Flow in the River of Life, 7 Strategies to Increase Your Personal Power and Manage Stress

By Kiernan Antares

See all Articles by Kiernan AntaresSee Kiernan Antares's Expert PageGet Updates on Spiritual GrowthGet Updates on Kiernan Antares

This morning in meditation, while breathing deeply, a vision began to appear. I became aware of myself as a drop of water in the river of life. Millions of drops of water around me on all sides, yet there was space to breathe, space to move, space to be. For a while, I floated effortlessly with the currents, and then the currents became rapids. I was swerving around and splashing up against rocks. Thrown in every which direction until I was back in the stillness again, floating along in the calmer waters, feeling peace enriching my very existence.

I see this vision as a metaphor for life. Sometimes, we coast along, going with the flow and allowing life to carry us effortlessly to some magical destination. But, when turbulence appears in our lives, more often than not, most people tend to tense up and try to avoid the rocks (challenges) by clawing and flailing about, desperately trying to swim to the side banks where we think safety awaits us.

Does it work? Perhaps sometimes it does, but not without its share of scrapes, bumps and bruises that tire us out and leaves us feeling drained so that when the next obstacle or challenge appears we have even less reserved energy to make it to the next safe zone.

Going with the flow of life doesn’t guarantee that we won’t crash up against the rocks occasionally, as my vision revealed, but if we can stay with the currents rather than fighting against them we will find ourselves back in the stillness, rewarded with the essence of Spirit in the water around us and within us, nourishing and rejuvenating every cell of our being.

How to Flow in the River of Life

Building our core strength and center of power provides us with the ability to withstand and manage the challenges we face in life with greater ease. It helps us to navigate the stormy waters and be more comfortable in the ebb and flow of the currents in life.

Here are my top seven recommendations to help you increase your personal power:

1. Spend time in nature; consciously ask for help in grounding your energies and the energies flowing through you into Mother Earth. You are like a lightening rod and unless you are grounded in this world you will be easily thrown off balance. As you walk, breathe deeply and with every step you take send your energies into earth.
2. Exercising regularly helps to increase your self-confidence and builds strength and stamina. It helps you to feel balanced, healthy, and in the world. Whatever form of exercise you choose make sure it’s something you enjoy! My personal favourite these days is Pilates because it builds strength, increases flexibility, and incorporates use of the breath bringing in the body, mind, and spirit connection.
3. Proper nutrition is fundamental to giving your body what it needs to carry you through your day. Eat clean, fresh, and local foods whenever you can. Our bodies have enough external stresses to deal with through exposure to pollutants, chemicals etc. that we don’t need to add more by ingesting them too! Adopt the attitude that your body is the temple that houses your soul?nourish it well and it will reward you with great health and vitality!
4. Healing the wounds from your past will change your life permanently. Take time to explore your inner world and find ways to let go and forgive the people and circumstances in your life that you feel have wronged you. Discover the gifts that every situation brings and see things from the higher perspective that we are here to learn and grow and help others do the same.
5. Express your creativity in whatever form you enjoy. Everyone is creative in some way; whether artistically through painting, writing, and singing or through other activities like cooking, organizing, listening to music, or even coming up with solutions to problems. Find ways to incorporate your creative gifts into your daily life.
6. Meditation is a valuable tool to calm the mind, get to know your inner world which includes your body and spirit, and strengthens your ability to connect with your Higher Consciousness.
7. Being of service is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. You will learn more about who you are and find greater meaning in life by caring and doing for others.

Incorporating these seven activities in your life will help you to get to know yourself on deeper levels and to know yourself is vital to developing your personal power and being able to handle the challenges that come your way.

May the blessings of the universe be upon you everyday!