Empowerment

Recognize Your Stress Levels

Lynette M Burrows

In 2013, I wrote a blog post called 10 Warning Signs You’re Doing Too Much. It has been my most popular blog post ever since. It’s a sign of our times. We are all under stress almost all the time. The pressure to be more, do more, have more is intense. Add to that legitimate fears about your (or a loved one’s) physical, emotional, or financial safety and your stress levels are higher. Then there are community and political stressors. Your stress levels today may not be exhausting, but tomorrow they could be. And when you live with stress every day, you may not recognize your stress levels and how they affect your life. What is Stress? In a medical or biological context, stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the “fight or flight” response, a complex reaction of neurologic and endocrinologic systems. healthline.com What Causes Stress  Each one of us faces challenges every day. From traffic jams, to spills, demanding bosses, unsympathetic spouses, or life crises (relationships, financial, or health). And we […]

A New Year and New Intentions

Lynette M Burrows

It’s the new year, time for…goals? Resolutions? I have missed many goals and broken many resolutions. But I have become a great fan of intentions. For the new year, make new intentions. What the heck do I mean? Intentions As a writer, I first came across the term creative intentions as explained by Orna Ross in her eleven-part blog series, The Power of Creative Intention for Creativepreneurs. It is my belief that everyone is creative. See my post, You Don’t Have to Be an Artist. But I know not all of you believe that. So drop the word creative and just use intentions.  Anyone and everyone can set intentions. About now you’re getting impatient for a definition. (I know I was when I started learning about this mindset). To get to a definition, we need to look at the root word, intend. According to Merriam-Webster, intend means “to have in mind as a purpose or goal: PLAN” or “to direct the mind on” or (archaic) to proceed on a course. Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source – a Sower of Dreams – just waiting to […]

I Feel Defeated… But I’m Not

Lynette M Burrows

It’s been a rough year. A rough month. A rough past couple of days. I missed my writing goals this month. Missed my blogging deadline today. I feel defeated.  I’m looking back at what I’ve accomplished (a lot!) and what I haven’t accomplished (more than a lot). And I’m feeling the press of time. The days aren’t long enough; the months are too short, and the years are flying past. The weight on my shoulders is crushing. Tears run down my face. I will not achieve my dreams. Fate is against me. Defeat looms. And yet… I Don’t Want to Give Up Yes, I have challenges in my life. But don’t we all? I’ve not accomplished all that I’ve intended to by this time. It’s disheartening. And if I focus on what I have not done, what I’ve yet to do—it’s overwhelming. But I am a persistent optimist. When someone tells me you can’t do that, a little beast inside stirs. You can’t tell me what I can’t do, it screams. And yes, when I’m down, it screams that at me.  So I wipe my tears away. I refocus. Yes. I have a lot I want to accomplish. Yes. My […]