ife is never clear for very long. As you live though each day you may find things will test your patience, you may worry and you may get upset, you may feel pain and you may suffer loss. To cope with these problems it is often helpful to look at the broader scale of things instead. When times seem bad imagine yourself floating in a fine blue sky. All around you the clouds form your thoughts and experiences, the good ones are white and fluffy, the bad ones are dark and grey. You are right in the middle of everything looking forward towards the new experiences life will cast your way. As you float along, the way through grey clouds can seem rough and even stormy at times, but in no time at all the grey clouds will have all been left behind and the sun will light your way again. See the sky and your clouds as messages you can learn from, never in fear of when the next shower will fall or when the wind may blow you off in a new direction. From time to time it becomes important to study the sky, to look back to see where you have come from and to notice just how far you have come. Don't try to fly too fast or you may not be able to see the way clearly. Don't stop or you may come down to earth with a bump. Now you can see the big picture your view of each passing raincloud is in a much clearer perspective and each raindrop becomes small and insignifficant. For example, the pain you suffer from illness can seem terrable at the time, yet 2 weeks after your recovery you forget just how bad you have felt so there becomes little point feeling down about it when it happens. Work can especially get you down but just remember each stress as a tiny raindrop. The time you spend during the day should be enjoyable and for the better - if you wish you were somewhere else all the time maybe it is time to fly out of the rain and in a completely new direction. Never wish your life away.
One of the best stress releivers is nature and simply taking a walk in the open air. This will activate the senses of smell and vision and the walking movement also stimulates the bodys circulation and digestive system. Whether you find hill walking, beach walking or country walking more to yout taste it is important to get to know what else exists out there in the real world and to realise just how lucky to are as a human being. Another important step is to make the home feel even more of a place of sanctuary and relaxation. The smell of each room is important, don't buy those cheap air freshners from the supermarket as these create an unnatural artificial oder and do little to relax you subconciously. Nature is the best source of revitilisation and can work well in the home though aromatherapy oils such as lavender and tea tree which can be vaporised to freshed your surroundings. Why not try one of the many herb teas, bath in herbal treatments and relieve your skin with herbal soaps. The best natural stress herb by far is St. Johns Wart. This comes in capsule form and can be taken for anxiety, stress and depression or even as a pick-me-up in daily life. All these items are available though health shops. The more natural things you have around the home the easier your body will be able to live within it. Houseplants help create a peaceful atmosphere in the home and as you share life with them you may appreciate your own freedom even more.
The home should be bright and colourful and yet peaceful. Allow the sun to get in as much as possible to freshen your rooms, and open the windows to let fresh air circulate. Workplaces too benefit from colour and smell so if you can change your surrounding why not do so. Quite a lot of workplaces suffer from bad lighting and poor ventilation so, if you can, take breaks outside or at least near a window as the sunlight will subconciously lift your mood and help body chemistry, including eating and sleeping patterns. This is especially important in the winter as a lack of sunlight in your day can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder - a general feeling of tiredness and of gloomyness. The sun can also be used to promote happiness and a sense of well being. The sun, you must realise, is the single most important thing in this solar system and without it life would not exist. The sun gives us heat, light, energy, food, air and even gives us Vitamin E by the action of its light on our skin. See each sunrise as the beginning of a new adventure and contemplate all you have leaned on that adventure as the sun goes down. As the sun shines, let it fill you with energy and power and see it light your way through the sky of life.
