Jennifer Lynne Flint

Tap Tap, Fizz Fizz

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:23:02 +0000

“I release, relax, and receive.”

I wrote this little affirmation to use while I do my Emotional Freedom Technique or “tapping” rounds, and I find it to be really helpful, as it covers a wide range of topics.

The 3-minute video above gives you a quick overview of the standard tapping method, which is easy to do, and very effective.

When I initially started trying it, though, I found that focusing on my issues or anxieties, etc., tended to increase them despite the tapping. This seemed to be interfering with the relaxing effect of the method, for me personally at least.

Even the word “anxiety” (a pointy, nasty little yellow-and-grey word that feels like a wasp inside my head) made me even more anxious, so I completely stopped using it after a while. I thought it might be better to focus on positive emotions for the most part.

I find that the tapping works great on a purely physical level (it seems to be a form of acupressure), so now I either use affirmations, general statements, or no statements at all.

I’m quite casual about the whole thing, in fact. I figure I’m more likely to keep doing it if I don’t make a big formal deal of it, but just go for it whenever it seems useful.

Which is a lot, as far as I can tell!

So I just tap as I feel like it, and often not even using full rounds. I have a couple of “shortcut” spots that I use whenever I need them – my favorite is under my cheekbone, which isn’t even on the standard tapping map!

But it works for me – it always makes me yawn, which is a sign that I’m releasing tension. I like the spot right under my nose, too.

I also find that I tap faster and longer than is typical – my goal is to elicit that relaxing yawn, so I usually tap on one spot very quickly and lightly until it happens.

And I’ve noticed that the more I need the tapping, the stronger my physical response is to it. If I really get into it, my eyes will start to water as well, which cuts down on my need for eyedrops.

Good thing, too, since the ones I have to use are expensive!

Using these shortcuts makes it possible for me to tap less conspicuously in public, (i.e. in restaurants or crowded places), without looking so much like a monkey, as Nick points out above.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.

When I eat, I say things like “My body will react calmly and peacefully to this food and respond with perfect health,” and I tap a little before, during, and after meals.

It seems to work really well, and I’m feeling tons better, and able to eat a lot more normally now. The reactions I have to food are greatly minimized, or sometimes eliminated entirely, and it seems to be getting better with time.

I couldn’t be happier!

This honestly seems like a miracle to me (and to those who know me), after twenty-some years of increasing problems with my diet. I had literally tried everything else, with only moderate results, and I was getting thinner by the year as my food options contracted to practically nothing.

I really felt as though I was starving (not to mention deprived), despite having plenty of food all around me.

Now life is opening up to me again, and I feel really hopeful for the first time in decades. I also have a lot more energy in general, which I have been using to great effect in other areas of my life (more on that some other time).

This technique is useful for virtually any issue, so please give it a try if you haven’t already. I do encourage the casual approach, though, since your body may be more likely to respond positively that way, and it’s a lot more fun besides.

Tap into your highest potential, and let me know how it goes for you!

Spamarama

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:57:38 +0000

Most Befuddling Spam Comment of the Week:

(Courtesy of toaster oven picks dot com, which I encourage you to never, ever visit, ever)

“Remember to disappear 1 ” for this blade to take you attend fold up so it it’s put your current ends in. wine bottle Dr. Generally look which are more temps chances, that allows house making cookies is done fundamental.”

Man, that insightful observation really makes me want to buy toaster oven picks, whatever the heck those are.

Apparently they allow house making cookies to be more fundamental, though.

Which is just what the Dr. Generally ordered.

Hey, I bet I could make these in the toaster oven. And now I want to. Dagnabit.

Some Assembly Required

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 17:46:06 +0000

El Boyfriendo and I decided last night that if we ever have enough money to build our own house, we’re going to make it look just like a giant hamster cage, with two separate parts connected by a big plastic tube in the middle, and some cool little lookout rooms and whatnot.

That way he can have a messy side, and I can have a clean side, and we’ll just meet in the middle now and then, as all good relationships do.

The house will be sturdy, colorful, easy to put together, and can be broken down into parts when we want to move.

We’re thinking of Portsmouth, New Hamster, just for starters.

And hey, if the concept catches on, we can establish a foundation to build them for the less

fortunate too.

We’ll call it Habitrails for Humanity.

Did you see that one coming?

If you did, you’ve been following this blog for way too long.

Run while you still can.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Benedict Slumberscratch, our architectural inspiration. RIP, little buddy. We miss you.

Tree for Tea

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:53:20 +0000

Taking a breather
I’m happy to see

There’s a tree in my tea
On the seat next to me

I could hardly request
More polite company!

It’s a cause for reflection
When time grows too thin

Pause to live and let leaf
And just drink it all in!

-J.L.F.

Dumping the Shark

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:08:12 +0000

Speaking of housecleaning, I just assembled my brand new Shark sweeper (which my boyfriend expressly did NOT get me as an anniversary present – or I’m not allowed to say so publicly, anyway), and you will be pleased to learn that they have clearly gone to great lengths to make it heavier, more unwieldy, and far more difficult to use than the previous version.

And also purple, which is my least favorite color.

But that is neither here nor there.

For example, instead of a super-simple sliding drawer on the side of the sweeper, there is now a “No-Touch Dust Cup,” which requires the following easy ten-step procedure:

Press down a lever on the back of the sweeper while pulling the handle upward to release the cup.
Quickly realize that all you are really doing is tipping the sweeper over backwards, dagnabit, and did they even try this thing before they sold it?
Muttering softly under your breath, put your foot on the front of the appliance, while simultaneously pressing down on the silly little lever with your other foot, and pulling upward on the sweeper handle to release the cup.
Try not to tip over yourself.
Try not to TRIP over yourself.
If and when you get the cup out, press a switch on the handle while holding the cup over the trash can, and a magic little door will swing open underneath, and hopefully dump the dust into the actual garbage as opposed to right back onto the floor, although it’s awfully far away now, so your guess is as good as mine.
Try to remember not to shut the magic trap door with your hand, but like, bang it on the floor or something instead, because otherwise you’ll ruin the whole “no-touch” thing, thus rendering the whole ordeal null and void, and probably infecting your entire family with anthrax or something in the process.
I assume it’s anthrax, anyway. The instructions weren’t specific about the actual risks of touching dust, but apparently they’re significant. Leprosy may also be an option.
Attempt to insert the dust cup back into the sweeper at the perfect forward angle without using the words you really want to use about it, or you’ll have to wash your mouth out in addition to cleaning the floors. I just hope you have one of those touch-free soap dispensers too.
Look into getting a time machine so you can go back and buy the original version of the sweeper, and maybe a pair of gloves and a can of common sense, so that way it doesn’t matter whether you touch the dust or not, if you even care about such matters, which I so do not.

Ah, progress.

I guess you can’t just sweep it under the carpet.

But sometimes you sure want to.

Misplaced Ambition

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:53:16 +0000

Here’s a useful organizing tip for all you ladies out there (and I am the Queen of OCD-Land over here, so you can take my word on this):

Every day, once you’re finished doing all your regular household chores (assuming you can stay awake that long after work, of course), try to straighten up just one extra thing around your home.

Clean out a junk drawer, sort through a closet or a box – you name it, the choice is up to you.

Set a kitchen timer, if you need the extra motivation.

If you stick to this plan every single day, even if just for a few minutes, I promise that you will be AMAZED at how annoyed your spouse will be when he can’t find any of his stuff anymore.

And that’s really the best part.

Because hey, if he can’t even locate his socks, he can’t exactly leave them lying all over the floor, now can he?

Besides, going barefoot is supposed to be good for your feet anyway, so you’re doing him a favor.

Go give it a try.

You can thank me later.

I’m pretty sure they’re in one of these. What am I, psychic?

What a Load

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Fri, 31 May 2013 23:08:17 +0000

Okay, now this is just ridiculous.

See, there’s this pair of green corduroy pants that I’ve had forever, and when I was wearing them the other day, our cinnamon conure Cayce sat on my knee and…made a deposit to the Bank of Bird, shall we say.

So like, eww.

I told the bird I was making a post about him, but all he did was scratch himself on it.

I washed the pants that night, of course, but the next time I wore them, he did it again.

I do a lot of laundry around this zoo, as you might imagine.

Okay, fine.

But tonight I went out to where I had left the pants stretched out to dry over the hamper in the kitchen, only to find that the bird had dumped on them again somehow.

BEFORE I EVEN GOT TO WEAR THEM.

And that is taking things too far.

I’m all for pre-paid credit cards, but pre-pooed pants are out of the question. I guess I’ll just have to dry clean the things from now on.

I would send the bird the bill, but he already has one.

It’s Music to My Ears

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Thu, 30 May 2013 02:40:07 +0000

I’ve recently decided to become an affiliate for Monroe Hemi-Sync – not because I really enjoy promoting other people’s products, but because I’ve been using their CDs for many years now (on pretty much a daily basis), and I recommend them to everyone anyway!

It’s one of the most effective tools in my personal Auraboratory, in fact.

And I rarely recommend anything that I don’t use and love myself!

For those of you not familiar with Hemi-Sync, it’s a special type of music that helps you to get into focused meditative states, and integrates the hemispheres of your brain into healthier brainwave patterns using something called “binaural beat” technology.

Her aura’s so bright, she’s gotta wear shades!

Essentially, the way it works is that a specific (and inaudible) sound is played in one ear, and a different one in the other. Your brain has to do a bit of automatic calculation in order to sort the two tones out, and the result is a targeted brainwave sequence that can help to balance the hemispheres of the brain, and bring about specific states of mind.

In this way it can help with things like sleep, concentration, meditation, artistic inspiration, and any number of other things.

Each CD will let you know up front what its intended purpose is (literally – it’s on the front).

If you’ve never tried Hemi-Sync before, I recommend starting out with a musical track rather than a spoken one – because that way even if the magical scienc-y part doesn’t have the effect you hope for, you’ll still have a lovely piece of music that’s perfect for sleeping or meditating to.

Even though I credit Hemi-Sync with helping me develop many of my relaxation and intuitive skills, frankly I would listen to it if it did nothing else, simply because it’s beautiful!

Here are some of my favorite CDs:

Dreamcatcher – very gentle and mystical music, great for sleeping. It reminds me of being inside a cave, with water dripping from the ceiling.
Sleeping Through the Rain – soothing rainfall and music for sleep.
Into the Deep – this one works best for putting me into a relaxed state, for some reason, and it’s a half-hour long, so it also makes a great meditation timer. It makes me feel like a mermaid!
Midsummer Night – also fantastic for either meditating or napping. I use it for both.
Himalayan Soul – a series of beautiful flute songs that are pleasant to listen to anytime.
Gaia – lovely, earth-centric music that’s wonderful for meditation or relaxation.

I have listened to these tracks (and more) for years, often every day, without ever getting tired of them. I like to sit on the sofa in my studio, plug one of them in, and just sort of zonk out – half sleeping, half meditating, and winding up more refreshed than both combined.

Monroe Products also offers a number of guided meditations for specific purposes, and custom packages to address issues like weight loss, ADD, cancer support, insomnia, allergies, addictions, and more.

And if you don’t care for music, you can even get “pink noise” CDs like Super Sleep, which just make a gentle swooshing noise to cover the binaural beats.

Set it to play in a loop, and swoosh the night away!

Best of all, you can play samples of each track on the website Hemisyncforyou.com, and they also offer accessories such as Sleepsonic stereo pillows, sleep masks, etc.

Because of its binaural quality, Hemi-Sync is most effective when it’s used with headphones (although you can certainly just play it on a CD player, and it will still be very useful).

Rip it to your music library or mobile device too (making sure you use a CD-quality setting), and take it with you wherever you go! I usually listen on my iPad, personally.

You can use any kind of headphones you like, of course. I chose a bluetooth set because I prefer not to be tangled up in a bunch of wires, and I like to nap and meditate while wearing them. I did a lot of research before I bought mine, and I’ve been quite pleased as a result.

Click here if you’d like to see them.

These headphones sound great, are practically weightless, have terrific battery life (10 hours), and are comfy to use lying down. They’re sweat resistant, too, for those who like to exercise to music. You can also use them for talking on the phone.

If you do try any of the Hemi-Sync products, or have used them before, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments, or over on my Facebook page.

Let’s stay in sync!

A Happy Tapper

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:03:30 +0000

Great news!

Per my post yesterday, I’ve tried the EFT tapping sequence from Nick Ortner’s book “The Tapping Solution” quite a number of times now, and I find I really enjoy doing it.

Well, actually I found the diagram in the Kindle version of the book to be a little bit small, so I simply googled the technique and watched the first video I saw, which taught me how to do it very quickly.

It’s really a remarkably simple thing to do, and can be mastered in mere minutes.

Here it is, if you’d like to watch it yourself. Who knows, it might change your life!

And if you want more information, there are plenty more videos out there. Just have a look around.

The method supposedly works for practically any problem, but right now I’m mainly tapping to calm down my naturally high-strung central nervous system, which I suspect is at the root of a number of physical issues, including my extreme food intolerances.

When I eat foods that digest too quickly (like any type of grain or sugar), my body tends to wildly overreact, resulting in a fast heartbeat, stuffy nose, sleepiness, and a host of symptoms that tend to follow in a kind of “food hangover” over the next day (or several).

I’ve had an unusually active nervous system and startle reflex since birth, so it is a matter of physiology more than any kind of neurosis – though I’m aware of a fair number of past-life issues that may also contribute.

Most people who know me consider me to be quite Zen and mellow, in fact, so it’s not even anything that is evident from my behavior, but mostly expresses itself physically.

Interestingly, from the very first time I tried the tapping, I noticed that by the end of each sequence (which looks a bit ridiculous, so keep it to the privacy of your own home if you don’t want to do it in the privacy of a padded cell), I was yawning really widely.

And this has happened every single time since, even when I only do a partial sequence.

Better yet, the yawning causes my eyes to water, which relieves my dry-eye problem.

For me this indicates a definite release of tension, of the sort that usually only happens when I exercise, stretch, etc.

It means that the parasympathetic (or calming) side of the nervous system is being activated, and the amygdala (center of the fight-or-flight reaction in the brain) is being deactivated.

This is exactly what tapping is supposed to do, not to mention specifically what I’m tapping FOR.

I feel deeply relaxed after each little session, which only takes a minute or two, and parts of it could be done absolutely anywhere, with nobody the wiser.

Even just doing the initial “karate chop” tap sequence (see the video above) causes the yawning and relaxation response, so this may be my new quickie “go-to” relaxation method.

Best of all, the very first night I ate something that would normally cause me a huge amount of trouble – Chinese food, including rice, wheat, and sugar, and I barely reacted to it at all.

I continued tapping on the problem periodically after I ate, and it seemed to further minimize the consequences. This morning when I got up I felt fine – no “hangover” to speak of, and even better after a couple of rounds of tapping to start the day off in a mode of relaxation.

I’ll continue monitoring my progress in the Auraboratory, and give you updates as I go along.

Please let me know in the comments if it works for your issues too. I can’t see why it wouldn’t.

Hey – if you can’t beat ‘em, tap ‘em!

Spring Forward

Jennifer Lynne Flint — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:44:47 +0000

Notes From the Auraboratory:

I have been on what can only be categorized as “a tear” lately.

And I mean big time.

Thinking back on it, I believe it must have started somewhere around my birthday in mid-March, when boyfriend and I took an overnight trip to Boston.

That was the big 4-3, and it must have triggered some sort of massive midlife crisis.

Because ever since then, I’ve been running around like a madwoman, ripping apart every single aspect of my life and…reconfiguring it, I guess you could say.

I began initially with my physical possessions – digging through every closet, drawer, and cupboard, and cleaning out anything I wasn’t currently using, or that wasn’t good anymore.

El Boyfriendo was narrowly spared, partly because he can like, cook and has a job and stuff.

Plus he’s pretty cute.

Can’t beat that deal.

Oooh, binder-clipped papers in size-ascending order by color. I do believe I’ve died and gone to heaven.

Most of the items I did set aside got stored in boxes up in the attic, since I know I can be a bit overzealous when it comes to cleaning things out.

I find it’s best to give myself a “cooling off” period, and quarantining the stuff in question is a great way to find out if I regret any of it or not.

This reduces any resistance to getting rid of things, since it’s very low risk. If I haven’t missed something after a period of time, though, or even thought about it, then off to the Goodwill it goes.

Having done the physical sweep, I then proceeded to attack other, more virtual aspects of my life.

As you can see, I redesigned my website, streamlined or eliminated a lot of the social networking sites I belonged to, and began going through every file, folder, and photo on my computer and elsewhere. I’m cleaning out and consolidating old e-mails as well.

So what is behind this sudden burst of extremely directed and productive energy?

Frankly, your guess is as good as mine.

There does seem to be a great sense of urgency to the whole thing, though, and without being macabre, it occurred to me yesterday that I would probably be doing the same thing if someone informed me that I had just a few months left to live.

So it may be that some phase in my life is concluding, and I’m instinctively trying to create space for the new chapter to arrive. This does feel like the case to me, although I’m not yet sure what form it will take.

All I do know is that this period of self-examination is providing me with a sense of clarity and control that I find extremely strengthening.

It’s as if my procrastination gene suddenly perished for some reason, and all of the things that I’ve been meaning to get around to for years and years are suddenly getting gotten around to.

Did you follow that?

I’m not sure I did.

This may also have something to do with the fact that I’ve been on my strict carb-free diet quite religiously for some time now, and that in itself is giving me more energy. But I suspect there’s more to it than that.

I’ve been hearing about some sort of vast global Shift (with a capital “S) that’s supposed to be going on right now – although oddly, people seem to use that explanation more when things in their life are NOT going well, for some reason.

I don’t quite understand that, just to be honest, even though I know it’s rather un-woo of me to say so.

To me, a shift ought to be a positive thing, and the one I’m going through right now definitely feels like an improvement – like a quantum leap to a whole new level, in fact.

In my case, there’s only one cause for concern, which is that I can tend to get a bit excessive about organizational matters if I’m not careful, that in that case it might increase anxiety rather than relieve it.

In fact, it’s quite possible that the whole thing is being caused by some subconscious stressors, since cleanouts and organization have been lifelong coping skills of mine.

My father’s heart isn’t doing well at the moment, for example, and in the event that he passes I’ll need to take care of his estate, which is a rather daunting prospect for me, having no experience in such matters.

And I still struggle with my own health, despite having eliminated most categories of food, and maintaining almost perfect discipline in that regard.

This causes me considerable frustration as well, as you can imagine.

So I’m keeping an eye on that aspect of things, and considering this to phase to be temporary in its intensity, but permanent in concept. I’m designing new structures and systems for keeping things in order once I’m finished, so that hopefully I won’t ever have to go through this process again.

That’s a strategy I highly recommend, as I always find it simpler to keep up than to catch up, in almost any area of my life.

And as for the stressors I mentioned above, I’ll be trying a new technique very soon. Yesterday I started reading “The Tapping Solution” By Nick Ortner (on my iPad Kindle app, of course), and I’m excited to find out if the Emotional Freedom Technique (or EFT) will help with some of my issues.

Many people have reportedly had excellent success in using it to treat all manner of physical, psychological, and emotional problems, so I have high hopes that it will work for me too.

This is definitely the sort of thing I like to experiment with in my Auraboratory, so I’ll be sure to report on any progress I make with it.

That’s if I manage not to clean out the book before I finish reading it, of course.

I’m a proactive kind of girl.