Do you feel jolly yet?

Not even a little bit of cheer?

Maybe you are even a little crabby but who wants to hear it right?

Our society tends to accept only positive emotions. We love experiencing bliss, optimism, enthusiasm, and love. We adore anything and anyone  that makes us feel warm, relaxed and calm.

But what about the more negative, uncomfortable emotions, fear, anger, and sadness that can at times be life-saving?

A baby screams with anger and fury if its needs aren’t being attended to in a timely manner, but we don’t judge the baby as being spiritually defective because he is grouchy.

However, when your needs aren’t met in a relationship in a timely manner, do you think that getting fussy, crabby and angry is being negative and spiritually un-evolved?

If you are eager to maintain a forever pleasant attitude  no matter what the circumstances,  beware!

You are increasing your chances toward 4th chakra problems including heart, lung and breast problems.

On the TV show, The Beverly Hillbillies,  even though Granny Clampett  used to try to get rid of her anger by singing and screaming a hymn, “I’ve got JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY, Joy in my Heart!!”, she still lived to a ripe old age without heart disease, stroke, breast cancer  or dementia because she always let everyone know when she was angry.

We know that women who hide their emotions behind a brave, stoic, pleasant face have an increased risk toward breast cancer.

The next time you’re feeling negativity, remember Granny Clampett and find a way to release it…with boundaries of course…but release it nonetheless.

You’re 4th chakra will thank you for it!

You know the segment….”How to Keep a Your Weight Down During the Holidays by Doing Blah Blah Blah”…

 The book author had an array of “bad food choices” and the “good food equivalents”.

Some are just obvious, since who doesn’t know that dark meat has more fat that white meat.

 You would have to have been living in a Jenny Craig Cave not to know that.

 However, some were much more shocking!

For example, did you know that a serving (whatever that is) of stuffing is equivalent to 4, yes “four” orders of french fries?

This was the fact that is now in graved in my brain.

On the way to Thanksgiving Dinner, as we were in the long car ride, in between the usual
“chit-chat” I made my public service announcement.

Cheerfully, I proclaimed,” Hey, did you know that the calories and fat grams in an order of stuffing is equivalent to FOUR ORDERS of FRENCH FRIES?”

Needless to say, I almost had to walk the rest of the way as the other passengers were not wanting to either watch their weight on Thanksgiving.

And, later,  as I sat at the dinner table, I realized that  weight control during the holidays wasn’t going to be determined by controlling appetite and calorie selection.

Aunt Zelda had her cheese soufflé that she was very, very proud of and she kept inquiring why you weren’t eating more of it.

Also,  I noticed that the more nervous people got, the more alcohol they drank and the more I wanted to hit the Italian cookie tray (I don’t drink).

It’s not easy to  maintain a healthy 3rd chakra for the holidays. Our 3rd chakra has to do with maintaining a healthy weight, freedom from addiction, dependency and co-dependency, not to mention digestion.

As you know, the goal is, as always, balance. So, if your 3rd chakra is out of balance, that can’t be a good thing but this transcends the physical plane and is also about the spiritual plane as our chakras connect us to Spirit.

For those of us watching our caloric intake during the holiday season, it might be helpful to think of your 3rd chakra when you’re moving in for the kill on that extra helping of mashed potatoes and gravy or pie.

You know the old adage, if Momma’s 3rd chakra ain’t happy, no one is happy!

The days are getting shorter and I have that annual compulsion to shop like a
squirrel.

You know, scurry around for those staples, collecting the “nuts” and bolts of what I think I will need to   survive for the upcoming winter.

For the furry animals outside,  the  objects collected stored and hoarded for future use are  acorns and other food, twigs, leaves and other blankets to  survive the months of snow and ice.

And even though I am in the  safety of my own warm  home I, and maybe you, have the same  “squirreling” instinct. We have a  compulsion to buy and store up  food and “things”  for the winter we  may, in fact, not necessarily even need.

You think I’m making up that term aren’t you?

Squirreling instinct is actually a true phenomenon. An instinct that is buried deep in our brain and covered up by the normal development of our frontal lobes.

For instance, when we develop a dementia  like Alzheimer’s disease and our frontal lobe atrophies (shrinks, disappears) this squirreling behavior comes out. You may see  older  patients with dementia in a nursing home cafeteria, when anxious or depressed, begin to sneak salt and  pepper shakers, plastic flowers or other useless items to “squirrel” away.

In fact, these patients may surreptitiously go into other peoples’ rooms and grab clothing underwear (not even  their size) and other useless items then “squirrel” the items away. When faced with the music, the  “shopper” will  claim, “Who me? These are mine. I bought them from  the store.”.

If you begin shopping around , impulsively shopping for items – especially ridiculous
items in the fall – beware.

This may be a sign that you have a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or a mood problem and tendency toward anxiety which ,both, get more out of balance with the colder, darker months. 

Catalogue companies know this and deliberately send us their pamphlets on these rainy October days!

All of their items look extremely tempting – think plastic flowers in the nursing home cafeteria.

But I am sure if I perused this same catalogue in July I would laugh at the stuff
the company is trying to unload.

 You want some examples? 

From a very expensive catalogue company who shall remain nameless:

• Exclusive Handbook Candle – $38.00 (the candle
  is 1″ high”).
• A magnifying glass and letter  opener caught my eye. Glitzy Heart
  detailed desk accessories crafted of silver-tone brass and purple crystals -
  $115.00.
• But my favorite that almost got me to get my card out was the Exclusive   
  Turquoise File Box – “Painted in an eye-catching turquoise  hue,  this  hand-crafted
  composite wood file box with stand holds legal  and  letter-sized files.” -  $294.00 (incl. shipping). 

I am still haunted  by the  turquoise file box!

Every time I look at it in the  catalogue, it  does elevate my mood and soothe my anxiety as much  as that shopping expedition to JCrew did last weekend.

But  beware.

Shopping, or RT  “Retail Therapy” does have the therapeutic effects of raising self esteem and mood levels as well as reducing anxiety by releasing opiates. Look up my Turquoise File Box on the web and you will see what I mean!

However, a similar pharmaceutical effect can be obtained by many other  methods without the  associated credit card costs and interest fees. 

It appears that  we can learn to love ourselves and improve our mood  without  incurring
debt and acquiring “things” and “squirreling” away item  after item.

Jennifer Lopez had it right.

“My love don’t cost a thing”

Real love is not available in stores anywhere.