Glow Living

Tag: emotional mastery

  • When You Feel Pulled to the Dark Side

    When You Feel Pulled to the Dark Side

    When You Feel Pulled to the Dark Side
    By Chandra Lynn

    I remember a time when I was having a particularly difficult time processing a breakup and I went to see a therapist. I went in telling him all the things I did to make the relationship work and all the things I was going to do to heal myself. And in the way that therapists do, he looked at me and asked “what would happen if you just stopped and did nothing?” The prospect of not doing anything didn’t feel comfortable at all and the question actually infuriated me. I was looking for answers and solutions, not to not do anything! depression

    Decades later, I became friends with my yoga teacher and she said she noticed I was fidgety in the mediation part of the class and I acknowledged that it wasn’t my favorite part. I suppose I’m a “doer”. Well I’ve come to the conclusion now that I don’t like how it feels when I just sit with myself. My thoughts aren’t always empowering and my emotions can turn dark like a storm that blows in unexpectedly. The dark side has always had a magnetic pull that I’ve tried to resist.

    Today, someone asked if its possible that I’ve been silently or unknowingly battling depression all of my life. Looking back, I suppose its possible. And its possible that I am still reckoning with it, but its been such a familiar state that I don’t know the difference. My life has been a quest for tools and strategies to manage this state as positively as possible. I have not mastered it entirely, but if you can relate, I have some very powerful tools to share with you that can certainly help without prescription drugs. Boy do I wish I could just pop a pill every day and feel like this is the most amazing life ever lived, but I’m resistant to doing that because of the chemical dependency and side effects.

    Through Glow Living, I will describe all the things that have worked for me and that I’ve learned from others about emotional mastery, managing thoughts, self-love, and being the best person you can be in relationships with others. Join me on this journey by following my posts and sharing your experiences.

  • What do you want to be known for?

    What do you want to be known for?

    What do you want to be known for?
    By Chandra Lynn

    One of my brilliant friends and Glow Circles member Tara Callahan asked me what I want people to understand about my efforts with Glow Living. When I started to explain my intentions, she stopped my long-winded answer and said, “no tell me in 5 words!” Hmmmmm. After some thought, I said I want to…

    “Inspire people to love life.”
     
    LoveLife-Button-v17Sitting with this intention, however, I felt an internal struggle because the truth is that I don’t always love life. Sometimes, life is really hard and there are challenges and losses that make me wonder if I’m a good person to represent someone who loves life. I decided that this IS the reason why I am the exact right person!
     
    I’ve been prone to depressive thoughts, and although I have a lot to be grateful for, I been known to fall into the trap of focusing on the negative. Until now, I never focused on finding ways to increase my upper limits for feeling joy about my life and experiences. 
     
    I didn’t always know how to manage my emotions well, so I sought training on emotional mastery. I now practice effective techniques, and consistently rebalance my energy through a blend of healthy activities such as exercise, yoga, meditation, journaling, talking with friends, good sleep, and more. There is no simple way to do it. It’s about learning how to place more protective boundaries and practicing diligent self-care…things that are especially hard for amiable personalities that want to help others. Through Glow Living, I will share what works for me and bring in experts to help with this.
     
    Today, this post is about aligning with what you want to be known for, and being able to articulate it succinctly. Go to the Personal Growth Forum to share what you want to be known for and see if you can boil it down to 5 words!

    About Tara Callahan:

    tara“I wanna make people laugh,” states Tara Callahan when asked about what she wants to be known for. Check out Tara’s YouTube videos that are sure to bring smiles, and subscribe to show your support.