5 Reasons To Transform Your Bedroom Today

2. Create an inviting space

Sounds logical, but sleeping in a space that is chaotic is not conducive to relaxation or a good night’s sleep. Our body has an energy field around it which detects information, just like our senses do inside our body.

If your bedroom space is inviting, we’re likely to instantly relax when in it. We’re not talking spending thousands on redecorating. Use what you’ve got. Spring clean the space and see how it feels.

If your bedroom space is cluttered, junked to the max, or trip hazards are present, you simply can’t relax. So clean up, re-arrange, take action!

4. Signature scent

Ask any woman I know about the first thing she notices when taking herself to the day spa. She’s likely to tell you a couple of things and the aroma or scent of the space is critical.

Our ability to detect and allocate a sense of smell is directly hardwired to our brains and nervous system which responds to flight or fight. We are hardwired to detect pungent odours and run. Cue the word ‘vomit’, and you’re unlikely to want to watch someone throw up! Similarly, we are wired to relax our nervous system to specific pure scents.

The limited use of quality aromatherapy from cold-pressed extracted oils is very useful to send subliminal messages of relaxation to the brain whilst we sleep. additionally, if you’re wanting some ‘bedroom exercise’ without your clothes on, oils can be a fantastic aphrodisiac used in the steamer to heighten stimulation and even orgasm.

Summary

Just because we are in COVID lockdown is no excuse to feel trapped or limited in any way. The external world is chaotic with many triggers for us all. The need for personal sanctuary right now is high.

Utilise the tips above to create your own relaxation oasis today. If your home is your castle. Your bedroom should be a private sanctuary. Make it so!

About Karen

Change Facilitator

Karen Humphries is a Kinesiology Practitioner, Health & Business Coach, self-confessed laughaholic, and now Breast Cancer Advocate residing in Gippsland Victoria Australia. She loves being of service to the world with her humorous and positive approach to life, encouraging people to ‘choose to change and bloom from within.’ 

How to step back from ‘we’ and into ‘ME’!

We’ve had plenty of time to reflect on life before the virus. Some things we have missed from the old life and other aspects you may just be ready to kick to the kerb.

I don’t know about you but I have appreciated dropping the hustle and I won’t be returning to that. I have come to appreciate that I shouldn’t wait to take annual leave to feel relaxed — that’s what the weekend is for! There will be no more working seven days a week.

 I have officially dropped the hustle!

Whilst I see lots of social messaging about being positive, there are few who teach just how an individual can change their neural pattern and old patterns to truly embrace new mindsets.

Here are some tips I regularly share with my coaching clients.

To create the future you want, you must choose your words carefully.

Our dialogue is mighty powerful. The old saying that your thoughts become your actions is so true and I would add to this that your words become an action driver.

You are therefore what you think about. Hence I strongly recommend you need to be careful of every thought. 

Don’t bully or belittle yourself when you consciously catch the words in the air. Be kind and gentle with yourself as you commence this process.

Cancel Out Negative

Letting go of negativity from your mindset can feel a little intimidating when you first commence becoming consciously aware of wanting to make changes in your life.

Keep it simple and start the process of pulling yourself up on the negativity by stating “cancel that“. Then immediately reframe that negative comment into something positive. Don’t dally, don’t avoid, don’t procrastinate. Simply reframe to the exact opposite of the negative thing thought or spoken.

The more time you allow between the expression (thought or word), the more energy it collects to activate fulfilment. So get cracking!

By changing the word you change the intended action which follows. Do this often enough you change your behavioural pattern over time to a deeply positive connected self.

Be cautious about your conscious word within every conversation you have in relation to what is missing in your life. 

It’s one thing to have your inner dialogue be positive. But speaking negatively literally lowers your vibrational energy — your vibe goes low. That’s neither attractive to a friend, lover, child or employer. 

No one likes negative nancy.

Additionally what you focus your energy on is like being in a restaurant run by the universe. When you say something negative its like placing an order for a shit sandwich when you really want garlic prawns.

If you want to attract something grand and positive into your life, but you are talking and thinking about what is missing then you will continue to expand what is missing and attract more of it.

The universe I am sure has a wicked sense of humour. Our wishes thought, or spoken, are taken literally. So even stating “oh I hope this doesn’t happen”, is immediately translated into divine order and you add topping to the shit sandwich order!

Never talk about what is missing in your life.

Focus On Your Dream Life

Only ever focus on your dream life. Live with love as if you are already living the dream. The clearer you are on your dream, with minute details brought into focus, the more you are describing your order to the universe of exactly what you want.

For example, imagine that you enter your favourite restaurant. Your preferred chef is working and you know that each time they stick their head up from the kitchen window, and give a little wave of appreciation and gratitude with your smile. Why do you smile? Because you know, that chef knows, you only come to this restaurant for their prawns. It’s your absolute favourite and you moan like that movie “when Harry met Sally” every time you eat them.

Think now of how happy you are when you eat a gorgeous meal someone has prepared for you. And you have thirds, because seconds was even better than the first!

Do you see where I’m going with this? 

You imagine the colour of the fresh prawns. Imagine the aroma emanating from the steaming dish as it is brought to your table. Imagine the texture as you bite into the first mouthful and you begin to melt. God almighty I am hungry for prawns right now!

This is how you should think about your dream life. 

The miracle of the law of attraction is this — abundance flows when you allow gratitude to expand your heart space.

Only put your attention on what you intend and wish to create. 

Think again about the prawn dish. Just how different is it to your real life?

Never ask the Universe for money. Full Stop. Period. Nada.

Why? Because they will give you debt and bills first, then the money to pay for it. Your life won’t change in this circumstance or request.

But when you ask for something tangible, like the prawn dish, that’s when the miracles happen.

I find when it comes to attracting abundance into my life, I return to my dream of how and what I want my life to be. I then plan and do one new thing from all of the actions required to be living the dream, until it becomes second nature. Then I repeat that process, and continue repeating until one day I pinch myself because I am living the dream!

Ask and it is given — learn to manifest your desires through the practice of positive thinking. Again don’t ask for a car or your existing car will break down and you’ll be forced to get a new one. The universe can be cheeky bastards like that.

My last vehicle purchase I was very specific with details. I wanted to be able to open the door and slide into the seat, not step down or up into the vehicle. I wanted seat warmers, cup holders, storage, sunroof etc. I had a purpose and reason for every single feature of the vehicle.

Practice the idea of not putting your thoughts onto what is missing but focus on the positive as if it were already on its way.

Needless to say, I found my dream car for sale at the perfect price in less than a week!

Reflect on what you have enjoyed during COVID

There have been a number of advantages during COVID in terms of lifestyle and slowing down. Some have spring cleaned their homes. For me personally, I’ve spring cleaned my attitude and what I want out of life. 

Dropping the hustle has allowed me to embrace the simple things in life. That means I’m getting good at saying “yes” to me first and “I’ll get back to you” to everyone else. That’s a new habit that is here to stay.

Whatever you want to manifest in your life, focus on the positive. 

As you learn to harmonise in this way you elevate your thoughts as well as your vibrational energy to attract that which you want.

I live by the mantra that you can choose to change and bloom from within. Every experience in life is always another opportunity to learn and expand yourself.

As we re-enter COVID restrictions, consider the above ways to drop your hustle and get re-acquainted with yourself.

About Karen

Change Facilitator

Karen Humphries is a Kinesiology Practitioner, Health & Business Coach, self-confessed laughaholic, and now Breast Cancer Advocate residing in Gippsland Victoria Australia. She loves being of service to the world with her humorous and positive approach to life, encouraging people to ‘choose to change and bloom from within.’ 

It takes a Conscious Choice to Nurture Self during the Lockdown

It’s a huge thing to stay at home during this pandemic COVID period. Governments around the word have locked down communities in an effort to pause the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives.” has been the key message from the government, but it is so different from what we know to be normal.

The first and third instructed tasks can be ticked. But after a month of social isolation, the reference to staying safe at home may just be wearing a little thin for some.

Some would call this pandemic a global crisis. There’s nothing I can do about that in my personal world. That said, I am choosing to reframe this period of time as an opportunity to detach from the external world and focus on myself. That’s a little easier for me in some ways since I’ve been socially distancing since December due to treatment for cancer.

I truly believe this unique period is a rare gift of time that we have been granted. One can only hope that we will never see this in our lifetime ever again, and it hasn’t been seen since the great depression.

Some in our community are taking social distancing in their stride and simply modifying their daily routines to be able to juggle working from home, homeschooling their kids, as well as leaving the family home for limited and socially distance based exercise.

Others are feeling incredibly confined and restricted and it’s obvious from their social media posts, that life is very uncomfortable right now. For these people, it is perhaps a little scary for what life will be like after COVID.

You can tell who feels confined because they are complaining about it. And not every now and then. They are ranting as loudly as possible. Endlessly in fact, to whoever will listen. Their behaviour is their expression of feeling lockdown is unreasonable and irrational. They have become inflexible and feel hard done by.

For some who are isolated at home, they are confronted with all the things their busy life allowed them to avoid, and now the walls are feeling restrictive. These are the people who share pictures and stories of wine being consumed whilst schooling their children.

There are others bragging about three days in their pyjamas! What this picture is really saying is they are not coping and can’t find strategies to even choose to shower every day.

Let’s take the basic act of getting out of bed and showering. You wouldn’t have thought twice about not doing this when leaving the house — would you? Now during social isolation, there is an apparent acceptable lack of self-care for some.

Mindfully choosing to care enough for yourself to bathe and getting dressed should smell true to you (and to those you live with). Failing to undertake these small self-respecting tasks is a lack of intention towards self if you aren’t prioritising enough time in your day for a four-minute shower and fresh clothes.

Ask yourself what message are you sending yourself? It’s one thing to make a conscious decision to not bathe, perhaps because you haven’t exercised this day. It’s even ok to bum around for a day in your pj’s.

But if you simply can’t be bothered, is it time to ask yourself is everything ok?

Another example and yet subtle version of lack of self-care is binge-watching Netflix and at the same time scrolling through your phone. The perpetual scrolling means you’re not present in anything and simply avoiding the life occurring around you.

It’s perhaps time to ask yourself what do you really need right now?

And when you ask yourself this question, you had better be prepared to fulfil the answer rather than letting the mind be lazy!

When we feel antsy (which is really just a form of anxiety) ask yourself what would make me feel comfortable and safe right now?

Know this. Each of us is fully equipped to deal with what is present in our life. It is a matter of what you choose to do and how you choose to perceive your situation in life which dictates how well you cope.

So what are you choosing in terms of your experiences?

Might life be different if I gave you permission to reframe everything negative inside your head? Consider that done!

Here are some tips for easily implementable actions to get you through this lockdown phase.

1. Get dressed. Every day.

Physically changing out of your sleep clothes creates a subconscious neurological response that it’s time to get going. Take action. Remaining in your pyjamas all day is permissible on rainy weekend days or those dates whereby you’ve gifted yourself a mental health break. It’s still a choice to dress.

2 Have a shower.

Regular showering removes bacteria from the skin, which supports the body from infection. There’s also an argument for reduction of body odour, especially for those you are sharing confinement with!

3 Be mindful with your eating.

During the lockdown, it’s really easy to overindulge in everything — because it’s at our fingertips. By all means, have a piece of chocolate. But if you find yourself sneaking back to the fridge a second or third time ask yourself what you perceive you actually need right now?

Is it just because you’re skin hungry and in need of a treat? Or are you stuffing the sugar inside to avoid addressing an actual hidden emotional issue?

4 Exercise. Every day.

This suggestion isn’t rocket science. A simple 20 minute walk outside gifts your body so much. You get exposure to direct sunlight, which enables your body to make vitamin D.

Your body makes dopamine (the feel-good hormone) when you exercise. Regular exercise several times a week is great for your heart health.

Not to brag but this week I have walked a marathon and feel amazing. The exercise high has been so rewarding that I’ve decided to enter an event later in the year.

5 Step out of the house. Get a Nature Fix.

Every time you go outside, you gift yourself an automatic change in scenery to stimulate your senses. Take a different route each time to keep things interesting. Japanese medical practitioners even prescribe forest therapy for those who are stressed out and anxious!

Consider timing yourself on a specific route so that you can see your physical endurance building each time you go out. It’s great for encouraging a positive mindset. So hug a tree!

6 Reframe any negative self-talk.

Be mindful of your internal dialogue. Rather than punish yourself for thinking something negative, I grant you permission to ‘reframe’. The minute you choose to reframe a negative into a positive, you literally switch neurology pathways out of stress patterns and into solution-seeking neural responses.

You have nothing choosing to reframe and invite more positive into your life.

7 Recipe for relaxation.

Figure out what supports relaxation for you. Is it taking a bath? Perhaps some yoga or meditation? Is it self massage? Reading a book. making cubby houses with the kids. Playing board games. Online chats with friends. It could be as simple as not watching the news as often.

The list is endless but are you open to opportunities?

Let me be crystal clear, when I talk about relaxation, I’m talking about physical relaxation, emotional detachment and achieving mental clarity (ie no monkey chatter going on inside your head).

During the lockdown, you need to ensure that you are detaching from the confinement and allowing yourself to take advantage of the naturally slower pace of social distancing.

Take one small action each and every day to nurture yourself on all levels.

8 Break out with pets.

I have two young lab puppies from the same litter, so they do everything together — including being naughty! But I have to say that I can never be mad around these gorgeous creatures. They gift me an enormous amount unconditional love just by placing their heads in my lap.

And whilst I’ve been undergoing treatment for breast cancer, they have been a divine nurturing gift for my daughter. She’s teaching them to sit and stay and they are teaching her to laugh when they lick her. They are gifting her lessons in responsibility and respectful authority.

Pets gift us an instant dopamine fix. Working from home provides us with the perfect opportunity to have our fury therapy bags with us all the time!

9 Use technology to maintain the connection with friends.

Utilise the video technology available to you and video chat with friends and family. I am absolutely loving chatting with friends and seeing their faces at the same time. Book a ‘mate date’ with your friends and family in order to maintain your connections.

Summary

Regardless of your COVID experience, we are all feeling pinch points with respect to the perception of not being able to certain things in our life. I’m gifting you permission to step out of the expected normal and create the life you want.

Take The Test What Makes Your Heart sing whilst in lockdown

I was recently sharing the story with a friend, of how I interacted with my surgical teams in theatre. I was telling them, that I was surprised to observe that not many people talk and interact with staff in the sterile room. They simply get wheeled into the sterile room, get the good juice and whadda bing bam boom, and then you wake up. Not me. I made eye contact with each of my team members and formed a bond.

I very quickly figured out it’s not normal or routine for patients to liaise with theatre staff. My surgical team had a stunned reaction to what I said to them … I told my surgical teams “we were embarking on a reinvention journey for my body”. We weren’t just operating to remove cancer, we were evolving me to a place of health. It helped my mindset that cancer resulted in a new set of boobies!

I thanked these wonderful staff in advance. I thanked them for waking up that morning and deciding to come to work and be of service to me. Their faces simply lit up that they had been thanked.

I blessed them for their skills and thanked them for their dedication and their time to care for me. I looked at each of them in the eye and told them I was grateful. I’m getting teary just sharing this with you because I’m remembering their heartfelt hugs and their statements “we’ve got you Karen”. I couldn’t think of a more positive way to commence the process of a mastectomy and breast reconstruction – with heartfelt love.

I know my surgical team all had smiles on their dials as they worked in the vibration of joy, whilst working on my body each time. For the second and third surgeries, staff remembered me and welcomed me back with loving smiles.

Theoretically we are all conceived in love and I wanted my surgical reinvention to be the same!

So my small intention-based action of thanking my surgical team had massive flow-on effects.

• I woke up calm, well and relaxed from the general anaesthetic;
• I had 145cm of suture line which predominantly healed exceptionally well in a very short period of time;
• I maintained a great healing mindset and my physiotherapy went smoothly.

I instilled abundance and joy as a vibrational energy into my new breasts.

So how can you establish good vibes for your life in general, let alone significant milestone events? I used the Law of Attraction Principles. I knew when surgery was planned and did some preparation meditation and journaling, attending to any arising fears. Then I did the following:

1. See It

In this example I envisaged the dream life I wanted, or state I want to be living. Complication free surgery and recovering. I included in my vision, feeling joyous, abundantly happy and flowing with life. I included very specific details in the vision of the life I want. This helped later on to be clear when I was achieving success and evidencing change.

So I envisaged being able to easily get out of bed post-surgery, without aid, without cannulas, drains or drips. Guess what? Most of the tubing was removed by day three, ahead of anticipated schedule. I envisaged myself sitting out of bed comfortably, moving easily around my hospital room and at home. I allowed myself to see myself comfortable in my new shape and love it.

I allowed my meditation to see beyond the scarring to one year down the track when everything was healed. Two months out this remains my focus, newfound freedom with the new shape.

2. Believe it

The second part to the meditative envisaging stage is to believe what you see is real. Your brain, believe it not, does not recognise real from imagined. The trick with believing your dream life is true is to eliminate any and all negative aspects. This is the time to get your journal out and pour out all of the ‘what ifs’, all the worries of what could go wrong. Often when you have brought this negative stuff to the surface and given it air, the negative thought or feeling deflates, and your logic brain can override the fear. Once the fear response is dialled down, your brain can then problem solve alternative options.

3. Live as if it already is true

One of my favourite things I love about the Law of Attraction is living my dream life as if it already is occurring. The third part of manifesting good vibes, apart from seeing and believing is the connection to how you will feel when you live your best life. It’s this connection to the good emotional juju, all the good feels, that drives the dream being realised.

It’s not about winning a million dollars, because let’s face it – you still have all the same problems. But if you address any arising negative thought patterns as you focus on your dream life, and embrace more joy, more harmony and gratitude and more love into your life, you realise that you are in fact living a life with good vibes only!

You really can choose to change and bloom from within, making small changes to live your dream life.