The Love Project- Self Love/Romantic Love

I kind of abandoned this series because I didn't know what else to do on it. But I think the time is right to take it up again. I'm going to keep exploring self love and romantic love because I feel there's more to say. :)

The more I learn on my journey to the kind of relationship I want, the more I see that it's about being whole first and coming into your own as a person. It's also about being ready for the kind of relationship you want and about receiving it in.

I thought I would share some articles I found.

First up is an article on feeling deserving of love and self love: http://positiveprovocations.com/2011/07/26/you-deserve-to-be-loved-happy-relationships-series/

I've come to see that self love is very important. If you love and respect yourself and don't treat yourself badly, then you won't put up with any bad treatment from others because you know you don't deserve it. You know that you deserve love and respect and you know that you are a worthy person.

Here's another article from the same site (Positive Provocations) about ways to start loving yourself:
 http://positiveprovocations.com/2011/04/28/how-to-cultivate-and-nurture-self-love-self-love-story/


And here are a couple of posts on love and being whole and complete in yourself whether not you have a partner:

 http://www.havingtime.com/love-lessons-4-things-ive-learned-from-my-lifes-journey/

http://www.havingtime.com/being-whole-and-complete-farewell-to-the-idea-of-finding-other-half/

I think these things are also important to know.

I'll round it off with an article from Shelly Bullard about how you are actually "The One" that you're looking for.:
http://shellybullard.com/secret-finding-one/


The meaning is that once you've found and accepted yourself then you will be ready for a relationship with another person who is right for you. Now I have to say on this subject that I don't know if finding and accepting yourself is something that will, or can be done straight away. Obviously it's great if it is. But it can lead to thoughts of, "I have to do this now or I'll never find the right person for me!!".

I prefer to think of it more as a journey, if you start it now then you set it in motion and this may lead to you finding another person who is right for you and then you can learn and grow together.<3


I hope you enjoy the articles and find them helpful like I have. :)

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

My birthday presents
Birthday wishes from family and friends
Cake!
My birthday meal at the Harvester
Daffodils
Spring coming
The latest session of Facets of Joy I Believe in Magic
Oestara coming up

Alternatives To Meditation

Meditation is often suggested as a good way to spiritually advance. However what if you're just not that into it? I'm not keen on it myself and I know that some others aren't either. Some people have the viewpoint that meditation is the only way to grow spiritually. I'm more inclined to take the viewpoint that there are many ways to grow and learn, especially if you follow the Law of Attraction, which is all about feeling good.

Sometimes I have found meditation helpful, like when I did the May Cause Miracles program last year. That was one of the times when I first felt it "working". If you'd like more info about meditation and how to meditate, visit this post: http://personalexcellence.co/blog/how-to-meditate-in-5-simple-steps/

But if you'd like to try something different, here are some alternatives. :)


Music

If you're into music (like I am) then you may find it helpful to listen to relaxing music. It could be different types like instrumental, chanting, gentle lyrics etc. Or just anything you like. I find some pop and R'n'B songs relaxing.

A piece of music I really like is Dance of Autumn Lights by Ivo Sedlacek. He is a Czech violinist and his pieces of music are quite long, around 15 minutes, so you can just relax while listening to them.  Dance of Autumn Lights sometimes puts me in a kind of meditative state. You can listen to it here: Ivo Sedlack- Dance of Autumn Lights

Here's another nice piece by Ivo called Colour of the Leaves:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG6biHA91TU

Update 25/11/18: Video is now unavailable.

Note: I just saw on Ivo's website that his music is listed under meditation. :)


Another piece of music that I like is Raga Shivranjani played by Prasad Bhandarker on the Bansuri (Indian bamboo flute). It's really beautiful. :) Listen here: Raga Shivranjani on Bansuri

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for:

Sunny days during winter
Chocolate popcorn
The PS3 game Heavy Rain- I re-played it recently
Easter chocolate in the shops already!
My new top
McDonald's breakfasts
Saved By The Bell being back on
Imbolg tomorrow

What is possible? (LOA)

Note: In this post I'm referring to the Law of Attraction aka LOA. For a background on LOA click here. :)


I've been thinking lately about manifesting and believing things are possible. I think that when you're trying to manifest something, so much of it is about believing that it's really possible and that things can change. You might find it easy to manifest "small" things e.g. a cup of coffee, a feather, a certain type of bird etc. but with the "big" things (a relationship, new job, baby, new house etc) you feel stuck and find it harder. According to the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne you can manifest bigger things just as easily as smaller ones. Maybe you can if you have no resistance at all but I think the problem is limiting beliefs. (A limiting belief is a belief that you have about yourself or the world that holds you back, "limits" what you think you can do, have or be). If you believe that you "can't" have something or aren't "supposed" to have it (or even want it) then obviously that will get in the way. Here are a few good resources on limiting beliefs:

 

Update 19/8/21: I have updated links and added a Melody Fletcher one, since I can't find the first article anymore.

http://www.deliberatereceiving.com/releasing-negative-beliefs.html#axzz3PCSB69X1

https://melodyfletcher.com/2014/05/22/how-to-release-those-big-nasty-deep-seeded-beliefs/

https://melodyfletcher.com/2014/04/28/how-to-discover-your-limiting-beliefs/

https://www.livelifemadetoorder.com/blog/law-attraction-dealing-limiting-beliefs/

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

Having a nice Christmas
The Christmas tree
Tree chocolates!
Christmas presents
The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer- I borrowed this book almost 2 years ago from the library and I just got it to keep as a Christmas present
Live Life Made To Order- some good tips on there
Facets of Joy January offerings- I'm taking part in both the January session of I Believe in Magic and Savor the In-Breath.
The Personal Excellence Healthy Living Challenge

Anxiety Resources

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

As well as depression I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety, in particular health anxiety. I know that many people have similar problems and it can be hard to deal with. Sometimes I feel better than others but the anxiety is pretty much constant. I've been interested in self help techniques for years and have been looking more up lately, so I thought I'd share some resources here. :)


General help for anxiety and related disorders


No More Panic

No More Panic is a website that has articles, a forum and chat room for people who have anxiety, depression, OCD, panic disorders and phobias and their carers as well. I've often used this when I've been in a panic about something.

IMPORTANT: If you have health anxiety and you are panicked about a symptom, try not to Google it because you can put a symptom in and it can come up with all sorts of diseases associated with it that you probably don't have. If you're really worried about something try doing a search on No More Panic or a similar forum rather than just doing a random search because you're more likely to get helpful advice. :)

Update 14/10/18: Just want to add that your first port of call should be a doctor if you're worried about any symptoms/medical conditions. :)