Do you feel drained, overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, or as if whatever you do isn't enough?

Three days in a row, I heard from people who were struggling -- a nutrition blogger who was unable to write on her regularly scheduled day because she was exhausted with worry; participants at a meeting my husband attended said they were feeling drained but didn't know why; and one of my clients told me that she felt challenged to keep her scheduled commitments with clients because she felt so depleted.

When things happen one after the other, I pay attention.

If so many instances arise, there must be a planetary situation that is influencing thousands more to feel the same.

I believe we are in the midst of a shift of energy that affects all of us. We take it in, in different ways, and it manifests for each of us in slightly different ways. 

~ How to move challenges out when they want to move in ~

1. Take plenty of time to refuel your own tank. Do whatever it takes to fill yourself up, whether it is increased time in nature, more naps or longer sleep times, plenty of meditation or prayer, better eating habits or long conversations with a friend. 
    
2. Take on the problems and challenges "one bite at a time," the same way you "eat an elephant." 
    
3. Put your burdens down. There is an old tale about two monks in the East who were forbidden to touch women.
   
   They were on a long journey and came to a river crossing that took them through a strong current. A woman waited by the side of the river, fearful that the current would sweep her away.
   
   One monk did not hesitate to pick her up and carry her across, putting her gently down on the other side. 
   
   The two monks continued on their journey. At the end of the day, the monk who had not carried the woman said to the other monk, "Brother, there is something that has bothered me all day. You touched that woman at the river knowing you are forbidden to. Why did you do that?"
   
   The other monk answered, "Oh, my dear Brother. You have carried her all this way all day. I left her at the riverside. Put down your burden."  
    

4. Create a worry box. I have a plastic kitchen container I call my worry box, and any time I find myself putting a lot of time and energy into worrying about something, I write it on a slip of paper and put it into the box with the intention that God will take care of it or help me with the solution.

    

   It is amazing how well this works.

    

   Every two weeks I open the box and remove the slips of paper. Most of my worries had either been forgotten or were solved, and I throw the papers out.

    

   For the worries that continue, I put the slips of paper back in, asking again that God help me. Some worries that were unsolvable miraculously disappeared or were "cured." Try it and let me know how it works for you.

    
5. Remember the wisdom in the saying "Let go and Let God." As we learn to put our burdens down, turning our troubles over to a Power larger and more powerful than we are produces miracles. The worry box works for me, but you might need only to talk to God to unburden yourself. 
    
6. Use affirmations. Find quotes on the internet or in books, or create your own for your particular situation. Affirmations help shift our energy, which helps shift a situation. Louise Hay was a pioneer in this work, but read also about the work of Bruce Lipton. 
    
7. Visualize. Use your imagination to create the vision you want. Keep it focused and strong. And keep that vision in your mind every day until it becomes reality.
    
8. Keep your integrity. Keep doing what you need to do to keep your integrity intact.
    
9. Eat pure, organic, energy-based foods. Drink filtered water. The more pure your food and water sources, the better your body will be able to handle the stress of the times.
    
10. Believe in yourself, your vision and your power to change yourself, your world and the world at large.