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Regarding self care , I meditate daily for about 30 min first thing in the morning, doing my yoga practices , reading something inspiring , Upgrading my knowledge professionally . Presently practicing the “Brahmaviharas” , a Buddhist practice through the day which involves Love , compassion , appreciation and equanimity ?????

When you detach a part of your self to give it role of spectator, initially it emerges as a thought only. But yes Seeing can assist to have sound sleep if one is struggling with rush of thoughts inside. On the other hand in order to spread that calm and awareness in your being one has to keep on seeing the thought in isolation and in connection with others. This way when we are able to identify the root, the possibility and the journey of the thought at the same time, that state is the state of knowing. So, we can say that seeing is a practice and knowing is the outcome. But keep it as a note that Seeing is not Analyzing.

Hello! Thanks for reading :) I've been struggling with finding someone suitable as long as I can remember.... The only person who was close to having a serious & committed relationship was my ex from 3 years ago. We were perfect together but I didn't have the strength back then to have a relationship different to what my family had in mind. I'm from a strict sri lankan family. My ex, being French, was not accepted by them. He helped me greatly with self development and spirituality. I've become a much stronger person and I feel that I can stand my ground, whereas before, I was hiding many things from my family and didn't have any courage. Now I feel totally alone. No one gets me. I feel men my age stressful to deal with, also very hard to meet them because they're addicted to their phones. I can't find someone who is there with me in the present moment. I'm a 30 year old. I dated someone in their 50s and it was magical. But I find older men don't want serious commitment having gone through divorce. It just seems that I won't find a partner at this rate.

I did some more research, and I guess I am actually bigender. I have dysphoria - not about my body being male, but about it being ONLY male. My spirit or soul or whatever is both, and I want to express that outwardly. This was confirmed the other day when I was trying on a new woman's shirt over my button-down collared shirt. I feel silly wearing only women's attire, because it is meant for women's bodies, but what if I wore BOTH? That would better express my true self anyhow.

18.04.2020/ 19.04.2020 free world premiere of the film "Already free" “When you connect with your True Self, you connect with everything in the universe and with your destiny.” — Dorrie Resources for challenging times by the SAND community

Namaste brother's and sisters. My name is Simon, I'm touch/cuddle therapist. Due to my health I'm now in self isolation. I'm really struggling with the lack of deep human connection, some of my clients are really struggling too, the power of unconditional safe touch with another human is so so important. So many people are suffering from the lack of human touch. We only really truly connect with touch when we cuddle with our partners or children. We never truly connect soul to soul with our fellow humans. Being truly hugged in a safe and unconditional soul to soul way is so important. Most of the sessions I run are for an hour on average. It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life. How many of you are feeling the need of human connection मोहब्बत☮️☯️?X

I am havng a really hard time with this . I'm so scared and sad And regretful. And I feel there's nothing I can do to come back from my past self

I wish there were a word that would explain what I want and need from other people, just so I don’t have to take the time to explain it to myself or anyone else. I wish I understood. I know I’m not gay, but at least that would be a simple explanation. When I was in high school, I had been rejecteed by girls so many times, I think I had an “aha” moment in which I figured that if I could not be accepted to “become one” with a female, I would make my whole self into two, and I began to cross dress and use a different voice when thinking and speaking with my feminine personality. (Now I need to explain that I don’t have the disorder known in psychology as “Dissociative Identity Disorder”, commonly known as “multiple personalities”. I might literally have multiple personalities, but it is not a disorder, In fact, I have done it to help me survive emotionally.

Some less personal things I shared in PM with another friend: As to labels, I am a mental health counselor, and talk with patients about their diagnoses. Some feel that they are labels or self-fulfilling prophecies, but I explain that the purpose is to help doctors and counselors to understand what is going on with a person and know how to treat them. I wish there were a word for what I am that would help me and others understand with no underlying implications. No judgement to anyone else, but for me "assigned male at birth" implies that I'm upset in some way that my body is male. I understand that some people are upset about their body's gender, but I am not. I am happily married to a woman, and we have wonderful children. I love the fact that my body and the gender to which I am attracted can make children together. I am jealous of my wife, however, for having been so close to our children that they were INSIDE her for 9 months each. I had a relationship with my mother which was too close called "codependent", but my relationship with my father remains distant no matter how much we talk or honestly try to relate. I am very afraid of this happening between my children and me, but perhaps my body has nothing to do with it.

hi .. more you grow in age more you have the chance to gather deep wisdom about your hidden skills and soul feel. I think this is the actual realisation about your true self. love and light

Really important to bring up during these times, thank you for sharing how you're feeling ? It's a good reminder to check in on people you know who are alone during this self isolation, a phone call can mean so much!

I find solice through writing letter,s and sending postcards. Also planting seeds cutting grass and working in my yard. Travel is postponed watching documentaries on PBS baking thrift store shopping. Self care grooming.

I openly share my story of living relatively well now with Major Depression; I could even use the word thriving - to spread hope, help others, and to educate those who do not know what this chronic illness really is and for those that shy away from supporting us like anyone else living with the challenges and changes to life that come with any chronic illness. Yes, I will always live with this illness, but in the past three years, I have been continually progressing in my healing journey and taking back a lot of what this illness took from me. It took a lot of self-work and an indomitable will, not medication or treatments/therapies or the bad therapists I had. It was as dark and traumatic as it could get, I was never given one good tool or any proper support, so I learned everything I could about beating this illness on my own and I continue to save myself and choose the right new habits and new perspectives, and create inner joy- not sitting in suffering. For those that do not understand depression, please know that it is far more than sadness. It is not only an illness that affects us mentally, but it also is an illness that comes with some days of unbearable physical pain and limitations in our lives that are very, very hard to keep pushing through, and fully accepting. To anyone living with depression of any level, or to anyone that knows someone who lives with depression and doesn’t know how easily you can help, I am here to share more with you and give support.

Thank you both for sharing so many ideas and helpful links. I am not on lockdown where I live and I'm still expected to report to work for now. Nonetheless, I'd like to share with everyone some things that have been helping me cope with these uncertainties: 1. Please know that it's okay if you feel you only have enough energy to simply survive right now. Try not to feel bad about yourself due to lacks in productivity or creativity. If you're spending more time than usual lying on the couch and binge-watching a series or two, that's okay! 2. If you'd like to try to feel reinvigorated, look up some energy exercises by Donna Eden. I've recently learned about her and her work. I've tried one simple exercise, a few times so far now, and I swear each time I felt great afterwards! 3. Finally read one (or more) of those books that's been sitting on the shelf! 4. Send a message to someone you haven't interacted with in a while. Check in on family and friends, too, of course. 5. Exercise! Yoga is ideal. HIIT workouts and weight training (even using just your own body weight) are beneficial as well. You can find endless exercise videos on YouTube. 6. Meditate, obvi. ? It can be as simple as observing your thoughts and welcoming your emotions as visitors passing through. (There are countless resources out there for those who need more help than that. I recommend starting with Guided Meditations, like the one our friend @Tine will be facilitating!) 7. If you have pets, spoil them with your attention. Be grateful that you have the emotional support of a being who cannot possibly bring up the virus ?? 8. Revel in the delightful feelings brought about when listening to music 9. Enjoy free access to some of the visual arts of Paris: http://parismuseescollections.paris.fr/en 10. Eat fresh produce if you have access to it. If not, get creative with whatever you have in your pantry. I get into mindul/meditative headspaces when cooking and when cleaning, too (do your spring cleaning if you can!). Thank you for reading! I truly hope anyone finds this post helpful Prioritize self care right now.

Hi K, I understand a lot of what you have been going through, and I hope to share some of my new light with you and let you really know that you are far from alone in any emotional struggles. I also had my life shattered apart some years ago, I was beyond lost, I was completely broken, I lost all grasp of happiness and my love for life—I went through the darkness of Major Depression— and at that time I didn’t have the mental strength and tools that I eventually taught myself - and I got to put myself back together the way I wanted to, I became whole and found my voice and self-love. My husband can be very bad for my mental health at times, but I use my new voice and strength and like you so beautifully did, I reach out to others who have understanding and compassion to share. Eventhough you cannot see it now, you are on a journey to the happiness that starts from within. There are many mindful quotes that I draw strength and new perspectives from and here is just one of them: “Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.” Sending you hugs, Dawn

I go through phases. I had a Tara Brach phase, where I would listen to her talks and draw mandalas. Training to be an MBSR teacher, I naturally read a lot by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Part of my journey has let me to investigate the work on self-compassion by Kristin Neff deeply. Through a Vipassana retreat, I focused on S.N. Goenka's teaching, and in the same year, I went to Plum village and dived into the world of Thích Nhất Hạnh and his monks and nuns, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I guess I like looking at life from different angles and through the lenses of different teachers again and again as I keep having new and deeper insights even with seemingly "easy" topics like thoughts.

Is anyone else here an empath or highly sensitive individual? I am and am curious how you deal with this gift ? Are You a Highly Sensitive Person? Should You Change? A sensitive person's brain is different: Research points to some advantages. But what does highly sensitive really mean? Is "Highly Sensitive Person" a scientific term? As it turns out, there is research on this innate trait of high sensitivity. The scientific term is “Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS). Highly sensitive people are born that way; it is not something they learned. As children, they might be described by teachers as shy or inhibited, especially in Western countries. As adults, they might be described as introverts. It is important to note that not all sensitive people are shy or introverts. In fact, 30 percent of HSPs are thought to be extroverts. HSP scales for adults and childrenhave been developed and used in research (1). A commonly used scale contains 27 diverse but strongly interrelated items. An HSP ... has a rich and complex inner life is deeply moved by the arts and music gets easily overwhelmed has difficulty performing a task when being observed easily startles is sensitive to pain, and hunger is attuned to inner bodily sensations readily notices sensory changes Researchers linked this trait to positive qualities but also to mental illnesses It is not surprising that this trait is found in artists, poets and is linked to giftedness, creativity and empathy, At the same time, an HSP is at a higher risk of depression and other mental illnesses. They are also at a higher risk of burnout because they get easily overwhelmed. This is why it is critical to know if you are an HSP, so you can seek out relationships and environments that make you shine (see the last section). The brain of an HSP is different There are biological reasons for all the components of this trait. An HSP’s brain is wired differently and the nervous system is highly sensitive with a lower threshold for action (2). This hyper-excitability contributes to increased emotional reactivity, a lower threshold for sensory information (e.g. bothered by noise, or too much light), and increased awareness of subtleties (e.g. quick to notice odors). There are also changes at the macro brain level. The areas associated with this trait greatly overlap with the brain areas that support empathy! Also, they have a hyperactive Ursula which explains their heightened awareness of their inner emotional states and bodily sensations. This hyperactivity explains their sensitivity to pain, hunger, and caffeine. There is also some recent evidence that this trait is related to the infamous 5-HTLPR gene (serotonin gene), implicated in many psychological conditions, such as depression (3). How to make the most of your high sensitivity Reduce the number of intense stimuli in your environment. Limit the number of tasks when multi-tasking. Avoid burnout by noticing early warning signs, such as feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Get your thoughts and deep emotions on paper so that they won’t cloud your brain. Try mindfulness meditation especially to deal with high sensitivity to pain. This will teach you to acknowledge pain as the sum of sensations suspended from the label of pain. Take advantage of your creativity: Draw, color or write. Take advantage of your predisposition for higher empathy to strengthen relationships—to become a better co-worker, and to assure your self worth. Be comfortable in your sensitive skin. Own it and never be ashamed of it. Be honest about your predisposition to be an HSP, especially in close relationships. But don't forget to highlight the positive aspects: more empathy, deep thinker, able to see things from a different perspective, appreciation of arts and music, and others' positive qualities.

With #MindfulMarch in full swing, I thought I'd share this little exercise I do sometimes to connect with myself. "What does the Universe want from me?" Choose a place where you feel safe and happy. Set aside a few minutes to sit quietly or meditate. Take your time settling down, breathing in deeply and exhaling comfortably. Don't try to control your breath or anything else. Just let it flow, and let the rhythm of your breathing relax you. Now, ask yourself the following questions without feeling the need to answer them. Notice what comes up and take the time to experience whatever arises. Who am I? Pause for a few seconds and then repeat the question. What do I want? Pause and repeat. How can I serve? Pause, then repeat the question. Take two full, deep breaths and then ask yourself, "What does the Universe want from me?" The idea is not to feel as if these questions need clear answering, but rather to see what arises during these quiet moments. This intent exercise can be done any time one feels the need for connection to the self. Namaste.

I have seen a lot of forum and blogs about meditation and personality development. But this is a great source for the proper guidance because personality perfection, self improvement isn't a task of one day or one night but a time taking process. You can also take a look for personality development related stuff.

I have a lot of trouble with the loving kindness meditation. Sending love to loved ones is easy but even imagining receiving it from them is hard. I realise that I have a lot of walls up around me and tears come to my eyes with the weight of keeping them up. It’s even hard to wish these things for myself. It’s relatively easy to send love and good wishes to those I don’t know very well but challenging to do that to those who have caused great pain. Even though I’m not saying it aloud the energy of it is like gritting my teeth and probably they wouldn’t want to be receding this kind of energy. I have a lot of work to do. Today in the loving kindness mediation I was reflecting on sending this energy to all plants and animals and how animals also harm other animals for survival but it’s still easy to send this love to them, yet it’s so hard to send love to those whose actions have deeply affected me. I’m aware that because of my experiences with these people that it’s hard also to feel that I’m worthy of love and to send it to myself. I might be on week 7 for months! :) I was also reflecting that probably the people whose actions have been so hard for me and contribute to lack of self love probably are not able to send themselves love either and have probably been hurt by others too. While I still don’t feel able to whole heartedly send them good wishes a space is opening for understanding and compassion for them. This is beneficial. Can I be ok with my flaws too?

Thank you for welcoming me Lizzie I got hit by a truck Jan 1 first. When this happened I made the choice not to go to the hospital because I did not want to speak words of injury into to my body. Instead I started speaking to my body saying that it was healing it's self then I started using frequencies. My ribs hurt alot and I remembered that I could not get out of bed the the pain was at an 8 I had just finished listening to frequency 174 for 21 minutes.the pain was still there when I decided to do another 21 minute session of frequency 174. After the second session my pain dropped down to a 2 the next day the pain pain was at a 1 and never rose any higher. After a few days there was no pain.

hi I have just joined here and very excited to explore minds and culture. to start with would love to share opinion on LOVE Love for me is the most precious gift from God.... a beautiful feel...eternal and most true form of divine self

Your r Name shows you Expression number and your Hearts Desire number. All the letters of your name have a corresponding number and when added in the same fashion as your life path there is a single most digit to describe each name Kristina Noel Bingham comes to be a destiny number 7 understanding, sympathetic, adaptable, happy, imaginative, witty, intelligent, charming, eclectic, sweet and humble. You probably have found nature as a good place to get in touch with you spiritual self and use it as refuge from stress and to feed you hunger for exitment. You may find trouble seeing the good things in the practical going of life and prolly enjoy working alone. Remember the little things that make life beautiful and even possible for that matter.

Thank you for the warm welcome, Lizzie! I am two chapters into The Power of Now and I'm already finding it tremendously powerful and intriguing. I would love to discuss it further with you any time if you're curious and would like to explore further ? Hi, Candy! I feel happiness knowing that my interview replies left you feeling inspired. I've read yours too and I must say they're full of apparent wisdom, self-knowledge and empathy for others. The Power of Now isn't going to be "for" everyone but if you feel compelled to try again then I implore you to! I am glad to be here and I too thank you for being an amazing human and for your contributions to this, for me, newfound community

How Goes It Everyone, My Name is Amanda and I live in Pittsburgh, PA. I came across this site a month ago, signed up, then forgot about it. Now, I'd like to dabble my way back in by seeing what this site has to offer. Looking forward to learning more about how to navigate this site plus talk with people from all around. I have been writing a Blog for almost a year now and would love for you all to check it out. Any feedback would be great because I always have room to grow. My blog is about self awareness and really getting to know yourself then seeing that we are all human and connected. http://whatdoeslivingmeantoyou.wordpress.com The name of the Blog is Thoughts are Words that Create Life. Thank You and Have a Beautiful Day! Peace & Love, Amanda