5/8/2020 3 Comments Body Tools for Anxietyby Alison Chan, Craniosacral Therapist "Anxiety is nothing more than sensation in the body that we cannot manage, contain, and resolve, and release." (Irene Lyon, Somatic Experiencing practitioner)
Today's post is the first of a series on understanding anxiety and addressing it through your body. Each time, I'll include one or two simple things you can do to help yourself feel calmer and more grounded. Part 1: Your Body, the SurvivorSo maybe you're working from home now but it's hard to sit still because you feel antsy. You might be having trouble focusing on tasks -- even sometimes literally, if your vision feels blurry. Or you know you have several things you could be doing right now but you feel kind of stuck and can't settle on one to tackle. These are all signs that your body's in a survival state. At times like that, our nervous systems can feel really disregulated. And no wonder! We are currently in a situation where life and death is on the line; many of us don't know how we're going to cover the cost of living; our lives have been turned upside down. It's a hugely uncertain time. At the same time, all these symptoms are actually part of an amazing survival strategy that your body has kicked into gear to protect you, through fight, flight or freeze (or a combination). The problem is that this nervous system response is only meant to last as long as a brief threat -- say, an attack by a cougar -- and then get dissipated in various ways. But when the stress is ongoing, we have no way of discharging these energies and returning to a more regulated state. That's where working with our bodies can help. Over the next few weeks, I'll be introducing a series of actions you can take to downshift your feelings of anxiety. You'll help your nervous system to take a break and hopefully experience some moments of calm! Exercise: Feet, Seat, Breath Body ScanYou'll feel a difference immediately, and the more you do it, the more it helps to keep you grounded and keep your nervous system regulated. For the first few times, try it sitting or lying down. Then you can adapt it for standing (say, for instance, standing in line).
That’s it! Stay tuned for the next post on using movement to help with anxiety.
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Mercury also goes direct on July 31 at 11:58pm, less than an hour after the Moon begins anew. See how you feel when you wake up on Thursday, August 1. A veil is being lifted somewhere in your life and fresh clarity and confidence are set to grow throughout the month ahead. As this Mercury retrograde period winds down, I encourage you to be like the Hanged Man and take some time out to reflect and review all that has transpired or occurred throughout these last few weeks.
If you would like to connect with this week’s New Moon in Leo, here is a tarot spread to help:
Until next time, Liz xo p.s. If you would like to connect with this week’s New Moon and more, my New Moon Meditations will help you connect to each lunar cycle for deep intention-setting. Order yours here. 7/22/2019 0 Comments Welcoming Leo season
Whatever you’ve been up to lately, I hope it’s been serving you well. And if you’ve been caught up in other things, perhaps something you hadn’t planned on doing or working on this summer, that’s okay, too: You never know why things unfold when they do, or the way they do. Leo season helps us get a second wind if we need it. Personally, I find this time of year to be one of the most free-flowing. Maybe it’s the fiery energy of Leo that provides an added boost to each day. Leo’s gregarious, larger-than-life energy can bring some encouragement to go out and make something happen, or make the most of what’s left of the summer season. Leo also likes to be social, and to be seen. It helps us be out and about, and helps us say yes to all the ways life can unfold – socially, creatively, and personally. This Saturday, July 27, Venus joins Mars and the Sun when she enters Leo, too, bringing some added fire to the sky. Jupiter remains in Sagittarius, another fire sign.
Thinking ahead like that pushes you to look at what you are doing today, right here, right now, and whether it will lead you to where you want to be in several years’ time. And that can be part of the reason those questions get so uncomfortable – especially if they cause us to see that our current actions may not be lining up with tomorrow’s intentions. Tomorrow’s Full Moon and lunar eclipse in Capricorn at 5:38pm EST can help to clear out any habits, commitments, or obligations that are anchoring you to a place you don’t want to be in down the road. Whether you see yourself breaking free next month, or next year, or sometime further off into the future, a tether can begin to loosen this week. This Full Moon opposes Venus in Cancer, pushing you to weigh your desires against your duties. But with a conjunction to Saturn and Pluto, there is also a dose of reality with this Full Moon.
Here’s a tarot spread to help you connect to this week’s Full Moon and lunar eclipse in Capricorn:
1. What is weighing me down? 2. How can I begin to break free? 3. What new perspective can I gain at this time? 4. What fear is it time to overcome? Until next time, Liz xo Eclipse season is a great time to get a reading. Book an appointment with me here. Want to work with me in other ways? Explore my books and meditations in my shop.
The frustration that arises while Mercury remains in Leo may at first feel more connected to creative projects or plans, or anything that pushes you to become front and centre. You may suddenly wonder if you’re ready to be doing what you’re doing, or you might realize there’s something that needs to be tweaked before you make a big announcement or launch an idea into the world. Once Mercury backs up into Cancer on July 19, the focus becomes much more about feelings – ours and everyone else’s. This can be a particularly powerful time to sort through the tough stuff within your personal relationships:
These are just a few examples of the themes that can emerge during this summer’s Mercury retrograde period.
But Mars in Leo can also give some people too much bravado. Channeled differently, it can make some of us hungry for attention. It can over-inflate an ego, or highlight a pushy, impatient vibe within the collective. At its worst, Leo can be all about, “me, me, me.” So if you’re being sidelined by an attention-seeker at work, or perhaps you’re noticing some of these traits within yourself, use this time to redirect this energy towards something that feels more constructive: Put time into your own projects, for example, or create clear action steps that will help you gain the credit and recognition you want in a positive, constructive way.
Anyone who is hoping to set intentions around making more time for friends and family, or focusing on more personal goals will want to connect with this week’s New Moon. Ask yourself:
“What do I hope to experience in my life as a result of the changes I would like to make?” On Wednesday, July 3, Venus enters Cancer, too, bringing us added emphasis around personal and intuitive pursuits. If you’d like to connect with this week’s New Moon and solar eclipse in Cancer, here’s a tarot spread that can help: 1. What kind of change is in the air for me? 2. What can I create as a result? 3. What does my heart desire at this time? 4. What can I experience if I surrender to change? Until next time, Liz xo
This week gives you another nudge in asserting your own path within a world that wants everyone to be going in the same direction. It’s a time to untangle your mind and heart from the illusions out there. It’s a time to work on the parts of yourself that have been conditioned to think, feel, or act in ways that are not true to you. It’s a time to get clear about what you like and what you want, regardless of whether it fits into the conventional narratives out there. What part of yourself are you willing to fight for?
I encourage you to try to enjoy today’s energy. This is a fiery Full Moon that asks you to pay attention to where you are expanding in your life. You might realize that a certain journey is coming full circle for you now. Or you might hit on an important answer to a question or intention you’ve been mulling over since the Sagittarius New Moon that occurred December 6, 2018. Whatever comes up for you today, try to give yourself a lot of space to let life unfold in this moment. Sagittarius is a big energy and it needs room to roam. And tonight, at 10:29pm EST, the Moon trines inventive Uranus, bringing unexpected hits of inspiration or an urge to break free from old constraints. For some people, today’s Full Moon will bring that extra bolt of courage to sever an old tie or cut themselves loose from something that is no longer feeding their creative spirits. This week will continue to offer opportunities to let go and clear house of energetic bonds that don’t serve your soul anymore.
6/10/2019 1 Comment Do your head and heart align? This week’s astrology may push you to embrace your ideals (by Liz Worth)
Are you living in a way that is preventing your thoughts from being free to roam? Is your heart hurting from an old story, perhaps when someone told you that you couldn’t follow a dream, or that you would be “wasting your time” putting your energy into the things that make you feel alive? Are you being blocked by someone or something that is keeping you from having the time, space, or support to act upon your dearest intentions? This week offers a chance to move in a different direction. Where will you go next? Until next time, Liz xo
No, purpose may be ongoing, time-sensitive, and even relationship or location-specific. Think about the people who are in your life right now. Maybe they are different from the people you surrounded yourself with ten years ago. Maybe you have moved to several cities in your lifetime, or you plan to. Maybe you have had different careers, or have focused on different hobbies or projects that put you in touch with other people, or opened up new ideas for you. Consider that each of those scenarios has supported your purpose somehow. Maybe you had to play a certain role in someone’s life. Maybe you inspired or taught someone something – or maybe your purpose was to be the student at the time. Maybe you fulfilled your purpose in a certain place for a while, and then found yourself moving on once that purpose ran its course. We may not always be conscious of how our purpose is playing out, and that can be an uncomfortable or even painful proposition for our egos. The ego wants to feel wanted, needed, recognized. It wants to have the starring role in the script of your life, but sometimes someone else has the lead and your purpose is to be supporting cast. You never know. But what you can be sure of is that your voice – the things you’ve said, the things you’ve shared, the guidance or insight or advice you’ve given throughout the years has fulfilled some kind of purpose. The Gemini New Moon arrived at 6:02am EST today. This New Moon brings us prime energy to become more intentional about how our voices are being used, channeled, and heard. Gemini is a sacred communicator. It is a messenger, though that’s not to say it has the final word on what’s right or wrong with this world. No, Gemini is not about the black and white approach. It is about listening as much as talking. Learning as much as teaching.
It is about striking that balance between student and mentor, and remembering that we walk both paths throughout our lives, often simultaneously. Like the Hermit card that showed up for this week’s message, the Gemini New Moon reminds us that power is not always found in talking for the sake of it, but in finding value in reflection and introspection. The New Moon is always a good time to be on your own for a little while to allow this new lunar cycle’s energy to surface. Let it show you the way rather than forcing yourself to act upon it immediately. Set an intention today to open to how you can best use your voice at this moment in time. If you find yourself in conversations, debates, or disagreements that you know are not conducive to your highest potential, allow today to be a turning point from which you can use your voice with better purpose. If you’d like to connect with the Gemini New Moon through tarot, here is a spread to help: 1. What am I learning at this time? 2. What am I teaching at this time? 3. What am I overthinking at this time? 4. What am I becoming at this time? Want to add more magic to your New Moon intention-setting? My New Moon Meditations can help guide you through each lunar cycle – including today’s Gemini New Moon. Order yours here. |
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