Lately I find myself saying things out loud like I hate my life,
and this always surprises me: it just falls out of my mouth as I'm driving to work or I'm rushing to get out the door. I need to uncover what this is all about. Currently I teach kindergarten, and while I love my job, there are aspects of it that I don't like - mainly the exhaustion. At the end of each day, I just have nothing left to give. I find myself trying everything I can to avoid fatigue and keep my energy up. My relationship with my partner is suffering a bit, and prior boyfriends have complained about how wiped out I am at the end of each day. I know I'm not alone, as almost all teachers feel as drained as I do each evening. Is there a spiritual way to keep my energy up? What do you think is causing these sudden thoughts and outbursts about hating my life?
- Stephanie
Astrea:
While it can be a very rewarding experience, teaching little kids can suck the life right out you. Kids are like sponges, and they soak up every iota of energy they can. I taught K-6 for years, and by three o'clock every weekday, I felt like someone had made me into a wet noodle to drag around behind them.
Finally, I discovered the secret that teachers of small fry must have known for centuries: instead of letting wee ones suck you dry, get some energy back from THEM! They have plenty to spare, so they don't mind. Kindergarteners LOVE the teacher. They're willing, ready and able to help you recharge if you let them. While you have to find your own way to do this, here's what worked spectacularly for me:
Find the time of day that you feel the most spent. I'm sure you have one of those circle rugs in your room where you can all sit down together. Have the kids wash their hands, and let the cool water run over each child's hands for at least thirty seconds.
Sit down with them in the circle and join hands. Teach them this little nursery rhyme with one or two kids (and you) in the center of the circle with drums or claves or maracas or something on which they can keep the rhythm. I always put the pot stirrers in the center of the circle with me. Have your beaters beat out sixteen counts in four-four time; that's ONE two three four, TWO two three four, THREE to three four, etc.
Then in that time signature, everyone says:
Earth my body (now four more beats)
Water my blood (beat, beat, beat, beat)
Air my breath (beat, beat, beat, beat)
And Fire my Spirit (beat, beat, beat, beat)
Sun my mind (same as before to the end)
Moon my heart
Rock my Soul
And PUCKER MY POWER!
(Have them make a big smooch noise at the end!)
By the time you've done this three times, the energy flowing into you will be SO GREAT it might even knock you down! Breathe it in. Savor it. Enjoy it. LAUGH.
You'll leave school that day a new person. You'll be energized, upbeat and happy to have shared in all this fabulous, youthful energy.
It sounds silly and frivolous but it works. When that "sinker" towards the end of the day hits you right between the eyes, there is NOTHING like a unified bunch of little kids chanting something powerful to create energy for all involved.
You can use any chant to do this, but this one always seemed the most appropriate, and you can't really get in trouble for teaching something that is nature based. Thanks for teaching, Stephanie. We could use a few thousand more teachers like you!
*****
Susyn:
It sounds as if you're so busy giving to everyone else that you've forgotten to give to yourself. With the high demands on everyone's time and energy these days, it's easy to put our needs on the back burner in order to ensure that everyone else is happy and well taken care of.
Your first task will be to discover how to reclaim some personal time. Then you can use that time to rebuild a connection with your true power source: Spirit.
Most people don't realize how much restorative energy can be gained through meditation, and how just a few minutes each morning can add hours of energy, direction and guidance to the rest of one's day.
Stating that you hate your life indicates that you're more than ready for a change. The frustrating thing is that there doesn't seem to be a way to make these changes or regain your energy.
With regular meditation, you'll be shown how to make those shifts happen. Then many obstacles now in your way will start to disappear on their own.
Let's start with a quick metaphysical pick-me-up that takes just a few minutes. You can use this ritual any time you feel drained, stressed or uneasy, like when you get home from work.
Get a raw egg from the refrigerator, and taking care not to break it, gently rub it over all over your body using a light massage motion. You don't have to undress; just glide it over your clothing. Don't forget your hair, face and neck area.
The egg will act like a magnet to pick up any stray, negative or unsettling energies you may have taken on during the day. Once you've gone over your entire body, you should notice an immediate shift in your energy. Crack the egg into the toilet and flush it away.
I also recommend that you reset your alarm clock fifteen minutes earlier than usual, and spend that time in meditation each morning. As soon as you awaken, instead of going over all that has to be done that day, stop and try to formulate an image to concentrate on as you meditate, such as a rose, a landscape, or an open window.
If your mind starts to drift, keep pulling it back to the image you are creating on your mental screen. Given how frantic your life has been, it may be difficult to spend the whole fifteen minutes meditating at first, so start with five minutes a day the first week, and increase this one minute per day after that.
Throughout the rest of your day, notice how much more energy you have and how much more balanced you feel. Watch how obstacles disappear, and how smoothly your classroom starts running.
Sound like magic? It is! It's also the simplest, quickest avenue to regaining your energy and enthusiasm for life.
Astrea:
Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.
Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!
While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!
I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!
As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.
I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.
You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!
Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.
A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.
You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.