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Episode 4 is here! Juhu! Click here. Let's have a chat and dive right in!
Show Notes
To see things through my animals’ eyes means not putting my own
experience, feelings, and beliefs onto them.
- Nicole Birkholzer
:: Projection often means that we're doing something to the animal while seeing the world through our animal's eyes allows us to do something with our animal.
:: When our animals speak to us, be aware, that type of behavior is their way of expressing themselves, we have a choice. We can either dismiss them as quirky or annoying or get frustrated with them, or we can choose to stop and listen. Because these furry and feathery guides of ours as simply reflecting back on what's going on in our life and in their life.
:: When we run on autopilot. When we’re not tuned in. When we are not present, they see it often as their job to trip us up, or lie on our keyboard, or become a no-show at the fence. They make us aware that we're physically there but not available. Therefore, quirky or unexpected behaviors are really your animal's way of asking you to come back into balance. Their quirky behavior is their a way to wake you up.
:: Living with animals enriches our lives in many ways. But when the behavior is suddenly unexpected even dangerous their actions become our concern. If your dog has separation anxiety and whines and cries every time you pick up your keys that's an undesired behavior.
Or, if your new cat is fighting with your older cat and one of them is not using the litter box, well that's a problem. Or, if you're fostering three bunny sisters and one of the bunnies charges you keeping you away from bonding with the other two, that's not fun. Because you expected a snuggly bunny situation. Or, why does your horse suddenly not step up to the mountain block when usually she stands like a statue?
What is going on?
:: In these situations, you often reach out to your veterinarian or your trainer. Wondering if there is something physically, wrong. If there is a training issue? You might bring the bunnies back because the one that charges you is just not manageable. Often the vet or trainer can't find a solution because it is not necessarily a training or health issue that's going on most often it's a behavior issue that can't be fixed with treats or medicine. So what is really going on in those situations?
:: In most cases, the quirky or undesired behavior relates to some type of unease. Be it unease within you, because you're not breathing, or too occupied. Or, something brings them unease in their environment. I discovered that there are five areas that can influence our life either with ease or unease.
:: The five areas are, the people we're surrounding ourselves with can bring ease or unease to us. Our purpose, fulfilling our purpose or feeling we have not yet fulfilled our purpose is something that can bring ease or unease into our life. Our environment, if we love where we live, if we love how we surround ourselves, can bring a lot of ease. But, it can also bring unease if we're not happy in our environment. Then there are the peers, the connection we have to others outside our world. That, of course, can bring a lot of ease or unease into our lives. And the fifth category or area is our health. Because being healthy usually means are at ease, but if we have aches or pains we feel unease.
:: If the animal is consistently feeling unease from the first four categories, people, purpose, environment, pack, or herd, the unease can eventually lead to dis-ease. And with that, we came full circle. Unease leads to dis-ease which leads to health issues.
:: With this episode, I invite you to start paying attention to your projections. When do you project your own feelings onto the animal and when you're truly feeling your animal is informing you?
:: And, start looking into some of the animal behaviors you notice. Are they quirky? Is your animal simply trying to give you a chance to tune in and come from your head back into your body?
:: Or, is there something creating unease in your animal’s world and for that, you look at the five areas, the people, the purpose, the environment, the herd, or pack, and your animal's health.
To book a private phone session with Nicole and your animal, click here.