Finding the Peace

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May your Christmas be like a playground in the shade on a hot summer’s day.

May your Christmas be like a playground in the shade on a hot summer’s day.

In all the challenges and difficulty that 2021 has brought, my prayer is that you experience some joy in this season.

Children are very good at making connections with each other. Sometimes they are successful, other times they aren’t, but it doesn’t stop them from trying.

Sometimes we need to be deliberate or intentional in connecting with others, even when it’s hard, and when there is a chance our being vulnerable may not be well received.

Say hello to that neighbour you have never spoken to.

Or if you are past hello, stop for a chat instead of rushing past.

Consider a random act of kindness.

Seek out a ‘tribe’ of like minded people – sports, crafts, philosophy, spirituality

Push past the initial discomfort and you may be truely blessed by a genuine connection.

May the inner peace and true joy of this season be yours, which can only be given by my wonderful friend Jesus Christ.

He is only too happy to give it to you too.

Blessings from Horsham, Victoria, Australia – 36 degrees Celsius today / 97 degrees Fahrenheit

Perfect for a playground in the shade.

Leeony xx

Blue Skies Tomorrow – blueskiestomrrow.com – There is always hope.

Blue Skies Craft – blueskiescraft.com – Using art and craft to restore

Managing a panic attack

A panic attack can come upon us very quickly.

That feeling of being overwhelmed and being immobilised with a blank mind, where a solution or any rational thought has gone clean out of our head.

It’s a horrible feeling. However, it can be managed.

When we go into a full on panic, we switch from the thinking part of our brain (higher cortex) being in control to the emotional part (amygdala) taking over. From from there it is very hard to access reasoning, problem solving and critical thinking.

The brain mobilises the body into its fight/flight/freeze response and we may feel tense, sick in the stomach, sweaty, lightheaded, and our heart begins racing, as blood is shifted in the body to our arms and legs to get us ready to either fight or run for it.

So we need to calm everything down. We need to slow down our heart rate by breathing slow deep breaths.

We can focus on relaxation strategies by using our muscles – going for a walk, do some gardening, exercising or playing sport.

Be mindful and bring yourself back into the present moment and stop thinking about yesterday or tomorrow, which can break a negative thinking cycle. Ground yourself by noticing things around you with each of your five senses.

Only when we are calm can we utilise thinking strategies, as the thinking part of the brain is now back in control.

Notice what you were thinking about. Ask yourself – Is this thought helping me or hindering me? Is my thinking helping me to achieve my goals? If not, what is another, more realistic way of thinking about the situation?

This all takes practice, but don’t be discouraged. In time you will recognise that you are getting better at manage those big emotions.

If you feel you don’t know why you are feeling overwhelmed or what is triggering your panic attack, seek out a Counsellor or other health professional to help support you through what could be a time of self discovery and realisation.

We can’t control what we are not willing to face.

I know you can do this. There is always hope.

Blessings, Leeony

Blue Skies Tomorrow – blueskiestomrrow.com – There is always hope.

Blue Skies Craft – blueskiescraft.com – Using art and craft to restore