Martha G. Blessing: How To Develop Serenity During Anxious Times
Take a break — It’s easy to get pulled into the collective vortex of negativity and fear. Even during a pandemic, we can find moments and experiences of inspiration and positivity. I think it’s important to recognize that mainstream media has a tendency to lean towards sensationalism. In our high-tech, highly digital culture it’s more important than ever to unplug to prevent becoming overstimulated.
Martha is a Psychic Empowerment Coach and Healing Mentor. She practices Certified Energy Medicine and Clinical Ayurvedic Healing, Martha’s mentoring programs specialize in empowering women to remove symptoms of anxiety and stress using a holistic and energetic model. She’s helped countless number of women to create “calm in the eye of the storm” with stillness practices, body awareness, breath-work, and energy balancing. Her simple but effective tools are easy to use and put into practice.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Shortly after entering nursing school, I started having health problems that would end up consuming my energy and life. Over a 10-year period I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, had three back surgeries, and spent 8 months living in a wheelchair, unable to walk.
The chronic pain, fear, and financial hardship plummeted me into a constant vacillation between anxiety and depression.
Somehow amidst the chaos, I finished my studies and became a registered nurse. During my healing journey I began to question the narrative offered to me by the western medical community. I couldn’t imagine the rest of my life living on narcotics, muscle relaxers, steroids, and anti-inflammatory drugs, consumed by anxiety.
I knew from my training as a nurse that the long-term side effects of these medications would likely result in permanent damage to my liver, kidneys, and digestive systems. I wanted a brighter prognosis for my future.
This was all happening during pre-internet days and there wasn’t a lot of consumer information readily available like there is today. I began searching in my local community for holistic, spiritual, and alternative approaches to healing. It wasn’t easy to find. In fear of judgement, those advocates were hiding in the underground.
Looking back in hindsight I see everything that happened to me as a grace filled gift–one that would illuminate the potential that lay dormant within me (and the rest of the world).
At the time I had no idea where it all would lead or that it would open me to my intuitive gifts. It wasn’t until I began questioning everything that I would open my heart to the gifts I had buried and suppressed since I was a small child. I then became an open vessel for the work I’ve done for the past 25 years as a medical intuitive, empowerment/transformation coach, and a healing mentor.
I came to learn that I was the third generation of gifted healers in my family, following in the footsteps of my grandmother and my second cousin who was a chiropractor in the early 1920’s in Western New York. Chiropractors were considered witch doctors in those days.
I left nursing after reversing all those illnesses using energy medicine, ayurvedic healing, and listening to and taking action on the intuitive messages I received.
Each time, I was led to a training or certification that would take me deeper into a core truth and Universal healing wisdom. I eventually opened an ayurvedic wellness and spiritual healing center in my local community.
During that time, I did a lot of personal research and it helped me perfect the 5-step methodology that became the process I now teach worldwide.
It wasn’t enough to just help women in my local community. I knew I had to reach and empower more women across the globe. I had witnessed so many of them transcend fear, anxiety, disease, and break free from old paradigms that didn’t produce true healing.
That inspired me to close my brick and mortar business to create a space for the work I do now.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Back in the early days of opening the wellness center, a woman who was visiting her daughter from out of town came in to learn about our services and to buy a gift certificate for her daughter. She purchased three energy healing sessions for her daughter. A few days later I met her daughter for the first time when she came in for her first session. Her mother had given me very little background only that her daughter had anxiety and had two small children.
I started the session as I always did with a health history form and asking her to tell me “what brings you in today?”
I was not prepared for her answer.
She said, “I have a two-year-old and a two-month-old. I am struggling with a lot of anxiety, which has gotten worse after having the baby. But I think the depression is scarier. Last week I went out to get bagels and breakfast for my family and I seriously contemplated driving my car over Niagara Falls. They’ve got me on a ton of medications, but they aren’t helping.”
The conversation that ensued was not something I had prepared for at this level of care. I hoped that my face did not reflect what I was thinking and feeling inside. I tried to remain neutral and not reveal the panic I felt inside.
In my mind I was secretly praying and questioning God. The voice in my head said, “Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to help her? What was her mother thinking, this women is suicidal, that’s not what we do here.”
The phone number for crisis services was still imprinted in my brain from being a nurse and I was prepared to call them if necessary. It turned out I was more prepared to help her than I realized.
I continued asking her questions, so I could determine our next steps, and eventually a calm wave washed over me. I had 100 percent confidence that the energy healing treatment was going to help her feel better and get some relief from her symptoms.
She hadn’t slept in days. By the end of her session I had to pry her of the massage table and out of a deep restful state. I told her I wanted to see her again at the end of the week for another session. I worried for those 4 days if I’d ever see her again.
But she indeed came back and ended up going into my long-term health mentoring program. Working together, she would heal her anxiety and depression and get off of all the prescription drugs. She went back to work part-time, was able to care for her family and started running again.
Years later she told me she didn’t think she’d still be here if her mom hadn’t found our healing center.
What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?
For nurses, therapists, social workers, coaches, or anyone in the helping professions, they’re often highly sensitive people (HSP) with a passionate desire to make the world a better place. It’s easy for us to give too much of our energy away to others and wind up feeling depleted and overwhelmed on any given day. When you learn techniques to bring your awareness into the present moment, you become an expert in managing and balancing your body, mind, and energy. You’ll be able to prioritize deep self-care before it’s too late, so you’re not trying to give from an empty well.
What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?
Again, when we’re able to bring our energy, awareness, and attention into the present moment we are more effective at listening and co-creating as a team, rather than reacting and sometimes over-reacting to people and situations.
It gives us an opportunity to really listen, feel, and ascertain people and situations on a deeper multi-dimensional level. No matter what the business or industry, we all possess a universal desire to be heard and valued.
When we feel valued and respected it opens up channels of trust and reciprocity. That becomes a rich environment for creative solutions and team building. It breeds cooperation instead competition.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Carolyn Myss was the very first book I read when I began my healing journey out of pain and illness.
Having been trained in western medicine as a nurse this book opened a fresh new perspective for looking at symptoms and healing.
Carolyn Myss dedicates a chapter to each of the body’s seven centers of spiritual and physical power, revealing what she calls the seven sacred truths of our existence. The centers correlate to different organs and functions in the body.
She explores the idea that the Divine is locked into our biological system in seven stages of power that lead us to become more refined and transcendent in our personal power.
Quite honestly, before reading her book I had never even contemplated that I had a life-force and personal power within me that I could draw upon to create a healing and a different life.
Each chapter includes the parallels between religious traditions and concepts, the related body parts and potential illnesses, and a list of 10 questions for self-examination.
It was life changing for me to start viewing illness from this spiritual and energetic perspective. Up until that point I had only learned about “pill and a bill” sick care through medications, surgery, lab results and diagnostic testing.
That book changed the whole trajectory of my life.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Many people have become anxious just from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have only heightened a sense of uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to develop serenity during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Take a break — It’s easy to get pulled into the collective vortex of negativity and fear. Even during a pandemic, we can find moments and experiences of inspiration and positivity. I think it’s important to recognize that mainstream media has a tendency to lean towards sensationalism. In our high-tech, highly digital culture it’s more important than ever to unplug to prevent becoming overstimulated.
With so many parents working from home and many children limited in their choices of recreation, families are engaging more screen time, social media, and electronics. The overstimulation causes an increase in neuro-sensory overload. When that happens, we become depleted.
If you want to catch up on the day’s news, I recommend scheduling a time to listen to your local news cast if need be, and then turn it off.
Scheduling and limiting social media to once or twice a day can create a significant increase in peace and well-being during these stressful times. I recommend putting phones away and getting outdoors for a big dose of Vitamin D to naturally boost our mood and immune systems.
Shift your energy — When we invest too much of our energy circuits ruminating about the past or worrying about the future, the result is that there’s too much energy in our heads and not enough to run the major systems of our body. It’s a vicious cycle that results in poor digestion, hormone imbalances, insomnia, and lowered immunity. If you have 100 circuits of energy to run your body and 75 of them are up in your head, you don’t have enough to run the primary functions of your body for good health.
Fortunately, there is a simple fix by learning to shift our energy out of our head and into our body, in the present moment.
All it takes is 5 minutes of practice several times a day until it becomes automatic. Stop what you’re doing, stand up, and take a few deep breaths while focusing your attention to planting your feet firmly on the floor. Take a few more breaths and connect with your breath, noticing how your lungs rise and fall with each breath in and out.
This help bring your energy and awareness out of your head and into the center of your being. Just stand and breathe for 5 minutes bringing your attention to your body and breath. If your attention wanders, redirect it back to noticing the chest rising and falling with each breath.
Just for that time, remembering there’s nothing you need to do, nothing you need to take care. Just be centered in the right here, right now, present moment.
Recognize that today, you are okay. Bring your attention to the fact that right here, right now, you are okay.
Practice mindfulness — In uncertain times it’s easy to feel like we have no control over our lives. To bring a sense of inner peace and control back into our lives it’s important to remember that we can always choose where we want to put our attention. It brings a sense of empowerment back into our daily existence.
We can choose to find the good and see the cup half-full even in the worst of times. When we find ourselves becoming fearful, we have to decide if this is having a positive effect on our health and our life. By being mindful of our thoughts we can recognize when we’re focusing on thoughts that are making us feel badly and then choose a different thought. Mindfulness is a very powerful tool — one that I teach all my clients and I personally used to heal anxiety and daily chronic pain. There is no positive benefit in giving our attention and energy to worrying about something that may never come to be. We can always choose what we think about.
Schedule moments of joy — Just like we can choose our thoughts, we can also choose our feelings and emotions — when we’re living in the present moment.
Working from home, I make sure that I schedule three or four “joy breaks” throughout my day. Planning them with the intention of creating joy is important. What really lights you up? It can be as simple as taking 5 minutes to savor your favorite cup of coffee in the morning.
For me, I get great joy out of the simplicity and routine of my garden and vegetables. No matter what is going on in the world I can rely on the fact that Mother Nature is still intact and in her routine. It provides a sense of grounding and connectedness as well as joy. So, every morning I start my day watering and checking on my tomato plants. There’s consistency and order in it.
At lunch time I schedule 10 minutes of play time with our pets. They are unconditionally loving and provide a lot of spontaneous laughter. I don’t do anything else during those 10 minutes except focus on the play, love, and joy.
It doesn’t mean there won’t be more serious things to tend to when I’m done, but just for that time I’ve increased my levels of oxytocin and “feel good” hormones. Studies show that has a cumulative, positive effect on our overall health.
To combat feelings of loneliness or isolation, plan opportunities to connect with others, within your comfort zone. Maybe a bike ride or a walk through the neighborhood. You can wave to neighbors from the other side of the street.
Make plans to connect with family, friends, and relatives via video conferencing. It’s important to see faces and hear voices, not just read a text message. Check in on neighbors or friends that live alone. It will lift your spirit and theirs.
Get it out. Let it out — It’s good to remember that everyone processes life events differently. Having compassion and understanding is so important.
And that starts with ourselves. We need to have compassion with ourselves and not judge or suppress what we’re feeling.
If we’re feeling alone and isolated it’s best to acknowledge it and then seek a professional to talk with. Sometimes we make the mistake of talking to friends or family members who can’t empathize with us and it can make us feel worse instead of better.
Stuffing or repressing our feelings causes anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Everyone is entitled to their feelings and should we should never feel embarrassed about them.
Talking with a mental health counselor can be like hitting the release valve on a pressure cooker. You don’t have to invest in a long-term commitment with a therapist. There are numerous state and national hotlines set up to help with working through the range of emotions and mental health issues that are the result of the pandemic. They provide anonymity and they are free.
From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?
- Listen, really listen — When people are in survival mode, they are concerned with their safety and security, and little else. They are very ego-centric. Looking out for their needs. It’s understandable. The greatest gift we can give to others right now is to ask how they are doing, and then really listen to the answer. Give them your undivided care and attention. Ask them if there is anything they need or anything that you could do for them. Knowing that someone else is there for us makes us all feel safer. We always get back what we put out in the world.
- Reach out and check on others — Make a phone call, not a text. Talking with and hearing a familiar voice helps us stay grounded and connected to time. We can reminisce and remember better times when life didn’t feel so scary and uncertain. We can find gratitude in something that feels familiar when everything else feels topsy-turvy.
- Volunteer — Deliver meals on wheels once a week. Volunteer at a local food pantry. It feels good to do good. There are seniors and low-income residents in every community that rely on these services for meals and the numbers are even higher during national crisis. It not only provides food but also a comfort to know that someone is checking on them every day.
I was a prayer chaplain at church for several years. Although I no longer attend that church, I called to see if I could help with making monthly well-being calls. It only took a few hours a week to help out. In times like this having someone to pray with us and for loved ones is a huge comfort and one of the most compassionate things we can give to another human being.
Most local news broadcasts cover human interest stories of how we can help out in our communities.
Ask, Acknowledge and Accept — Everyone processes life events from a different perspective. We may not agree with every person’s actions or beliefs, but we can choose to accept the diversity that is inherent in all of life.
Respecting other people’s boundaries and choices makes it much easier on everyone. We can ask what their comfort levels are and then acknowledge and accept that they are doing the best they can.
As our state and businesses began to open up back up for business, I asked all of my friends and family members what level of contact they felt comfortable with. We all want to feel loved and supported during difficult times. Having compassion for the human condition is so vitally important right now.
We have no idea what people are going through. Some of them may have lost a loved one. Some may be in fear of losing their house. We never know. Kindness and compassion go a long way.
Metta prayer and meditation — In the Hindu tradition there is a practice called Metta Meditation. It’s very simple and there is no particular religion that has to be associated with it.
It follows the ideas above of acknowledgement, compassion and prayer to bring hope and peace to the world.
The meditative prayer goes like this…
Sit quietly for a few moments and focus on your heart. The truth is we all want to feel and experience good things. After a few moments of getting centered in your heart, you mindfully pray for yourself and others- may you know peace as I wish to know peace. May you know love as I wish to know love. May you know healing as I wish to know healing. May you know joy as I wish to know joy.
You can add whatever requests you like to the prayer while focusing on people or regions that you’d like to pray for.
I could focus on the hardest hit countries and pray that they may know peace and healing as I wish to know peace and healing. I could focus on our government leaders and pray for their safety and good governance. I could pray for those who have lost loved ones.
You get the idea. It is focused on elevating ourselves and wanting the best for others as well. It’s like lighting a candle to bring hope and light to the world.
What are the best resources you would suggest to a person who is feeling anxious?
Energy medicine and energy healing sessions like Healing Touch and reiki can have an immediate and profound effect on promoting relaxation and deep inner healing. It’s like being dipped in Valium, only without all the adverse side-effects.
Learn to build a stillness practice. I teach this to all of my clients. It’s very different from the idea of meditation. Most people give up on meditation fairly quickly because they feel like they will never be able to quiet their mind. Building a stillness practice is different from meditation and it is a self-empowering tool that creates profound and deep healing. It can quickly short circuit the anxiety.
It allows the overflow of energy to pass through you and be released.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?
Nothing is impossible…The word itself says I’m possible ~ Audrey Hepburn
So many times in my life, I had to fight for my beliefs and ability. I never succumbed to outward appearances or other’s predictions about what was possible for me. Even in the depths of pain, anxiety, and depression I was not willing to settle for a mediocre life of limitations. Was my spirit challenged? Absolutely! Was I fearful and worried when my body felt broken? You bet I was. But during those times I looked to role models for my inspiration and people who had overcome much worse circumstances. I fought to keep my thoughts and mindset positive and elevated.
I have learned to question everything. I ask myself, “Does it have to be this way? Do I have to accept this? Or is it possible there is another path that is right for me?”
If someone wasn’t on board with my vision, I quickly cut them loose from my life and found people and professionals that were. It’s so important to choose what you want to believe about yourself and life.
We have to make that choice every day, at the start of each and every day.
We have to put all outward appearances aside and learn to tap into our own inner personal power.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would start a movement to help people understand that despite appearances, everything in the World is made up of energy…including our body, feelings, and emotions — and we have the ability to change, shift, and control that energy for the benefit of our health and well-being.
I would start a movement that illuminates the potential in others, so they can see just how much power they really do have to transcend perceived limitations and change their health, well-being and life.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Website: https://www.marthablessing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarthaG.Blessing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marthagblessing/
You tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2CHf4NBlINMmB1p_JwjBMA/featured
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthagesegnetblessing/
