Why Relaxation is Self-Care

The 21^st of May 2019 is a special day. It’s the 16^th day of Ramadan, and don’t forget World Meditation Day with Will Williams occurring in London and Vancouver with thousands of people participating around the globe. Last but not least, this is also the first day of American Relaxation Center of Beirut’s 20 Free Relaxation Session Giveaway.  There are only four sessions left for the upcoming week (May 28-May 30). If you wish to have one of the remaining sessions simply view the availability in the photo below, visit my Facebook page to learn more, and message me through my page or WhatsApp!

I created American Relaxation Center of Beirut to help women in Lebanon learn to relax, and discover how to feel better in their amazing bodies. This day is an especially beautiful and transformational time to be meditating and taking part in things leading you to more internal peace. When you’re peaceful within, the things happening outside you will not throw you off and wreck your day or possibly your week!

How do you become peaceful within? Many might say go to a peaceful place, swim in the pool, get your nails painted, etc. Yes, these things can be relaxing but they don’t really help you with long-term peace, or consistent inner peace. It is your thinking, not your circumstances or where you are that determines how you feel and how much peace you find. You may think being in charge of your thinking is difficult, with practice and things like meditation, prayer, deep breathing, and of course EFT…you will do this! You will be able to come to a place of more peaceful thoughts, when you learn to relax.

Relaxation needs to be a part of your daily self-care, or “me maintenance” as I like to call it. Just as you need to allow your body time to sleep and eat healthy foods, you also need relaxation to recharge all parts of you. So many amazing individuals are super stressed from daily life. Stress wreaks havoc on your heart, it causes inflammation in the body, and it weakens your immune system. When you have inflammation in the body it leads to everything from weight gain to heart disease. When you take time to relax, your body is able to become balanced, and you begin to feel calmer.

If you haven’t watched any of my YouTube videos or have yet to try EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) you may not be aware of various acupressure points on the body. EFT or tapping is a simple mind-body technique I use with friends, family, and clients to help them feel more energized, reduce anxiety, boost confidence, and even more. The following tapping script I wrote to help you let in more light, and start feeling vibrant once again. If you don’t know how to tap, simply say each statement to yourself, gently tap your wrists together, and remember to take deep breaths throughout. This script coincides with meditation, and connecting with what matters most. Enjoy!

Tapping into Sunshine

I know how it feels when the sun shines on my skin
The beautiful warm sun
This divine sun that soothes me
And gives warmth to the entire planet
This sun that brings life to the grass, trees & flowers

I choose to let this beautiful sun love me
Every part of me
Even those parts of me I hide
The places I hide my power & my confidence
All this loving sun, shining on me

I let the sun shine on me, on all parts
This beautiful golden light fills me up
The beautiful light within me and around me

I’m starting to see myself and my radiance
Becoming more aware of what’s important
And I’m learning to honor me

I’m honoring my feelings, my wants, my needs
Becoming more aware of my uniqueness
My brilliance
My inner knowledge
I’m honoring what makes me, me

I have this radiant light within
This amazing power deep inside
It shines so bright

Sometimes I hide it
Or I hold back
Sometimes I cannot let it shine

I thought this is what I must do
That’s what I learned, I choose to open up to shining
Maybe I could open up a bit more

I choose to feel safe to shine now

Shining my beautiful light

Radiating from deep within
I am open to shining now
Letting my beauty and brilliance show
What if it’s safe to be seen this way?

What if by shining my light I allow others to do the same?
When I shine like this, I can give more
I can make a positive impact in my life and others
I am choosing to allow this to be my time to shine
Tapping into love & light, all is well. I am safe. Namaste~

Lastly, please visit and like my ARC of Beirut Facebook page. I really appreciate and need these likes. Until next time wishing you peace, love, and a whole lotta gratitude!

Learning to Stress a Little Less

Just how aware are you of the damaging effects stress has on your body? When you’re feeling stressed-out you’re body goes into a flight-or-fight state, which activates the sympathetic nervous system. Your body starts producing extra cortisol and other hormones to increase your heartrate and give you an extra boost to run or fight.

Now this was very important to our ancestors when a giant tiger or bear was chasing them, but how often do you get chased by a bear? Not very often, so all these extra hormones and neurotransmitters get activated and then you go to work, go make dinner, or sit down to watch Netflix. You don’t usually run a 10K or stop to meditate when you’re stressed...however if you do, you're helping your body flush all the extra hormones out. 

Being stressed out wreaks havoc on your heart; it causes inflammation in the body, and completely weakens your precious immune system. Inflammation can lead to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

In her book, “The Mind Body ToolKit,” Dr. Kim D’Ermo discusses that going into a state of relaxation allows the body to balance out and begin to heal itself. The body begins letting go of any extra weight, and it begins eradicating inflammation and multiple health disturbances. Relaxation is not a special treat. It’s a necessity. 

There are many ways to relax from meditating to taking a nice long walk. One of my favorite ways to release tension from my mind and body is EFT. Use the following tapping script to get into a more relaxed place.

Relaxation Tapping Script:

Relaxing hasn’t always been easy for me.

The idea of relaxation feels unknown, maybe even scary

I’m not sure about all of this, I’m not sure if I’ve ever really relaxed

Can I do this?

Can I take this step?

Yempkin (maybe)

Maybe not

I have some uncertainty about all this

Uncertainty creates fear and sometimes even anger within me

I definitely can’t relax if I’m scared or angry

What if just for the next few minutes I could release my fears and some of my doubts

What if I could sit here, tap, and breathe

What if I could

Maybe I can

I’ll try

I’m choosing to tap into the possibility that there is something good beyond my uncertainty

I choose to release my worries and open up to relaxing more

I choose to begin to let my body relax

What if it’s safe?

I choose to know I’m safe in this

I choose to feel the safety in relaxation

I’m feeling more at peace

Feeling more centered

I’m choosing peace and calmness

I’m breathing deeply

I’m tapping into love, into relaxation, and peace on every level

I’m calling love and relaxation into every part of me

I got this. All is well. 

I also created a video specifically to help moms release their stress and overwhelm:

Until next time wishing you peace, love, and a whole lotta gratitude!

The Importance of Letting Go

I have been extremely busy the past few weeks with mommyhood, creating a new program, and organizing my relaxation class for moms. If you’re in Beirut and want to come, please email or WhatsApp me! Needless to say I have neglected my little blog. It’s very easy to get busy and overlook something important to you. And this blog is important to me.

Now nothing is more important to me than being a mother to Adam. Earlier today when I was sitting with him on his giant play mat, I was half brainstorming what to write about. That’s when Adam started taking books off the bookshelf, he does this frequently. He’ll take a few off the shelf and pick one out that looks interesting.

Today he picked “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. I usually read to him from the book he chooses…until he gets bored and moves on to something else! We ended up on pg. 184 with Instructions for Freedom. At this point in the book Elizabeth has been given a list of 10 different instructions from a guy she calls the "plumber, poet from New Zealand". The instruction that stood out the most to me today was #10.

10. When the past has passed from you at last, let go. Then climb down and begin the rest of your life with great joy.

Now most of the instructions pertained to Elizabeth and what she was experiencing at the time, but this one really resonated. It’s so easy to live in the past, either out of joy or sorrow. But it’s still the past! We are here now, in this moment and that was then. It’s very easy to struggle with this whole idea of letting go, but it’s so necessary. There is so much freedom and peace in this simple act, though in the moment it may not seem so simple. Once you’ve done it though you feel lighter and younger!

I am learning a little more each day how to let go, and how to love a bit more. There is a YouTube by one of my favorite EFT gurus Brad Yates called, “Letting Go and Letting God.” I’ve shared it before, in case you missed it check it out and tap along. 

In the video, Brad talks about surrendering, this can be pretty darn scary. You wonder what will happen, how bad will things fall apart if you stop trying to keep everything in check? More and more I see that in the - letting go – things are not falling apart, they’re falling together. You cannot hold on tight enough to make something work. Either it works or it doesn’t. And this applies to jobs, relationships, friendships, lifestyle choices, and so much more. I’m not saying you don’t have to put in any effort with these things. However, you should not have to force yourself or another to be or do in order to sustain something.

Let me leave you with this. You are amazing and wonderful right now. Without being 10 pounds lighter, with or without a partner, without the right condo, etc. You’re enough. It is that simple.

Until next time wishing you peace, love, and a whole lotta gratitude!

The Power of Uncertainty

Sometimes it’s very easy to feel uncertain about the future or worried. What’s coming next? You may ask yourself this when things feel a bit turned upside down. You ask this question out of fear and frustration. There are also those times when things are going really well and you ask this exact same question. What’s next? In this situation this sense of uncertainty feels more exciting, happier times feel possible. So how do you get into that space? This is something we all struggle with, how to stay in the positive open space to let life unfold beautifully.

What I’ve learned in my years working with clients, with family, and most importantly with myself is we have to honor our feelings. If you’re angry, be angry. If you’re sad, let the tears flow. Holding it in only gives it that much more power over you. I’ve seen what happens to someone when they let the anger stew, it builds and builds, and at some point their body cannot take the pressure any longer. Something pretty dramatic happens when their body, their spirit says enough. It could be a major physical issue, or it could be something external they cause or become a part of. It’s best to honor your anger, express it in the safest way possible, which therapy and EFT is super great for.

Another thing I’ve learned is anger is just a mask for fear. It’s much easier to be angry then scared. With anger there is motion, you’re moving alright, and everybody needs to get out of your way! You feel more in control, more capable. With fear and sadness it tends to immobilize you, making you lethargic and much more likely to stay hidden away from the world. Uncertainty can cause these two major emotions. This is a time to allow yourself to feel your emotions, do some meditation, and do a bit of EFT. You won’t always feel sad or angry. Your body cannot handle it.

Uncertainty gives you an amazing opportunity to turn your fear into excitement, and a sense of wonder. What if something amazing is just around the corner? What if this event that occurred that knocked you down brings you to someone or something that helps lift you higher than you’ve ever been? In this moment you have a great deal of power to shift your attitude, your focus, and most importantly your thoughts. “What if” is an amazing question, use it for good whenever you’re able. Take a few moments and write down “What if…” five times on a piece of paper. Leave space after each one so you can add something you’d really like to have happen. After you’ve written your lovely “what if” statements, say them aloud while you tap through a few points. As always, remember to breath deeply.

Thank you for you! Thanks for reading and trying EFT! I am continuing to raise money for my mom. If you wish to donate or share this blog I am in deep appreciation! 

Fundraising Link: http://paypal.me/pools/c/8cdfSrk4Xe

Until next time wishing you peace, love, and a whole lotta gratitude!

The Struggle is Real

Carrying on with my old/new gratitude practice is proving to be challenging. Sometimes I let life knock me out of my flow. My little guy has been sick since Sunday, and he’s finally better today…hamdillah (that’s Arabic for thank God)! He’s such a little trooper, he has been smiling and giggling at things he finds funny even while feeling terrible. Today in addition to enjoying lots of cuddles, he had enough energy and enthusiasm to dance along to “If Your Happy and You Know It.”  The past few days have been spent in total mama-nurse-care-giver mode. I was finding myself waking totally confused, discovering it wasn’t quite 6 am yet. I’ve been letting worry over my baby and sheer crankiness completely override my practice.

Something very sweet happened while giving Adam his bath last night. I was getting him undressed, kneeling in the floor before him and saying “raise your arms” in Arabic…no idea how to spell that but sounds something like “all-ee-ah-dake.” I’d taken off his shirt when Adam began wrapping his little arms around my middle. I wrapped my arms around him, and we stayed like that for a while. My heart was so happy in this moment. The love and thankfulness was flowing throughout my body. I’m certain you know this feeling, you must have a person, pet, garden, or something you love this much. Whenever you forget how lucky you are picture them, and this one step starts bringing you right back into alignment.

Yes, sometimes it feels like life is throwing things right at our face. Certain days feel crappy. I get it. This is when you try the technique above, calling in the love. If that isn’t working out, then you need to start calling in reinforcements. I’ve found some really lovely people on YouTube that are helping. These gratitude gurus have several neat techniques and tips. Check out one of Karen’s #ChoosingGratitude videos:

I am also sharing with you my latest gratitude chant/EFT script. I was sitting in the car after returning from grocery shopping, and I felt a massive wave of thankfulness.  

Gratitude Script:

I’m grateful for you
I’m grateful for me
I’m grateful for him
For her
For them
I’m grateful for us
For this breath
I’m beyond thankful for this life
I remember that day, so grateful for it
I’m grateful for the next day like it…or an even better day
I’m grateful for the experience, the memory                                                                         
I’m thankful to have so many happy memories
I’m thankful to be here
Thank you God for this life! Thank you Universe!
Grateful for this body
For a heart that’s beating
For all these moments
Thank you for his little arms wrapping around my neck
For his sweet head on my chest
Thank you for being my baby and letting me love you
Thank you God for letting me be here
Thank you Universe for all these experiences 
Thank you angels for watching over him, and over us!

Thank you for practicing gratitude!! I shared with you previously about my mom’s situation, I’m continuing to raise money for her. Please donate, share her page, or share this blog. Gotta keep the good energy flowing. 

Get Mom a Home Link: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8cdfSrk4X

I'm dedicating this blog to my new friend Marty, thanks for being so kind. I'm also dedicating this to my brother, thanks for encouraging me. 
Until next time, wishing you joy, peace, love, and a whole lotta gratitude!

Back to Basics: Joy & Gratitude

Today I am continuing along with my journey back to gratitude. There was a time in my life I awoke each day and said thank you for this breath, thank you for my bed…and often thank you for gluten free macaroni and cheese! I kinda got off that gratitude track, got “busy with life” and forgot about all the things I’ve got that are super kick-butt awesome! So I’m coming back around again, finding joy in the simplest things. Joy and gratitude they link up so well. When you can watch a toddler toddling and smile, or you feel the warm sun on your face and it's like you’re glowing…this is both joy and gratitude combined.

 I find myself listening to Louise Hay and Wayne Dyer CD’s I’ve had for years. Louise Hay had many beautiful quotes and sayings. She once said, “The more gratitude I feel the more I realize the supply is endless.”  Louise also stated, “My day begins and ends with gratitude and joy.” Wayne Dyer once wrote, “Be thankful for what you have. You’ll end up having more.” I quote these dear, departed souls because they got it. They made a practice out of gratitude and joy and built their lives and businesses around this. Just imagine if you were to start thinking of five things to be thankful for every day. And if you continuously came back to those things whenever you felt a bit ticked or out of sorts. Could you imagine how that would change your day in fantastic ways?

I spent the past few days reading articles and posts about gratitude, mainly to help reinforce and strengthen my old/new practice. I found some articles I read before and some new ones too! Huffington Post wrote, in 2007 Robert Emmons discovered expressing gratitude improves mental and physical well-being, and it also improves relationships. I shared this little tidbit with my husband. He agreed. He told me he’s noticed my uplifted attitude in all areas, especially regarding things that previously could get me a bit down. For instance when Adam gets sick or has a tantrum, I may internalize this and blame myself somehow. I may start thinking I’m not doing enough. He had an all-out, massive tantrum today while we were eating at a restaurant. I took a deep breath, several deep breaths actually! Eventually I got Adam to sit in his stroller and managed to soothe him with grapes and a dinner roll. I looked at Haissam and told him, this is a phase. This too shall pass. He told me even a week ago he’s certain I would not have been that optimistic about the situation. So please give gratitude a try! Keep going with it, and don’t forget to share with me your experiences.

While I was searching and digging, I came across another one of my gratitude scripts. I made a few adjustments and tweaks. You can tap along or say the statements to while taking deep, cleansing breaths.

Chest: Today I choose to be grateful for what I have. I choose to be grateful for myself. I am choosing to look for the good within me and around me.

Top of Head: I choose to appreciate the amazing people in my life.

Eyebrow: I choose to be open to allowing more things to be grateful for into my life right now.

Side of Eye: I choose to be open to practicing gratitude.

Under the Eye: I choose to begin to see all that I have, all the good surrounding me now

Under the Nose: I choose to be grateful.

Chin: I am grateful for me.

Chest: Today I’m choosing to express joy and gratitude no matter what!

Top of head: What if it’s safe to be grateful?

Eyebrow: It is safe to be grateful. I am grateful for (say something you’re grateful for)

Side of Eye: I am grateful for my mind, for my body, for me.

Under Eye: I choose to like the person I am.

Under the Nose: I am choosing to be calm & more appreciative of me.

Chin: I am grateful for (say something you’re grateful for)

Chest: I choose to allow even more people and wonderful experiences into my life now.

Top of Head: I am grateful for my life. All is well.

Thank you for tapping along. You’re doing awesome things when you do! I shared with you previously about mymom’s situation, I’m continuing to raise money for her. 
Please donate or share her page your nearest & dearest!

Get Mom a Home Link: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8cdfSrk4X

Until next time, wishing you joy, peace, love, and a whole lotta gratitude!

Gratitude Heals Us All

I’ve written several times about the power of gratitude. It’s funny how easy it is to overlook this very simple, yet extremely powerful practice. Why do we tend to forget gratitude? Well, sometimes we take things for granted. We assume we’ll always have a family to love us, a roof over our head, and clothes on our back. But are we guaranteed these things…really? I don’t write this to make you afraid or to feel guilty…guilt is a waste of your energy so please let it go! Just for a moment pause and think about who and what you have in your life. Maybe you have a little child that loves sitting close to you while you read them a story, you may have warm home to sleep in at night, or running water. Yes, there are still people all over the world without running water, clean water, hot water, or any kind of water. We are very blessed if we have even the simplest necessities to live.

Tragedy has a way of making us much more aware of all the blessings we already have. I recently found out from a concerned neighbor the sad situation my mother has been in. My mother stopped speaking to me almost 3 years ago. I was pregnant with my little guy who recently turned 2 years old. She has some mental health issues and at the time she felt certain I was part of some kind of conspiracy to end her life. We previously moved her to live with my brother in Rhode Island. I live overseas so moving her to the Middle East didn’t seem like the best thing to help her stabilize. My brother was certain the sea air and organic vegetables would help her heal. My mother was difficult to say the least with my brother and niece. She can be as cranky as a hornet at times. Needles to say she left my brothers home in a huff and moved to her land in Texas. This was the last I heard from her.

Her land is about 25 miles from any kind of civilization. There is nothing there, no structure or home, no connection or water hookup…nothing. So her concerned neighbor told me initially she was living out of a tent. The winds in the area are very strong, and there is not much in the way of trees to block any wind so her tent blew away. My mother managed to scrape together some money for a makeshift camper. It ended up leaking and didn’t keep any heat. Finally, she began living in her vehicle. Last New Year’s Eve she accidentally set her truck on fire while using candles to keep warm. Amazingly she escaped with her little dog Simon, she was completely unscathed. She is now living in a borrowed RV.

This news brought me right back to gratitude. I am beyond grateful she’s alive at all! The gratitude I feel for these kind neighbors is vast. Their good hearts are truly beautiful. They came together to help her and gave her an old RV to live in. Yes, it has a leaky roof and she’s completely out of propane to cook or have hot water…but she has water and a roof over her head. I felt so many things upon learning of her situation, like fear, sorrow, loss, and gratitude. I knew that sadness would not help my mom. Love, shelter, food, some mental health care, and a whole lot of gratitude for these people and the fact that she’s still alive are the only things that will help now.

Gratitude expands our hearts and world in unimaginable ways. I rediscover a gratitude chant/tapping script I created years ago and made some adaptations. I’m sharing this with you in case you forgot how blessed and loved you are. You can tap through the points of your choice or say each statement aloud.

I often forget to  be grateful

Maybe I don’t think I have time

Maybe I don’t always see the things in my life to feel grateful for

It’s not because I’m bad or unfeeling

I may be very busy

I’m choosing to slow down now

Even if it’s just for 5 minutes

I’m going to take a deep breath 

I choose to see all the things I have to be grateful for

The people I love the most

Thank you for being in my life

The sweet little baby who loves to snuggle near me

Thank you for letting me love you

Thanks for the snuggles

The simplicity of reading a book or enjoying a cup of coffee

Thank you universe, thank you God for these simple pleasures

I’m so grateful for the water that comes out of my sink

I’m so grateful for the sun shining through my windows

I’m so grateful for me, I’m alive!

I’m so grateful for this life

I’m tapping in to love and gratitude on every level

Connecting with love, peace and gratitude now

I am safe and all is well!

Thank you for coming back to gratitude. I am grateful for you! I created a money pool for my mom if you wish to donate or share the page I am in deep appreciation. 

Here is the link to Mom’s page: http://paypal.me/pools/c/8cdfSrk4Xe