When life throws you lemons here’s

Ten Keys to Thriving

Over the last 35 years I have been experimenting with how to regulate the nervous system, change the brain, and to rest in who we really are. Here is my top 10 practices:

1. At the beginning of the day, before you jump out of bed, Create your Day: that is consciously create the day that you want to live. Combine thoughts with feelings to create. Don’t vision up something you can’t want to live. If your brain says ‘No’ to something you really want bring Compassion to that part and say “I am so sorry that it feels undeserving, not good enough” etc until it comes back to peace and stillness. Then Create your day again. Start small if you like then as you gain more confidence add bigger hearts desires. Start with “Today I will experience….”

2. Before you wire your brain to a device, wire your brain to the truth of who you are, nature and meditate first thing in the morning, ideally on the earth outside as the morning sun is rising. Yogic or active meditations are more apt for the western mind and body as they burn up cellular memory whilst aligning you with true consciousness and peace. Develop a spiritual practice that supports the realisation of who you really beyond the neurosis of the mind. A powerful place to start the day from.

3. Exercise, Diet and Sleep – our bodies crave exercise, oxygenating the body and brain in the morning means, for instance the hippocampus enlarges creating more ease in making all those decisions throughout the day. Find an exercise practice that energises your body and brings your mind to quiet. Ensure that you take care of your sleep and find the diet that most suits your body, it maybe the opposite of what you are doing right now!

4. Sunshine; Go Outside at least once a day and sit in the sun – we are light and vitamin D deprived resulting in low immune system, digestive issues, exhaustion and depression etc. D Minder App helps monitor your sun exposure to ensure you are getting enough vitamin D.

5. Gratitude is the Attitude Throughout the day keep a journal and not only writing in it but drawing in it so the right hemisphere of the brain is engaged. This changes the way you see the world and helps prevents the consequences of complaining and the negative bias in the brain.

6. Take care of your relationships so they take care of you. Healthy relationships are the biggest predictor to longevity. Create daily connection rituals with your partner or friends daily. We are social creatures and from a psychobiological approach we are wired to each other. Not only does this prevent the effects of loneliness but also wires your brain for secure functioning, knowing that someone else has your back, you are a team and you are supported out in the world. Furthermore it regulates your nervous system. This is social medicine! (Connection Rituals, 10 Keys to Couples Communication)

7. Question stressful thoughts with The Work of Byron Katie so they let go of you, therefore the way you see the world changes, reduces stress, creates ease and peace. Without the stressful thoughts conflict is reduced, you come into resonance with a whole other reality you couldn’t see before and how life truly does support you. (How Beliefs Work)

8. Develop Healthy Habits that change your brain, body and energy bringing about a work life balance. Dan Seigel created the Healthy Mind Platter outlining the optimum balance for healthy brain function. Find habits that allow you to rest, be active, create down time as well as social time, and focus time. Too much of one means our body brain will at some point ask us to stop!

9. Know how to deal with feelings so they do not rule you. Direct Experience, Emotional Freedom Technique, Compassionate Key work, Internal Family Systems Therapy, find what works for you. Feelings are energy, therefore if you resist them they get locked in your body, if you surrender to them they transmute and alchemise into consciousness and peace. Resistance is the only cause of emotional pain! Use All the Feels Series on Spotify to support you along the way! Become a master of your own internal emotional ecology.

10. Viktor Frankl once said “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.” “Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it” – Brave the Wilderness, listen to that inner voice and live it!

Supporting your every success,

Brenda

Brenda Sutherland is Brenda B.Soc.Sc.(Psych) is a Holistic Counsellor, Trainer and Consultant with her practice grounded in over 30 years experience. She is the founder and Director of The Awakening Group which offers AHHCA accredited training programs and workshops live throughout Australia, and online.