By Linda Zeppa

The energy of 2012 is upon us and indeed it is different. For some of you, its influence is subtle. For others, like myself, it is not so subtle. It is fast-paced, moving, ever-changing. Months seem to pass like weeks, weeks like days, days like hours, hours like moments.

I appear to be on a treadmill, always moving, yet seemingly in the same place. Everyone near me is on his or her own treadmill as well. Not only that, everything around us is in motion as well, shifting, gyrating and taking shape, then moving again to reposition sometimes into something similar, and sometimes into something totally different. It is like a giant spinning workout room with everyone working out on their own machine at different paces and varying levels. Are you dizzy yet just thinking about it?

I realize that this is the way things are. While I cannot stop all that is going on around and in me, I have successfully made some attempts to control it and use it to my benefit. Here are some suggestions for you that have worked for me.

1.Take some quiet time for yourself.

There are days that are so filled that there is no quiet time until you are in bed. And even then, the room may be quiet but the noise in your head continues. When this happens to me, I visualize the spinning gym that I described above. I set it into as much motion as possible until I am almost dizzy. In the visualization I relinquish control of all that is around me. There is nothing that I can do about anything or anyone out there. I wave to all of this and let it be. Then I reach forward to my own treadmill control and turn the speed down or completely off. As my treadmill slows, I am free to rest and recuperate in silence.

2.Allow thoughts and ideas to flow from you onto paper.

Get a notebook of some kind. Keep your notebook and a pencil or pen in a convenient place, reachable morning and night. The bathroom works, but so does a nightstand or a desk or next to a computer where you frequently check your e-mail.

Every morning, write how you are feeling at this moment and one thing that you would like to see/feel today. KISS yourself on this... that is, Keep It Simple, Sweetie. One or two sentences or a quick note is enough. This should only take a few minutes. Every evening write down one thing that you accomplished today. Do not do a lot of thinking over these entries. Just write the first thing that comes into your head, even if it seems silly. Let it flow out your arm and onto the paper. Then put the notebook away. Read over the notebook once in a while. Elaborate on entries that you wish to. Get rid of those that you don't resonate with.

Note: I use coil notebooks, big or small. The pages rip out easily so that I can destroy and let go of the thoughts that I don't want any more. If I go back to read my entries and some fit together, I can tear those selections out and organize them in a binder or folder, and even eventually on my computer. You would be surprised at how many stories and articles have come together in this way. And of course, coil books are inexpensive, especially if you stock up during back-to-school sales.

3. Get some fresh air.

Make an attempt to spend time outdoors every day. Of course, a walk in nature is the best, but not always possible. Some days, that time is only an extra minute on my walk to the car, but at least it is an attempt. Consciously breathe in the outside air that is shared with nature around you, even if the nature is the one tree in the parking lot, or the gray clouds dripping on you as you walk. The energy of nature can affect you in the way that you need it. It allows your energy to flow in the natural way that it is destined to flow at that time. Sometimes we need to be calmed. Sometimes we need to be revived. Sometimes we need to be stimulated.

Last but not least, I have come to value this time and space that I have chosen to live in. I used to fear change, but I now look to it to see what exciting adventure it will bring into my life. The energy of 2012 is here whether I like it or not. I can let it spin around me while I rest or I can get on my treadmill and spin with it, using my intuitive nature to stay moving and learning in my comfort zone as part of the energy. I trust that I am moving forward as planned in this lifetime.

Linda Zeppa is a writer and an educator. She offers classes, workshops, and private sessions in writing, creativity, and intuitive development. See her website at www.intuwriting.com for further information or contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .