Question: I go through spells of not sleeping where my mind will not switch off, can you help with this ‘mind chatter’??

John: The main focus of my teachings is to create balance in your Mind, Body and Spirit. This balance helps you to stay centered in the present moment rather than lost in mind chatter.

We all have Mind Chatter at times as we are conditioned to live predominately in our heads.

It is caused by an overstimulation of our Mind. The key is to think less not more. When we focus our attention in our Mind and neglect the other aspects of ourselves, our Body and Sprit we tend get out of balance. This causes over thinking and all we need to do is to regain balance once more. I have found that by introducing The 9 elements of The Way into people’s lives balance is restored.

If you are unable to sleep because your mind chatter is related to a particular pressing life situation, creating balance will give you the awareness and calmer state of mind that will allow you to focus on finding a solution instead of being caught in the problem. Once both balance and awareness have been created you can then move on to the momentum elements that will give you the energy to move forwards instead of being consumed by the problem.

Most of our problems are created and flourish in the mind, Should you experience worry and anxiety with your mind chatter this is due to a lack of Being Present (Element 9). When you are present, worry and mind chatter doesn’t exist.

There are many natural solutions to quiet your mind and my favourite is to use your breath (Spirit). Notice when you wake up where your breath is in your body. Usually if you are anxious you will find that your breath will be found higher up in your body. Focusing on your breath and dropping it to about an inch below your naval will cause your body to relax and take your focus away from your mind. Eating something like a small bowl of cereal can also ground you in your body especially if you can consciously connect with your senses whilst you are eating.

In my book 9 Days to Feel Fantastic there are a selection of audio exercises, which can be downloaded. There is one exercise that specifically deals with mind chatter and sleep by guiding you through the different parts of your body, allowing your mind to become calm.

Becoming free of mind chatter creates the space for serenity and inspired thought. Many people are unaware that they have it, as it has become lost along the way.

You have the ability to amplify both of these feelings inside of you. One will lead to joy and the other to misery. Your Environment (Element 5) and your Social Connection (Element 8), can play a big part in how you feel.

When you are in a positive Environment, whether this is at work, your home or in the activities you undertake during the course of your day. Your environment and the people you interact with will have an impact on you.

There is a fine line that splits you from feeling positive or negative and this starts to become a lot clearer when you become aware that positivity leads to enthusiasm and negativity leads to drama and that both are contagious! They generate a feeling inside of you that either opens doorways for your life to flow or keeps you stuck in low energy and repetitive negative patterns.

It is a good idea to become aware of which side of this fine line do you habitually spend most of your time. You have the ability to grow enthusiasm or drama consciously by choosing to focus on one or the other.

Imagine a life of 100 years, where you consciously choose how much time you would like to spend feeling positive or negative. Your vibrancy, joy and quality of life is dictated by your thoughts. Lets make them positive.

What can you get excited about doing today?

There are 9 Elements at the foundation of The Way, which are 9 things which when brought into your day will improve how you feel, progressively getting you to feel fantastic in just 9 days. Each day you are introduced to a new element and taught how to add it into your day. The first 5 days are about creating emotional balance followed by 3 days creating more momentum in your life and the last day being present which encapsulates them all.

There is also prescription for happiness where you can look up your symptoms and it will show you what areas you could be out of balance in your life. Simply by introducing these missing elements you will restore balance and learn a way of self-managing how you feel.

At the beginning you can take The 9 Element Test, which will give you an indication of your starting point. Then by implementing each element in turn you will begin to notice big a difference in how you are feeling. Initially you might feel calmer, less frustrated and stressed. More awareness will be gained and mind chatter will be reduced. Once you become centred through the balancing elements you will then be guided towards creating the spark that will help you to start living your dreams and living the life that you have always wanted to live. One where you feel inspired to do the things you have always wanted to do.

Become calm, increase awareness and feel inspired to act on the endless possibilities that are within your grasp. Turn this belief into a knowing by incorporating the 9 Elements into your life every day.

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Dreams don’t have to be as large as this though, climbing Mt Kilimanjaro was a big one but so was seeing one of my son’s scoring his first goal in a school football match, learning to Kite surf (kitesurfthechannel.com). The Special Moments in life are often the ones that don’t cost a fortune; they are the ones that bring your life alive.

I have noticed that the older we get the more we place obstacles in the way of living our dreams and it made me wonder when do we actively stop looking to live our dreams, as well as when do we start to become aware of our dreams.

When I was kindly invited to take a group of 4 and 5 year olds on a Mock climb Mt Kilimanjaro afternoon I decided to find out.

What your child dreams about doing isn’t at all about what they want to become when they get older. I am in my 40’s and still struggle with this question myself! They dream about what they want to do Now. The primary objective of this was to learn and see if it was possible to help these children live their dreams. When you Live Your Dream, you create self-belief, confidence and wellbeing.

We set-off on an afternoon of discovery and fun, climbing the Mock Mt Kilimanjaro.

At the Summit of the Mountain having had all children successfully completed their adventure, each child chose a dream that they would love to experience…….

What I was delighted to find is that everyone’s dream was non-material and the majority extremely achievable. Cuddles from my Mother, to go camping overnight and fishing with my Father, were just some of the wonderful dreams, which were totally achievable.

So What Does A Child Dream and how can schools nurture and develop these dreams in conjunction with academic achievement? So that children cultivate the belief that living their dreams is possible and grow in confidence expanding the horizon. Something so simple often goes unnoticed in our striving for achievement.

What could be more special though than your child living their dreams?

If you would like to know more about my work creating happiness from the inside-out or running a schools talk or program please let me know.

Over the winter months, cases of depression start to soar. In the northern hemisphere daylight is diminished and the tendency to be less active and to eat heavier food creates a heavier energetic feeling inside of you. It is important to note that we have the ability to feel every emotion and we can all feel depressed at times.

This time of year brings many stresses as well as joy. Allow yourself to STOP and to notice how you feel giving care to looking after your self a little more. Maintaining a healthy body and mind will not only benefit you but also everyone around you both at home and at work.

See Yourself as a Light and Allow Yourself to Shine

By focusing on the 9 Elements you create an environment inside of you that will help you to feel great through out the whole year.

Beat off the winter blues and feel great throughout the whole year.

Every day, bombard yourself with positive thoughts, and positive actions that get you feeling fantastic. Think them, feel them, live them. Write them down, breathe them in, and become passionate about them……

I appreciate my body and fuel it with the energy I need for life. When I get into nature I fill my lungs with fresh air. I take time off to rest and enjoy the feeling of the sun on my face. I look at the sky and notice the colours in everything I see, whilst hearing nature’s sounds all around me. I notice the joy and beauty in the simplest of things.

I am living the life I have always wanted to. Doing the things I have always wanted to do, creating more and more special moments in my life. Times where I can say – I did that, I am proud of that, Wow I did that, I am always learning, growing, and expanding my mind. I think in new ways every day, my positive thoughts stimulate my mind. The desires that I have create a direction to where I am going and take me to new places. I let go of my habitual ways. I surround myself with positive energy, the people I love, my family, my friends I show them that I love them and my actions and words come from my heart and their responses make my heart smile…..

Each day I take action to improve my life. I live in the present moment and do not judge myself or anyone else, in doing so I become free. I seize the opportunities that come my way and as I do, my life flows. Life becomes spontaneous and I feel alive and on purpose. Great things are happening

With balance and momentum I am content, I am happy.

Wake up and seize the moment. Your life is about you and how you feel.

This is The Way……. to a happier life. This is the 9 Elements in action.

You have the power within you to be and feel fantastic.

(An extract from our forthcoming book: 9 Days to Feel Fantastic)

Question:

Dear John,

I receive many emails and articles which advise us to focus on Ascension. However I feel that true happiness lies in living in the moment. I love being here on this precious planet with all of its wonder and beauty and I am enjoying my journey which is sometimes a rollercoaster ride but I believe is always moving me forward to where I should be.

I have questions on Ascension, such as leaving behind loved ones who rely on me. What happens to our children and pets if we ascend? Does the fact that I have these questions in my mind mean that I am just not ready to ascend?

Answer:

Yes, true happiness does come from living in the present moment. There is no need to search for, or prepare yourself for a better or higher moment. The only place you will ever live and experience is this moment. The one you are in Now.

You are the present moment

- John x

Have You a Question?

If you have a question relating to personal situations or issues, why not Ask John? Answers will be created as posts either directly on this site or on our Facebook page called The Way John Whiteman

To ask John a question please take some calm time to do so before filling in the form on this website or by emailing John at askjohn(at)johnwhiteman.com.

Questions ideally should be short and specific relating to a personal situation that you are looking for an answer or clarity to.

John’s replies will be tailored to appeal and be understood by many.

The way towards accepting your situation is to calm your mind by focusing on your breath. Become aware of where you are breathing to in your body and try breathing slowly, deeply and rhythmically into your lower abdomen. This will calm your nervous system and bring relief one breath at a time.

Look after yourself by bringing as much balance as possible into your life. Increase exercise, personal space and seek a healthy environment as often as possible. The stronger you become, the more you will be able to be there for yourself and for others.

Life is an amazing gift. Treasure each special moment that you have with your family and friends.