Happiness is a daily practice
“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
In Chinese Medicine we believe, “Qi begins in the mind and trickles down through the entire body.”
Qi is life force: an invisible, pulsating, magnetic force field that surrounds all living sentient beings. QI vibrancy changes if we do not take care of it every day. This care comes from the thoughts, actions, and good deeds in our daily living practices.
A good way to understand this concept is to imagine a healthy green and beautifully radiant plant. If the plant is not fed and watered properly with healthy fresh water and given enough sun and shade at the right times, it will most likely lose its luster and growth potential.
The same holds true for our bodies and our minds. We need proper care at the proper times.
I coined a word for this which I call EnerQi.
Our EnerQi precedes us. It is the seen, yet unseen energetic force field we carry with us wherever we go. Our EnerQi changes based on how we care for ourselves.
Our thoughts and actions in each moment are a direct predictor of how each day will unfold before us. A good first step in the care of our EnerQi is training ourselves in the use of conscious positive thoughts in our waking moments. This practice programs your listening unconscious mind to follow suit.
Mastery of your mind will start the chain of feel-good moments and actions that will support you in shifting any thought pattern that does not support vibrant, healthy Qi.
This small mindful habit will make a big difference. Watching your thoughts is a powerful way to reprogram your QI. Pay attention to your self-talk; is it healthy and supportive or negative and diminishing?
The next healthy step is knowing the difference between thinking healthy thoughts and doing healthy things. It is important to think empowering ideas into words, and then put those words into physcial actions.
Implementing them with physical action in the micro moments of our lives is the next step in building healthy habits into the Macro moments that make up our lives and the lives of others within our universe.
Be on the lookout for ways to form healthy habits into your daily activities:
Choose scheduled daily exercise even if it needs to be in 15-min increments.
Eat healthy Qi affirming meals- mostly vegetarian with varied grains, nuts and fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Practice a mindful breath/meditation practice, even for just 15 minutes a day.
Connecting with others, while partaking in empowering conversations, is a great place to start in the connection between being and doing.
Are you thinking empowering thoughts, mostly looking forward, enjoying your life? Counting blessings, living in gratitude? Those are powerful, positive Qi activities.
Do you spend a lot of time thinking about negative, dark things? Do you ruminate on events that you cannot change? Are you unhappy in your social circle? If yes, find ways to move forward from there to a more revitalizing Qi building space.
Reach out for support if you are having difficulty implementing positive change into your life. Acupuncture is very powerful as it realigns Qi.
These little steps will add up to creating big experiences every day; experiences that will put you in alignment to increase happiness and healthy affirming revitalized EnerQi.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” -Loa Tzu
by Sheri Laine, L.AC.; Diplomate OM, MS
Columnist - The Integrative Piece
Counselor - The Magazine for Addiction and Mental Health Professionals