May 2006 | Whole Brain Adviser
Money Versus Heart Work
By Nancy Ging, LCSW
DEAR WB ADVISER: Following my heart has only gotten me into credit card debt. I did what I loved and the money didn’t follow. Have I been duped by New Age self-help books or misguided about making money? — Perplexed About Earning An Honest Living
DEAR PERPLEXED: You’ve not been misguided, but you may be not playing with the full deck of dimensions for making choices in the material world. Heart-brain partnering is what’s called for, sensing what you want your life to be about overall. Your heart will guide you toward the contributions you can make to life. Your head and gut will get you going in pragmatic ways, getting you out of debt with any kind of honest work you can handle as you find small ways to do your heart’s work — for now. Trust the creative forces will provide blessings for those who sincerely seek to find balance with whole-brained, full-bodied, conscious living. Right-livelihood will likely follow.
Hooked on Reality TV
DEAR WB ADVISER: I find myself addicted to reality TV. I know it’s mind-numbing and a horrible waste of time but somehow I can’t resist. Help! — Hooked on Reality TV
DEAR HOOKED ON TV: You could try hypnosis so you would suddenly find such TV shows tedious and want to turn them off. Or, simply use these viewing experiences as a chance to become more conscious of a psychological tendency to over-attachment, which is an aspect of any addiction. Notice the little-child energy central to addictive attachments. Fortunately, we’re born with an urge to grow up and grow whole.
Use this as an opportunity to become more aware of your harsh judgments or your affection for the people in the programs. Notice with whom you identify. Your internal reactions to those external characters on your TV screen can give you clues for uncovering energy patterns within yourself. The stronger your reactions to someone’s behavior, the more internal peacemaking you may need.
Doing More for the World
DEAR WB ADVISER: I recycle, I carpool, but with all the world’s problems, it doesn’t seem to be enough. I constantly feel guilty that I’m not doing enough for this world. — Guilt-ridden in Geneva, IL
DEAR GUILT-RIDDEN: Enough’s never enough for the neurotic parts of ourselves. Guilt is a terrible waste of energy, so rid yourself of it. Consciously decide to choose to let it go and do so. You can! Guilt is generally is an aspect of mild (or more) depression, as is the perfectionist part of ourselves. A mature sense of responsibility for one’s consumption of resources is a balanced feeling in the whole-body sense. Guilt is quite different and is a symptom of a body-mind imbalance. It’s actually even a type of self-indulgence. That should motivate you to let it go, right? Or you might slip into feeling guilty about feeling guilty. Many unconsciously choose that, unfortunately.
Simplify your life by joyfully choosing to celebrate your caring for the fate of the planet and do what you can reasonably do with your love for Mother Earth. Less guilt will be experienced as you focus more often on that love. You’ll be contributing cleaner, clearer vibrations to the cause by making love, not guilt.
Nancy Ging, L.C.S.W. is a Chicago-area holistic psychotherapist.
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