NEWS & ARTICLES : Rebekka's "Box Concept"

Rebekka wanted to show her "box concept" on her web site, and this is what she drew to explain what she meant:

She told me that there are four parts of ourselves to consider every day: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. She put each one of these components into a box and said that each box is a sort of bank, and it is important every day to evaluate where you are depositing your energy and time. The area outside of these boxes includes all the things that really have no impact on any of these four critical components of one's personal "bank". For example, working at a job
that doesn't offer much personal fulfillment but does make money to pay the bills would go outside the four boxes. She said it is helpful each day to evaluate all the banks to see where things are going. If all the energy is getting spent outside the boxes running around expending lots of energy but never stopping to make deposits in the banks, one will have a sense of loss or imbalance because there is a lack of attention on the parts that build us up every day. Quickly all the banks will run dry and one will find oneself snapping at loved ones or getting inappropriately frustrated with small
everyday inconveniences such as traffic or waiting in line. So one of the most important things to do is to make sure that one is aware of the difference between what is inside the boxes and what is outside. One may encounter hardships and frustrations if one's life looks like this:

Or any version of this:

Ultimately one should try to create a balance in one's life by putting something in each box every day. It may be helpful when life gets difficult to evaluate what you have been putting in your banks. Are you spending lots of time on the physical and emotional aspect of your life while neglecting the mental and spiritual elements? And what do those things mean exactly?

MENTAL: The mental bank includes things that one does to develop the mind. Rebekka gave the example of reading a Linda Tellington-Jones book as a good activity that would be a deposit in the mental bank. As she spoke, I thought
of what I put in my mental bank and realized that the educational tapes I listen to while driving for work would go in that category as would all the reading I do researching different topics to improve my knowledge and understanding. I did not ask but would guess that things can also drain that bank such as sitting in front of the television watching mindless drivel or even just never being curious enough to learn something new.

PHYSICAL: She explained that the physical bank includes things to keep one's body strong, fit and full of vitality. She gave the example of walking two miles a day as a good deposit into the physical bank. She said that her job gives her a lot of physical work every day as she works with horses. I figured that things like my visit to the chiropractor last week and getting annual health check-ups probably also go in that bank. I would guess that one's nutritional program goes here as well, and bad habits such as smoking, drinking too much, eating unhealthy foods, not exercising, and ignoring
important health check-ups probably drain that box quickly.

EMOTIONAL: She pointed out to my corral and said, "There's the emotional part right there," because she knows how my horses are an endless source of wonderful feelings and emotions for me. The emotional bank could also include spending time with one's family or any experiences that create strong, positive emotions. I looked out at our corrals and told her my emotional bank may be too full! I could sit around all day long just mesmerized by the good emotions I feel when I am with my horses! She said it is important to make sure that every day one does something to put good
energy into that emotional bank.

SPIRITUAL: She said that this box is absolutely necessary but often neglected. She clarified that she did not necessarily mean religion although some people do fill their spiritual box by practicing a certain religion. But even those without a specific religion still need to connect with the forces that surround all of us that are larger than ourselves. People need to access the part of themselves that is spiritual, whatever that means to them. I thought of how I often spend time out at night after giving my horses their "good-night carrots". I stand there next to my horse and look up at gorgeous skies full of stars and mystery. During that time I give thanks for all the grace and goodness that has come my way, and I connect with something much larger than myself. I figured that counts as something to fill my spiritual bank even though I rarely go to church.

Once Rebekka had explained all of the boxes, she said that one needs to do a check each day and see if something is going in every box and then see if there is a balance between the boxes. One needs to make sure that the focus isn't just on one or two boxes. Whenever a box is neglected, life will get out of balance and problems will surface that can usually be traced back to the empty box or boxes. I thought of someone I love who found out last year that he has a chronic illness. This person was an accomplished athlete and very proud of what he had achieved with his body, but when that box was shaken up by an unexpected illness, everything in his life was suddenly thrown out of balance. But what really had happened was that the physical box had always been too full while some of the other boxes had been neglected. It was hard but necessary for him to start filling up the other boxes and bringing the physical box down to a more appropriate size. Now he has much better balance in his life and has become a more complete person.

Rebekka noted that she is very lucky that her job as a trainer and horseman allows her to fill all the boxes everyday during her work. Her work with horses and people gives her many opportunities for mental stimulation, emotional experiences, physical work, and spiritual connections. Not all of us are so lucky, but I don't think she came into her work by luck. She works harder than almost anyone I know, but it is obvious that her work is also her passion. She has found a way to minimize the stuff outside the four banks and let her life's work be all about the four banks. I have worked a number of jobs where it seemed like everything fell outside the four boxes, but sometimes it's just a matter of attitude. Even a job that seems to have little to do with any of the four banks can help fill up the boxes if one remembers to think about it that way. I didn't realize until Rebekka showed me the four boxes that I have found a way to make a job that would seem to have very little to do with anything except the stuff outside the boxes fill the boxes every day. I constantly challenge myself to learn new things so that I can be better at my job (mental), I use time where I have to stand around to practice proprioception by standing on one leg with my eyes closed (physical), I find opportunities to connect with people each day (emotional), and I spend a lot of time driving through beautiful scenery which moves me to pray and give thanks (spiritual). But when I get home, I start the real business of filling up those boxes!

Her diagram is a simple diagram that says so much, and I intend to use it as a reference every day to check and see if I am keeping things balanced. Once more Rebekka has taught me much more than just how to ride my horse!

Here are some comments about the boxes directly from Rebekka:

"Horses are amazing mirrors. They mirror us, and they mirror other horses in their herds or what they see around them. Because of our stressful lives, we often carry "bad stuff" to our horses, despite our best attempts to keep our problems to ourselves. This can often complicate the relationship with our horses because of their mirroring tendencies.
Occasionally a client will have overwhelming personal issues that suddenly erupt during a lesson, or certainly affect the horse-human relationship. Sometimes clients deliberately address personal issues while I am present and even seek guidance on those issues. I am not a counselor or therapist, but by life experiences and intuition, I can sometimes aid simply by recognizing "balancing" formulas that may assist in life situations. This diagram reflects one of the tools I have offered a few clients. They have found it quite useful, so I offer it freely here. The principle is easy, simple and clear. Each being is made up of four main elements, which I've placed in these boxes. Your life can be clarified and more balance achieved inside yourself if you address outright the needs of your being. Putting something into each box daily
can keep you from suffering, and can help to clarify what your true needs are, versus manifesting problems created by those needs."

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