It is the 16th July 2022 and I (Karen) am hi-jacking this week’s blog because I have something really important to say to Chrissie.
“Happy Birthday”
Today is the big one and I know she won’t mind me sharing with you that she is 21 again (and forever more)!
Actually there is so much more I need to say and it starts with “Thank you.”
Thank you for your friendship, for the work that we do together and for your optimism and magic.
We’ve written before about the power of gratitude. It is one of the quickest ways to generate positive brain chemistry. In Shamanic practice it is seen as one of the gifts we are born with. Every time we are grateful we open ourselves to receiving abundance from the universe.
There is a wealth of science behind it too. Grateful people have been proven to be healthier, more optimistic and compassionate and less likely to feel lonely[1].
Thinking about the things we are grateful for, the people we love and gifts we have received are happy thoughts and in consequence we will feel happy. The real trick however, is to live gratefully, meaning that we find things to be grateful for whatever has happened.
Chrissie and I met 15 years ago and we have spent those years discussing how to help people with both physical and psychological problems. We have also harnessed our own mistakes and traumas; shining a light on what has happened at work and at home and using our experiences to better understand why we think, feel and do the things that we do. It has been our privilege to be able to share what we have learned and we are both hugely grateful for that.
Chrissie introduced me to meditation and has inspired me to embrace the more spiritual aspects of psychology. Modern life is always hectic. We race from one meeting or appointment to another. We squeeze as much as we can into every waking minute. Even when we do have a spare moment our minds are never still. If we can learn to quieten the chatter of our thoughts and be still, time appears to slow down and answers come. When we meditate, we are training the Self to increase concentration and attention cultivating a stillness of the mind. Regular meditation encourages a down-regulation of our stress hormones and has been proven over and again to have a positive effect on our mental health.
Chrissie is one of the most assertive people I know and always believed in us even when I did not. She believed in me and my writing when I did not. She has always valued me and encouraged my creativity. She herself is hugely creative and always open to new experiences and learning.
Happy Birthday Chrissie.
Thank you for always being there and inspiring those around you.
Know that you are loved and appreciated.
Never stop writing, creating and sharing.
[1] Emmons, R. A. (2004). The Psychology of Gratitude: An Introduction. In R. A. Emmons & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), Series in affective science. The psychology of gratitude (p. 3–16). Oxford University Press.