It’s difficult enough to solve a problem, but even more of a challenge if you can’t identify what the problem actually is.  Maybe it’s a gradual feeling or perhaps an emotion that wells up all of a sudden.  However it appears, it blankets you; you feel out of sorts like the blue funk descended upon you choking the happiness right out of you.  But why? Where did it come from? And more importantly, what can we do to get rid of this debilitating feeling?

I think that we need to step back, take stock, and listen, putting the pieces of the problem puzzle together.  The only way that we can do this is in silence.  In the stillness we will find the answers to unidentified problems.  Quietness allows for the connection from the past to the present, present to the future, and from conscious to unconscious.  We need the quiet time like the air we breathe.  We need the space in our day to disengage and just “be”.  Turn off the radio, TV, and other “noise” freeing our minds to suspend from our earthly pressures.  Carve out the needed time…daily.

In the quiet, focus your attention on your physical manifestation.  Is there tightness or muscle tension housed anywhere in your body?   Are you shoulders riding high up around your ears, with worry?  Is your stomach doing gymnastics flip-flops, or tied in knots?  Is you knee bouncing exhibiting anxiety?  Are you craving some “comfort food” when you’re not even hungry?  What thoughts are bombarding your mind? Be a witness of your reactions….

Now focus on your emotional health.   Is there a sense of hurriedness?  Are the people in your life bringing you joy and support or are they draining your life-energy?  Do you wake up in the morning eager looking forward to the many opportunities of the day?  Do you dread going to work or the tasks of the day?  Do you find grace and gratitude in your everyday activities?

By answering some of these questions you can get a glimpse of what problems you are really facing.  These are the issues that are affecting you, whether you are aware of them or not.  Don’t be the “Queen of Denial” by sticking your head in the sand thinking that everything is “just fine”.  We all need to name, acknowledge, address, and release these problems or they will come back and bite us.  Not only for our emotional health but also for our physical well-being.  We all know that we’re masterpieces encompassing mind, body, and spirit acting as one.

So let’s “take it down a notch”, and listen to the messages within.  Why be burdened down with anxiety, when you could soar with the eagles?