Removing Blocks, Getting Energy Moving.

Yesterday, after heading to town to take care of a few chores, have a cup of coffee at my favorite spot, Coffee Girl, I picked up a few items at the local market and drove to the marina at the mouth of the river. There was no one there when I first arrived, giving me a sense of being at the edge of the world in a place of perfect peace.  As the sea birds flew about and called out to one another, I noticed  a well-fed, bushy squirrel race across the pavement to my car.  We had a nice encounter, as you can only do with a squirrel, and then squirrel disappeared. Before me the water from the river was flowing swiftly towards the sea, and I noticed the level of the river was way down. At the mouth of the river (and for a good few miles upstream) the ocean and the river do a kind of ebb and flow dance. When I was there just past one in the afternoon, the river was at its lowest ebb. 

Each time I go to this spot, I notice which way the tide is flowing. It always reminds me that our lives are full of ebbing and flowing tides too. Ever wonder why some areas of your life seems to move along quite effortlessly while others parts appear to have ground to a screeching halt? It is all part of the normal ebb and flow of life. Each level of our being--physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, creative--operates within the context of different ebbs and flows. Today's column is focused on how energy gets blocked in different areas of our lives, and in how we can help identify, break up the blocks, and get energy moving to help us get back in the flow of life. 

Just as our body has both the autonomic and sympathetic nervous systems, so too is life affected both by what we do/don't do and what is happening in the world in which we interact. In our own body, the autonomic nervous system is responsible for the proper functioning and responses designed to protect and keep us healthy and in balance. These autonomic reactions include our fight-flight response, our reactions/responses to pleasure, pain, hunger, or imbalances. The sympathetic nervous system is the area of our lives that we do have some control over. We can use our breath, for example, to calm ourselves down when we have a panic or anxiety reaction. Our entire life is a reflection of who we are and what we value and invest our energy, resources, and time in.

What is blocking you from having a more balanced, healthy, and creative life? Let's take a look.

Identifying Blocks.

1. Do an Energy Assessment. Let's begin by doing an energy assessment of our living spaces. You might walk around the house, or simply think about what areas of your home/office, studio, workspace are the most cluttered, disorganized, or imbalanced. Make a little list of the areas.  In my own space, I've been using my office/studio as a staging area for an upcoming move. To me, it's like a giant mess, and is completely unusable in the state it's in. Another area is my refrigerator. It's past time to clean it out and reorganize it. Another area is the lazy susan pantry. Make a list of 3-4 energy-draining spots that need your attention. 

2. Identify Blocks/Stagnate Areas of Life.  Usually we have a one or two main issues that need our attention. It may be time for you to have your car maintenance done, or it may be time for you to think about getting a more up-to-date piece of equipment, like a computer. Or it may be that you want to look for a new job, take a new educational path, or change your residence.  It could be any number of things that need attending to. And if you're like me, they sometimes show up all at once. This can of course be a bit overwhelming, but it's also a great indicator, that we are being pushed along to cope with an issue that we've not yet dealt effectively with. 

What main areas are blocked in your life at this time? Make a list of what needs attending to. 

3. Prioritize Needs.  Once you've come up with a list of areas that need attention, prioritize them by order of urgency. Yesterday, for example, I knew I needed to have my car's oil checked. I wasn't sure what might be needed, but was worried to the point of feeling that should be at the top of my list. I took care of it right away, and it wasn't a big problem at all. I felt an immediate release of tension upon finding someone to check the oil and top it off for me.  Something that had been weighing down on me, lifted immediately. 

One thing I've learned to do over time, is to pay attention to those niggling feelings, intuition, and dreams that help me notice areas of discomfort, unease, or concern.  Almost always they point me in the direction of finding answers to questions or concerns. Take a little time each morning, to 'tune in' to what your intuition tells you about what needs to be done. Some of us are afraid of looking at problems, because we're afraid we won't be able to cope with them. The sooner you can face an issue, the easier it will be that you can find solutions. Solutions to problems faced when they first appear, are easier than when we ignore problems to the point where they become a much bigger issue. 

Make a list of 3-4 issues that you feel need to be taken care of. You may not need to take care of all of them at once, but taking time to see what is most important, helps you as you move towards coping more effectively. And include yourself in the priorities. For example, we often put our house, the family, our job, the pets, and nearly everyone and everything else before we put our own needs on a list of priorities. Be sure to include yourself in your top priorities. Schedule in daily walks, make a dentist's appointment, take yourself out for a creative date. Pack lunches and snacks and make sure you're getting enough rest, nourishment, and exercise. 

Once you've identified and prioritized areas where energy is blocked, the next step is to begin taking steps toward breaking up the blocks.  Sometimes the blocks aren't obvious. Blocks may show up as a lingering sense of not feeling quite right, or feeling run down or unmotivated. Blocks may be connected to unconscious needs or unhealed wounds or stress. When that's the case, the next steps might be where you will find the exercises of identifying the areas in the house/office where energy is stuck, will also help release the hidden blocks within. 

Breaking Up Blocks

Here are five steps for breaking up blocks. 

1.Set an intention and goal.     Start by spending some time in quiet mediation or prayer. Seek a blessing and guidance for helping you break up anything blocking the healthy flow of Chi/Universal energy within you and your home/office/studio. Let yourself find a place of calm and peace as you begin.

2. Have a Plan of Attack.  First of all decide which approach works best for you. Do you handle the hardest task first, or do you begin with the easiest or the least time-consuming? For some of us, approaching it in littles helps make big tasks more approachable. For example, instead of saying to yourself, "Today I'm going to clean and declutter my kitchen from top to bottom", you might instead say, "I'm gong to clean out two drawers" or "I'm going to clean out the fridge."  Others might want to get all of one area done before moving onto another. Each of us has a way that works best for us. You might try doing things in little bits at times, and when you have more free time and energy, doing the big tasks. 

A friend of mine, a young mother with three young children, a full time job, and a family told me her motto is, "If I can do it in 5 minutes, I do it now."   Since she told me this, I have noticed when I'm dreading doing something, I waste more energy and feel more stress thinking about it than I'd actually expend if I got up and just did it. Notice as you walk around the house, which areas almost scream at you as you pass them because those areas are a mess. Messes block energy and tie us up in knots. So back to identifying blocks, keep in mind, those areas which you consistently try to ignore, are really holding a lot of your energy. Start taking care of them in little time bursts. 

One good way to work this into your daily life is to start building in new habits for taking care of things. Make a plan of daily tasks, weekly tasks, monthly  tasks, and seasonal tasks. Use each day of the week for focusing on one area of the house or one big chore. I change linens before the weekend. Grocery shopping is done the day after I clean the refrigerator. Tuesdays might be bathroom cleanup. You may already have a regular routine. And if you do have a routine, you might consider changing it on occasion. Sometimes what worked for one particular season of life, is no longer necessary. Experiment with what helps you feel less stress and more energy. And notice how DOING IT releases so much more energy that thinking about doing it. Today in fact, I finally took my office desk apart, and reorganized half my office space. Something I'd thought about doing for quite a while. Finally doing it, is definitely good for breaking up energy blocks. What's waiting for you to unblock it right now?

3. Begin Doing It.  (Or get back to doing it).    It's easier to fall out of the habit of doing something regularly than it is to fall back into the habit.  Remember that energy is necessary for everything we do in life. Using Feng Shui to clear the blocks of trapped energy and to keep the flow moving in our lives, homes, and work spaces, is so important to our overall health, well being, and happiness. And for creative people, it is essential to release the trapped energies that we need to access our imagination, clear vision, and intuition.  

4. Start Now.  Take one minute to simply be still. Find a quiet spot. Close your eyes. Let yourself be still and calm. Breath slowly in and out. If you wish to, count your breaths in and your breaths out. Try to exhale a bit more slowly than you inhale. Deepening your breath helps expand your cardio-thoracic cavity, and releases your entire body to be in a more relaxed state. Mindfulness can be one of the most useful tools for all kinds of healing and for allowing areas of stress, blocks, and anxiety to break up and free you to be more relaxed. After a minute or so, notice how differently you feel. How different things look. 

5. Take Care of Business.   Identify one small task that you can do right now. It might be to clean the dishes in the sink, wash out the bathroom sink, take out the recycling or trash, or clean the counter tops in the kitchen. Pick just one, and set a timer for 5 minutes. Use that time to do one of the tasks on your list.  Use your break times from desk work to do a short 5 minute task and then another 5-10 minutes to do some exercises, walking, or yoga stretches. 

Afterthought.  Spend a little time everyday, noticing where blocks have built up in different areas of your life. Some might be physical blocks, others emotional, while others might be mental...old thought patterns or habits that are keeping you from fully functioning in the present. If you need help sorting this out, by all means get some help.  You have within you the capacity and the tools to get energy flowing in all areas of your lives, and this can all be improved at times, by seeking help of one kind or another, to get you through the difficult times. For example, if you feel stuck after a divorce, death, loss of some kind, seeing a good therapist might be the answer. Or going on a spiritual retreat or attending a grief group. 

Ask for help when you need it. If you need help, you might hire a house keeper to come once a week for a couple of months to get you through a difficult or busy time. You might need help getting your work organized,and might hire someone to assist you for a few hours a week.  Just as we get a realtor to help us find a house to buy, or a dentist to fix a dental problem, we sometimes need help in other areas of life too. It's okay to ask for help. I used to trade housework help one day a week with a friend of mine. I'd go to her house one day a week to help with something she found hard, and she'd come to mine to do the same. That was many years ago when I had a young baby, but it gave me a boost that helped me at the time I really needed help.  A lot of us think we have to do it all ourselves. We don't, and we can share our talents and support with others too. 

However you choose to approach the areas in your own life that feel blocked, I wish you the best. Decluttering, reorganizing, and developing some good ways of keeping the energy flowing in yourself, your home, and your work life, can enhance your entire experience of living, as it helps open new ways of receiving help, direction, and guidance. Enjoy life, that's part of the plan for this one precious life we are living.