10 practical steps that will move you toward emotional healing

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Dee Clark

stock your life skill tool box. have a conversation with your heart long before it becomes wounded. the two of you decide to make forgiveness a tool you will use when it is needed. this way when forgiveness is required, the decision is already made and the issue is settled. your best life decisions are made when you are not in the midst of trouble. decide beforehand, what your approach to life will be.
give yourself time. a raw wound is not ready for healing. it may be necessary to allow time and distance. however, deciding to make forgiveness part of the life skill tool box will guide the heart toward forgiveness when the time is right.
forgive yourself. a great place to start when forgiving is to forgive yourself. often, we can feel upset with ourselves. “why did i not see?”, if i had only…”, “i swore i would never let…”. we put our hearts through torture trying to figure out “why”, “what if”, or “if only”. we add insult to injury by blaming ourselves. we can be wounded without any effort on our part. release yourself from responsibility that does not belong to you. forgive yourself for any real part that you played and refuse to punish yourself.
learn the valuable lessons. if you need to apply more wisdom going forward. learn what that wisdom should be…apply it where possible…move forward. evaluating if healthy boundaries are necessary and setting them in place can assist the heart in returning to a feeling of safety.
remember when you needed forgiveness and mercy. try as we might, we are going to blow it…maybe by the end of the day. remembering you have needed mercy in the past helps to soften the heart. realizing that when you desperately needed and wanted forgiveness because your intentions were not to wound, will help your heart walk toward forgiveness.
refuse to inflict pain because you were hurt. maya angelo says that just because you have pain does not mean you have to be one. revenge feels like a natural weapon to raise in defence of your heart yet it is very destructive. your heart needs to understand that you do not have to extract punishment. however, forgiveness does not remove consequences especially if legal action is required.
practice being kind and tender-hearted. keeping your heart tender will prepare it for forgiveness. practice kindness in some way toward someone outside of your situation. practice speaking kind words. be gentle with an infant. find ways to open your heart in non-threatening situations so that is not tempted to become hard, harsh and cold.
have your say. i’m sure the heart would love the opportunity to provide an “earful” to the offender. most often, we don’t get the opportunity for confrontation. if the opportunity is provided and is safe, think carefully about what you need the offender to know about what happened, how it impacted you and that you plan to move forward with life. if you are not provided the opportunity or it is not safe to do so in person, writing a letter (whether sent or not) can provide the ability to “get off your chest” what your heart feels is important to be said. once you have given voice to your heart…let it end there. don’t keep rehearing the situation. rehearsing the offense just keeps the wound bleeding.
put forgiveness to work. when you are ready…apply forgiveness. if you will replace the temptation- to tell yourself or a friend how badly you were hurt- with the statement, “i am forgiving this offense”- the wound will begin to heal from the inside out.
practice forgiveness. practice bringing your emotions, behaviour and thoughts back to a functional place. when i was working with my heart to forgive my ex-husband, i began to practice speaking to him in a respectful way…even before i wanted to offer a respectful response. with each conversation, it became easier to speak kindly. even when it was necessary to be firm, i found that i could say what needed to be said in a kind way- for my heart’s sake. understanding that forgiveness is a life-style is important. it is not an immediate fix or a one time occurrence. it’s an act of faith. a decision. a hard decision. a valuable, life changing decision.

i have had many opportunities in my life that required forgiveness for me to live my best life. these are not just words. i have lived in an attempt to extract revenge…my heart growing harder…my life unsettled…and feeling trapped.

there have been simple offenses- hurtful words spoken to or at me.
a drunken driver caused an automobile accident that put me in the hospital, injured my baby sister and claimed the life of my fiancé.
i have been through a very volatile divorce.
i have had business partners betray my trust and steal assets that they had no rights to steal.
i have been tricked.
i have lied to.
i have been cheated on.

yet, in each and every circumstance, i have found the most healing, freeing approach for my life was to walk through the steps of forgiveness.

in fact, the last situation i found myself involved in was a complete shock to my heart and system. i was amazed at my heart because after years of practicing forgiveness – i heard myself say, “i forgive you”…immediately. i had to pinch myself to make sure i was really aware of what i had just said…it was me…i had quickly chosen forgiveness…and it was so much easier than it used to be.

hopefully your heart will be able to find this life skill useful on your journey.

forgiveness is a sweet fragrance…your heart offers when it is crushed.

10 benefits you gain when you offer forgiveness

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Dee Clark

yesterday’s post was 10 things you are NOT doing when you forgive. today, i want to explore what i feel is the important next step- what forgiveness is and how it benefits your life.

forgiveness is a powerful life skill within your grasp. using this tool can help the heart in its search for wholeness.

When you forgive, you are:

choosing a healthy coping strategy. there are two coping strategies: keep cycling in the pain or move forward. one is a healthy strategy, the other is dysfunctional. one leads to healing and growth, the other can lead to “post traumatic stress”.
practicing true love. understanding the importance of love to all human beings helps prepare the ground of the heart for sowing the seed of forgiveness. in the initial stages of forgiveness, this might make you as mad as a hatter. it’s still true. living a life motivated by compassion is very powerful. i may hate the offense but compassion will open my eyes to the pain within the offender’s heart that directed his/her behaviour.
offering a debt-free status. have you ever had a bill paid for you or on your behalf? have you ever handed a person in need the money to pay off a bill they were struggling with? do you remember what that felt like? i have and i do. no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to undo the offense. it’s been done. when you forgive, you are not excusing the offense. you are acknowledging the inability to ever undo, compensate, or change what was done. clinging to unforgiveness will never bring my fiance who (was killed by a drunken driver) back to me. that man will never be able to pay what is owed. he paid legal consequences but he has no ability to settle the score in my heart. i can release the debt so that i can go on living.
giving your heart a gift. the Aramaic meaning for the word forgive is “untie”. when you forgive -you untie yourself from the effects of the offense. you grab a “get out jail free card” and you set your heart free. you step out of the prison of stress, frustrations, anger, bitterness, torment, and unhappiness.
taking control of your own life. while you may not have had a choice when the offense occurred, you do have a choice in what happens next! your heart can become wounded with no action on your part. you can take action -take control of your life by using a powerful tool called choice.
laying down your judge’s gavel. our heart naturally cries for justice. however, lay your gavel down and leave ultimate justice to the One who wears the judge’s cloak. it’s been said -what goes around comes around~karma bites~you reap what you sow~…you may have a differing philosophy than i do. we all recognize that in the end, we never really get by with anything…there is a principle at work in life. i, personally, believe it is an unchangeable, spiritual principle of reaping and sowing. i don’t believe it can be ignored and more than the law of gravity can be. it relieves me from the role of judge that i was not built to take on.
exchanging your weapons for useful tools. revenge is a weapon. when we lift our weapon of revenge, we become willing to make great sacrifices to our lives. we are willing to exchange useful solutions for a consuming drive for recompense that is surrounded by hatred, anger, and scheming. i choose to pursue a better way of living…not a destructive way of living.
guarding your life values. i want to be free to live my life plan. one of my core values is to live practicing being useful, helpful and kind to one another, tender-hearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely]…(-Paul to the Ephesians). i can not be true to this life value if i am allowing my heart to be weighted down with anger, resentment, revenge, etc. i guard my values and standards and refuse to take on any attributes that do not line up…i have to be me…and forgiving allows me to be the best me i can be!
offering mercy. i am convinced that hurting people-hurt people. wounded, broken hearts drive people to behaviors that they would never have imagined. i have been shocked at some of my behavior patterns following devastating circumstances. my daughter had an abusive boyfriend one time~following many attempts to help the young man and behaviors worsening, i lashed out in a way that i must admit embarrasses me to recall today. when i took time to objectively think about what he had been through in his life, i changed my approach dramatically. i was able to show mercy while outlining healthy boundaries for our family’s safety. interestingly enough, his behavior toward me changed. when he spoke to me, he used respectful words. my offer of mercy did not change his behavior overall but when he was in my presence and with my child, he showed restraint. i impacted my environment.
activating a powerful spiritual law. you don’t have to study nature for very long before it becomes quite evident how the laws of nature work. i can not defy gravity with out some strict boundaries in place for my own well-being. airplanes crash all the time because simple rules have not been followed. i am familiar with governmental laws. whether i agree or not with tax laws, i am required to pay taxes unless i want to pay the penalty. there is a powerful spiritual law called the law of forgiveness. i can ignore it. swear up and down i don’t believe it exists…yet, when i refuse to apply it to my heart…the consequences are devastating. on the other side of that, if i live within its boundaries, there is safety, wholeness, happiness and well-being available to me.

4 ways to cope with the change

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Dee Clark

change occurs all the time. change could be right around the corner. change is inevitable. i look in the mirror and i see change (at my age now) that seems to occur every day. from birth until death, my body is going through change. i have looked forward to some of those changes. i remember as a young girl anxiously awaiting certain bodily changes to occur and later discovering that those changes were not all i hoped they would be. i remember hoping that i would grow several more inches because i was so short. for some reason the inches kept growing around my waist and not to my height. ugh! change is inevitable and growing is not optional for my body.

changes in life are inevitable. growing through those changes emotionally is optional and completely in my control.

the seasons change four times a year every year. we can learns ways to cope with life’s changes from our experience with nature’s seasonal changes.

Don’t be caught off guard. we are aware that each seasonal change is coming. each season is different and unique. we can’t stop the change but we can prepare for it. life changes are similar. some changes are expected. a child will loose their baby teeth at around the age of 5-6 years old. menopause occurs approximately between the age of 40-61 years of age. we get an understanding of what we are in for and can prepare for it. however, unexpected change is going to happen. life is full of surprises. the first step in coping with change is to accept that change is a reality and is inevitable.
Don’t ignore the signals. when summer is finishing and fall is on it’s way, the first signals are apparent. the temperatures begin to drop, for one. i usually begin telling myself, “it’s may, fall is almost here”. did that shock you? it would because for my readers in America, you would be looking forward to summer following may, right? well, it’s the end of fall in New Zealand. my point is that i begin to prepare so that i am not caught off guard for seasonal changes. in life, once we come to terms with the reality of change, it is important to be on the outlook for the signals that are telling us that change is coming. when i went through my divorce, the signs were all there and i hid my head in the sand. this was partly due to my emotional state of mind. nonetheless, the signs were there and i was unprepared. however, when i needed to leave my last job, my comfort zone was becoming less comfortable. my husband and i had decided three months earlier that the time had come to leave and that i would work in the business we owned. the day i resigned was a bit of a shock to both myself and my boss but i had actually been preparing myself long before that day. i actually had my resignation letter written and ready to hand over. we, then, worked through the logistics to make it happen.
practice a trauma plan. this is probably one of my favourite steps. civil defence, in every city i have ever lived in, practices a trauma plan. seasonal changes sometimes bring traumatic weather. being prepared helps preserve life. hospitals practice steps they will take in the event of an emergency. i have a trauma plan for my life. this plan includes how to have difficult conversations; which reactions are appropriate and which are not; when to hold it together and when to fall apart; actions to take, and other skills i can apply when i feel taken off guard. i am trained in cpr. when i see the signs that indicate someone is in trouble, i have practiced the techniques often enough that i can step in and help. i decided that this practice is a smart skill for my life and i practice. i won’t have all the answers for every surprise that comes my way; however, i am better prepared for the most common issues and can think my way through the problem, change, or critical issues when they arise….because i am not freaked out. firstly, I’ve practiced remaining calm. remember how i’ve said before that i say to my daughter, “don’t panic”? it’s because it is part of my trauma plan (like in a medical emergency) to remain calm. secondly, i can work with myself to get to the worst case scenario, “how bad can it be?” once i have coped with that…everything better than the worst case scenario is a big celebration-for me…well, actually, it’s just easier to cope with. 😉
now, what to control. while i can not change many of my circumstances, i can change me, my reactions, and how i adjust and grow. the seasons are going to change no matter how much i protest that i only prefer to live in summer. throwing a fit does nothing to effect the fact that fall is on it’s way and then winter. therefore, i have to work with it…make the adjustments…get my warmer clothes ready to wear. change may turn my world upside down but i can choose to make the most of the situation and grow. blaming is natural but not really effective and can have many adverse effects. choosing growth and empowerment gives me the strength to handle the change in a dignified way.
regroup and go forward. every season requires that i regroup. i go through my closet, de-clutter, throw out things i never wear, wash and put away that season’s clothing and bring out what i need for the new season. change is a great time to re-evaluate life. am i being true to my most “authentic self” as Oprah would say or my purpose? have i made quality decisions or do i need to make further, controlled changes to prevent future catastrophes? are my life choices bringing me closer to my life goals, values and happiness? if not, now is a great time to regroup and tweak the plan. once the adjustments to the change are made, allow time to get into the groove of the new habits, patterns or way of life then move forward. life is a journey…keep moving forward…growing as you go…making decisions with as much wisdom as you can acquire… and live.

change is inevitable but it doesn’t have to feel like it came from left field leaving us stunned and unable to cope. preparing for change is an important life skill that will help growth continue and transitions occur as easily as possible. practicing these tips will help you begin to handle change like a pro…at least the pro of your life!

here we are facing another weekend…hope it’s great!

thank you for spending a few moments with me.

a centered heart will allow the springs of life to flow

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Dee Clark

long life

health and wellness

a clear and open path

shining like the dawn

reaching full strength

reaching my full potential

are mine

i diligently

vigilantly

keep and guard

my heart

for day by day

i’m presented with

opportunites

all within my control

i choose my role

as guard today

and protect

this precious gift

for wisdom centered

in my heart

will give my life

a springing flow

“keep and guard your heart with all vigilance…for out of it flows the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

my cup overflows…the spills are love, peace, joy and more

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Dee Clark

there are many enemies to our wholeness

opportunities that could steal our peace, hope, faith and love

while those enemies watch…

and to their dismay…

allow your heart to overflow

all the more

spilling righteous

peace

joy

love

hope

faith

Have a fabulous weekend everyone-it’s Friday in NZ…

see you soon,

Stop breathing Carbon Monoxide…”Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul”

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Dee Clark

is your soul showing high levels of toxicity?

disappointment

anger

frustration

negativity

lack of confidence

encouragement really is the oxygen of the soul.

detox your soul.

“confidence – the state of feeling certain about the truth of something” -make sure what you are breathing into your soul is truth.

encourage yourself. your voice is the most important voice you listen to. make sure you are breathing “oxygen” into your soul instead of carbon monoxide (which can be deadly).

detox your relationships.

the people around you are looking for significance just as you are. encourage them. you will be cultivating healthier relationships.

there is a lot of hype right now concerning detoxing the body. there are simple steps you can take to create more balanced health.

in the same way, you can detoxify your emotional health and get rid of the toxic elements of your emotional well-being.

encouragement is a great place to start.

you possess this ability. it’s up to you to believe in yourself, first.

then, you can sow the kindness of encouraging others…and you will reap encouragement.

I am significant.

I matter.

I am important.

and this is also true for you!

see you soon,

there is always a way when problems feel too big

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Dee Clark

i had never known such terror as i felt that day standing in front of the Red Sea. my body physically trembled and i could not prevent it.

i loved this man of mine but at that moment i wondered if he had lost his mind. everything in me wanted to scream ,”what are we going to do? they’re coming. there’s no place to go!” the words wouldn’t come because every part of my being felt paralysed. the army was closing in. so many horses and chariots. slaughter was certain. no weapons and no way of escape. only the expanse of the sea before me and the longing of my heart for home.

it wasn’t home exactly but it was where my husband’s heart longed to be. there he was sure he could make his dream come true -freedom. even the cruelty of the masters seemed more comforting than standing here waiting for my family and our people to be destroyed. my heart had not even fully finished celebrating the freedom we had longed for…begged for…prayed for. now this.

he just stood there calmly, as if he couldn’t hear the screams of terror from the crowd. he had been so sure in his heart that “this” was his reason for existence. he had never been so sure of anything in all of his life. i simply followed because my heart so completely trusted that magnificent man. it may cost me my life, this burning love of mine, it may now cost me my life.

he stood for so long. silent. his face turned to heaven. peaceful. i just did not understand. the closer the enemy got…the thicker the cloud of dust, the less I could breath as if the fear where choking me.

i whispered, “what are we going to do?”

he simply replied, “deliverance is promised. He will make a way.”

how? how would there be way. there was no way out…only the sea ahead, certain death behind…how would he make a way?

he stepped behind me and stood upon the slippery rocks. I couldn’t hear his words but i’m certain he was praying.
then he lifted his staff. strange things happened when he took that stick in his hand. he raised it high and as the waves crashed against the rock, he lowered it.

i heard the pace of the army slow…astonishment filled the air. i closed my eyes and slowly opened them just in case i was dreaming. I wasn’t.

the way to safety was before us. i wouldn’t have believed it had i not been standing right there. where there was no way just moments before…though fear had almost consumed me…when my future was all but ended…

he climbed down from that rock, came- took my hand, and smiled as he said, “I told you, deliverance was promised. there had to be a way.” together we stepped out onto to the pathway…we were free.

…when your heart is sure there is no way out…believe me,help is always near!

there is a safe place…in the cleft of the Rock

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Dee Clark

Rock of Ages,
cleft for me,
let me hide myself in Thee.
(Augustus Toplady)

a great way to fill your heart with joy…kindness

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Dee Clark

We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindness there is at last one which makes the heart run over.

Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

overcoming my addiction may have contributed to the hostess factory shut down…Part 1

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Dee Clark

well, maybe not…

follow me into my closet (watch your step)…

the closet was dark. it was a sanctuary of sorts. the place my heart could indulge without shame. shame constantly screamed at my mind. however, for a few short moments, i silenced the torment in that dark closet. i would make a plan before i emerged from this temporary sanctuary; there would be questions to answer. i’d think of something. for now, all i wanted was that sweet sensation of filling my mouth with twinkies, ho-ho’s and snickers. satisfaction would only come if my mouth was so full that there was hardly even room left for breath. yeah, sometimes there wasn’t room for breathing…i’d choke. i couldn’t let that happen though because solitude was vital to success…i did not want that door to be opened. no one could know. i felt the calm come over me. i would sigh. breath deep as if i was inhaling life itself. my eyes would closed to allow my senses to acknowledge every possible sensation. i was so grateful to be alone with this pleasure. 1….2…6…10…12 twinkies demolished. 1…3…6 snickers bars gone. wait, where are the ho-ho’s…what…where…where ARE THEY? they can’t be gone. it can’t be over yet. i’m not ready. i sifted through the empty wrappers. i shook the boxes. it can’t be the end. it can’t be the end. desperation was ascending. not one morsel left. nothing but the rubbish laying at my feet. panic struck my heart. those calm moments of gratitude were being washed away by waves of panic. i knew exactly what was coming next. forget the plan. the pleasure of the past 10 minutes vanished. the replacement tore my heart to shreds…i failed again. i’m an idiot. a worth-while person would be able to get her weight under control. i’m pathetic. why am i so weak? i get stern with myself. this is not acceptable! you did not deserve all those treats! you’ll have to explain where the groceries went (i’ll claim ignorance…after all, i’m on a diet. i won’t be suspected). where did you disappear to (just in my room…didn’t you see me?). idiot! what is your problem? my mind is racing in a hundred directions and not one helpful answer is to be found. there’s one solution. purge. get rid of it. i’d start by vomiting, and then make sure nothing at all passed my lips for the rest of the week. maybe, just maybe, it will prevent any further weight gain. most importantly…i will punish this horrid body of mine for being so weak. an acceptable atonement. punishing myself should make the shame stop. i won’t feel so guilty.

bulimia consumed my high school years and drifted like a ghost through my early adulthood. my physical solution to my internal problem of low self-esteem and self loathing. temporary and tormenting. a dysfunctional solution that became a way of life and my picture of normal life. a vicious cycle that wounded my heart further.

my parents become my accountability. reduced to guarding the bathroom door was not on their top 10 list of parenting duties. yet, they did. they were the beginning support and bless their hearts…i’m sure the day i was born… they never imagined the terror of those years.

addiction (according to Wikipedia):

mood altering substance or behaviour despite adverse consequences.

classic symptoms:

impaired control over substances or behavior,
preoccupation with substance or behavior,
continued use despite consequences, and
denial

not to mention all resulting little things (weeds) that were growing in the garden of my heart. when you plant a seed, roots develop, a feeding system is produced and “stuff” grows. in this case, the seed was self loathing. a huge root system of low self esteem developed. then any negative re-enforcement fed the root; disapproving looks, teasing, comparisons to a higher standard, and on and on. the weed produced…the “stuff” that grew…anger, resentment, shyness, conflict, jealousy, hiding/secrets, over spending on clothes, wounding beautiful women, wounding women in my condition (they needed punishment, too…i could cry thinking about this one), self-hatred (and that is the short list)…non of which were bringing the beauty i hoped for in my life.

i worked for years applying techniques, recycling back to bulimic like symptoms, trying something new, recycling back to bulimic type symptoms…around and around. the solution seemed to move further and further away. nothing worked and hopelessness flooded my heart. i was thirsty and every time i reached for the bottle of vinegar.

i don’t even think i recognized why i couldn’t get to the bottom line.

my awareness was limited to: body size = acceptance, value and love. (i really felt like i should be able to fix the body size issue. the lie was that fixing my body would fix my heart).

my problem = low self-esteem. to fix the problem i had to get to the root. discovering and facing the problem, honestly, gave me the freedom and ability to find skills and a lasting solution. dealing with the root gave me real power to kill the weeds (the visible stuff).

i wanted a “get fixed quick plan”. after all, in our society there are many messages that convey “quick” is possible…overnight success, miracle diet plans, get rich quick schemes, and on and on…so, hey, i wanted a quick fix, too. it didn’t exist. i just got thirstier.

it took deliberate action. it took patience. it took endurance….it took time.

i had cycled in this addiction for years. i needed time to unlearn poor behaviours and readjust my dysfunctional “norm” to a healthy “norm”.

there was a plan…..

come on…

we’re leaving the closet and hitting the track next…

join me…

check out my next post…and i’ll show you how my journey to emotional healing and release from the trap of addiction began.

please be sure to stop by the comments section and let me hear from your heart on this post. As well, if you have not signed up to share my journey…click the follow my heart button and you will be notified when new insight’s from my heart are available.

i look forward to seeing you next time,