Tag: healing

Empowering Discussions

Wonderful, Powerful, Brave, Infallible….

Impower You

We are all POWERFUL beings of LOVE. Yea that’s sounds corny as hell, but in light of the hate that has been given permission to grow by the trump administration here in the USA(a nation built on stolen land) the past few years, it’s a message we need to embrace. We have a choice each day. We can believe that hate and violence is inevitable or we can believe that love and mediation is unstoppable and INFALLIBLE. I won’t tell you which to choose. Your life is your journey to discover, listen, and learn. But I HOPE, more than anything that you choose to be BRAVE, release hate, prejudices and biases, and embrace the truth that you are capable of being love to all, in all situations.

I’m an artist and writer with a focus on art therapy. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon.com/Loviedo. For $1 a month*, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and other free creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

Empowering Discussions

Transforming the Definition of Being “Rich”

Impower You
Since August of last year I have been working on changing my money story. Finally, I have a healthy story. What a year! WOW! There were times I really doubted myself, but each time that happened I resumed my practice of self-care, reached out, and returned to challenging myself.
Recently I have felt the physical change. My body feels lighter. I’m no longer worried or fretting over lack. I am at this joyful place. I’m not rich with money yet, but I plan on changing that soon. I’ve also changed my definition of rich from having everything to having enough to afford all the experiences of my personal, authentic life.
I feel a bit like a magical creature in this moment. I feel this way because I know that money was the last major blockage I needed to work through. So yea, I feel magical. I just conquered the last peak of a long climb.
The final push was reading a book with a title that turned me off. But I was bored so I flipped to the first page. I was waiting at my friends casa while she got ready to go out when that first page grabbed me by the shoulders and said “THIS IS MY STORY!” HA! The lesson is don’t judge a book by it’s cover, flip it open. Same can be said for most things I believe.
The book is “You Are a Badass At Making Money” by Jen Sincero.

 

 If you desire extra support in transforming your life, check out my Dive Deeper Self-Care Challenge.

 

I’m an artist and writer with a focus on art therapy. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon.com/Loviedo. For $1 a month*, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and other creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

*You can also receive also receive art in the mail for a higher contribution.

Empowering Discussions

Join the Dive Deeper Self-Care Challenge

Impower You

The Dive Deeper Self Care Challenge has begun! This will be a time to dive into that all the stuff you’ve been avoiding, uncover the roots of your pain or why you’re stuck, and learn how to practice regular self-care for you and your situation. If I can bounce back from a 17 year depression, I believe in others abilities to heal their life. During the challenge, unwanted emotions will arise because that’s what happens when we don’t practice self care or heal our traumas. Trauma lingers withing us until we heal it.

I started this challenge for a few reasons. The first reason is through my own healing and recovery work I’ve learned the importance of regular self-care. Through recovery I have learned that when I didn’t practice often enough I began to feel the negative impact in my daily routine.

The second reason is that many of us hear this message that self-care is about feeling happy and doing anything to make that happen even if its not necessarily good for us, just so we can not feel pain. Things like spending money we don’t have in the instant gratification of retail therapy, or drinking and getting high with friends so we can forget our troubles, or gambling all our spending money on chance and expecting to WIN BIG someday. It could also be working 60 hours a week to earn more money and not focus on what makes us happy from the inside out. These become unhealthy when we don’t use moderation. But by forgetting or ignoring what causes us suffering we are intensifying our problems. This is not self care.

The third reason is to guide those who are desiring to transform their life. This is for you if you really, really, really want to be healthier and love yourself or because you’re sick and tired of being sick and tried. If that’s not enough reasons for you to practice self-care regularly, how about knowing that poor mental health can cause poor physical health and shorten your lifespan.

Are you ready to cultivate a sustainable self-care practice? Are you intrigued and want to learn more? Join me at https://impoweryou.org/divedeeper.

Want to share this with someone who is wanting more self-care in their life? Please do!

Peace and hugs, Leah

I’m an artist and writer with a focus on art therapy. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon.com/Loviedo. For $1 a month*, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and other creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

*You can receive art in the mail every month for only $12 a month.

Poetry

Poetry: Rewritten Life

Impower You

Most days I wake up ready for the world. Some days I wake up exhausted from trying to create a life that I own. Either way, I’m only here today. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. So, I feel all the things, try my best to release what doesn’t support me, allow my friends to have their own space,  and give myself hugs each day. I love myself because I am finally making my dreams a reality and I have learned so much.

  • Be a writer.  Check.
  • Be an artist. Check.
  • Learn how to heal truama. Check.
  • Lean how to grieve healthily. Check.
  • Learn how to be my own best friend. Check.
  • Learn how to play guitar. Check.
  • Travel to a foreign country by myself. Check.

I still have a lot to learn, but I can feel pride in knowing what I have learned so far. As the song lyrics go, I don’t know where I’m going, but I know where I’ve been. For you, I hope today you wake up feeling ready for the world. I’ll hold space for you, but you need to hold space for yourself.

I dedicate this poem to all my friends and family who are trying. I love you….

 

Thank you for subscribing to my blog. I hope you find the content worthy of your time.

 

I’m an artist and writer on a mission to bring healing arts into the mainstream. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon.com/Loviedo. For $1 a month, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and other creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

Radical Magazine

FREE: March Issue of Radical: Growing Into Our Strengths

Impower You

Personal growth is our theme this month. Inside you can enjoy poetry, art and healing exercises that encourage us to take risks and leaps to discover what we are made of. Contributors in March are Inisa Fajra, Iris Orpi and myself. Download the March issue on my Patreon page.

 

*Call for submissions: If you would like to submit art or writing to a future issue, use the Contact page. The theme for May is Peace. You can submit work between April 18-25.

Read previous issues on the Radical Zine page.

I’m an artist and writer on a mission to bring healing arts into the mainstream. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon.com/Loviedo. As a patron, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and other creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

Radical Magazine

FREE: February Issue of Radical: Power is Personal

Impower You

What’s Your Power? That’s the theme for February. In celebration of a lovely month there is plenty of self-love in this issue!

Inside you will -hopefully- discover inspiration about harnessing your inner power for healing and growth from guest writers Inisa Fajra and Iris Orpi.

This is the first issue where I have included a lesson from my D.I.Y. Therapy E-course. Each month I will share a new lesson. My vision for this zine is to share healing tools along with fantastic artists who have messages about healing,  personal power, individual rights, equality, and freedom.  Download your free copy on Patreon.com/Loviedo

*Call for submissions: If you would like to submit art or writing to a future issue, use the Contact page. The theme for March is growth. The theme for April is Peace. The last date to submit is February 19th.

Read previous issues on the Radical Zine page.

I’m an artist and writer on a mission to bring healing arts into the mainstream. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon. As a patron, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and other creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

Empowering Discussions

The Self-Love Diet Challenge Returns: Create Your Self-Love Manifesto

Impower You

The Eight Annual Self-Love Diet Challenge is here and I highly recommend joining. You can join on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/294159054322293/ or sign up on their website: http://www.lovewarriorcommunity.com/31-day-self-love-diet-writing-challenge

I have participated in past years and appreciate how the challenge keeps me focused on self-care. After the holiday season I feel so good in January by completing each practice. Below is my manifesto for the 2018 challenge. I hope it inspires you!

 

Dear Universe,

This morning I wake up with sunshine in my mind, even if it is cloudy and grey outside.

I walk through the day knowing that I am in control of my reaction to everything. Healthy food and plenty of water fuel my body, helping my brain keep me in a balanced mood. I am aware of doubts that make me feel uncertain about my choices. I remember that my brain works in a way to make it easy for these thoughts to grow. I am a creature of habit. When negative thoughts invade, I know that I created those thoughts. Knowing this reminds me that I am powerful. This knowledge means that I can choose positive thoughts to motivate and inspire myself. I, like everybody, am powerful. Consciousness is my tool and my shield.

Today and every day, I choose to live in the present; to plan for my future, but not worry about it.

Today and every day, I search for compassion, knowledge, inner peace and peace on earth.

Today and every day, I know that I am surrounded by love from family and friends, from strangers who open their hearts to strangers.

My self-love manifesto is a deep knowing that I am in control This wisdom comes from my intuition, from centuries of wisdom passed down in my DNA. I remember that like everybody, am the result of ancestors lost to memory, of atoms dancing, of the same energy that is the universe. Remembering this, I love myself unconditionally because I am perfectly imperfect.

Peace and hugs, Leah

I’m an artist and writer on a mission to bring healing arts into the mainstream. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon. For as little as $1 a month, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and support future creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

Book Reviews

Book Launch: “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers”

Impower You

What is radical self-love? It’s a letting go of the idea that your worth is tied to your future accomplishments. It’s being accountable for your actions. It’s choosing your own path.

Self-love manifests itself in different ways for different people. By cultivating radical self-love, you are choosing to believe in the radical idea that you are whole and valuable as you are. Loving your imperfections is one of the bravest things you can do.

Featuring work by Michelle Minero, Kiyoshi Shelton, Jaz Gray, Corry Lang, Natalie Small, Rae Lawrence, Jason Freeman, Jasmine Farrell, Anaid Garcia, Donovan Cheney, Vidya, Katrina Mendoza and Leah Oviedo. These amazing people are different genders, skin tones, sexual orientations, abilities, spiritual beliefs.  What they all share is knowing that self-love is an important aspect of everyone’s journey.

This is a free e-book. You can choose your preferred format; EPUB for most eReaders, Mobi for Kindle, or PDF at Patreon.com/Loviedo

 

I’m an artist and writer on a mission to bring healing arts into the mainstream. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a monthly patron on Patreon. For as little as $1 a month, you can fund programs like my D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression E-course, my monthly “Radical” e-zine and support future creative healing projects, like “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists & Writers“.

D.I.Y. Therapy

D.I.Y. Therapy: Listen To Your Body

Impower You

Despite the years of heart-work I have put into healing, life is bumpy and I feel it. Things happen that cause me to feel sad and concerned. It’s a slippery slope that I’m well aware of. If I don’t take action, I will slide down into that dark valley of depression. Phuck that! I spent enough time down there, now I’m scaling mountain peaks!

One way I can do this, is by listening to my body and honoring what I need. Sometimes I need to rest and sometimes I need to move!

So yesterday when I woke up feeling sad, homesick and a little queasy, I chose movement as my boost. I walked around the park, played a few favorite songs, and stretched along the way. By the end of the walk, I was feeling balanced again.  Once I start moving, my body gets happy and then it tells my mind to get happy and then I can focus or face off on what is most important. Movement has been working great the past few years.  I dance more, sometimes even in public, I stretch regularly and I move when my body feels tight.

I also rest when I need to. So if your low energy or sadness is spurred by being everything and doing everything, make yourself slow down. Take a nap, go to bed earlier or sleep in later. Your body needs to rest! The older you get, the more rest it needs.

If you’re serious about depression, you also need to watch what you consume. Soda is out and vegetable juice is in!Eat vitamin rich foods. Especially make sure you take Vitamin D & B. Those can really help your energy level.

So if you are feeling low energy, listen to what your body needs. Healing depression is a whole-self journey. It’s mental, physical and emotional. Let yourself explore what feels good and what wears you out. Decide for yourself what you need, don’t just rely on what works for someone else. Healing starts with you!

PS. If you want more support, I created a free e-course to help with depression D.I.Y. Therapy: Healing Depression. Its FREE, you don’t have to sign up or pay. I created it because I know the pain of depression.

 

I’m an artist & writer on a mission to bring healing arts into the mainstream. If you would like to support my heart work, please consider becoming a patron at Patreon.com/Loviedo. For $1 a month, you will support the following projects:

Book Reviews

A Radical Collaboration of Artists, Writers and Healers

Impower You

I’m stoked to share that I’m collaborating with 11 artists to create a new book “Cultivating Radical Self-Love: A Collaboration of Healers, Artists and Writers”.

This collaboration features work by a dozen amazing people. Anaid Garcia, Kiyoshi Shelton, Jasmine Gray, Corry Lang, Jodi Onyx Austin, Natalie Small, Rayne Ibarra-Brown, Jason Freeman, Jasmine Farrell, Donovan Cheney, Michelle Minero and myself, Leah Oviedo.

The book is a collection of art, writing and practices to inspire readers to create a radical self-love journey. Each contributor will be sharing their own heart-work in how they use tools to create more balance in their life.

In the words of Nayyira Waheed, “’I love myself.’ The quietest, simplest, most powerful revolution ever. – from “Salt”.

This book will be a free E-book and .pdf available from collaborators through their various platforms, such as my Patreon page.

> If you’re on Facebook, join the book release event (https://www.facebook.com/events/1755255884776774) on Thursday, December 28th, to grab your copy of the book! <

Learn more about the artists below:

Natalie Small – http://www.groundswellcommunity.org

Jasmine Gray – https://www.facebook.com/JazsJammies

Anaid Garcia – https://www.anaidgarciagallery.com

Jason Freeman – http://www.jasonwfreeman.com

Corry Lang – https://www.corrylang.com

Kiyoshi Shelton – http://kiyoshimusic.com

Michelle Minero – http://www.lovewarriorcommunity.com

Jasmine Farrell – https://www.facebook.com/JustBreatheJasmine

Donovan Cheney – http://www.donovancheney.com

Leah Oviedo – https://www.patreon.com/loviedo

Once the book is published I will post again. Or you can follow my Patreon page (link above).