Respect

I see a lot of name calling these days in our society and throughout the world.  I'm quite sure I am not the only one that sees this.  Our news and social media feeds are full of it.  It is political season and so its part of the "political game" anymore which is beyond sad.

Respect is not something that our society seems to know.  What was once considered rude and ill-mannered to say is now just the normal talk of the day.  It used to be said more in private and now to engage readers and get views, it is said as if it is the latest tidbit of the day.

I find it sad and disgusting to be honest.  I grew up in a home where my mom was disrespected.  She worked her butt off and all anyone wanted to do was sit their butts down in front of the TV while she waited on them hand and foot.  She worked a full time job too, but there were far too many lazy ones in our house.

Said the monster in the house...

I saw my mom, a beautiful and caring and compassionate lady, being disrespected and beat and screamed at because of my father's anger and my older brother's childish "all about me" rantings and shenanigans.  It was always something she did wrong to provoke it of course and the begging of forgiveness was always done.  "I'm so sorry - I don't know what got into me - I will never do it again - but you should not upset me when I've had a bad day" said the monster in the house.

I see women being shown no respect and it bothers me to no end.  I am saddened by it.  I am full of rage and anger over it.  Yet, where do I go with my anger and rage and sadness?  Do I scream like everyone else?

If I scream, no one is listening anyway.  So, I turn to writing the words that I do in hopes that it will change someone.  It isn't the other person that needs to change, it is each one of us individually.  If we are not part of the solution, we are just as much a part of the problem that we abhor!

Everyone deserves our respect...

Women, children, people different from us and people we can't stand to be around deserve our respect.  We need to respect others, even if we've been taught not to respect others.  Our parents taught us what they know, but that does not mean we need to stay stagnated in our life and repeat their beliefs and teachings.  It is time for each one of us to do some serious soul searching and clean out our own closets.

Respect comes from what you allow to take up residency in your own heart.  It is an outward manifestation of what is inside of you.  You either respect people and show love or you spout the latest lines of hatred found on social media and the news.

Respect is something we all deserve and if we deserve it, then we need to give it out to others.  If we fail to respect others, than we have failed to respect ourselves.  Let us lift the world up by showing what we can be in this society, not just how low we can go with one another.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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What Gets You Through Difficult Moments

What do you use?  What gets you through your difficult moments?  Is it a higher power that you turn to or the support of your friends?  Maybe you stay focused during those moments and maybe you're like many who are anything but focused.

I know for me, I've learned different tools and tricks throughout the years.  I used to suffer from extreme anxiety that prevented me from being around people or going in stores.  I had to learn techniques that I could use to help myself so I could get past the extreme anxiety.  From time to time, I still struggle with anxiety but it isn't as bad.

I have had plenty of difficult moments in life and some have almost completely taken me under.  There are times when I've felt like I could barely crawl back up out of the whole I had dug for my life.  Yet, somehow I managed to keep going and get through difficult moments.

It will not last forever...

One of the things that I think is important is to realize that whatever you are going through, it will pass.  It will not last forever.  You will find a way through it.  Yes, I know it may not seem like that in the present moment, but it too shall pass.

Another thing is that sometimes you have to lean on those around you for support.  Sometimes they are the strength that you don't have in that moment.  There are just times when they help shine the flashlight on the difficult path you are walking down.

There are times in difficult moments when you have to be assertive and ask others for help.  Sometimes other people have no clue what you need and unless you ask for what you need, how will they know how to help you?  By you asking for what you need, you will be taking care of yourself and working to find a way through the difficult moment.

Regroup and Reassess...

Sometimes you have to regroup and reassess where you are, where you are going and what you need to do to get there.  This often involves a time of rest or slowed down activity.  Sometimes what once seemed vital and important to life is no longer at the level as your eyes get opened to new things during difficult moments.

Realizing that sometimes a difficult moment is one that you will look back on in future days and see just how it shifted you or how it brought you to some experience you needed to see.  Sometimes it is what propels us forward into what we need to do, rather than stay complacent in what we've done.  I know that isn't easy during difficult moments, but as I've looked back in my life, I continue to see just how true this is.

Allowing yourself to be in that difficult moment is something I've been learning how beneficial it is.  It helps me move through those moments easier and quicker, rather than getting stuck in them.  Yes, I know, if you would have told me years ago that this was true, I would have scoffed in your face.  I'm just learning more and more to surrender into the difficult moment and see what it is that I am to learn from it.  It truly does help, even if it is hard to do this.

Hope and Possibility Through Trauma...

I always try to keep in mind just how far I have come and what I have faced, endured, and triumphed over.  In 1991, I was paralyzed by a Conversion Disorder which I've written about in my book, Hope And Possibility Through Trauma. None of that was easy, but as I look back, I can see just how far I've come.  Each of us has those moments in life that we can look back towards and know that we too can make it through this.

Getting through difficult moments is unique to each person.  What works for one person, may not work for someone else.  So find out what gets you through difficult moments.  Make it a part of your life to see what is beyond where you're at while accepting that this difficult moment you are in is only temporary.  It too shall pass.

Sometimes a playlist of music can be of great help.  I've done that through many times where I can just hit play on the playlist.  It is one of the things I've used to help with anxiety, relaxation, and just taking me out of the moment I was in.  I've sang to some music when no one was home and cried to other songs.  We all have songs that move us in one way or another.

Whatever it is that you do to get yourself through difficult moments, tweak it and change it to meet the needs of that moment.  You may find that what you do to deal with difficult moments will change over time as you learn new things about yourself and become stronger through past moments.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Massage Highlighted Issues In The Tissues

Ouch... those kinks in the tissues are saying "ouch!"  Yesterday, I went to one of the oriental massage places in the mall.  Normally I don't go for bodywork that is deep and hard, but sometimes it is what I need.  While I realized that I needed some bodywork, I didn't quite know that there were as many issues in my tissues.

I'm not really trying to make fun of it, but as he was working on me yesterday, I was like - oh my, I didn't know that pain was there.  As he kept moving from spot to spot, I kept finding places that were not happy and were feeling quite grouchy.

It is interesting that until we stop and notice, most of the time we don't even know we have pains and aches where they show up.  We are quite oblivious to them.  Yet, when we stop and focus on them, there they are in their shining glory to see.  Even if you want to ignore them, they would still be there.

Afterwards, I felt like I could go sleep for a day.  Unfortunately there were other things I had to get done, otherwise I would have curled up on the couch for a nice long nap.  Later in the day I did managed to get a nap in but I noticed that the pains had come on full force.

The pains continued to grow in my neck and shoulders which then started the headaches to start appearing.  I had to break down and take an Aleve just to reduce the pain level a little.  It was either that or I would not be able to sleep through the night.

Today, I feel better.  The pains have lessened but are still present.  I know if I just surrender to them and not latch on to each thing, I can let it go.  It is stuff from the issues in my tissues that needs to work out.

We all have issues in our tissues.  I picked that line up from a fellow massage therapist one time when we were doing chair massage.  The issues in the tissues bring out pains and all kinds of physical abnormalities.  If we ignore and neglect them, they may hide in there for awhile unnoticed, but sooner or later they will find a way to get our attention.

Everyone should have regular bodywork done on them, but for some reason people see it as a once a year luxury rather than a healthy maintenance thing they should do.  Even if you have regular work done, you'll still experience issues in the tissues.  The only difference is that you will work through them much quicker and they will not completely take over your physical life with serious health and pain complications.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Are You On Autopilot

Many of us, if not all, go through our days on autopilot.  We function in regards to the tasks we need to do, the stresses we face and all the baggage we lug along with us every moment.  We've got our responsibilities and duties that demand our time and attention.

So, what consumes your thoughts in a day? 

Are you on autopilot?

Unless you live in a situation where all your needs are met 100% of the day and you have no responsibilities, you are living on autopilot at some point during your day.  How much of the day that takes up varies from one person to another and how busy our life gets.

It is human nature to stay on autopilot.  You would not be able to take care of everything in your day if you were thinking how the sun felt upon your face or how pretty the birds and flowers were.  You would fall behind quickly.

We stay on autopilot...

Unfortunately, we stay on autopilot and then autopilot takes over our life.  It consumes us in ways that we don't even see.  We become unconscious to the effects and its control.  We just continue day in and day out, not seeing anything beyond autopilot.

It is helpful if we can stop and take ourselves off of autopilot.  Noticing the things around us, including the sun, clouds, birds, flowers and trees will go a long ways to pulling us back into a grounded life.  If we just stay in the tasks and responsibilities of our day, we're only causing great pain and discomfort in our lives.

Take a moment...

Take a moment right now and walk outside the door.  See if you can hear the birds or maybe the wind flow gently through the trees.  Maybe you can notice the color of the grass and how it changes from place to place on the ground.  Maybe you can notice how the air feels or the sun feels on your skin and body.  The more you can see and observe this, the more you know you're connected to this moment right now.

Take a moment right now and feel how your breath rises and falls or the speed of the inhalation and exhalation.  Can you impact your breath rate?  Can you change the deepness or shallowness of it?  See how much you can feel and know that the more you can feel it, the more grounded you become.

When we can stop and sense or see and feel in our body, it is then that we have come back home.  It is then that we are no longer on autopilot, but secured in the moment of now and the experience of being alive.  It is in this moment that we are one with ours self, not disconnected and distracted by the thoughts and fears of the day.

Stay on autopilot when you need to get the tasks done in your day, but don't forget during the day to come back home in your body and feel alive.  Don't forget to honor and respect yourself by taking care of your life, not just living on autopilot.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Rest For The Mind and Body

Recently we had some friends spend a few days with us.  It was fun because we went and spent time at the ocean and a few other places.  We tried to keep the pace easy because in the past, we've had other times where we felt so exhausted by trying to do too much with visitors.

We really needed this time away from the computer and busyness of our days.  There are often more things going on in a week and it seems like there is never enough time.  Even though we do try and stop to rest, life just sometimes gets demanding.

This past week was one that just allowed our minds to rest.  It was a time of "rest and relaxation" for the mind.  Just sitting down at the ocean and feeling the salt air, hearing the waves crash and being engulfed by the sun was so relaxing and restful.  It was refreshing and renewing.

It is far too easy for all of us to forget to truly stop, unplug the computers and phones, and enjoy life and nature the way it is meant to be enjoyed.  Yet, if we keep pushing ourselves day in and day out, we are just adding stress to a mind and body that is already pushed to the limits.

Have you stopped and unplugged lately or are you pushing yourself at a nonstop pace?  If you are, don't chastise yourself for doing this.  Instead, ask why it is that you are and how you can change that.  Your mind and body will thank you for it.

Go ahead, take a moment to stop to rest, recharge, and relax.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Through Vulnerability We Help One Another

The light touch that connects with others.  The light-hearted way you smile at someone.  Your gentle words from your compassionate heart that help break down the pains others are facing.

These are the things that make life.  With our vulnerability we help one another through tough times as well as through the moments of further growth and achievement.

It doesn't have to be the most eloquent speech or the perfect painting.  It doesn't have to be the most perfect blog post.  It doesn't have to be a moment where you know what to do next.  All it needs to be is something you give of yourself even in your own vulnerable moments.

Courage to be vulnerable...

Yes, it may take courage to be vulnerable, but the heart of another knows and connects without words spoken.  It may take a step of faith as you offer a hand of light touch or a heart without judgment, but just know that by you taking the step, you may be changing someone's life.

A person without judgment is a very smart person.  We need more people who will open their lives up and listen to another without judgment.  Judgment is very disrespectful to another human being.  It is like stabbing another person through the heart.

Give in the slightest of ways...

Don't think you have nothing to give because when you give of yourself, in the slightest of ways, this is when you've given something so great the universe rejoices.  Don't think you're never enough because the person needing your help may see you as a giant.

Sometimes we don't always need a person to help pull us up out of the mud pit we are in.  Instead, sometimes they just need us to stay with them until they find the way out.

We are humans connected by vibration and energy and love.  We are humans that need one another to strive to greater heights.  It is in the way we allow ourselves to be vulnerable with one another that we find the meaning and purpose of life.  We discover through this just what makes life so full of joy and love and happiness.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Sharing Personal Insights With The World

I'm often taken by surprise at some things in life.  When someone or several people start sharing with me just how my words impact them, my heart feels so alive and warm.  Lately, I've had several unrelated comments sent to me about things I have written and my book.

One reader told me in a review that my book was like I was just writing to them.  This is not the first time I have heard this but it always warms my heart to hear these things.

When I started writing, I just wrote.  At first, no one hardly saw my blog or the words I wrote.  I was getting discouraged when my good friend told me to not give up.  It would take some time.  So, I continued to write and share my heart and my thoughts.

Look for lessons that I can learn...

In all that I write, I try to write about the things that impact me or bring out various emotions.  The things that hit me the hardest are the ones I try to write about on my blog or in my book.  Instead of just writing about the negative, I look for lessons that I can learn and pass on to others.

Sharing the raw thoughts and sometimes the very personal things is not always easy.  It makes a person vulnerable.  There are times that I question myself why I am sharing such an intimate part of my life.  Yet, when I read the wonderful comments I get on how something I wrote has touched someone, I know it was worth me stepping out of my comfort zone.

Make it authentic...

Regardless of what you or I do in life, make it authentic.  Make it real!  Make it who you are and part of your own journey.  If you try to create something for people because you think that is what they want, you will most likely miss so much.  If you write or create that which inspires you, hurts you, and helps you, then most likely others will connect.

We've got plenty of fake people and fake things in this world.  The world needs more authentic people that are willing to create from their heart.  For the ones that create from the heart are the ones that truly help others and the world in ways they most likely don't even fully know.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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What We Show To The World

We all have a private side and a public side I think.  If someone doesn't, I'd be a little suspicious.  What we show to the world is often not what we show to those close to us.  Even what we show to those that are close to us, is not all we are.

There is the side of us that we show to the world in our professional life.  In many ways, it isn't our entire self because I'm sure a client or customer would not want to know or need to know some of the issues we have had to face in life.

There is the side of us that we show to the world that is our more personal side, but often if we show it to the world at large, we would be allowing people to trample our own personal boundaries.

What we show online...

There are also sides such as what we show online in social media or what we show to our significant other or best friends.  It might even be a side that we show to one circle we are involved with but for each different experience in life, there is something we show to the world and something we do not.

I'm always perplexed and amazed at what people show online in social media.  Often it is showing one side of themselves, while they try to prove there is something else that makes them tick.  All I have to do is look is no further than a sibling that professes one thing on Sunday and shows an entirely different thing through the things he shares online.

While there may be a need to not show everything to the world that we show to our most trusted friends and significant others, I think that sometimes we are not authentic in the way we should be.  There need not be major cover ups while trying to convince the world we are one thing, but in many ways we are not.

Your actions and words say much more...

Your actions and words say much more than what you try to project to the world.  You might think you are hiding the things from the world, but in many ways they are quite obvious for all to see.

As you go through your day, take into account what it is that you show to those close to you and the world.  Does one thing resemble the other or are the different images no where close to being in sync?

If you want to be taken as authentic, then you will want to be more aware and conscious of what you put out into the world.  Social media is a good indicator of what is truly within you or what you do when you're not conscious.

Make the world a better place by being authentic and really looking deep within your own soul to see what is there.  You won't make the world a better place by judging it and exclaiming all that others are doing wrong.  You will make it a better place by working on yourself over that of judging other people.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Do You Live A Conscious Life?

It is easy to go through our day on autopilot.  The experiences we've endured along with the uncompleted tasks of our day can often keep us from living a conscious a life.

Do you truly live a conscious life or is it an illusion that you do?  It is easy to convince our self that we do and it is easy to attempt to convince others that we do, but do we truly live a conscious life?

Being conscious means that we feel and sense all that is around us.  Being conscious means that we are aware of what is going on and how we are impacting the world whether it is in a negative or positive way.  It means that we go through life knowing the much greater picture of who we are and why we are on this earth.

Being conscious means that we see each other through the eyes of love, not of judgment and jealousy.  Being conscious means that we know there is a higher good for all, even for those that sometimes challenge us in our day.

Feel the pains and the joys...

Being conscious means that we feel the pains in life, but we also know that by surrendering into the difficulties, we experience the joys.  We know that life is a balance, not just the happy and good, but the moments of sadness and pain.

In order to be conscious, we become aware of all that is around us, all that we know or do not know as of this point, and what the potential there is in life.  Our consciousness is not one with limits and boundaries, but with hope and possibility while understanding the limitations of being human.

Does not hold on to fears...

In order to be conscious, we have a higher vibration that does not hold on to all the fears found on this earth.  Whether it be the latest news and political report or the collective unconsciousness of the latest headline, the conscious vibration does not get taken under by these things.

Consciousness goes hand in hand with a balanced nervous system that has found elasticity to be its friend.  It knows that through all the heartache, there is a knowing of things much greater than the average person often sees.  It knows there is a place of peace and joy and no matter what hits us, it can be reminded that these things exist - that there is a way back to peace and joy.

Consciousness is not something you proclaim.  It is a life that strives for more and tries to understand more.  It is a life that wants to have a greater positive impact in the world, but realizes there is much pain and strife.  Consciousness is something that helps you rise above all that exists in this life, rather than becoming one with the masses.

Embraces all things...

Consciousness does not hold on to the followings and teachings of others, but it strives to prove to itself that which is truth in life.  For it knows that even what people believe to be true, is not necessarily truth.  It may be nothing more than a collective consciousness of group thought.  For consciousness, there is a willingness to allow one's self to go in and touch their own sorrow so that they may truly come to know in a physical way what is real and what is not.

Consciousness embraces all things and seeks to understand all things.  Consciousness works to be better and more enlightened today than it was yesterday.  Consciousness works at being okay with the ugly parts without judgment so that it can soar to greater heights in the days ahead.

No matter where we are on the spectrum of consciousness, there is always room for more.  It is in how we allow ourselves to travel forward that we either hinder or help our own lives become more than they are today.  Hiding our head in the sand and proclaiming we are conscious has no bearing on how truly conscious we are.

Consciousness means balance in all things - the good, the bad, and the inbetween where it rises above all things as an observer, not just as a participant.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Let Love Lead You

Too many times I see things that really cause pain upon others and hurt our society.  One such area is when we say we love others, but then the following words, actions, social media shares and thoughts show anything but love.

Love is not something you can boast about because if you truly love and have love, it will show through.  It needs no boasting.  In fact, anyone that boasts how much love they have probably is missing the true point of what love truly is.

I grew up in a family where we went to church on Sunday morning and heard love preached.  We embraced the words of love for all mankind, but by the time we got in the car on the way home, the gossip and things that were said gave no indication we understood what we had heard.

Proclaim love but actions don't match...

I see the same thing on social media where people proclaim how much love they have for others, but then they go and share some of the most hateful things out there.  I'm not saying everyone has to agree with everyone else in the world, but if you're going to profess love for others, make sure it shows in you actions, not just in words you spew.  Make sure they match.

Boasting about how great you are or all that you've done is not true love in my view.  Why does anyone need to know?  Why can't you just allow your actions of love to be love - that needs no grandstanding or parties held in honor of your own ego?

Love does not judge...

Love is just there, not demanding or judging.  Love just accepts and honors and respects others at all times, not just when it is convenient in a group of like minded brethren.

Love is there silently giving and helping and honoring, not trying to get all that it can get or trample over others.  Love does not try to hurt people by inflicting and hurling insults and derogatory comments towards one another.

Love does not bully.  Love doe not hate.  Love does not try to divide and sow discourse and hatred.  Love does not try to pit one group against the other.  Love instead tries to understand and comprehend and help or assist.

Love lifts one another up...

Love tries to lift one another up knowing that as we lift each other up, we lift up all mankind and the universe.  Love does not want to see others suffer or make fun of someone else.  Love offers hugs of acceptance to all it meets.

Love does not call names or feel hurt because it believes others are attacking it.  Love only continues to show love.  Love does not believe the fears that are fed each and every day to our society through so many sources.  Love conquers fear.  Love vibrates at a higher energy than fear.

If you say you have love, then by all means - show it!  If you say you have love, then don't share the hate filled messages on social media or participate in the activities that divide one human from another.  There is no love in that.  There is an absence of love.

Instead, allow love to take you by the hand and lead you into moments where you are a positive inspiration to others.  Walk into the moments where you help lift others up without judgment and allow them to discover their own path in their own time.  Allow love to fill every part of your life, not just ones that are convenient for Sunday morning.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Love is More Than Social Media Memes

All too often, many proclaim, but few really put it in action.  I'm talking about LOVE.  Love is not just mere words.  Love is not posting memes saying how much we love others.  Love is putting a feeling and a thought into action.

I see Love as action.  I don't see it as sharing something on social media that grandstands for the whole world to see.  There is far too much of this and far too little that is actually felt and practiced by humans living on the planet.

I've seen far too many things posted saying how great of a person they are and how much they love others, only for their social media feeds and actions to state the opposite.  Love is not something you have to proclaim.  People are able to see it through your actions and thoughts.

We need love in this world...

We need love in this world more than ever.  There is far too much animosity and anger.  We need love to be in abundance and have love starts with each one of us.  If we don't love ourselves, we will not love others.  If we don't show love to others, we are not showing love to ourselves.

Love is not something we have to wait for other to do.  Love is something that we must begin within ourselves.  For when it starts within us, it will permeate and grow and flood every corner of the earth and universe.

Love does not need motivation for if there is love, it will be shown without a requirement to do so. It will be automatic.  People will know you more by the love you show to others, not by the words and memes you share.

Let's start changing the world by showing love for ourselves and as we do, let it flow to every inhabitant of the earth.  We do not need to have strings attached to it.  Love is endless and boundless and just wants to grow and exist between all the inhabitants of this land.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Fears And Conspiracy Theories

I've never seen this quite so bad as I'm seeing it now.  Almost every day there is a new fear or conspiracy theory about someone or something floating on the internet.  While most of it cannot be fully backed up with hard evidence, there are always the pieces that give just enough spark to the fire.

I'm not here to debate if all these theories are true or not.  I doubt that even if we spent the next year discussing many of them, we would still not be at the outcome which is provable beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Some of these things are pointless in my humble opinion because of that statement.

What bothers me more though, is that we are succumbing to our own fears and projecting that on to things that are totally unrelated.  We don't realize how much we are doing this, but an open eye can see it quickly and without much effort.  Fear is driving us.  Fear is controlling us.  Fear is making us believe things that are just not necessarily true.

It is okay to question and observe and learn.  There is no doubt in my mind that these are good things for all of us.  However, when we do them without being grounded, we lose so much of our self, our truth, and we chip away at what little of humanity is left.

We need to find balance...

We need to find balance, rather than chasing our fears.  We need to stop and notice what it is that we are feeding our own fears, rather than pointing the finger of alarm at all those we can get to listen to us.

Yesterday I started watching and reading some stuff on a website and it was rather disturbing to say the least.  Not that it was disturbing and frightening to me, but that it felt like the conversation and words were very dark and fear-based.  They were of a lower vibration.  In fact, it was more than annoying to try and continue to read and watch the various videos.

Fear is being propagated...

I know there is dark and scary stuff out there in the world.  I know there is fear that is being propagated at every turn in our day.  I know that we as a human civilization swallow up all the fear-based news of the day, chomping on it as if it is the last morsel of nutrition for our life.

There will always be things that take us away from our peace and safety.  It is a sad fact of life and the universe from what I have grown to understand.  However, if we allow the dark and scary stuff to latch on to the fears we have in our own life, we are only holding back ourselves and the collective consciousness of the world.

When we walk in fear, we destroy the universe and all the inhabitants.  When we walk in the darkness that permeates civilizations, we will not find peace.  It is only when we go deep within and clean out our own closets, that we will have taken fear by the hand and kicked it out the door.

May we all rise to greater heights and instead of chasing fears and conspiracy theories, let us find the good in one another, the peace deep within our own mind and body and the love that connects us as humans.  May we all rise to meet the challenges of the days, not wallow in the mud pits of fear, darkness, and things that ultimately will bring us down.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Resperate and Deep Autonomic Breathing

This is one of the tools I use to help keep my mind and body connected.  It is called the Resperate.  While it is approved by the FDA for helping to lower blood pressure, that is not the way I use it.

Please refer to the owner manual and precautions that may affect how you use this product.  I am not giving medical treatment advice in this blog post.  It is merely how I use this product for my own personal way.  Please adjust it to meet your life's situation.


The Resperate is a great way to help work not only on the Mind Body Connection, but to help deepen the autonomic nervous system breathing.  Autonomic nervous system breathing has to do with allowing your body to go deep into rest and repair healing.  It is where you truly connect with your mind and body using the breath to help you become more aware of the felt sense.

Using the Resperate and pulse meter together, I can fully evaluate on my own, the health of my nervous system.  I am one of those people that sometimes struggles with a high pulse rate due to daily stress and triggers.  It is one area that I continually work on with the Pulse Meter.

The pulse meter not only shows the pulse rate at that moment, but it gives you a reading for the oxygen level of your blood.  For me personally, I try to get my pulse rate down to a consistent rate in the 60's or 70's when I am laying on the table in a rested state.  I watch the pulse waves that I can see on the pulse meter and I'm looking for a gentle flow of waves that are consistent from one to the next.  The waves should have some substance to them, but be gentle rolling waves is how I picture it.

Here are a few tips that have helped me use the Resperate more effectively.  One of the things that I have found is that it is better if I use it in a quiet room where I won't be disturbed.  Since I have a massage table, I often lie down when I'm working with the Resperate.  One of the best things I've found is that I use a pillow under my head because if I am propped up a little, it is easier for me to let go and get into the deeper breathing.  The pillow helps me feel more in control.

I've found that instead of placing the band on my chest, that I place it on the upper side of my belly and it feels like it works better.  I was struggling to get the thing to work if I put it too high on my chest.  I'm sure with each person, it is different and you'll have to explore what location works best for you. It most likely depends upon your breathing pattern.

Before I turn the machine on, I have it all ready to go and then I just lie on the table for a few moments.  I take a "before" reading with the pulse meter and just allow my breathing to quiet down a little.  If I don't do this, it seems like the machine starts out with too many quick inhalations and exhalations which sort of frustrates me more than it helps me to start relaxing.

In the early days, 5 minutes was a lot for me to do on the Resperate.  It took me time to acclimate to the constant breathing inhalations and exhalations.  As I've gone, I find that the full 15 minutes is really ideal.  It helps me to go deep into the process.  If I use less time than that, it is like I'm startled out of the relaxation process before I get that deep and then I wake up with results that are not as good.

I will usually monitor the breath rate on the Resperate in the middle of the time I am using it to see how well I'm doing and how far my body is dropping down.  I'll check the pulse meter to also measure just how far my body is dropping into the rest and repair mode.


Another thing I do is that I hold my hands on my stomach, free and clear of the sensor band.  When I do this, I am holding the thought in my mind that I want to feel and sense every part of the movement in my body as I breathe.  I want to feel the rise and fall of my abdomen and lungs.  This can be very therapeutic and healing once you start to connect it with your mind and body.

Some days I can do better with using the Resperate than other days.  Sometimes I use it every other day and other times I go several days without using it.  It all depends and you just have to listen to your body on what works for you.  You will have to find the frequency of how often you use it.

My overall goal is to work on deep autonomic nervous system breathing so I can connect my mind and body with the felt sense.  I know that the more I do this, the more I can go into rest and repair and physically alter the stress, anxiety and triggers on my life.  The pulse meter is essential in my view to help monitor this because if things are working, the pulse rate should drop down.

At times, I have had headaches and other tension in my body, but after 15 minutes working with the Resperate in the manner described above, I notice that things ease up.  Maybe it isn't 100% better by the time I get off the table, but as the hours go on, I physically feel better.

When  you do the deep autonomic breathing where you slowly exhale, you invoke the vagus nerve.  The vagus nerve is one of the largest nerves in the body and it helps relax you, find balance in your mind and body, and gets you into the rest and repair mode especially if you feel and sense through the felt sense mechanism.

There is a great deal of physical and emotional healing that we can do on our own.  Unfortunately we numb and disconnect with a million reasons of why we don't engage the mind body connection or we keep ourselves so busy that we don't take part in our own healing the way we should.  This is one tool that I've been playing with for some time and the more I experiment with it, the more healing and effective it is for me.

The more we keep our body and mind tuned up, the greater our life will be and we will be able to more effectively connect with peace and healing.  The more we do this on a regular basis, the more life becomes one that we have greater control over in our physical and emotional moments.

The items I use can be purchased on Amazon and I have listed them on my page, Health Products I Love.

Please feel free to ask me questions on how I use this.  I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences if you are using the Resperate.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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