Happy New Year!Time is a man-made construct and not everything changes just because it is a new year, but I like new beginnings, so I embrace the new year greetings. It’s a good reminder that every moment is an opportunity for a fresh start.
I enjoyed taking some time off at the end of the year to rejuvenate and spent the time resting, mountain biking, putzing around the house and garden, and reflecting. As a small business owner of a physical medicine practice during a pandemic, last year was crazy busy. There were a lot of new tasks to do, plus a lot of things to figure out or even reinvent. I did a pretty good job finding moments to allow my mind to quiet and make room for insight and intuition—the only way I could make it through the enormous number of changes with some sense of calm and sanity! And over the break I really enjoyed having even longer periods of time for quiet.
Mind Experiment: What is Mine to do Right Now?
The question that arose for me at the end of my break was: how do I bring that feeling of quiet, reflection, being guided, and wonder at the simple things in life into the new year? Little did I know that so quickly there would be even more political chaos that would make this question even more important and challenging to answer. Fortunately, I came up with a way to point myself in the direction of resiliency that’s been really helpful for me, especially lately, so that’s what I’m going to share with you today.
Mind Experiment: Over the next two weeks check in on a regular basis and ask yourself with curiosity “What is mine to do right now?” It’s especially important to ask yourself this question if you feel yourself getting out of balance, tense, frustrated, angry, or scared. Even better, it is helpful to ask yourself this anytime you think of it.
What might this look like?
10 days ago on Wednesday, when the electoral votes were going to be officially turned in, I was aware there would probably be some political news. When I got to work I asked myself “What is mine to do right now?” And the answer was “Get your charts ready and settle in for treating patients.” So that’s what I did with my all my heart.
Part way through the morning, a patient mentioned some newsworthy things were happening on Capitol Hill. I asked myself “What is mine to do right now?” and the answer was “Keep your focus on the patients and how you can help them.”
At my lunch break the answer was “Check in on the news.” So I did, but only for a short bit because I also knew that soon the answer would be “Settle in for helping patients in the afternoon who are going to be stressed with their concerns of what is happening on Capitol Hill.”
A few patients in the afternoon asked me if I knew what was going on. I told them I was aware, but that I don’t spend a lot of time looking at the news when I am at work because it does not help the acupuncture they are here for.Several of them said, “Good, don’t look. The news will be there tonight.” I agreed.
Since then, I keep asking myself this question “What is mine to do right now?” Sometimes the answer is work, sometimes it’s take care of myself by eating while relaxed, getting outside for some exercise, or getting a good night’s sleep. Sometimes the answer is to check in with friends and family. And sometimes the answer is check in on the news, educate myself about history, civics,and what I can do to support the political change I am called to support.
Why does this question help you get back into balance?
You can only do one thing at a time. All the claims of multitasking are false. Multitasking is really a series of switching between doing different things, one at a time, for very short periods of time.
When there is chaos, either near or far, it can be tempting to think you need to monitor it. But is that really yours to do? For some people and in certain situations the answer is yes. I know people that stayed up to watch all the votes be counted on January 6 and were grounded in their decision. And I know people that turned the news off because they needed to get a good night’s sleep. Both of those decisions can bring you back to balance if you are listening to your answer from inside of you.The problem comes when people think they can monitor the chaos while they are working, for example. For most people monitoring the news is not part of their work and so that’s not going to bring them back into balance.
Why does this question help the world?
There are people whose “thing” is to affect change on a large-scale level. But most people are mostly affecting change locally. Even the people working on large-scale global change toggle back and forth between influencing locally and globally.
Locally may be right in front of your nose. For me most of the time it’s my patients, my husband, friends, and family.When I get back into balance and am in service of those people, that’s the best I can do to get my good intentions to ripple out into the world. Sometimes locally for me means local politicians, organizations, or my spiritual community. What is yours to do right now will change from moment to moment. Know that it’s totally ok if what is yours to do right now is local or even personal.
The world could use more people who are clear on what is theirs to do in that moment AND then put their whole heart into doing that.
“Being in the moment introduces you to a new world.
Being in the moment connects you to your true identity.
This connection brings you peace and contentment.
You are no longer a victim of your thoughts,
rushing here and there, to the past or to the future,
but at peace with the quiet strength inside of you.
This state gives you clarity, calmness, and
allows insight to emerge.
This peace is our birthright.”
–Elsie Spittle, Nuggets of Wisdom
Give this mind experiment a try by asking yourself “What is mine to do right now?” and listening for your answer. Let me know how it goes!
Upcoming Events
Goals From The Inside Out: Less Doing, More Enjoying the JourneyA Virtual Zoom Retreat
Saturday, February 27, 2021, 10AM-12:30PM and 1:30-4PM
Hosts: Julie Gleeson, Founder The Art of Living Inc, and Christina Ness-Hawks, LAc Thrive Acupuncture and Wellness Corp.
Tuition: $175 or Register with a Friend for $150 per person
More information and register to save your spot: https://insideoutgoals.eventbrite.com
- Do you struggle with New Year’s resolutions?
- Do you abandon your goals too early?
- Once you reach your goal, do you often still feel unsatisfied?
- Do you want a more imaginative path to happiness and success, that supports evolution and growth along the way?
In this workshop we’ll help you tap into wisdom that allows you to have the experience you want to have, no matter what is going on around us. Once you start to see this for yourself, you will re-discover how to effortlessly access natural peace of mind, connection, and joy at any moment!
We will also share a new way to set goals that balances your head and your heart. You’ll stop making the journey about achieving something through force of will. You will naturally begin experiencing the ease of accomplishing, all while enjoying the journey.
More information and register to save your spot at https://insideoutgoals.eventbrite.com
New Year Vibes Time! A Sound and Yoga Journey with Jules via Zoom
This Sunday, January 17 from 4:30 – 6PM PST
Are you curious about Sound Healing? You’re in luck, because Thrive’s Office Manager Jules Sears is a certified Sound Practitioner who for over 11 years has shared the healing energies of musical frequencies!
In this virtual workshop, enjoy a lovely blend of vibrational healing and restorative yoga from the comfort of your own home wherever you are in the world!
More info and to reserve your spot at Eventbrite or Facebook.com/events
Save the date for the Next Design RetreatA Virtual Zoom Retreat
Fri-Sun, March 12-14, 10:00-12:30 and 2:00-5:00 PST each day
Hosts: Julie Gleeson, Founder The Art of Living Inc, and Christina Ness-Hawks, LAc Thrive Acupuncture and Wellness Corp.
We had a successful inaugural Online Design Retreat last October so we’re planning to do it again this March. We know this work is so powerful and we were thrilled at how well we were able to do it virtually. The participants have been telling us how life changing it was for them, so I wanted to let you know the dates as soon as we set them.
Check out what the design retreat is all about on my events page.
Further information and the link to register coming soon.
Let Christina know if you have questions or are interested.
Growing More Peaceful Membership CommunityIf you like the idea of quieting the noise in your head, come join us this and every Tuesday afternoon for a zoom conversation where we take a breather from all the noise and make room to grow more peaceful, even now:
Here’s some of what people have been telling us they get from the sessions:
- “I felt so grounded after listening last Tuesday. My mind was quiet. I was relieved. Body and mind at peace.”
- “For me, these meetings reinforce that concept of quieting the intellect/monkey mind and waiting to hear the whisper of one’s inner wisdom/common sense. I learn this again and again, and yet it is not the first place I turn, so obviously I need the repetition of the lesson!”
- “The meetings also give me a sense of community, a feeling of unity of purpose that lingers after the close of the hour. “
We’re so confident in how helpful this conversation is that the first month is FREE, so you can come check it out without any pressure. Click this link to our event page for all the information about the community and the link to register.
What We’re Treating In The Clinic—Hand PainSometimes it makes sense that we have a lot of patients coming in for the same thing—allergies are seasonal and migraines are more common when the weather changes. But other times certain conditions come in clusters and we don’t know why. Right now we’re treating a lot of hand pain. It could be the cold weather. It could be that people are on their devices a lot more. And it could just be random. In any case I love helping people get rid of their hand pain so they can get back to life.
Acupuncture is great at reducing inflammation and pain, increasing circulation, soothing swollen joints, getting tendons to work better so fingers don’t get stuck, and even getting nerve signals to work better which increases grip strength and reduces tremors.
Established patients can make an appointment at our new online booking site. You were emailed a personal link in December to set up your profile and use this site in an email titled “Welcome to Thrive Acupuncture and Wellness”. Everyone has been loving the new site, but if you need any help or want the welcome link again, let us know. You’re also always welcome to call or email us to make an appointment.
New patients need to call or email us to set up their first appointment because there is just too much information we need to share with you.
Insurance changes for 2021If you didn’t see our previous email here’s a link with all the information about insurance changes happening in our office in 2021. The short summary is that we’re going Out of Network with all insurances. If you’re not sure if this will affect you, take a look at all the details here and let us know if you have any questions.
The effective date for being Out of Network with Blue Shield is April 1, 2021. For those who have Blue Shield policies with In Network coverage in our office, you can use your In Network benefits until March 31, 2021.
The effective date for being Out of Network with Sutter, Optum and United plans is March 11, 2021. For those with these current In Network coverage, you can use those benefits until 3/10/2021.
We’ll follow up when we have effective dates for other insurance carriers. We expect them to have effective dates sometime between the end of January to end of March.
Happy Mind Explorations,
Here’s to more time spent doing what is ours to do with all our heart!
Christina Ness-Hawks, LAc
