691 thoughts on “Travel Suitcase – What to Pack?”

1. It’s great to read this as I’m about to go away for a few days and packing is something that can consume me in the same way.

   Years ago my travelling was with a back pack and it was so interesting, I became used to going without things and living with the simplicity of things. Roll on years later, I love the fact that packing is in the appreciation of everything that is packed into a suitcase, how supportive does that feel. It’s a whole new way of travelling and you can feel the burden already lifted. Pack according to how each item feels for the body…

2. Appreciation is the foundation of deeper appreciation of who we are.

   1. In that appreciation more is revealed unto us…

3. Over the last few years, I have done a lot of travel and I now find that packing my suitcase has become so much more easy – partly from having had to do it so many times, but also partly to do with what has been shared in this blog (dropping the need to have an image or look a certain way when one travels etc). Any situation in life is really an opportunity offered to grow and evolve.

4. Worrying about things is a convenient way to not enjoy the moment and all it brings, This is also something I can very much relate to as I have always been a good ‘worrier’ but the more I learn about how much I am missing out on really living life when I worry, and the more I get to feel how this is a game to distract me from actually living life, then the less I am inclined to do it.

5. When we live in a way that is trying to control the outcome, though we might be very successful functionally and thinking of all the details, we miss out on the larger picture and the vastness of being. This is something I still struggle with on a daily basis – I find myself managing life and juggling life so well but then forgetting to allow expression of the deeper quality that lies within. This is a game changer indeed to come from that deeper part rather than the control and management.

6. Appreciation supports us in ways like building a strong foundation from which we can go out and live our lives.

7. There is so much in our lives to appreciate, even the simple daily choices to look after ourselves, ‘ I have worked on developing an appreciation of the smallest parts of my foundation; from the quality of the time I take to moisturise my hands each day, to drinking water regularly to keep myself hydrated.’

8. Everything is everything so of course the care and detail in which we pack to go on holiday, prepare to go to work or anything is so important, something I am forever learning and changing as I know I can bring far much more love, simplicity and clarity to all I do. Also I am far more aware of not only packing for when we go but cleaning/clearing our home as when we return if we come back to a fresh and clear space this is super supportive for us.

9. Life without understanding our essences, or our “inner knowingness”, is definitely lacking the bones of what True-appreciation is all about, so deepening our sensitivities and intimacy (not sexual) as we can never have appreciation without True-intimacy (letting people-in). In this wisdom we can deepen our relationships in the most glorious ways and to Truly Appreciate is the “glue” between the moments of glory, or a Deep-humble-appreciate-ive-ness is sustaining our connection to our divine “inner knowingness”, by letting everyone in, in the most open and trans-parent ways.

10. Thanks for your blog, as I was reading I felt how the appreciation highlights all the wonderful things we are and are developing, and it magnifies these and supports us to feel held in our own love, and without that we are more vulnerable to all that is not love, the self doubt, anxiousness, etc.

11. So we just need to pack light, and leave as much space as possible to fit all that appreciation in!

    1. I love this playful simple comment.

12. I’m away from home at the moment so just went through the packing experience a few days ago. How I pack has definitely changed over time from what I’ve learnt from how I am each time but there is still the anxiousness of what to pack. I’ve come away again feeling like I’ve packed to much, do these questions will be great for next time. I feel bogged down by packing to impress and it reflects in the weight of my bag! I sense a feeling of space by packing for what I feel to wear.

13. Wow – appreciation is one of my definite weaknesses – but what I take from your blog is that appreciation can completely change the way you do something, even something as simple as packing a suitcase. Thank you you have provided much food for thought..

    1. And a valuable reminder to keep appreciating.

    2. Beautifully said Meg, Appreciation is a key ingredient in life that helps us to really embrace each step and interestingly many of us struggle with appreciation. So the real lesson here to is make sure that the first item packed in the suitcase is ‘appreciation’.

14. I’ve just discovered the joy of travelling light and packing only what is needed and loved.

15. It is beautiful to bring appreciation to every ares of our life and discover that every task has a purpose, including packing a suitcase.

16. The more aware we become the more we know instinctively what to pack.

17. Appreciation is the glue that keeps us living in harmony with each other.

18. It is just another day every day where ever we go no different than the one before so why should we need to impress others by our clothes when we are on a trip?

19. Understanding what we truly need to support us, This is the thing and can be reflected upon in all parts of our life

20. What I love about this is how no part of our life is different/separate from the rest as it is all built on one same foundation, and simplicity returns when we can see it all as one life.

21. Packing a suitcase is something real. But is also symbolic of the fact that we always bring a package of our choice in our journeys. This is what we use to dress what we call us.

22. Thank you for the reminder of appreciation. When I do pack bags wanting it to be perfect there is this strain and tension that I feel in my body but when there is appreciation this is different, it feels more nurturing and tender in my body.

    1. Bringing appreciation and purpose to every task makes so much sense.

23. Frantically looking outside of ourselves looking for acceptance and trying to ‘fit in’ is fraught with anxiety and stress and a very exhausting way to live. The only way to travel through life is in connection with the deep knowing of who we truly are and where we are truly heading.

24. To be in true appreciation of ourselves anything we do in life is then imprinted with this loving quality, plus the bonus is the powerful ripple affect that naturally occurs when we make this truth part of our normal every day.

25. It is very common for people to pack more than they need. Or forget something. I see it a lot and have done it myself. This blog allows me to appreciate that there can be a quality we have with packing that can support us to pack what is needed, with a knowing that we don’t have to do this off pictures of lists but off what will truly support us.

    1. And its surprising to see how little we need when we make sure we take all of ourselves as the priority.

       1. Great comment Simon, how easily we make life about what’s outside of ourselves and not who we are and bringing our All to life and to whoever we are to meet. In this I can see how self appreciation can help eliminate anxiousness because our focus is returned to ourselves.

26. ‘Learning to live from my foundation of appreciation and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness’. Thank you Anon for these words, on the power of appreciation to remove the anxiousness I feel in my body at times.

    1. Well highlighted Jill – a great anti-dote for anxiousness is appreciation.

27. I am really looking forward to traveling again after reading this very practical and supportive blog. I have been one to spend ages trying to figure out what to take and, in the process, making myself a tad stressed. Not a great way to begin any trip. But now I have your lived experience as a marker so when I next pack my suitcase I will create a new marker of packing with appreciation, for myself.

28. I remember getting a tongue in cheek excess luggage award when I went away for one sports weekend because I was notorious for over packing. It’s interesting what comes up for you when you are preparing to go away from home (and out of your comfort zone) and want to be prepared and have what you need without over doing it. When I do go away I do pack lighter now but I would not say lightly.

    1. Each time I go away from home and need to pack so much comes up. I get sad about leaving my comfort zone and having everything just as I need it. I divorce myself from the fact that wherever I go I can be with myself which supports myself most of all.

    2. Yes, I still like to take things so I am prepared for what I may need, but would in another sense like to be able to pack lighter.

29. Its true, if your failing to appreciate what’s on offer in every moment, you will be open to anything else that has been your way before that appreciation was developed.

30. When you pack your suitcase with you before a trip then you are there with you when you arrive at your destination and unpack.

    1. I like this Mary, very simple!

    2. I love this Mary, and it can be applied to every part of life in all we do.

31. Anonymous, this is very lovely to read and makes me realise how important appreciation is and to build it into my daily life; ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness, not only in packing a suitcase, but in many other aspects of my life.’

32. A great blog for me to read today Anonymous as I am about to pack my bags for a short vacation, it is very common for me to become anxious about what to pack, how will the weather be etc, It is interesting that appreciation is a part of it all, when I appreciate what supports me and nurtures me that makes all the difference.

33. Being currently overseas on a continent I have never visited before it was an interesting process choosing what to pack and what I have appreciated since I have been here is how much I packed what I felt impulsed to take (even if it seemed a bit crazy) and how although there are a couple of things that I didn’t bring because I told myself they were unnecessary which would actually have been useful I can simply take that as a learning for future trips.

34. ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness’ it is so true when we take the time to appreciate how we are supporting ourselves then there is no space for anxiousness to come in and derail us.

35. The same action (e.g., packing up for travelling) may be the result of a different movement, hence can be done in a different quality. The movement we are in is what impulses our further movements. That is why even if we end up packing up the same clothing despite the quality we are in, what we carry with is different if it was done in one quality or another and will affect our next movements. So, we can set ourselves up for expansion or for complications. Packing up is not just packing up, but choosing what quality will impulse our movements in our destination.

    1. Beautifully said Eduardo…..We are free to not only choose the quality but also deepen that quality in every moment. how awesome is that.

36. This is a gorgeous blog that shows the importance and value of appreciation being in all parts of our lives, and fundamental in building ourselves a strong foundation, ‘appreciation being the key ingredient in building a solid foundation upon which to base all aspects of my life.’

37. I love Heather’s comment above, what a beautiful and inspirational metaphor for life, traveling light shows her ‘ how to live with what is needed, what is loved, and what takes care of me and all those I am in contact with.’

38. Traveling light is a metaphor for life for me, it shows me how to live with what is needed, what is loved, and what takes care of me and all those I am in contact with.

39. Appreciation and more appreciation seems to resolve and help so many problems we have had in our lives, it is quite amazing.

40. OMG. How amazing is it to just stop and consider what would be supportive for yourself? I am awesome at going into overdrive, overwhelm, overdrama etc etc. But when I make the choice to do it differently, my golly gosh is life suddenly so much simpler! The question for me is why on earth do I need make that choice everytime. It’s a work in progress in changing my default settings.

41. I am choosing to bring appreciation into all aspects of my life more and more, and I’m starting to enjoy it, ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness, not only in packing a suitcase, but in many other aspects of my life.’

42. As a travel agent I love this question. 🙂 Packing can cause anxiety as we are stepping out of our comfort zone and the safety of our home where we have everything we’ll need, or if not we know how to access it – we feel safe. But it’s a great time to ponder whether it is our things that make us feel safe and secure or something much deeper – our connection to ourselves.

43. “Learning to live from my foundation of appreciation and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness and given me more space to enjoy the opportunities that are on offer.” Appreciating even the small things in life can bring much bigger changes than one might realise at the outset. One of the biggest things I appreciate in my life is my finding – and staying with – Universal Medicine. The impact this has had on my life is profound.

44. I can truly start to appreciate that when I remain present with myself in the moment I can connect with and feel what is needed for the coming day not in anxiety but from a knowing and felt sense.

45. Packing a suitcase to go away reveals a lot about how we are living on a daily basis – do I actually like the clothes I am taking? Are they good enough? And if,for example, they are not good enough – why wear them at all, why have them in my wardrobe?

    1. Having read your comment I am realising more and more when I feel not to take a certain item away with me, that I haven’t worn that certain garment in years I am now questioning why that is still in my wardrobe too. Time for a de-clutter methinks.

46. Us humans like to make things difficult so we can solve the problems… but there is a simple way to live and one that doesn’t create problems in the first place.

47. When I read through the list of worries that you describe here at the beginning of the blog anon it occurs to me that most anxiousness I also feel is when I am thinking about or worrying about the future and something that hasn’t even happened yet! And I have also found as you have that the best cure for this is to stay focused on the moment and the quality of my movements in the moment and really appreciate them.

    1. That’s true for me also Andrew, worrying about the future or anticipating possibilities that haven’t happened yet. It is definitely very supportive to stay in the moment and focus on the quality we are in because that then takes care of the next moment (the future) – something I am still working on!

48. Always a gift when a different way of living leads to simplicity – that’s when we know we are onto something.

49. I have been travelling a lot lately and realise how often I over pack. I am learning to travel light and trust that I have everything I need in my suitcase and if I don’t I can alway buy it. No stress required just plan accordingly and trust what I need will be available.

50. There will be many who “appreciate” your sharing on appreciation. I love the tips you share on preparing and packing for a trip, thank you.

51. The anxiety over what to pack can come from us worrying we will forget something, be left unprepared or not have what we need. I recently took trip to China and I was super prepared, packed lovingly and was covered for many situations. But when I arrived in China I discovered my luggage hadn’t. It took another 2 days for my bags to reach me. So it was the same outfit, which was an warm enough for a cold aeroplane but far too hot for a Chinese summer, no makeup, and none of anything I had packed to support me on my trip. But what I discovered was that I was fine, more than fine actually, I was great and felt amazing. And I I simply did what was needed and rolled with what was happening. The preparing was great and super supportive but I didn’t need any of it. All I need is my connection to me and from there everything else works out.

    1. Lovely Nikki, and so true, allowing, accepting, and staying connected to our self helps support us in all situations.

    2. That is lovely Nikki, a great experience for us all to learn from. It’s a reminder that it’s what’s within that counts.

52. I have become great at packing what I need for trips and not bringing along excess stuff that never gets worn. The last time I travelled I knew I would be doing a lot of walking so I purposefully packed comfy shoes, rather than the ones that would look best with my outfits. I will remember to bring along a big dose of appreciation the next time I pack.

53. I have been planning to renew my passport and it was quite similar to what you share – I would have many questions and what ifs, like when the least busy time might be; where to take the photo and when – should I go after work one day, or go before going to the passport office on the day; do I really only just need my current passport – I was driving myself into anxiousness, and yes it is a choice, a rather indulging one, and that is how I create and fill ‘spare’ time when there isn’t one.

54. I can feel now how endless is the effect of appreciation in my life… Never is too much!

55. I love how the appreciation you shared Anonymous actually confirms who you are and how much you value yourself. Each confirming movement made brings a great deal of simplicity to all areas of our lives and packing or anything else done in this way becomes an absolute pleasure.

56. Until reading this blog I had not appreciated the knock-on effect of appreciation in the way it is presented here and it is true.

57. Anonymous, this is very cool; ‘Learning to live from my foundation of appreciation and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness’, I will experiment with this, how beautiful to have appreciation as your foundation.

58. It’s like the appreciation helped you to re-gather yourself and not get lost in worrying and so simplified the process too – I’m sure this is something we could all apply to many tasks in life!

59. If appreciation gives us a solid foundation in life, I can see why the world is in such a mess. Most of us allow critical, negative, doubting thoughts to run on repeat in our heads. It actually feels lovely to treat yourself with appreciation. It is like looking at a child who is quietly playing or sleeping and just loving them for who they are.

60. I had similar anxiety dream as yours, of feeling distracted and forgetting my passport and missing my flight. I notice I get these dreams when I am making unloving choices in my life.

61. Appreciating ourselves is so important because we do not do it enough, but there is always a moment to stop and just appreciate what is there to appreciate on that moment, and then those moments continue to build so that we have a solid foundation of appreciation as our platform.

62. Thank you for the tip – it is always good to travel with appreciation – I will make sure that I pack it and with it.

63. I thought on reading t his, holidays should be a time of relaxation, and then I further thought, actually we should be at ease in any moment, and if not then clock it and evaluate why. Appreciation is certainly one way to take the tension away, I can relate to allowing this unease at times where it would be smarter to just let it go.

64. Just a reminder to appreciate the simplicity of life !

65. Interesting point here that the moment we stop appreciating then we leave a gap for something else to jump in.

66. Inspiring to read how anxiousness has been removed by your level, your foundation of appreciation and it exposes the fact how appreciation in my life is there now and then but not consistently as the solid foundation I know it can be and how this creates space and freedom in our lives.

67. Appreciation is an ingredient that I don’t always put into my day and it is very telling with how my day then plays out. I’ve just travelled overseas twice in one month so I have had plenty of practice with packing. I learn every time I pack, what worked the time before or what didn’t and each time I refine it I feel the support when I reach my destination. My last trip I actually stopped and appreciated even the small things of having all my toiletries that I needed. This is a huge change from complete overwhelm packing, not knowing if I had the right clothes or if I had enough etc. to enjoying the experience.

    1. This blog and the comments are a great reminder to keep appreciating in our day.

68. What you share here is so important for us all to read and feel the truth of our creations. That cause anxiousness to not be fully ourselves takes an effort, and it takes its toll.

69. A great reminder to appreciate ourselves for who we truly are without putting pressure on ourselves to be more.

70. Appreciation is truly key to deepening the relationship with ourselves and in building a solid foundation that supports us with everything in life.

71. I often have to pack going from one extreme to another 40° C to -6° C for example… It is always a great way of checking in to make sure that one is super aware, and covering all bases.

72. I know how there are so many things in life which seem to just be there to overwhelm us 🙂 And yet isn’t it also an amazing reflection to lovingly remind us that a steady and solid foundation is what holds us, no matter what happens in life and however life tries to knock us over.

    1. hear hear Adele 🙂

    2. So true, Adele, and appreciation is one of the strongest steps in establishing that foundation.

73. Appreciation, feeling and reading sound like the only tools we need to prepare for anything. And a good measure of trust. What a simple recipe!

74. It is amazing how appreciating ourselves can assist with situations that we would usually find stressful – great reminder as I head off on a trip.

    1. I love these sharing and insights on how appreciation has supported people in their lives.

75. It really is so simple – appreciation for who we are is the gateway back to expressing the fullness of our true self (our Soul) and not the imposter (the human spirit) that stands in the way of such greatness.

76. With anxiousness being a global plague, learning to appreciate ourselves will go a long way to alleviate this global phenomena. I used to live with crippling anxiety and I too have been learning to appreciate myself and take great care of me, and it has lessened amazingly so. I feel so much more steady and ready for life than I ever have been before. Aah, another moment of appreciation of how I am living now.

77. I often felt like you mentioned before especially before going on a long trip, both being long on the plane and being long away from home. I would feel like I wanted to take everything just in case an event would happen or I would suddenly feel like wearing that particular thing that I usually don’t wear. I would get very anxious. What I found is that when I felt I would be there when I would be in the plane and when I would arrive so I would be able to be me then and there too even if I hadn’t the right clothes, the anxiousness went and I felt myself again.

78. As I am just about to pack for another trip this blog is very timely. It could be said that our approach to packing is no different to our approach to our day, which is absolutely one and the same.

79. How and What would we prepare for a Holy Day? Would it be the same then for a holiday?

80. “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.”
    As I walk my own path, returning to live from my souls impulse, I can feel that the foundations that I have laid, and that deepen daily are now becoming the base on which I live my life. Appreciation then becomes a lived experience, to the best of my ability, living my foundations in the fullness that I feel them to be.

81. Appreciation is a great gift we can give to ourselves as in being appreciative we do encourage ourselves to feel instead of to think and when we do not think but instead feel packing a suitcase is never an anxiety issue anymore but a joy to do instead.

82. Loved you blog Anonymous, because I can so relate to what you shared about getting into overwhelm when packing to travel. However, as you have described, building in appreciation is such a key ingredient to have in ones foundation, to have there for when you are going to back to travel or anything else in life for that matter. It is something that is and can be continually built on and developed in your foundation of life.

83. It’s a brilliant example of how appreciation fills the gaps that would otherwise let in anxiousness and self doubt, thank you.

84. Last year, I quit my job to travel the world for whole year.

    So I arrived at my first destination (Frankfurt) with a big suitcase and couple of small backpacks. During my time in Frankfurt, I planned to stay in nearby Wiesbaden for a week. I took just one of the smaller backpacks with me, packing just what (I thought) I would need for a week.

    One week later, I realized that I had used barely 25% of all the stuff I had packed in the smaller backpack. And that’s when it struck me, how little stuff we actually need to live and be happy. Everything else is just psychological.

    I downsized to a minimalist lifestyle, got a slightly bigger backpack and traveled across 14 countries with just that – the happiest 12 months of my life.

85. Life can be super simple if we choose to appreciate ourselves and what we bring, then there is no need for adornments or looks to ‘put on’ rather clothes to express how we feel.

    1. We can swap “getting it right” and giving our power away to what others think of our choices to simply appreciating ourselves and lovingly focusing on our own self care.

86. It is amazing just how much we are supported with making loving choices, when we are connected to our bodies, our marker of truth that is designed to guide us to live this/our truth without question.

87. Oh my goodness I needed to read this today. Feeling enveloped in a fog of anxiousness of my own making I can feel how I have forgotten all about appreciation, but even in reading this and appreciating that I have chosen to express myself I can feel it clearing already.

    1. This is a great reminder of how powerful our expression is as it can support and inspire others to heal and bring more awareness.

88. In this example the packing of the suitcase is also a beautiful analogy for the way we pack (prepare) for life, feeling into what it is that we need to be doing at this moment in time, the energy that we do it in and will it support us, or not. Packing a suitcase will never be the same again!

89. The packing process prepares us for the actual travelling part of our trip, but they are equally important because without looking after ourselves in the lead up the trip can be complicated, messy or frightening particularly if we haven’t looked to see where we might be going, travel details and accommodation.

90. Yes to what you write, and that is – APPRECIATION, it is our glue to hold it all together. A beautiful tool is being shared of what we so much miss to bring in our lives. Yet the foundation of all we walk upon.

91. ‘What will I wear to make me ‘fit in’ with the other people I am travelling with?’ It’s interesting how we treat our clothes, when we buy them or when we are packing to go away. Are we buying clothes that feel great on our skin which we love to wear or are we wearing clothes to fit in with what others are wearing or because we know they will be approved of or not approved of? We allow the outside world to impact our inner world so much that we forget who we are and what is true for us in the process.

92. Appreciation really does transform the way in which we think, and therefore approach everything.

93. I am an overpacker – My husbands travels a lot so is an extremely efficient packer the bare minimum. Recently we travelled with carry on luggage only and after a mild panic it ended up being a very simple and much less stressful process. I Tend to wear the similar clothes day in and day out. It is only when i am packing that I feel the need to have a huge selection. My lesson keep it simple uncomplicated and supportive.

94. Funny reading this because I dislike packing for holidays and also get into a bit of anxiousness to make sure I have everything I could possibly need – but I also do feel I appreciate myself so had not considered the two as linked. I am inspired by your blog to look a bit deeper and see if I can let go of some of my packing neurosis!

95. Appreciation of ourselves and of life is making the difference in which we are open to how we feel life is to be lived and to live it accordingly. From that comes a steadfastness that does not waver for whatever may happen in life, as we know who we are and can trust upon, what ever comes to us. So packing a suitcase is very simple form that place, as we exactly know what to pack and to take with us so we are well taken care for.

96. Anonymous, what you are sharing is very interesting, ‘Learning to live from my foundation of appreciation and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness and given me more space to enjoy the opportunities that are on offer.’ Reading this I can feel how I can go into anxiousness, this can be with work or going somewhere or in certain situations that feel are out of my control. I love how you are sharing that appreciating ourselves can be the remedy for the anxiousness and that building this appreciation as our foundation can make life more enjoyable, I can feel how we have the choice to go into anxiousness or to appreciate ourselves and our inner wisdom and so it is the latter that I am going to work on, and how gorgeous to deepen our appreciation of ourselves and to nurture our inner knowing.

97. I like to take things ‘just in case’ and sometimes it turns out to be just perfect, and other times I end up carrying more than I actually needed. It feels like if I try to get it ‘right’ all the time and be perfect then it becomes anxiety. Years ago, I had a boss at work who often used to say ‘It’s not the end of the world’ and his laid-backness used to drive me crazy, but now I am coming to understand how much of hard work and effort I was imposing on myself just to avoid any possibility of making mistakes, there’s beautiful honesty when I allow there to be mistakes.

    1. snap!

98. “Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness.” I can so relate to this, the deeper my appreciation the stronger my foundation has become, recently I had a wobble and self doubt came up, but within 24hrs I was able to recognise and nominate it, which supported the clearing from my body. I could feel the lightness in my body immediately. This just confirmed the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down was my support.

99. Packing a suitcase always reminds me of how well prepared I am for whatever is next, in a symbolic sense that is. Being prepared isn’t necessarily about having the bag packed, as in the case of travel, but it is how I live, which is made up of my daily choices, rhthym, order and consistency. This is what prepares me to have my bags packed on time, feeling complete and not rushed, and making the trip and travel just what is next.

100. This is so relatable, worrying about whether we’ll have the ‘right’ things and the correct equipment, clothes, items or outfits for where we’re going, forgetting that the most important thing is to bring US and all we can be, rather than an anxious or stressed version of ourselves.

101. Its staggering how different the quality of thinking is when coming from our body instead of our head. The more we appreciate the more we can enjoy and surrender to our body.

102. I had to pack this weekend, going to a place I have never been, at first I went in some doubt about my clothing and had questions like you’ve described what I could feel how I actually was setting myself up to make myself less in advance. I choose to come back to all that I know and that is that I am a Son of God equal to everyone else. Packing my suitcase was simple and a joy to do, I am on my way!

103. It was powerful reading about how you feel anxiousness and overwhelm are remedied by our ability “to appreciate our inner knowingness”. This makes sense as when we trust and feel from within we know what decisions to make and it’s to support our connection, not the images, beliefs or ideals we may have.

104. Packing a suitcase is synonymous of preparing for what is ahead. We will never know what is going to be there to meet us, but we do have a choice in how we arrive and we also have a choice to continue to feel and take note of what we are feeling at the time.

105. “ I knew that I had developed a solid foundation that supported me in my day, but I was missing the glue that held this all together – APPRECIATION!” Great reminder to stop and appreciate and I have been feeling the same not appreciating myself, even though I am aware I have been building deeper foundations. So bringing it back to the simplicity of the smaller things in life and appreciating them as how I wash the dishes or put cream on my skin.

106. I love what you have presented …. for there is great power in returning to and appreciating the foundations we have developed for ourselves in removing the burden of what we can otherwise allow to come in to make us anxious, or doubt that we don’t know exactly how to move through life in a way that is deeply supportive, when we absolutely do.

107. This reminds me of “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” – a line many may have heard in their childhood. Instead of sugar, substitute it for appreciation. And instead of seeing medicine as only pills or tablets, see it as the quality of everything we do. That’s a real powerhouse of medicine there!

108. Building a foundation of appreciation, what a self loving and nurturing way to develop a solid, steady and consistent foundation for life.

109. Packing to support us feels so much more supportive than packing to look good for others, and to fit in, and like the author has stated takes away any anxiety.

110. This has helped me see appreciation in a completely different way, thank you.

111. Yes I recently had an experience were I found myself in a deep lack of appreciation for all the quality of work and study I had done and offered back to people. Done with the support of people around me and the connection of God. It took me a while to come back to this and feel the power of all that is there that I have build upon in my life that I have been able to do and give what I do and did. Since then, my life become even more richer and fuller as the appreciation led to more opening up and more way of more quality in my work, being and life. A gorgeous example of why appreciation for who you are and what you bring is so super important. It must come from our inside.

112. Appreciation is so powerful and reading this blog and the comments I realise there is so much more appreciation I could be doing. Thank you everyone.

113. I really enjoy packing because it’s an opportunity to look at what would truly support me and nourish me for whatever time I am away. It’s a great exercise in looking at what truly supports up in life – and what doesn’t.

114. Ah, I know these ‘what-ifs’ that have crawled inside my ear also and the subsequent anxiety that arises from feeling ill equipped to deal with the journey ahead. It is so simple yet so revelatory to know that appreciation is what releases us from such a bind and that the steady expression of this builds a mighty foundation that will never wobble no matter the turbulence that may come our way.

115. I am travelling tomorrow and what a brilliant blog to read and appreciate that packing can be so simple! I must admit I have been waking up in the middle of the night thinking of something else to pack but I see it does not have to be like this at all.

116. Appreciation is definitely the glue that joins all the parts of our lives together and brings it alive.

117. When we live from a foundation of appreciation we cannot but surrender and trust that all is perfectly ok as long as we are with ourselves in everything that we do.

118. When we make sure that we are fully with ourselves wherever we go we know what to do and how to do in an instance.

119. One thing I have truly started to appreciate lately is that no matter the task or moment we have in our day, if we see it as a moment of service we are offering such beauty and detail from our very being that brings such an amazing quality to everything, it feels pretty spectacular. How would our packed suitcase feel then?

120. Appreciation is such an essential ingredient to life. I have always been very quick to criticize myself when things weren’t going how I thought they should but rarely, if ever, appreciated myself when I made a choice that supported me and felt good. Through the presentations and shared wisdom of Serge Benhayon I have turned the tables on my thoughts and appreciate myself for who I am and the many choices I make and have discovered there is so much more to appreciate.

121. I have these same feelings as I prepare for work, do I have enough, will I be prepared for everything ahead of me, I would often focus on having the day in the classroom clearly mapped out but in truth we can never plan everything that will happen. The only thing I am in total control of is how I feel and how I respond and when I put more focus into looking after me and preparing myself I am then less ‘stressed’ about the external factors and more at ease with responding with what’s needed in each moment.

122. Your first list made me feel exhausted! ‘I was missing the glue that held this all together – APPRECIATION!’ Yep I agree Appreciation is definitely the glue that holds it all together and this is a great and timely reminder for me.

123. Seeing life through our constant choice to live and appreciate our foundations and movements of everyday to support ourselves, brings a whole new opportunity to see just how simple it is to live from love everyday in all that we do.

124. Appreciation completely turns around any situation, no matter how dire it is, if you can appreciate what’s on offer and what you have to offer life becomes very different.

125. Appreciation really is powerful stuff! For me too it is “…the key ingredient in building a solid foundation upon which to base all aspects of my life.”

126. Going about our daily living with a foundation of love and appreciation is truely amazing, thank you for sharing your experiences and your wisdom;
     “Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness”.

127. ….” appreciation being the key ingredient in building a solid foundation upon which to base all aspects of my life. ” This is a work in progress for me too, and realise appreciation is a science as there is such a depth to it and the more consistent I am living it the more spacious my life becomes.

128. I agree it is a beautiful way to pack when we can appreciate what would be supportive and feel into each item.

129. “What seemed to be a hard and overwhelming task became so simple when I chose to appreciate myself even more and simply placed these items in my suitcase.” Appreciation is the key, when we begin to appreciate, we create this beautiful connection with our selves. We know what is true and what is not. What feels true in that moment. Then every task becomes simple in each moment, whether its packing for a holiday or a business. Keeping it simple to what you use and require daily.

130. The more we build and deepen our relationship with appreciation the easier it is to break away from unsupported patterns and behaviours that have been an impediment on our evolution allowing to us to surrender to the flow of life.

131. I love these packing tips. When we are in appreciation there are no decisions to be made.

132. Having appreciation especially for self, changes our total outlook and everything we do.

133. Great what you share here as I have noticed over time as I have began to appreciate myself more, the flow in my life is lot more simple. When I travel I pack what I use daily so it feels normal and part of my routine. I pack what I feels true to me, rather than over packing. I find I travel quite lightly now, which feels more honouring to my body.

134. Gosh, in the past I really didn’t appreciate myself and what I had to offer, through the support of Serge Benhayon and learning to see all of me I now have a much deeper love for myself and appreciation of my life and what I bring to others too.

135. When I read your story I can feel how extremely exhausting it is to live with that constant anxiety running through our body. It really is like a poison. When I read your first list and then the second I felt that the first one can be seen as the poison and the second as the antidote.

136. We pack not just what we need in our trip but the unhealed packages we still have running happily in our bodies. If we pack from a place of appreciation for ourselves so to make sure that we will be supported by our own packing decisions, that is a step forward.

137. love it, you have described me to a T with this blog! Never made the connection between appreciating and packing before so food for thought, thank you! I am currently away and did exactly what you described the night before I left, then proceeded to have a major freak out the next morning and almost cancelled my trip due to rigid anxiousness about not fitting in, not looking good enough etc etc etc. So I came back to myself after taking some loving care of myself and then repacked by literally feeling what I actually wanted to wear regardless of the people I was going with, what they might be wearing and what I assumed would be expected of me… The result was that I was very “me” and felt great and in the end am having a great time, realising it doesn’t matter what i’m wearing, if I have any make up on or any of that. What matters is being me from the inside and as long as thats happening, people don’t even notice my clothes or make up, because I am actually so much more than all that!

138. Thank you Anonymous. You have me wondering what other tasks could be made simple and easy through the simple choice to appreciate who I am and what I bring.

139. I love the clarity simplicity brings… I am still mastering the art of packing just what is needed.Sometimes less is definitely more.

140. I too used to get anxious packing and had these long to do lists. I too express deep thanks to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine as through applying what has been presented in their teachings my life has become more and more simple and that affects everything across the board including packing. I realise that a lot of my packing anxiety was a reflection of my general anxiety and all the things I might need in case something went wrong or to pacify myself such as extra food etc. Now I simply pack out a deep sense of self-care to support myself and with a knowing of what is needed but none of the anxiety.

141. If I let my mind run with self-doubting questions then it can just keep going in that same spin and leave me feeling more and more anxious or out of sorts. Bringing my focus back to what I’m doing in that moment and appreciating that I do know what is needed helps to dissolve the doubting and totally changes the quality in what I’m doing so I feel much more together.

142. ‘Learning to live from my foundation of appreciation and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness and given me more space to enjoy the opportunities that are on offer. With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.’
     This is hugely important, truly appreciating ourselves changes everything.

143. Coming from a foundation of appreciation and knowing we are enough is fundamental.

144. It’s like we go into situations primed by our past experiences of similar ones and we can be running a certain reaction to them without even questioning it! But it is possible to change as you have shown and be more aware of how we are feeling and responding to life.

145. This blog has a literal and metaphorical message. The ability to appreciate what we bring means we need less things and enjoy more of the things we do have…in luggage and life…I love it

146. In a luggage we not only pack what we plan to wear and what we need. We often lace that which we choose with the images of ourselves we want to project.

147. Appreciation across the nation as they say. Seriously though you can turn your life around by simply living this word. Appreciation isn’t just a fleeting thing to apply when the ‘chips are down it is something to embrace as a life style choice. We seem to often look at the downside to thing but this isn’t about turning this around to look at the upside but more simply to appreciate what is already there. There are many places this can start and as your relationship with appreciation builds you begin to see that you are in need of nothing and everything you could ever want already sits with you. Appreciation is a key to returning to a way of being and living that we have always known yet simply forgotten.

148. Pingback: Essential Oils on Holiday | Essential Oils and You

149. Thanks for sharing your packing experiences. I am now appreciating the way that I pack and prepare for going away.
     I’m also becoming aware of some day to day things I do that can have a bit of anxiety around them, like getting enough work done -I reckon that I am missing out on appreciating them fully…

150. Your blog reminded me of family holidays where you could cut the anxiety/tension with a knife in the home!

151. Wow who would have though Appreciation could be so power-full. This should be the most basic of things we learn in school, yet it’s importance is so often taken for granted

152. I used to get flustered when it came to packing incase I didn’t pack the right things, now I have confidence in myself and the way I live, to know that what I pack will be just right, and I don’t panic about it anymore, because I stay with myself and don’t let myself drift off into the images of what I think I will need but the practicalities of what I know and feel to pack.

153. Appreciating that we always have everything we need, and can never ‘miss out’ leaves a beautiful feeling of settlement, completion and joy in the body.

154. I completely understand when you say that with appreciation anything is possible and coming back to that steady foundation often has made a huge difference for you. This is something I am currently embracing too and like many have said, it is changing my entire life.

155. We can certainly create a lot of anxiety and overwhelm for ourselves with endless to do lists and unnecessary concerns; it all feels like a vicious circle where stress creates forever more stress and there seemingly is no way out.

156. When what we do comes from a lack, a foundation that you are not or never enough, we often feel the push to over pack and over prepare for anything. When we come from a foundation of appreciation we know we are enough in all that we do.

157. This can be applied to so many parts of our lives. Appreciation should be a corner stone of our foundations, it is so important, but also so often forgotten, to not live the grandness that we are. Appreciation is supporting us deeply.

158. ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness, not only in packing a suitcase, but in many other aspects of my life.’ This weekend I have done ‘appreciation exercises in the Women in Livingness group in London and it is amazing to feel the effect of choosing to appreciate ourselves and others. How natural this feels for our body by just making a conscious choice to be with ourselves and appreciate. Thank you for this inspirational blog.

     1. Just reading your comment and others about how you have started to bring appreciation into your day is beautiful and inspiring to feel. Great to be reminded again.

159. Appreciate, appreciate, appreciate is something I heard often but could never bring this to myself or if I did I would think of a few things to appreciate and then the next day I could not find anything new and so would give up. This all changed when I committed to an appreciation program with a couple of friends and make a loving choice to truly appreciate myself each day and then text this to them. At first this was quite challenging for me but eventually this shifted and now I really enjoy making the time to stop and appreciate many great things about myself, my relationships and the many moments in life that are truly amazing.

160. Haha and it’s funny. Today I am packing to go somewhere and this blog popped up. Should I read it again? No I’ve got it all in hand or maybe I will just take another look over it, just in case I forgot to pack something….

     1. You could appreciate you being so thorough, Ray! (had to check the spelling of ‘thorough’ and the meaning popped up as: complete with regard to every detail : )

161. I too travel a lot and it used to take me forever to pack my suitcases and caused me undue stress as I was very indecisive as to what to take and what not to and would often end up overweight . Now that I am present with myself and have made packing my suit case a part of my rhythm I pack in a very short amount of time, knowing what I need. It is stress free and enjoyable and I am always under weight.

     1. Join the club marylousiemyers! There is so much we pack out of a need rather than a necessity. The simplicity of packing makes for a simple load to carry. I open up my suitcase the week before I am travelling and place the articles I feel to wear in the days leading up to my flight, add toiletries and it’s done.

162. Living with a foundation of appreciation is truly amazing, thank you for sharing your experiences with this, ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness’.

163. There is so much to unpack about how we do our packing! I loved reading about how you simplified it, thank you.

164. Packing can be an exercise on reflecting how we regard ourselves. The more I know and appreciate myself I have trust in knowing what to pack for myself and it becomes a simple enjoyable task. In fact I know where in my suitcase I have placed everything so I don’t have to go rumbling through all of my suitcase every time I want something and that’s also worth appreciating.

165. We can be so demanding of ourselves that we lose the fun and joy from our lives. Lovely to see how you loosened your hold on your packing routine and reminding me how powerful appreciation is.

166. We usually relate the word foundation to a building or a house. We use it to describe bricks and mortar, not commonly is this word used to describe how we are with ourselves, but it is such an apt word because the relationship that you have with yourself is what you take with you every where that you go. It is the basis upon which all relationships are made, where all decisions are made from, and from where the ultimate outcomes are established. It is therefore not ever a question of whether you have a foundation or not, but of what is your foundation made?
     For example, mine used to be made mostly of lies. I would lie to myself that everything was alright, that I could do it, that I was fine, when clearly and any one could see that this was simply not true. But I had started lying to myself at a young age and this became the basis of my relationship with myself – my foundation. Now, since meeting Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon, my relationship with myself – my foundation, has had a new breath of air and honesty comes in much more, as well as tenderness and the practicalities of self care. My foundation is something that I work at every day, tending to the bricks and mortar of my relationship with myself, and therefore with all the decisions and the outcomes of the life I create as a consequence.

167. It’s amazing how complicated we can make a simple job such as packing, and I also realise how complicated we make other jobs as soon as we let doubt or expectation in.

168. My modus operandi for packing for long trips was always to put it off probably until the last two hours or so… Bizarre but true… Now I love careful and considered packing and really taking my time.

169. The excessive baggage I have carried around in life has been exposed by what has been presented by Serge Benhayon. By simply paring my baggage down this never worked because I still had the underlying issue for why I was carrying the baggage in the first place. What I now choose after 12 years of being a Student of The Livingness is to keep life simple and nominate the excessive ways with an understanding that it was never me, only the energy I was aligning to. Choosing to appreciate my responsibility to live in a way that confirms me so that I can rid myself of my excessive baggage is still a work in progress!

170. A beautiful blog bring simplicity to something that can be very stressful and overwhelming such as packing a suitcase and all this can become if we allow it to. The appreciation shared for oneself and the foundation from this is the key and very revealing and something to take notice of for myself thank you.

171. Simplicity, comfort and self nurturing is the key to packing for holidays and so many other things in my life these days. I’m on my first real holiday in years at the moment and I’m travelling so light it’s almost ridiculous.

172. I had to pack for travelling again recently. I have even less in my suitcase than the last time even though I am away for a slightly longer period. When I unpacked I noticed I was short one dress and one pair of trousers. There was a moment where I panicked slightly and thought I may have to buy clothes, but then I realised I do have enough appropriate clothes to last me. This is just a lesson that I need a lot less than I think when away from home, and the feeling of traveling light is very freeing.

173. Working on appreciation brings into stark relief the myriad ways we try to bring ourselves down, to not appreciate – to sabotage – and the many negative sequelae that arise from this. – appreciation also brings us to a greater acceptance and confirmation – opening the portal to the deeper awareness and understanding of who we truly are.

174. Those foundations are absolutely key as you say and it is essential to appreciate how you got there, the commitment to yourself in the process and when we make it about honouring and celebrating us. We then feel steady and no anxiousness can take over us unless we doubt who we are and what we bring.

     1. So true Natalie, we have to indulge in the feeling that holds us in anxiousness.
        For a deeper understanding of how we can be affected by anxiety go to;
        Understanding Anxiety in Men – ONLINE COURSE
        http://study.coum.org/enrol/index.php?id=14

175. I am about to start packing my suitcase and i could start to feel the anxiety creeping in. Going back to basics keeping it simple and supporting myself.

176. I realise how much we try and carry with us all of the time from this blog. I am like this in many ways even though I no longer carry the obvious suitcases of things around there is still a detail to what I carry. In other words it feels the same to me even though it may no longer look the same. It’s like there are layers to this and while you can at times easily unpacked the larger obvious things, its the detail where the next part lies. I can see the hold I have over others thinking I am better in comparison etc but this has no understanding for what the next part is for me. The next part is in the detail, the fine print if you look at it like that. So much has opened up in the detail.

177. Appreciation is the glue that holds everything together and is the integrity that forms the nourishing foundations for us to build our lives upon.

178. You touch on something profound here, that we do indeed hold a deep wisdom in our bodies – that knows what is needed in any given moment. but if we succumb to the mental thoughts, the raciness, anxiousness etc we have instantly lost that connection and therefore the wisdom that is there for us in every instance.

179. Beautiful sharing Anon. I have found when packing with appreciation the quality and care felt in the packing is completely different from when I have packed without appreciation and with the panic, stress and anxiety instead. Cannot emphasise enough how important appreciation is both in this part and in all other areas of our lives.

180. “Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness”- thank you for the great reminder as anxiousness has been a problem in the past.
     I can relate to you feeling anxious about what to pack, needing to “get it right”,” fit in” with the fashion where I am travelling to or “need “to impress my friends or relatives. However, nowadays when I make it about my needs, and I pack clothes with conscious presence and make it fun, I don’t find it difficult at all.

181. Overwhelm puts us into a spin of not being able to do anything at all.

182. Just before coming to this article I was watching a video of people having fun at work, making their job light and playful yet really efficient. I can relate to creating worry about many things and packing for holidays or going away is certainly one of them, but why not make it fun instead, thats what I was feeling, after all I will end up at the same point regardless but with much less stress and worry and who know what having fun will bring to my day, but it certainly makes the tasks feel easier.

183. “I packed toiletries that I use each day, so this was already part of my foundation.” This line made me giggle a bit as it reminded me of when I have packed and I would find myself packing things from my bathroom that I hardly EVER use at home and all of a sudden I think there will be a need to use it when I am away. It shows when the anxiety of being un-prepared can take us over. Great blog, thank you.

184. You write that “Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness”, Great reminder that we are not victims of anxiousness, we either choose to keep creating it or we don’t by how we live and are with ourselves.

185. I believe that with appreciation of oneself comes trust.

186. Building a foundation of appreciation is something that we could all do and then something that holds us in good stead whenever we feel we are going into overwhelm. It is a great support.

187. “What seemed to be a hard and overwhelming task became so simple when I chose to appreciate myself even more and simply placed these items in my suitcase.”
     Appreciating ourselves is key to life and something I constantly need reminding of.

188. I can feel how when I used to pack it highlighted how I was not prepared, my foundation in life was not strong, when it came to fitting what I needed in a bag I couldn’t do it, I felt overwhelmed… procrastination came into it. On reflection I can see that being more engaged, aware and responsible in general life has enabled me to build a foundation that is prepared. I don’t checkout as I once did and I am more able to know what is required, needed, for the purpose of a certain situation. Great to be aware of these markers and appreciate them in our life, it supports our foundation.

189. Reflecting on how I used to pack, it was last minute with an unwillingness to feel into what would support me and so, I over packed, a just in case size suitcase that was heavy and cumbersome. I was not willing to commit to feeling what was required. I didn’t have clarity. The last trip I made for the weekend, I fitted my things into half a suitcase that we carried on board as hand luggage. It is not about taking less in particular, there was a time I travelled through many seasons and I needed to prepare for that, however I can feel that because I have more clarity, I am more able to feel what is required and this is expressed in how I pack, with more care and more responsibility.

190. What I noticed about the different lists in this blog is that the first one felt very much an intellectual mind list of possibilities and predictions and ‘maybes’ and ‘what ifs’. It was very much projected into the future. The second list with more appreciation was much more in the present moment rather than the future and was much more in the body rather than in the mind. This is an important distinction that we can apply to every moment of every day.

191. Packing a suitcase is like preparing for your next incarnation. It can be done in angst and given up or in full appreciation of what has been and is going to unfold.

192. No matter what we do or where we are, if we are in appreciation of ourselves we live in the glory of our being and any doubt, struggle or lack of self worth is not there as that does not belong to us in truth.

193. How our journey is also shows us so much about us, did we get delayed, was we rushed, did we get impatient and blame others? Reflecting on why our journey went as it did always will provide valuable insight into how we are living as we ultimately create everything that is before us.

194. When we bring presence and gentleness to everything we do, including packing our suitcase, the task at hand gets done with ease and joy, and in this flow we move easily onto what needs doing next.

195. I giggle every time I go to pack a case since reading your blog! I have always enjoyed packing and only now am I starting to not over pack. This last trip was just right, I enjoyed everything I wore and realised how much more relaxed that felt. Less choice and yet everything was perfect for the moment and how I felt at the time.

196. I love this article – exposing anxiety for what it is and how it impacts on everything – and the way out of being governed by it. Thank you.

197. I hate packing simply because of the pictures that float in and out of my head from a range of accumulated ideals and beliefs as I’m doing it – and guaranteed to weigh me in as feeling less than good enough by the end of it. So it’s great to get your reminder about the role appreciation plays here – and everywhere – in establishing some strong foundations that create a solid platform of self-belief for us to fall back on in those times when we lose our certainty.

198. “I packed toiletries that I use each day, so this was already part of my foundation.” So packing our suitcase is then just an extension of how we live on a daily basis only that it needs to fit into one luggage.

199. I would say that this example of packing for a holiday could easily be applied to many other tasks or projects that we do. I can recognise the over-analysation and anxiety and intellectualisation of stressing over how I am going to get something done and it needing to be a certain way, rather than simply surrendering and allowing myself to feel what to do.

200. Brilliant way of turning a task that can be laborious and a chore, to something that is fun and simple. THis application of appreciation to turn things round can be applied to so many areas of life.

201. Ahh it is wonderful returning to this blog. I have been such an avid list writer all my life with the propensity to get bogged down with the nitty gritty. I love the simplicity you have introduced here with stopping, appreciating yourself and letting that define what is required.

202. If you are traveling to Vietnam for a #Universal Medicine Retreat in Hoi An then travel extremely light because you can buy a complete wardrobe with the appreciation of all the clothes having been made specifically for you.

     1. Great tip, Greg. I have been to a few Universal Medicine Retreats in Vietnam over the years and my packing style has changed a lot. The first year I turned up with a small back pack that would fit as hand luggage to last me 2 months! Last year I took two suitcases on wheels for 2 weeks -I can appreciate how the way I prepare and supporting myself has developed a lot. The way I had the clothes made changed a lot too but that’s another thing to appreciate ; )

203. ‘With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.’ – So true Anonymous

204. Anonymous – What an opportunity this blog offers – I am deeply inspired to experiment and change my previous way of packing, having always taken far more than is needed for those ‘just in case’ possibilities.

205. The question ‘what to pack ‘ reminds me of the question ‘what is truly needed’ in this or for this situation. It is a question which symbolically asks me what I want to take as luggage with me and to select wisely. I ask myself do I select as wisely concerning the luggage of the thoughts I choose or the emotions I allow, as this is also luggage I have to carry in my head and in my body.

206. Accepting what we feel is key to dealing with anxiety.

207. Keeping things super simple seems to be the way to go and supports me. For example and as I’ve said, if I’m going away I stop and feel actually what I will wear and use. I reflect back on past trips and see how I have been and consistently I usually wear very little of what I take. So yes I take extra clothes but don’t go over the top and try and pack my whole wardrobe. As I’ve said keep it simple.

208. There is a fine line between being very prepared in a loving and supportive way and being anxious and preparing from the anxiousness.

209. Deeply appreciating who I am first and foremost allows the doing to flow.

     1. YES rosemaryliebe, I totally agree! And I love this new flow in my life, which is also something to appreciate.

210. It is true isn’t it… Appreciating that under sung extraordinary experience that so many people feel is not important, makes so many things possible…

211. ” appreciating the inner knowing”. Our inner knowing is our guiding light, which can be so taken for granted, but in appreciating we acknowledge the wisdom, love and support we receive moment by moment. Moving with this appreciation sets our foundation, to live in the expansion this inner knowing offers.

212. OMG, so true. I went from being a pro-pack-stinator, packing at the last minute, to stressing about backing five minutes after booking the flights! I’ve recently learned a few things: my wife and I are a logistics/operations packing team – together we get the job done. I put all of this burden on myself about time and thus the anxiety you mention. Secondly, I realised that so often we stress about what goes into the bag and as a result, overpack. We now underpack and wash clothes on our trip, often finding we still don’t wear all of our clothes. I really like the questions you ask yourself when preparing. And how easy preparing for a trip can be if we do appreciate ourselves and in my case, work together.

213. Appreciation is more then just a word, it’s an action and if it’s truly done can change any situation or relationship. I have recently change the face of a relationship in a matter of hours from simply dedicating to true appreciation. Don’t believe me, you’re welcome to road test it yourself.

214. Anonymous, this blog and all comments has brought a new awareness to packing! I am preparing for trip and feel solid and confident to travel with the smallest suitcase I have ever travelled with to date. It feels very freeing and there is none of the usual concern about it.

     1. The confidence in our packing is the confidence we have to bring ourselves first and what is in the suitcase second.

215. We can so easily bring our appreciation to others and what they do for us or how they inspire us, but what is needed more is true appreciation of ourselves and the quality we do bring to the smallest of moments in our day. I love your blog because you have highlighted not only this importance but just how supportive and building it is to have such support in our lives. How much do we all deserve appreciation? and who better to begin to build it for us than ourselves. It’s like you say, a foundation is then built for us to rest upon and especially to fall back on as our lives are consistently flowing and bringing new challenges and learnings our way.

216. When we are connected to and appreciate ourselves we know what’s needed.

217. Overpacking out of fear of not having what you need is no different to not packing enough and feeling unprepared. It’s different ends of the same spectrum which is based on not feeling what is needed, and packing out of fear – too much or too little.

218. It is in simplicity that we access truth. Every detail of our lives can reflect this.

219. Returning to simplicity and appreciation, when we wobble, is certainly the way to go Anonymous. Your blog is a beautiful reminder of this;
     “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down”.

220. Appreciation allows simplicity into our lives as there is nothing to do in order to impress others but simply just being and in that alignment we know exactly what’s needed.

221. I have also found that appreciation is a wonderful foundation for everyday life, whether we travel or go to work. Appreciation provides a warmth and solidness in the body that does not give the anxiousness that might otherwise try to take a hold any room.

222. Putting the care into the packing provides a lovely foundation for the time away. Similarly putting the care into unpacking provides a lovely foundation for our time settling in at home.

223. Packing what I feel to choose and wear keeps it all very simple, rather than thinking about how others may feel about what I wear.

224. I have to admit that un-packing my suitcase has always been less relished than packing it! But I’ve found that when I bring focus and purpose to unpacking it, to bring an order to my room and a completion to my trip, rather than letting the process drag out, it feels amazing!

225. These days, when I have to travel, the most important thing I pack is me. I try to ensure that no matter where I go or what I need to do, that I take me too. That I don’t lose myself in the preparation to leave or when arriving at the destination. I take the steadiness and calm of my life with me, when I am able to do this, it does not really matter what I forget to pack or the clothes I take.

226. I feel it is much to do with movement. Building a foundation by appreciating how we approach and complete everyday tasks establishes a rhythm in our lives that can move effortlessly and smoothly into the packing so that it is just part of the day. As we build our own inner rhythm our outer rhythm of life becomes consistent. We then truly appreciate the Divine Wisdom within, and move with it.

227. I am going to take this appreciation advice into the areas of my life that I struggle with. Thank you.

228. Packing to go away can be an analogy, to taking one thing at a time and appreciating that one thing as we do it. As with the writer, any apprehension around packing disappeared for me when I approached the task very simply getting out the suit case opening a draw and choosing from my body the first thing I felt to take. Folding it, placing it in the case, and so on item by item, where there remains a space to appreciate the choice of clothing and the activity of packing to be equal to any other activity. Living life like this is beautiful and simple and can deal with plans that need to be made as if opening the draw, looking at it and choosing it from our body.

229. There is a whole industry around how to pack a suitcase, and gadgets galore to buy to support the whole process. Which makes me wonder how confronted we feel by the reflection of our whole life foreseeable life fitted into a container.

230. I used to have a lot of anxiousness when packing to go away. I tried to allay this anxiousness by being more organized, but no matter how early I started there always seemed to be a rush at the last minute to get it finished. I somehow created the stress which was inevitably linked with going away. I realize now that this started in the days when we went away for family holidays and my mum would get very edgy and snap at us kids especially when we took our favourite things out of the suitcase she had just packed. We felt disturbed by the fact that they were taken away from us – not fully understanding that we’d have them again when we arrived at our destination.

231. Anon, your last sentence struck me as worth noting: “the overwhelm and anxiousness [that] can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.” In my experience it is just as if I am being fed these feelings and if I allow them in I get swamped by them and believe they are mine. This does not happen so much now that I am appreciating myself more and trusting my ‘inner knowingness’

232. Appreciation of all the little things I do in the day to support myself wow! That is a great thing to do.

233. But I just need to pack my favourite woolen socks, or my favourite book or my favourite eye pillow! Sometimes this is actually a very supportive thing to do – but when we pack extra out of fear, then it is another story – a story about excess luggage that weighs us down. The key is to decipher what we pack and why – and have fun with it!

     1. Your comment Henrietta Chang reminds me of the busy lines in airport terminals where we see so many people carrying huge luggage trolleys and like me ponder on how much do I really need to take with me.

234. Staying present is the key here. It is so easy to get caught up in the ‘idea’ of a holiday, and all the things that you ‘may’ do while you are away, and therefore what you ‘may’ need. Whereas if you just put in your case what you feel is needed, you will have everything that you need while you are away. It is a very simple approach and one that I could learn alot from ; ).

235. Thank you Anonymous, upon re-reading your blog this morning it has gone a long way in supporting me with my own wobbles and inconsistencies, and realising that I can walk away from something when I am feeling anxious and bring myself back to my foundation of appreciation, and realising that I can’t do everything at once, and that there is no perfection is a wonderful, honest way to live my life.

236. Appreciation is so important. When I clock myself going into self-doubt, comparison etc I am learning to turn up the appreciation dial. Reminding myself that self-doubt and its unhelpful associates are not who I am, although it sometimes feels like it.

237. Choosing clothes that I feel to wear, rather than what I need to wear in order to fit in and be accepted by the group has been a massive journey of learning about self love. Especially how the love that I give to myself is in the details of life. This, I have come to discover, is a deeply healing way to live.

238. Appreciation is the antidote to anxiousness, the two can’t co exist. In fact appreciation is the antidote to so many negative states of being, because once we are feeling appreciation then it’s naturally expanded state does not support negative feelings such as criticism, judgement, comparison, self loathing etc. Appreciation is pure balm for the soul.

239. Anonymous, having just re read your article I really do feel that it’s a very important piece of writing. What you are describing so well is that appreciation, which for many people is a very foreign concept and for others it is confused with thanking people, is actually a fundamental component in all aspects of our life, if we want things to go well. As you have demonstrated so beautifully, we need to both understand and employ appreciation in our lives.

240. I love the attention to detail of awareness and honesty that was brought to such a seemingly minor task here and what a difference it made!

     1. Appreciating the way we do everything, especially minor tasks makes such a difference.

241. There’s that golden word again APPRECIATION. Keep this one in my on auto – pilot each day!

242. “What if I pack too much and the luggage exceeds the weight allowance at the airport?” this use to be one of my worries all the time, as I would pack more than I needed, just incase. But in truth I would come back with half the cloths not touched. Now my packing is so light, I only pack the bear minimum, just what i know i will definitely wear.

243. Being on holiday at the moment it is fun to pack very lightly and well, carefully and lovingly. It’s super supportive.

244. Choices made of love or from ideals, beliefs or pictures are totally different. If made from love, it’s like planning ahead lovingly. And what it comes to use whatever is chosen, there’s a joy in the confirmation of the love chosen. Rather then the emptiness confirming the emptiness in whatever way this comes out.

245. I am on holidays now and have found a very simple way to take out the anxiousness around packing. I started two days before just by putting some essentials for my suitcase in the corner. When the moment came to actually pack, all was there and I knew I had not forgotten anything. Ha, ha, I almost got anxious for not believing it was that simple! 🙂

246. My anxiety levels compared with how they used to be have dropped phenomenally so, but interestingly I can still feel the subtle threads of this emotion feeding my body constantly. Sometimes it can be so subtle that I ignore it completely because it feels normal. It is the sensation that makes me crave food when I am not hungry and the one that makes being at rest with myself difficult. Clocking the anxiety and taking note of it supports me to make changes.

247. For me the overwhelm and followed overload of packing comes from a feeling of not being enough and needing certain things to be complete or to have support, etc. And yes it is important to pack to be supported, but without relying on the support, but as a support of me being enough and something I rely on.

248. I can feel the delay I have done in my life with certain things, and it feels like the anxiousness also comes from the build up of the delay. It is noticeable that as I build more rhythm in my life that the planning comes more easily and then there is less last minute feeling of disorganisation. The questions you pose are very relevant for me to feel thank you, are we trying to impress when we choose specific clothes? We bring the energy of ourselves, wherever we go, whatever we wear.

249. With a greater knowing, awareness, understanding and appreciation of ourselves comes a simplicity that we bring to the things that we do, including packing, for in that moment everything is known to us.

250. Sometimes when we pack and prepare for a trip we can engage TOO much in the holiday, and forget that we are still living here, at home, where we are right now. I know in the past there have been instances where for weeks leading up to a holiday I became very excited and dedicated all my time to researching the location, activities, weather and so forth. Supportive planning is one thing, but it’s important we are still present in everything that we do BEFORE we go away.

251. Curious to see how I pack my suitcase this morning for a four week stay away from home. Since reading this blog these messages remain with me: ‘I am enough’ ‘keep it simple’ ‘only pack what truly support me’. Last but not least, the quality I’m in when I pack the case matters most.

252. Packing for a trip is one of those simple tasks which can take on a life of complication all on it’s own which leads to unnecessary anxiety – especially as going over the list several times and packing for every eventuality is exhausting. From what you written here Anonymous, you have this one sussed.

253. “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down”. That is definitely something to appreciate, to know that every choice and every true appreciation gives us another layer of support in that foundation.

     1. I’ve found the same rosannabianchini. The foundation we establish is the solid footing we stand on when we are met with challenging obstacles that can send us off track. Our foundations are paramount in keeping us focussed on what we bring and the level of appreciation we have build over time.

254. I am beginning to have an understanding what Anonymous says here about building a foundation of appreciation to heal the anxiousness. Becoming more aware of when and how the anxiousness creeps in is supporting me. Appreciating myself helps me to let it go and although I am beginning to allow and accept it into my life, I am inspired to deepen my relationship with it by being more consistent so that I have a stronger foundation of appreciation in my day.

255. I too can very much relate to the anxiousness felt when packing a suitcase to go away. I used to get so anxious and uncomfortable that I would procrastinate from doing it for as long as I could. Today when I feel to pack I don’t delay and do it in my own time with the love and care needed. The result being that I feel so much better when I do listen and act on the impulse.

256. When we appreciate ourselves, the simplicity of life just flows. When we travel, we pack what is required and not what we think we may need.

     1. Appreciation supports us to know what is required for every aspect of our life.

257. I can certainly relate to the anxiousness of going away somewhere and needing to pack and make sure that I have everything that I need. There is a certain practicality that needs to be respected with certain things that just do need to be packed, but then there is also making sure that you have the things that support you with your expression or packing those things that may not be absolutely essential, yet are so important as you feel not quite fully supported without them. It is not that one is incomplete without these non-essential items, but it is wonderful to honour the little details of our every day.
     Over the last 6 months, I have been doing more travel than I normally do and so I have had the opportunity to refine my packing each time. And each time there is less worry or anxiousness in the process. It is something that is still a learning curve for me though as I can easily overpack and over prepare. But I am also enjoying the newly adopted simplicity and reduced load.

     1. Simplicity in life generally and with packing does feel light. I have over prepared a lot and can feel cumbersome and there has been an aspect of anxiety that has gone along with it. I am appreciating that everyday self care and honouring how I feel and expressing more has supported all aspects of my life. Allowing me to to be prepared as required and not respond with anxiety in situations.

258. Appreciation is the key to far more than our suitcase – bring it to every moment and discover the Joy of life.

     1. Well said Deborah, and to add to it you do not need to go away to enjoy life either. By making everyday and moment enjoyable life effectively becomes like a holiday in the sense of being able to enjoy yourself. It is like when you go to work you can either have fun and enjoy it or make it into a struggle being only there for the pay check – its a choice and I know which one I would far rather make!

     2. Absolutely appreciation should always part of our apparel where ever we go!

259. “What seemed to be a hard and overwhelming task became so simple when I chose to appreciate myself even more.”This l can relate to so many things.

     1. Me too Irena. For me when I had no appreciation of myself I had such an investment in things on the outside delivering a settled or relief feeling to me. For example I would make things complicated about what to wear because I was using the clothes to deliver me a fake confidence. But now I appreciate my inner beauty and dress to support and let that shine out now.

260. “How much do I really need to support me on this trip?”
     A good one to ask about’ life’ in general on a day to day basis. Truly considering oneself and the true support you need for your day.

261. “I knew that I had developed a solid foundation that supported me in my day, but I was missing the glue that held this all together – APPRECIATION!” How often is this the simple missing link for so many of us?

262. This is a very powerful statement ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness, not only in packing a suitcase, but in many other aspects of my life.’
     You have shared and shown Anonymous how something like appreciation can be very healing and there is a joy in appreciating ourselves and around us, it opens us up to the music of life, to our own music, allowing our qualities to be experienced rather than having anxiety, stresses and so forth govern our lives, to the point we can become so used and accustomed to this level of unwellness.

263. The preparation for the trip is as important as the trip itself, feeling what dates to leave, what flight times will work, where to stay, for how long and then what to take to support with the trip, so when you’re on the trip, you feel the love and care you’ve taken in the lead up – it’s the foundation for the trip. And I’m realising is applicable to any situation – how we are at home and prepare for our work day will determine how our day plays out. Much to appreciate here.

264. “appreciation being the key ingredient in building a solid foundation upon which to base all aspects of my life.”
     Yes this cannot be overlooked. lt makes so much sense. Like the encouragement and support we give to a little child growing..we need to consistently give it to ourselves. Then we will never stop evolving.

265. Wow, a foundation of appreciation, very inspiring!

266. This is a wonderful blog about appreciation, bringing appreciation into our daily lives offers us more confidence in ourselves, less ‘knocking of ourselves’, high expectations, anxiety and many ways because of lack of appreciating our qualities and a very deep quality we ALL have is the KNOWING within.

     1. I’d love to add this quote in addition to what i have said
        ‘remove the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.’ Appreciation is like the nectar of our lives!

267. I used to become quite anxious before I travelled, and have similar questions to you – it was like I wanted everything to be perfect for my trip. Now I allow myself plenty of time leading up to the trip to feel what I need to support me and then bit by bit I prepare. It’s such a lovely way to get ready for a trip and there’s no angst or last minute rushing to pack.

268. I laughed when i read your first list of your thoughts when you packed, i’m sure 90% of us have had these very same thoughts or very similar. It is such a big deal packing because we will rely on that on our journey, but its a very different experience as you have shared from getting it right to making it about what is supportive, truly supportive, and in doing that it becomes more relaxing and we actually more likely to nail it…but the important ingredient shared here is the appreciation, and its in that we actually know ourselves so well, we know what it best and what is needed…

269. I love the analogy of appreciation being like the glue that holds the foundation together. We need appreciation to strengthen and confirm the foundation we already have, so we clearly know what we are building on. I feel it is a deliberate yet subconscious choice on my part to not fully appreciate all the choices I make, as it allows me to hold back and evolve in a comfortable way!

270. I can relate to the dread of packing, not when I am packing for travel but when it comes to camping. I used to love camping and I still do when I get there, but I found all that I need to pack and get in/out of the car was too much. When I reflect on this though, I feel this was the weight of not receiving or asking for support. I took on the responsibility for packing everything we needed rather than sharing this with others.

271. When I travel now, I take all the things I know support me in my everyday life and pack miniture versions of them like my favourite toiletries, herbal teas, etc so when I arrive at my destination and open my suitcase, I have them readily to hand. It’s the smallest and simplest of things that help me adjust to my new timezone or surroundings easily.

272. It was lovely to read about the development of appreciation in this blog. It feels like such a natural thing for us to appreciate and yet most of us have learnt to ignore or override all there is to appreciate. It comes with the dullness of existence, never seeing the magic that is there in the smallest of details.

273. Reading this blog I realised how we can make an issue out of just about anything. When we get mental and start to worry, we are gone! The weird thing is that it becomes so normal. We stop questioning the stress we create for ourselves, and just find a way to work around/with it.

274. Bringing love and true appreciation turns what may be merely functional and stressful into a joy, and we develop that beautiful relationship and connection with everything we do. Love that simplicity!

275. I find it fascinating that the simple process of packing a suit case can reveal enormous amounts about how you are living!

276. I love packing and I love what you share here in being able to take this to the next level. “Am I appreciating the care and detail I take into packing?” I’m in the process of moving country and will take this into my moves around anything to do with a box or a suitcase! Precious insight. Thank you Anonymous.

277. What I love about this blog is that although the subject is about packing a suitcase, the lessons learnt actually apply to everything we do in life. When we fret about what’s ahead of us, attempting to cover all angles, trying to fit in with what we think the world wants, it creates just the anxiety and control issues. The more we come back to addressing the moment in hand, working with how our bodies feel and what they need in any given situation, the more the anxiety ebbs away. As a consequence, what I have learnt is that if I am getting anxious about a task ahead, its my body’s way of signalling that I have to stop, feel and really prepare very lovingly for what’s ahead and then the anxiousness dissolves. Our bodies are very in tune with the multi-dimensionality of life and their one very powerful way of communicating with us about what is going on in life, it through feelings. Therefore its a wise decision on our part to learn to distinguish between thought, emotion and feeling because the latter is far more intelligent that the other two.

278. It is absolute magic how the way to resolve an issue in life is to shift the energy we do it in – just as the above shows us how the key to bringing simplicity to the packing process was actually appreciation.

279. “remove the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness” – if we really ponder on this it is immense and deeply profound in its revelation. Basically, if we are not appreciating and valuing ourselves, what commentary are we allowing to run the show or, put it the other way, fill the air space in our minds and bodies with appreciation instead of negative thoughts. Simple.

280. I experience this exact same anxiousness when packing – and always take too much. This complicates and can ruin my trip – taking on too much – a great analogy to what is actually going on. I can feel I take more than I need because I am using outfits to fill the gap of not feeling I am already enough. So bringing it back to simplicity, and the appreciation my arrival and being there is always going to be enough.

281. It is strange how we can find anything and everything to make a little anxiety moment.

282. The suitcase is such a great analogy of how we prepare ourselves in real-life. What we pack or take with us can show us so much. Just as our house and our belongings do so too.

283. The more we appreciate ourselves the less time we will spend in overwhelm. Life becomes so much simpler.

284. That’s true Anonymous, that it is worth appreciating even the smallest of things about ourselves. I’ve found it is these small things that build into the discovery and appreciation of more of ourselves.

285. I am not a great packer when travelling- I always pack too much so thank you for reminding me that there is a a better way for me to do this and that when I appreciate every thing I am doing I get to feel what is truly needed.

286. I now love to take my time to prepare for traveling by starting a few days before, taking my time to feel into what I want to bring and what times I will need. IN this way I allow myself a few days in which every now and then something will pop up that I add to the things I have laid out to pack. And even though this is very supporting and takes all the stress away, because of having done it this way many times now I can leave on the brink of a moment and pack very rapidly as well.

287. Such glory awaits us when we appreciate our multidimensionality in all that we do, be it noticed or unnoticed by others.

288. Don’t forget to pack your appreciation! 🙂

289. I know in the past I have lived in a stressed out busy way and then carried this way of living into everything I do including holidays. Is it any wonder that many people get stressed out on holiday or ill on holiday? Now I approach holidays as no different to my every day life just a change of scenery and a change of routine not a change in quality of living day to day.

290. I guess it is the same wherever we go and whatever we are doing. If we build a foundation of being consciously present and connected to our bodies in everything we do then life flows much simpler and easier with less anxiety and worry and tension.

291. But then which suitcase do we choose – does it have enough space for what we need to take with us, does it have any features required to support us to be organised or are we choosing to have a case which limits the amount of support we can allow ourselves?

292. Wise words Anonymous, it is great to appreciate the simple fact that incorporating a rhythm and flow with packing is a continuation and deepening of the rhythm and flow that is possible in everyday living.

293. What a nightmare the ‘to do lists’ become – it seems there are always more things to add to them and they just keep on growing, leaving a sense of failure of not ‘achieving’ clearing them from the list immediately. Connection with the body through conscious presence feels a far more supportive way to live.

294. It’s beautiful how with very simple changes we can begin to truly enjoy life rather than being full of anxiety. As we begin to appreciate each little change and moment the tension in our body releases and we gradually become more present. It’s interesting how something that is as seemingly straightforward as packing can become so complicated when we allow doubt and frustration into our body. Appreciation is a wonderful way to let go of our worries and realise our amazingness.

295. Packing a suit case is a great point of reflection to how connected you are to the all. As then you can sense exactly what you need.

296. Anxiousness is the wrecker of stillness.

297. If you travel a lot like I do and at times the only space to pack is way earlier than your departure date, something I found has made packing easier is to have 2 of most things, (so the extra goes into the suitcase) and enough clothes to be able to pack and still have enough to wear and just put your favourites in at the last moment.

298. It is interesting how we can allow anxiety, or for me, how I deal with the feelings of anxiety, to cloud our connection, stillness and quality of being with ourselves as we go about about our day. I love the quality of appreciation that is presented here. I find that when I am in appreciation of who I am, not what I do, then there is no space for the anxiousness.

299. It’s not just with a suitcase we have to choose what to bring… This is a great reflection of our lives, a suitcase just condenses the options and reflects our choices and the baggage we choose to carry. So take a moment to contemplate your style of vessel, the quality in the way you pack, the time and space you allow , or do you leave it to the last minute and do you pack the kitchen sink and why.

300. Its incredible how far away from ourselves anxiousness can take us… it can wind us up and take up so much of our time and energy, when we can simply be steady within ourselves and everything is done with little effort.

301. Love this blog – such a simple thing but do we stop and consider how and why we do things and how we can change it and make it more loving

302. Anon I can so relate to what you have written, I used to always leave packing my suitcase till last as it would take me for ever to decide what to take, how much etc. and I would get anxious about the whole process. Now since I have learnt to deeply appreciate myself and have developed a rhythm in my life packing has become a part of this rhythm and is a breeze. In the week before leaving I clean and spray my shoes, I have a second set of toiletries so I pack those, wash all my clothes and have them ironed and put aside on a special packing shelf things I may need to take. The whole process is a rhythm I have incorporated and packing now is an enjoyable part of travelling.

303. Having a solid foundation is the most supportive way to live each day. When things come up that have a potential for starting to feel unsure or wobble I choose to deepen my connection to what I know supports me. Then I can observe what is before and not get caught up in it.

304. Packing a suitcase can bring up all sorts of things – all of a sudden the daily routine gets turned upside down and clothes and other belongings seen in a different light. It is very revealing and a reflection of how we live daily, where we might compromise and where we live our truth.

     1. I agree Gabriele and I would extend this to holidays in general. Holidays bring up things for all of us because they are a stop and are very revealing of how we have been living up till that point.

305. Finding out what makes words tick is something that truly interest me so I looked up the Latin roots of ‘Holiday’! My take on the word ‘holi-day’ from Latin is Holy day; day in memory of Saint; joyous; life at ease; tranquility and solemn with the word solemn pertaining to Religion; ceremonial and sacred. Maybe a ‘Holi-day can be part of Ever-day as a return to being part of the normal ‘joyous’ state, so then when ‘pack it’ our choice to be at ‘ease with life’ will be such it will be normal!

306. Packing for a trip to me definitely relates to how I live in the rest of my life. To me it is simple and flows I just allow the space to understand the temperature ranges for the area I aim going to, which is easily done today by just googling the answer and then pack accordingly.

307. It is amazing what is offered and how much we can read from everything that we do and happens around us – everything can be read if we choose.

308. What we pack in our suitcase is a great reflection of how we live our daily lives.

309. It goes without saying that the end result is going to be very different if we pack our suitcase with appreciation instead of anxiousness.

310. The presentations by Serge Benhayon, the Universal Medicine workshops and The Way of The Livingness have all contributed immensely to the way I am in my day to day and how much more simple, straight forward and natural things feel now – things that before may have thrown me or pushed me into stress or overdrive.

311. How we pack determines how we feel throughout our entire trip – we can either enjoy appreciating how we had prepared to go away and the clothes/items we chose to pack, or if we rush our packing and don’t look after ourselves beforehand then we may feel very disorientated, unprepared and frustrated during our trip.

312. After reading this I am left appreciating the power of Appreciation! and how it supports and ripples through into every area of our lives. Thank you for demonstrating this with a practical experience 🙂

313. Reading this i realise I am still packing in anxiousness for traveling even when i start off simply in preparation i find it creeps in and am learning to trust more but also to honour what i feel and what supports me also and allow the balance, appreciation and fun with being with me.

314. This blog is a real inspiration on packing and any thing in life and wise words of wisdom of the importance and joy of appreciation “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.” So true.

315. Do we take a suitcase full of worry and doubt and busy thoughts with us or do we take a suitcase with us full to the brim of appreciation?!

316. I’m camping this weekend with friends and our children and during ‘packing’ time I could feel how lovely it would be to take comfortable chairs for everyone, a decent mattress and a fridge. In the past I wouldn’t even have the thought, or if I had I would not take them seriously. Now I listened, asked my neigbour if I could use his little trailer and took everything with me. My neighbour was on his way to an appointment and to my complete surprise he offered to return and bring me the key. How absolutely loving and for me an evolutionary moment that I can surrender to life. I felt very grateful. The result: I sat and slept amazing the first day and night:-).

317. I am also beginning to notice that any time during the day when I have a ‘wobble’ there is an inner stillness that is also present all around me that I can re-connect to anytime through breath and movement. This reminds me of the divinity that is everywhere and that I am divine also. This feels like a big part of appreciation.

318. I do find also that there is often a difference between wearing clothes that are fashionable versus clothes that actually support me. When I say support me I mean don’t get in the way of a connection with myself and allow me to express who I am. Obviously it is possible to have both but it definitely feels better to dress from the inside out rather than outside in. Ha that’s funny – better to wear your clothes inside out!

319. When we have an appreciation for the smallest of things in our lives, doubting ourselves becomes a thing in the past.

320. Anonymous, I love what you are sharing here, ‘Am I appreciating the care and detail I take into packing?’ I have always enjoyed packing my suitcase and love carefully folding and packing the items in the case and ensuring that I will have everything that I need that will support me while I am away, I love being organised with this, if ever I leave it to the last minute to pack then there is no joy with packing, I find it stressful and forget to pack certain things.

321. Inspired by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine I now see packing before a trip as an important foundation that is going to set the tone of my whole trip. Everything effects everything and nothing is nothing. So I understand now that packing is not just one of the annoying tasks I have to get done before I can be on my way, the way I pack will actually have a strong influence on how I am during my trip.

322. I have often experienced some anxiety around packing for a trip also. Usually this stems from worrying about forgetting something important. I have also noticed this is worse when I leave it to the last minute or day before to pack. Many times I have been up way too late the night before leaving trying to finish my packing making me more tired and more stressed even before I have left! More recently I have been giving myself the space to pack slowly for a week before I go away and do small bits at a time when it fits my flow in the week and this has felt vastly different.

323. I love this image of you having a suitcase of appreciation that you are taking with you to share where ever you go. Appreciation is such an important relationship we have to have with ourselves – yet it is something that we find so foreign and hard. When we stop and simply consider the magnificence of our bodies and how every cell communicates with each other and the Universe and how this is pure science that we ignore is even happening in our lives. There is so much for us to Appreciate.

324. I always take too much stuff, carry too much baggage you could say and generally when I get there I just wear the same clothes anyway so reading this will come in very handy with all the points you make, not forgetting appreciation, as I have a holiday coming up – the first one in many years.

325. I’m in the process of packing to stay at my brother’s for a week and it felt so awesome to take the time to choose what would support me while I will be away and to place everything neatly and lovingly into the case. There was no rush to have it complete and the space just opened up for me to sit and enjoy the process. Packing with presence is so much fun, thank you for the inspiration.

326. I love Anonymous, how you have appreciated all the elements in your day that contribute to your foundation. It highlights for me how important the quality is that we bring to our daily cycle, confirming or honouring each moment lived fully.

327. It is an interesting movement to pack clothes from feeling what we need for our own self care and expression rather than trying to impress others. And yet when we truly connect with what is needed it does not simply remain a consideration of the self but naturally expands to consider what reflection is needed for others evolution as well.

328. I notice if I overpack I usually am packing in the energy of anxious, self-doubt or that I am not enough. So this tells me I must be living in that quality in this moment to be ‘packing’ it into my suitcase.To be packing in the quality of appreciation confirms what I am already and is a foundation of self-care and love.

329. This blog made me giggle as it reminded me of when I travelled for work and how towards the end of this job I packed with less appreciation or care. In hindsight I now know that this was a direct reflection of a lack of appreciation for what I had brought to the job, however had stayed even though it no longer served myself or others.

330. I have also found that through building a foundation of appreciation has greatly helped reduce my feeling of anxiousness, and I no longer have to rely or write long lists, I still write a few major things down but nothing like before. This blog has really made me appreciate how supportive my foundation is and much I have grown because of it.

331. Packing can be a real headache when we are unsure of ourselves. I have found that through appreciation of myself packing has become a much more simple task, I pack what I feel is comfortable in knowing that whatever I take will be ok, because the most important thing to take with me is me.

332. I loved reading this blog as it is so simple. To be able to pack a suitcase with such ease and lightness is inspiring and I will certainly take some advice from your approach, rather than getting tied up in knots about whether or not Ive got enough clothes, and the right top to go with the right trousers or skirts, just in case I may need them!

333. It is easy to under estimate the grandness of a daily practise of appreciation. When it is a solid part of our foundation it has the strength to heal patterns that may have been with us for a long time such as anxiousness, jealousy and confidence.

334. Sometimes we buy clothes that, once we are home, don’t feel quite right and as a result we never wear them, and if we don’t take them back, it’s hard to get rid of them, because of a false sense of economy. Packing to go away is great, because we really only do choose what we truly want to wear. I played a little game of when I wear clothes, putting them to the right of my wardrobe, and eventually everything I don’t wear ends up on the left, so it’s easier to see and let go.

335. When travelling or moving house, the question of what to pack and not to pack is great, as it gives us an opportunity to see what we are attached to and an opportunity to let go of some thing and realise that we don’t need them and in that appreciate the feeling of keeping things simple .
     We can allow complication in if we are attached to things being a certain way, if we have a set picture in our head that it needs to look like this or that.
     How often do we find ourselves with too much and remember how simple things can be without all the extra baggage.

336. Your blog highlights that we pack so much extra stuff to make sure we have the right clothes according to other people, not whether or not this what we ourselves would enjoy wearing. I guess we will all find that when that is happening, we are still also comprimising ourselves the same way in our day to day life, not just when we are traveling.

337. Appreciation allows us to experience simplicity in life as we realise that as long as we are connected to our bodies we can make choices that truly support us in every way possible.

338. Thank you anon, it is clear we cannot live life in parts and the key is to focus on our own quality in our movements and then it does not matter what we are doing we are consistently bringing that lovely quality of who we are to everything that we do.

339. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog Anonymous. Although I always loved packing and organising what to take on the luggage, I can so much relate to what you have shared about the questions and anxiety about what to pack. I have also noticed that over the past ‘packing’ times I have been more relaxed when choosing what to pack based on what I know supports me every day. This is indeed something to deeply appreciate!!!!! Thank you for the reminder of how appreciation is the glue that holds our loving steps together.

340. ‘With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.’ To have a foundation to come back to when we wobble is something to deeply appreciate. Making the effort to build one is so worthwhile!

341. Appreciation is the key to everything in life flowing more simply, even when packing to go away, appreciation for how we have prepared ourselves is crucial.

342. How lovely to break down such a common experience as packing for a trip and seeing how it can be made more loving. I adore taking the time to pack thoughtfully and when i arrive that sense is carried over into my luggage as i unpack it.

343. Packing – i have noticed that when thinking about going away recently, it was my first thought – not how am I getting there, how much does it cost etc, but what and how much am I packing. By already being so ahead of myself it doesn’t give me any space to actually feel what I need on the trip, and so I go into automatic over packing. What your sharing is great and next time I need to pack I will try it out.

344. There are so many ways we can distract and procrastinate from doing and simply delivering what is required in each moment.

     1. Abby your comment left me wondering whether that’s actually what most moments contain, distraction and procrastination!

345. Thank you for the connection between appreciation and anxiety and overwhelm, or more precisely: the connection between the lack of appreciation on one hand and overwhelm and anxiety on the other. Certainly worth pondering on.

     1. Could appreciation be the missing ingredient in programs that are designed to support people with anxiety and overwhelm?

346. What is so beautiful about the way you pack your suitcase in appreciation Anonymous, is that when you go to open that suitcase on arrival, you will feel your appreciation all over again!

347. Gorgeous to feel how appreciation can have such a huge impact on our lives Anonymous – so simple and yet so powerful.

348. Bringing appreciation to everything – including packing our suitcase – is the most amazing key to truly supporting ourselves.

349. Appreciation is key to living our life with the quality of Heaven.

350. There are so many parallels between packing a suitcase and how we live our life.
     Are we trusting and surrendering to what is asked of us or are we second-guessing, doubting and trying to control the next moment and the one after.

     1. Deborah I hadn’t considered before just how reflective packing a suitcase is. If we were to open up 10 people’s suitcases we would get a snapshot of who they each were.

        1. To do so will reflect how another is living for who we are is a constant – Love.

351. There is much to contemplate on that’s for certain – what we may be lugging around with us that is unnecessary and no longer needed.

352. This blog is packed with wisdom – how true it is that following our own wisdom and knowing leaves little room for carrying unnecessary baggage.

353. Metaphorically we don’t only pack our clothes and toiletries etc, we also pack everything that we are, because we cannot avoid taking any of it wherever we go.

354. I really enjoy packing a suitcase now. When buying I am finally learning to choose clothes and shoes by how great they feel on me first and foremost rather than how I think they may look to others. I have removed nearly every item from my wardrobe which is not comfortable or was purchased for the wrong reasons and which I never wear (though I thought was a good idea at the time). This definitely makes it easier to pack.

355. Getting lost in anxiousness and overwhelm is something I know only too well, so with the consistency of bringing it back to being in the moment, and appreciating how we are in every moment, allows us to move with the flow of life and not against it.

356. ‘What will I wear to make me ‘fit in’ with the other people I am travelling with?’ – This is something that affects a lot of people and you’ve rightly called it out here… We think that because we’re going away and travelling with others we have to ‘fit in’ with the group, and I know I’ve also thought in the past that I need to wear different clothes that are nicer or more stylish because I’m on holiday and will be in a different place, which doesn’t entirely make sense! We don’t actually need to change our style at all – we may be in a different environment but when we’re on holiday we are still us!

357. I am learning that without appreciation the focus will be on what was not right, may go wrong etc. With appreciation I connect deeper to who I am and this will be my foundation. Then if a mistake is made it is no biggie just a learning.

358. I love what you share here A. as it is a very practical example of how we bring anxiousness into our life. I have had travel stress for a great period of my life, always feeling I would either forget to bring something or be late etc. I have learned to give myself plenty of space and to realise that really there is nothing I need more then myself, so if I bring me, then anything else I might forget can be easily taken care of where I am going.

359. Anonymous your article brought up a shared anxiety that I used to have about packing my suitcase. I would have felt reluctance in my body around packing, thinking that it was the packing that was going to bring up discomfort in my body. What I have come to realise in recent years is that the so called ‘object’ of my anxiety is not the culprit but merely something that gets caught in the projection of the anxiety that is coming from me.I am coming to realise about all emotions that we can easily get caught up in what they rest their focus on but this often masks the fact that the emotion’s starting point is actually us.

360. This could be applied to anything. If we live in a consistent way we are less likely to become stressed when we come to tasks that we don’t do every day. It is simply another thing that we need to do and we can do it in the way that we do everything else.

361. Like many people I am sure, I have lived much of my life in the belief that appreciation comes from others. To learn self-appreciation is a great gift for the fact is appreciation from others is in short supply and even when it does arrive, the absence of self-appreciation acts to negate it. This is another reflection to me of the truth that life is an inside out process, not outside in. We must self-appreciate, just as we must self-care, self-nurture and self-love. Doing so, in my experience makes life a very different, more harmonious thing.

362. I love the fact that appreciation can be our foundation and we can always come back to this. Appreciation is what cuts even the slightest bit of self doubt, judgement or comparison and a very powerful way to take responsibility for our actions. Appreciation comes with a quality that is far beyond what we do, but rather how we do things.

363. How awesome it is that with self-awareness as simple exercise like pack our bags for our holiday can present such wisdom.

364. Appreciation gives you a direct path back to your soul. It offers you self-love in the finest details and on the grandest scale. Appreciation can be the glue that holds your whole life together, so no matter what happens, you are always able to express your love.

365. The quality we pack our suitcases in is the quality that goes away with us. Its this quality that supports us or not once we open them at the other end. So what you used to pack is a load of anxiety and what you are now packing is a suitcase full of appreciation – that must feel like a completely different bag to take on holiday and what a beautiful quality to wear and share once there.

366. Yesterday as I was performing a task with an immense sense of connection, love and support – I had a realisation that this is likley going on and possible for me to feel all the time. So I started considering why would I not feel it most of the time? Reflecting on this I saw that I have a habit of relating to life with a persistant level of anxiousness and as soon as I do that I lose the connection. I love what you have shared here and particularly the sentence “there is another way to live that supports us all to build more of who we are, and remove the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.”

367. When packing becomes more about what we put in the suitcase, rather than the quality we’re in when we pack or bring when we travel, it’s a sign we’ve lost our way.

368. I know that too Anonymous, that I am packing now much more quickly than I did in the past. There, where I travel, I will live in the same rhythm as I do at home therefore what I need to bring with me is the same as I would use and wear at home; so simple actually and indeed takes away lots of stress prior to any trip I undertake.

369. Nothing like showing our appreciation for ourselves in the way we care for ourselves 🙂

370. You’ve described to a tea my journey through preparing for a holiday. I love organisation and so I still have lists of what to take but the way in which I review the list and pack has a much different quality now compared to how I used to prepare. I’m no longer stressed and anxious about the process, I love the care I take and I find it all part of the holiday.

371. Packing this morning, supported and inspired by this blog and open to all the learning on offer. Thank you.

372. We can do whatever, we can be so called ‘successful’ and look like we have life sussed but if we don’t actually appreciate ourselves life is still empty. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed I realise now it is because I have not appreciated myself. Appreciation is a vital ingredient for anyone who wants to be truly joyful.

     1. Great point, thank you. I didn’t know there was such a strong connection between stress and overwhelm and lack of appreciation.

     2. When I stop appreciating all that I am and all that I have done, everything around me seems to crumble. Because I am no longer there in full, the everything else can take over.

373. A beautiful article. Bringing awareness and hence love to packing.

374. I also find with me, that it can tend to be a bit of a habit to be anxious and ‘buzzy’ about something. After being a certain way for so long, you forget that there is an opportunity to do things differently. But once you are presented with another way it’s enormously refreshing…and then we have 2 options…stick with old ways, or practice new ways.

375. That’s pretty cool!! I can completely appreciate and relate to the anxiousness around a task that is really very simple. I too have relaxed into the simplicity of packing. I travel for work quite often, just a night or two at a time…and I’m getting quite good at just being practical and simple about it. It’s far more enjoyable this way.

376. I could have written this — I get so anxious prior to packing to go somewhere and try to sort it in my head weeks before. All the questions you’ve asked here I’ve asked myself — hilarious. In saying that I have started to appreciate the joy that is in so much of my day, the care and how I can bring all of that to one more thing that I do. It’s still a work in progress, but this blog has been a great support to knock this anxiousness on its head.

377. “Am I choosing clothes that I feel to wear – or what I think others would like to see me wear?” There was a period when I use to wear cloths to please others, but I also remember when I was younger in my early teens I use to wear what I felt to wear. Somewhere I lost the connection, but now I have found that connection again.

378. Appreciation is something I feel I need to develop much more of too. It actually astounds me to feel the level to which I don’t appreciate myself – most of my life has been dedicated to giving myself a hard time, for all sorts of things! As I’ve explored this over the last couple of years, I’ve felt the tension this has resulted in… which pretty much means a habituated, low-grade anxiety runs constantly in my body. An appreciation program would do the world of good.

379. ‘I realised that my suitcase packing is a simple task that can be done as part of my day, no different to my morning routine that included showering, dressing and eating.’ I like this approach – it takes the ‘big trip’ stigma out of the travel preparation period. Just as every day is the same day, so too can travelling be considered simply as everyday life in a different place.

380. Is travel an exercise in allowing? Of course, it is sensible to plan and certainly not to neglect to consider essentials, but other than this it feels like a letting go and feeling exercise, as in deeply feeling what is needed.

381. It’s interesting how travel can raise our anxiety levels. I’m feeling it has as much to do with the tension that comes with an anticipated lack of control as much as a lack of appreciation. We’re stepping out of a comfort zone in which life is (mostly) predictable, known and controllable (or so we like to think)… at least more so than it is when we travel.

382. I remember years ago as a young adult going away for holiday was everything you mentioned Anonymous, the planning would be weeks before, i would be panicked, nervous.. as it would be a catastrophe if i didn’t pack something. I over prepared to feel not prepared! 20 years later so much has changed, yes, it is possible to buy most things abroad nowadays to render that ‘not taken enough toiletries’ a redundant stressor, though the biggest change has been creating space for myself. Space has helped with reducing anxiety and allowing trips away feel so much more normal, enjoyable, and something to appreciate.

383. Recently I’ve been asked to complete some tasks that I instantly reacted to as burdensome. Past experience I struggled to complete them and tripped myself up with excessive criticism and second guessing what other’s would think of the result. Reading this has opened up the possibility of being in a different quality, of consulting myself in connection and allowing truth to be expressed.

384. Another gentle reminder of how we are within is reflected in everything we do.

385. I’m about to pack my suitcase again, something I do every two weeks or so and I enjoy it. My weakness is over packing, not truly feeling what it is I need and throwing in this and that, just in case. And when I reach my destination there is only ever a few clothes I need to support me. Appreciation and trust is very much part of the process.

386. Once we can appreciate the time we make to pack, this becomes our foundation as we realise how we are investing in ourselves when we make this space to prepare ourselves. This reflects to every area in life, valuing ourselves enough to prepare for everything.

387. It’s interesting that we carry certain things for other people too – items of clothing in this case to impress or please others – but in life we also carry patterns of behaviour to not cause reaction in others and avoid then feeling their own hurt.

388. I am about to go away for a two week trip to visit family, and what you have presented here will be really helpful when it comes time to pack!

389. The joy and stillness are so easy feelable in packing from feeling what you need and want, rather than from a to-do-list and from fear. It’s revealing to me the huge difference between doing things from appreciation or from anxiousness / nervousness. I’m smiling as I can feel within me that I’ve got exactly the same experience. The ease and naturalness are ‘just’ there as if there’s a knowing inside. Surrendering to that knowing is for me the key ingredient for having a supportive and surrendering relationship with myself and the things I do.

390. I love your example of packing a suitcase – how a task can be made complicated and overwhelming, or simple and honouring. How we are in what we do makes all the difference – it is a choice that many are not aware that they have – otherwise why would we choose anything but simplicity?

391. ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness, not only in packing a suitcase, but in many other aspects of my life.’ It is amazing how something so simple as beginning to appreciate can turn life around.

392. I used to pack everything and was struggling with lots of language and the weight. There was an insecurity behind always taking everything, just in case I would need it and today I travel super light knowing that I can get whatever I need wherever I go.

393. I am getting better at it, but I used to be a terrible over packer – the longer the time away the more I would over pack – it came from the feeling that I needed to be covered for all eventualities – a good thing to be, but it was often from the point of control and over thinking, which turned into over packing. I am getting a lot better at how much I pack, but what you’re sharing is another level to take it to, to start with an appreciation of me and pack from there.

394. It is so true, when we are able to let go of the anxiousness in our bodies, we are opening up for the joy of life.

395. ’Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness, not only in packing a suitcase, but in many other aspects of my life. The feeling of it being a burden, the list writing and the worry about not getting things right are no longer part of my daily routine.’
     – I still start preparing my packing well ahead of my travel, sometimes days ahead, however now I do it with lightness and a knowing that to give myself the space that is needed is to truly honour myself, rather than out of anxiousness and worry about not getting it right, and being caught up in bringing the ’right’ things.

396. Packing can be so much fun, or it can be our worst nightmare. If we give ourselves the space to decide what we need to take in order to feel supported on our trip then it can be great to spend the time choosing what to take with us, however if we rush or go into the mindset of anxiousness because we might forget something then things become very complicated, and packing becomes a burden.

397. I remember seeing a friends case that was so organised when she opened it I was blown away her care and planning was exquisite, it was like a big hug just to look at it.

398. Thank you Anonymous for this real and true sharing that I am sure many experience when they travel. I can so relate to feeling this when I pack at times.

399. Appreciation is a quality of energy, when I feel it i can but embrace all the learning I am being presented with.

400. Appreciation is something I have started to apply in my life, but at times I still slip back into disregard . To Self Nurture and love ourselves deeply all add up to appreciation also! With thanks Anonymous.

401. Great timing! I am about to pack a suitcase to Melbourne, a task that I have always found problematical because of the weather there and because it’s my home town and therefore some patterns of trying to fit in with others or to please can creep in. I’ve also been working on appreciation and love the way you have brought the two together in this blog. I can already see myself approaching this task with more lightness and spaciousness than usual.

402. The key for me in reading your blog is the question ‘ what will support me’ when we ask ourselves this question in every aspect of our lives the answer/s become very clear. It is an inward support from our body not looking outside from our head – the joy that is felt in this is deeply confirming.

403. If I appreciate what each day offers me to the detail of every moment, I notice how guided I am and there are no worries anymore.

404. Packing a suitcase involves a process of letting go – letting go of the need to have everything, the need to be superbly organised, the need for ‘things’, when all they do is weigh us down. Packing the cabin bag – laptop, empty bottle for water, book, food, neck pillow – and yet, on the flight, how much do we actually need? Although I have shed two suitcases worth of body weight (40+ Kgs) I still fill my actual suitcase in a way that is not truly honouring, so starting with appreciation of me and what I truly need is going to make a huge difference from here on.

405. As with anything in life, if I lose the pictures of what something should look like and stay connected to me, everything is taken care of because my movements have been truly purposeful. The same goes with packing, and this is a joy.

406. Ah the appreciation that can be oh so easily forgotten. I have made some enormous changes in my life since being inspired by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine. These changes and deep connection that have grown and grown are all confirmations of what I know inside already. Lovingly dedicating myself to myself and others but all the while dismissive of how incredible this is. As The Way of the Livingness becomes my every day normal it is super important not to take this for granted because I could be living the loveless, given up and detached life I was living before hand and there is no way I want to go back to that. Learning to Appreciate All that I Am is absolutely key. A Son of God with the magnificence to shine.

407. An awesome reminder of what we allow in when we separate from appreciating ourselves deeply and from knowing that life need not be complicated… for if we surrender, we can feel what is true for us in any moment and trust that the next step will be exactly what is needed.

408. there can be so many anxieties when it comes to getting something done, your travel packing can be related to life, like full time study, assignments, exams, relationships, working all while trying to have a good time- and being anxious about it all is a recipe for disaster in our bodies and our beings! Its better off to feel our way one step at a time and not doubt the fact that we know what to do, but rather should not hold back on any impulse we receive to get things done!

409. The transformation here is incredible and just proves how when we work with our feelings as opposed to our thoughts, we can begin to reduce the anxieties we so commonly experience throughout our day. I too find appreciation is the key to turning many a challenging moment around, a fundamental life changing teaching that Serge Benhayon himself has mastered and presents in his workshops and one well worth embodying in our daily lives.

410. Very confirming to re-read this again this morning, as I am aware of a certain level of self-doubt. On re-reading this blog I realise that by consistently developing appreciation it establishes the foundation of true self-confidence that “removes the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.”

411. With the appreciation, we pack our bag is the same as how we make our beds in the morning. When we get to where we packed to go and open our bag, we get to feel the love it was packed with, like the bed awaits us to return.

412. Anonymous, this is very beautiful, ‘appreciation being the key ingredient in building a solid foundation upon which to base all aspects of my life.’ Reading this I can feel huge appreciation for myself and my life, this feels very joyful and so I can feel how making appreciation a part pf my everyday will be hugely supportive.

413. Attention to detail and its impact on the big picture – I love this article – thank you.

414. I love what you’ve shared here anonymous, about building upon a foundation – one that is there for us when a potential ‘challenging situation’ may arise. I’ve heard Serge Benhayon speak on appreciation also, and feel that this is an area of life that most of us have barely scratched the surface of… What if we appreciated ourselves to the bone, our every delicate quality, the beauty and grace that we bring – making it not about ‘what we do’, but who we are. Are we truly willing to look in the mirror and see a magnificent being looking back at us?
     The steps you speak of anonymous are all an essential part of this foundation of loving ourselves that is open to all, yet there is a deeper call – to truly connect with our essential selves and appreciate and get to know the depths of who we truly are. In this, appreciation becomes an integral part of a religious way of living doesn’t it… a way of connection and knowing of self, a way of relationship with God and all of our true attributes that come from Him.

     1. Beautifully expressed Victoria. There is much to deepen with regard to our true understanding of appreciation.
        “What if we appreciated ourselves to the bone, our every delicate quality, the beauty and grace that we bring – making it not about ‘what we do’, but who we are. Are we truly willing to look in the mirror and see a magnificent being looking back at us?”

415. Appreciation of even the smallest detail makes a huge difference in how things are done – having been delaying attending to a task that felt it was in the ‘too difficult to deal with’ category, I chose to appreciate being willing to at least give it a go and remain open to dealing with it and being in presence with myself, however long it took. My body felt quite different as I held this foundation within and the mountainous looking task was not as big as my mind was making it out to be. Everything changed with bringing appreciation of myself first!

416. Such a great example of how our minds can get ahead of us… fixating on worry and concern, when if we simply allow ourselves to pause and connect, we do know what needs to be done. We are so varied in terms of the activities in life that may ‘get to us’ in such a way – keeping it simple and present with ourselves, and appreciating that we are actually there for it in the first place… well these are golden keys to hold within.
     This blog is about far, far more than packing a case!

417. Anonymous I have to admit that I love it to pack my suitcase as it is a great joy for me to feel into what I want to dress and than the real adventure starts if all of it is fitting in my suitcase – ahahah that is also a science.

418. Great point about the anxiousness being an everyday thing and not just something we feel when travelling necessarily. Often I used to get anxious while preparing for travel too but this simply reflects how much anxiety I was living in every day, just on a lesser scale.

419. Appreciation can move mountains… well that might seem way off… but it can completely change our outlook, feelings, relationships, body, views etc. when we allow appreciation into our lives. When I’m getting bogged down in being annoyed with someone or something… stopping, stepping back and looking at what is on offer to appreciate does wonders to how I then am with it.

420. This is very supportive, ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness,’ a lot of people suffer from anxiety and your blog deeply inspires and support people to heal this and to know that we can let go of anxiety as quickly as we take it on. By bringing more appreciation to our life, trust what we feel and keep things simple is the way to go, and I am learning to do this more and more.

421. I was struck initially by how much comparison there was running through your worries and realised how familiar this is in life. How little we dress for ourselves and how overly concerned we are by others and fitting in or doing the right thing. Also by your concern that others would have enough…so much worry! Lovely to have let all of this go and see how draining it must have been. A good lesson and reflection for us all.

422. This is so great what you have shared. I was about to dive into packing for a few days away from home with the same pattern that resembles the list that used to rattle you. Basically it involved a lot of stressing about it all. I love the possibility of starting from appreciation and getting a sense of what would support me from there. I can already feel the difference within me.

423. As I read your blog again this morning, I could feel how revealing it is to pack a suitcase …. essentially I’m going away, with myself and the love and care that I put into my suitcase will support me and feed me back while I’m away. The more I am appreciating myself in my day to day, the more love and appreciation I will also be taking away with me in my suitcase. My suitcase is a reflection of my livingness and I always leave a little bit of space to be able to add something in while I’m away 🙂

424. I have found with packing, each time I’m fine tuning. I like to start a couple of days in advance, allowing the space to add to my collection as I think of extra things and there is an order I follow, taking myself through the days that I’ll be away, thinking of what I may like to wear, if I’m going to be swimming, or hiking etc. As I’ve chosen to take more care of myself and the way in which I am living in recent years, packing has become so much easier. I know where to find things and everything in my wardrobe is clean and ironed, always a good start!

425. When we connect to ourselves, we always know what is needed.

426. Honesty and appreciation are the bricks and mortar that pave the way of our path to return to live in connection to our Soul. Appreciation confirms the movements made in honor of the Divinity we all are and honesty allows us to see and know when we are moving in truth or not, and what it is that holds us back from living our truth.

427. The suitcase is a perfect recipe for the ingredients for loving and valuing yourself – everything that is precious and feeds the body and soul goes into the suitcase. There is always feedback coming from everything we do and everything we choose – so what is it about when the suitcase is packed to meet the ‘requirements’ of everything outside of us? Great to ponder.

428. I love the honesty you bring through the questions you ask. As without honesty how can we then appreciate the choices that we make in honor of the love we are.

429. Appreciation confirms the quality of energy that is impulsed from the Soul through the heart from which the body feels the truth in that moment, in that movement. This movement feels natural, flowing and connected in contrast to the movements that stem from the mind that have us moving in a way that creates doubt, tension and anxiousness.

430. What you share here is gold, how learning to live with appreciation ‘has removed the anxiousness and given me more space to enjoy the opportunities that are on offer.’ That is huge and such beautiful supportive revelation to share which many will benefit from, as so many of us experience anxiousness throughout our lives. This is a powerful testimony of how it is possible to overcome anxiousness through appreciation. Thank you.

431. The power of appreciation can never be underestimated. It is amazing to feel how through the seemingly smallest acts of appreciation, how different my body feels, and how much more I feel of myself, and how my connection – the truth within me, who I am – deepens. This relationship is essential to develop in order to live with the confidence of knowing, being and expressing who I am and who we are in essence.

432. Thank you Anon, I do appreciate your article this morning, as appreciation is something I go into and out of. When I do stop and appreciate it is so simple and powerful in bringing me back to the love I know dwells within. It is a stairway to love .

433. Your blog got me thinking and I realised that when I have travelled I have packed clothes to achieve a certain look with often the sub-text of wanting to get others to think about me in a certain way – oh that’s Sarah, she always looks XYZ (whatever look I am after). It was a bit of an ouch to realise that it is at play. It is lessening but also good to be aware of what is running through our bodies, molding us in to a variety of decisions.

434. This is great to read – I always seem to end up taking far too much away with me – super interesting the reflection that packing a bag can offer us.

435. And, as it happens, I am travelling today so I now have the perfect opportunity to re-imprint the way I pack my case. Perfect timing!

436. I didn’t combine yet packing a suitcase and appreciation as the glue. Sounds as a great addition. When opening the suitcase you get the present of the appreciation.

437. Reading your blog has made me stop and have a good look at what I am doing (or not doing) that keeps me stuck in my habitual patterns. Thank you for the gentle nudge.

438. Packing a suitcase works best for me when I am connected to my body. Then what to pack and what to leave home is very simple and otherwise I can be great at complicating and bringing too much.

439. OMG, I am about to book a flight to Melbourne to head down to the Woman in Livingness event held in August. I just realsied I have never travelled on my own, never in my life and it has been about eight years since I have travelled without children. The flights that are cheap only allow for 7kg carry on bag, I am preparing to take the plunge, I am scared, I want to take everything as I am feeling the insecurity of travelling alone, thank you for your blog, I think it will be read a few more times before I pack!

     1. What a perfect time for you to read this blog Sarah. Enjoy travelling alone. I know when I was a single mum and I got to travel on my own I really enjoyed even catching a bus on my own.

440. Appreciation supports us with so many things. It also influences what and how much we eat. All doctors, practitioners and human beings should prescribe a daily doses of appreciation.

441. I find myself doing the opposite – I am too relaxed about the whole packing thing and leave it all to the last minute and then, of course, the element of rushing always comes in. What amazes me (to be more honest – what frustrates me) is that I keep repeating the same pattern!

442. I love the way you share how, by making a few simple changes in your day together with a good dose of appreciation, you were able to completely turn around a negative situation into a positive one.

     1. Yes. I too Tamara love these practical little sharings. They are so supportive.

443. Packing can for most be one of the most stressful parts of a holiday for many people. And yet it can be a great way of appreciating ourselves and also a reflection of where we are with our selves – our presence and care.

444. The beauty of appreciation and the connection we hold is a gift unto itself. A true confirmation of love at its finest. Thank you.

445. Choosing to listen what to pack and not to pack is also a surrendering to the fact that we indeed have an inner knowing that’s guiding us into the future. So no ‘in case this, in case that’, but just a surrendering to the inner-knowing that will take care of us – we’re only to listen:-).

446. It is so true and a great awareness to come to then repeat constantly: whatever task is before us is simply part of the whole of everything we do. One gentle step and breathe at a time. Otherwise it does become a mental gymnastics program going over and over again in the mind of the what if, buts and maybe. All designed to disconnected from and appreciate the wisdom and knowing that is held in our bodies when we appreciate the fact that this is where truth comes from not the workings of the mind.

447. It’s interesting how we can become accustomed to certain ways of doing things and accept that that is just how it is for us e.g that we get anxious or stressed about doing a certain thing. But I love how you’ve shown here that there is always the opportunity for change and approaching things in a different light.

448. It is amazing how a lack of appreciation can affect so many aspects of our lives. Conversely, I have felt the amazing support when I fully appreciate the depth of who I truly am in all aspects of my life.

449. Anxiousness is a world wide illness, it is a plague. It is not part of normal healthy human life. You just gave us the answer, Anonymous: appreciation. Deep thanks.

450. When we pack from our hearts and not our heads the task is simple -it is always about the being and not the doing.

451. I have always been the other way, pack on the day, very little thought going into it. But this was disregard and I have a holiday coming up and like you are caring for myself more and feeling I am worth taking time with as such I am looking forward to packing and packing in a way that is a confirmation of who I am not what I would like to be.

452. A great blog bringing more appreciation to all the details in or lives that we can often over ride and not take into consideration. Not different to ironing our clothes, washing the dishes or taking out the trash.

453. In the past i have gone out and purchased a brand new outfits to go on holiday with this is something my mother always did as well. I then found myself in a different location with a new clothes, feeling very uncomfortable. A lot of the time these cloths were purchased because I wanted to look a certain a way to people. I stopped this pattern of behaviour a few ago. I also had a look at how this was playing out in my everyday life. As you mention appreciation on daily basis was part of understanding my pattern of not feeling like I am enough the way I am. Now I pack my favourites and things I wear on daily basis. I also take more care in what I purchase in the first place, buying things I love, and that feel amazing to wear.

454. “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.” This is true and great way to come back. It’s better to have a foundation to come to based on self-love then anything else that is not loving.

455. I find packing for trips super easy, but replace ‘packing a bag’ with ‘writing a blog’ and I am totally relating to everything you have shared. We all have areas in life that we feel more solid in than others. As I grow I am recognising more and more how important it is to learn to express naturally in those areas that may overwhelm us. Appreciation is key, appreciating our qualities that are there more strongly in some areas than others. Appreciation strips the fear from exploring something new.

456. Awesome article – thank you

457. I too have found that the joy and appreciation with which i move and complete any task is naturally a given when i am connected to me and aligned to God.

458. There is a great joy in appreciating every aspect of our life – when we are awake or asleep, our very beingness and essence is pure Love and full of God.

459. It seems very clear that where there is true appreciation of ourselves to the finest detail, there is no sign of an ill-thought or pressure.

460. Appreciation expands on the amazingness we are. I also love the way it supports us to remain in the moment and trust in what we feel in our body.

461. “Is the trip about ‘impressing’ others or ‘just being me’ with others?” I get the sense that we all take many ‘trips’ every day and the answer to this question any given time is revealing. You have me pondering the extent to which I have chosen my own true path. Thank you Anonymous.

462. Appreciation of the smallest parts of our foundation feels to be the key here, I know I have dismissed the things I’ve done easily or well in the past, brushed off compliments, with embarrassment or detail, and beaten myself up with all the mistakes I’ve made instead. I’m finding that building appreciation takes some time to do when we have to break through those old thoughts and habits because they still tend to creep back in if we let them. I can easily find compliments for others and am now finding those same compliments for myself and appreciate the changes I’ve made over the past few years, feeling into all the little details.

463. Yes packing for what I feel and what will support me is a great way to pack. When I start to think in regards of others and not me it becomes confusing and will get overwhelming.

464. Profound revelations all the way through this blog Anonymous.Thank you 🙂
     How simple self-healing can be once we bring the power of true appreciation to be part of our living way in developing a deeper level of awareness and relationship with ourselves, others and all areas of our life.. “Learning to live from my foundation of appreciation and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness and given me more space to enjoy the opportunities that are on offer.”

465. Love it Anonymous. The list you have made here about ’what if’ is hilarious and very relatable – I used to have the same ’dilemma’ for many years, I had to be absolutely in control of every event that might happen during my travel.

466. It was really interesting to read this blog yesterday and then find an alternate version in a women’s magazine that afternoon. One cut through the drama and the mess we can make the other fed the insecurity and the fear…and that’s the one that makes it into the glossy magazines that get sold by the bucket loads and that we read and digest. It is important to discern everything that we read too and ask if it is truly supporting us?

467. I found that I could get anxious when travelling. Travelling is very safe but not quite as safe as staying at home. Simply realising that that is what it was made the anxiety disappear.

468. “I packed toiletries that I use each day, so this was already part of my foundation.” I can very much relate to this! In the past I would approach packing as something special to be extra sure I got everything I needed but now that is different. I noticed that the packing is just taking the things that support me to live my life just like I live my life at home every day and this simplicity made me pack more of what I truly need and made me forget less.

469. Packing a suitcase brings a lot to my awareness, in microcosmic size! Any loving, supportive or not so loving momentum can be felt in what I go to pack or how I pack . It is a process that reveals a lot! and one that can definitely provide the opportunity to support me well for the coming trip.

470. Packing appreciation and packing with appreciation seems a fantastic item to be putting in ones suitcase, bag or lunch box at any time of the day! This is something that can’t be over packed!

471. Thank you Anonymous for this gorgeous blog – In spite of having done much travelling, I can relate to all you write about the ‘anxious packing syndrome’ that I used to let dominate preparation for any trip. The ever-growing planning list full of ‘just in case’ items to cover all aspects of the trip (weather, events, matching shoes etc!!) and then not wearing many of the clothes packed anyway.
     “With time, I noticed that I had become accustomed to feeling this way and noticed how much this overwhelm would start to consume me weeks before I was heading off”.

472. A very supportive blog and the appreciation needed to overcome all our fears and worries anxiety and stress seems simple and makes so much sense. Taking the time to lovingly appreciate each piece we put in to our suitcase coming from a foundation of love and appreciation feels so beautiful and very different from the anxiousness we can get into.Surrendering to the all and simply allowing and trusting allows no room for the anxiety stress and harm otherwise done to our bodes which we feel very much and is not a supportive start to any travel or day.

473. The timing of this blog is very apt as I’m sure many of us (in Europe) are about to start packing for a summer break. What I have realised from reading your blog is the way I pack is without a great deal of planning or care. I tend to pack at the last moment and hope for the best and this is what I open the other end at my destination. So how would it be if this year I lovingly select the clothes that will best support me and take great care when I pack my back. This loving package will then be there for me when I arrive at my destination the other end.

474. I’ve recently been discovering the power of appreciation and how when I get a little stuck and feel there is nothing to appreciate I look for the smallest thing and build from there and soon pull myself out of the spin of negativity that has started to take hold.

475. When we are always second guessing and concerned about having the right things, being in the right place at the right time, it is no wonder that anxiousness is a common underlying emotion. For me it just shows how disconnected I have been from myself and my inner wisdom, which has been there in every moment and is naturally all-knowing.

476. One of the things learned recently is how there are no issues in life, only the ones we create. And so it is with packing suitcases: with appreciation as a foundation it becomes easy and supportive.

477. If we do not confirm who we are, we get confirmed for who we are not. Herein lies the falsity so many of us live under when we believe that we are ‘what we are not’. E.g. we identify with being an anxious person or a ‘worrywart’ when really it is because we are not appreciating who we truly are, that such negative self-talk can even enter.

478. Anxiety is the feeling created when we do not feel prepared to handle what lies in front of us, thus from this ‘lack’ the mind becomes fraught with trying to figure it all out before hand, which is basically a clever trick of the human spirit to ‘skip bits’ (not be in the present moment) and thus not be accountable for what has been skipped. In such overwhelm we are lost and when we are lost we have even more excuse to not be present. Building a solid foundation every step of the way with what the mind is thinking and what the body is doing is our way through such a seeming mess and it is appreciation of such steps walked that gets us ‘there’.

479. Anonymous, I love what you have written here, ‘build more of who we are, and remove the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.’ I can feel how amazing it would be to live with appreciation as our foundation, this changes everything, thank you for sharing this.

480. Don’t we pack ourselves every morning before we leave the house to start the day? We do a quick check for what is required and then out the door and the days journey begins. What is in those bags, backpacks and any other containers we transport with us every day… just in case? Traveling is just a bigger bag to take more of our stuff out for a ride! What is within us that we take everywhere that is no longer required? It is well past its time to do a clean-out of those bags we carry around. Not just when we change bags for a bigger one to take more un-needed stuff and the one we walk around with that can’t get bigger, but can become denser.

481. Packing for ourselves based on the self-loving choices we make for ourselves feels very different from packing for others (in the sense of the choosing what to wear to get some gain from others out of our decisions).

482. I love the appreciation I feel in this sentence “As I packed each garment I appreciated how great this felt on my body.”. It sums everything up for me as there are two ways to pack, in panic and in appreciation. The detail of appreciation sets the foundation of the trip. I love it.

483. Sometimes, I tend to overpack a bit. This reveals a subtle dose of anxiousness I carry around when I go away.

484. I know if I struggle to choose what to wear it is usually because I am not truly connected with myself and too focused on some picture or image I have or want to fulfill for others. Whenever I dress for me and in accordance to what needs to be done in the day or days ahead, I know exactly what to wear, what color is needed, whether the clothes need to flow or sit tight, which material I want to feel warm or cool enough and what will truly support me.

485. To appreciate our inner knowingness is so important Anonymous. The way I have grown up has never supported me in this and I always referred to the opinion or acknowledgement of somebody else, where it my parents, my school teachers or any other person I gave any authority to.

486. “I knew that I had developed a solid foundation that supported me in my day, but I was missing the glue that held this all together – APPRECIATION!”
     YES! That glue is so important and so easy to forget about and neglect.

487. Our mind has the capacity to jump ahead of the body and think through all possible scenarios that can potentially happen and then tries to be in control of all of them, which is impossible especially if you are traveling. The body has a different way to prepare ahead as it knows how to feel into the moment and has on offer everything it needs at that particular moment without needing to worry what may occur in the next.

488. “I realised that my suitcase packing is a simple task that can be done as part of my day, no different to my morning routine that included showering, dressing and eating.”
     I love the simplicity you offer here! It is our mind that makes something a difficult task and creates all sorts of complications, but if we simply do what needs to be done next it truly is just the next task at hand that needs our full attention and love to detail and with that it can be easily done.

489. “Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness, not only in packing a suitcase, but in many other aspects of my life.” I totally agree Anonymous appreciation is a great antidote to most things in life, The more we bring appreciation into our daily lives the less intense and complicated things become and the more we have space for appreciation

490. When I go into anxiousness I too get dreams about missing the bus to the airport or not hearing the alarm and then when I wake up it is too late or not finding my handbag, etc. It reflects to me how I tend to go into control, trying to be on top of everything in these situation, which does not allow me to be in the flow with how things unfold.

491. It is very inspiring to read how you have taken a moment to ask yourself many questions to have a feel of what is going on for you and that every detail deserves attention and care for it to be truly supportive for us, and to build a foundation – to be prepared based on appreciation, instead of anxiousness.

492. “I chose shoes that were not based on how well they matched my outfit, but on how comfortable they felt on my feet.” I like that, what a difference that will make to how you feel on the trip supporting you to be with yourself than the possible exhaustion of waiting for that acknowledgement from another how your shoes match your outfit .. it may never happen on the trip.

493. I like how the author picked up on appreciation here and how it was a natural part of packing when time was taken and the pressure was let go of. Perhaps the way it works is we either appreciate or worry, there is no neutral?

     1. Great point Simon

494. A brilliant testimony to the impact of us lovingly facing our ‘fears’ and working through and beyond them.

495. Also the more lovingly the bag is packed, the more support it will be once opened at the destination, it’s like having a suitcase full of love at your disposal.

496. Packing for a journey is always a reflection of where I am at in my care and appreciation of myself. When I pack, how I pack, how many times I re pack tell me the quality I am living at the time.

497. Appreciation and confirmation must be present for me to live live the fullness of my life. Otherwise I am hamstrung by what you described Anonymous as giving my power away to external factors and others’ expectations.

498. I am just beginning to appreciate how significant appreciation is and how important it is in confirming that we are so much more than what we perceive are our troubles.

499. A single moment in our life can be a good sample of how we are in all other parts. Nothing stands by itself in the grand scheme of things. And no moment is more important than another.

500. Appreciation is the best medicine ever – it really can hep to heal nearly everything.

501. What you have expressed here anonymous is simple yet profound, I love the way you are able to appreciate the solid foundation you have created for yourself;
     “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down”.

502. Packing suitcases for me has changed over the years from being anxious provoking- e.g. needing to get it right, making sure I don’t forget anything so I won’t be blamed or ridiculed, needing to impress others or fit in; to now being a process of appreciation- of who I am more and how I can best express all of me from how I dress and care for myself. Nowadays, when I pack a suitcase to go away, I am more focused on my connection to my body, and find the process to be pleasant, fun and enjoyable.

503. I developed a list of essentials for packing so for every trip I open this up and everything I need to do is already there for me – it feels really supportive. I enjoyed reading about the difference between worrying and anxiousness and simply staying connected to feel what’s caring for you when you pack.

504. I remember how I use to travel I would always pack more than I needed, often bring back so many clothes unworn. I would also pack creams and stuff I never really used but felt I would use on holiday, but never did. This was just all unnecessary weight. When I travelled earlier this year a packed very differently, I felt what clothes I wanted to wear, only packed the toiletries I was using daily and it all felt beautiful, my suitcase was lighter and I enjoyed packing..

505. Serge Benhayon is supporting us to appreciate and he often reminds us of this topic and I hear the importance of it but I don’t always put it into practice. Your writing here shows us in such a powerful yet simple example of how appreciation can change the way we live and go about our lives. It can bring a stop to the powerful momentum’s that we once thought were the only way forward, it can allow the space to find another way.

506. I have begun to notice how appreciation brings simplicity. I too have been working on appreciating the smaller things and have noticed the ripple effect in other parts of my life. How beautiful that we have this awareness.

507. Packing a suitcase is a reflection for life – if we fill our bags with unsuitable items and lots of emotion and pictures and don’t select from the knowingness and wisdom we are, we are left with the consequences of our choices.

508. Great topic. I feel a sense of overwhelm every time I have to pack to go away but this has lessened over the years although I still manage to make the process bigger than it actually is and I often tell myself what’s the big deal if you forget something you go and buy it. This feeling of anxiousness runs deeper than this for me and is connected with not feeling deserving to be going away somewhere in the first place and actually claiming that I do deserve to go away and let go of my old picture and appreciate the freedom I have.

509. Yes the actual damage that is done by overriding ourselves after whatever we have chosen that is actually a beautiful choice – is damage to our bodies. As we are actually, by not appreciating, jumping over what we feel and have actually chosen.. In this way we underestimate the magnitude of our power and how much we bring to this world. And how we should acknowledge our true inner wisdom and from there on let our lives enfold.. The beauty we choose is the beauty we bring.

     1. Danna Elmalah you have shared a very valid point. It is the overriding that feeds the anxiousness that leaves no room for appreciation as the body already moves into a state of overwhelm. The responsibility is to remain true at the moment when we feel what is the best choice to make and stick to it… rather than get pulled aside with the continuous thoughts and pockets of doubt that can enter our head.

510. There is a whole science behind appreciation that is so fascinating. I’ve experienced major shifts with myself in a single moment when appreciation is chosen and felt over and above the mental anguish that ones thoughts can create. Appreciation seems to dissolve doubt, worry, anxiousness and being hard on myself, in my experience, and bring me back to a knowing that I am so much more then what my mind at times leads me to believe.

511. What a change from list to list! The first list was so racy and discombobulated with a nervousness about packing for others instead of packing for yourself. That’s where the second list got to, packing for yourself and asking the supportive questions instead of the ‘I should’s’. A very practical travel buddy blog indeed.

512. We not only pack for trips away but what about when we pack our lunches for school or work and even going to the gym. We can build a foundation of appreciation for ourselves everyday in the quality and love we bring to every task.

513. I have to admit, I was relating and enjoying this blog so much that I was mildly disappointed when I saw by anonymous. I didn’t realise that other people had these kinds of issues when packing a bag to go away and loved you approach of appreciation you used, I will defiantly be using that next time I pack.

514. Great timing – I am travelling in a couple of weeks and so far have been a serial ‘pack everything including the kitchen sink’- packer. I don’t have the anxiousness about it, the opposite in fact – I leave it to the last moment and because I haven’t left enough space to pack in consideration of what I feel I need, the lot goes in. I’m inspired to try it another way this time.

515. What I could feel reading this blog Anonymous is the rigidness at the first set of questions and the spaciousness in the second. Not only was there much more ease, the whole process became even bigger then – considering sharing with others (in this instance, your hair dryer). To me this is very inspiring and makes me aware of how small our world really becomes when we’re so focussed on only ourselves and ‘getting things right’. Appreciation is indeed the key.

516. Packing can be a moment of confirmation also.
     Where we are at, in terms of rhythm, and the quality of the way we place the items in the case actually reflect our connection with ourselves.

517. I can so relate to the dreams you had about being at the airport and forgetting something vital because I often had them too. I have found I have these anxiety dreams more frequently if I have been choosing to run with anxiety throughout my day and choosing to be disconnected from myself. I realised being in anxiety is a choice and I can choose to let it go as easily as I take it on. It’s from building more awareness, love and appreciation for myself that supports me to choose differently – a more loving way.

518. How beautiful it is the feel the foundation of appreciation which runs through every aspect of our lives. I can feel that packing with the lovely qualities of each item being fully appreciated would support packing to be super simple and even joy-full. This especially includes how much ‘lighter’ a bag would feel energetically when it isn’t carrying the weight of concern, doubt and indecision that can often be packed for all the reason shared. The practical out come is the weigh-in at check-in would a breeze.

519. For me the deeper the connection with myself the more refined my packing is becoming.

520. Deeply appreciating ourselves increases how much we can trust, when we trust ourselves the anxiousness cannot be.

521. Packing and travelling is something that I have done my whole life and I am an expert on, but up until reading this blog, I had never considered it or appreciated it.

522. I have found recently that the quality in which I choose to pack has made a huge impact on how I feel when I go travelling. In the past I have often left it to the last minute, now I take the time to ponder what is going to be most supportive and making it very practical. Anxiousness still arises for me in this process, but I am discovering it requires a deep level of care of being with myself and letting go of certain pictures that are still there for me from my many years of backpacking of having to travel lightly and not taking too much.

523. If anxiety is allowed to rule it diminishes appreciation. Conversely if we accept and lovingly appreciate deeply our own unique being then there is no space to be filled by anxiety.

524. There is so much that we are not aware of and don’t appreciate at times, and our perspective on life and everything changes when we do.

525. ‘I was missing the glue that held this all together – APPRECIATION!’ This is a very supportive blog. I am sure a lot of people can relate to it and feel inspired. Appreciation is amazing, I never realised how supportive it is to appreciate ourselves and others until I attended presentations by Serge Benhayon and started learning to practice appreciation.

526. “there is another way to live that supports us all to build more of who we are, and remove the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.”
     If we are in connection with our bodies, bringing attention to every detail with a commitment to nurturing and self love, anxiety goes out the door, leaving us a solid foundation in which simplicity and purpose is our way. When it comes to packing it’s a breeze and a moment to deeply appreciated what an enormous difference trusting our own inner knowingness makes…. indeed anon.

527. I love that when we are connected to the flow of the universe we are impulsed to pack what will be needed – like the future is connected to the present. And that which isn’t packed will be there on our travels.

528. I can never be reminded enough of the power of appreciation.

529. And anonymous … I am sensing how this appreciation will lead to more honouring of my knowingness and less overriding of it. Thank you.

530. Ahhh anonymous, choosing to live from the foundation of my inner-knowingness has also been key in shifting the stress from my life, and your blog has reminded me that I have not been appreciating the fact that I choose to do this, that I no longer override my own knowing nearly as much as I used to and that I know when I do so. There is much to appreciate here.

531. For me, when I truly appreciate all that I have built in my daily rhythms that has become foundational to support me, there is no space for anxiousness. With appreciation and a solid foundation it creates a simplicity for me to do what is there to be done and trust my inner knowing.

532. For me the truth is everything is overwhelming when I am in my head and everything is addressed one moment at a time without any fuss or drama. . . when I am with myself, in my body, fully present. Thank you anonymous for reminding me of this.

533. What to pack – not only was it organising every aspect to be taken care of when away, usually there was a lot to do before we can walk out the door. But now I don’t experience that pressure as the everyday details are part of my foundation and my livingness so packing a suitcase is just an extension of knowing and trusting I will have made the right choices.

534. It’s great how the complication and worry just dropped away when you appreciated yourself, and in its place there is a steadiness and simple connection instead. It can seem like a small thing to truly appreciate yourself but it really does have powerful effects.

535. ‘Building a foundation of appreciation has been the way in which I have chosen to heal a lot of the anxiousness’- I love this comment that you make as I too have felt the difference that appreciation can make and put in perspective things that could leave to overwhelm.

536. We think too much or actually one may ask who is thinking when we are not present with ourselves but lost in thinking, imagining, speculating, doubting, planning, day-dreaming, anticipating – and then, when we are present again with the body the thoughts immediately stop being thought. Hm, so who is thinking?

537. You very real life like describe how we lose ourselves when we look outside ourselves for who we are. The tremendous complication and complexity that come with going lost dissipate when we come back to feeling our body and the simplicity and ease in which we then know what is true and what is not.

538. The simple fact of being ahead of oneself, that is projecting oneself into the imagined future and thereby losing one´s sense of the presence (body) means opening the door for anxiousness, overwhelm, nervous tension, doubt etc. Whereas appreciation confirms quality and presence in the body hence is strengthening our sense of self from where we feel and know who we are and what is needed next.

539. Appreciation – the activity of confirming the preciousness we all innately are. Not much different to polishing a diamond.

540. Also, I should have mentioned about packing. I use to pack all manner of things and it was stressful. But from experience I hardly wore all the things I packed and just wore a few basic items. I pack now like I get ready for my day and it takes less then 10 minutes. I love how we can see anything as just being a part, an extension of how we live. So if you are having trouble in one area of life, choose to live in a different way around this ‘trouble’ and naturally it will be pulled up. To often we go to fix a certain thing without making a change to how we live with everything else. Like this blog is saying, no need to change what you are packing but make the change with how you are and the packing just becomes a natural extension of that change.

541. Love this simple and yet clear message, “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.” When things go astray it’s not often we return to what has worked before, our foundation and build again. Appreciation of the smallest things consistently may not seem a big deal but when the ‘chips are down’ it allows you to step back to something. I love these small yet huge messages or gifts from blogs like this one, thank you.

     1. “Learning to live from my foundation of appreciation and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness and given me more space to enjoy the opportunities that are on offer.” Yes, what a golden gift of wisdom is this life changing truth.

542. It is the trust in oneself through the foundation that one is living from that gives us a solid ground to stand on. Nurturing this through appreciation is immensely valuable.

543. When we live with appreciation, the dream destination or far off location pales into the background for we are already ‘there’. The huge truth is it is this way of being we yearn for the most and is a tonic to our being way greater than any palm dotted beach.

544. This is such a game changer, so see and feel that each thing is not separate, be it packing a suitcase to travel or making breakfast, that no matter where we are and what we do, we have the foundation of us with us, and I love how you bring the fact of appreciation into it, and how allowing ourselves to appreciate our day to day living and how we are with it, naturally allows for that living to extend to those other less frequent tasks like traveling.

545. How such a simple thing such as packing a suitcase can become such a burdensome chore. I have experienced this myself although I must admit I feel it less so these days as I also choose to focus on my own needs and what makes me feel nurtured and supported rather than whether I shall have the right things for the right occasion.

546. I pack for every eventuality and this means I take a lot of things with me! Next time I am going to pack in appreciation of me and what I may need to support me. Of course I can relate this to what I take with me to work as well – am I taking what is truly supporting me? Appreciation allows us to come back to what feels nourishing and supportive of ourselves and this is reflected to others.

547. That appreciation for ourselves and knowing that we know how to take care of ourself is a great remover of anxiety. The stress of “have I thought of everything?” is a great underminer of our own inner knowing.

548. I love how you call appreciation the glue to hold together everything that is in your solid foundation. That’s definitely something I experience, when I step out of appreciating the quality of my living I am fed anxiousness, I feel disconnected and it is as if everything is too much. When I appreciate myself there is support, there is space and a flow in my life.

549. It started as a blog about packing your suitcase but then actually the blog is about appreciation. Because no matter what we do or have to do, appreciation is key.

550. I know this causes me stress. I have the question…will I feel like wearing the clothes I bring with me. I always admire those who can travel light. There is a solid foundation to come from. I feel that when we go into stress and doubt, we forget about our solid foundation. It is important to stay with ourselves. This blog is a great reminder to do so.

551. ‘remove the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.’ This is revelation.. how often do we consider that an issue or problem may stem from a lack of appreciation. once we are ‘in’ the issue we can loose sight of this perspective.

552. It didn’t cross my mind to appreciate myself for the way I recently prepared to travel. A timely reminder since I was on a plane yesterday.

553. I like the questions you pose in the blog anonymous. Looking at them I can see how I have created complication in the past about how I think I should look, or what will look best, rather than what I will feel comfortable in and being honest about how much I need. The question that stood out was, ‘Is the trip about ‘impressing’ others or ‘just being me’ with others?’ I know I often want to look my best when on holiday. Why only then, and not all the time I ask myself? It’s definitely about conveying an image.

554. Every time I feel myself in doubt, wobbling or feeling anxious, I know it’s because I haven’t been appreciating anything about myself or what I bring, and have instead been in the numbness or the busyness of just ‘getting it done’ – completely disconnected from myself and just in my head. Having that foundation of appreciation is a solid place to bring ourselves back to, every time we’re off track.

555. I can relate to getting anxious about packing. I have recently travelled, but chose to be prepared rather than wait until the night before. In the past I have made the task bigger than it is and created stress around it, which then led to me being grumpy and not much fun on the journey.

556. Well who would have thought that appreciation was the foundation for such a significant change as this… we haven’t even begun to realise the power in such a simple thing.

557. Whether it be packing a suitcase or any other activity, doing it with conscious presence eliminates the stress and anxiety which makes it so more harmonious

558. Appreciation is an amazing thing in life. I always feel so full when I appreciate me and the people and things in my life. It makes a difference, and I notice the ‘little’ simple things more. which is awesome

559. This is great, I always pack a suitcase with twice as much in it that I need because I don’t want to get to the place and not have something/ i don’t know what I’ll need when there. What you’ve offered is super valuable 🙂 makes packing so much simpler

560. I love what is written here, I am going through a process of feeling anxious about things that really don’t deserve that level of worry, it is great to read of the process of appreciating ourselves more, as it is strange to feel so anxious about things one knows don’t matter, and great to know that there is a way to overcome this through caring and appreciating oneself as we are.

561. This blog made me chuckle as this is exactly how I used to be when I was getting ready to go away – franticly packing everything and doing it purely on impulse.
     It was the perfect way for me to wind myself up just before I was supposed to take a break’ – so I’d actually like the hype before the calm. But what I have come to realise – with a little appreciation – is that firstly a holiday does not have to mean a break from life, and secondly, there is a way to pack that is as you share – very supportive to our bodies well before it is about what looks good. And that packing is no different to anything else we do in the day – it is just a case of making choices that support us and do it without rush or reaction.

562. I’ve found appreciation is like water to a rose, the more we drink the more our beauty opens out to blossom.

563. I can so relate… thank you so much for sharing this blog it has supported me to see that I need to go to a deeper level of appreciation so that it becomes super solid as part of my foundation as I still feel anxiousness when it comes to packing a suitcase, whether that be for a weekend or a longer trip. From reading your blog I can see the cracks in which I allow doubt to come in and take over. Appreciation is indeed the most important item that should be carried in our handbag at all times!

564. I would always end up throwing extra items in my suitcase, in a last minute flurry ‘just in case’ and which I never used, they just added to the weight I then had to carry around.

565. ‘How much do I really need to support me on this trip?’ Awesome and beautifull as soon as we start to look and feel into what would SUPPORT us it changes ✨💕🐬 Simlicity and Appreciation are key.

566. You are right Anonymous, appreciation is huge. Its so easy to do my daily routines without much thought so thank you for this timely reminder to, however small the task, have appreciation for what I am doing and in that appreciation I know that what I am doing becomes so much easier to do. And as I am writing this, I just had appreciation for being able to write these blog comments. Awesome!!

567. Beautiful how appreciation can heal such old trodden paths. And how the simplicity of Serge Benhayon’s presentations of the Ageless Wisdom is indeed ageless and can be applied at any time, in every era, culture… – it is universal.

568. I love how you shared that you built a ‘foundation of appreciation’, this is then underlying everything you do, every movement you make, every word you speak and there is no limit to how much we can appreciate, it’s limitless and so beautiful to feel and be on the receiving end of.

569. Appreciation allows the space for simplicity and for us to let go of any complication that tries to wriggle in.

570. Anonymous, I loved reading how your daily life has been impacted through allowing a deeper level of appreciation. Appreciation is an absolute Godsend, it’s the balm that soothes our hurts and fears, inspires more love and connection, it’s at the heart of everything, including a suitcase packed with love.

571. Packing and travelling can be very stressful times. I know I always pack too much by trying to pack for every possible event or weather change. I have yet to master keeping it simple and trusting that what I pack will be just right for what is needed. Next time I come to pack I will read your blog first and look at the appreciation of the joy of travelling and what a great opportunity it is, rather than the pressure and stress I often feel.

572. I travel quite a bit and appreciate how much simpler my packing process has become. I still often take too much – ‘in case i need xyz’ but as you say; “anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down.” So true Anon.

573. Appreciation is so so important. The amount we tend to undervalue it in our lives exposes just how little of it we live. With appreciation comes the allowing of life to be less about the function and the doing and the getting it done, and more about the quality, space and actual enjoyment of what life brings.

574. Awesome reminder to appreciate all that has been shared with us by Serge to support us to ‘remove the overwhelm and anxiousness that can be fed to us when we choose not to appreciate our inner knowingness.’

575. “With this appreciation, anything is possible as it reminds me that anytime I may wobble or have self-doubt, I can return to the simplicity of the foundations I have laid down, ” This is such a great way of expressing how learning to appreciate oneself is such a huge game changer in how to approach life.

576. When we work ourselves into a stressed and anxious state when packing, rush to the airport or when there is a general sense of un-organisation before travelling this can set the tone for our entire time away. It’s so important to support ourselves in the days or weeks before a trip by paying attention to the details and creating space to ensure we are looked after when away from home.

577. Feeling stressed when packing and the overwhelm of trying to make sure we have everything we need for travelling is such a common way to approach going away and we often ride off the tension and don’t think we need to address it because ‘everyone gets stressed when they pack’. As pointed out in this blog, this is still an area of life that we should look at, because even though we may not be packing every day (unless our job requires a lot of travelling) it is still harmful to be in such an anxious and tense state when we are filling our suitcases and we can instead choose to make packing just like any other part of our rhythm and commit to feeling spacious rather than stressed.

578. This is an article that hit home with my pattern of behaviour too. I can often leave the packing until quite late, and despite thinking I know what I’m taking, will often forget things or think how I should have brought something different. It sometimes feels like I’ve packed to impress others in the past,, not what I’ve felt comfortable with, especially the shoes! Recently I’ve become much better at packing shoes that I know I can wear all day, rather than ones that go with my clothes, my feet definitely appreciate that.

579. I love how you describe appreciation as the glue that holds your foundation together. This feels so true I had been building an ever more solid foundation over quite a period of time but could still be easily rocked until I introduced appreciation and this brought consistency and a flow to my day and the tasks within it.

580. Very recently I’ve started become more aware of what you’ve shared here Anon. Having accepted overwhelm in my life and living life according to all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘just in case’s’. It’s beautiful to read how you’ve brought appreciation into the situation and how it’s changed the whole situation. All these ‘what if’s’ and ‘just in case’s’ can’t compete when I focus on how I feel to be in life and act from these feelings. Thank You.

581. A beautiful inspiring blog on packing our suitcase and the underlying anxiety this causes many of us that i can really relate to but also the simplicity of appreciation that really changes everything and allows a deep foundation of this for our selves and everything and everyone around us. I am looking forward to my next packing experience and how different this will be from reading this.

582. What a great way of expressing it “I had developed a solid foundation that supported me in my day, but I was missing the glue that held this all together – APPRECIATION!” I was recently aware that I had built a strong, steady and consistent foundation, it is something that I have been working on for at least a decade and yet when I talked about appreciation, I was not fully committed to enjoying all….so I reflected on the tricks I had been playing on myself and I have been practicing to enjoy appreciation, and be aware of how I really feel and not entertain the ‘I am doing ok’ story. I appreciate others so much, I am committed in so many ways to truth and love, there is much to appreciate from my body through observing and feeling the loving quality and the choices that are made every day.

583. The little things in life are not to underestimate, as they are all a reflection of my state of being in general.

584. Appreciation is so powerful – and so, the lack of it can penetrate into every little part of our living and sabotage it.

585. Gosh, how much complication we can bring into life that could be so simple! 🙂 Good reminder for appreciation and simplicity.

586. A precious activity and observation to make over theist month “Over the past month I have worked on developing an appreciation of the smallest parts of my foundation;” very supportive to feel, appreciate and develop our foundation. The details deeply support the whole.

587. How we pack is great to reflect on. I have lived with my husband for over 12 years and we have often packed in a different way. For me I often did it at the last minute and squeezed as much as I could in. We recently went on a trip together and we fitted what we needed in a half of a small suitcase each, it was ordered, supportive and we enjoyed it. We shared the space and had all we needed. How we approach packing and what we pack has altered a lot, why this has occurred is something to appreciate. I know I am more present, aware and less swayed be pictures and emotions of how things can be and much more clear on what the next steps in life are that are needed to support me.

588. After reading this article I wondered if the suitcase was lighter than usual, without all of the anxiety and distress which would normally be packed along side the clothes.

589. It is such a different way to pack to the last minute lets cram as much in the suitcase as possible. I often find that a lot of what I take does not get worn and is surplus – with lots of ‘just in case’ items. It is great to be prepared for any eventuality but as you say its important to you take what will support you best not what will look best. It is another way of appreciating and valuing yourself.

590. When my children were smaller I used to go to London every now and then to spend the night by myself. Going away on these occasions was an utter delight as I saw these trips as something very lovely for me that would support me to have some me time. I remember packing to go and each thing I would put in my case would be done with such joy and I loved the process. This was something that I was doing to nurture and support me that had nothing to do with anyone else or was for anyone else. The packing was in and of itself indeed a reflection of the appreciation I had of myself and that I was not only allowed to make time for myself but that I was worth it. I no longer feel that trips away are something I need to do but packing a case “just for me” still has the same appeal.

591. This is so good to read. Appreciation is a beautiful foundation to build on and without it we never will truly be settled in our body, which I feel is the most important thing to have. Being in total settlement and surrendering to what is needed.

592. It’s interesting how overwhelm can play out and how in one particular area it can be highlighted for us. It doesn’t really matter where it plays out but I am sure you have found the antidote to it that works on all areas. Appreciation (and presence) is a gorgeous confirmation of who we really are underneath all those concerns and anxieties and helps to reset the body making it open and expansive rather than closed and shut down.

593. It is naive to think that anxiousness is a state of being that we choose to be in for certain situations and not others. If we sit back and truly reflect, we find that if there is anxiousness in one part of our life, it is in all others. It is just at certain points in time it becomes more activated than others. This goes the same when any state of being, be it frustration or anger.

594. It feels to me that we live without the real appreciation for ourselves and others that is there to be had, we miss out as a result on so much. What I love is how simple and practical appreciation is and how far wide ranging the effects are. From your example of a suitcase to my recent experience of expressing what I feel in a situation. Everything becomes natural, the trust and confidence is there for whatever comes our way. Appreciation is key, and it is something that I had not really considered before a few years ago.

595. This blog is very timely as I clear my house completely ready for a move abroad in a few months’ time. Much of the time has been spent letting go of things that ‘might be useful one day’ that I never used, some things are sold, some are given to charity, but the most important decision is what do I take with me, knowing it’s for more than just a few weeks. Your blog has helped me to choose only the things that truly support me, as opposed to what I can’t quite let go of. We move our baggage from house to house, from lifetime to lifetime, but when we truly let go, it is very freeing, and something to truly appreciate.

596. I can so relate to what you have written as I have just finished an eight month stint working out of the city I live in, and every week I would pack up, not just clothes, but food as well, for my 2-3 days away. In the beginning I could feel the anxiousness of having everything I needed building as the time to leave approached; no wonder I struggled to sleep the night before. It took a while and a few sleepless nights, but slowly I relaxed into the whole packing exercise, simply making it part of the day before, and bit by bit any stress that I had been needlessly creating began to slip away making the journey and life in general, a whole lot easier and much more enjoyable.

597. We can have a solid foundation, but it is important to appreciate that with our consistent choices of taking loving care of ourselves, we get to feel just how much the foundation we have built truly holds us….truly support us even when life brings those unexpected situations, we are able to stay steady, we are able to stay with ourselves, that is absolutely worth appreciating.

598. When I travel, I like to take the minimum required. My austere packing is from past years where I would go rough camping where you carry everything you needed to support you. Anything that was not necessary was just more weight to carry around on your back. Aren’t we all travelling through life every moment? What are we carrying around with us that is not required?

599. Some great points here and so many familiar ones too. I love Marys comment above. I relate well to it as packing is an area where for me all the things you mention appear, so I feel this is a great support in addressing this further, thank you

600. With travelling I always like to ‘ travel light’, in that why cart around a heavy suitcase that puts strain on the body even if it has wheels on it…. The key is in the preparation and trusting that anything extra I need I will easily find…. I can deeply appreciate how lovingly I prepare for all my trips.

601. Such a key ingredient is Appreciation as you say. But what you so beautifully share is that when we do truly appreciate ourselves and our choices, down to how we bring the attention of detail to the way we pack for example then life becomes a Joy not a chore.

602. Understanding and bringing appreciation into our lives can be a game changer, one that leaves complication and dramas behind. I’ve created much anxiety and issues with packing for trips… and thought about it all the time that by the time I would start packing I had already energetically done it a hundred times over. I would feel very tired and drained and resent the whole experience. The last few times I’ve packed has felt completely different, as I’ve kept it simple and light. Great to read of how your whole packing experience changed by bringing in appreciation.

603. Packing as symbolic of all the ‘stuff’ we carry around with us all the time; does it support me or does it weigh me down and hold me back? Appreciation that the most important item to take with us is knowing the love of who we truly are.

604. When we appreciate ourselves our whole orientation shifts, because everything we then choose is to confirm and celebrate how precious we are, rather than experiencing life from a denial or avoidance of this fact. What I can feel in this blog, Anonymous, is an acceptance of who you are, and it is beautiful to read how every situation can then become simple and stress free as a result.

605. You know you are on to something when things you once found difficult become super simple – a great litmus test that can be applied through life.

606. It’s amazing to consider how easy it is to remove complexity and anxiousness from almost every part of our life. In fact it’s crazy to think about the tiniest parts of our life that we create complexity and anxiety in, instead of allowing it to be the simple flow it can be. Serge Benhayon was the first person to inspire me to feel that I’m the one that chooses to bring complexity or anxiety to any situation, I am responsible for this and can’t blame the situation or anyone else. The beauty in claiming this is the empowerment that is felt to be able to bring change to every single situation in my life, to make it the simple and flowing way all of life can be.

607. This is a great sharing that shows how when we focus on us as individual units in the world we are constantly struggling with immense forces that feed us all kind of doubts.

608. When I pack my suitcase it is just an extension of my home that I take with me, so it is my daily support. But what truly supports me is feeling at home with myself and then I am so with myself that anywhere I go I find right what I need and may not have packed into my suitcase. When I am connected to myself I am connected to the all and then the all lives with me and does not shut me off and from there my “suitcase” is suddenly the all (or the all is my “suitcase”) that equally supports me as an equal part of it.

609. ” With appreciation anything is possible…”
     This sentence can change my day to day life, my thinking, my being with me, when I truly take it to my heart and live it. Thank you Anonymous.

610. What an inspiring blog! You have shown that appreciating is the BIG ONE that goes hand in hand with every aspect of our daily lives.
     Your words, ‘Learning to live from my FOUNDATION OF APPRECIATION and bringing this to my work, chores and all the other areas of my life has removed the anxiousness and given me more space to enjoy the opportunities that are on offer,’ so shows us the way to handle and enjoy life more. Thank you. I’m off to tend to mine.

611. I have never really associated appreciation in everything we do, especially packing, so this blog has really opened me up for the chance to appreciate and deepen my appreciation in everything I do, so thank you Anonymous.

612. Anonymous you have firmed my resolution to introduce more appreciation for my immediate family. I have been too critical and judgemental of them for a long time now and seem stuck in a very repetitive cycle of chastising them. I am going to use the power of appreciation to lever myself out.

613. Such a solid sharing anonymous of the profound and far reaching effects of appreciation. I really love how you have illustrated how building a foundation of appreciation has permeated into all areas of your life and serves as a further platform for yet more appreciation.

614. I really appreciate reading blogs like this because it shows that change is possible through making different choices. We do not have to live stressed and overwhelmed by the decisions that we need to make on a daily basis. There is another way and that way is to not give our power away to anything or anyone but just stay true to what our own bodies are telling us. The more we listen to our body the more we appreciate its wisdom.

615. What a delight to read, such a practical example of how anxiousness can influence our thoughts, day and even our dreams. The sharing of examples of how to appreciate ourselves is a great start to get the ball rolling on self appreciation, as this is something we learn not to do during our growing up years (childhood/young adult). It is a practice that has to be self initiated. Awesome sharing, thank you

616. There is a huge amount to appreciate about appreciation.

617. Appreciation is certainly the most wonderful thing to have in your suitcase of life.

618. I really enjoy packing and appreciating how much care and time is taken in placing each item where it feels to go in my case and also what clothing options will support me on my journey. Packing our suitcases can be a fun task we can all appreciate and put so much love in as we are worth the time and care to take ourselves everywhere. Thank you Anonymous.

619. I also appreciate when I do miss packing certain things for a trip that I can live deeper the brotherhood of true family. So I will ask for support even in a foreign country, as connection is everywhere with everyone.

620. Thank you for your sharing, from complication to simplicity through appreciation Anon. When I look at the way we can complicate our lives in all areas through over thinking and looking outside of ourselves at how someone else may see us it seems such a crazy waste of time. Taking the pleasure out of travel or whatever we are anxious about .

621. Appreciation is a beautifully confirming ingredient to add to the foundational tools of life. Just feeling appreciation reconnects us to joy and love of life.

622. “The feeling of it being a burden, the list writing and the worry about not getting things right are no longer part of my daily routine” – I can feel how appreciation has allowed anxiousness to dissipate and be replaced by spaciousness and it is wonderful and I can very much resonate with this.

623. One thing we always pack – but may not realise it, is our unresolved issues. We go on holiday to exotic locations and destinations, but do we stop to see that we are bringing with us something extra than just our sunscreen and swimsuit? Your sharing today Anonymous reminds me how much I tend to try to escape by seeking a different setting in life, and yet now I see I carry everything with me all along. The beautiful thing to come back to is we also always bring out heart – and no matter where we are we can choose to bring LOVE.

     1. Thank you for providing this expansion here Joseph. Just yesterday I overheard people discussing how losing their luggage was their worst nightmare. I felt tension in my body just imagining this scenario until I remembered that I cannot lose me. Our suitcase is always packed and we always have full say in what it contains and how much we choose to bring with us.

624. There is always an underlying tension and uneasiness felt in the body when we live in the future, ahead of ourselves. Being in and with the moment that is before us is always doable, and the quality of presence we bring makes life flow with an ease.

625. I found your observation about feeling the need to consider what other people would think of what you took to wear struck a chord. Recently I didn’t feel great and I was going to a group but the thought of putting on a show, on clothes that showed I was ok was too exhausting. I decided to go without pretense and be the one who accepted me. It was an awesome group about being intimate and vulnerable.

626. Appreciation truly is a magic ingredient. Thank you for sharing how bringing this quality to an everyday task changed the way you experienced it. I’ll remember that as I am preparing and packing up my house to move :).

627. Confirmation and appreciation two fundamental aspects of life that have today been so overlooked.
     Could this be the medicine that truly brings change?

628. I really appreciated reading this. Recently I found myself thinking it doesn’t matter what I take on my day out because I’d be home soon so I could, if needs be, hold on until I got back. But this didn’t feel ok. I felt an anxiety which I tried to reassure by packing, even for the day, with every type of warm, cool clothing, drinks, snacks, swimming kits, maps, extra chargers, extra satnav, torches etc! I have also done the opposite of this and gone out without a warm coat thinking there would be one in my car. But, as I spend more time being present with me, the anxiety of what if I’ll be wrong footed by some event is not so great. I’m feeling what is needed for each day or weekend away and what I take feels complete. I know this is about me relying on me staying present and from there I know the response to whatever will come. It’s when I abandon myself that I wobble.

629. “How much do I really need to support me on this trip?” Just pondering on your question Anon and it came to me how much a suitcase really says about support. Imagine opening a row of randomly selected suitcases, wouldn’t it be fascinating to observe the care in which they were packed, to read the quality in which someone holds themselves – the suitcase is a great reflection of where we are.

630. I love it when we realise how simple life can be, and are able to let go of the seeming complexity we thought was the only way to approach something.

631. “As I packed each garment I appreciated how great this felt on my body.” There are infinite moments in our day; filled with opportunity to check in with our bodies and celebrate the flow and ease of our movements or alternatively put a stop to the drive and push that can course through our arms and our heads. Universal medicine has delivered lasting self medication, the appreciation pill is a wonder drug!

632. I so agree with the writer – with appreciation we bring simplicity and enjoyment to our lives and to whatever we are doing.

633. “With this appreciation, anything is possible…” so true Anonymous, because i find the space created from appreciation, opens up the view to opportunity, potential and capability…where we feel we can handle more responsibility. So if we avoid appreciation, are we then just avoiding responsibility too?!

     1. I am in agreement, I have found a deeper level of appreciation recently, and I am feeling able to say, Yes more fully to life. It is expanding my perception of life and how I relate to it.

634. Anonymous, to be prepared based on your own appreciation feels great and equally great in lessening anxiousness that’s so often there and apparent packing a suitcase. It is interesting that the level of anxiety seems to bubble up in such holiday times too, to show the level of anxiety that’s actually there living inside us already. Creating space, creates space for feeling like appreciating too as i know when i’ve got myself jammed, i don’t feel like or seem to have the energy to appreciate, and end up feeling unprepared.. and anxious.

635. love this blog! You have shared so much that is of value! “Am I choosing clothes that I feel to wear – or what I think others would like to see me wear?” how many of us have struggled with self-image issues, and define ourselves by what we think others think? – this all turns out to be completely false when we decide to feel who we are, and pack or dress in a way that is supportive , not only that it has probably changed how we view ourselves in all matter of situations. Its amazing to appreciate the many layers you have shared with us in this blog!

636. I love how you have introduced this topic as it causes overwhelm for many of us. I pack a suitcase every week. The overwhelm I felt with it was similar to what you described. Now it is much less than it used to be however sometimes I will make the process more complicated by letting those doubting thoughts in and packing does then take a long time and I am carrying way too much. Choosing to pack what I want to wear is the key… wearing what I feel to for me rather than to keep a shield of comparisona between me and others.

Comments are closed.