myself permission to relax, to stop taking life so seriously, and to take more time to laugh and play.
I learned how to say ‘NO’ (Heaven-forbid) and I made a conscious effort to remove anything that was creating the most stress in my life. This was no easy task with being a busy mom of four, but slowly and with great practice, the stress began to melt away.
Spirit led me to an energy healer, where I experienced amazing results in releasing the trauma, integrating my mind, body and spirit, and my love for energy healing was activated.
And you know what, the most amazing thing happened!!! Almost instantly, the teeth grinding came to a halt!!! No more broken teeth, no more jaw pain, and no more horrible visits to the dentist office. I was finally healing and fostering a deeper connection with myself.
DID YOU KNOW that when you are not stressed out all the time, you can actually hear the whispers of your soul?
That thing called your inner guidance system that is always speaking to you, trying to guide you on the path of least resistance? (AKA: your intuition)
This doesn’t mean that I never get stressed out, because I do, but I have learned to not let it have control over me anymore.
For me, living with ease is trusting that there is a higher power guiding my life. My role is to tune in, trust and take inspired action.
The life I live now is one of total ease. I carry a deep sense of peace & gratitude within me, and it is truly a miracle.
My relationship to hubby is juicier than ever before, I am now living my soul’s purpose, and I no longer need to operate from a fake persona because I am finally happy with the real me, the one that was hiding under the masks and false sense of safety and security.
How does it get any better than that?
How about you, are you ready to live with more ease?
Let’s recap on the steps that you can begin taking to fill your cup and live a life of ease:
Put the oxygen mask on you first.
Start a mediation practice. Peace lives in the present moment.
Make lists of everything that brings you joy. Live by this list and add to it daily.
Give yourself permission to laugh and play more. Stop being so serious.
Take stock of what is stressing you out. Eliminate everything you can.
Engage in radical self care
Allow yourself to be supported. This may include seeking outside help.
Tune in and listen to your body. Tension, feelings, anxiety, aches, pains, stress, etc. are all ways that your body is communicating with you that something from within is requiring your attention.
Listen to and trust your intuition. The voice from within knows the best possible path for your life.
Connect with your truth, the authentic part of you.
Live in gratitude.
There you have it – The Secret ToFilling Your Cup and Living A Life Of Ease…
Are you struggling to know your worth, live authentically, and be in harmony with your soul’s purpose?
Maybe I can help?
My practice focuses on helping women release the subconscious blocks that are keeping them stuck so they can transcend their past while experiencing the healing power of unconditional love, become a magnet for miracles and for what their heart truly desires.
Want to learn what is keeping you from living a life of ease? Are you ready to tap into your greatest resource?
Schedule a Breakthrough Session today. Clarity and confidence await.
Learn more by visiting my website www.marcistockton.com and to schedule a Breakthrough Call with me go to @ http://bit.ly/Miraclescoaching
Radiantly Yours,
Marci Stockton
Miracles by Marci is helping thousands of women over 40, who are entering the next chapter of life, find their voice, reclaim their passion, and design a life they love by using online education, courses, and 1-1 coaching.
