Proof of Life – Lessons from A Butterfly Miracle

Sometimes, things happen in a way that we totally cannot explain, and we call them miracles. I had one such encounter this morning.

As you may know, I’ve been raising Monarch and Painted Lady butterflies since this summer. You might have read my recent post about the divine synchronisities involving my Monarch butterflies and The Venus Evolution Global Telesummit, titled “What do Butterflies, Little Girl and Construction Truck Have in Common?” It’s quite a fascinating story.

Yesterday afternoon, my last butterfly (a Painted Lady butterfly) died. I found her lying on her side, lifelessly, on the bottom of the butterfly cage, just like all the other butterflies who had died before her. I tried to move her (through the plastic butterfly cage) to see if she would get up, but she didn’t move. This is the last butterfly of the group I have. She has lived past the average life span of a Painted Lady butterfly, as her friends died one by one in the last two weeks, so I knew the inevitable was coming. Still, I felt very sad for her passing. I didn’t have the heart to take her out of the cage right away, so I left her there overnight. Up until 3:30 AM this morning (I was working late), she remained lifeless at the same spot.

This morning I woke up suddenly because I had a dream that she was alive and flying in the cage. I quickly dismissed it, thinking I had the dream because I was missing her. However, when I walked past the cage, guess what, she was STANDING there!! I stared at her in disbelief. I thought I was dreaming!!

It reminds me of an ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher Chuang-Tzu, who was revered as Lao Tzu’s equal. He once woke up from a dream about a butterfly, and pondered whether he was a man dreaming of a butterfly, or, a butterfly having a dream as Chung-Tzu. It’s one of the most famous Taoist stories in Chinese literature.

For a moment, I felt like Chung-Tzu, wondering if I was still in a dream, or if I had entered a parallel universe where the butterfly was alive (you know, like the movie Inception).

I stared at the butterfly for a little longer. Finally, I decided to accept that this is a miracle and just be grateful for it. I carefully took her out of the cage. She had a meal on my palm, while I took a bunch of pictures and videos of her. She is so beautiful! Believe it or not, this was the first time I’ve ever held her (or any Painted Lady butterflies, even though we’ve had quite a few before). Like a mother who plays favoritism, I’ve always felt more connected to and paid more attention to the Monarch butterflies we’ve had. It was until I’ve lost all my Monarch butterflies and a few Painted Lady butterflies that I decided to consciously appreciate and pay more attention to the rest of the Painted Lady I still have.

We hung out for a while, with her resting on my palm, until I felt that she was ready to go back to the cage. When I put my hand inside the cage, she wasn’t in a hurry to leave at first. After a few minutes, she took off and flew toward the sunny window. Her wings sparkling in the sun, she was flying all around in the cage, just like in my dream.

I can’t explain what happened today. It was amazing! While I was admiring her beauty, a message popped into my head and I teared up (the tears is my body’s way of telling me the message is true). The message I received was that the great Buddha sent her back to me, to teach me a lesson that I’m supposed to share with others. I know this sounds weird, but, this wasn’t the first time Buddha did it.

A few months ago, when my first Monarch butterfly Little Buddy got injured and was dying, I said my good-bye and put him on my little altar for Buddha and Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion. Thinking the butterfly was going to die that night, I asked Buddha to take good care of him so he could rest in peace. I said, “He is yours now. Please take good care of him.” To my surprise, Little Buddy woke up the next morning!! I hand-fed him and nursed him back to health. We became very close, and he lived on for another month.

Little Buddy’s lesson was all about second chance. Maybe I’ll tell his story some other time. Today, this Painted Lady butterfly has a different lesson:

Believe in the wisdom and miracles of Life. Even when all hopes seem to be lost, keep your faith. Surrender. Let go. Trust that the Universe always conspires for your highest good, even when it does not appear that way to you. Know in your heart that you are always, in all ways, divinely guided and protected. You are safe. ALL IS WELL.

I was going to write a different article for my e-zine today, but, my intuition is nudging me to share this message instead. Perhaps someone out there really needs this today. If it resonates with you, will you please pass it on? Namaste.

On Cold and Coping with Overwhelm

It seemed only a few days ago when we celebrated New Year and going full speed with our exciting new goals. Ah, New Year always brings so much hope, energy, and new promises. Then, in what seems like a blink of an eye, we’re at the end of January. This month seemed to have gotten lost in an endless onslaught of snow storms. We’ve had school closings every single week! As I looked out the window, the sky is gray and another snow storm is approaching New Jersey. Sigh.

OK Universe, I get that you’re infinitely abundant. Really, I do. You can stop sending the white fluffy stuff down now. We have more than enough and we thank you!!

In the midst of planning and working on brand new projects, connecting with colleagues and strategic partners, and dealing with the scheduling changes and logistic demands courtesy of snow and ice, our entire family (except my daughter) took turns in a round of stomach flu. Luckily, because of our rather healthy diet and lifestyle, and with the help of Young Living Essential Oils, we all bounced back within a couple days. However, I came down again with a bad cold last week. It coincided with yet another 2-day snow storm, so I took the time to rest and bounced back again quickly.

In my “previous life” as a workaholic, perfectionist, adrenaline junkie who tried to be perfect and do it all, I got my high from completing Mission Impossible at the last minute. I never thought twice about sacrificing my sleep and other self-care routines in the name of getting it done perfectly. It’s quite common that I’d get sick right after a big deadline, or, sometimes even right before that. I also used to get colds, flu and sinus infections all winter long, and migraine was a frequent visitor. I used to pop Advil almost every day and had to take antibiotics quite often. Since I’ve changed my way and am taking better care of myself, I almost never get sick or headaches any more.

Just in case you don’t know, there’s a strong link between stress and your immune function. When you are under stress, whether physical, mental or emotional stress, your body produces stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol to help you deal with the crisis. It gives you extra boost of energy and strength for “fight or flight” response. At the same time, your body also turns off the immune system, digestive system and other growth and healing related functions. Cortisol also interferes with sleep, makes you overeat and retains fat in your body. Whether you’re facing real physical danger or a perceived threat (the keyword here is “perceived”), your body responds the same way a caveman did millions of years ago, when being chased by a saber-tooth tiger. Think about it, when you’re about to become dinner of a hungry saber-tooth tiger, you really don’t need to worry about digesting your own food or healing your body, do you?

Now, ponder on this: What would happen to your body if you are chronically under stress and your cells are “marinated” in adrenaline and cortisol?

As I mentioned, I almost never get sick any more. So, when I got sick twice within a month, it really caught my attention. What’s going on? I asked myself. Curious, I turned to Louise Hay’s Heal Your Body, my trusted source for decoding the link between the mental/emotional causes and physical illnesses. I can’t tell you how many times my clients and I looked up the physical symptoms and illnesses in this book, and were shocked by how accurate she is about the possible emotional causes. This time, I looked up “Colds (upper respiratory illness)” and it read, “Too much going on at once. Mental confusion, disorder. Small hurts. or ‘I get three colds every winter’ type of belief.”

Ah, too much going on at once. There’s my answer. Since last October, my coach and I have been working on some new programs that I’m very excited about. In the meantime, I’ve attracted a few new opportunities this month alone. In addition, as a proud life-long learner, I’m constantly reading and taking classes. It’s all very exciting, but, they all take up much time and energy. Apparently, too much of a good thing is not necessarily good for you. When I get honest with myself, I realized I’m feeling overwhelmed by all these opportunities. My higher self is trying to tell me to scale back. Now I get it.

Our mind and emotions have tremendous power over our physical body. Sometimes, when our body is feeling neglected, our emotions are not acknowledged, or our higher self is trying to give us a message, and we ignore it, they will have to up the ante and give us a stronger signal — often in the form of a physical illness or injury. I’ve seen this happen over and over in myself, my friends, family and coaching clients. I’ve seen very driven, successful business women get sick or injured all of a sudden, when they are pushing themselves too hard. They wouldn’t slow down or take time for themselves, so, in a way, their body forced them to. Have you experienced this yourself?

One of my previous coaches had an extremely busy year that required a lot of travel. She tripped and fell, and ended up in crutches for 6 months, forcing her to cancel many speaking engagements. A client who is a VP of a large corporation told me that she was always pushing herself so hard, and taking care of everyone else but herself. She said she was extremely stressed and getting increasingly resentful. She is convinced that getting breast cancer is a blessing for her, because it finally gave her an opportunity to slow down and allow others to take care of her for a change. Sounds very extreme, but, she was dead serious when she said that.

Have you gotten sick more often than usual? Are you feeling overwhelmed? If so, stop and acknowledge your feelings. Instead of beating yourself up for not being able to handle it all (like everyone else), simply acknowledge your feelings without judgment. Next, take a self-care break to recharge and clear your head. Then you can make better decisions and deal with your situation more effectively.

Here are a few tips for you:

• Set better boundaries and stick to your priorities. Do you have the tendency to over-commit yourself? Do you have an overflowing plate because you just can’t say no? Then you might want to check out Learn to Say NO, So You Can Say YES to Your Life and my other audio CDs.



• Be more selective about taking on new projects and tasks. Just because it’s a good opportunity, it does not mean you should automatically say yes. Having more opportunities is not always better. You need to look at your overall vision, plan and goals, both business and personal ones, to determine if a new opportunity fits in or if the timing is right.
• Allow enough time to work on your current projects. We tend to under-estimate how much time we need to complete our tasks. To avoid overwhelm and running out of time, allow about 1.5 times of your estimate for each project, and start sooner rather than later.
• Stop trying to do everything yourself. What can you delegate? What can be dumped from your to-do list altogether?
• Set aside time to center yourself every day. Creativity takes time and clear mental focus. Meditate or simply sit quietly for a few minutes while focusing on your breathing. I also love using Young Living therapeutic-grade essential oils to assist centering myself and getting my creative juices flowing. You can try oil blends such as Clarity, Peace & Calming, Gathering, Inspiration, Motivation, Highest Potential, Magnify Your Purpose, etc. Inhaling or ingesting Peppermint oil will also help oxygenating your brain and give you a boost of mental focus and energy.
• Avoid information overwhelm. Instead of signing up for more classes and teleseminars that only create more information overwhelm, set a time limit for yourself.
• Try to eliminate distractions and time-sucking black holes such as emails, social media, and mindless Internet and channel surfing.

In my book Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul: 7 Keys to Nurture Yourself While Caring for Others, I outlined a process called Stop, Drop and Roll out of Overwhelm. It’s key #1 of the 7 keys to creating more peace, joy and time for yourself while caring for others. You can read about the Stop, Drop and Roll process in the free sample book chapters here.

Last but not least, be kind to yourself. Stop beating yourself up!! It’s not serving you or anyone and it won’t help your situation. Practice Intensive Self-Care. Take time for yourself every day. If you do get sick, instead of pushing harder, give yourself permission to rest and fully recover. Your work is not going anywhere. Nobody ever says, on their death bed, that they wish they had worked harder. If you ask someone who has cancer or a major heart attack, they will tell you why. That, my friend, is a lesson I wish you’ll never have to learn first-hand.

Waiting to Exhale

Hueina’s note: This is an article I wrote 3 years ago. When I re-read it today, it gave me goose bumps. The transformational experience I had 3 years ago prepared me for my work with cancer patients today. There are no accidents…. only divine appointments.

Waiting to Exhale

written by Hueina Su, September 01, 2007

Two months ago, I went for my annual physical. I felt perfectly fine, except some vague symptoms that could be explained in many ways. Nothing to worry about, I thought, until I got the reports from my doctor and the hospital, urging me to do more tests.

Let me tell you, having several doctors inform you, within a week, that they found “something” in both your breasts and ovaries, is NOT something that would make you jump for joy. That much I’m sure.

All of a sudden, I went from planning for relaxing summer getaways, to planning doctor’s appointments and medical tests. I was in shock, trying hard not to think about the worse case scenario. Fortunately, the RN in me remained calm and efficient. I got busy researching options, talking to doctors, nurses, and scheduling all the necessary tests.

In the meantime, my children were off for summer vacation. Because of the sensitivity of the matter, I didn’t share much information with them. In the beginning, I didn’t tell my parents, either. The last thing I need is to trigger panic in everyone around me, which would only add to my emotional burden.

Instead, I reached out to several friends who I knew could “handle” this news, gave me the support and some assurance I desperately needed. The Universe responded to my intention, and sent several people my way who had been through either breast cancer or ovarian cancer, or could point me to the right direction for resources.

Crisis or Blessings in Disguise

I believe that with every crisis, there are always opportunities, blessings in disguise, or lessons to be learned. In fact, the Chinese word of “crisis” is made up of two characters — “danger” and “opportunity”. I believe that there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason, and it’s always for my best interest, even though it might not look that way at all. I had to look deep inside, trying to figure out the blessings and the lessons for me.

When I need guidance, sometimes I like to ask a question then randomly open a book to read what’s on that page. Sometimes I like to draw from a deck of Goddess cards (The Moon Goddess Oracle Deck) that my friend Terri gave me. And sometimes, I would randomly turn the wheel on my iPod to see which chapter of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s The Power of Intention shows up. Doing one of these things almost always brings me exactly the message I need to hear. This time, the message I got from the Goddess cards was “Just Be” (You are the essence of love and light just by being you), and “Initiation” (Find power, joy and comfort in the change that is seeking you). Dr. Wayne Dyer reassured me that it’s OK to “somersault into the unknown” and to trust that all is well.

Heal Yourself First

It wasn’t hard for me to realize that, my body was sending me a message that I must SLOW DOWN. I had been working very hard on my business in the past few months. Even though I’m truly passionate about coaching, and it’s been very rewarding to be able to make a difference in other’s lives through coaching, writing and speaking, I realized now that I was working a little too hard. I told my coach that my body was throwing out all these symptoms to try to slow me down, which was pretty funny when you think about how our body “talks”. When your body talks to you, whether it’s whispering or yelling, please, listen carefully, and heed its advice.

That’s exactly what I did. I decided to take off most of July and August, cancel Teleclass, business meetings and monthly e-zine for August, take a much-needed family vacation, and focus on healing myself. What good will I do for my family, friends, and clients, if I’m not healthy, happy, and operating at 100% capacity? I need to walk the talk, and as the African proverb says, I need to heal myself first, before I can heal others.

By the way, if you are worried about your health, or have unexplained symptoms, please, take the initiative to talk to your doctor and request the test necessary. When it comes to health, it’s always better safe than sorry. Believe me, it’s MUCH harder to deal with the unknown. When I was a nurse, I worked with a lot of terminal cancer patients. Back then in my country, it was very common for the family to conceal the cancer diagnosis or prognosis from the patient. As a result, many patients had no control in their own treatment or how they wish to live their last days. It was simply heart-breaking to watch. You must be an advocate for yourself, and take the responsibility for your own health.

Transformation

Speaking of change that is “seeking” me, a few days after the first test result came back, my husband and I took our children to the beach. The ocean always calms me down, and I needed to sort through my emotions and thoughts. While I was sitting on the beach, contently watching the children, the clouds and the waves, a beautiful black and orange butterfly (not sure if it was a Monarch butterfly) flew by. It circled a few times, and then came to “sit” next to me on my beach towel, just about 3 inches away from me. “Hey butterfly”, I silently acknowledged my surprise companion. I know butterflies symbolize transformation. I thought to myself, “How fitting that this butterfly showed up by my side”. Amazingly, the butterfly stayed with me for more than 10 or 15 minutes. It reminds me of the Monarch butterfy that stayed with Dr. Wayne Dyer for hours, as told in his book Inspiration. He was convinced that, that particular Monarch butterfly was the reincarnation of his good friend Jack, who was crazy about Monarch butterflies. I wonder, which of my old friends or family was this butterfly that sat with me on the beach?

Helping Hands

They say when it rains, it pours. Two weeks after I had my physical, I had a heat stroke while taking the Tai Chi Sword class outdoors on a hot and humid day. When I mentioned this to my newsletter subscribers, emails and phone calls poured in, wishing me well, suggesting various alternative treatments, offering prayers and healing sessions for me. I feel truly blessed and loved to have all these wonderful people surrounding me, and helping me on my quest to healing myself. To all of my friends who have extended a helping hand, I will forever be grateful for everything you have done for me.

Among the people that helped me in this process, I especially appreciate Christina Santiago & Nancy Orlan Weber RN who introduced me to Young Living Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils, Bonny O’Mullane who did The Journey meditation with me, and Leigh Anne Sommers who offered me prayers and healing sessions.

Christina and I met at a networking meeting a while ago and she told me how the Young Living essential oils helped her husband recover from a medical condition that even top neurologists couldn’t solve. I was intrigued, but didn’t think I needed the oils. You know, being a former RN from a family with 4 generations of doctors, nurses and dentists, my training and upbringing are firmly rooted in western medicine. Up until this summer, I had not explored or experienced alternative medicine, besides Chinese herbs that were a part of our diet growing up. For some reason, when I was at the hospital, waiting for my breast biopsy, I thought of Christina and her husband’s story. I can only said it was a divine intervention, because the radiologist decided against performing a biopsy on me, after examining me by ultrasound. There were too many blood vessels surrounding the nodule, and the doctor didn’t want to risk puncturing them. In a way, I was spared (I ended up getting a breast MRI instead). Here’s why I said it was a divine intervention: when I drove home from the hospital, there was a voice mail from Christina!!! She was just checking in to say hi. I called her back immediately, telling her my situation, and asked “Are there any oils that could help me?” She then took me to her good friend & mentor Nancy Orlan Weber RN, who educated me about the essential oils and gave me a protocol to use. I had to make changes in my diet as well as personal care & household cleaning products that contain harmful chemicals that are stressing my body and endangering my health. The Young Living essential oils helped me nurture and heal my body, heart and soul. If you have not experienced the amazing effects of therapeutic-grade essential oil, I suggest you give it a try.

Bonny is a dear friend and fellow Certified Empowerment Coach. She has always said that she felt an instant, deep connection with me, ever since we first met a few years ago through another coach. Highly intuitive and compassionate, Bonny was just the right person to help me with The Journey, which helped me heal some of the physical symptoms that were caused by past emotional traumas.

Then, there’s Leigh Anne, a powerful mystic who lives on Vancouver Island, Canada. How we met was purely serendipity. I would never have met her, if she did not find me first. I believe we have most likely met in our previous lives. Leigh Anne came to me for coaching about a year ago, and we later became friends. She came to my Teleclass series this May to present her “Awaken The Goddess Within” class. The energy field was so strong during the Teleclass that it shut down the Bridgeline recording!

When I mentioned to Leigh Anne what I was going through, she graciously offered her prayers and several healing sessions over the phone. Leigh Anne even asked her other Goddess friends to look out for me, and their insights really helped. At first I was a little skeptical about energy healing over the phone, but it was the most amazing experience. Even though we were so far apart (I’m in New Jersey, and she on Vancouver Island), over the phone, I could feel her “physically” touching me and massaging my back. Trained in the traditional western medicine, I knew very little about alternative medicine and energy healing, until I experienced acupuncture last year. Now I know how it feels when energy or Qi is working through my body. Still, I have never experienced what Leigh Anne did to me.

One night I was all stressed out, worried about the worst case scenerio, Leigh Anne did a “toning session” with me, during which I was completely overwhelmed by the unconditional love I felt, through my heart and my body. My whole body was vibrating. I was almost in tears — tears of joy. I felt a very strong sense of knowing that I am loved, and I will be fine. All is well in my world. Amazingly, after that, I no longer feel fear about my test results. For some reason, I simply don’t feel worried about that any more.

I am so grateful to have these loving souls and amazing healers around me!!!

Higher Purpose

My friend Gary told me that, people with a strong sense of life purpose and mission are less likely to “leave the world”, because their souls would choose to stay in order to finish their work. I joked to Leigh Anne that I guess I will stick around for a little longer, because I have a very strong sense of my purpose, and I know my work is not done here. She said, “You are right, you are just getting started girl!!!” And we both laughed.

Having the belief in my higher purpose and knowing my work is not done, gives me a great sense of comfort. I feel safe knowing that the Universe will support me in doing my work for the greater good of everyone involved. I’ve learned to have faith and “trust the process”, and believe that whatever comes my way is meant to help me grow into the person I am meant to be. I have to stay in the present, listen to my authentic self, be open to guidance and the transformation I am going through. I need to let go (big time), and just BE.

All is Well

After two months of dealing with the unknown, my last test result finally came back. I was cleared from any cancer. Whew!

I can finally take a deep breath and let it ALL out…. Ah, life is good! All is well in my world.

All is well.

When Broken Wings Took Flight

When I came home from a month-long vacation, I was pleasantly surprised by how much my butterfly bush grew. In a sunny spot in my backyard, it’s in full bloom, showing off its purple blossoms. I was admiring its beauty through the kitchen window, when I saw a huge butterfly landing on top of the bush. Being an avid photographer, even though feeling dazed from jet lag, I grabbed my camera and rushed outside. Despite my best effort not to startle the butterfly, it flew away as soon as I approached. I watched it fly away with its stunning wings, and said silently: “Hello butterfly! I will never hurt you. I just want to take your pictures because you are so beautiful.” I said that a few times, then waited.

I quieted my mind, closed my eyes, and just enjoyed the warm sun on my skin. When I opened my eyes, a big bumble bee on another flowering bush caught my eye, and I went over to take its pictures. Then, to my surprise, a humming bird showed up! This was only the second time in my life that I saw a humming bird, and I was overjoyed I had my good camera at ready! After the humming bird, I captured some great pictures of a spider, a dragonfly and more bees. The butterfly came back once in a while, as if checking me out. Each time I greeted it silently, reassuring that I will not hurt it. However, as soon as I tried to take its picture, it fled.

“Oh well”, I thought to myself, “I’ve really enjoyed myself and got quite a few good shots this afternoon. I’m happy with or without the butterfly.” Moments later, the butterfly reappeared. This time, it flew past me and landed on top of the butterfly bush. It lingered just long enough for me to take a few pictures. “Thank you”, I said silently as it flew away gracefully.

When I looked at the pictures, I was astounded by what I saw. A good chunk of the butterfly’s wings was missing. It’s as if someone, or something, has ripped it off violently. What battle of survival has this little guy fought? I wonder. What courage and strength does it take to fly again? I bet when the butterfly took flight with the broken wings, it wasn’t thinking its wings were no longer perfect. We all have traumas and battle scars from the past. The question is, do you focus on the trauma and imperfection, or your strength and beauty?

What My Beloved Handbag Taught Me

Are you feeling a bit frayed or about to snap?

A few days ago, I went on one of the most exciting trips in my professional life – I flew to Florida for my very first national TV appearance on Lifetime Television’s morning show The Balancing Act. I’ve been on several local TV shows, but this is my very first national TV appearance. Needless to say, I was so excited! It took me a long time to shop and decide which outfits to bring (they wanted me to bring 3 alternatives, and let’s not forget the shoes) and make the travel arrangements. The new jacket I bought, a beautiful white jacket with white beads and floral embroidery, was vetoed by the show’s production coordinator. She told me they prefer their guests not to wear any black or white or navy outfits. “It’s a morning show”, she stressed, “we want bright colors.” Well, if you know me, I wear black A LOT. I bought the white jacket thinking it’s a light color, but according to her it doesn’t work well on TV. So, this was 3 days before the interview, and I was back to square one. Luckily, I remembered a Chinese shirt that I bought many years ago. It’s turquoise and pink and printed with lotus flowers. So it’s the same color scheme as the cover of my book Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul, which is the subject of my interview. Then I prepared the other two alternative outfits, one in turquoise and white, the other indigo and white. It sounds silly, but it seems harder getting the outfits and shoes ready, than the interview itself.

Speaking of interview, just a few days before my trip to Florida, I was interviewed by Dr. Christiane Northrup on her show Flourish! on Hay House Radio. It was a wonderful interview about how to move from over-care and burnout to Intensive Self-Care. We shared stories and tips and had a good laugh! We also chatted about what it’s like for me to grow up as a girl in a culture & family that strongly favors sons over daughters. I’ve had to overcome quite a few external AND internal barriers to get to where I am today. If you are a Hay House member, you can access the archives of the show. By the way, if you have not read my story, you can read about it here.

As I got on the plane en route Florida, I noticed, for the first time, that the straps of my handbag were frayed. In fact, one of them was so frayed that you could see the fabric inside. This is a handbag that I’ve been carrying every day for months. I love the design details. It’s beautiful, classy and functional. And it goes with everything – yes, you guessed it, it’s black, of course. I do have many handbags, but I usually don’t bother to change handbags with different outfits, unless it’s a very special occasion.

So, I’m sitting on the plane staring at the frayed straps of my beloved handbag, a little worried that it might not survive this all-important trip. Then, I chuckled as the metaphor dawned on me.

Most of us are juggling so many roles and responsibilities, day in and day out. Just like my handbag, we are working overtime, often without realizing how “frayed” we have become. I’m no exception.

As I looked back, I had a couple busy weeks leading up to this trip. For example, a few weeks ago, I was training intensely with my children to compete in a Chinese Wushu tournament, which took a lot of time and energy. Earlier this month I launched a Mindful Wellness life coaching program at the Sparta Cancer Center, helping cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and staff reduce stress and create more inner peace and balance. It’s a very exciting new program that uses mind body interventions as well as life coaching to help cancer patients and caregivers to not only cope with cancer, but also thrive beyond survivorship. My intention is to give them the tools and confidence to not just survive, but thrive after their cancer treatments. There IS life beyond cancer, and I feel so privileged to be able to help them bridge that transition.

Two days before my trip, I was invited to meet with the coordinator of Survivorhip Initiative at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital. That was a 3-hour drive into NYC, which provided me a great opportunity to practice various stress-relief techniques. ☺ My favorite methods for relieving stress in a traffic jam: music, Young Living therapeutic-grade essential oils (such as Peace & Calming, Tranquil, Joy), and EFT. The meeting went very well, and I’m hopeful that something great will come out of this to benefit more cancer patients and caregivers on a larger scale.

I’ve put in many extra hours preparing for these programs, meetings, tournament and interviews. I’ve stayed up until wee hours on some nights. Now that I had a chance to sit and reflect, I realized how tired I was.

Yup, it could happen to ANYONE. Stress and burnout can totally sneak up on us. If you are like most people, I bet you have experienced this too! You might be working overtime for your work or family without realizing how worn out you have become. Next thing you know, you have a physical or emotional breakdown. If you have come down with a bad cold right after (or before) a big deadline, you know what I’m talking about! It’s your body’s way to tell you that you need a break.

So, how do you prevent burnout? You need to be mindful of your physical, mental and emotional state. Check in with yourself often. How are you feeling in your body? Are you tired, hungry, sleepy or aching? How are you feeling emotionally? Feeling sad, cranky, impatient, irritable or resentful are all signs of stress and fatigue. Are you so stressed you can’t think straight? Are you craving all the junk foods or surfing the net mindlessly?

When you detect multiple stress symptoms, give yourself permission to take a self-care break. The thing with stress is, if you can catch it early, you can easily take a short break and bounce back. If you let it go for a long time, it will become more difficult for you to recover and you will have to deal with other complications caused by stress. Chronic stress is linked to higher risks of all major diseases, so the consequences could be devastating for you and your family. You will do yourself and your loved ones a big favor, by giving yourself a break when you need it.

As for me, after checking in the hotel, I went straight to the beach, which was only 10 minutes away (lucky me). The fresh air, sun and ocean relaxed and recharged me. The next morning, I showed up at the TV studio with a little tan and a lot of happiness. My interview went very well and it ended a lot earlier than I thought. They had asked me to reserve the entire day for this, but now I found myself with hours and hours of free time! I’m not due to fly home until the next morning. I suppose I could use my free time to work. Some people might even change their flight to return to work early. Not me. Not after receiving the divine message through my handbag!! I had one of my BEST days ever!! I got to play with stunning exotic butterflies and adorable Lorikeets at Butterfly World, and spent the rest of the afternoon back at Ft. Lauderdale Beach… No schedule, no hurry, no worries, endless white waves, eternal blue sky, white puffy clouds, even the rainbow showed up briefly!! Ah, it was heavenly!! My perfect kind of “work-cation”!! ♥

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