​At first glance, many senior citizens appear to be at a point in their lives where they are able to devote more time for themselves.  This can be a false view as in today’s world, many grandparents have found themselves saddled with the responsibility of either babysitting several days a week or in fact raising their own grandchildren. This can create a situation where mind, body and spirit are often pushed to their limits.

Even when a senior is not faced with that particular challenge, there are often others such as health issues,  chronic pain, medication side effects, loneliness, low self-esteem and bereavement issues.

Hypnotherapy is a tool, which can be used alone or in conjunction with other modalities, services and/or medications.  It can be used help seniors achieve a state of deep relaxation, while allowing them to be receptive to positive messages of change and healing.  It doesn’t require any invasive measures or special equipment be used.  It also does not require a large time commitment out of a person’s day, as an average Hypnotherapy session lasts one hour. Positive changes from Hypnotherapy can be achieved in as little as one session, but in general, multiple sessions are required in order to facilitate lasting change.

One issue that plagues the senior population, is that many older citizens often inadvertently find themselves interacting with others less and less. Isolation from society is an ongoing problem for seniors. It can be due to ill health, financial constraints, location, self-esteem issues or motivational issues.  One way that Hypnotherapy can help with this issue is by helping to create a positive mindset, which allows for the ability to see new possibilities and explore opportunities that would not have been considered before. This can open many avenues of change. For example, a formerly reclusive senior citizen may find himself or herself motivated to join a special interest club, or a seniors fitness group to improve their health, therefore reducing their isolation and expanding their social circle.

If you are a senior citizen, or you know of someone  who is struggling, and you want to make positive changes, or help someone to make positive changes,  and you don’t know where to start, consider Hypnotherapy as a tool to help.

Lately I have been in a spiritual slump. I’ve been sick since the beginning of winter with an ongoing sinus issue that has now gone straight to my lungs. My child and husband have both been sick recently too. It’s pretty hard to find the energy to do anything spiritual, when I am so exhausted and stressed about my and my family’s health. Also, it’s supposed to snow again today. It’s the middle of March, and as I dream of spring flowers and warmer weather mother nature is not done sending bitter winds and drifts of snow. How do you find that spark to keep going in times like this?

Do Something That Makes You Happy

At times like this, I enjoy listening to relaxation music. It helps to take me to another place that doesn’t have winter weather and stress. Sometimes that is all that you can do. Find something small that keeps you going. Listen to music that you love, read a favorite book, find an image of your goal and put it where you will see it, or find something cheerful to decorate your home. Find something inspirational  that keeps you going.

Be Kind To Yourself

Being a spiritual person doesn’t mean that you have all the answers. It doesn’t mean that you do not fail. It doesn’t mean that you are perfect or without faults. Spirituality is a journey. We are all a work in progress, including myself. Some days the journey is difficult, and the struggle is all too real. If you do not have the energy to learn, grow and move forward, what should you do? Take a break. For however long you need to rest. It is okay to just stop for a while. It is okay to give yourself permission to heal and recuperate. That “to do” list needs to be tucked away for another day.

Let Go Of The Guilt

We live in a world where we often make ourselves feel guilty for not doing something all the time. If we are not moving all the time, working, cleaning, organizing, emailing, texting or on the phone, then we are somehow not productive, and lazy. Give yourself permission to let go of the guilt because sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself, is to take a break. Be lazy, it's ok. Take time for yourself, forgive yourself, and just breathe.

They say that an uncluttered living space helps you have an uncluttered mind. It’s a great theory, one I could definitely manage to a great degree as a single gal, living in a small apartment by myself. Fast forward a few years to marriage, a toddler, multiple moves including from one Province to another, and a super busy life and let’s just say that uncluttered doesn’t exactly describe my living space!

To help you understand my mindset, let me paint a picture for you of what I grew up with that was considered "normal" to my family.  My mother was your typical obsessive parent who had a super regimented life, no doubt nurtured by 1950s ideas of progress and efficiency in the home. Every day of the week had a specific chore. For example: groceries were bought on Tuesdays. Laundry day was Friday, but floors had to be vacuumed every single day, starting at a certain point in the house, no deviation allowed. Growing up with that  strict schedule drove me absolutely batty to the point that I swore that I would never be that way, ever!

Despite all of that, as my life went on I found myself exhibiting a similar type of inflexible thinking. I am sure that I adopted many of these behaviours as a way to control some aspect of my life, which, from the start had been very much out of my control. In my mind I created a “right way” of doing things. Dishes for example, had to be washed or loaded into a dishwasher a certain way. It literally made me anxious, nervous and irritated, to have someone else wash dish or load the dishwasher the “wrong way.”

 How does this happen?

When we repeat something to ourselves with a negative basis we create that negative belief. For example: if you say “I am a terrible dancer” you are creating a negative belief. If we reinforce that negative belief by constantly saying it, whether it is to ourselves and/or to others, we reinforce that negative belief to the point that it becomes true to us, and because we believe it to be true, we pass that message onto others as a factual and true statement. 

Behaviour patterns work in the same way. For example,  without even realizing it, I was saying to myself “The dishes are only done right if they are done my way”. This is a belief with a negative basis.  By unconsciously repeating the statement to myself I had reinforced my belief to the point that seeing anyone else doing dishes in any other way that “my way”, resulted in an experience of anxiety, nervousness and irritation, and my insistance that I had to do the dishes.

How do I break the patterns?

The first thing to know if that you have to be ready for change. I was at a point in my life that I was working on myself and what I wanted out of my life, when I decided that my behaviours were not acceptable or fair to me, or  to anyone who was around me. I decided that my behaviours were too hard to live with.  I spent a great deal of time reprogramming myself. I didn’t know it then, but I was practicing self-hypnosis techniques. Self hypnosis can be used to both to fuel negative behaviours and help reduce  or remove them.

In order to break a pattern, you must create a new way of thinking.Then you must reinforcing that thinking in a positive way. 

For myself and my strict thinking about dish washing,  I  forced myself to repeated  a phrase:  “My way is one of many ways to wash dishes. It’s okay if someone washes them a different way.”  I made a point of saying it out loud as hearing the words said reinforces the statement.  With time and consistency of repeating my message, I was able to break the pattern I had created for myself.  At first  I could not even watch anyone wash dishes! I had to walk away from the visual of it but that is okay, it is part of the process.

If you are trying to break a pattern, consistent, regular, positive reinforcement is what is needed. Tell it to yourself and make sure to repeat it to others. For example: "I am a great dancer!"  Sometimes you will have to walk away and give yourself a break, but it will get better. Reprogramming a belief takes time and patience with yourself. You can do it.

Be kind to yourself. We are all a work in progress. To this day, I still shake my head at the way some people wash dishes, but I have learned to just let it go.  I still prefer an ordered, clean space but I also know that sometimes, at some points in life, that is just not possible, and that is okay.

Let me start off by saying that I enjoy helping people. I enjoy the feeling that I have contributed in a positive way to someones life. Helping a person find his or her “a-ha” moment or moments is truly, a very rewarding thing.  I am not ashamed to admit that I am good at what I do. I work in multiple modalities, including as a Tarot reader. It is  something that comes naturally to me. Having said that, I have started to really cringe when someone wants a Tarot reading, especially for groups like a party.

Tarot cards are a tool. They are something that I use to assist in readings for people. I  was born with a very strong intuitive ability. I also have the ability to sense energy and I see symbols and images for people when I am working with them. Tarot cards are a tool that is used to help clarify the information that I am receiving. The images and symbols I see are often not immediately understood by me or my clients. I would love to be able to give people clear-cut answers, but it just doesn’t work that way for me. It would be nice if it did, because I personally could seriously use some winning Lotto numbers for myself!! 

When people learn that I am an Intuitive and offer Tarot Readings, I am often immediately met with wide-eyed glee, and abrupt questions like  “Can you give me the winning Lotto numbers?” or they demand exact answers to questions like "What date will I marry?" or "When will I be the manager at my job?  Single people will often ask me for the exact date and time they will meet someone, or the exact description of that person. 

This is the trouble with Tarot. 

Tarot cards are often seen as a quick fix system for life answers. Some people want to use it as an excuse to be lazy in their lives. What do I mean? Well  let's imagine I could give them an exact answer to their marriage question of "When will I meet my life partner?" with  “You will meet your soul mate in 2.5 years”  Some people would take that to mean that they don’t have to try to meet anyone. If I told someone “ You will be rich” then they would just sit back and wait for the money to come to them. "What about Tarot readers who do give exact answers you may ask?" Well, like any profession, there is a wide range of skills. Some people may in fact be able to give you that exact information you desire but buyer beware! There are also unethical people in this profession too. If you keep in mind that Tarot is a tool, not a magical thing that grants wishes, you will have a better experience. 

 Life isn’t about waiting for answers, or expecting your life to change for the better because someone tells you it will. YOU have to change your life if YOU want things to be different. You have to work on changing yourself, your situation, your finances, your love life and so forth.

Instant answers and instant change is the stuff of fiction and movies.

Fiction is fun. Oh My Gosh!  I love a good historical fiction novel, and boy do I love a good fantasy movie! I love the ones that solve mysteries or have magic in them. That is all they are though, just fantasy; a product of Hollywood, all computer generated sets, fancy costumes and scripted lines.

Real life doesn’t come with scripts, you have to write your own. You don’t get a magic wand or ancient coded text to help you.  Your tools are in you, and with the help of a support network, teachers, and guides who you meet along the way. If you like Tarot, great. Find a Tarot reader you trust to help you stay on track and clarify your choices, or take a course and learn it yourself.  Most of all, allow yourself to believe in your own power. Use your learned knowledge and inner strength to work towards the life that you want.