Michelle Interviews Co-Author Julie Ann
In her Embraced by the Divine chapter, “The Gift of Feeling Intensely,” Julie talks about how she transcended a high anxiety condition … and how she later learned that this ability to feel energy intensely is actually a powerful spiritual gift !
When she wrote the chapter she did not realize how very important the timing of this information would be for so many people. Right now we are all being affected by recent world events. Many people are feeling anxious and fearful, and those who “feel energy” (often unknowingly) may be finding it even more challenging.
But it is possible to come back to center … to be happy and peaceful in spite of the energies surrounding us … and as we each do this we create positive change in not just our own lives, but those of our families, communities and the world.
“Staying Centered in Times of Change” Interview with Julie Ann
Here’s a sample taste of Julie Ann’s Chapter, The Gift of Feeling Intensely:
“…What I didn’t love was the questionnaire the workshop leader had us complete which showed that although my overall stress levels were a little above average I had an anxiety level above that of 99.9 percent of the population. 99.9 percent … Holy moly!
You can, I am sure, see the irony that receiving feedback like this in a stress management class setting is definitely not good for one’s anxiety level!
One of the ways the Divine communicates with us is with gentle nudges like this one, which if unacknowledged get stronger and stronger until we are finally forced to take notice. I know that if I had taken action at that point, and dealt with the anxiety issue with meditation or counseling, I would have saved myself a whole lot of drama. Instead, I brushed off this wake-up call and continued snoozing until finally the alarm bells were so loud they could not be ignored any longer.
The series of dramatic life events came one after the other. My beloved Grandma passed away. I took on an incredibly stressful and highly political consulting contract. We were living with relatives while our home was being renovated. Then the straw(s) that broke the camel’s back … two miscarriages within a few months of each other.
By the time I had the second miscarriage I was so disconnected from myself that I simply left the hospital after my scan and went straight back to the office (to that highly stressful contract I mentioned above).
In the weeks that followed, the anxiety became all-encompassing, to the point where I remember hardly being able to string two words together into a coherent sentence. I walked around with a knot of tension in my stomach at all times. My nervous energy was out of control. I was totally on edge. But I still didn’t realize how far from ok I had become. I was working long hours at a job I hated with no time to think about anything else. Unhappiness and stress can seem so “normal” when you are simply getting through each day, doing what you think you have to, but in fact it’s so very far from what our centered, “normal” state really is.
Finally the time came for me to see my obstetrician for a long-avoided checkup post miscarriage and everything caved in. As I sat in her waiting room, no one was more surprised than me when I …”
Buy Embraced by the Divine – The Emerging Woman’s Gateway to Power, Passion and Purpose at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018FCGJDQ to read the full chapter and all the other inspiring and empowering chapters.
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Julie Ann (Singapore) is an Intuitive Healer, Spiritual Coach, Workshop Facilitator, Creator of the “Seeing 11:11 – A Global Vision” daily intention project, and Author of the forthcoming book, If You Are Looking for a Sign, This Is It! Julie has facilitated workshops in Malaysia, Philippines, China and Australia as well as her home base of Singapore. She has created several online global intention projects and hosted events during various worldwide meditation gatherings. www.julieann.co