A blog by Dr. Harry Henshaw
Posts tagged being
Learning how to take care of ourselves requires making appropriate distinctions about ourselves, others and life in general.
Jul 13th
Learning how to take care of ourselves also involves making appropriate distinctions about ourselves, others and life in general. One distinction that is crucial for our well being is realizing how and from where much of our stress is primarily generated. While some of the stressors that we face are apart of what it is to be a human being, much of the stress that we experience is of our own creation. A great deal of the stress that we experience has its origin in our own personal story and the meaning we make about life, in the thoughts that we think. Once we understand that we are truly the cause, that we are responsible for the thoughts that we create or invent and that it is from these thoughts that much of our stress is generated, then and only then will we begin to be able to truly manage our stress and have the power to live the life that we want and love. Blaming others or situations for that which we experience will only limit our power, lead to frustration and eventually a great deal of stress.
Taking Care of Yourself is important.
Jul 6th
Living in our world today can be very stressful. While some of the stress that we experience is actually useful for motivating us, a point can be reached where it becomes very harmful, physically, emotionally and even spiritually. Knowing how to manage and even reduce the harmful effects of stress on a daily basis, of staying balanced and centered as we encounter the many stressors of everyday living, is crucial to our well being. Among other things, taking care of ourselves will necessarily involve us nurturing our physical body, of eating healthy foods, of exercising. Learning how to take care of ourselves in this respect is also very important for everyone as our experience of stress can and does affect others as well.
The Power of Witnessing a Passing
Jul 6th
Last thursday I had the honor of witnessing the passing of someone very dear to me. Last thursday my mother passed and I able to witness it. I was there to watch her pass, to watch her take her last breath. An extraordinary woman who gave birth to me, who watched me take my first breath, I was given the honor of watching her take her last. For someone that I never imagined would pass, she did.
One of the things that I again became present to is the notion of impermanence. As Dan Milman once wrote in The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, everything changes, nothing stays the same. We sometimes believe and act as if we will live forever. We do not really get that change is the only constant, that we too will change physically and eventually pass. We enhance the power of our being by getting that life is fragile and that we need to live it from the notion that our life will eventually go out of existence, that we too will pass.
When we live life from the perspective of impermanence we act and behave differently. For me it is about being of service, of creating for the benefit of others, to do for others in order to enhance their life. I know that I too will eventually pass. Until then my life will be about service to others.
Commitment is key to transforming your life.
May 26th
Staying committed to changing your life is so important. Commitment is key to transforming your life. Once we decide what we have to change in our life, in our way of being, to be different, we make the changes in how we do life. But to keep the transformation in place takes a great deal of commitment, commitment to staying the course, to staying present to the path, to not give up when the course appears problematic and doubt appears. Changing our life usually also involves creating a structure or routine that will enable the transformation to evolve or emerge. Staying present to and committed to the structure or schedule will enable us to continue altering our life. It is inside a structure, schedule or routine that we will change our life, to create new habits from which to live differently and more authentically.
Positive Affirmations can transform!
May 4th
I believe that who we are or who we are being is merely the words that we have in our mind. The words or language that exists in our mind defines who we are in the world. It also guides and determines much of our behavior, what we do in the world, with others and towards ourselves. If we are to change our state of being, who we have been being, we need to change the words and language that exists in our mind. One way to do this is through the constant use of positive affirmations. Many if not all of the individuals in recovery, esp early in recovery, have very negative language or words that make up their daily existence. Positive affirmations, more specifically, the constant and repetitious use of positive affirmations will change a person’s state of being and actually make a difference in the recovery process for that person. It is recommended that individuals in recovery explore and start to utilize the technology of positive affirmations.