The Love Response--what it is

When you live in the Love Response, you live a life filled with more balance, love and joy. Why? When you experience fear, anger, worries, anxiety, physicalrnillness or anything else that is unpleasant, the physiology of yourrnmind and body shifts into negative. What do I mean by physiology? When multiple processes--emotional, mental, biochemical, hormonal,rnneurological, etc--occur at the same time in the mind and body, it'srnknown as 'physiology'. When you are functioning for extended periods of time in a negative physiology, your body, mind and life will break down. I think we have all experienced that. Simply think about a morning when you did not get enough sleep. Wasn't your entire day a loss? Didn't you find yourself irritated and often angry? Now, think about another time you slept really well and awoke feeling refreshedrnand rested. Your day was a lot more positive. You likely walked aroundrnwith a smile on your face and had more patience. When stress and worries accumulate in your life, it is very difficult to maintain arnpositive physiology, a positive mood, outlook, and ultimately, the desire to uphold positive self-care behaviors. You then feel worse physically, mentally and emotionally. It can become a vicious cycle. You also know that being happy is good for you. But how can you force yourself to be happy when you feel miserable? When you focus on the physiology itself, and shift into The Love Response,rnyou will find that getting to that "happy place" is easier. You can do so by focusing on the experience of being loved, and the rest will follow. If you can't do it on your own, listen to a CD with a loving guided relaxation. If you don’t find time for that and you are still having difficulty, then contemplate an experience of awe—a beautiful sunset, the smell of summer rain, or the look in someone’s face when you surprised them with a random act of kindness. Pay attention to what happens to your mind, your breath and the way you feel. You will notice the difference immediately.