Sometime We Need To Be Stripped Of Everything In Order To RebuildWritten by Heather J. Tait
Throughout life we will experience many situations that will cause us to reach a “bottom”. It seems as though we have to be stripped of everything by spiritual laws in order to rebuild upon a stronger foundation. Before you can go up, you must hit extreme opposite and go down. It is these extremes that allow us to find or regroup ourselves to that balanced middle we long for. Once we understand nature of this occurrence we are able to muster strength we need to continue on our path and stop and regain our focus. Some people are stripped of their finances, some are stripped of family or relationships, and some are stripped of material or personal items. Whatever it may be, loss is a necessary occurrence for us to reach a gain. At times it allows us to focus on what really is important in life alone. We may find that we really can get by on a very simplistic way of life. We can really live modestly on a confined budget. We can even live in simple rooms and have basic clothing and basic amenities. When we are stripped of all that we have in some way, shape, or form, we are then destined to turn inward.
| | Recognizing Unhealthy RelationshipsWritten by Heather J. Tait
One of keys to obtaining a better life or living arrangement is to assess quality of relationships that you surround yourself with. Do you surround yourself with loving relationships or unhealthy relationships? For someone that has a pattern or history with unhealthy relationships, difference between two may be difficult to decipher. Healthy relationships are relationships that add to our well being, not subtract. They bring out best of us by being supportive of our goals and our inner selves. Unhealthy relationships often cause us stress and subtract from our well being, often leaving us feeling depleted of energy. Common symptoms of unhealthy relationships include sickness, stress, and a negative outlook of ourselves and our world around us. People who are accustomed to unhealthy relationships often stay cornered in situations like this because they do not recognize that there is another way of living. They might continue unhealthy relationship indefinitely and never seek a better way of life for themselves or they may leave unhealthy relationship, but not pattern. The life pattern is essentially root of problem. The pattern may have stemmed from family upbringing or any other form of influential relationship. The key is to recognize behavior and identify where it is coming from. A creative way to assess your patterns is to write it down. Take out a notebook that you know you will keep for years to come. Write down all major relationships that you have had in your life. Your earliest form of relationship more than likely was a family member or someone acting in this form. Note how they showed you love. Then note how you reciprocated that love. Continue in a chronological order with any additional relationships you have had, i.e. friends, personal and love relationships. Next make a column on your right hand side. Re-read your assessments in order, as you read through them determine whether they were healthy or unhealthy and mark it down in your right hand column. Having an overview of your relationships right before your eyes makes it easier to ‘look’ at. You may actually bring issues to attention that you were not aware of before. For some this may even be a rather emotional exercise, but be reminded it is an exercise encouraging growth and healthy behavior.
|
