When we talk about wellness, the first thing that comes to mind is physical wellness. While your physical condition is an important aspect of your overall health, it is not the only determining factor of your general well-being. To be totally healthy, other factors should also be taken into consideration. One of them is your emotional health.
Emotional Wellness
What is emotional wellness? Emotional wellness is an awareness and understanding of one’s feelings. It also encompasses the ability to face and conquer life’s challenges.
Your feelings are important because they affect your ability to carry out your day to day activities. When you feel great, it leads to increased productivity. In addition, it also affects your social wellness and how you deal with other people. Individuals who are emotionally healthy treat others well.
Being emotionally well does not necessarily mean that you always have to be happy. Everyone has to go through problems and challenges in life. To be happy all the time is impossible. Rather, it is more about how you deal with problems that come your way. It is about how you deal with pain, how you handle emotions and how you cope with stress. Your emotional wellness dictates your ability to get through the low points in your life.
Are You Emotionally Well?
So, are you emotionally well? Determine the state of your emotional well-being by self-reflecting on the following questions:
- Are you constantly worried about the future?
- Do you still worry about what happened in the past?
- Do your family and friends support you?
- Have you had a traumatic experience that has greatly affected you?
- Do you feel so alone despite the presence of family and friends around you?
- Do you beat yourself up over mistakes that you have committed?
- Are you satisfied with yourself and your accomplishments?
- Do you keep everything to yourself?
- Do you always blame others for your feelings?
- Can you still remember the wrongdoing that was done to you in detail despite the fact that it happened years ago? Do you hold grudges?
- Do you always lament on what is missing from your life?
- Are you easily irritated? Do you get all worked up over small meaningless things?
- Do you have low self-esteem?
- Are you skeptical? Do you have a hard time believing in people?
- Do you hide yourself from social situations?
- Is it difficult for you to laugh at life’s absurdities? Do you not have a sense of humor?
- Do you let your mood affect your decision-making and the way you communicate with other people?
- Are you doing things that mean a lot to you?
- Do you no longer enjoy activities that you usually enjoy?
- Do you feel tired and weak these days?
If you answered YES to more than ten questions, then that is a sign that you are emotionally exhausted. It is possible that you are going through a rough patch in life. These are also warning signs that you need to take some time off to heal your emotional wounds. Remember that you are strong. Stay positive. Start a gratitude journal. Believe in yourself. It is the only way for you to rise above the storm. You will be emotionally well in due time.
Edited Version. First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 06.30.2019 We give you 5 ways to destress in 15 minutes or less. It is common practice for our minds to be jumping from one thought to the next while our bodies are actively reacting to these thoughts. When this habit starts to feel unpleasant, our mental state becomes one of anxiety and our bodies can start feeling discomfort. This is when we start feeling stressed. There are different types of stress. It can be triggered when facing a tight schedule, a heavy workload or when one is assaulted by too many things that need to be acted on from different areas of life. Stress can make one feel overwhelmed and helpless. During these times, maintaining a positive outlook can be challenging but it’s not impossible. There are many ways to quickly combat stress, especially in the workplace. Stress is primarily a mental state so aside from quieting one’s mind, relaxing one’s body also helps to calm down a stressed mind. Here are some things you can do to destress in 15 minutes or less. When we see a lot of things in front of us that we need to act on, this puts us in an anxious state of mind. To stop ourselves from being overwhelmed, it is helpful to close our eyes and rest them for a few minutes. Darkness can also have a calming effect on the mind. A good exercise to do is to rub your hands together to warm them up. Then apply the palms of both hands on top of each closed eye and press gently for 15 to 20 minutes. Don’t press too hard though. Just enough to comfortably warm your eyes. Rub your palms again to warm them up while you keep your eyes closed and repeat as needed. Another way to do to rest your eyes is to look through a window with a distant view. Gaze at this view for at least 15 to 20 minutes as you try to breath deeply. Be sure to sit in a relaxing position to do this or stand in front of the window. For this activity, it is also helpful to close your eyes while regulating your breath to help you focus. You can do this sitting or lying down. This exercise can also be a form of meditation and is a great way to destress. Put your hands on your abdomen to help you focus. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly through your nose, feeling your abdomen contract and expand as you do so. This is the proper way to breathe. You can also try inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Exhale completely using your month. Then close your mouth and let your tongue touch the roof of your mouth. Inhale through your nose for 4 counts, hold your breath for 7 counts, then exhale for 8 counts. Repeat until you feel relaxed. Massages can be helpful to relax yourself. You can give yourself a neck and head massage, a hand massage or a foot massage while sitting down. It only takes a few minutes and it’s easy to do. It’s one of the most pleasant ways to destress. Here some videos you can follow and practice with to give yourself a good massage. You can do stretching exercises even while sitting or you can stand in front of your work desk to do some stretches. You can also find a wall to support yourself as you stretch. Start from your neck to your feet. Stretch each part for 8 counts on each side. You can use your chair or desk for support for standing exercises. A good way to stretch the soles of your feet is to try and move a tennis ball or a similar-sized round object by touching it with the bottom of your foot. Here’s a good stretching exercise to follow along. You might look silly while doing this if you’re doing it alone so try to ask an officemate to partner up with. Otherwise, you can always just grin at the questioning looks you may get from your colleagues and bear it. One of the best ways to destress is to get away from the situation. You don’t have to move out of town. Just take a short walk around the block. Try to find the sun, observe your surroundings or count yours steps as you walk to relax your mind. The trick is to find something else for your mind to think about and to get you physically out of a stressful environment. This will help you recalibrate your thinking and revitalize your body to tackle the tasks ahead. Try out one of these DIY relaxing routines to melt your stress away. Most importantly, never lose your positive attitude to keep stress from piling up on your desk or in your mind. Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.01.13. You will meet a lot of people in your life. Some will have a deep and long-lasting relationship with you while others will simply come and go. Most of them will be nice at first but only a few will remain with you in this journey called life. Sadly, there will be some who will only be nice in the beginning. Once they are already comfortable, or worse if they get what they want from you; then, you will notice the change in their behavior. Actually, there was really no change. What you thought was a change of attitude is actually showing their true selves. What you saw at first was only their persona. That is the reason why to avoid getting hurt, it helps if you have the ability to figure out a person’s true self early into the relationship. But the real challenge is how to know if a person is sincere? You don’t lose friends, because real friends can never be lost. You lose people masquerading as friends, and you’re better for it. The first thing to do is to observe the person. Sometimes people tend to say one thing yet do another. If a person is sending mixed signals, then rather than their words, it is best to listen to their actions instead. After all, it is easier to lie with words. Actions are different. It is difficult to sustain an action without sincerity. By observing a person’s actions, it will be easy to figure out whether that person is being sincere or not. Consistency is sincerity. In a relationship, consistency means commitment. It means doing things on a regular basis even for a long time. If a person treat you the same way he/she treats you from the very first time you met that person, then that is a clear sign that the person is sincere. In many cultures, giving eye contact is a form of respect. It also shows sincerity and honesty. In this modern world, it is so common to see people looking at their cellular phones even in the middle of conversations. Showing respect to another person is giving them your full and undivided attention. To know if a person is being sincere, look into their eyes. The eyes will reflect a person’s true emotional state. You will know a person’s true feelings towards you because the truth is reflected in a person’s eyes. Many people do things or favors to others but expect to benefit each time. If you encounter such persons, then be aware that these kinds of persons just want to benefit from the relationship. They might not express it right away but if you sense that they are keeping mental tabs, it is a sign that you should be cautious around such persons. A sincere person will gladly help or do something for you without expecting anything in return. The true art of giving should not have any strings attached. Do you notice some people who are extra nice to people who are wealthy or in power? Those kinds of people are your typical examples of hypocritical people. If you know such persons, it is best to stay away from them. A genuine person will treat everyone fairly and equally regardless of race, gender, social status, religion and age. But always remember if you want to be treated sincerely by other people; you must begin with yourself first. If you treat others sincerely, you will attract the same kind of people in your life for you are the average of five persons you spend the most time with. Feature Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels The lessons from “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill has inspired many other publications that expand on the many principles laid out in the book. First published in 1937, the book distills the principles of how to think and grow rich compiled from interviews of 500 successful people over 20 years. All ideas that succeeded started from a thought. All inventions started in the mind of its creator. Similar to what we eat influencing our health; what we feed our mind also influences how we think. Your mind is a powerful tool that can also influence your actions. Only you can control your mind. A positive mindset is important for success. If you want to grow and be rich, then control your thoughts so you can think and grow rich. Guide your thoughts to the things that will make you productive and bring you closer to achieving your goals. Instead of reading negative newspaper headlines for example, start reading books on wealth and success. The Universe responds to your strong intentions so it is important to attach a burning desire to the outcome that you want. How do you prove your burning desire for something? By doing the actions that will bring you closer to the result. If you really want something; you will work hard for it and do everything you can to succeed. Just as you bring your best self when going out on a date with someone you like; do everything you need to do to show the Universe that you truly want something. Most importantly, have faith that you will succeed and believe in your own abilities to change your life for the better. You will notice that you will start attracting the resources that you need to help you succeed. In order to start doing any kind of action; you need an organized plan. What does success mean for you? Take the time to plan out your vision and the things you need to do to achieve them. Break down major goals into smaller ones and work on those first. Specify your goals and what steps you need to take to succeed. Put a definite date on when you should have completed your goal and start working on your first steps right away. Remember that in order to change your life; you need to change your habits and replace old ones. Be consistent and persistent in your actions. Keep showing up daily until your new habits become automatic to you. One of the things that can keep us or delay us from success are distractions. These are the small things in our daily lives that stimulate us strongly so that we end up using most of our time on these things instead of being focused working on our goals. Napoleon Hill identifies the 5 major stimulants known to man which you should manage wisely so it helps you in your goals instead of distracting you from them. This is why you need to be smart about who you spend most of your time with. Be wise in choosing your friends. Surround yourself with people who share your vision and who support you in your goals. Spend more time with people who are also actively working on their goals and who will hold you accountable for your own goals. These are the people who will help keep you on track and focused towards success. General knowledge is what we learn in the classroom. We decide what field to specialize in when we get to college. In many fields, generalists usually have lower incomes than specialists. If you want to grow rich, then specializing in a specific field will guarantee a higher income. The more specific but more in-demand the field of specialization is; the higher your potential income will be. Focus on one area of specialization and learn as much as you can and be good, or even the best at it. Maybe you can specialize in something related to what you are passionate about. Once you have succeeded in becoming a specialist in one field; then you can try your hand at learning more about your other interests. Most people who succeed in one field find that they don’t really need to specialize in anything else. Just because you didn’t get a college education doesn’t mean you can’t succeed. How many high school and college dropouts have already achieved success in their chosen fields? What you can’t learn in the classroom, you can make up for by learning on your own. There are tons of free online resources from which you can learn from. A better way is to learn from more experienced people. The only way to do this is to get yourself a mentor or mentors; whether by knowing them personally or following them on their online channels, or reading their books and/or blogs. By learning from those who have already failed and succeeded; you reduce your own failures and shorten your time to completing your goals. Most of our fears only exist in our mind and we can control our mind. Worrying constantly will only bog down our thoughts and decrease our motivation to work towards our dreams. There are 6 fears that plague most of our daily thoughts. Conquering these fears will enable us to move forward in the direction of our dream life. Feature Image: Original Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash. You just bought a new red car over the weekend. On your way to work on Monday morning, you have noticed that suddenly there are so many red cars exactly the same as yours on the road. They were not there before! What happened? Just like you, did they decide to buy the exact same car as yours over the weekend? That’s unlikely. What happened is that your Reticular Activating System (RAS) has been activated. The red cars have always been around you. It is just that you did not notice it before.The only difference is that you are aware of them now. So, what do you focus on? The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of neurons in the brain. Its primary function is that it is in charge of a person’s sensation and attention. Anatomically, it is just the size of a little finger but it plays a very important role in our being because it filters the information being sent to our brain. It removes out any unnecessary information. There are millions of information out there at any given time. The brain cannot process everything so it only chooses information that it thinks is important to you. For example, if you are in a room full of people and you heard somebody call out your name, then your first reaction is to look, right? That is because your RAS recognised the sound of your name. You are not going to even bother when somebody calls out other people’s names, are you? That’s how crucial the function of an RAS is. As mentioned, the RAS filters information. It chooses only those who are important to you. But, how does it know which is important to you? It knows through what you focus on the most. It validates your beliefs. It works within the boundaries that you set into. So, if you believe in something strongly, then the RAS will focus on that. Have you noticed people who kept on saying… On the contrary, people who focus on the positive attract more positivity in their lives. If you focus on the good things, good things will come to you. On the other hand, If you focus on the negative things, you will attract negative things into your life. Always have a positive attitude. What you focus on grows, what you think about expands, and what you dwell upon determines your destiny. if you want to move on from your current state and live a better tomorrow, be careful on what you focus on. Focus on your goals. If you focus on your goals, your RAS will open your eyes to information, people, opportunities and situations that will help you achieve your goals. So, what do you focus on? First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 02.27.2019 Photo by Maurício Mascaro from Pexels The power of hope is often mentioned only in times of crisis. In fact, it is a major component in motivating us to work hard to succeed in our goals. We know that being successful is a hard process. There are a lot of sacrifices before victory is achieved. One goes through many ups and downs during the journey. During the down times, it is always hard to keep going forward; to stop ourselves from quitting; to decide to keep going on. It is during these times that our determination matters the most. What motivates us to keep going on is our hope for better things to come. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines hope as “desire accompanied by expectation of, or belief in fulfillment.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as “something good that you want to happen in future, or a confident feeling about what will happen in the future.” What these definitions have in common is the concept of hope as a desire for a better future. But in reality, we always don’t get what we hope for. Yet we still hope. We have an intrinsic belief that as long as we have hope, things will always turn out for the best. I am prepared for the worst but hope for the best. This concept is hard to define or describe. Dr. Jerome Groopman, M.D. defines hope based on what his patients taught him as an oncologist for 30 years. He was quoted by Dr. Asa Andrew in his book The Anatomy of Health: Hope is one of our central emotions, but we are often at a loss when asked to define it. Many of us confuse hope with optimism, a prevailing attitude that things will turn out for the best. But hope differs from optimism. Hope does not arise from being told to think positively, or from hearing an overly rosy forecast. Hope is more than optimism or positivity. It is not just an attitude or a mindset; it is more of a belief. A belief in oneself as well as a belief in a power bigger than you. This belief also assumes that there is someone or something outside of you, that is more powerful than you, that is looking after you and helps you when you need it most. All you need is to ask and believe, and continue believing even when it seems you are being pulled in another direction. If you read the autobiographies of many successful individuals; you will find that most of them never lost hope in times of crisis. In fact, their hope became stronger during these times. They surrender to a power beyond themselves. They believed in that power to help them get through their struggles. That is why they never gave up on their dreams. Sometimes, they didn’t get what they want. But because they kept working hard towards their goals, they always found a way to succeed; even if it wasn’t in the original way they intended to. Hope is being able to see that there is light despite the darkness. There are many stories to attest to the power of hope in our lives. From miracles to coincidences, serendipity, and even the sight of a beautiful sunrise; we find hope every where, every day as long as we keep believing. The power of hope is what enables us to still keep on smiling, despite the negative circumstances. What are your hopes for this new year? What are you hopeful for each day? Feature Image: Original Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash. The end of the year can be a great opportunity to give thanks in advance for the things you want to manifest in the new year. Before we turn over a new chapter in our calendars; let’s reflect on our goals and decide what wishes we want to fulfill in the future. This is one of the ways that you can have a healthy, fresh start for the new year. The first thing to do for this challenge is to sit down and review the past year. Review the goals you had for this year. How far have you come in your current goals? Are you going to continue on with some goals? Decide which goals are still worth pursuing. Recall the lessons you learned for this year. Do you have new goals? Which areas of your life have you lacked focused on this year? Try to create goals for that area that you can work on for next year. Take your time to meditate on this topic for awhile so you can do a deep reflection. The next step is to list down your goals. Try to categorize them according to the different areas of your life. Essentially, you are creating a bucket list of the things that you want to accomplish in the new year. Make sure that you follow the SMART method when creating your goals. This way you can measure your progress more easily. Finally, say thanks for your goals. Write down a “Thank You” statement for each of your goals on strips of paper and store it in a jar. You can also do this on a sheet of paper or on your gratitude journal if you want. The aim of this activity is to give thanks for your wishes in advance in order to manifest them faster. Try to visualize how it feels when your wish has come true as you say your thanks. If you prefer, you can also do a vision board. Of course, you still have to work hard for you wishes to come true. But by saying “Thank You” in advance, you are giving a signal to the Universe that you are ready to receive the manifestation of your wish. It also rewires your mindset for success. Remember the mind-body connection? If your thoughts already anticipate your wishes coming true; then you will be in the mood to physically act on your goals. As we welcome the New Year, the real challenge starts. Try to adopt an attitude of gratitude for the blessings you receive daily even as you work hard to achieve your goals. This will help you to maintain the positive vibe that will keep you always ready to receive blessings. It will also help you to attract even more blessings. Keep your wish jar or wish list in a safe place at home or in your room. You can also have your family put in their wishes in one jar. At the end of the year, take out the wish jar or wish list. Read them and see which ones have come true. You will be surprised at how much you have to be grateful for. You may end up saying thanks for more than what you wished for. Then, say your thanks for your fulfilled wishes and repeat this challenge for the next year. ‘Till then, let’s keep smiling to welcome the new year and each day of the year. Featured Image: Original Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash. There’s a few more days left before the new year. Have you thought about how you can have a healthy, fresh start for the new year? We emphasize the importance of health because that is what allows us to take action towards our goals. If you’re thinking about new year’s resolutions, here are some that you should consider. You may be tempted to binge out during the holidays so you should consider eating healthier in the new year. Make sure that you have lots of fruits and veggies in your daily meals. To ensure that you do, try to regularly do your groceries and cook meals at home too. Practice meal prepping so you always have healthy food around. Don’t rely too much on convenience foods and bring a lunch box instead. You can even try out doing your own bento box to make meal preparation more fun and creative. One way to instantly make an impact on your health is to cut back on sugary foods and beverages. Sugary food contributes to inflammation in the body which leads to many other health issues. You can go cold turkey but gradually minimizing your intake will most likely help you kick out this habit for good. Start by limiting the number of sweets you put on your plate. Maybe opt for half a cupcake or share a cake slice with a friend. Since you will be reducing your intake of sugary beverages, you can just replace it with water. We know just plain water sounds boring so try out hot beverages like tea or lemon water. You can also put some cucumber, mint or lemon slices into your water to infuse it with the flavor of these herbs. Fruit slices are an option too. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. This will definitely give you a healthy, fresh start for the new year. Some of us may have stopped exercising due to the quarantine and also due to the cold weather. You can still move around your home instead of just sitting all day. Walk around or jog in place when you take breaks from working. Stretch your body even as you are seated. Take a walk outside to take in some sunshine and get some exercise. Dance to some music or incorporate some dance steps while you mop or sweep your floor. Just get your body moving! Your aim is to get better quality sleep, not necessarily more sleep. Different people of different ages require different sleep hours. Although the 8 hours of sleep is still the standard, some of us working adults might have found that we can do with just 6-7 hours of sleep. Others may require less or need 9 hours, especially if they are physically exhausted from their job. Make a ritual of sleeping so you can signal your body that it’s about to sleep and you can gradually fall asleep more easily. That would mean a healthy, fresh start to your mornings in the new year. One of the ways you can prep your mind and body for better sleep is to include a gratitude journal in your daily routine. Sit down and write 3 things that you are grateful for during the day. It doesn’t have to be an essay but do recall the positive feeling that you got as you write down each of what you are grateful for. Say a prayer of thanks for each blessing that came your way that day. Another way you can show your gratitude is by expressing your thanks to others. Not only will it lift up your mood but those of other people too. If you really love writing, then keep a diary. If you want to document your dreams, then have a dream journal. Love drawing or sketching? Keep a sketch pad and pen with you at all times. Is singing your passion? Sing to your plants, to your friends or join a group. Do you have a sport you really want to learn? Get lessons. Buy books to read more. Try to do more of the things you love. You will not only have more fun in your life; you will also get to meet new people who share your interests. This is also a time for you to indulge your inner child. What did you love to do as a child that you haven’t been able to do as a grown-up? You can start with that. Not too many people practice meditation but it is such a simple way to relax and quiet our mind. It also helps us stay in tune with our inner selves. If you are just starting, try doing it in the early hours of the morning when the world is still quiet. You can also do it as a way to relax when daily activities stress you out. Some people may find it hard to do at first. You can start by observing mindfulness during your meals or when folding your laundry, etc. The goal is to be focused and present in the moment and not be distracted with your own thoughts or other things around you. Show more love for yourself by practicing daily self-care. This requires you to schedule some “me time” during the day. This is when you can meditate as well. Your main goals is to spend more time with yourself. You can indulge in reading your favorite book, listening to music you love, giving yourself a manicure or pedicure or a DIY facial, etc. This is also a time for you to talk to yourself; pat yourself on the back for your little victories and manage negative self-talk. Remember that your thoughts also influence your health. So it is helpful to talk to your self positively. This is the time to show love for your self. Practicing self-care ensures that you give adequate attention to your own personal needs so that you can be your best self when you are with other people. Reconnecting with friends and family who you don’t really get along with or who you have had issues with in the past is difficult. But if you can learn to forgive yourself and these people in your heart without needing them to apologize in person; then you can let go of the bad experience you had with them. This means that you can face them with a more positive outlook and a lighter heart the next time you see each other. You can include forgiving them and yourself in your meditation. Try learning about Ho’oponopono, the Hawaiian forgiveness ritual to help you. Have you ever had times in your life where you had a strong “gut feeling” that seems to warn you from doing something and it turns out to be right? This gut feeling is your intuition and it is your inner guidance system. When you spend more alone time, meditating, being mindful and practicing self-care, you can get more connected and in tune with your intuition. Think of it as your angels guiding you and sending you messages to keep you away from negative experiences and warning you of negative people. Try to feel for this “gut feeling” each time you are hesitant about something and trust what it tells you. Adulting is hard and we sometimes have to sacrifice a lot of who we are in the process. How many of us have had to let go of our childhood dreams in order to earn a living? Do you sometimes feel guilty for not saying what you really wanted to say because you didn’t want to hurt your friend’s feelings? Most of us have suppressed who we truly are in order to fulfill other people’s expectations of how we should be. Start to honor your true self by accepting your self, flaws and all. Talk to your loved ones about what you truly want. Tell your friends what you truly think but reassure them that it is because you care that you are being honest with them. It may take some time for other people to understand you. You may lose some friends along the way but this is part of the journey. Those who accept you will stay and they are the ones who deserve your love and a place in your heart. We hope you consider these resolutions to create a healthy, fresh start for the new year for yourself and your loved ones. Be kinder to yourself as you make these changes. In the meantime, do try your best to stay healthy this holiday season. Cheers to new beginnings! Feature Image: Original Photo by Bart LaRue on Unsplash. Do you practice giving the gift of gratitude in your daily life? If you want to develop this habit, now is the perfect time to start. Practicing gratitude has many benefits for our health, emotions, mindset and relationships. There are many ways that you can express your gratitude. The trick is to be consistent about it so it becomes a positive habit in your daily life. Have you said “Thank You” to anyone today? What were you thankful about? It’s simple but it’s so hard to do sometimes. Some people are too shy or are not used to doing it. This is why practice is important. We usually reserve expressing our gratitude for occasions where we consider it’s necessary. You don’t need to wait for a formal event to say the words. Start expressing your thanks for the small things. When you receive your order from the delivery guy; get off a taxi; when your food is served at a restaurant. These guys do get paid for serving their customers. However, a sincere “Thank You” from a complete stranger can make a big impact on their day. When conveyed with a genuine smile, it can lift up the mood of a tired worker and put a smile on their faces too. Saying “Thank You” can become awkward. This is the case when you and the other party are not used to such gestures. Or when you are too shy to say it out loud. Perhaps you were too surprised. You missed the chance to express your gratitude. Then the next best thing to do is to write a “Thank You” note. In the work place, a simple note stuck on to the person’s computer or desk will do. A “Thank You” thru text or via their social media channels is also appreciated. If you want to express more than just a “Thank You’, then a longer email would do. Don’t forget that a personally hand-written letter still has its appeal and conveys much more thoughtfulness into your simple act of expressing your thanks. All of us have had difficult life experiences. We may have gone through a crisis that made it difficult to get back on our feet again. Some of us have had traumas because of these experiences. We wish we could get over them but we are too afraid to take the risk. Giving the gift of gratitude can help you move on. If we are unable to move forward from a traumatic past; it is also because we have not accepted who we became as a result of that experience. That experience changed us for good or bad. In order to move forward, we have to be grateful for the lessons that it taught us so we can start transforming our selves and our lives for the better. Review what lessons that experience taught you but don’t focus on just the bad. Try to see what good things came as a result of it too. Then express your gratitude for the life lesson and start taking action to better your path ahead. Similar to life experiences that we have no control over; we also have no control over other people. We end up getting hurt or hurting them. Moving on from the past also means forgiving yourself and the people who caused you hurt and harm. Giving the gift of gratitude can help you in the process of forgiving. Realize that they came into your life to teach you a lesson. They may have helped you to uncover parts of yourself that you didn’t know you had. Your conflicts with particular persons made clearer for you what you truly want and don’t want. It also showed you parts of yourself that you like and don’t like. It might have even unlocked in you strength of character that you never thought you were capable of. They might have driven you to despair but they also taught you how to fight back or strengthened your determination to change your situation. The important thing is to realize that you can forgive them by being grateful for the lessons that you learned because of their influence in your life. You don’t need to tell them personally. You don’t need their apology to forgive them. As with your difficult life experiences; thanking them in your heart is enough. Lastly, forgive yourself for your own shortcomings and strive to do better. Another way of learning to practice gratitude is by expressing it for the small things you receive in your daily life. Did a friend offer you the last cookie from the box? Did a family member praise how you look in your new outfit? Did you wake up feeling alive and healthy this morning? Say “Thank You” to the Universe, or God, or the Creator, etc., for all these things that you have in your life each day. Be mindful of the persons, experiences, things, coincidences that you experience daily. Better still, start a gratitude journal so that you can keep track of all your blessings. Pretty soon, you will notice that you are attracting more things to be grateful for in your life. Being grateful for your blessings every day helps to keep you a positive mindset. Giving the gift of gratitude to your family, friends and even strangers will not only promote a peaceful and calmer mind. It will also help maintain and develop better relationships. Finally, it will help expand the positive vibe to more people. Feature Image: Original Photo by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash. A well-balanced life is important to keep us healthy and motivated to reach our goals. However, most of us have become too focused on work-related matters that life becomes just a daily grind. Why not make it a goal to take back your life and have fun again? As adults, we have come to view stress and struggle as a normal part of life. Most of us have forgotten how it is to have fun like children do. It is important to have fun even at work. There’s a very big chance that we will just quit at whatever we’re doing if we’re not having fun. Many people have resigned from high-paying jobs just because it wasn’t fun for them anymore. Challenge yourself daily. Ask yourself: how can I make my day more fun? There are many ways to make your life more fun again. If you’re stuck at home, try out these 10 things to do to have fun. Fancy yourself as a sporty or athletic type? Then try out these non-contact sports you can enjoy even during quarantine. Want to find out what your special powers are? (No, we don’t mean the type that the X-Men have.) Try unleashing the genius within you. In taking up this challenge, a very important aspect to keep in mind is to maintain a childlike attitude at all times. Not childish, but childlike. Here are some tips on how to maintain a childlike outlook or attitude as you try to take back your life and have fun again. Having more fun shouldn’t feel like you’re trying to beat a deadline. Allow yourself adequate time to enjoy living life and appreciating what it has to offer. All that rushing sucks the energy and fun out of the day. Children know how to take their sweet time. Learn to prolong your time for enjoying things instead of prolonging your agony by worrying. Step out of your ordinary routine and out of your comfort zone and see what happens. Life can take interesting turns if you let it unfold on its own. Learn to loosen up on the reigns once a while and see where it takes you. We sometimes have a very tight grip on everything that we end up stressed about the smallest reasons. Be like a kid and try to go with the flow sometimes. This way, you don’t close yourself off from receiving and experiencing many of the wonderful things that life has to offer. If you want to have fun, you need to learn to break some rules. Kids often hurt themselves trying to do things they think they can do. As adults we are better equipped to judge our own limits and capacities. However, this also makes us scared to try new things, especially if they don’t follow the norm. Be like a kid sometimes and try to break the rules. If it doesn’t hurt, go for it and enjoy the moment. You may want to play with kids once in a while to learn how they have fun. Don’t be surprised if you learn even more valuable tips or profound lessons from interacting with them. Maybe you can ask them how you can take back your life and have fun again. I’m sure you’ll get interesting answers. Feature Image: Original Photo by Alex Alvarez on Unsplash.
Feature Image by Posted by A.L. Jonas in Emotional, 0 comments
5 Ways to Destress in 15 Minutes or Less
1. Rest Your Eyes
2. Focus on Your Breathing
3. Self Massage
4. Stretching Exercises
5. Take a Walk
Feature Image: Original Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
How To Know If a Person is Sincere
1. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
2. Consistency Over Time
3. Eyes Are The Windows to the Soul
4.Giving Without Expecting Anything in Return
5. Treating Everyone Fairly and Equally
Lessons from “Think and Grow Rich”
1. Control Your Mind
2. Have A Strong Commitment
3. Have An Organized Plan
4. Use Your Energy Smartly
5. Be A Specialist
6. Learn from Masterminds
7. Conquer Your Fears
A symptom of this is indifference to money or a lack of ambition. To conquer it, tell yourself that what you have is enough and that getting more is easy. Turn your poverty mindset around so you can start putting action into getting out from your poor circumstances.
It is normal for people to be nervous in the presence of others. This is usually because we worry about what other people will say about us. This attitude freezes you and destroys your initiative to take action. Instead, stop worrying about what others will say and focus on your own improvement.
The fear of getting sick can us lazy because we put ourselves in an unhealthy state of mind and body. Focus on maintaining your healthy habits instead. If you feel something wrong, don’t go online and check out what symptom it is. Stop looking for the symptoms and control your thoughts and see how you can start feeling better. Trust your intuition whether you need to see a doctor or you just need to rest for a day from vigorous exercise.
Some of us don’t want to get into a relationship or are tied to an unhappy one because we fear losing a person’s love for us. Instead of dwelling on being single, try appreciate living by yourself. Learn to love yourself first. Once you’ve learned to have a good relationship with yourself; everything beyond that is a bonus which you will appreciate even more.
Accept that growing old is inevitable and think of it as a blessing instead. Getting old makes us much wiser and we are able to make smarter decisions. Our experience and wisdom also enables us to help more people younger than us by sharing with them our own experiences and life lessons.
Just like aging, death is inescapable. So the only way to cure this fear is to live your life to the fullest. Do the things that make you happy. Spend time with the people you love. Go out and experience different things that will become great memories later on. Learn to enjoy each moment and learn to rest when necessary.
What Do You Focus On?
What Is The Reticular Activating System?
How Does The RAS Know What Is Important To You?
The Power of Hope in Our Life
What is Hope?
Hope, unlike optimism, is rooted in unalloyed reality. Although there is no uniform definition of hope, I found one that seemed to capture what my patient had taught me. Hope is the elevating feeling we experience when we see — in the mind’s eye — a path to a better future. Hope acknowledges the significant obstacles and deep pitfalls along that path. True hope has no room for delusion.The Power of Hope
Give Thanks in Advance
Reflect On Your Goals
Make Your Wish List
Give Thanks in Advance
Reflect, Say Thanks, Repeat
Healthy, Fresh Start for The New Year
1. Eat more healthy food
2. Cut back on sugar
3. Drink more water
4. Sweat and move more
5. Get better sleep
6. Be more grateful
7. Do more of what you love
8. Be present in the moment
9. Practice self-care
10. Forgive more
11. Listen to your intuition more
12. Be more authentic
Giving the Gift of Gratitude
Expressing Your Gratitude
Gratitude Thru A Note / Letter
Acceptance Thru Gratitude
Forgiveness Thru Gratitude
Daily Gratitude
Take Back Your Life and Have Fun Again
Launch Challenge
Slow Down
Be Unpredictable
Break the Rules