It seems like everyone I’ve been talking to lately is experiencing some level of OVERWHELM. Some are dealing with multiple health issues, others are struggling to manage the juggling act of work, kids, and ailing parents/family members. Or maybe multiple deaths in the family with a side order of Covid thrown in. How about you??
I love the dictionary definition of overwhelmed: “buried or drowned beneath a huge mass”… in this case, a massive, multi-faceted mountain of conflicting life situations and events.
And yet, I can attest to the fact that there is such a thing as “good” overwhelm, or at least overwhelm that results from a bunch of positive, mind-expanding developments. Without going into too much detail here (check the website out), I’ll tell you that preparing for our 4thU Artivist benefit production coming up on April 27-29 has my head (and heart) exploding. Not only do we have a new, global beneficiary, Women Deliver, but we’re also talking with March of Dimes and Planned Parenthood cuz our theme – maternal healthcare inequity – is so in alignment with their work. Apparently, there’s never been a theater piece created on this issue before and it seems like there are new connections, contacts, and revelations popping up daily. (That’s our poster above to give you a preview!)
So, yeah, it’s definitely felt over-the-top lately, but in a creative, exciting way.
And we know that even positive overwhelm can still be… well, overwhelming and stressful.
How the Virgo Full Moon can help
Enter the Virgo/Pisces Full Moon, coming up on Tuesday, March 7th. If there was ever a time when we could use the earth-y, grounded energy of Virgo, this is it. With the Moon in Virgo, the cosmos are reminding us to slow down, take a deep breath and get organized. Focus on our self-care, beef up our health routines, and jettison the stuff that’s weighing us down.
Balance that with the spiritual/magical, “be one-with-the Universe” Pisces season we’re moving through from February 18th to March 20th, and you’ve got a powerful combo to create practical new routines for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.
[And if you really want to dive into that water-y, intuitive Pisces vibe, definitely tune into the recording of my virtual Pisces New Moon SisterCircle I facilitated through the Wellness Universe on February 20th. Our theme was “Embracing our Divinely Feminine Intuition” and I guarantee you’ll come away feeling expanded and nurtured at the same time!]
My Deb’s Picks this month highlights specific (thank you, Virgo) practices to ease your mind, body, heart and soul out of overwhelm and back into a state of peace and harmony.
Then, be sure to join us for my upcoming Virgo/Pisces Full Moon TeleMeditation Monday, March 6th at Noon — click HERE for details on how to join us. Hope to “hear” you then! (And if you miss it, contact me and I’ll send you the recording, or look for the link on Facebook & Instagram)
On to the Picks…
1. **MIND** —PRACTICING MENTAL FITNESS TO TAME YOUR SABOTEURS
I’m grinning as I highlight Positive Intelligence (PQ) here again… the last time I mentioned it was 4 months ago when I was all revved up to start my next PQ “pod” in January. Well, due to that overwhelm I was talking about, I never got it together to actively promote it so it’s on the backburner. Thing is, I find I’ve been practicing the principles of PQ and sharing them with my clients more than ever. Basically, that means strengthening the 3 core Mental Fitness muscles — our “Saboteur Interceptor”, our Sage Brain, and our Self-Command muscle using PQ “reps”... just like the gym, but for the mind — ask me about it!
2. **BODY** –-BODY-CENTRIC THERAPY… MEET LYNN BOURBEAU, SEP
While “talk therapy” is certainly effective, I’ve always tended to refer my coaching clients to a body-oriented therapist when they need deeper healing. There are tons of modalities out there (Gestalt, EMDR, EFT are a few), but my go-to is my dear friend Lynn who practices Somatic Experiencing (SE). Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a gentle but powerful body/mind trauma model that helps discharge anxiety, panic, anger, rage, hopelessness, depression from the body so healing can occur. Lynn works via Zoom and helps clients heal from deeper trauma as well; rape, incest, & physical abuse; car accidents, near drownings, PTSD, pre-surgical and surgical trauma; chronic pain and eating disorders; grief, bereavement and loss, etc. She’s been doing this for over 20 years and has even taught the model to many other therapists. Click HERE to learn more.
3. ** HEART** —HEART CHAKRA HEALING
You can cover a LOT of healing territory by focusing on the heart chakra. It’s the 4th of our 7 energy centers of the body and represents our ability to love and be loved. With an open heart chakra, you can find true compassion and forgiveness for yourself and others. Green is the color of this chakra (so you’re being healed just reading this!), and singing or listening to music in the key of F further opens it. I’ve led many heart-opening and loving-kindness meditations over the years (happy to share them) and you can expand those by sitting with a rose quartz crystal and rose or geranium essential oil. I’ve never written specifically about the heart chakra, so researched a bunch of them to find the most comprehensive – go HERE to dive into a terrific one!
4. ** SPIRIT** — DAILY GRATITUDES FOR SPIRITUAL HEALING
Where do I start?! If you google “spiritual healing”, you’ll get pages and pages of suggestions and practices. But frankly, one of the simplest ones is to intentionally embrace and ground yourself in a daily practice of gratitude. There’s all kinds of neuroscience now that shows how maintaining an ongoing consciousness of gratefulness leads to less stress and can re-wire the brain in positive ways. I wrote an article about it a few years ago for YourTango — take a look and see what you can start doing today!
5. AUTHENTIC WOMAN PLAYBOOKby DEBORAH ROTH
So here’s where we wrap up the 4-pointed crown of mind, body, heart, spirit into one lovely place! Yes, a little shameless self-promotion here but I really do believe that if you make your way through each of these seasonal Playbooks, you’ll not only be practicing whole-self healing, but have fun doing it. It’s chock-full of revelations and reflections for you to explore about 13 aspects of your divine feminine nature complete with beautiful mandalas for coloring. Click HERE to get your copy — the Spring edition starts on the Spring Equinox on March 20th. Have a powerful time healing and playing with your divinely feminine self!
Obviously, there are literally thousands of healing modalities for your mind, body, heart, and spirit. I’ve just highlighted a teeny fraction here and I’d love to hear your favorites, too!s