New site

Please go to https://drkatherinetkelly.wordpress.com/ for my updated blog site.  See you there!

Evolution of a Blog

I invite all of you to view and follow my new blog at:  http://drkatherinetkelly.wordpress.com/. 

You will be able to access all of the entries from this blog site on the new one, along with many new entries. 

Also, if you would like to follow me on Twitter, go to:  https://twitter.com/DrKTKelly/, where you will see quotes from my upcoming book "Soul Health:  Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living", as well as updates on release dates, workshops, etc.

Thank your for visiting my site, and I look forward to seeing you on the new one!

K Kelly

One breath at a time...

I've been taking many long, deep breaths lately--- mostly to regroup and take stock of the moment.  In the last post, I described the situation about my sweet and loyal pup who is dealing with an inoperable tumor on his spine.  Since that time, and thanks to the wonder of both conventional drugs and a holistic vet in the area, my poor little guy has been restored to 'near normal' in terms of his quality of life.  I was near tears in my deep moment of breathing last night as he joyfully and continuously squeeked a toy for almost 20 minutes straight-- a true sign that he was happy to be alive.  I stopped what I was doing to go sit on the floor by him to experience his joy and breathe in the moment.... that turned into many more moments of squeeking.  At any other time I may have been annoyed that I couldn't hear the news in the background.  But in those wonderful moments, I too was elated that he was alive.

I'm guessing that many people are taking their own deep breaths of consciousness right now.  Between the horrific weather patterns, the grueling election campaigns, the state of the economy, the various health problems, family stress, emotional and physical exhaustion and so on... these moments of consciousness are much needed to really evaluate where we are in life and where we want-- or must go.

One of my favorite authors, Pema Chodron, explores this awareness from the buddhist perspective in her book "When Things Fall Apart".  When asked how she got through many of her own trials and tribulations, she answered "breath by breath".  And sometimes that is the only consolation one can accept as they make it through their days.

It sounds simple-- to breathe.  But once I ask someone to become aware of their breathing, it often becomes more difficult to breathe!  We have made a very unconscious process very conscious and in doing so, we become labored in our most natural effort in life.  Recently, a few workshop participants admitted that the request to become more conscious of their breath actually created a fear reaction.  They had to become quiet and 'listen'--- something that was all too unfamiliar for them to feel at ease in doing.

But in times of stress or duress, sometimes our breath is all we have.  It is literally and figuratively all that may sustain us in that moment.  But it is also in that moment that the most potential for change lies.  We cannot evolve without these moments of consciousness--- these pauses in which our souls can finally catch up with our human condition and instruct us for what we need to do in order to not only take the next breath, but also to learn from and grow beyond it.

While life may be about taking one day at a time, a conscious life is about living breath by breath.  For me, it is not enough to simply live.  I want to be conscious of every moment I am lucky enough to have.

Which is worse.... loss or the process of losing?

For those who know me personally, you are well aware that my house is not a home without a dog.  My family felt the same and we always had at least one pup when I was a child.  I now have two wonderful furry critters, both rescues, which I hold near and dear to my heart.  One is 13 years old, while the other is around 7.  The younger one is often my therapy assistant, coming to work with me and allowing my clients to love on her as they open up their souls to heal from the happenings of their own human condition.

Recently my older dog was diagnosed with an inoperable tumor which surrounds a vital nerve in his neck.  For several days he was unable to walk and cried in excruciating pain.  This both terrified me and filled me with sorrow as I remained helpless until a diagnosis could be made and pain medication could be effectively administered.  The challenge now is maintaining my own composure knowing that his life will be ending, along with my daily connection with this amazing furry creature.

This experience has raised my own consciousness about loss, one in which I am all too familiar.  Having had older parents, three of my four grandparents had passed away before I was in highschool.  My father died when I was 21, followed shortly by the remaining grandparent.  All blood-related aunts and uncles had passed away by the time I was 30, and my oldest brother passed away last November.  I have also experienced the loss of close friends while in high school and college.  In some ways, I guess you could say that this makes me very good at 'loss'.  I've had multiple opportunities to practice grieving and have come to know myself quite well in what how I handle these occasions.

However, in the situation with my beloved pup, I'm becoming ever so conscious of the fact that I am not good at the process of 'losing'.  Somehow knowing that his life will be siginificantly shortened has thrown a whole new wrench in my ability to 'lose' gracefully.  Knowing that at any minute the tumor could get worse and I will have to see him suffer-- and then make the decision of when to let him go-- has added a whole new dimension to the idea of being a good 'loser'.  Perhaps it is the unknown of how and when it will happen, or whether I will feel I've done enough to ease his discomfort and show my own unconditional love to this truly unconditional creature.

As a result of my new awareness of 'losing', my consciousness has also been greatly heightened in stopping the non-essential tasks and fully attending to my little guy whenever I am near him.  I have also become increasingly aware of the need to gleen every bit of meaning from life at any given time.  I am more present and mindful when speaking with friends and family-- or grocery store clerks... or delivery persons... or anyone for that matter.  I am more attentive to my own self as well--  allowing my emotions to come closer to the surface, sharing my thoughts, hurts, sorrows and joys more willingly.

In essence, this process of losing, although painful, has brought me more joy as well.  I am making every attempt to step out of the fear of losing, and step further into the love of 'having' each moment.  I am taking more time to breathe in each experience and both relish and cherish each gift of experience that comes my way.  I'm also eliminating more and more of the unnecessary distractions of life... the nonsense commercials on t.v. which I 'mute' the second I can...   the nonessential trips to the store to get something that could wait a few days longer....   the annoying political phone calls that seem to be flooding the lines these days...  and so on.

I want to be better at the process of 'losing'.  I want to be more graceful and genuine as I head into these unchartered waters.  I want to remain present, even though I may really want to run away from the pain deep inside.  In doing so, I know I will gain more and more from each moment, each interaction, and each breath.

Join me in this process.... lose the nonessentials... and gain your consciousness just a little more.  Become better in your own 'losing' process, whatever you may be letting go of. 

Hold yourself firmly in your consciousness and cry your way to joy!

Fun and Leisure!!!

So, it's June 11 and I finished the first draft of "the" book this weekend!  "Soul Health:  Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living" is in its final stages...  and should be released sometime this fall (2012!).  What seemed like both a long and short process-- long because I was so excited about getting this done, and short because I somehow wrote the entire book since January---  is wrapping up.  Hard to believe.  But long awaited. 

The Soul Health Model is my baby.  I'm very proud of it and use it daily with clients.  The model describes the importance and process of creating the ultimate life balance so that your soul has the best platform to evolve.  Long story short-- we must balance the 10 key aspects of our 'human condition'-- our everyday challenges-- with our spirit condition-- in order to thrive in this world.  Ironically... the last branch added was "Recreation" or the Fun/Leisure component of our human lives-- which is far under-rated as far as I'm concerned.  In fact, it was the hardest chapter for me to write-- both because it is the one which is most overlooked or pushed to the side in our experience in the human condition-- but also because at the point in which I was writing the chapter, I wasn't exactly having fun in my own life.  I had been working long hours, writing during what was left, and getting out far too little!  It's hard to write about fun and leisure when you're not having any of it yourself!!!

I do try to practice what I preach.  But I'm also an agent of change.  I love the work I do-- sometimes too much.  And in my own consciousness, I can become unconscious!  I can get caught up in the 'busy-ness' just like anyone else.  I'm much better than I used to be, but I, like many, have to intentionally schedule fun.

Are you having enough fun in your life?  Do you laugh enough???    Probably not.  But onward and upward...  I vow to have more fun today... how about you???

Time Flies....

It has been a while.... as you can tell by the date of my last entry.  This is partly because I haven't quite embraced this social media thing and partially because of happenings within my own 'human condition'.  Shortly after the last post I went headfirst into a very busy fall with a full client load, 27 presentations/workshops between August and December, and also indulged in my usual fall travel-- hiked Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons National Parks in September then headed to Peru for another wonderful spiritual adventure.  However, while out of the country, I received word that my oldest brother had passed away, which led to more travel back to my homestate of Colorado twice before the end of the year.  Since then I have been immersed in the writing/completion of my first book-- "Soul Health:  Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living".  (Stay tuned for release date.)  This adventure has brought its own challenges, but much learning about myself and others along the way. 

You see, even though I write about the human condition, I am not exempt from experiencing it myself.  This 'being human' thing tests us on a daily basis, many times when we least expect it, and when it is the least 'convenient' to feel as if we can manage it let alone learn from it.  But human we are.  And this means that we must take what comes to us and open ourselves to the 'pop quizzes' of life along with the major exams.

Last year when walking along the south rim of the Grand Canyon I had my own conversation with God, Universe, or whatever else you may call 'it'.  It was a moonlit night, far too wonderful to want to go inside even though it was too dark to even see the canyon.  I was wandering along wondering why life has to be so hard at times.  The thoughts that came to me went back to my graduate school days when, to me, it wasn't an option to allow anything to get in the way of finishing, no matter how difficult other parts of life might have been.  I just kept pushing forward.  I found myself chuckling as the words came to me that I chose the 'graduate school' of life when I committed myself to learning, growing and evolving no matter what.  Like those days in school, I realized that I wouldn't be doing life any other way than to just push forward no matter what.

I often tell clients that one of the hazards of therapy is that once you begin to learn and grow you never want to stop-- which creates a vicious cycle of more learning and growing along with the challenges and discomfort that comes along with it.

So, here's to the 'graduate school' of life for those of you out there who are committed to your own evolution!!!  Congratulations... and my sympathy all at the same time!  No one said this human thing would be easy... but we keep pushing onward and upward.

Let us continue on our upward journey.....

"Shake Awakes"...

The east coast earthquake that hit yesterday is said to have been felt by 100 million people.  In a matter of 30 seconds this huge number of people were suddenly jolted into awareness that the Earth was moving beneath them.

I can't help but wonder what would happen if this many people were suddenly jolted into overall consciousness within the same amount of time?  How would it change the world?  How would we treat each other differently?  How would our priorities change?  How would we spend our time?  Who would we love more... or less?  How would our judgments change toward other people... and toward ourselves?  How would we care for our selves and others?  What would we care about more... or care about less? 

Instead, our world is waking up just a little at a time.  Perhaps humankind would not be able to handle a mass consciousness in such a sudden way.  Perhaps we would panic and resist the consciousness... more than we already do.  Perhaps the journey of consciousness really  IS the key rather than the destination.  Our evolution is a very slow process... and perhaps we can't rush it.

But I yearn for a time of oneness.... of unconditionality... of total and complete love rather than this utter fear that we seem to swim around in.  I ache for a time when we don't judge one another for our differences.  I pray that it happens in my lifetime, but I'm not willing to put money on it at this point.

About a week ago I had a startling realization on one of my walks.   I realized I am greedy.  My greed, though, is based on wanting to be a change agent for as many people as I possibly can while I am still on this Earth.  I am not afraid to admit this greed... in fact, I am proud of it.  I am proud of the drive that I have had as long as I can remember to help people to heal and to evolve.  As a kid I remember seeing elderly people barely walking through a store or sitting alone in a restaurant looking tired and depressed.  I remember telling the Universe to take some of my youthful energy and give it to these people so that they could go on just a little longer or with just a little more energy.  Even then, I wanted people to live their lives to the fullest... to experience every drop of life that we are gifted with as humans.

And so my mission continues... My name is Katherine Kelly and I am greedy.  I will stand up any day and admit this as long as it helps someone to grow... to become more conscious.. and to do the ultimate service to our creator.... to evolve.

May your own personal earth shake enough today to bring you even a little more consciousness.. which will connect each person to the other.

Finding Humor in the Human Condition...

Well, well, well....  the human condition continues... and always will, I suppose.  Being a psychologist, one would think that I wouldn't get "stuck" like many of my clients do.  However, the human condition doesn't descriminate with whom it takes hold.

And somehow this amuses me.  As many know, I have been working on a book... then another... then... well... yes, another.  Are any of them done?  No.  Why?  Because the human condition seems to be playing tricks on me.  That and the fact that the publishing world has taken many turns in the recent past and it seems that it is harder and harder to get things accepted by national publishers.  I was told recently that the book "The Help", a national bestseller-- was submitted to 60 publishing companies before it made it to print... and now look at the previous 59 who are thumping themselves on the head for not grabbing it. 

I must say though, that I do believe that for everything there is a season... a time in which the fruit ripens and is ready for a grand harvest.  Apparently the time was not right for "The Help" until it was, well... the right time.  And thus progresses the human condition.

I wonder what the author did while waiting.  Was she patient?  Frustrated?  Disillusioned?  Bored?  Probably all of these.  And yet she persisted.

Much like anyone who can call themself a human, this condition that we find ourselves in offers infinite combinations of experiences as we make it through life.  Our job is to simply remain conscious and learn so that we can evolve beyond our last reaction to our unfortunate situation.  Our learning is inevitably fruitful. 

So, to this ever amusing human condition I say "Bring it on!"  Bring on the consciousness... bring on the learning... and most of all-- tickle the funny bone of this journey through life.  It's an ever so fascinating one at that!

Technology vs. the Human Condition

So.... my consciousness was greatly challenged as I tried to rescue my computer from the nasty viruses and worms that chose to invade it.  Those who know me understand that my brain does nothing less than ache when I have technical diffulties.  You see, my brain just doesn't work like a computer.. nor understand them.  I simply choose to consciously acknowledge my deficit in the area of computer language.

For those of you who follow my newsletter, you may have noticed an almost 2 month gap since you received the last one.  The saga began as I inadvertently (and unconsciously!) emailed a 1/2 written newsletter to my entire address book rather than forwarding it to my home email as originally intended.  A few days later I went to actually send it out only to find that the completed newsletter had disappeared!  Try as I might, I could not retrieve it.  I decided that was my sign that I just needed to wait a month and redeem myself for July.

However, shortly before the new month, I realized the computer had been invaded by the lovely worms and viruses that are circling the web right now.  So, off to the 'doctor' it went... along with my laptop which also caught it's brother's cold.  After over two weeks, about 6 trips to the computer wizard, and way too much money later, my magical boxes are back in service.

My own consciousness about this period of time took me through many twists and turns.  At first I was frustrated with not being able to deliver my promise of the newsletter... which then turned plural as the computers were being resuscitated.  Then it turned to my awareness of the frustration I had at those who have misused their energy to actually sit and create these viruses to send through innocent bystander's systems.  Then, at last, I returned to the place of peacefulness in knowing that everything happens exactly as it is supposed to... and I once again let go and let life happen.

Now that I am back at the keyboard, I feel even more aware of the world around me.  And increasingly grateful for the technology in front of me.  For in only in this way can I consciously connect and touch the worlds of those who read my blog, facebook, twitter, etc....  May the consciousness expand and continue despite our human technological glitches.

Namaste

K Kelly

The Soul's Vacation

I just returned from a trip to Colorado to visit family and friends.  Because I grew up there, I will always call the Rockies home. And because I have the travel bug, I always feel "fed" by my adventures.  When there, I took my 16 year old niece on a helicoptor ride for her birthday, went boating with my sister and her family, visited a horse rescue center and played with my sister's horses, ate my mom's killer fudge brownies, and got to see my best friend of 26 years.  I can't think of much more to feed my Soul from my days there.

Although the Soul has endless opportunities to grow and evolve through our human condition, even it needs time to regroup, take a breather and recharge.  Our Soul is fed by our human fun-- if it is nourishing rather than depleting.  "Good, clean fun" is hard to come by these days as our everyday lives are filled with everyday stressors, ongoing responsibility, and never-ending challenges.  When asked, most people report that they don't have enough fun in their lives... which means they also aren't feeding their Souls enough.  When our Soul is depleted it feels as if it has a slow leak--- nothing can fill it up and there is always a sense of loss.

By taking time to enjoy some human fun--- through a formal vacation or not--- we feed our Soul.  When was the last time you had a good belly laugh-- soothing isn't it?  Or the last time you thoroughly took in the scenery around you?  Nourishing.  When we don't take the time... we don't fill our Soul.

Find a way to recharge your Soul today.  Find the right combination for your own Soul's Vacation!

In shared light,

Kathy K.

Soul Health

We all have something to heal...  a broken heart, a broken bone;  a broken bank account or home.  And despite the fact that there are thousands of books, articles, products, and methods to heal these maladies, we all continue to feel as if something is missing in our overall health and well-being.  But how do we know that something is missing when we don't even know what "it" is?

The answer is the Soul.  Our innermost wisdom tries to get our attention that something is amiss-- or out of alignment with our deepest core.  What most don't know is that our Soul is the nucleus of each and every thought, behavior, emotion and action.  It is the "hub" of all of our "being".  When our human life is unbalanced, our Soul becomes unsettled.  It knows when we are out of alignment from our highest good and potential and wants to get us back on track.  The Soul speaks through our human reactions to things--- these are "symptoms of the soul".  These messages may appear in the form of physical or emotional concerns or disatisfaction with other parts of our life.  Only by listening to and honoring our Soul's needs do we experience peace within, and only then do we experience true health.

My "Soul Health Model", listed on my webpage offers more information about the 10 key aspects of human life that must be balanced in order to reach our optimal health.  Take a moment to check it out-- and balance your own life to feed your Soul!

What is Consciousness?

Had the question posed of what I consider "consciousness" to be.  Great question, and when asked it always helps me sharpen my own ideas about it!

To me, consciousness is the ever-evolving awareness of what we, as humans, are all about-- as well as how we fit into the grander scheme of the Universe.  Because I see everything through spiritual eyes, I apply meaning to just about everything that crosses my awareness.  It might be the contentment I perceive with the sound of my dog snoring next to me on the couch (as he is right now), or the meaning I place on the appearance of a hawk overhead, or the connection I feel with clients when they have an "aha" moment.  If we were capable of being conscious of all of the cues around us at all times, we would be overwhelmed with the infinite amount of information we might receive.  But just taking the time to tune into just one or two of these cues at a time can exponentially heighten our awareness of the world around us and give us the many wonderful affirmations that we are heading in the right direction as humans--- and more importantly as Souls.

Consciousness is the awareness of the "meta-moment"--- the moment within the moment, per se.  It is the 3-D view of the world-- the popping out of meaning that we can receive only when we choose to be conscious.  Consciousness goes beyond awareness.

Mindfulness is a big thing in our society right now-- the moment-to-moment awareness of the good, the bad and the ugly (Jon Kabot-Zinn).  However, I think mindfulness is necessary but insufficient when it comes to gleaning full meaning from those moments.  Being aware of them is not enough.  Extracting the meaning behind them is consciousness. 

The evolving consciousness of the world right now shows that we are no longer satisfied with the status quo.  We want more out of life-- more out of the moment.  And as we evolve as Souls, we become less and less tolerant of the human condition-- we want to live in spirit, not just as humans.

Thanks for the question....  I'll be curious how I respond in another few years as my own consciousness evolves!   (For more ongoing info--- consider adding your name to my E-newsletter list.  Go to http://www.drkatherinetkelly.com/ and sign up!) 

Our Spiritual Quest

"As long as we value comfort over effort, then we shall never have fortitude for a spiritual quest."  Deng Ming-Dao.

Growth takes time and effort and whoever thought that our own evolution would be easy really didn't have a clue.  Even though I work on myself and my spirituality on a daily basis, I still fall into the trap of believing that life should be easier than it is at times.  Just when I hit this wall, I also realize that the wall is part of the process of learning... again and again and again....  

Our soul's evolution goes through stages.  But once you've decided to grow, it never ends.  In fact, it can be rather addictive because it feels so much better to learn than to stay stagnant.  We can't deny our most natural state, which is of evolution.  But because our bodies have evolved about as much as they will, we must continue to evolve our souls.

"No pain, no gain."  Don't so much like this phrase.  But do love my evolution!

Soul Health

There are many models of health and wellness.  Although some of these include the element of spirituality, none of them indicate that our soul is the driving force behind each and every aspect of our health.  Every emotion, physical symptom, ache or pain is a "symptom of the soul". 

Your car dashboard likely tells you when your fuel is low, your oil needs to be changed, or your engine needs to be checked.  Some cars even signal when you are too close to another car, while others have a built in gps system to get you to your next destination.  These are all symptoms that you need to be aware of in order to protect yourself and your vehicle.

Our soul acts much the same-- it signals that something isn't quite right by creating an emotion, an ache, or a pain that there is something in our world that needs some attention.  Soul Health is all about knowing your "engine" well enough to know how to take care of yourself as a "whole".

My soul health model outlines the 10 key aspects of human health that we need to attend to in order to reach our optimal well-being. (Physical, Psychological, Social, Interpersonal, Environmental, Intellectual/Occupational, Spiritual, Sexual, Financial, and Recreational).  Take a look at the model on my website (http://www.drkatherinetkelly.com/) for more information.

Your optimal health depends on it!

Discernment

In these trying times, I'm even more aware of the need to be discerning in all decisions.  Our connections with others, how we spend our time, how we prioritize our lives, and everything from when to brush our teeth to what we want to be when we grow up all deserve our conscious attention-- our discernment.

Many walk through life without this level of consciousness and then wonder why their lives are not where the would like them to be.  The bottom line is moment to moment discernment.

How do we cut back spending to allow for the higher gas prices?  Discernment.   How do we decide how to spend our tax refunds?  Discernment.  How do we decide who is important in our lives?  Discernment.

Discernment is inherently a conscious process.  On a scale of 1-10 (10 being absolutely discerning).....  where do you score for your life overall?  How can you improve this?

Conscious "Re-Entry"

After returning from a fabulous workshop in Sedona this week, I am reminded once again about how hard it can be to 're-enter' daily life following some time away.  Ironically, the conference was on 'consciousness', and I feel like I fully 'binged' on spirit in those 6 days away.  The challenge is.... I had to re-enter my daily routine soon after my return.

I liken vacation 're-entry' to that scene in the Apollo 13 movie when Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon are looking at each other wondering if they are going to make it back into the atmosphere of Earth.  They don't know if they should brace for impact, or just count their blessings for the adventure they had.  They made it back to Earth, but landed with quite an impact.

What do you do to re-enter after a fabulous time away?  How conscious are you in your return to routine? 

In my case, I try to stretch out my own re-entry by minimizing time in front of the t.v., on the telephone, or doing anything that could abruptly 'shock' me back into the human reality. 

Next time you travel... plan some conscious re-entry to make your own transition smoother...

Kathy

Earth Consciousness

Our consciousness as humans is growing every day.  But I can't help but think that we are forgetting to remain conscious about our wonderful planet.  Last week's earthquake and subsequent tsunamis are such a clear indication that our planet is hurting as much as we are. 

I had a friend tell me she thought the Earth was trying to 'shake us off' like fleas.  This is such a vivid image in that our Earth really is trying to tell us that we aren't being very good stewards.

On April 22, I will be joining two dear friends of mine to host an "Embrace the Earth" meditation and celebration.  I had the idea back when the gulf oil spill occured.  But now it feels even more important as the Earth from it's very core is hurting--- it's heart is breaking.

Let's rally our collective consciousness to heal the planet.  Like any wound, only our conscious awareness of it's needs for care will calm our world.  Embrace the Earth in your own way today and add to the consciousness the world needs.

In shared light,

Kathy

Soul Alignment

Lately I've been talking to clients about 'aligning with their souls'.  Ease of living--- happiness, contentment, and just smooth sailing through life-- is entirely dependent on how aligned we are with our soul.  When we are living in our truth in all areas of life, our souls are at ease and life flows smoothly.  However, when we are 'mis-aligned'--- not living our truth, or are off track from an important aspect of our our soul's needs, there is great discomfort.  This can manifest as anxiety or depression, general stress, or even as health problems.

My Soul Health Model helps people re-align with their souls.  For more information, go to http://www.drkatherinetkelly.com/.

What needs to be 're-aligned' in your life?

To evolve or not to evolve... that IS the question....

Our personal evolution requires conscious choice.  Scientists believe that the human body has evolved as far as it is going to.  However, the evolution of our souls is infinite.  But this infinity is only guaranteed when we choose to remain conscious of our opportunities to evolve.  What does this mean?

Every day, and often every moment-- we are given the opportunity to learn something new, do something different, or respond in an alternate way.  All of this requires our willingness to take a step back and really look at how we can steer our worlds. 

Our cues to evolution come in all shapes and forms.  Sometimes it is through an emotion.... sometimes it is a physical symptom.... sometimes through a sign from nature....  sometimes through a new thought.... or even a chance circumstance.  But we will miss these cues to evolve if we do not adopt a "radically conscious" mindset.

Allow yourself to become "radical" today!  Go wild with your awareness!  See and hear things that you have a tendency to overlook.  And most of all-- observe the information that is all around you.  It is there for your evolution!!!

"Checking Out"... Conscious Unconsciousness

Today I woke up feeling mentally fatigued and basically not wanting to be "responsible".   I gave myself permission to become consciously unconscious for the rest of the day (until just now).  What that meant for me was to go on with my day, but with an agreement with myself to not think harder than I had to, not "process" anything that didn't need to be solved today, and to just let my mind take a rest for the day.

Let's face it, consciousness takes energy.  Those who choose what I call "radical consciousness" spend the majority of their waking hours maintaining a stance of constant awareness.  Every once in a while we need to 'check out' and allow ourselves to just mentally 'chill'.   However, we need to be discerning about what we do to become consciously unconcious, and for how long.  A commitment to consciousness means that if we check out, we also commit to come back into consciousness at some point.  This consciousness thing can be tricky...  but is vital to our health and wellbeing, as well as to our evolution.  Take some time to become consciously unconcious when you need to.