From Stress to Strength

Writer and Energy Awareness™ practitioner Natalie Fee looks at how day-to-day stresses can be used as a way to increase your health and happiness.

When we think of stress, most of us think of being stressed at work, or being stressed out by someone we know. Stress comes up in all kinds of situations and, for many of us, fairly frequently throughout the day.

I’m not going to go into the physical effects of stress, as there’s plenty been written on that subject. What gets less attention is the effect it has on my energy. And how that in turn effects the energy of those around me. Basically, anytime I feel disturbed - for example feeling frightened, angry, hurt or confused - I’m experiencing a stress of some sort. And any kind of disturbance to my mood is simply a sign that one or more of my chakras is lacking in a certain energy. If I get really nervous about a job interview - it demonstrates a lack of energy at my third chakra - resulting in fear. If I can’t stop questioning my partner over where they’ve been and who they’ve been with - it demonstrates a lack of energy at my sixth chakra - resulting in jealousy. Every form of stress corresponds to a lack of energy within me. It’s a pretty radical way of seeing things, as suddenly no-one else is responsible for how I feel! Sure, someone can be acting in a negative way towards me, but does that mean I have to get angry or feel hurt? Although I often do, I’m learning another way. A way that brings me deep and lasting transformation - and a real sense of awakening to my true nature. If my energy was already strong in a particular area, I wouldn’t get stressed by what other people say or do. It’d be like water off a ducks back. So at the times I do feel stressed, I can see that the person / situation has actually done me a favour by showing me a part of my energy that needs to become stronger. Which chakra it’s stemming from - although fascinating - isn’t of any particular importance. What is important is what I do can about it.

For example, the other day I was feeling extremely low. It doesn’t happen to me that often, but there were a number of ‘good reasons’ for my feeling bad (we get very good at finding a reason for feeling bad!). I’d been sick for teen days, I was due on my period, and my partner had just told me that the holiday I was anticipating wasn’t happening. Great. I felt uncontrollably emotional. But I knew in that moment that I had a choice. Either I could wallow in self-pity, make my partner feel bad for not taking me on holiday (ignoring the reality that we just couldn’t afford it right now) or I could do something to change my energy. I sat down to meditate and calm my breathing, bringing my attention to my breath, but I was too disturbed to concentrate, so I put my coat on and went for a “power walk”. This is a walking meditation which uses a mudra (hand position) to eliminate stress from the energy body. After power walking for about 25 minutes I was much calmer. My energy had changed. Doing an energy practice doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll feel instantly better - sometimes you will - but the benefits to your energy are still there, even if you don’t always feel them. On this occasion I did feel better. The power walk had given me the clarity to accept the situation, instead of feeling bad about it.

It’s these kind of energy practices that can successfully transform the stress being experienced into beneficial energies like happiness, wisdom or higher awareness. Unfortunately just ‘thinking’ a problem away, or saying an affirmation, although it may make you feel better, doesn’t cause stable change by itself. If you really want to strengthen your energy, you’ll need a few ways to do that! Through my training I’ve built up a ‘toolkit’ of practices and remedies for transforming stressful situations - and use them every day!

If you want to live life to the full, to really be your own person and not let yourself be knocked about emotionally by other people’s actions or stressed by the amount of work you have sitting on your desk - then you must be able to make a choice in times of stress. Do I carry on losing energy and feeling bad? Or do I stop the reaction and do something to increase my energy and feel better? And there’s a real point to all this. The more we continue to feed our old habits and energy-descending tendencies, the duller our energy becomes. But when we refuse to be controlled by them, we’re instead feeding our spirit, making our energy and lives a whole lot brighter.

When you live your life in this way, things change. It’s not something that happens overnight - it’s a process, full of ups and downs. Of course you can’t get it right all the time - there will be times when you scream and shout ‘it’s not fair - it’s not my fault!’ - but those times get fewer and fewer as your energy becomes stronger. Slowly, you notice that even though you may still react to certain people or situations, the reaction doesn’t last as long as it did before. And then over time you realise that how you feel is less dependant on what’s happening around you. Eventually, you stop being at the mercy of your circumstances - and revel in the freedom this brings! However the reality is that it’s a bit like going to the gym, you have to keep at it before you see results. You expect to have good days and bad days, but you know each time you go you’re getting fitter. And that’s what’s happening when you start trying to change your energy. It may feel like you’re getting nowhere, but every time you choose to not react in the usual way, and instead choose to act in a way that helps your energy, you’re making a huge difference to your future. You really are creating (or revealing!) a happier, peaceful and more balanced you. Which in turn creates happier, peaceful and more balanced relationships - not just with the people in your life, but your relationship with other areas of your life such as your diet, your home, and your career.

Having enough energy to choose to act differently, to not be taken over by your reactions, results from cultivating your energy a little bit at a time, day by day. There are many ways in which you can do this - you may already have a few of your own practices for when you get thrown off balance! But for more life-tools, ones that are personalised to suit your individual needs and stresses, feel free to get in touch.

More Information:
• Natalie Fee is a writer and healer, and offers Everyday Alchemy™ consultations in Glastonbury, London and Southampton. She is also a director of Weaving Star, designing clothing and accessories guaranteed to increase your health, energy and awareness.

• To book a consultation, or for more information, contact Natalie on +44 (0)1458 831116 / +44 (0)7871 397868 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) or visit her websites - www.weavingstar.com / www.everydayalchemist.com

© Natalie Fee 2008 - this document and its contents may not be copied or reproduced without the authors permission.


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