Are you ready or willing?

This process or period of changing from one state or condition to another is so common that if you’re living here on planet earth (as an animal, vegetable and even mineral) you’ve certainly experienced some kind of transition. Some transitions we’re eager for (first love, driver’s license, new home) and some, well, they find us. In fact, sometimes it feels like we’re being hunted by change with nowhere to hide.

If you’re in the middle of a transition, read this.

I’ve noticed over the last few months that all of my clients are going through some sort of transition. Whether they’re making a career move, speaking their truth more in relationships, are becoming empty-nesters or are transitioning away from perfectionism towards joy and self-compassion, everyone’s moving out of one thing towards another that’s altogether new.

12 mantras to help you stay positive

Now if you’re anything like me or my clients, your brain has an amazing ability to pull you out of the present moment and future trip on scary shit that may or may not happen. Your mind may also be particularly adept at telling you that your body is subpar, you’re not as good at your job as you think you are, you’re not thoughtful, generous or patient enough and oh, the uncomfortable shit that’s happening in your life right now, it’s only going to get worse.

Real but not true

The conversation looks something like this: Life is going way too fast, there’s too much to do, we’re worried we don’t have enough time to get everything done and what we do do is not good enough. Pepper that with feelings of judgment, comparison and plain ole’ perfectionism and you’d nail what so many of us are experiencing on a daily basis.

What if there is no "right way" to do things?

I’ve been noticing this idea of right order come up a lot lately with my clients. Some believe they have to be a certain weight before they accept their bodies, some espouse they can’t move forward in their good work before they have the right education, while others believe they can’t date before they feel 100% emotionally ready.

Healing our body shame.

My clients are doctors, artists, entrepreneurs, architects, teachers, consultants, aid workers. They are very smart people who cerebrally understand these kinds of shaming images are total bullshit and yet they still struggle with their own body shame. They want to accept and embrace their bodies and yet have no idea where to start. And why would they?

Most Popular, Body ImageJamie GreenwoodMay 16, 2016body shame, body love, body positivity, feminism, patriarchy, women, women's bodiesComment

Slowness as a practice

I’ve got a little story for you. 2006 was one of the biggest years of my life. It started out mellow enough with setting a few intentions here, voicing a goal or two there and by the end of it I’d bought a house, gotten married, and was a newly enrolled holistic nutrition student flying back and forth from Oakland to NYC to attend monthly classes.

What doesn't get done is as important as what does

Last week I gave a presentation to a group of 50 consultants on the topic of emotional resilience and how to stay connected to ourselves during chaos. We talked about our Itty Bitty Shitty Committees (the negative voices inside our head), how to find compassion for ourselves in the face of difficult feedback and giving voice to our struggles without either denying them or getting sucked into them.

Action without Expectation

We think that if we slow and let go of expectations, it’ll prove what we’ve secretly thought for years: 1) we’re lazy jerks and 2) we’re never going to get what we want. I can promise that neither are true but it certainly feels true when expectations aren’t being met and our natural inclination is to DOUBLE DOWN on efforts to make sh*t happen.

Slow and steady keeps me sane.

Wake up, jump/roll out of bed and slam into your day. Eat something. Rush around trying to get as much done as possible. Check Instagram. Compare yourself to others. Eat something. Attempt to check a few more things off your to-do list. Beat yourself up for something you’ve forgotten to do. Eat something. Check Instagram. Feel guilty for not getting enough done. Feel like you’re a barely passable human and most likely failing at most things. Check Instagram. Go to bed.

Resensitized

This poem was inspired by the swath of gun violence we’re seeing in our country. I hope and pray that these attacks upon humanity will stop. And until they do, may we each find a way to feel the pain, send love to our fellow humans, and remember that the good in the world starts with us.

Mindfulness/Spirituality, Most PopularJamie GreenwoodMarch 28, 2016poetry, poem, desensitized, resensitized, violence, peace, embodying peaceComment

The Essentials

Relationships are hard. Really hard. And there’s no way around difficult discussions, misunderstandings and hurt feelings when trying to share your life with another person. That said, if we remember what’s essential to us, what we need to function well, we can better navigate which hardships we’re willing to face and fight through and which are simply non-starters.

Closer

You’re getting closer. Closer to what matters. Closer to what feels good without feeling guilty about it. Closer to letting you just be you.

Permission to feel

I know she was just trying to make me feel better and ultimately she was right. I am fine, in the grand scheme of FINENESS. I have food, shelter, a loving family, even healthcare for goodness sake. So yes, I am fine. But when did fine start meaning a person couldn’t show emotion?