Spring Equinox & Letting Shit Go

Spring Equinox & Letting Shit Go

I attended a peaceful yoga/meditation class with Amanda Rush on Tuesday evening. The class was in celebration of the spring equinox. Amanda mentioned something during the meditation that caught my attention. She referred to spring as the new year. The focus was on creating a new beginning and letting go of all garbage from the past year. At first, this was weird for me, as I had already attempted this in January! You know… “New Year, New Me!!!” Only to quickly get knocked back down on my ass, leaving the rest of the month incredibly dense. 

Amanda’s words sparked some curiosity in me. I began to wonder about the connection between spring and the new year. I spent the next two days researching the history of the calendar, astrological years, lunar years, etc. 

What I learned was on point with what I was thinking.

Spring equinox is the beginning of a new astrological year, and up until the Julian calendar went into effect, March 25th was the original beginning of each new calendar year. This makes sense as spring starts the beginning of everything in nature; however, a long ass time ago, a roman emperor who was superstitious about numbers decided to add two more months to the calendar and screw up all of the days. 

Honestly, I have read so much and I can’t find a legitimate reason for changing the calendar that makes sense. I did read that January was named after Janus, the Roman god of all beginnings. Cool story bro… I don’t know about you, but I look around in January and see nothing new in nature beginning (at least in the US Midwest).

Could this be why most “new year’s resolutions” don’t work out? Or, possibly, why the baggage from the previous year(s) tend to linger? Here we all are, in the dead of winter (when the rest of nature is dormant), some of us drowning in seasonal depression, setting intentions and goals to be healthier, more organized, and better versions of ourselves, only to fall on our faces! I don’t know about you, but usually, by spring, I say screw it and hope for better things to come the next year. 

I thought it didn’t work.

Shortly after the meditation, where I had asked god to help me let all things go and look at this spring as a new beginning, I found myself crying on the bedroom floor. “Would you look at that” I thought to myself, “the meditation didn’t work.”

That was until I realized, this wasn’t depression. This was my soul literally cleansing and letting go of everything I had held onto for so long.

This was unlike any other time (women tend to cry often, but this was different). I literally felt all of the baggage leaving my body until a moment where there was nothing left. 

Then I seen the light.

It felt rough in the moment, but as soon as I came to a more stable place, I could feel as though the universe had finally given me a clean slate to work with. Was this rock-bottom or a bomb-ass cleanse? Did the meditation actually work? I can tell you this: my throat hurts, my eyes are puffy, and my head is now killing me, but I have never felt more clean and optimistic about the future. 

I have been through some crap in my life, but at no point had I ever asked, in a meditative state, to be able to let it all go. When the universe delivered, and I let it all go, I soon realized how much I had been carrying. My tears cleansed my spirit as the spring showers cleanse mother nature.

What if?

I wonder what would happen if we all could align our goals, new intentions, and growth with the seasons of nature. What if we let spring wash away all of the shit from the year before, not just in the weather but in our minds, bodies, and spirits? What if we then ushered in all of the new, pleasant things, dreams, and goals into our lives along with the spring equinox and the blooming of the flowers?

I think if you want to get more organized, eat cleaner, or exercise more, or ask to let go of the baggage you have been holding onto, forget January (did I mention that month sucks?) The TIME IS NOW. 

Don’t be discouraged if your New Year’s goals didn’t work out. Everything in nature was going against you. Try again this spring, and see how it goes. 

I’m leaving the previous notion that new beginnings are the first of the calendar year, and I’m celebrating with spring equinox. I’m taking the goldfish too… Who’s coming with me?

That was referencing Jerry McGuire for those of you who didn’t get it 🙂

I did a similar Tik Tok series on this experience. Feel free to check it out.. and if you want to do a Nutritional Cleanse this spring… I just so happened to have created an entire program, and it’s available on Amazon! Keep scrolling…..

You don’t have to fight any fight alone, seek help whether you are asking god, or the universe, attending meditations, energy healing, or seeking professional help from a counselor or psychologist.

The information I have provided in this article is of my own personal experience and is not meant as medical or mental health advice. I am not a doctor and I am not making claims that this tool will heal you or even work for you. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis please visit your nearest hospital or call 911.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time, day or night, or chat online. Their Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

Spring Cleaning For Your Body: Eat Clean 21

Spring Equinox Cleanse
Tapping For ADHD & Anxiety

Tapping For ADHD & Anxiety

How I Got Into it…

Almost a year ago, I had a huge struggle with anxiety due to a never-ending series of traumatic events. Looking back now, I can see that what I struggled with was so much more than anxiety. It was my ADHD (racing thoughts and brain fog) mixed with a little PTSD (traumatic-event-related stress) topped off with depression and over a million ruminating thoughts that took control of my life. Now that’s a lot of acronyms, but to sum it all up, I was miserable! A dear friend of mine brought over a book about tapping. While I was extremely grateful to her for thinking of me and trying to help, I don’t think I was ready to heal yet. I wrongfully thought at the time that if I took steps toward healing, then it meant I had to become okay with what happened. I wasn’t okay. The book sat on the side table for the next few months as I sat in my misery.

We finally decided to take a trip as a family to Jamaica for some fun and healing. Knowing that I had several hours of driving, airports, and flying, I gathered up all of the self-help books that had been gifted to me! I spent all of our travel time reading each page word-for-word. I’ll later make a new post about the entire Jamaican healing journey and review the books I read. (Here are some of my travel stories) Tapping was the one that had the most significant and immediate effect. As I sat alone one morning on our balcony having coffee, a negative thought took hold and would not let go! I thought to myself, “Oh hell no, not here. Not in paradise!” I did about 5 minutes of a tapping technique, and I found INSTANT relief.

While this has not been the end-all, cure-all for me – it’s most defiantly a tool that has helped tremendously. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, dear friend!

Okay, So what the heck is “tapping?”

Not a new concept, but totally new to me (the book I read was actually published in 2008)! Better late than never!

Tapping, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), is a simple technique to alleviate trapped negative emotions. It involves using your fingertips to tap the body’s nine specific meridian points (energy points) while addressing your negative feelings, thoughts, memory, or emotions. Scientists and other professionals claim this process can release the negative energy connected to those thoughts, emotions, or memories. It has definitely helped me!

Here’s the specific technique I use:

  1. I focus on my issue, such as a ruminating thought, bad memory, or simply being angry and hurt for something someone did to me. I rate the intensity of that negative feeling (this is important for later).
  2. I try really hard to remember what I am grateful for and what I am capable of (this is difficult when I’m in a victim mindset, but I try my best to power through the hopelessness and find at least one thing that I know I’m capable of, or thankful for, or love about myself).
  3. I then start tapping on my body’s meridian points (beginning with the karate chop point on the side of my hand).
  4. While tapping the hand, I repeat what is known as the “setup phrase.” This phrase acknowledges the issue while simultaneously acknowledging what I’m thankful for. Here’s an example: “Even though I am experiencing the pain and trauma of (insert memory or thought) and I’m really angry, I deeply and completely accept myself and my feelings.” or “Even though (insert name) did (insert event) and it hurt me, I am beautiful and worthy of love.” A great ADHD example is: “Even though I lost track of time, I accept myself. I am unique and powerful!”
  5. I then move on to each of my body’s meridian points as I state what is known as a “reminder phrase.” Example: “I am experiencing pain and trauma from this memory, but I can release the grief, and I can experience happiness. The meridian points include the top of the head, eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin, collarbone, and under the arm. I repeat the reminder phrase several times with each meridian point.
  6. I repeat the entire process 2-3 times.
  7. I then rate the intensity of the emotion or thought again. If the intensity has not decreased, I begin the sequence again.

Sometimes I tap to address a painful memory, and sometimes it’s as simple as regaining focus on my work after a distraction. This technique doesn’t have to be used for only deep painful stuff. It can be everyday crap like “Even though my kids are climbing the wall and the laundry has piled up, I accept that I am a good mom.”

tapping for emotional freedom

Resources:

I am so happy to have found this tool and the specific technique that has worked for me. To me, this technique is all about accepting things that you cannot change, releasing the negative energy connected to those things, and instilling a tremendous love for yourself. I cannot promise that tapping will work for you, but If you’re interested in learning more, here are some resources that I have found helpful:

Here are the tapping diagrams provided by the Tapping Solution Foundation.

The Tapping Solution documentary on Gaia

Tapping In (the book my friend gave me) Available on Amazon (affiliate link).

The information I have provided in this article is of my own personal experience and is not meant as medical or mental health advice. I am not a doctor and I am not making claims that this tool will heal you or even work for you. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis please visit your nearest hospital or call 911.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time, day or night, or chat online. Their Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

I am not affiliated with or paid by Gaia or the Tapping Solution Foundation, but I have included links to Amazon products that are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you. This helps fund my work and research. I appreciate your support!