by Suzanne Anderssen, Brisbane
I like to use metaphors to describe where I am at each moment. A year ago, I felt like I was walking a tightrope. The tightrope was very saggy, very swingy and each step along that tightrope was difficult, but I was at least travelling forward. Bit by bit, that tightrope became tauter, stronger, more still, albeit I still felt like I was walking it.
The metaphor I feel like today is similar, but maybe less life threatening! Life often feels like I’m at a surf beach, diving through waves. Have you ever noticed that waves tend to come in sets of about six or seven? Then there is a bit of a rest, where you can catch your breath and prepare for the next set. Sometimes that next set is an onslaught, where each dive under the wave is an effort, you get messed around in the froth, the sand; you barely have enough time to take another breath before you need to dive under the next wave, you may not even get to push off and dive under the wave, just duck under so you don’t get dumped. You’re exhausted by that set and nervous about the next, as surely it will come too soon.
And sometimes it’s a set of waves that you navigate with ease and harmony. Your timing in diving under the wave is perfect, you feel the swell of the wave above and around you, but you don’t get caught up in the swirl of the water. You have time to wipe your eyes, keep your hair off your face, take a look at where the next wave is coming from, take a deep breath and push off the sand with your two feet to dive deeply under with a strong body…and your swimsuit stays on too 🙂
For me, life can be like the surf. Those seven or so waves in a set represent my job, my husband, myself, my child, my child’s school life, my friends, my house.
Whenever I am on the verge of being dumped by the waves, I notice that I make a special effort to use a bunch of support mechanisms that I have learnt over my lifetime, with many learned in the past two years since listening to Serge Benhayon’s presentations. I have learned that what I can do to support myself is to breathe gently, or take a warm, moisturising bath, or make a super nurturing, light meal, or light some incense, or put on super comfy clothes, or take plenty of time to blow dry my hair, apply makeup, moisturise, paint my nails, or go for a long, easy walk or swim, or visit a friend, or do a meditation, or brew some herbal tea in a pretty teapot, or fold laundry (very soothing for me!), or tenderly moisturise my hands and feet… etc.
When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me. I feel so grateful that I have people around me who have shown me many different ways that I can truly support myself.
The Truth about Universal Medicine 
Connecting to the stillness within and you feel you are in the eye of the storm of the world that swirls around you.
“When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics” I must do for when I feel out of sorts and a great reminder at this point in time. Thank you.
Universal Medicine are so incredible at nurturing people to develop their own tools of self care and true support. Truly an incredible organisation who consistently offer unending support to everyone.
There are many tools that support us with self care and nurturing, these will be different for each of us, some could be, ‘I have learned that what I can do to support myself is to breathe gently, or take a warm, moisturising bath, or make a super nurturing, light meal’.
I can so relate to the waves, after work today I needed support which came in the form of a comfy, soft PJ top (pink, of course 🙂 ), a rest, a hot drink, some incense, and a short Gentle Breath Meditation. I’m not completely back but I’m nearly recovered from the wave that was today! Great blog Suzanne and lovely to review your list of supports, and appreciate that I now innately do these for myself.
Lovely to read how you naturally deepen your love, care, and nurturing of yourself when needed Melinda.
Ultimately we can all be as joyful and proficient in the waves as dolphins.
How lovely that will be.
I loved reading this. It is so gorgeous to read ‘breathe gently, or take a warm, moisturising bath, or make a super nurturing, light meal, or light some incense, or put on super comfy clothes, or take plenty of time to blow dry my hair, apply makeup, moisturise, paint my nails, or go for a long, easy walk or swim, or visit a friend, or do a meditation, or brew some herbal tea in a pretty teapot, or fold laundry (very soothing for me!), or tenderly moisturise my hands and feet… etc.’ My learning is very much not how do the waves affect me (and absolutely with not being perfect of course they do), but similar to you a way I can live that supports myself to instead navigate my way with ease and harmony. A simple teaching that we (the world) could all benefit from.
It’s so lovely to take that perfectionism off ourselves, and the pictures of how we are supposed to be, and simply respond with love and care for ourselves when we experience a ‘wave’ impacting us. It becomes less about what happened or how we were supposed to be, and more about the love we can bring to ourselves.
How do the waves affect us, and yes, they can come one after another in short succession, so how great to have tools that support us during these periods.
Being playful is such a great medicine for life. We may have a fall or get dumped by the waves, but we are constantly being offered another round, and mastery is not about never getting dumped.
So true Fumiyo, we are mastering how to be love in life, that means the whole of life and tested in many areas to develop strength and consistency.
I can echo that Doug. It is such a difference from numbing myself, being a victim, to actually having the tools, and applying them, to deal with and resolve issues – so empowering.
Absolutely Doug, seeing life through the bottom of a glass never works, but jumping in the deep end so we feel the magnetic pull out of the turbulence is one of the most loving lessons we can set as a foundation and deepen in.
Having the space to breathe and feel the loving flow we can live. Thank you Suzanne, adding to what you have shared, that by having the space to breathe and feel the loving flow we can live allows each step to be one of evolution, free of the tension of life as we are seemingly magnetically pulled forward to walk in the most loving way. Then we can also duck-dive any adverse situations as that are seen well before they arrive from the loving-rhythm we are in allows each step to be one of evolution as we are seemingly magnetically pulled forward to walk in the most loving way and also duck-dive any adverse situations as that are seen from the rhythm we are in.
From walking a ‘saggy tightrope’ to surviving ‘being dumped’ under tumultuous ‘waves’, I have experienced these challenging situations many times in my life. But over the last few years, thanks to the marvelous tools for life I have been offered by Serge Benhayon, the tightrope has been discarded and the waves are a lot more gentle, and so life flows way more easily than it has ever done – and it’s much less exhausting to live.
I totally agree with what you have written about Serge Benhayon, this man will be remembered in history we will look back and marvel at his powerful, yet delicate relationship to God and how totally obedient he was so that nothing could deter him from the message he was sent to present. Humanity as a whole is missing such a golden opportunity by not maximizing all that he knows and can bring. So my question is what is it about us that we are in such deep denial of the truth that is constantly presented to us. Why are we so afraid of ourselves that we don’t want to hear the truth of who we are and where we come from.
The basics are often under-rated, our foundations are so crucial in our wellbeing. When our foundations are weak, when we’re not solid in our stance, anything that happens can knock us over. Or we could go the opposite way and use force to remain above water, but that only works temporarily until we sink really, really deep.
I loved your reminder of how waves come in a pattern which was a great reminder for me of how life has its own natural flow and rhythm. When we live in that flow we stay on top of the waves, yet as soon as we stray from the natural flow, we soon find ourselves lost and looking for the light.
I loved your analogy of life like riding the waves, there are many things we learn through life from our own experiences and those of others, Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have definitely inspired me to live my life through knowing myself first, which has truly helped me cope with the testing times in life.
Having these supportive methods in place is far healthier than the vices we have en mass resorted to, such as distractions or dulling with foods/drinks.
Yes, having a foundation of supportive measures to turn to as and when needed is so very wise.
A great reminder of the many tools I have to remind me to be love and to love me. It is so easy to let self care drop amongst all the things we have ‘to do’ but if we have true care for ourselves as a foundation thenee find we can go though life without getting caught up in life.
I get the feeling when I read this that we can be the ones that are at the end of an onslaught and manage as best as we can or we can actually move away from that onslaught and let something else guide us through life. This something can be love and it feels like life can be quite different when we are guided by love instead of how we think life has to be like.
Knowing how to return to our connection to our essence, our stillness is incredibly empowering as we then can return to being ourselves with greater awareness of how we can respond with truth with whatever aspect of life we are met by.
Feeling ill today it was lovely to read this blog and remember: I have many supportive tools available and to come back to basics. Thank you Suzanne.
Learning how to go back to ourselves, well it feels like we are surfing a huge wave is everything at that moment. Coming to basics usually requires very basic things
It is quite incredible to have this foundation of ways to connect back to you, when you feel like you have been ‘dumped by a wave’. The Way of the Livingness does provide a way of living that steadies you, connects you to your inner-essence and to your body, that reminds you to breathe your own breath (and not the breath of the situation), to care and love you, and from this strong foundation, you can ‘face the waves’, even dance and play in them as well.
So beautifully said Sarah. It is also my experience that The Way of The Livingness offers a way we can live in connection to who we are and how we can bring this loving quality to every aspect of life we live. Always inspiring and there is always more to explore.
So true Sarah. The Way of The Livingness certainly does offer a way of living that supports us through life. And what I love, is that it has no rules, no dogma, no expectations of us, but simply offers a way of life that we actually all know deep within, a way we have not connected to for a very long time.
Sarah, I loved your description ‘you can ‘face the waves’, even dance and play in them as well’ because it actually describes really well how doing a managerial role, (one that I had previously avoided because I had felt that I wouldn’t be able to cope with the pressures of it), is actually now something that I am doing with ease, so much so that I do feel that there is an element of play when I’m at work, (even when doing the aspects of the job that I had dreaded (like performance management).
Beautiful, and very true what you share here Sarah, ‘The Way of the Livingness does provide a way of living that steadies you, connects you to your inner-essence and to your body, that reminds you to breathe your own breath (and not the breath of the situation), to care and love you, and from this strong foundation, you can ‘face the waves’, even dance and play in them as well.’
Recognizing the pattern of waves is such a great asset, as well, knowing that we do know what to do if we get toppled over into the water would allow us to meet each wave with less tension and anxiety, we feel well prepared and equipped to deal with anything that may come our way, and in that surrendered state, we are actually less likely to fall, I find.
It is not about fighting and to beat the wave but to move in a rhythm that allows the natural flow that is in all that lives.
What I found if during wave 2 I get out of rhythm I then become very aware of my movements for the next wave to get back into rhythm and continue this until it is done. Changing movements can be very powerful.
Gorgeous to be reminded that by becoming aware of our movements, and changing these movements can support our return to a true rhythm.
I agree – it’s not so much the getting dumped that is important but the getting back up and on our feet again. This list of techniques you have for doing this is awesome and a great reflection that life is about supporting ourselves with these loving moments – that eventually become our way of living.
Yes. it is the ‘getting back up’ is the really important part and having a set of tools as presented are an invaluable support.
One tool that’s super handy is not considering that getting dumped is a failure, accepting the wobble and returning to those supportive tools encourages one to get back out there and go again. Like kids learning to walk, they don’t beat themselves up after falling over again and again, they get up and off they go again.
We are continually learning in life, which is why we can become much wiser in our later years.
Absolutely know this one. I had to drag myself off for a walk the other day because I felt headachey and tired and just wanted to rest and yet knew at a deeper level that it was a walk that my body was calling for. I had an amazing walk and came back refreshed and regenerated ready for whatever presented it self, thoughts of resting had been washed away in the connection with nature and a deeper, truer, part of me.
When you ‘up the love and care’ for yourself, you are more prepped for the world. Last night I prepared a nourishing meal for myself as I was not feeling very well. Part of me did not want to do that, but I did and it was lovely. It was a piece of yummy fish, some kale chips and stir fried veges. It is important to keep caring for yourself, some days I do it, and other days I don’t but I keep heading in that direction.
That’s an awesome point Sarah. Building that consistency with yourself is so key. I too have days where I really want to give up all responsibility of self care, but I know It’s a slippery slope from there, so to the best of my ability I remind myself I’m worth the effort.
Beautiful Suzanne, you choose to change your movements, when you feel you are no longer connected with yourself into supportive ones, to come back to your innate stillness. A foundation of love we all have inside.
Yes and to then bring that stillness to our movements. We may not even need to stop to get to stillness.
Walking on a tightrope is a good picture for when we are stressed, racy and not with ourselves.
Yes, this is a great example. When we are stressed and racy, we are more likely to have an accident or make mistakes.
Returning to the detail in the basics is a great key to confirm and consolidate our true inner foundation. The more we build on this, the less opportunity for our mind to grip us in self doubt or overwhelm
“When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me”.
I am not a surfer but you share your metaphor for life so clearly and beautifully.
Thank you Suzanne.
There are many ways we can support ourselves as we navigate through life. Staying on the surface of the ocean we can get knocked around by the waves, or we can dive deeper into the ocean where the waters are still and settling. From reconnecting to the steadiness within we can observe all around us without getting drenched. Thank you Susan.
….Thank you Suzanne.
A beautiful sharing and reflection on the ups and downs of life and the constant rolling waves coming and being in the flow or not depending on how we are feeling and our choices from there. The power we have with our choices and the time to gently give ourselves care nurturing and space lovingly with our body is very true and beautiful to feel and remember naturally.
There are times when i have felt battered and bruised by the energy that I have let in, or the energy of old patterns emerging, but by choosing to come back to breath my own breath I can feel the energy of love flow through out my body bringing a sense of settlement within.
An awesome way of looking at the developing nature of our everyday life. Sometimes the surf is absolutely massive (dare I say tidal wave) and seems it will never stop the dumping, but it will. If surrender, and commitment to love is there, the smoother waves are around the corner.
We easily get caught in the tangle of life and going ‘back to basics’ is a simple and supportive way to returning back to ourselves.
I love blow drying my hair something I avoided as before I didn’t have ‘time’ but when I included this in my rhythm I have space and I love blow drying my hair now.
When I choose the eye shadows my eyes feel towards, my make up is different.
So I steer to what ever to support me from being dumped on – love your sharing Suzanne.
Deepening our relationship with our bodies allows us to handle the intensity that life often is around us. The deeper we go within ourselves the more solid we are to be in the world with all its challenges.
This is very true Thomas. I find trying to solve the challenges in life with my head and rationalising things while leaving my body out of the picture doesn’t seem to work. This shows how powerful it is to connect to our body and listen to its wisdom and intelligence for guidance and support.
I agree Thomas, the deeper we are in our bodies the more connected we are and the harder it is for us to be pulled out, our connection with our body becomes a living anchor.
When we get thrown about by life, it is our responsibility to steady our ship..
A great metaphor for life and sometimes we can go with the flow and feel the water support us as we surf the wave.
I like this metaphor too, and I love the way nature is always providing reflections for us, that when we observe and take note of such wisdom on our way, we are reminded that it is very possible to BE in the flow and the rhythm of life.
‘When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me’. What is it to nurture myself fully? I feel this is changing all the time but at the core level it is the attention and love that I am able to bring to myself when I can sense that dumping about to happen or the potential of it looming on the horizon.
I also find folding washing supports me to return to a sense of centredness, maybe it’s something about bringing order! I still feel I crash with some waves (of life) but since studying with Universal Medicine I have many more tools to call on to support me, the primary one being my connection to myself and my inner resources. Self love and self care as a foundation in life is also very important, that’s what helps to hold me steady during difficulties.
Learning to live in a way that truly supports us is life changing, so no matter what happens we are equipped to deal with it because we have established a level of self-care and self-love that constantly feeds us back.
When we start to act from our head and leave our body behind we become less connected and riding the waves becomes something we have to try to do rather than have a feeling for or just knowing. It’s our level of awareness that allows us to clock when we are shifting away from ourselves and can alert us to making a move back before the dumping point.
Life can be intense at times. When this happens, an agitation comes into our body. What we do when this happens is crucial. We can go for relief or we can make a conscious choice of bringing life to a point of truth which changes immediately how we feel in the body and the situation we are going through. Honouring truth is an art that is always based on simplicity, love and connection.
Loved your metaphors of life, how you have found ways to support yourself as you are on the verge of being ‘dumped’. The key is to read the waves of life in advance which gives us space to prepare for what’s next.
Life can be very medicinal, if we choose it to be so.
Thank you Suzanne for sharing the many ways of self love and care that you use to bring yourself back, it is the quality in our movements that make what we do self loving and nurturing, the other day I had a situation where I went into anxiousness and became wheezy in my chest, a slight movement of my body happened and in an instant all the wheeze and anxiousness disappeared it showed me how changing our movements changes the energy.
On the other side of the coin – Why is it then that we continually repeat a behaviour that is harming to ourselves and each other? Why do we not learn from the first time it hurt?
We can do many nurturing things for ourselves but unless we do them in a quality that confirms us they are just solutions, they work but they do not truly evolve us. I love that you have a set of go to things that support you and I think that is super important but what has always worked for me in whatever I do is my quality of movement. Then taking out the rubbish can be like a meditation or a cup of herbal tea.
There is a rhythm in which life flows, that we too are a part of. Developing a loving relationship with ourselves and our bodies is what allows us to be guided to know what is needed to support us to live in accordance to this rhythm, so then our life lived becomes a natural flow of movements rather than a struggle or resistance to our innate way of being.
I used to create so many dramas in life and even though I would be whinging non-stop it was an indulgence, it was something that defined me, there was an attraction – life was just a series of motion, and I just had to move through it, and I used to think that was the whole point.
It’s amazing how quick the support is or what to do is there when I check in with my body and ask what do you need right now in this situation. If I don’t listen, then that is when I get bolded over by the waves that are coming.
So very true Aimee. It truly is awe-inspiring how our inner-wisdom is always on hand, we only need to surrender to it through connecting to the truth in our bodies.
As always it is forever our choice whether we allow ourselves to ‘sink’ or ‘swim’ when living in this great sea of life. Our task is to learn to swim in a way whereby we do not take great lungfulls of water into our lungs (absorb the world) but instead move in such a way that we rise above (observe in full) all that seeks to pull us under. This is done by the steadiness of our breath.
As a kid, I used to love the feeling of diving through a wave. It’s a great analogy, in life; we always have stuff coming to us we can either choose to stay in our own rhythm or get beaten around by it.
I absolutely love the simplicity of what you have shared here Susanne – metaphors are a playful way for us to understand how energy works in our day to day and how we handle things and how it makes us feel – a very powerful tool!
It sure is, and everyone can relate and understand how that feels.
A classic example of self-responsibility and self-love. Love it Suzanne and very inspiring how you see life and personally relate it back to you. There is much to ponder on here.
You can’t possibly have self-love without responsibility to self because self-love comes as a result of being responsible for how we treat ourselves across all aspects of our lives. It’s no good taking care of ourselves only when we’re at home if we’re then gonna go out and trash ourselves at work, equally it doesn’t work to have loving relationships with our friends if we’re then happy to be abused in our family relationships. That’s not to say that we have to address everything at the same time but simply to say that eventually, everything needs addressing because in truth everything is made up of everything else.
When we get ahead of ourselves or in delay through avoidance, coming back to basics brings us into the present moment and in reconnection to our body and inner self; connecting to our breath and our movements we feel who we are again and can appreciate ourselves. I love your metaphor of the waves and how it does feel like we are about to be dumped sometimes but we have these great tools, thanks to Serge Benhayon, to support us.
The ‘basics’ are the essentials of life and we never graduate beyond them. They form our foundation in every step in life and support the solidness that allows us to glide through the waves of life.
Beautifully expressed Fiona – the solidness in our foundation is founded in every single detail we bring presence and quality to.
The waves are the rhythm of life so are we going with this flow and surrendering or are we trying to control, finding out our own independent way, which I have discovered does not truly exist and hurts us so much. When we choose our true nature and are in rhythm we feel we are part of a whole, a divine order in which we have our part to play, lovingly so.
A wise woman once suggested we “go back to basics and stay there”, for really the basics are the foundations on which we build from so if we neglect them, our foundation becomes unsteady and unsafe.
The waves are a great metaphor for life. Living in a way that is in respect to our body and to the greater ocean we are a part of allows us to move in rhythm with the flow of it, navigating the waves with ease and buoyancy.:)
In a world that is about output, productivity and outcome, acts like tenderly moisturising ones hands or taking the time to choose a cup to make the tea in or looking out the window to enjoy the colours in the sky is considered a ‘waste of time’. We have lost the understanding and importance of these in between moments that nurture us and make our lives full and enjoyable and through that give us a foundation we stand on when things get a bit rough or turbulent.
Thank you Suzanne for such a simple and beautiful reminder for any time we may feel overwhelmed or stressed in life – ‘When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me.’
Oh my goodness reading all of this made me say YES ‘is to breathe gently, or take a warm, moisturising bath, or make a super nurturing, light meal, or light some incense, or put on super comfy clothes, or take plenty of time to blow dry my hair, apply makeup, moisturise, paint my nails, or go for a long, easy walk or swim, or visit a friend, or do a meditation, or brew some herbal tea in a pretty teapot, or fold laundry (very soothing for me!), or tenderly moisturise my hands and feet… etc.’ It seems for me the last few weeks have been non stop and only a while ago I was reflecting how I need to support myself, to stop, to nurture and really this should not just be 1 hour or 1 day in a month but a way of living so that we do not get ‘caught in the wave’. This is what Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine beautifully present and live and something I am still very much learning and a student of. Thank you for sharing. I’m booking myself a date with the bath 😄
I love your love of metaphors Suzanne, it is like having an inexhaustible font of reflective wisdom upon which to ponder … ☺
Suzanne your metaphors make it very clear on the choices we make in every moment either allows us to go through life simply or get knocked around. When I push and put pressure on myself my body feels like it’s been smashed by a wave, and the next thing that is asked of me feels huge and I want it all just to stop. But when I feel into what feels true to do next, the intensity is not there and instead it’s gentle rolling wave.
It is our movements what create situations where we find ourselves on the verge to being dumped ‘by the waves’. Once we are in it, we can dive further by confirming the movements that led us there or we can put a stop to it by means of choices and a deliberate attempt to shift how we are moving. Getting there and getting out of there is merely an option.
Your metaphors paint a very vivid picture of how we can either allow ourselves to get uptight and/or swept up in our daily lives or we can prepare ourselves by building a solid foundation via a few simple support mechanisms.
Developing our relationship with our bodies allows us to meet the demands of life in a very simple and calm way and not get caught up with the overwhelm when things get a bit too much. It is this deepening with this quality within that creates space for life to flow in a harmonious way.
‘When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me.’ This is such a great way to live, if something is amiss, take it back to basics and get that right, it’s much better to stop and change the quality of your day, than continue on and realise a few months or years later you’ve gone astray.
Coming back to stillness when we have been rocking around in the craziness of life is like coming home and re-connecting to ourselves again. It is like re-setting our clock and coming back to a rhythm that we know will support us.
Knowing what supports us is a great thing to have in life, as life sometimes gets tough. But knowing what will bring us back to feeling amazing is all that matters, and we always can.
“When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me.” Coming back to our gentle breathing and stillness is so important when the stressiness of life hits us. These days it feels so much easier to do, as with practice the momentum of that stillness felt within builds over time.
It is empowering to know that with the right self-care and support in place you can face whatever life throws at you with ease and grace.
What I still tend to do is push through and keep going even though I feel out of sorts or stressed. When I do this, I get further and further away from that feeling of being centred. I am learning to catch myself sooner and come back quicker using the tools I have been taught, rather than get so disconnected that I flounder around getting dumped by waves left right and centre for hours.
Supporting ourselves so we are better equipped to deal with what life brings is so very important. I never used to see looking after myself as a priority. What was important back then was to get my to-do list finished, but of course it never is. Since moving self-care to the top if my list, the way I do things has changed drastically and I have more time for people, am less grumpy, and my health has improved.
Suzanne thank you for sharing the strategies you use to bring yourself back. They are simple everyday events, but by bringing awareness to these activities I see how it can help restore a feeling of equilibrium. I am learning that the more I practice maintaining this equilibrium within, I am better able to deal with the waves that sometimes crash around outside of me.
Going back to basics when things get rough is a great way forwards, so often when things get wavy we put our effort towards struggling to get out of the waves, and that engagement keeps things wavy for even longer. If we take it back to care and nurturing and ensuring the basics are taken care of, I find the waves quickly smooth out, and even if they don’t I can gracefully ride them rather than half drown.
When I read the title of this blog I thought it was going to be about being ‘dumped’ in a relationship i.e. boyfriend & girlfriend. No matter 😉
I totally agree when these onslaughts arrive the best thing would be to support otherwise, instead of the normal way of self medicating.
I notice that when I am caught in the waves, I have already let things go.
The wave metaphor is a great one because when we get tumbled in a wave we have no idea which way is up and it’s the same when we allow ourselves to get taken out by something in our lives, it’s as if we lose sight of which way is up, it becomes very disorientating.
You make a super important point at the end, if we don’t feel amazing why not stop and address it there and then by nurturing and caring for ourselves more deeply, instead of going days or even years not feeling great?
I relate to the need to be with the rhythm of life more gracefully, rather than swimming against the current all the time. Find ways to read what is coming and move without resentment that I have to move, but in recognition of what is needed to support myself and the situation. The less battle the more energy I save for what comes next.
Resisting the waves or getting upset by being pushed over doesn’t serve. I like your metaphor Suzanne; it tells us all to ‘go with the flow’. And by that, it’s not to be a pushover! But to feel the flow of life, of nature and the flow of our bodies in harmony with that and live with this pulse rather than going against the tide and fighting our way through life. Struggle is a choice, loss of ones own breath is a choice, and being connecting and one with all is a choice too.
We all have endless support – it’s just whether or not we choose to listen to that support – through the wisdom of our body, the rhythm of our breath or the beat of our heart.
When we try and fight our way through the waves we can get pushed around but if we choose to hold steady with who we are then the waves wash over us and we can swim through them without being knocked off course.
My favourite thing to do when life feels less than harmonious and I’ve strayed from me is simply to make my next move as gentle as possible and the next and the next….
This blog is so timely, Thank you. From the title I thought it was going to be about relationships however to my surprise it was about the waves of life. Excellent and a wonderful read 🙂
I know that feeling, one thing after another. The beauty of the tools we have for rebalancing our connection is that they are part of the rhythm of the way we live. We live knowing the rhythm of our body, feeling the rhythm of the waves and living in connection to all of that. It is so awesome.
Thank you Suzanne, I like the metaphor analogy, so I am going to pull the rug out from under your feet, wait I would not do that unless I knew the ground that you are standing on was safe and secure. This is what Serge Benhayon offers a safe and secure place for us to find our feet! To “nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me”, with both feet in a place that feels safe and nurturing, so I am then ready for the next step in our own evolutionary path is an absolute joy every day.
For more information on nurturing go to;
http://www.unimedliving.com/search?keyword=NURTURING
When don’t feel amazing and actually stop to nurture ourselves this does indeed allow us to ‘consciously go back to basics’. This reintroduces a simplicity and a truth that reconnects us back to not only ourselves but the natural rhythm of our lives. Beautiful blog Suzanne.
Everyday we can envision life as something that is always on the ‘verge of dumping us’ and that we are victims of our lives and the world around us. Or, we can accept the fact that there is a powerful truth within us that gifts us with the innate wisdom and ability to heal ourselves simply by the choices we make and how we live our daily life. We do this by accepting that just as the rhythmic waves of the ocean comes to the shore we also have waves of lessons that teach us what we need to learn, grow and develop from in each and every moment.
Thank you Suzanne I enjoyed reading this and the things you do to bring yourself back before the next wave.
The next wave of lessons in life will always be there regardless if we are ready or not so living in a way that nurtures and consciously brings us back to ourselves to prepare us for these unavoidable waves is vital to support our everyday. Beautifully said deborahmckay.
I love the analogy of the waves to life Suzanne and it can feel like we’re being dumped sometimes but as you have shared support can come in the moments of time we take for ourselves to connect and move gently again.
Suzanne, it is beautiful to appreciate all the “tools” we now have to support us in our daily living. I am aware that sometimes I take these for granted but they are there helping me to navigate the waves in my life.
Yeah, the beauty of accepting the rhythms and harmonies that we are part of, is a fulfilling thing to do. Each movement sets us up for the next, fully prepared and ready to experience more love.
Yes felixschumacher8 every choice we make ‘sets us up for the next’. This is an ever deepening process that brings harmony to our lives if we choose to appreciate and build on our innate and natural rhythms and not resist them.
Coming back to the basics when things aren’t going smoothly is a very wise suggestion. Thanks Suzanne for reminding me to keep things simple when the going is getting tough!
Thank you Suzanne, your blog is of great support today as it is not going so well this afternoon. Your reminder of going back to basics is very timely and I know it is the key to come back to me.
I love your medicine of support, it is very simple and everyone can do it, simply tending more deeply to ourselves.
‘When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me.’ – Beautifully said Suzanne, the basics are such an important key that truly support us to come back whenever we feel like we have lost ourselves.
It is so important that we develope physical strategies to bring ourselves back to our bodies when we get tumbled around by life. The things that push me out of whack can be as simple as someone telling me something that alarms me and they won’t even know that it does, but the weakness to be drawn in emotionally to something is there so I need these movements to bring me back to me and not be in the spin of some emotional hook. Then I can look at what drew me in and why. I cannot control the world or what others choose but I can be master of how I nurture and love myself and how I live in my body.
Suzanne I loved all the ways that you use to stop and come back to a level of stillness. These supports are enduring.
Suzanne I feel like it been hit by a set of waves at work recently. I have been forgetting to come up for air or take a break in shallows by just keeping on diving. So you blog was prefect for me to read today as more cups of tea, gentle walks around the office or a rest in own breakout room seems in order.
I loved how you said when you don’t feel amazing you go back to basics, stopping and nurturing yourself, it reminded me I don’t need to feel really bad before I stop and take care of myself. If I’m not feeling amazing all of the time, then I need to stop and re-connect to myself.
I loved the metaphor you used of the tight rope and how gradually it became tauter, stronger (and most importantly) more still, as we connect more to our bodies and become more present in our actions the stillness grows throughout our day, thank you Suzanne.
I love Suzanne your list of support mechanisms – very inspiring. “When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me.” Such a simple profound sharing.
I have spent most of my life like a bull in a china shop. Life was meant to be experienced. I should be a genius now because we are meant to learn from our mistakes. My body is a catalog of experiences from its scars and stiches. Life now flows because of new experiences that are so simple…self care.
I can appreciate the metaphor Suzanne and the things you do to support yourself to avoid being caught up in the swirl.
The example of the waves is something that resonates with me because at times I also feel overwhelmed by the demands of life however I have also developed strategies to deal with challenging situations, such as going for a walk, gentle breath meditation, doing light weights at the gym and attending the mens group. I find I receive greater clarity when I re connect to myself and life’s challenges become so much easier to handle.
One of the things that supports me is going to the Women’s Groups held in London by Sara Williams. Just in the last year especially I have found them very uplifting and healing. In one sharing in particular I felt so held in love it was beautiful and remains with me today as a marker of how it can be in the company of women.
Nature and the magic of God are constantly communicating metaphors that reflect to us how we are living. Learning to be open and aware of all that we are shown is beautiful, fun and, sometimes, very exposing.
Suzanne your analogy to our lives interactions and experiences as being a series or set of waves is pure gold. You are so correct in saying some waves are easy and harmonious to dive under and in others you get caught up in the swirl of its motion. But, when you do get dumped it can feel like you are actually getting set up by the waves. Although these waves are often the most devastating they can also provide our greatest lessons. Lessons from which we literally need to catch our breath, learn what we need to from them, recover and heal, then place our feet firmly onto the sand with our new foundations and respond to what the next wave presents us.
I understood something about the feeling that almost everybody seems to have: to be behind time. I am behind, because I missed to be in harmony with one of these sets of 6 or 7 waves and still try to catch up with these waves, that are long gone, instead of preparing myself for the coming waves and enjoy them.
Great metaphor Suzanne, I really like the examples you use to support yourself when you are not feeling how amazing you truly are. I find that when I get caught up in everything that is going on around me and I am feeling overwhelmed, is the time to come back to the basics of caring and nurturing for myself. I feel so blessed that Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have presented me with ways I can use to come back to myself when I am feeling lost and not appreciating myself for who I truly am.
I am very grateful to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for showing me how to come back from when I have reacted to the components of life or lost myself within them. For in the disconnection the overwhelm can be crippling and stillness can appear like an unattainable mirage, so these loving tools that support us to regather and return to ourselves are truly God-sent.
Sounds and feels gorgeous to tenderly look after oneself Suzanne, and doing what feels right for our body at the time to keep it in a luscious state of nurtured harmony.
Thank you Suzanne, I love this and all the little examples you give that support you through your day to stay with you and enjoy yourself to not go under and into survival mode.
Suzanne, loved your analogies and the nurturing and supportive tools you use to bring you back to you. Has me feeling I too need to appreciate the tools I now have and to remember that despite the waves and bumps in life, by using these tools we can always bring ourselves back to a centred state. It really is as simple as that.
People who are in a ‘centred state’ really stand out as most of us are thrashing around in the waves, which makes the state of half drowning completely normal when in fact it’s not, it’s not at all normal.
I love symbology too, and what you have used is true. Awareness in the moment of what is happening, and the ability to observe it, supports how I am in that moment. It’s like the moment you stand waiting for the next set of waves, then taking the breath you need, start your forward movement rather than letting the wave dictate how you will be tossed around. The old saying ‘Life happens’ is true but we have the choice about how we will be in that, and the way we can support and bring order to us. As you have shared Suzanne, we can choose to connect to ourselves and put in place the ways that will allow this connection to remain strong and loving. I love the warmth, tenderness and strength of choosing to hold the preciousness of who I truly am.
Thank you Suzanne. I loved this analogy as I feel I have spent a lot of my life being dumped by the waves, and it is only since listening to the super practical suggestions in Universal Medicine presentations that I now have so many tools to support me in navigating my life with ease and joy.
Nothing resonates with me like an analogy! When I feel myself get overwhelmed with what life throws my way, I do always reach for the tools I’ve learnt through Universal Medicine to remind me that there simply is no point in living in anxiousness. Sometimes, however I find that I might choose to stay in the drama of the situation for a while (for no good reason other than it’s a familiar place to be), only to eventually implement my tools and realise that it was a big waste of time letting myself get caught up in something that simply wasn’t worth it. It’s all learning….and I can safely laugh at myself for my sometimes repetitive and nonsensical choices.
Wonderful analogy Suzanne. I too have been dumped by the waves on numerous occasions, but have developed strategies , similar to yours, that support me at these times. I love what you write at the end, ” When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to the level of stillness that is me.” Beautiful.
I agree with you, Suzanne. What Serge Benhayon presents has supported me also to experience life with ease, and even at challenging times, I wobble much less than I used to.
I love the supportive actions you are presenting here. They are definitely a great support if the waves are too strong and taking you out of rythm 🙂
I love the analogy of the waves Suzanne and what they represent for you. Sometimes I know that I can get that ‘sinking feeling’ when I get carried away with tasks and things to do and put myself ‘back there somewhere’. I love those very simple things that you use to bring yourself back to you and that you recognise the need for this because you are not feeling amazing – what a start point.
Your analogy is absolutely beautiful – thank you so much for this Suzanne.
I love the metaphors you use Suzanne, they convey a very simple but powerful message.
“When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me”.
Thank you for the reminder to come back to basics so that we can enjoy and appreciate our fullness and stillness.
A beautiful sharing Suzanne. Through our gentle breath, the stillness that is within everyone one of us is a beautiful place from where we can always connect to our essence and so have the wisdom to know what is needed at any given moment. If we do get thrown off by a huge wave of life experience we always have this stillness to return to, to guide us through the next set – so even in the roughest waters we always have within the stillest of waters within from where we are able to navigate our true way.
Beautiful Suzanne, I like the analogy very much and I can so relate. This is very supportive for me to read thank you.
Very beautiful how you have your tools to support yourself in place, It is indeed very important to give ourself support in every moment.
Awesome Blog Suzanne , it makes so much sense to do those loving and supportive things for ourselves in a world that doesn’t always support us back that way in its sometimes very fast paced ,loveless ways. For me it is those little acts of self care , planning and doing that make all the difference .
Very beautifully expressed Suszanne. I love how it changes the perspective about daily tasks and puts them into context of self loving actions. I learned this too, coming back to myself through cooking, grocery shopping, vacuum cleaning and generally setting up my space to be lovingly held in.
Going back to basics is great advice Suzanne, I am sure many people who are struggling to cope with life and the challenges they meet would appreciate that. When I feel things get on top of me it is great to have the awareness of going back to basics and doing the simple things that support me to look after myself. From there it is then much easier to meet the challenges of life head on.
Suzanne I love your analogy here about the waves. It’s like everyone experiences these waves, and some people you find have a great rhythm in their life which allows them to dive smoothly through their waves and others that are at the mercy of each wave and feeling helpless, disoriented and lost. I know I’ve experienced the two.
My life has become far more joyous and purposeful since embracing the work of Universal Medicine, and just because I am a student does not mean I don’t experience the waves, but it’s the way that I handle them that makes the difference in how steady I am in my day to day life. There has been a process for me to actually accept that these life waves will actually never stop. I’m not destined to make my life perfect and create still water, but I am here to learn how to live in rhythm with all that life provides me, and that is actually a blessing.
It is great to have this kind of support and inspiration. One thing I find quite supportive at the moment is listening to or singing along to the music produced by Glorious Music.
Gorgeous Suzanne. What stands out for me is the quality you bring to yourself, to support all that you may meet in life – the loving quality of the nurturing ‘thing’, the way in which you hold yourself. This is most surely the key to holding ourselves steady, consistently so… rather than if a wave does ‘dump us’, scrambling around further, and perhaps engaging in activities that can throw us out all the more (which I know I would have done much more of in the past also!).
A beautiful sharing and great analogies, thank-you.
I loved reading this, I like analogies! It makes me feel how simple life is and how if I support myself with nurturing moments to stay connected with myself, I feel amazing. Thank you Suzanne.
A gentle reminder that we have many simple daily tools to support ourselves to stay connected!
Yes delorme2013 Suzanne’s blog brings a real appreciation to how gentle and simple these tools actually can be while also symbolically sharing the fact that there is a power, a rhythm and a grace to our daily life just as there is in the ocean.
Suzanne, I love your list of support mechanisms you use when you feel you are “on the verge of being dumped by the waves.”
Yes me too Natalie, very inspiring!
A beautiful sharing Suzanne, a great reminder of the simplicity of coming back to ourselves and not getting caught in ‘the surf’. Thank you.
However great we may feel, we cannot stop life from happening around us. We are all connected to everything, and having these techniques to support us through those times when ‘life’ is happening is so instrumental in enabling us to deal with whatever presents itself to us.
Great metaphors Suzanne. I agree life does sometimes feel like the surf. Reflecting back on my experiences of playing in the surf I can feel how the times when it felt easy and harmonious (no dumping involved) were the times when I was really with my body, feeling joyful, playful and full of me, not times when I had gone into the water to seek some kind of relief – those times held tension, nervousness, trying to get it right, followed by the inevitable dumping, and also a hardness in my body. So if I apply this to life, if I am looking to someone or something for any kind of relief it’s not going to feel great in the end. I had never thought about it this way before so thank you for sharing.
‘So if I apply this to life, if I am looking to someone or something for any kind of relief it’s not going to feel great in the end’. The problem with looking to someone or something for relief is that there is no end. The feeling that something has come to an end only comes when the source of the tension has been completely and irrevocably dealt with as opposed to temporarily buried.
I agree Suzanne, going back to basics is powerful!
Many years ago, I was in a life threatening situation swimming in Uruguay in a quiet sea. Suddenly everything changed and pushed by the water I ended up swimming in a very dangerous spot: near by an old sunken ship. The waves were coming one after the other. The flow of the water was away from the coast. It took a lot of courage and strength to swim back to the coast. Perhaps for this reason when a friend of mine did asked me two words to define the sea I said beautiful and treacherous. Afterwards he said to me that talking about the sea I was expressing my feeling about life. My feeling about life was confirmed by life itself. I do carry the feeling that life can be treacherous but I have learned to see its beautiful side too. By connecting to it and starting to heal my hurts, I am learning slowly but certainly to not swim to the other feeling anymore.
I love how you related it back to being in the surf. I feel that if we are not aware and not present in the moment, we will get dumped and pushed all over the place, by the wave and in life..but when we are aware, and can see the next wave, we can make choices about how we are going to approach it. This way, we can’t blame the wave, but we can be responsible for how we are with it.
So true Rosie. I have often blamed the wave in the past but am now learning to take responsibility for how I am with it.
I am sure we can all use some practical tips to keep our head above water from time to time. It is certainly true for me that I have learnt some great ways to manage the difficult times through the support of others and their ways for how to self care. What is also so great is how easy to do the tips you share are.
I really enjoyed reading your article, and I love how you use metaphors to illustrate aspects of your life. Thank you Suzanne.
Thanks for sharing, Suzanne. I love how you wrote:
‘When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me.’
I love the ‘stop, feel, connect’ ritual you have that brings you back to yourself and works for me as well.
I enjoyed reading this Suzanne and particularly the methods you use to look after yourself. I liked the analogy of surfing on the waves.
I have done very little surfing in my life but I can so relate to what you have described. I too find coming back to basics that truly nurture me and my body and allowing my reconnection to that stillness that is me is absolutely essential to feeling free and expansive and being in harmony with a natural flow again.
This is great Suzanne, I love your practical list of things that support you, like ‘brew some herbal tea in a pretty teapot, so simple and lovely. It’s feels very true and inspiring to read,’When I don’t feel amazing, I then consciously go back to basics, stopping to nurture myself fully and come back to a level of stillness that is me’
Great metaphors, great article.
When situations and feelings start to appear to be getting on top of us, like you said going back to the basics is key.
Yes that is exactly it, Suzanne. I have found in recent years it is not that life no longer throws me curve balls, but rather I navigate them differently, thanks to Universal Medicine and all the life skills I now have.
Very Beautiful Suzanne.
Totally agree — folding washing is the best! It does really help me be present when things get too busy. Thanks for a great article Suzanne.
Thank you Suzanne. I love the metaphor of the waves you use in your expression of how life is and I found myself nodding as I read your blog. Thank you once again.
Love this! Thanks so much Suzanne – beautifully expressed.
Lovely and so simple Suzanne.
Lovely is simple and simple is exquisitely lovely.
I can really relate to your waves in the surf analogy and appreciate the reminders of how to come back to being gentle with myself to reconnect. Thanks for posting.
I just loved this blog Suzanne! I especially got a giggle out of the phrase “and your swimsuit stays on…”. I can relate to what you express here – in the past, I found quite regularly that I was being dumped by the waves (and often loosing parts of my swimsuit, or having them rearranged at least!) – that is, I was regularly finding that I did not have the care of myself or the support (from myself or others) to navigate my way through the situations and experiences that I encountered in life, and would often find myself over-whelmed and simply in survival mode (anxious about the next thing that might come my way, and finding the next thing (wave) coming at me before I had recovered from the last…).
Over the past few years, I have begun taking more care of myself (& yes ‘at times’ (not always!), I too find folding laundry a nurturing process…) and experiencing how supportive this is for myself (and others), and how I am more able to navigate through all the experiences and situations in life more easily, – and with far much more time to prepare in-between for the next thing, so that it does not feel like an onslaught (or being dumped!). Of course, there are still times when my swimsuit gets a little out of place (and occasionally goes missing altogether…!), but those times are less and less often, and I am more easily able to connect back to myself (including any necessary adjustments to my swimsuit as necessary :-)) and be ready to ride the next wave…
Thank you again for such a beautiful blog – I just loved this metaphor – and it has inspired me to really reflect on this more deeply.
Great analogy ! I can relate to this, and I love your exploration of practical ways to avoid being dumped at the end. It’s wonderful to feel what’s needed on any given day and honour it, thank you.
I love your metaphors, Suzanne, and they really speak to me. I have never thought of life as a set of waves, yet that is a perfect analogy the way you have described things. I too have realised the best support for ‘taking life on the chin’ is what I do for myself to ‘recharge my battery’ so I am connected deeply to myself before facing the next set of waves.