Mid-November 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and a melodious Mid-November to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about what saps your (visual) energy. Enjoy!

One of my favorite teachers often asks "Does that nourish you, or deplete you?". Yes, we sometimes do have to endure uncomfortable or unpleasant situations, like an unexpected delay when we're in a hurry, or irritating people like a grumpy or rude salesperson. Yet we can often put up with a circumstance that slowly drains our battery, without doing what is needed to change it. We have the choice to speak up about what we don't like, or leave the scene, yet may not even realize that, passively going along like obedient checked-out servants.

Hard workouts, like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up a mountain, can leave you feeling energized though tired, or completely exhausted. We have to push a little or we'll never grow past where we are at present, but many people push themselves too hard, with negative consequences. When I started doing what I thought were vision exercises, I occasionally gave myself worse eyestrain than I already had, just like I ran too many miles then injured myself. The word "moderation" wasn't in my vocabulary back then.

Physical energy can be depleted by hard labor, yes, even by emotional labor like an argument. Visual energy fluctuates too. A key factor sapping my own visual energy, along with my visual confidence that I can see well enough to cope with the circumstances I am facing, is my being afraid. If I am startled and feel anxious, then can't "shake it off" and regain my equilibrium, I can feel my sight dimming, my periphery closing in, as if I'm narrowing my focus to see only the perceived predator.

In my personal exploration of emotional factors affecting my eyesight, I've spent as much time on what is nourishing to my sight as I have on what depletes it. What feels good to me, and relaxing, to see? Dr. Bates wrote about seeing more clearly that which pleases us, which he called "optimums". Consider reading an entertaining story, then tackling a pile of bills. Even though the text may be the same size in both situations, one is pleasing and one is stressful. Dealing with the bills could lead to a headache or eyestrain, with stronger glasses no help.

Bates' concept about visual optimums and pessimums (pessimums are images which trouble you, so you see less clearly) fascinated me. If I could turn my former pessimums into optimums, so I enjoyed looking at them, would that be at least a partial solution to my strained sight? If I was resisting seeing many of the scenes and objects I viewed, that had to be constricting my visual energy. I couldn't seem to will myself to be less nervous about looking, but maybe I could lower my body tension and reduce that trying-so-hard attitude, whether connected to sight or not.

For many years I've wanted to be calmer, reading book after book and taking courses hoping to change my hyper personality. It took me way too long to recognize the constant tension in my body, which I thought was normal. I ran lots of miles and trained hard with weights, which was good for me in some ways. However it didn't address the root cause of my striving and need to push myself, which was my belief that I was flawed, basically not OK. The EFT refrain of "I accept myself just as I am" is the remedy here, namely self-appreciation, knowing I'm doing the best I can, and that I can continue to learn and grow, doing even better tomorrow. So can you.

For an article about being nourished by what you see, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the remainder of this nurturing month of November. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!