Count Down to NYC

My big adventure to New York is almost here. I am beginning to feel the excitement and the anticipation. I am also beginning to feel overwhelmed and I'm starting to have those first moments of discomfort that precede an emotional 'shut down' (the introverts survial technique for sensory overload).
The good news is that I recognize all the sensations in my body as a natural and predictable part of being an introvert.  I know from the start that I will be quite nervous as I begin my adventure--it's not a bad thing, it just is. Here are some strategies that I am using to manage the sensations coursing through my body right now:

• Recognize them for what they are without judgement--then let them go
• Allow plenty of opportunity to retreat to solitude to re-egergize and destress
• Get plenty exercise (walking, hiking and kayaking are my favorite energizers).
• Eat healthy...cut down or eliminate sugars and gluten products
• Keep a check-off list to visually assure myself that everything is manageable (visuals are a huge benefit for me!)
• Keep a New York Folder of all my thoughts, plans, itenerary, etc., to take with me.

The most important thing to do, right now, is to keep visual reminders and constantly acknowledge that my sensory overload is a natural part of being 'me'...by organizing my thoughts and plans in advance (well before the anxiety kicks in) I can trust that I am ready and I can simply ride out the discomfort. Here's to the next adventure of many...stay tuned to this blog for updates.

Get Out of Your Mind, and Into Your Body

Do you pride yourself in your ablitiy to reason...to think yourselves out of, or in to certain situations. The intellect is a great tool. But when you get a feeling in your body that something is wrong or off...that is NOT the time to analyze it intellectually. Your body is the great communicator...when you 'feel' something, you are tapped in to your intuition. Don't ignore it...listen and honor what your body is telling you. If you are getting the message that something is not as it appears...you are right. If you are getting the message that you should be doing something...you are right. Learn to listen to your body and follow its advice. It's not only OK to lose your mind, it's preferable!!

Defining Adventure

Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say the word adventure? Sky diving? Sailing the South Seas? Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro? To be sure, those are all adventures. But what about the adventure in your own back yard? Ever see kids being adventurous? They’ve got the right idea…they don’t self-limit their imagination. 

Adventure can simply be a sense of doing something different. I weekend traveled near to home recently, to Big Sur, with the intention of making it an adventure. The idea was to stop at any and all places that looked interesting along the route.  There were no plans on where to stay, what to see, where to eat. The adventure was to fully take advantage of what came our way.

Imagine a honey bee meandering across a field of wild flowers, buzzing from flower to flower going from point A to point B (no pun intended). If you close your eyes, you can probably see the swirling, flowing, ‘s’ shaped line of its path. Now imagine a billiard table with just the cue ball and the 8-ball remaining. With a resounding ‘crack’ the 8-ball travels diagonally across the green felt to drop neatly into the corner pocket. Very directed, very purpose driven, very accomplished. No stops along the way…no sight seeing…just get the job done, “game over”…“rack ‘em up.” It’s a great way to accomplish things, but not a great way to experience things.

Well on this weekend adventure I was a honey bee. I meandered. I stopped and smelled the roses (at times, literally). It was enjoyable and I came away with a sense of having experienced the beauty of the wild coastline that is known as Big Sur. I stopped to let my breath be taken away by the beauty of the waves crashing on the massive rocks below. As the sun set, I mentally said good-bye to one thing I was ready to let go of, and opened my heart to receive something new. I stopped to marvel at the full moon rising in the barely-turned-night sky, and to greet it again in the early morning hours as I walked back from the restaurant generously supplied with coffee and heavy drinking mugs.

Everything took on a new meaning. I left no corner un-viewed, no vista un-visited, no soaring bird un-hailed. I was not satisfied with getting there and back…I reveled in the joy of experiencing all the weekend had to offer. And the sense of adventure was palpable…I loved feeling free. Remember ‘free’ is one of my core values…and this released a sense of freedom that truly set my spirit soaring. I didn’t just have an experience, I was the experience.

Introversion Is Not a Disease

There are mulitudes of us out there. Getting our energy from within rather than from without. Some people begin to unravel when isolated from interaction with others for too long. Introverts begin to unravel when denied enough alone time to regroup and re-energize.
We are not broken or defective just because we need a lot of alone time. Yet many of us have felt defective in our lives. We didn't belong. We didn't enjoy the same things that our peers did. We never quite 'fit'.

Once the introvert begins to accept their uniqueness--their wants, needs and desires; their strengths and challenges--then they will have the ability to design their lives so that they do fit. So that they do function perfectly in an extroverted world.

If you are an introvert: you are not broken. You are perfect as you are and quite possibly have more to give than most as you think and feel on a much deeper level. Your strengths lie in understanding how things work from within...not just the outward appearance. You know things that others cannot know. You feel things that others cannot feel. You have a great gift to give the world. Be sure to attend to your needs so that you will always be ready to share your gifts.