​This past year has been hard on all of us. As much as I’ve seen it bringing the best out of many of us; I’ve also seen it bringing the worst out of many. I’ve witnessed the severing of relationships, breaking of family bonds, increased violence, mental illnesses, cruelty, disagreements, and heartbreaks… I’ve seen kinds of suffering I’ve never witnessed before – not the expected kind of grief over the sick and dying, but a totally different breed of suffering – suffering of aching souls, of loneliness, of greed, of selfishness, of arrogance and ignorance. 

At some point, I was on the brink of despair. When you are surrounded by so many stories of darkness, your light gradually dims and fades.
But, then there was Margaret Wheatley’s book, “Who Do We Choose To Be?” I’ve read it three times during this pandemic. I needed to. It was my spark of light in the midst of the darkness. And, don’t get me wrong. It is not that fluffy, happy-go-lucky kind of pseudo-spirituality. It is real. So real to the point of depression some times. It acknowledges that, yes, this is where we are as humans at this point of our history. Yes, we degraded and disintegrated and sank so low; and yes, there isn’t much anyone can single-handedly do against the power and money of the mainstream propaganda and the stampede of the masses. But, still we have a choice! And, it’s time for us to stop, reflect, and make this choice.

​Who Do We Choose To Be? Invites us to “use our influence and power to create islands of sanity in the midst of a raging destructive sea.” Wheatley calls us, “give your mind and heart time to dwell in the difficulties that lie ahead, and the frequent opportunities we will have to serve the human spirit.” She acknowledges that “we can’t change the world, but we can change ourselves so that we can be of service to this world.” As “spiritual warriors”, Wheatley states, “we offer ourselves not as activists to change the world, but as compassionate presences and trustworthy companions to those suffering in this world.”
 
Knowing ourselves is the best gift we can offer the world right now… When we truly know ourselves, we know God… We become humble before His Magnificent Wisdom and His Divine Order even if we fail to understand this Divine Order at times. Love and Service are the summery of our role on earth, my Sheikh taught me. And, there has never been a time in history that humanity was in more need of Love and Service as it needs them today.
 
May the New Year, 2021, help more and more of us become true “spiritual warriors” who compassionately love and serve the suffering souls.

​Despite its obvious challenges, there are tons of things I am truly grateful for in 2020... May be the most important ones are:

1. Having my kids back home as the university studies shifted to online format;
   
2. Graduating my Masters of Pastoral Studies program and starting my practice as spiritual care practitioner and registered psychotherapist (Qualifying),
   
3. Resuming my work in the Women Whispers Academy after a long pause due to personal bumps on the road.

As usual, this reflection was challenging. Sometimes when we look at our life, we think we did not achieve much because we did not reach any concrete goals yet... But, on second thought, I believe I did a lot lying the foundation and the groundwork for my next stage in life.

• I did a lot of inner work. I really needed it. Again, this might not appear as 'great achievement' if we measure it from a Western mentality standpoint. But, I feel I am much peaceful, grateful, confidant, and focused.
• Working on putting a structure to my Women Whispers Academy to start taking it into its new level. For those of you who have been following me for some time now, you might know that my dream is to spread holistic health, happiness, and wellbeing and reviving health and wellness spirit in the whole world… I believe I am taking serious steps towards that dream now!
• Starting my private practice as an integrated psychospiritual therapist (RP Qualifying).

This year has been full of turbulence and uncertainty. If there is one thing I learned (and still learning) is that nothing is certain – change is the only constant in our life.

• I learned (once more) that life does not stop flowing for better or worse, and it is up to me to decide whether I want to flow with it or inflexibly stand in the face of the storm till it breaks me.
• I learned to embrace the chaos, the mess and walk in the dark, making peace with ambiguity. I learn to acknowledge and honor my fears yet do not let it stop me from moving forward and stepping out of my comfort zone.
• I learned that true friends are rare – hold on to them!

2020 taught me that God’s plan for me is always better than what I could ever plan for myself. Sometimes it is frustrating to be in the dark, not knowing why “bad things happen to good people”. It is hard when we can’t see the full picture, we can’t understand the wisdom behind our challenge. But, I’ve learned – and still learning- to TRUST & SURRENDER. I learned that I have to let go of old patterns and beliefs in order to make room for growth and open a new page of my journey.

• I learned -and still learning- to let go of the need for people to know my side of the story.
• I learned -and still learning- to let go of toxic relationships and I am much better now at setting healthy boundaries.
• I learned -and still learning- to let go of the need to know.

​My word for 2020 was “safe”… This was the feeling I wanted to have in 2020… Looking back at this unusual year, it might seem as if it has been as far away from safety as it could be… Yet, on a second glance… I was safe! And, I am so grateful. It depends on how you perceive it… How do you define safety? Your wishes and prayers could be granted in ways you never expected. If we wait to have it our own way, we might miss the blessings constantly sent our way.
 
In 2021, I want to feel AT PEACE in my mind and my heart and I want to feel CONNECTED to God, to my true self and to the whole Cosmos.

​

• My goal in 2021 is to work towards CONNECTION on all levels – primarily and most importantly to God; then connected to my true self, my family and friends, my community, nature, and the whole Cosmos.
• Establish my business through Women Whispers Academy with valuable online courses and a community of like-minded women and health practitioners, therapists and coaches.
  
• Freedom of old baggage –physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

​The habits I need to set in place:

1. Slowing down and mindfulness daily practices: through various tools like meditation, breathing, Divine remembrance, journaling, art…
   
2. Healthy eating and Physical exercise
   
3. Be consistent in my work on my Women Whispers Academy.

​Now, it's your turn to do some reflection and set some goals... have a happy, healthy, and blessed 2021!

​Do you feel that you are running and rushing all the time?
Are you tired and exhausted?
It’s as if you’re looking for something but don’t know what it is…  Your mind is working nonstop… Your mind chatter is torturing… And, there are those heart palpitations and speeding heart beats… Your breathing becomes shallow and your hormones a mess… PMS, pre-menopausal symptoms, thyroid issues… You have low tolerance to people and daily annoyances… Sounds familiar?
 
In the past month alone I had more than 20 clients and students approaching me regarding their anxiety issues… 
Anxiety is very individualized condition. It comes in various shapes and forms, different severity and intensity. It carries different pains and signs and poses varying challenges for its sufferers. The DSM (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) lists more than 30 different disorders under anxiety… Yet, if you dig at the core of it, no one really knows what anxiety is and where it comes from…

New studies link anxiety to autoimmune disease, Hashimoto Thyroiditis being a common one I see in my practice… Yet, is it a cause or an effect of the autoimmune disease? No one really knows. What we know for sure is that anxiety increases inflammation in the body and the inflammation in its turn increases anxiety… A viscous cycle. Turning on the furnace in our cells turns it on in our brain and vice versa.
 
I see anxiety as a gentle (or may be not so gentle at times) warning sign sent our way to tell us that we’re over doing it… over thinking, over acting, over working… We need to slow down… slow down the pace of our life and the speed of our thoughts… we need to close those pop-up windows that keep surfacing out of no where and jamming our mental screen. We need to slow down this crazy chatter and endless clutter of to-dos, ideas, information, worries, and fears… 
 
My favourite way of slowing down is taking a deep breath, grab my journal and do a “Brain Dump”… Pouring my thoughts onto the pages gives my brain a break…  It helps me organize my thoughts and decide on what I need to keep in my mind and what I need to let go of…
 
Hit reply and let me know, what’s your favourite way of SLOWING DOWN?

Some days you feel that you don't want to leave bed in the morning… nothing worth waking up for. And, there are those random aches and pains that you can’t even begin to define… It feels like you are stuck in a dark place that you can’t define or get out of, even with every ounce of your will power.
 
Your chest is tight… you can’t breathe… can’t take in life… you feel like a zombie… The days pass by without any meaning… You no longer enjoy anything, even the things you used to love: your kids, your morning walks, your books, the friendly chat with your partner, the taste of ice cream or chocolate… Everything is meaningless… joyless… Your relationships are getting complicated… you feel the disconnection… from your spouse, your friends, your family… You don’t understand them, or maybe they don’t understand you… They can’t tolerate your state … But, you’ve tried to change this state… you’ve tried to get out of this dark place… you’ve tried so hard… you simply couldn’t... You couldn’t lift up this heavy heart, lighten up those dark nights, or brighten up this gloomy mood… Now, you are blaming yourself… beating yourself up for not being good enough… not being strong enough, or brave enough… Now, you’re sinking even deeper and deeper into this darkness…
 
The biggest misunderstanding of the ‘positive thinking’ theory is believing that we should be happy and cheerful all the time. We even feel guilty, ungrateful, and ashamed if we let our tears fall or our anger boil… Emotions are but signs and signals. They are there to let us know that something is not right, something is not working, something needs to change…
 
Deep at heart, you are brave, you are confident; you are the one who holds your house, your family, your kids, your community together… But, you’re also a beautiful fragile soul that has been running on dry for so long and now feels stuck, depleted, and exhausted.
 
You’re a kind, caring, loving heart that nurtured everyone around it and now endures the silent pain of emptiness, loneliness, and boredom…
 
You’ve tried for so long to keep up with the demands of everyday life… of everyone’s life… and you ignored your body, heart, and soul needs for so many years… you’ve put your dreams on hold, you ignored the whispers your body kept sending you and you even silenced the screams with analgesics and anti-depressants.
 
I have seen women staying on painkillers, anti-depressants, and anti-anxiety medications for years trying to cope with their stressful reality, life demands, and loneliness.
 
I saw women going ballistic every ‘time’ of the month and others suffering from hot flashes and menopausal symptoms having no idea what their body was trying to tell them…
 
I believe that we all have what it takes to live a healthy, happy & successful life. I believe that our body has the amazing power to heal and that our soul has the innate wisdom to find happiness.
 
You’re not alone… Data shows that the rate of antidepressants use in the US has increased by almost 400% between the late 90s and early 2000s.
 
No one of us wants to be among those statistics… do we?
 
It’s time to move forward… it is time to remember this sweet old dream you’ve  placed on the shelf years ago and allowed it to disappear under a pile of dust.
 
It’s time to find clarity… to release the blocks on your path that kept you unhappy, unfulfilled and stuck for so long…
 
It’s time to focus on what truly matters… on YOU!
 
The first step is Naming your feelings... What are you really feeling? Is it grief, sadness, anger, frustration, fear, worry… Dig beneath the surface … How do you feel? Where do you feel it in your body? And, then, acknowledge those feelings… own them … Your emotions are not you… they are yours… Acknowledge your right to be scared, hurt, exhausted, or angry… It is ok to feel sad or mad... It is ok to feel down, depressed, or gloomy … It is ok to lose motivation and drive … Acknowledge your vulnerable human nature... cut yourself some slack…
 
So, today, Pause… Take a deep breath… and, give yourself some self-love and compassion… What act of self-love will offer yourself today?

​It all starts as subtle whispers... or, maybe mild symptoms like headache, heartburn, insomnia, or racing heartbeats... But you ignore the whispers... you pop a pill when you have a headache or an antacid when your stomach objects... or, maybe you watch a movie to distract your thoughts or burry your boredom in a double chocolate cheesecake only to hate yourself, even more, when you step on the bathroom scale at the end of the day...
 
All what you are doing is neglecting your body’s warnings, or even worse, suppress those warnings with quick fixes so that the whispers just shut up and stop bothering you... But, the whispers won’t go away, they will keep getting louder and louder until they turn into shouts and screams now requiring medical intervention and you end up with an official diagnosis... a ‘label’ that needs a prescribed medication.
But, the medicine won’t solve the problems you are facing at work... it won’t force your son to study... it won’t heal your broken heart... pay your bills... fix your relationship... calm your anger or ease your fears...
All what it does is suppress those whispers... it makes them stop nagging so that you can step back on the hamster wheel and keep spinning... non-stop.
 
I’m here to remind you to slow down the pace of your life and listen to those Body Whispers®… You are the only one who can listen, decode, decipher, and devise a healing plan…
 
Your body possesses an amazing healing power. If you give it what it needs, it will achieve all the healing… and what it needs is not just food, drink, vitamins, minerals, or supplements… but also emotions, feelings, mental patterns, and spiritual needs…To restore your health, you need to look at your health from a much wider perspective, wider than drugs or even herbs and vitamins… you need to work on your body as well as your mind, your heart and your soul.
 
So, today, it is time to Slow Down and Listen to the Whispers: What is one thing you can do today to help you slow down?