Chrysalis Healing and Coaching
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Transforming Victim to Survivor
| Posted on March 27, 2017 at 1:49 PM |
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 You have the power to get out of the well one step at a time The other day while doing some research I came across this
fable which really spoke to my heart. The Farmer’s Donkey One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal
cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out a way to get him
out. Finally he decided it was probably impossible and the animal was old and
the well was dry anyway, so it just wasn’t
worth it to try and get the donkey out.
So the farmer asked his neighbors to come over and help him cover up the well.
They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first when
the donkey realized what was happening he cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s
amazement he quieted down and let out some happy brays. A few shovels later,
the farmer looked down the well to see what was happening and was astonished at
what he saw. With every shovel of dirt
that hit his back, the donkey was shaking it off and taking a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the donkey, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon to every one’s amazement the
donkey stepped over the edge of the well and trotted off. Morale The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and
take a step up Each one of our troubles is a stepping stone What happens to you isn’t nearly as important as how you
react to it. Author Unknown How do you react to adversity? Do you become a victim or are
you a survivor shaking adversity off? Perhaps you don’t even realize you are playing the victim
role. For years, I played the victim
role without being aware of it. The first step is awareness. Once you are aware
that you are playing the victim role then you can take further action
transforming from victim to survivor. Signs that you are playing the victim role Blaming others for
your pain I used to blame everyone and everything else for my pain and
suffering – “ it’s not my fault if only
I had been raised by better parents” in the
long term those feelings led to feeling powerless and helpless. Failure to accept
responsibility You have the power to choose how you react to adversity you
can’t control the cards that are dealt to you in life but you can control how
you play them. Take responsibility for
yourself. You alone decide how you react to adversity. Feeling helpless Find the source of your learned helplessness - most likely experienced
in childhood or early adulthood. I was raised in a dysfunctional environment that fostered
dependence rather than confidence. Take some time to reflect and write on the source of your
learned helplessness. Focusing on problems The more you focus on
a problem you will attract more of it into your life. Rather than focus on the
problem search for solutions than will best work for you. You may need therapy
or a coach to guide you with your journey. Lack of boundaries Learn to create and maintain healthy boundaries. A boundary is a clear communication that respects yourself
and others based on your values, rules and limitations. One boundary that I have set for myself is
not spend time with people who bring me down. I surround myself with positive
people. Self-Sabotage Victims tend to undermine or sabotage their own happiness
and success. Control is the root of self-sabotage in victims. Victims believe when things are going well
that disaster is just around the corner. I would never allow myself to be happy
for long periods of time as unconsciously I was sure disaster was not far off.
I did not feel worthy of happiness. Brene
Brown calls it “deep foreboding” disaster is always lurking around the corner
and most intense when things are going well. Disaster is coming and the victim
wants to be in control so when that disaster strikes he is prepared. The victim
undermines his own joy and success with self-destructive behaviour. Give up your need for control and focus on gratitude daily and
enjoy all your blessings. Keep a gratitude journal to write in about all the things
you are grateful for. Get out of your head space and participate in random acts of
kindness. Helping another person/community will help empower yourself. The
realization of the positive impact on another can positively influence your own
life. Lack of
Self-Confidence Victims tend to struggle with low self confidence. Not everyone is born self-confident. Self-confidence
can be learned and improved upon. Always dress and act confident eventually
your internal state will catch up and begin to match your external state. Set
up small achievable goals to work towards, your self-confidence will increase
with each attained goal. Forgiveness and
Compassion Finally, forgiveness
is about you not your perpetrator. Forgiveness does not mean that you excuse
the wrong. It’s about your response to
the pain inflicted on you. Transform the pain to compassion and empathy for the
other. Find your inner strength to get past your pain to find inner peace and
freedom so you may move on with your life. Once you forgive healing can truly take place.
Don’t forget to forgive and have
compassion for yourself as well. |
Welcome 2016
| Posted on January 4, 2016 at 2:59 PM |
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With a warm heart I welcome in 2016. The year 2015 was a year filled with change and challenges
for me. I founded Chrysalis Healing & Coaching in the spring. A time for
new beginnings for me and with enthusiasm I embraced the challenges of owning a
business. Along with those
challenges 2015 also brought some personal challenges from my past that I had not
completely dealt with. For the first time in my life I was in severe physical pain.
I could barely walk the pain in my left
hip and leg was so extreme. The x-ray revealed arthritis, bursitis and
tendonitis in my left hip and leg. The root cause of the symptoms - my deep hidden emotions from
my past abuse had manifested into the physical and gotten into my bones. I could no longer hide my anger, pain and
shame. The time had finally come to deal
with the past abuse and my lack of self love. I decided to attack the deep pain from a variety of
therapies so the pain would no longer have a place to hide. I underwent a
combination of treatments- Reiki for both the physical and emotional,
physiotherapy, acupuncture, shaman healing circles, journaling, art therapy, along
with a major change in diet and lifestyle. The result I feel so
much better. I am healing from the core inside to the outside. I am ready and willing to move forward with my
life, 2016 Here I come!!! Foods that may increase your inflammation: Dairy products Sugar Nightshade plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant Fried Foods Foods that help
reduce your inflammation: Olive Oil Fish Nuts- almonds. walnuts, sunflower seeds Garlic Broccoli Dark Chocolate 70% or higher Green Tea Turmeric |
Moving Forward
| Posted on October 27, 2015 at 2:31 PM |
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My body is tired, I am tired. Tired of all the pain I have endured in my life. Pain from my past. Deep physical and emotional pain stored away deeply hidden and rooted in my body. I am tired of hiding, protecting and holding on to my past. I am tired of all the abuse I endured in my life- the physical, the emotional and the sexual. I am tired of blaming and holding myself responsible for all the abuse. I am tired of feeling ashamed of myself. I am tired of hiding behind masks. I am tired of playing the victim role. I am tired of the sense of entitlement I felt is owed to me by the world because I was abused. I am tired. My body is tired. It is time to move forward with my life. Time to stop blaming myself and others and move forward one step at a time. I am now ready to free and release myself of the chains and masks of shame and fear I feel. I no longer need protecting from the outside world. I am ready to let go of the past. I walk forward with confidence and my shoulders held up high. I am no longer a victim in my life but a courageous strong determined successful loving woman . |
Living a Passionate Life
| Posted on May 6, 2015 at 4:59 PM |
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" Is what you are doing with your life worth the one life you have?" A few weeks ago I attended a social networking event where the guest speaker Theresa Laurico asked us a very powerful and thought provoking question- "Is what you are doing with your life worth the one life you have?"... I had a chance to revisit this question recently when I was saddened to find out that a friend of mine's beloved pet had just passed away. She had just recently retired a few months ago and her pet was her life. I sympathized with her as just a few years ago I had to deal with the grief and pain of the death of my beloved cat, Angel. I was also very surprised to learn that she decided to go back to work at her old job which is not only physically demanding but also quite stressful. She said that she felt so lost and lonely without her pet that going back to her old job was the only solution for her in coping with her loss. It saddens me that she did not think that there might be other solutions for her, especially as she was never happy working there prior to retiring. I offered other alternatives for her to explore such as volunteering or taking some courses but unfortunately her mind was already made up and she just wasn't open to anything new . Some people are just not comfortable about making changes especially in the later stages of their life. "Is what you are doing with your life worth the one life you have?" It is sad to see that sometimes people believe they can't try something new because of age or fear of the unknown. (Please refer to my blog of April 7/15) I am currently in the process of designing some workshops on New Beginnings pertaining to women dealing with transition in their lives such as divorce, caught in the sandwich generation or dealing with empty nest syndrome. Stay tuned for details on these upcoming workshops. With the warmer weather here I will be facilitating a Women's Tea and Meditation Circle starting in June. The guided meditations will take place outdoors and will have different themes. Click on the Women's Tea and Meditation Circle on the home page for more information. Take a look and see which mediation appeals to you or better yet join us for the series. I strongly believe that what I'm doing with my life now is worth the precious one life I have to live. How about you, do you believe what you are doing with your life is worth the one life you have? If the answer is no, than don't be afraid to try something new that you are passionate about. Life is too short to be doing something you are not happy and passionate about. |
Embracing Change: Transitioning from corporate world to a student
| Posted on April 7, 2015 at 4:29 PM |
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April 7, 2015 Making a change in your life can be difficult, and stressful. I was working in a corporate world mainly in the financial industry for 23 years when I knew I had to make a major change in my life. I was unhappy, extremely bored, frustrated and unfulfilled. I felt there was something lacking in my life. When I was young and graduated from high school I did not know what I wanted out of life so I got a job in the corporate world. Twenty three years later I was miserable and wanted something more meaningful out of life. I knew I needed a change in my life but yet I was reluctant to do anything about it. One of the things I regretted the most in my life was not going to university when I was younger. My sister kept encouraging and reminding me that it's never too late to make a change, go back to school and get a degree. But I was unwilling. I would make excuses to myself and to others . The most common were "I'm too old to go back to school-that time has passed" or "what give up my job security?" However the real underlying reason was FEAR, fear of making a change, fear of the unknown, and fear of failure. Around the same time I was going through this turmoil I unexpectedly came across Reiki. Through research I found out more about Reiki and learned that Reiki works on all levels physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. I started receiving Reiki treatments along with Life Coaching sessions. Reiki helped me gain self-confidence, raised my self-esteem and gave me the courage to face my fears, and pursue my dreams and goals. With the combination of Reiki, Life Coaching and my own determination I left the corporate world and enrolled into a full time Bachelor of Arts Program Specializing in Psychology at York University. I can honestly say those four years at York were one of the happiest times in my life. Sure I faced many challenges along the way. But it was also a very rewarding experience, not only did I obtain a degree but my thesis won an award for Excellence in Qualitative Research. However, I feel the best reward was intrinsic- the self-growth and transformation that had taken place inside of me. What about you? What are your dreams and goals? Remember it is never too late to make a change in you life. Don't let your fears confine and define you. Embrace change and challenge yourself to be all that you can be and transform your dreams and goals into a reality. "By changing nothing, nothing changes" -Tony Robbins |
