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Browse published articles attributed to Janet Nestor, with full-archive search.
How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish my mind would just shut itself off. I need to sleep!” Then you began thrashing around in bed, trying to find a comfortable position … never quite finding it. Mind on go. Body exhausted. Beating yourself up for having a sleep problem. Angry and at a loss for a solution.
When we love ourselves and trust ourselves all things are possible.
Holistic mental health counseling is a new and growing field based in traditional mental health wisdom, herbal and nutritional medicine and many other integrative therapies. Holistic mental health care is a total person approach that includes all aspects and layers of an individuals life. Most holistic mental health professionals believe that real and lasting healing begins on the inside, within the person’s heart, mind, body and soul and extends outward through positive change in thought and behavior.
The Rosebush - Mindful Gardening is an excerpt from Janet's mindfulness book, Pathwasy to Wholenss If we are being mindful (fully aware) of a newly purchased Rosebush, we carefully attend to it so that it can be planted, root, mature and thrive in a way that is mutually beneficial to the Rosebush, to ourselves, the environment surrounding the bush, and to the environment of our yard and beyond. • Compatibility of all living things
Inner Oasis is a term I coined ten or more years ago to help my clients and class participants create a lush, rich imagery of their core self. Our Inner Oasis is our soul-self, our inner wisdom, our inner joy and our innermost source of pure, unconditional love. It is ever replenishing, ever nurturing, ever there to support our jou ey and guide our life.
A jou al is a way to keep a record of something that is important to us. This jou al safely keeps our thoughts about the creation of Joy. I kept one for a long time, and now I think it would be fun if you kept one too. There is no better way in the world to have a visual of our daily blessings and all the little miracles that happen. Joy Jou alr
This article was first published in Sibyl on line magazine for women, December 1, 2011 “WHEN YOUR SENSE OF SELF IS NO LONGER TIED TO THOUGHT, is no longer conceptual, there is a depth of feeling, of sensing, of compassion, of loving, that was not there when you were trapped in mental concepts. You are that depth.” ~ Eckhart Tolle You are that depth. You have within you an inner oasis, a place of harmony and love. It is there to provided you with the comforting feelings of self-love, including the feelings of peacefulness.
Life feels positive when you experience happiness. Happiness is one of many ingredients that make a positive life positive. However, it takes many more ingredients to create the positive life you want.
We go through our days, busy and rather unaware. We run our errands, care for our family, go to and from work not really having consciously experienced all the wonderful moments of the day. Keeping a Joy Jou al is about becoming more conscious of your joys and less focused or your pain.
Academically Speaking “The field of positive psychology at the individual level, is about positive individual traits: the capacity for love and vocational courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, spirituality, high talent and wisdom. At the group level, it is about the civic virtues and the institutions that move individuals toward better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance, and work ethic.” (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, American Psychologist: 2000)
What happens if I believe I am physically, emotionally and spiritually whole? Better yet, what if I take a leap of faith and I think, behave, make choices, and live within the belief that I am whole, healthy, secure, peaceful, loving and lovable? Belief Silence. We are born from silence. If we live from the silence within, we know our wholeness lives there too. It is limitless, ete al, trustworthy, joyous, compassionate, loving and real. Wholeness is not broken. It cannot be broken, as each piece is part of the whole and contains the mystery of the whole.r
Published in The Art of Wellbeing Magazine, 2009 There are various pathways that guide us in our quest for wholeness and unification with our innermost self. One pathway that I have come to cherish is Walking Meditation. This method seems to nurture me, relax me, and provide the space and time I need to be alone with myself in satisfying, restful and renewing introspection. This is true whether I walk or whether I simply practice Meditative Breathing and the other skills associated with this healing art.
Janet Gallagher Nestor, MA, LPC, DCEP Holistic Mental Health Therapist Just like most of humanity, my response varies on different days depending on what I am experiencing, where I am and what I am doing. My goal is to stay centered and balanced, but sometimes I choose to employ my self-care skills to help me through a rough patch of emotion.
BIG, HAPPY SMILES ARE FREE and they are instantly understood regardless of language or culture. Receiving a big smile, complete with twinkling eyes, is a gift. My heart opens wide to all the possibilities that shine within your smile.
EACH NEW YEAR WE ARE REBORN. The slate is clean. You choose the canvas, the medium, the brush and you'll paint 2012 with your own colors. The result of your art, the final product, is up to you. You build your new year one brush stroke, one thought at a time. Regardless of your past history, regardless of the problems you face today, your finances and the quality of your life, you choose how you live your life. You choose the thoughts you think, the beliefs you live by and the actions you take regarding your thoughts and beliefs.
Love, trust and forgiveness are the essentials of life. I know that I need these three nurturing ingredients, and I know you need them too. I have found that living within a family is a magnificent gift and a loving commitment. To make the family work, each member offers the gift of being physically, emotionally and spiritually available to the other family members. As insurance, we grow a connection between us so deep and strong that love, trust and forgiveness reach across time and distance to mutually nurture each others heart and soul.
Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be.rn- Eckhart Tolle When asked about being fully present and focused, my client answered something like this: I don't know that I am ever present or fully focused. My mind is all over the place and my friends tell me I don't know how to relax. I am a type A personality, and I am always busy.
From Pathways to Wholeness, p. 85-86 Recorded for you at www.mindfulpathways.com I created this exercise for my own personal healing jou ey, and share various versions of it with my clients on a regular basis. The exercise can be practiced daily. If we have physical health issues or any sort ofrndifficult emotional history or trauma, I suggest the exercise be practiced as often as possible. It is deeply soothing and healing and meant to help us contact our “authentic self” … the one that is exquisitely formed, whole, unified, and at perfect peace.
February/March Article written for Sibyl Spiritual EZine for Women
In my counseling work I see a lot of people with chronic physical health issues and chronic mental health issues. We all think that chronic illness begins with the diagnosis from the doctor. I don't think that is true. I know it is not true energetically. It takes a long time to get sick, and the chronic illness that is now official might have begun 20 or more years ago. This is why self-care and self-love are so important. The more love and acceptance we give to ourselves, the healthier we are in mind-body-emotions-spirit.
Some relaxation music to read by: Dolphins Delight by Ambient Space) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UThOseyShA8&feature=youtu.be You probably don’t like feeling stressed or that unidentifiable underlying unease that defines anxiety. Many of us lump all of our symptoms into one broad category and call it stress – but many of us are really suffering from chronic anxiety.
TO MAKE SENSE OF OUR FAST PACED WORLD and our hectic lives we need emotional balance. With balance comes a kinder more flexible life. When our inner environment is balanced we are free to enjoy ourselves and accomplish our goals. Without balance, we feel frustrated and hopeless, wondering how to survive life's rat race.
Pages 23-25 from my book Pathways to Wholeness All positive thought is based on the principles of unconditional love and by definition, contains the following ingredients: 1. Positive intention 2. Positive content 3. Positive outcome for self, others, and for all life in generalr Why is positive thought important? A thought is pure energy and therefore has a life of its own. Once the thought is formed, it drifts into an unseen current and becomes part of a universal collective of thought that affects life not only today, but throughout all time. If you thinkr
I don't know the percentage of people who come into my office living in abuse or needing to work through past abuse. The ratio is astoundingly high. When I worked in substance abuse residential care, the percentage was probably 99%.
I thought you might enjoy an excerpt from my new book, Nurturing Wellness Through Radical Self-Care: A Living in Balance Workbook. I hope you find the information helpful.
“People Tested” suggestions that help us build and strengthen our existing inner resources. Enrich YOUR life one step at a time.
Positive psychology is a wonderful state of mind, a way of thinking that brings joy, happiness, fun, laughter and contentment into our life. This article, origninally written for Sibyl spiritual e-zine for women, is about a positive consciousness that allows all of us to be part of the wholeness of being human and spirit - a unity of being. Creation gives us everything we need, somtimes in the form of physical helpers and teachers. Sometimes in the form of experience. Recognizing our helpers, teachers and growth opportunities is our challenge. Earth Angels
After a morning filled with an Easter Egg Hunt, moments of remembrance related to Easter's deeper meanings, and a breakfast fit for a prince and princess my husband and our grandson Kodiak went off for some time together. Our granddaughter Lucy and I went for a walk along the greenway that boarders our neighborhood and follows along beside a pretty little creek. We decided to walk toward the woods and then on into the trees as far as we could go. We did not expect the old narrow path to be so expanded, but it had been turned into a bike trail!
I love books and I often go on a reading binge that lasts for weeks at a time. Pathways to Wholeness is about mindful meditation, personal growth, spiritual development and personal healing. I'd like to mention some of the books that touched my heart and inspired my personal wellness jou ey. Wayne Dyer: Your Sacred Selfr
I have chosen to share a philosophy of healing that was defined for me a year or so ago during meditation. This new way of thinking is going to change your life and the lives of those you love and cherish. You’ll change your self-talk and change the way you interact with members of your family when they are sick or suffering. It applies to the work you’ll encounter during your Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care Program. You’ll have some new things to consider as you choose your strategies for a positive life jou ey.
I have been wrestling with a very deep trust issue, one that has been with me since conscious memory. This morning in meditation I asked for understanding and I was guided through the meditation by a member of my spiritual family of guides and teachers. I think Mataji has been with me all my life. I don't remember how I first met her, but she was an “imaginary friend” when I was about four years old. At the time I named her Gently and Gently remained her name until about 1999 when an exceptional meditation teacher and clairvoyant showed me her picture and told me her real name was Mataji.
Published in the Dec/Jan 2010 issue of Sibyl On-Line Spiritual Jou al for Women Circuit: A partial or continuous path over which a current flows. Winter holiday excitement is literally floating in the air and into our hearts. Radio stations are offering continuous play of holiday tunes and our homes are festively dressed for celebration. We want these joyous feelings to last forever.
Why Detoxify? We live in a polluted world. Our environment, air supply, water and foods are full of herbicides, pesticides, chemicals of all kinds, and normal every day allergens like dust and mold. Our organs and our bodies get worn down by all the extra work they do attempting to filter out all of the pollutants and allergens. The world has seen an increase in cancer, lowered male sperm count, heart disease, birth defects – including developmental disabilities and many other illnesses and disorders since the early 1900's. Here are some statistics.r
by Janet Gallagher Nestor, MA, LPC, DCEP Holistic Mental Health Therapist Most women are multi-taskers. Our culture says we can do it all: Get a good education, be an engaging conversationalist, be beautiful, marry, have children, keep a size 6 figure, have a career, clean the house, drive the car pool and be a home room mother. Even more stressful, we are expected to do it all well … and sometimes all in the same day! Even after the children are grown, the facts remain the same. We are expected to have a life that is overflowing and too busy for one person to handle comfortably.
Finally, after a summer of moving to Maryland, editing, and working with the publisher, my new book is about to be born. It is due out before Christmas and will be available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobel. I am excited because this book is a reflection of my work over the years, both as a educator and as a counselor. It combines my love of life with my love of energy psychology, mindfulness, meditation and jou aling. These amazing mind-body balancing tools are a part of my personal life and my professional life, and I am now able to share them with you.