annewalshcoach - bring your best self to light

Is what you are imbibing inspiring you or requiring you? The Memetic environment
The Memetic environment is everything you are watching, reading , believing and listening to. It has been estimated that we have about 604,800 thoughts per day (http://ping.fm/WPBKX ) and that it has been found that (surprisingly, NOT!) that depression is linked to uncontrolled negative thoughts (http://ping.fm/qFK9h) . So this environment is a key part of nurturing optimum mental health. Karen Vizer has already written about the Physical environment and the importance of eating good food and using extreme self care. (http://ping.fm/1lenu

My favourite story about this is the man who decided he was going to ask his neighbour for a lawn mower. However, his thoughts began to spiral into a long story about the last time he met his neighbour and how he seemed distant and then he thought of the times his neighbour had delayed returning equipment to him and he found himself getting angrier and angrier. Eventually he got up, walked purposefully over to his neighbour’s house and rang the door bell. When his neighbour answered the door, he shouted at him “you can keep your ****ing lawnmower” and stormed off. And I know I can certainly identify with that story (although I usually stop myself before I go to my neighbour’s house!).
So structuring and tweaking this environment to support us is a really key part in our overall sense of happiness and well being. So how can we design this environment to support and inspire us?
1. Spend some time identifying and observing what you are actually allowing into your headspace. And ask yourself what is the overall impact on your own sense of well being? I was on a call recently and one of the participants described how she was feeling good and then watched the news and found herself feeling agitated and wondering if her optimism was actually completely misplaced! I have noticed that when I occasionally watch the news (my husband is a bit of a news junkie) that I feel as though I have put on a hairy jumper (sweater) next to my skin. It feels jumpy and yucky...so my way of handling it is with humour. I find myself giggling at the obvious relish with which commentators dish up endless servings of gloom and doom. Strong echoes of Eeyore http://ping.fm/n2wg7(Winnie_the_Pooh) .
2. What inspires you and fills you with joy? For example we have a bird feeder outside the window of our dining room and I have to say that watching those tiny creatures brings me into the present and out of the yada, yada, yada of my monkey mind. So what inspires you and how can you bring more of it into your space?
3. Disconnect from the mass media. Remember that the news is just one group’s version of reality, despite the urgency and drama of the presentation. In a recent Social Traffic broadcast (http://ping.fm/3lnoX ) Philip A. Gornail made a point that he now checked his news on the Internet rather than TV/radio. If you feel as though you must know what is going on...just check the Internet rather than listen to the mass media. And as Tim Ferris (www.timferris.com ) points out...the chances are that we will hear about anything really major anyway. I endeavour to follow this myself but I have to say that one of my own questions about this is does this mean that I choose to remain oblivious to the suffering and pain in the world? I am deeply aware from my friends in Africa and around the world that there are still many places with none of the basics (we in the west) take for granted. The way I have chosen to deal with this is: (a) I acknowledge that simply watching suffering on TV and in the media overwhelms and paralyses me (b) I identify small changes I can make in my own life e.g. I’ve recently become a vegetarian again after 13 years, we recycle as much as possible and I make regular contributions to charities that I believe really empowers its population (c) I’m part of Social Traffic (www.socialtraffic.biz ) which is seeking to really heighten awareness of this magnificent jewel we are living in..Mother Earth.
4. Use your MP3 player to download and listen to positive material that inspires and supports you. There are huge amounts of material available free of charge or for a very reasonable fee (www.blogtalkradio.com or www.hayhouseradio.com or www.zencast.com are three great examples) Use the time in your car or when you are exercising to feed your mind with good stuff. There is another great resource at www.learnoutloud.com Or just create playlists of your favourite music.
5. Identify what is draining you about your thoughts. Here is a suggested way. Notice how you feel after watching/reading/believing certain materials. Just observe the aftermath. Notice if it’s positive or negative. Don’t judge it. (You are in good company here. St. Ignatius of Loyola (http://ping.fm/pybV9 ) used this method to notice that he felt better after reading lives of saints than after reading other material.) Begin to gradually introduce more of the “positive aftermath” materials into your environment and you will notice that your attraction to the “negative aftermath” stuff will diminish. Another powerful way is to simply write your thoughts in longhand as they come up...there is something really empowering about getting that endless replay out of your head onto paper...and it does start to repeat itself after a while.
6. Hang out with people who inspire you. Why not join us at the Social Traffic Facebook group? It’s got great resources inspiring people and you will get to learn loads.
7. And of course I have to mention what I consider to be a great tool for helping shift thought patterns that keep us stuck...consciousness shifting (But then I would, wouldn’t I ?  )

If you are curious about environments and want to learn more, you can listen to a recording of a call Karen Vizer and I did (http://ping.fm/AuHud )about environments. We are also planning something juicy around this as well…watch this space..