Holistic Healing Kuel Category Expert: Carol Lee
If you read my January article I wrote about easing into the year gently, rather than making lots of resolutions or coming up with a massive ‘to do’ list.
Now it is Spring it is time for action, the ‘life’-force is with us!
As I write, my sugar-freedom seekers are doing a lightening and brightening sugar-free cleanse. This, after spending March finding the vision for where they want to be for the rest of the year. In addition, I call this riding the ‘seasonal wave’ by becoming aware of how nature affects us.
Seasonal Approach:
Each season has a unique energy that can support us; broadly these are Spring visioning, Summer blooming, Late Summer harvesting, Autumn releasing, and Winter resting. This seasonal approach to health and wellness comes from the Ancient masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Five Elements.
Springtime energy or the Wood element has a very creative, transformational and dynamic energy. However, it brings with it gifts of vision, decision making, planning, and organisation. This energy can be seen being beautifully expressed and understood by observing plants and trees.
Spring-Wood Energy:
On the more challenging side, when we aren’t able to connect in with our inner Spring-Wood energy we can feel frustrated, grumpy and stuck. Sometimes even depressed as the vigorous Spring growth turns inwards.
Above all, with this flourishing energy available to us, this is the time to grow or transform something in your life. It is time to hold your vision, dig in some metaphorical ‘fertiliser’, and plant some seeds. These could be for your garden, your business or any aspect of your life.
” Expand this vision by collecting images, words, and sayings that inspire you to hold your goal in the forefront of your mind.”
Six Steps To Go From Stuck And Grumpy To Purposeful And Dynamic?
1. Visioning:
Find yourself a vision or goal that really is unique for you. This could be a health or wellness goal or a business/work goal. As an example, here’s a goal that I work with people around everyday; ‘I want to change how I eat, to have more energy, I feel addicted to sugar’. Similarly, expand this vision by collecting images, words, and sayings that inspire you to hold your goal in the forefront of your mind.
2. Planting:
Be clear of the metaphorical seeds that you need to plant to help you get to your goal or vision. Sustainable change happens in increments despite what we read on social media. In conclusion, there is no supersonic lift ride floor to the penthouse of health and wellbeing. It is often better to take the stairs, one step at a time, within your fitness zone. Goals for a sugar-freedom seeker might be; start a food diary, find a support group, cut out added sugar, notice how you feel.
3. Waiting:
Plant the seeds and be patient, all the while holding your vision of the beautiful blooms they will become. It’s no good digging around in the soil to see if they have sprouted yet or tugging on the shoots as they show themselves. After that, patience for the sugar-freedom seekers might be noticing you feel a bit better, maybe lost a little weight, a bit more energy, craving sugar a little less.
4. Tending:
Look after your seeds everyday. Trust that growth is happening in the background, underground, increment by increment. Tending for our sugar-freedom seeker might mean nourishing yourself with positive thoughts, being grateful for every bit of growth that has already happened that has taken you up to the next couple of steps.
5. Celebrating:
When your vision starts to come to fruition, appreciate every little success you notice. It may be that you don’t reach your whole vision straight away but you have climbed a few more steps towards it. So many of us forget to celebrate the growth because we are not where we want to be. I always remember that a beautiful oak tree didn’t just materialize in all it’s magnificence it had to grow and become it; we are exactly the same. Celebrating your success on your sugar-free journey might mean buying yourself some flowers or a new item of clothing.
6. Reflecting:
Finally notice how your latest growth feeds your next step. This happens in exactly the same way as a plant that has died back or dropped its leaves. And, is adding fertility into the soil for the next step. For sugar-freedom seekers, reflection might mean recognising the importance of the journey, the lessons along the way, that change and growth is a ‘marathon not a sprint’. In other words, this cycle of growth doesn’t have to occur during the Spring months as we always have our own inner Wood energy to tune into but it is accelerated during this time.
So Things To Ask Yourself Or Journal This Spring:
– What do you want to grow or have more of in your life?
– What is your vision for your future?
– And what first step can you take?
May the ‘life’ force be with you!
About the Author:
Carol Lee is a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist, Sugar-freedom coach, Creative Kinesiologist, Teacher and Author from the U.K. She has been working in Complementary Health for over 25 years. Her holistic approach to healing and transformation is about listening to, witnessing and working with the body’s ‘knowing’. Carol believes this is where we hold our wisdom, experience and capacity for change, especially as mid-life women. She works with women wanting to kick the sugar habit, those who are navigating health challenges, or who are wanting to up-level their life in some way; helping them to clear the blocks to success and wellbeing. She is currently enjoying her empty nest, and the freedom it brings, with her partner Jon. She loves the coast and walking the wild landscape of South West UK, snuggling her sweet rescue cat Stevie, gardening and eating delicious, nutritious food.
