Tag Archives: mental health

by | November 10, 2020 · 10:59 am

Healing the division

Millions of people all over the world have been mesmerized by the elections in the United States that reflect the current underlying polarization of society. The world is becoming more diverse and at the same time more averse to rapid cultural and economic changes.

Change triggers fear

Change is always accompanied by fear and where there is fear there is anger that quickly finds expression in rage and violence. It is the perfect breeding ground for demagogues who follow their own agenda in muddying the waters with lies, half-truths, conspiracy theories and behavior that breaks all norms of common decency.

We are living in an era where social media is largely determining public opinion. We no longer have the overriding influence of traditional media that have acted as gatekeepers to prevent fake, unsourced news from reaching the public domain. In contrast to social media they are liable for the content they disseminate.

Social media is amplifying toxic emotions

A real danger is that social media have algorithms in place that amplify the toxic emotions of fear, hatred, xenophobia, and intolerance. Their entire business model is based on boosting “likes” and “shares”. And its the most outrageous lies, conspiracy theories, and temper tantrums that get shared most. Anyone can put anything out there to stir the melting pot, and it is bound to find resonance in the echoing chambers of social media platforms with a global audience of hundreds of millions of people.

Who is stirring all the hatred, fury and conspiracy theories. It is more important than ever to stand guard at the doorway of your soul.
Photo by M.T ElGassier on Unsplash

During these times IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO STAND GUARD AT THE DOORWAY TO YOUR SOUL:

The watchword here is. Who is stirring intolerance, hatred, anger, fury, violence, and division between us here and them there? How can I as an individual lend support to the softer voices of reason, unity, tolerance, respect, kindness, mindfulness, awareness and the common thread of humanity?

  • How much negativity are you letting into your system?
  • What media or information are you consuming on a regular basis that is having a toxic effect on your emotions?

What is happening in the political arena or in the external world generally only has a marginal effect on your personal day-to-day life if you practice a positive mind-set.

Emotional shifting

What am I grateful for today? Which friends, people, books expand my energy and spiritual horizons? What activities would improve my vibrational energy right now?

One of my favorite methods is emotional shifting. When I feel a toxic emotion such as anger creeping its way into my system, I try to refocus on a positive memory or experience that gets me back into “happy mode”. It can be small things like the beautiful sunset or a bird singing in the garden.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

As you may have heard, my new book, Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul

is now available through bookstores! To celebrate, my publisher, Morgan James Publishing, is hosting a free online launch party featuring me along with some other amazing authors the week of November 16-20.

My interview will be highlighted on MorganJamesBookLaunch.com on November 19th in the Category “Take Charge of Your Health”Time: 9:30 AM EST (Europe Time: 15:30-16:30)

Celebrate with me by tuning in to my interview with a Morgan James team member. Additionally, there will be a free drawing you won’t want to miss! The winner will receive a free Ebook edition of every title featured during this season’s Virtual Book Launch Week. To enter the drawing, simply register at MorganJamesBookLaunch.com. I would be honored if you would also share this event with your friends and family through your social media pages. Join me in sharing my message with the world!

Leave a comment

Filed under mental health, mental-health

Tagged as , , , ,

by | November 2, 2020 · 11:39 am

A crisis of leadership

Leaders shape nations, organizations and communities in many ways. It is during a crisis like the current pandemic that the character of leadership has really been exposed.

Beyond the public display of bravado and polished image many an emperor has been caught during these times without his clothes on.

People follow the cues of the tribal leader

In the response pattern to Covid-19 the catastrophic failures and weaknesses of the populist demagogue has been revealed. With humans being tribal by nature it is natural to mimic the language, behavior patterns and responses of leaders.

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash

Much can therefore be said of the social undercurrent or the dark shadow of the collective unconscious in a nation when we look at the quality of their leaders.

Is the captain steering the ship through rough waters doing so with precision, taking advice from experts, emanating calmness and authority or making haphazard off-the-cuff decisions and blaming everyone else but himself for the predicament?

The dangerous malignant narcissist

During times of crisis the worst leader possible is the malignant narcissist. The psychiatrist Erich Fromm cites such leaders as those who “have attained absolute power; their word is the ultimate judgment of everything, including life and death; there seems to be no limit to their capacity to do what they want.”

As their failures become starkly apparent during the crisis they become more paranoid and fearful, lashing out at everyone around them.

They are pathological liars, violate all norms, humiliate, blame and are incapable of remorse and empathy. We need only to look back at history to see the legacy that such leaders have left.

In recent weeks I’ve conducted a number of workshops on corporate health management with companies from many different sectors. My own observations and many studies confirm a close link between poor leadership, absenteeism and worker motivation.

Many institutions are still stuck in a 20th-century top-down leadership approach. It is the perfect feeding ground for the malignant narcissist. The 21st century leader on the other hand requires an entirely different people skill-set.

Our world is more complex and heterogeneous. Our communities, our societies and the workplace have become a meeting place of different generations, cultures, religions and genders, requiring a particular communication skill-set to address the needs of each group.

The need for leaders with a good people skill-set

More than ever we need good leaders who emanate the qualities of kindness, respect, empathy and common decency. Critical self-awareness, the ability to show gratitude, keeping the ear close to the ground, the ability to delegate, motivate and communicate. These are only some of the skill-sets that we need in our time and the challenges that lie ahead.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might be interested in my 40-day Online training course LIVING TO BE which covers such aspects as defining your “core values”, removing distractive clutter, and boosting your vibrational energy to a new high.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is maik-fischer-522657-unsplash.jpg

As a subscriber to my Blog you can check out a FREE condensed version of the course.

Leave a comment

Filed under mental health, mental-health

Tagged as , , , ,

by | October 20, 2020 · 7:39 am

Boosting your energy during challenging times

applepodcast

“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.” – John Newton –

The external world at times appears to fall into chaos, causing great anxiety and fear. So how do I stay calm and centered amidst all the political and economic turmoil going on during these challenging times?

For a start, who said life was just meant to be an easy ride. Some of the world’s greatest achievers made their breakthrough moments before their biggest failures. It is during those flat-on-the ground moments when  the biggest insights and real spiritual growth take place.

But what do I do when I am in just such a moment of loss and despair?

  • The first step is the acceptance that there are external circumstances that I cannot change.  Stress always starts with a thought, that gets bigger and bigger, gripping the entire body with fear and anxiety.
  • The second step is therefore to find a quiet space and to focus your mind on simply breathing. Listen to your inhaling and exhaling breaths. Become aware of the sounds in your room, like the creaking of a wood panel, then slowly extend your awareness by breathing through that room so that you can hear the distant hooting of a car, a dog barking in the neighborhood, the chiming of a church bell. Listen to the thoughts coming and going, accept them as good friends that can come for a visit and then depart again. In a few minutes you will not only be hearing your breath but also your heartbeat. Relax into that precious moment of pure presence and infinity.
  • Step Three: As you start your day with this awareness you will become more mindful of the external distractions that pull energy from you such as the constant dosage of negative news or people that try to abuse you by bombarding you with their negativity. Stay away from the energy vampires.
  • Step Four: Take a walk- Walking in nature will bring you into alignment with yourself and  the natural rhythm and pace of the universe. Walking will improve your mood, memory and body posture. A change of perspective and the world appears in a different radiance and color. When you are no longer at war with yourself and the external world, body, mind and spirit fall into alignment.
  • Step Five: Eat healthy food. There is a saying that what you eat you become. Put junk food into your body and your body will feel like junk. Avoid the white sugars that you find in most processed foods and soda drinks. Try a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables and you will feel a natural boost to your energy level.

Tell yourself that these moments of sadness, despair, fear and anxiety are OK. This is part of life. Life goes through cycles of ups and downs. How you overcome a down cycle depends very much on how well you train. Just as much at the body falls into flight or fight mode during high stress situations, there comes the recovery cycle of the quite space and rejuvenation.

The ancient Chinese proverb tell us:

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trial.”

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might want to check out my new book “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” released as a paperback by Morgan James Publishing on August 11, 2020. It has some valuable tips on creating happiness and boosting your vibrational energy on many levels. You can order it at all major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or in my own store.  Check out the latest five-star reviews on Goodreads.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bookcovers_sideview.jpg

“A breathtaking, captivating, transformative walk,” – Tom Dutta, Canada

“The book reminded me of my own journey in life I am walking and how bringing stillness to my busy life and mind is essential.” – Karin, France

“The book compresses on its slim 190 pages an extreme density of life wisdom.” Christina Germany

Leave a comment

Filed under mental health, mental-health

Tagged as , , , ,

by | September 22, 2020 · 5:55 am

Are you lost?

Are you finding yourself lost and alone? Just when you thought you were on the right track you find yourself hitting a wall and not knowing a way out.

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

We have all had those moments. At times I have not only found myself lost on a remote mountain on the Camino in northwestern Spain but also on life’s journey. Inevitably I would get lost when I missed an important way marker while daydreaming and avoiding the warning signs from the universe.

Heeding the early warning signs when something is wrong

The universe will always be whispering to you. Especially when you are on the wrong track the whispers could turn into a “shout out”. Inevitably there will be those early warning signs where you feel intuitively that something is wrong.

A person is asking you to lend them money. They tell you they will most certainly pay you back within a month. There is that first feeling that you shouldn’t be doing this but the person is so convincing that you push that first doubt aside. Of course you remember that thought again when the person never complies and you have lost your money.

Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior

Despite a person’s charm the best predictor of a person’s future behavior is that person’s past behavior. Very few people can disguise for any length of time their true character traits. A pity then that falling in love often gets in the way of making a realistic assessment of a person’s character.

There are those small tell-tale signs. Small lies turn into big lies. Repeated assurances that it will not happen again. A change in the tone of voice, a look in the eye and you know something is just not right.

Trusting what the body is trying to tell you

The body is an excellent compass when it comes to trusting your intuition, and knowing. When does my energy expand? When is my energy getting depleted? Ignoring the inner voice of truth for any length of time will inevitably impact your mental and physical health.

Sleepless nights. A common cold not wanting to go away and pointing to a more serious underlying health issue? Regular high blood pressure problems indicating a high stress level and putting you at risk of a stroke or heart attack?

Very few crisis situations simply come out of the blue. Like getting lost on a walk it takes some time before you realize that you are on the wrong path. A call from a passing farmer might alert you to going back onto the right path. Advice from a good friend might prevent you from making a bad decision. But sometimes you do end up getting lost hopelessly. Such crisis situations however can be important lessons in the elevation of consciousness.

Lessons to be learning in a crisis

If you have the feeling that you have placed your ladder against the wrong wall, are unhappy with your situation, and maybe going through a period of sadness and depression, here is something you might consider doing:

  • What is my current situation trying to teach me?
  • What has the universe been trying to whisper to my soul?
  • What past experience feels similar and how did I get out of that situation?

If you feel lost or are finding yourself in a personal crisis situation it always means that something needs to change, has to be reconfigured, realigned, surrendered, let go-of.

But the fear of change and moving out of a comfort zone is one of the biggest human fears. The suffering in the silent misery of procrastination comes from the misconception that we are victims of external circumstance. But it is only half of the truth.

Our greatest freedom is the freedom of choice

The universe, or God, has at the same time given man the freedom of choice. The freedom of choice starts with your mindset. Am I programming myself into a victim mentality? Or am I programming myself to becoming a co-creator in the firm belief that whatever challenge I am confronted with is part of the lesson to be learned of an eternal soul on an evolutionary path of the human experience.

We make mistakes, take the wrong turns, trust the wrong people, make bad choices. It is part of the human condition. We are on a journey, picking up the cues and lessons while on the way.

Reino Gevers – Author. Mentor. Speaker

One more thing…

You might want to check out my new book “Deep Walking for Body, Mind and Soul” released as a paperback by Morgan James Publishing on August 11, 2020. It has some valuable tips on creating happiness and boosting your vibrational energy on many levels. You can order it at all major outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble or in my own store.  Check out the latest five-star reviews on Goodreads.

BookCovers_Sideview

“A breathtaking, captivating, transformative walk,” – Tom Dutta, Canada

“The book reminded me of my own journey in life I am walking and how bringing stillness to my busy life and mind is essential.” – Karin, France

“The book compresses on its slim 190 pages an extreme density of life wisdom.” Christina, Germany

Leave a comment

Filed under mental health, mental-health, Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,