Pins and Needles by Laurie Buchanan
Do you find yourself dancing a wicked two-step with emotions such as depression, anxiety, or stress? Do these feelings jab at you like pins and needles in an otherwise beautiful existence?
Depression is about the past. It’s about something we lost, or perceive that we lost. It takes a great deal of energy to dwell in the past. For many, this is a place where anger and resentment reside. What’s more, worrying about the past can’t change anything that’s already occurred. That’s impossible. What’s done is done. It is what it is.
Anxiety is about the future. It’s about uncertainty; the unknown, the “What ifs?” Like the past, it also takes a great deal of energy to dwell in the future. For many, this is a place where fear resides. There’s not a single person in the history of mankind who has changed a future outcome through worry.
Stress is current. It’s how we cope with the present moment; the here and now. As a Holistic Health Practitioner, I can tell you that up to 90% of all illness is stress-related. Prolonged stress leads to a weakened immune system and the development of illness—body, mind and spirit.
As my friend Mary says, “Stress is not an event — it’s a reaction to an event.” We don’t always have a choice about the circumstance in which we find ourselves, but we always have a choice about how we react to it.
“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
~ Laurie Buchanan
www.HolEssence.com
Copyright © 2010 Laurie Buchanan — All rights reserved
Tuesdays with Laurie 
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all figure out how to stop the anxiety and worry about things? I would LOVE IT!!!
Beth – The cool thing is that we CAN stop it. It’s a choice. We can choose to let it go and create a different (replacement) thought. My friend, Barbara, wrote a blog today called “Thinking Purposefully” — here’s a link http://eternalpresence.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/thinking-purposefully/
This is such a helpful Blog. Breathing is a very spiritual thing I have discovered if feeling stress. Three deep breaths and then observe the obvious helps give the element that is putting the stress there to better locate it and decide to be the willing cause or effect or not over some stopper. I look forward to diving deeper into holistic solutions on helping to better the immune system and value all of your advice. Thanks for giving from the heart on this day.
Kathy – I’m glad you find SPEAKING FROM THE HEART helpful. Thank you for letting me know. You are absolutely correct in that breathwork is amazing for reducing, if not completely eliminating, stress.
It’s interesting though that depression and anxiety reach out of the past and future to cause stress right here in the present, isn’t it?
Jeannie – I’m glad you stopped back by. I’ve been wanting to tell you THANK YOU for giving us a link to GO GRATITUDE. I’m enjoying the daily emails that I receive from them. You’re right about how it’s interesting that the past and future reaches out to us. The cool thing is, it can only get to us if we choose to return the embrace.
Hi Laurie,
Thank you for the blog. It helps. I need to settle my energy down…working on that, trust me.. 🙂 Yesterday was particularly enlightening and calming.
blessings,
Tomas’
Tomas – I’m glad for your visit today. As Kathy said below — breathe. Sometimes it’s even more effective to focus on a color while breathing. In my mind’s eye I see a rich, emerald green as I inhale Divine Love. In my minds eye, I picture “exhaust” (like from the tailpipe on a car) as I exhale toxic thoughts and feelings. It whoa’s me down every time.
WHoaaaa
I do not want to be on those pins and needles…Ouch
Just looking at them will suit me just fine. I do not want to site on them for a while or am at least trying hard not to!
Kim – I’m in agreement. No pins and needles for me either, thank you.
I call it being emotionally conscious, or being conscious emotionally. Stress, depression and anxiety don’t last long when I in-joy them! 🙂
We must be on the same wavelength today Laurie. Emotionally Conscious is the subject of my blog today.
Embracing the moment!
Bob
Bob – Have you started a WordPress blog? Please reply and include a link so that I and the rest of the readers can find it. By the way, I sure like the way you differentiate between enjoy and in-joy!
I find mindfulness–being present–helpful to reduce stress in the moment. Simply being aware of breathing, what’s happening, and not projecting all sorts of fears and mental/emotional carry-ons atop of it. Great post, Laurie! A good reminder today.
Kathy – I agree that being present reduces (even eliminates) stress. I think that FISHING does too — just like you wrote about in your blog today. Great post! Thanks for your visit — I appreciate it.
A very timely comment, so many people are becoming lost in emotional deserts full of thorny and dangerous issues. Help is always available, no need to struggle alone.
Sandi – You make an excellent point, HELP IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE. That’s vital to remember. Thank you for your visit today. I’ll be curious as to how early your new rooster wakes you up in the morning.
I haven’t Laurie. I’ve been blogging on the Gaia Metaphysical group. Perhaps I’ll kick off that word press blog this week!
http://livingmetaphysics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/emotionally-conscious
Thanks for the link Bob. And yes – you should kick off your WordPress blog this week. Please point me to it the moment it’s up and running.
Uplifting as ever Laurie. I find the trouble is with depression and anxiety, you can see them coming so you can kick them out of the way. Stress tends to sneak up from behind and jump on you without warning – that’s why it’s so hard to deal with and causes so many problems. But again, thank you for the positive thoughts.
Kevin
Kevin, I was just over on your blog. You have, indeed, had an up-and-down day. Glad you stopped by. I left a comment for you there.
Laurie — many years ago (my daughter Bethany was probably about 5 or 6 years old), I had such a huge stress reaction to my life that I made myself sick for 8 months and nearly totally destroyed my immune system. It took me 4 years to get well. I was overwhelmed with being a single parent, not making quite enough money, and worried “sick” about it all. At the end of those four years, I gave up my job and went back to school. I still worked like a maniac, but never again suffered a stress reaction.
Barbara – Being in a place of overwhelm can definitely make a person sick; physically sick and sick at heart. I’m so glad that belongs to the past. It’s done and over. You’ve got a bright and shiny present and future, as clearly evidenced in your blog. I’m glad for your visit today — thank you.
As always your posts are totally awesome, Laurie….full of common sense and ways to heal oneself.
Deep breathing is what I enjoy doing when things get a bit over loaded, stretching is another. Clearing my mind while I do both these exercises really sooth away much of a stressed out me.
Emerald green is such a healing color for me as well and I to find it’s color quite nourishing.
Your the tops, girl.
Love and Light,
Rita
Rita – Thank you for the high compliment. Len’s gonna have to put an addition onto the house for my big head if you don’t stop it! You bring up a great point — STRETCHING. That’s not only good for your physical body, it’s good for the energy systems in our body — which in turn, feed our mind (logic, intellectual wellness, intuition) and our emotions (what/how we feel). Have you ever tried Tai Chi? I think you’d LOVE it! Thank you for your visit today. I always love your energetic presence.
Wow! this is awesome Laurie… keeps all those pins and needles accountable and with a recognizable job to do. No wonder we poke each other every once in awhile.
Terrill – I’m glad you enjoyed this post. On your Creative Potager post today, The Essence of Things, you said, “The energy in a work should be alive and vibrant even if it means sacrificing correctness.” I took that to heart this evening in capturing this shot of the beautiful full moon.
Laurie – it is incredible. Like looking into the pupil of the universe. Glad you took the shot and that you shared it with us.
“… the pupil of the Universe.” Oh, Terrill – I like that! I like that A LOT!
Yes, I have tried Tai Chi and found it very mind stimulating but then got more and more into yoga. Some of the stances I am finding a bit more tricky to do, however, but still enjoy the calming stretches that are affiliated with yoga.
When my grandchildren would come over in the mornings just before school, they were still half asleep so I would play a yoga video made for morning stances and found it the best thing for their tired little minds to wake up to. It made them less shlumpy, more energetic and had a much brighter out look towards the day…. I had one for evening stances as well but they were more into doing fun stuff with their Omi and Opa to get into that one….giggles.
And I think your head is a perfectly beautiful size, so no need for Len to size up that home of yours, less of course you want to put a higher ceiling on it, which is what I’m trying to talk my hubby into doing due to this huge plant of ours that just won’t stop growing…lol….hugs my sweet wonderful Laurie.
Rita – You’ve just taught me a new word “shlumpy” – I love it! I think I may have the same Yoga video you’re talking about. It’s AM/PM Yoga with Rodney Yee. I enjoy that one as well. Have a fantastic day!
Hi Laurie,
Your words really come out to me today. I have been worrying way too much about future uncertainties. Thanks for pointing out again that this is a choice. It cannot be stressed enough that it is.
Love,
Kirsten
Good morning, Kirsten – I’m so glad you stopped by. My mom used to say:
“Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but doesn’t get you anywhere.”
that’s exactly right, Laurie…..It’s called a.m. yoga for beginners, with Rodney Yee, way cool! It’s always so relaxing to see these exercises done by an ocean or other bodies of water. You know that just sitting by any body of water does magic wonders for ones soul.
I’m so looking forward to being near one this summer…..oooo…ahhhhhh…
:))
Namaste
“… just sitting by any body of water does magic wonders for one’s soul.” I’m in complete agreement, Rita.
what a great site and informative posts, I will bookmark your site. Keep up the good work!
Clark – Thank you for visiting Speaking from the Heart. I’m glad to know you’ll return.