Play

 When was the last time you found time for play. It's not about age, it's about finding peacefulness and your center. Whether it's board games, going for a walk in nature or playing a team sport. Enjoy the music that makes you happy! When was the lastime you just foussed on just being!

Find what makes you happy, take a break from social media and cell phones. Soak into silence and take time to enjoy the quiet. When was the last time you spent time with family and just had fun being silly. It can be hard when your used to the stresses of corporate life.

Give yourself permission to take a mental health day or three. Take time to go hiking or camping. Go to a bed and breakfast and tour or see new places. Go sliding down a hill minus the trees this winter. Paint a picture or draw. Go to a movie and enjoy all of it.

If your out in nature, drink in all of it. It will bring peace to your soul. Smell that earthy smell of fall, from those fallen leaves. If cooking or baking is your jam, then enjoy the process. Knitting, embroidery, turn on your favorite music, light a candle and get your cider or hot cocoa and get cozy.

Play with your pets, it will help both of you release pent up stress. Pets are a joy, they welcome us when we come home. They love unconditionally!

Penny J. (MN, USA)

Raven Hawke

https://ravenhawke.net

info@ravenhawke.net

How to not Lose Your Mind!

Make a list of the things you enjoy doing? Yes, I'm serious! If you own a house, now is the perfect time to tackle some of the projects if you have all the material or start to get some of the prep work done? Most of the bigger hardware store are open if they carry anything that is considered an essential. This is the perfect win-win for the store and you.

If your into crafts, baking, cooking or sewing this will be a good time to get some projects finished or started. Use the movies that you own to help with a movie night of your choice! Key is to have less drama in your life so you have less stress! Outside time, if the snow is mostly melted and it's not too muddy. Yard work to get ready for Spring might help! Ostara or Easter is coming up too! Dying eggs is for a future project!

If you have dogs, it's the perfect time to go to the park and go for a walk or work on your pets training if it's a little dodgy. play some outside games if it's not too cold out. You will feel less of the cabin fever if you able to get outside.

Do things that are relaxing to you. Listen to music, if doing dishes is relaxing to you? Do that? If you love cleaning your house, or just find things that give you enjoyment. Cooking and baking can be relaxing. If you don't know how to cook, watch a video on it. Pick something easy, your less likely to get frustrated and quit!

Penny J. (MN, USA)
Raven  Hawke, Llc
info@ravenhawke.net
www.ravenhawke.net

Cleaning Up Your Life

When you take a look at your life, where are you feeling so-so? Is it the people in your life? Relationships in general? Your work life? Your home? Where is the balance off? Do you have lots of drama in your life or is it nice and calm. These are nice ways to gage here there is balance and where is it off.

By paying attention to whats causing you stress, you can start to dig in and make small or big changes. If you never take time for yourself, you might be exhausted. Make sure that your taking time for yourself. It's okay to be selfish with your time. It's about creating more balance in your life so you can relax and play. Less stress is always a good thing. It allows you to get a decent nights sleep. If your dreading going to work every day. It's time to look at why? Is it the work? People? Once you can identify your stressors, it makes it easier to make some changes.

Be sure you set boundaries with your time. This is so you can feel whole as a person. It's one way to have less messes landing on your life. Do you even know what makes you happy or excited to get up in the morning? How's your relationship with yourself? If you don't even know who you are any more. That's a big clue to start your work with getting to know you.

Penny J.
Raven Hawke, Llc (MN, USA)
info@ravenhawke.net
www.ravenhawke.net

Owning the Season

Instead of being stressed out by the season. Take steps to be in control. Delegate the things that stress you out the most. If food or baking aren't you thing. Let someone that loves that stuff do it. If you a better planner than a doer. Do what you are best at! The holidays can be a stressful time. Different family dynamics. The holidays are supposed to be about family and friends; not the trivial stuff.

Every family or individuals situation is different. If money is tight, there are a lot of things that don't cost money to do. Have a movie or game night for the holidays. What better way to spend a day after a meal then enjoying each others company. If spending time with your family is stressful then get a bunch of friends together for the holidays.

Meal planning can be divided between friends and family. It's unrealistic to expect one person to do everything. Seniors can be hit the hardest. Depending on their financial situation. Some seniors live in poverty pretty much; because their medication eats up a majority of their income. Some medications can run as much as $300 or more a month for one medication. Medicare does not cover everything. Re-gifting things that you have never used might be an option if people are open to it.

The season is not about giving gifts although the retail industry would have you believe it. Some people like to give their time to shelters. If that's not your thing, then find a tradition of your own to start or just enjoy being with friends. Just remember there are no rules. Just take a break and relax.

Penny J. (MN, USA)
Raven Hawke, Llc
info@ravenhawke.net
www.ravenhawke.net

Life's Journey

I've noticed more and more positive changes in my life, when I decided to do a personal house cleaning. I looked at personal relationships and those include family members. I decided if by a certain time line and it was about two years out. If those people hadn't grown and wanted to remain petty. I was cutting those people out of my life.

I was very direct with one of my aunts and told her she could either be part of my life or not? She was a little shocked, but she sort of understood where I was coming from. I wasn't going to be dragged down by anyone and that included my family members. I have never regretted that decision. I have moved forward in my personal life and my job relationships.

There have been big shifts in my work environment, I no longer meet people that are out to bully other people. The Universe will give you tests, where there might be a job that you need but the trade off would be working with a co-worker who is a bully. I have worked in such terrible environments in the past. I made a decision long ago that I would not work in a department or a company like that. These type of environments are very bad for your health.

I have noticed that when I stood my ground. The next work opportunity was very different and more positive. I enjoyed everyone that I worked with. My boss was very nice and relaxed. I've had some wonderful managers to work for. The best one's for me were more relaxed and laid back. I've also brought more positive things into my life that replaced the negative things. When you shift one thing, other things start to follow.

I started to have less drama in my life. I actually love my life, because it's on my terms. That doesn't mean that everything is always going to be lovely.  When things are starting to go to shit, know that there is a house cleaning underway. You will start to see more good things coming in when the things that you need to get rid of are removed. The bigger the shift, the bigger the gifts!

So when your life is really turned upside down then know that the gifts are coming and they will be huge. I have also noticed that in all of my environments that I meet people that need my gifts. I might know something that will help them heal. Sometimes they need to see a doctor but don't know it. Sometimes they need to make diet changes. I 've been in a lot of environments where a co-worker is going to have a heart attack or has cancer. I might suggest that they see a doctor to avoid a condition if its avoidable.

Even in the times when I feel like I'm not giving readings or healings. I am doing pro-bono work in some of my day jobs when my business is having its down times.

Penny J. (MN, USA)
Raven Hawke, Llc
www.ravenhawke.net
info@ravenhawke.net

When It's Time to Slow Down

People often grumble about how they're not getting any of the things they want in life. How they're so  stressed out. When you are continually having accidents or health drama. It's the Universes way of saying that you need to learn how to play as hard as you work.

Too many people are workaholics, because of our current economy or they are chasing money in every direction. When we chase something, doesn't it usually run? So why should your dreams or money be any different. When you are actually having fun, things start to come to you more effortlessly.

You start to see less drama in your life. You start to relax more which makes money and dreams want to hang out with you more. When is the last time you went without a TV, computer, cellphone or radio being on? Try to go half a day on the weekends without any of these devices being turned on? Are you more stressed or less stressed? At first you might be more freaked out than anything else. Try doing this for a month and start to see if your feeling more at peace.

Start going camping or visiting a park if the camping thing isn't for you. Start to see how calming the park is? Preferably not on a Holiday! Even visiting a Conservatory can be very relaxing. Whens the last time you enjoyed real food and the people in your life. Where you actually sat down and talked to each other unaccompanied by electronic devices. Did you taste the food or was it kind of a blur.

When people break bones in weird freak accidents it does tend to make you slow down. Here's the thing though you dream that you've been chasing for so long might be right around the corner and if you hadn't had that accident you might never have been able to finally get that dream. Sometimes that's the only way you would have met that person?

Money and our dreams find us when we're finally ready to slow down. This is the hardest thing for people to hear who are very action oriented. It isn't that they're afraid to participate in their own lives, they just have a problem letting life catch up to them.

Penny J. (MN, USA)
Raven Hawke, Llc
www.ravenhawke.net
info@ravenhawke.net

Are You Happy or Stressed Out?

If your continually having dreams of dread before your have to return to work the next day? Sunday night is usually the most telling. It's that sense of dread that slowly starts to build up, then by Sunday night you could almost cut it with a knife. It might be time to take stock of what makes you happy and what's stressing your out?

Is it the work itself? Your co-workers? The environment? Start to make some changes in your life. Once you've made those changes. See how things feel? Are you happier or still stressed out. By slowly pin pointing what is making your happy and what is not. You will be taking steps to have more control of your own life.

Pay attention to what is relaxing and enjoyable to you. Not everyone likes to hangout with people. Does this make you anti-social? No it just means that those types of activities are not relaxing to you. Do certain people stress you out and other people don't. It might be time to find out who your tribe is! Some people are extroverts (they get energy by being around people). Introverts get exhausted being around people all the time. Some people are in the middle and need some down time and some time being around crowds.

Are you a workaholic and need to start  taking scheduled relaxation time, so you can have more work life balance in your life. Sometimes we get so used to being a hamster on the wheel that we don't know what it actually feels like to relax.

By turning off the news and cell phones, it is a step to reclaiming your personal time. Caller ID is the best source for screening your calls. It's always a good thing to stop answering your phone and start to learn to tune out time wasters. Some are people, telemarketers. Boundaries are a good thing to establish, it is a good way to re stake your claim to your personal time. You never need to apologize for being protective of your down time.

Penny J. (MN, USA)
Raven Hawke, Llc
www.ravenhawke.net
info@ravenhawke.net

Love

Doing things that are self nurturing are wonderful ways to express your love for yourself.

Taking time to just lose yourself in doing crafts? Painting?

You start to go into a World all your own. 

These are all great expressions of Love!

Creating a meal or making a desert that your going to share with family and friends.

By putting your time and energy into the meal you are adding parts of your love into the meal.

People will remember the meal and ask for the recipe and try to recreate the energy of that meal and the personal experience that the memory invokes.

Our creations look or smell better when we add bits of ourselves with our love.

Event the simple things like drawing a bath and adding the ingredients to make the experience more personal.

The candles, the scented oils for the bath?

The herbs to help us relax.

Picking out just the right tea for that moment to create the mood.

Our clothes are an extension of ourselves, our personalities? Emotions?

All of these things are part of who we are and how we show our selves to the World.

by Penny J.

Raven Hawke, Llc (MN, USA)

www.ravenhawke.net

info@ravenhawke.net

Family

Family can mean different things to different people. To some it is the actual family your are born into; to others it means people that are of your own choosing.

The Holidays seem to bring out the best and the worst in these domestic units. It's almost like Jeckly & Hyde come to life. I'm not going to continue to write some sappy drivel about loving them anyway. That simply wouldn't be honoring yourself.

What I do propose is to pick through the ones that simply get on your nerves beyond reason and not answering the phone when they call. It will be a win for you, and it becomes a win for them learning to stand on their own two feet.

This is not to be mean. Some family members grew up in an era where it was simply exceptable to be verbally abusive. They call it that now but it was never addressed in their time. They just knew that when they were around people like that they didn't like them very much. This is one way of breaking a cycle by not pointing fingers and telling your relatives that they're abusive and need therapy.

This will only bring on a whole new argument in the family drama. After all who needs more drama in their life. If you wanted that you could simply watch TV if that is actually being watched any more. It starts to make what family functions you do attend a little more enjoyable. Believe it or not you'll actually start to feel more calmer by not having to deal with certain family members.

These are only suggestions. You have to take back what you perceive as your family hamony however you see best. For those of us that have decided to throw the whole lot out and start fresh with people we consider family. We've already found our little peace of heaven. Hopefully this will make you laugh. If not you might need to relax more.

Penny J.
Raven Hawke, Llc (MN, USA)
www.ravenhawke.net
info@ravenhawke.net