Have you noticed that when you are totally stressed, you snap easily? You yell something without thinking… and then realize to your horror that you gave the perfect imitation of one of your parents.

If you grew up in a family that didn’t know how to cope with stress, then your gut reaction is to act the same way they did. When stress builds up, your best thinking takes a back seat. Childhood memory grabs the wheel.

It doesn’t matter that you vowed to be completely different from your parents when you grew up. When you are under duress, the old voices take over. You might even wince as you hear yourself using the exact phrase and tone that you hated as a child or teen.

While traveling recently, I stopped to have dinner at a Chinese buffet that claimed to have more than 100 items on the menu. I figured that with so many choices, I’d definitely find something delicious to eat. But as I looked over the buffet, I discovered that most of the dishes were either swimming in gravy or oil, or were deep-fried. Since that’s not the type of meal I was looking for, I soon realized that my options weren’t as plentiful as I’d expected.

The fifth energy center, located at the throat, is primarily associated with creative expression. Its key theme is speaking the truth – expressing who we are, what we feel, and what we believe – whether through verbal or nonverbal communication.  Sound comes through the throat and enables expression through spoken words and the songs we sing. The “messengers” of the fifth energy center are voice and choice.

We manifest how we live,  what we wear, what we eat, and even what our dreams are by giving them voice. Choice gives voice to our desires and, in turn, our voice expresses our choice.

Jobs are hard to come by, layoffs have been slower but still prevalent, industries are shrinking and disappearing and all that we have has lost a lot of its value. It’s been called a recession, it’s teetered on a depression, but what has failed to be mentioned is that it’s also a time a time of great permission.

When the rules change and the status quo is gravely interrupted, it is actually a time of great opportunity for those that are not too terrified (or paralyzed) to act on it. If we give ourselves permission to follow our own hearts and inner road maps instead of waiting for a new status quo to take root, we are looking at making new rules and shattering preconceptions about what can and can not be accomplished.