i’ll tell you why
The body is a treacherous friend. Give it its due; no more… Pain and pleasure are transitory; endure all dualities with calmness, while trying at the same time to remove their hold. Imagination is the door through which disease as well as healing enters. Disbelieve in the reality of sickness even when you are ill; an unrecognized visitor will flee!
-Sri Yukteswar quoted by Paramhansa Yogananda in Autobiography of a Yogi
*Photo above: throwback to one of my first holidays. To quote Buddy the elf: I love smiling, smiling’s my favorite!
Simply put: pouting = stress = aging quicker [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][wrinkles]. Holidays are notorious for stress-case scenarios, otherwise the lyrics “you better not pout” in the popular Christmas jingle would not have been necessary, right?
We start to worry about giving or receiving gifts, being around certain friends or family we might rarely see, eating too many cookies, what the coming year has in store for us… I am guilty of it all myself, and recognize that these patterns are 100% useless.
The more we worry about something, the more of a problem we create for ourselves, when it might not even exist had we not stressed about it in the first place. As the directors of the movies of our own lives: that which we perceive, we receive [inspiration from Jeanmarie Paolillo’s book Vibe-A-Thon].
But if worrying is familiar to us, we subconsciously grip on to it because it’s all we know how to do. It becomes like a childhood teddybear – we don’t want to let go of it because we’ve had it since we can remember, even though it’s accumulated dirt and junk over the years that is no longer beneficial for us in the ways it used to be. It’s time to set it free.
This article explains ways in which worrying affects our health, listing several of many reasons why it’s imperative to cut it out of our habitual holiday/lifetime reactions.
These emotions are not all bad – it is perfectly human to have them. In some cases they can help our bodies react in a way to protect us from harm [i.e: see lion = run]. However when habits like worrying, pouting, and stressing out accumulate over time they can begin to govern our lifestyle when we’re not actually in danger. Disease and discomfort will always accompany them, too.
It’s all about being aware of the ways in which these things affect how we create our lives, and what we want to create for ourselves in general.
Like the quote at the top – if we don’t recognize worry as part of our practice, it will flee. If we don’t pigeonhole our issues, we’ll start to notice an unlimited amount of solutions, possibilities, and ease.
The holidays are not about worry, stress, and pouting unless you want it to be that way. I encourage us all to notice when the familiarity of panic arises during this time of year, without judgement, and let the universe relieve us from that unnecessary burden. This will make space to enjoy being with the ones we care about and create a peaceful, memorable experience for not only ourselves, but also those we spend the holidays with. This is one of many ways to spread the [holiday] health.
How do you refrain from pouting when Santa Claus comes to town?
Read the rest of December’s newsletter for an amazing new seasonal breakfast recipe, my new favorite song to dance to, and more.
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