January 11, 2021

Years ago during my Bereavement Training, a Roman Catholic nun taught us about the importance of (what she named) “Our Body’s Five Dimensions.” I want to share these five dimensions and how filling each one of these dimensions every day – for only 15 minutes each – will keep our bodies in balance, leading us to joy and also to healing, if we need that.

Finding balance and joy is a journey. And because each of us is different, our paths to finding balance and joy will be different for each of us.

Picture a whole pie, and think of the five dimensions as five pie slices. Here is my list of suggestions for each dimension to help bring our lives back into balance and to find joy again.

1. Journal daily (Emotional) – Journaling allows us to ask questions, dig deeper, and confront any underlying issues we’ve been avoiding. Painting, drawing, sculpting, etc. will bring that same result.
2. Move your body (Physical) – The muscles in our body store memories on a subconscious level. Movement allows us to set free our trapped emotions. Try light stretching, walking, dancing, hiking, biking, swimming, etc.
3. Listen to music (Spiritual) – Different sound frequencies can raise our vibration and shift our moods. So, each day listen to spiritual music or meditate, pray, read spiritual poetry or devotions, or study your Bible.
4. Stimulate your brain neurons (Intellectual) – Each day read, work on a puzzle or a mind game, or play a board game. Have you heard that during challenging times, I play Scrabble with my mom who died in 2007? Yes! I play both people, switching chairs and hats each time it’s my turn! Don’t chuckle! Try it with your favorite board game and someone you dearly loved who loved that game too. I also find joy rereading various chapters of my book Scoria Roads. Check it out!
5. Share with a trusted friend (Social) – It helps if this can be a face-to-face visit, but it can be on Zoom. Now during the pandemic, consider choosing five trusted friends and hosting a Zoom gathering with them on a routine basis to share feelings. Sharing our experiences and feelings allows us to express and release the negative energy we hold.

Tips:

• We are chipping away at blocked energy. So, take baby steps. Small steps lead us to keep going.
• If you feel physically exhausted, it’s your body’s way of telling you to rest.
• Go easy on yourself. You are working your way through new experiences.

To discover more about joy, check out the book Finally . . . Joy written by my niece Renee Parks.  There are questions to answer and places to journal after each chapter. It’s an inspiring and thoughtful guide on how to create and keep joy in our lives.

Picture the new you with more balance and joy in your life!