Akosua Dardaine Edwards's Blog, page 38
June 30, 2022
Gratitude Stretches Us
Confessions on the Journey- June has been a tough one. It has been one of the months that I have felt most vulnerable and uncertain in years. Another confession - vulnerability is tough for me. I feel extremely naked when I am called to be vulnerable, when I am in a space of being vulnerable. I feel that I am losing control. I gently remind myself that vulnerability is part of life, it is a strength and to feel all my feelings - Dang its a challenge for me.This month, I have gone through the feelings of vulnerability, changing my self talk about it. Still challenging!Here is what I have learnt - 1. Vulnerability is indeed a strength - to stand within yourself, with yourself and with others showing your emotions in an authentic way is empowering.
2. Having a safe space to be vulnerable helps - find your safe space.
3. When we hold back, there is a lack of authenticity.
4. Keeping it all in impacts your health and wellness.
5. Most importantly, give thanks for it all - gratitude stretches us in unimaginable ways.
Peace
Akosua's Books
Nyabo(Madam) Why Are You Here?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on The Journey to Unconditional Love
June 28, 2022
Stay Grounded
Do yourself a favor: Stop being offended by opinions.
Social media has many benefits, it has indeed given us a voice, and reach to others which would normally not have both voice and reach. As with any tool, it really is how it is used. A hammer may be able to drive in a screw driver, however it is not the most suitable tool for its use. It may also damage both the tool and what is being fixed.
Social media is full of opinions, some we may agree with and some we will not agree with.
If we spend time being offended by all and every opinion we must ask ourselves why and what do we do with those feelings.
One of the best lesson I have learnt is - stay grounded, look inside to see what is shaking you so much so as to comment, especially if the comments are unkind and venomous.
When we are being triggered to come out of ourselves - we are children of the Universe, full of love and light. It is up for us to remember that...all the time!
I have a mantra when I find myself getting annoyed and shouting at the screen. "Stay grounded, Stay inside, don't jump out"
I repeat it, time passes and I remind myself who I am.
Give it a go, let me know what happens.
Peace
Akosua
June 25, 2022
Conscious Commitment
Conscious Commitment - Consciously Committing to yourself Maryham Hasnaa
Taking the time and effort to consistently do what is required to love and live the life that I deserve.
I am consciously committing to:
1. Having an open, authentic and consistent relationship with the Most High.
2. Healthy living through mind, body and spirit.
3. Loving myself unconditionally.
4. Daily Journaling and Meditation.
5. Deep Rest.
6. Respecting and honoring nature.
7.Having the courage to have difficult conversations.
8. Speaking up even when its hard.
9. Doing my best in the moment minus guilt
10. Balance, Fun and Dreaming.
What are you consciously committing to?
Peace
June 22, 2022
Health is also what you think about yourself
Health is a sense of being that allows you to live productively as you pursue your purpose. Health is a complete physical, mental , emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing, is not merely the absence of illness. Your body is nourished and nurtured and your spiritual is aligned with something bigger than you. Health is also about what you think and feel about yourself in addition to being physically sound. Iyanla
Confessions on the Journey. When I start feeling ill, a bout of terror comes over me, a type of fear. Its a combination of me thinking that something is "wrong" with me or I swing fully into the "what if's?" Living alone, "the what if's" come around to haunt me. What if something happens and no one knows? What if no one can come to me in a timely fashion, and on and on and on. Making up stories!
Reframing what health and healing is have moved me from the place of terror to a place of hope. Stopping the making up of stories, I
The lesson here has been about perspective. How do I view a situation? How do I show up in a situation. How do I define health? And how do I demonstrate my definition of health?
I have decided to choose healing. Rather than focus on the fear of losing my health and all the stories and what if's, I have decided that I will chose to focus on the well being of my mind, body and soul and use any deviations from that as sign posts, lessons and guides to support how I live my best life. Am I eating well? Am I resting well? Do I have a relationship with the Divine, the Most High? Am I exercising, going to the dentist, having my check ups done? This is now my focus, rather than the fear.
Today I start a new journey. The reframing of what health means.
Will you join me?
Peace
Akosua's Books
Nyabo(Madam) Why Are You Here?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on The Journey to Unconditional Love
June 20, 2022
effort, tears and truth.
effort, tears and truth. Francia Marquez
Everything takes effort! Perhaps you have heard the saying that faith without works is dead.
The lesson that rings through for me is how do we define work and effort and is there a balance.
I define work as the effort you put in to achieve your dream, purpose and vision without compromising your values, with honoring yourself and having balance.
When the work scale tips to ignoring your health, it no longer is work, its self sabotage,
When the work scale tips to dishonoring your self and your values, it is no longer work, it becomes fear.
When the work scale tips to proving others wrong all the time, it is no longer work, it is the ego running amuck.
Having that balance is extremely important. Of course there will be tough days, challenges and frustrations- important to allow for them and feel all of the feelings. Let it pass through you, get the lesson and get out of the mess. This is where the tears come in. Some days, the tears of frustration and sometimes joy arrive, let them flow!
On the way to achieving your vision, you must absolutely tell yourself the truth. Anything else is living in denial, living in a cage. The truth needs no defense.
The balance is essential - Believe that!
Peace
Akosua's Books
Nyabo(Madam) Why Are You Here?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on The Journey to Unconditional Love
June 17, 2022
Self Aware? Now What?
identifying the pattern is awareness, choosing not to repeat the cycle is growth. Billy Chapata
Self awareness is an extremely powerful part of how we heal and grow. There is a saying which goes "Knowledge is Power". This applies to self development, growth and breaking patterns that no longer are in our best interests.
Self awareness is your knowledge, ownership and acknowledgement of your patterns, traits, feelings and behaviors in situations. Self awareness is usually the first step in making a change in how one approaches situations, particularly emotional situations.
Do you know what triggers you, what makes you uncomfortable, what brings you joy? Do you own that? If you know yet ignore or disown then you are not fully self aware. The acknowledgement has to come with being accountable, having the ability to respond and without judgement. The clincher with all of this is taking action. When you become self aware, what are your new choices? Are there any new choices? It completes the cycle.
If you become aware that you have no set and clear boundaries, now what?
If you are aware of your triggers, now what?
The change comes with taking action. start small, progress over perfection. Breaking habits are never easy.
Self-awareness plays a critical role in how we understand ourselves and how we relate to others and the world. Being self-aware allows you to evaluate yourself in relation to others.
Akosua's Books
Nyabo(Madam) Why Are You Here?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on The Journey to Unconditional Love
June 15, 2022
Expressing Ourselves
There is something about our culture that looks down on showing emotion. We’re just not huge fans of allowing people to feel things out in the open. Living in this kind of society teaches the people in it to deny what they’re actually feeling. We’re constantly pretending. Nedra Tawwab
Hello Lovelies
I loved this so much from Nedra, I am sharing...
In some instances, like when you’re at work, you may not want to burst into tears, or if you’re around people you don’t know that well you may not feel comfortable being vulnerable. But that doesn’t mean to shove those feelings down and never feel them. It’s ok to put things off for a moment, as long as that moment doesn’t become forever.
There can be some value in compartmentalizing. It is ok to tell yourself, “I can’t feel this at the moment, but at some point today, I’m going to allow myself the time and space to really feel the impact of this.” Just to be clear, compartmentalizing doesn’t mean that you don’t revisit those emotions. It means that you pause for a moment, do what you need to do, and then come back to them later.
This doesn’t just apply to sad or challenging emotions either. Sometimes before I’m about to do something really big, something that I’ve been dreaming of and working toward, I journal about it. I ask myself how I’m feeling and give myself the space to process. I pre-feel my feelings. Then, in the moment I can be fully present and not overwhelmed by my feelings because I’ve already acknowledged how amazing the experience is.
It can be really harmful to exist in a space where you insist that you don’t care about the things that are happening to you. Sometimes we just need to cry. We need to be angry. We need to allow ourselves to really process the jealousy we’re feeling. When we don’t, those feelings will find other ways to make themselves known. We may be passive aggressive, or respond in a way that is over the top for the given situation because our emotions have been building for a while.
We have to give ourselves room to feel, which can be uncomfortable. We may not want others to see us in various emotional states. One time I looked in the mirror as I was crying and it stopped me from crying because it looked so bad. Your face is all puffy, your nose is running. I get it. It may not be how you want to be seen, but it is what you need to do."
Excerpts from Nedra's Nuggets
Akosua's Books
Nyabo(Madam) Why Are You Here?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on The Journey to Unconditional Love
June 13, 2022
We Can Do Hard Things
Mastery is giving of your self with excellence. Iyanla
Last week I went on my customary annual hike in my birthday. I decided on this day, as part of the Journey to Courage, to go into the river that we hiked to. I have been on countless hikes, I love being around the sea, rivers and waterfalls. Can you believe that I never go into the water? Confessions on the Journey - I have a fear of losing control in the water. So I sit on the shore, I walk in the water, I marvel at the falls from a far- never venturing in due to fear. I decided that this day will be different, I am getting into that water. I must journey to courage.
I sat on the rock for twenty minutes searching my mind for justifications why going into the water was a bad idea. I told myself, the water feels good sitting on the rock, the pool was too deep, I can always return and on and on. Isn't it funny how we can justify and rationalize anything? I decided to change my self talk
"I can do this! I can do hard things!" even for 5 minutes. I made those words into a chant. After 30 minutes I decided to get in. I was sooooo scared, I panicked and got back out. As I got out I felt a level of disappointment for letting myself down and letting the fear overtake me. I sat with that feeling for a moment and revisited the self talk.
I finally got in, breathing and talking to myself. The level of pride I had in myself was bursting my heart open.
We can do hard things, we can do them for little while. When we do the hard things for a little while we send a message to ourselves and the Universe that we are ready to do even more greater and grander tasks.
We can regulate how we speak to ourselves, the subconscious mind will not argue with you, it will take you at face value, so why not have a positive conversation rather than a fear filled one?
When we decide and act, the Universe meets us halfway.
Peace
Akosua's Books
Nyabo(Madam) Why Are You Here?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on The Journey to Unconditional Love
June 9, 2022
It's an Inside Job
The master observes the world but trusts his inner vision. He allows things to come and go. He prefers what is within to what is without. ― Lao Tzu
There is nothing, NO-THING outside of you, out there,that you need to have, acquire, and get to feel whole. You have already been born whole. Freedom, Courage, Confidence, Love, Connection – somehow we associate these qualities with products, material possessions, we have bought into the idea that if you buy/get/acquire the products that will allow for you to have the feeling. So instead of selling you a car they say they are selling you freedom
We think its out there and we have to get it, bring it into our lives in order to experience it.It’s the other way aroundYou don’t have to get it, you have to know it, believe it, sense it, feel it, BE ITYou have to BE itYou have to BE the love to experience itYou have to BE the confidence to experience itYou have to express and be in your powerBut we believe its out there and you have to get it to experience it.Its an inside jobPeaceAkosua's Books
Nyabo(Madam) Why Are You Here?
What Did I Learn Today? Lessons on The Journey to Unconditional Love
June 6, 2022
Ask Yourself : Why do I do what I do?
Why do I do what I do? Alicia Rodriguez
Have you ever asked yourself that question in a quiet moment and ponder authentically on the response?
Why do I what I do - daily.
In fact, apart from what you know that you absolutely must do, are you aware of why you do some of those things routinely?
The job you have chosen
The hobbies
The automatic response to situations?
How does what you do contribute to the life that you now live?
I have sat and ask myself the questions and this was the automatic responses:
1. It brings me joy
2. I am afraid to do something different
3. My family does this all the time
4. This is who I am
Here is what I learnt, the moment I am not at peace and have started justifying, blaming and rationalizing, its time to look at what I am doing and why.
If there is no peace in the response, take another look- with open, willing and honest eyes
Peace
Nyabo (Madam) Why Are You Here?
