Mental Health

5 Tips to Overcome Negative Thinking

Low self-esteem is the major cause of negative thinking. Negative thinking can lower your self esteem even further creating a vicious cycle where you’re constantly feeling bad about yourself.

But the good news is that you don’t have to stay in this rut. You can overcome the vicious cycle of negative thinking and low self esteem. When you’re able to overcome negative thinking, your self esteem will naturally improve. You’ll boost your self confidence and feel far more optimistic about your life, no matter what you might be going through.

If you’re ready to break the cycle of negativity, you need to understand these essential truths.

Recognize Negative Thinking Patterns

Your actions always begin with your thoughts. If you think you’re hopelessly overweight and destined to stay that way, then it doesn’t matter how many diet books you buy or blogs you read, you’re still going to struggle. The fact is that you’ll stay overweight because you haven’t changed your mindset.

If you want to change something in your life, you’ll have to change your thoughts first. Instead of thinking that you’re destined to be overweight, work on changing your thinking. Try saying to yourself that you’re in control of what you eat and how much. Doing this changes the story you’re telling yourself. You just went from the victim in this story to the victor.

Change Your Mental Outlook

You are the only one with the power to change your mental soundtrack. Just because you have some negative thoughts doesn’t mean you have to listen to them. You alone have the power to change your focus.

Instead of concentrating on the terrible day you had, start thinking about a simple pleasure – a serendipity – that you’ve been anticipating like getting to change into your yoga pants or flannel pants tonight or hearing your son’s laughter during a silly bedtime game. By focusing on what’s positive, you’re teaching yourself to let go of negative thoughts.

Remember Garbage In, Garbage Out

It’s hard to stay positive if you’re constantly consuming negative information. Watch your social media consumption. If you really want to change your negative self-talk, then you have to focus on consuming good stuff. You want to read and watch content that lifts you up. Not only will you feel better, you’ll notice that your self-talk is more optimistic when you focus on the good.

Practice Mindfulness

Stay aware of your present environment and what’s going on around you, whether you’re at home, at work or out running errands. It can be very easy to get sidetracked by negative thoughts if you don’t stay present. If you’ve found your mind going off on auto pilot, take a minute to focus on your breath and refocus. No judgment, just regroup.

Practice Positive Affirmations

What you say about yourself will become your truth. That’s why it’s really helpful to practice positive affirmations every day. Begin by looking in the mirror and telling yourself something like “I’m in charge of how I feel today and I choose happiness.” When you speak these positive affirmations out loud, they’ll begin to affect how you talk to yourself and how you live out your life.

Everyone struggles with negative thinking at some point in their life. The important thing to remember is not to beat yourself up when you’re in a mental rut. Accept that you had a negative thought, then just push it away and replace it with a positive one.

No matter how ingrained your negative thinking patterns might be, you can overcome it. Think of it as building new mental muscles. It will be hard at first but just like any other good habit or intention, it will become ingrained if you stay with it.

10 Symptoms of Stress You Should Know

Stress really isn’t a bad thing. It’s actually a natural process designed to protect or at the very least prepare us for imminent danger. Stress is what helps us run from threats or push through chaotic situations. But it’s important to recognize the symptoms of stress because they can sneak up on you without your being awareness of it. We get used to that feeling of constantly being over worked and over stimulated.

In small doses and for a short time, stress is a good thing. It becomes a problem when we are totally stressed out and it’s constant. Chronic stress is what causes things like adrenal fatigue, high blood pressure, belly fat and heart disease.

If you have a constant wired, tense feeling, more than likely you are stressed out.

Many times we don’t even realize just how stressed out we are until something major happens and our body then forces us to slow down. Don’t let it get that far. Learn to recognize the early signs you are stressed out. Learn to control the stress, work on reducing the stressful situation, and most importantly make time to rest and relax so you can recover from the unavoidable stress and pressure life throws at you.

Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.” – Khalil Gibran

10 Symptoms of Stress

A general feeling of anxiety and feeling unwell.
Trouble sleeping.
Lack of concentration and focus.
Mindless eating and snacking throughout the day. (Sweet and salty foods are particularly appealing!)
Needing a nightly glass of wine or beer to unwind.
Feeling overwhelmed.
Hair loss
Compromised immunity.
Depression and loneliness.
GI symptoms including nausea, dizziness, and diarrhea.

The problem is that these symptoms of being stressed can stress us out even more. We may respond by pushing harder, which makes us feel even worse.

What Happens To Your Body When You’re Stressed?

Stress may cause emotional distress such as depression and anxiety. Not only that, but you may start having physical issues in your body. You may even notice certain issues that are more long-term problems from ongoing stress in your life. Here are some ways that stress affects your entire body and a few relaxation techniques to help you manage stress more effectively.

Ongoing Tension and Pain

One of the most common ways that stress can affect your entire body is by causing tension. This tension may show up in your muscles, neck, and other mysterious aches and pains. The tension can lead to chronic pain as well. This pain can be in the form of severe headaches or body aches that require medication to heal. If you have ongoing stress and tension, you may find yourself experiencing issues related to inflammation and even serious body issues like Fibromyalgia.

Eating Disorders

When some people are stressed they may experience eating issues that lead to severe eating disorders. You may find yourself binge eating. Or you might even find yourself experiencing so much stress that you can’t keep food down. This can lead to an emotional and mental connection that drives you towards anorexia or other related issues. Learning to live more mindfully and and developing strategies to reduce anxiety is one of the best ways to manage disordered eatings. (If disordered eating is making your life unmanageable, please seek professional help.)

Heart Issues

Another thing to consider is stress can affect your heart over time. Unchecked stress can lead to high blood pressure. When this happens you can experience shortness of breath and possibly even stroke or heart attack if it is ongoing and happens often. If your blood pressure or stress are out of control, it’s essential that you seek professional help right away in addition to stress management techniques.

You will find that as you remove stress from your daily life, you will start to find the long term effects will reduce. To remove them completely, you will need to focus on each aspect and work to make sure that your stress does not get to a level that the long term issues rise again. Regular exercise routine, meditation, and healthy eating can all help with this.

Stress Management Techniques

The only way to break the cycle of being stressed out all the time is to address THE problem… the stress.

We can do this by making a conscious effort to cut (or reduce) stress, learning simple relaxation techniques, and learning to give ourselves the time and rest that we need to recover.

Limit caffeine.
Don’t drink to relieve stress. Alcohol will likely make things worse.
Increase physical activity
Try meditation
Talk to a friend
Keep a journal or try adult coloring
Improve your time management
Know when to say no.
Take a day trip out in nature.
Join my 30 day stress reduction challenge for easy to implement, actionable tips to reduce stress in your life!

In this life, we’re all going to experience stress. Unchecked it can contribute to poor health.We can’t always control everything. But we can control how we respond to it.

You can’t always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” – Wayne Dyer

Do You Need a Social Media Detox?

With so much going on in the world, many of us feel we have a responsibility to stay up to date on world events that can potentially impact our families. But consuming a steady stream of sensationalized headlines and political conflicts can leave us feeling overwhelmed with social media overload.

Sometimes I find myself missing the “old days” when we read the newspaper in the morning and just watched the evening news later in the day. Now there’s a 24 hour news cycle of news stories, headlines and images that are carefully designed to make us react!

The next time you’re consuming media content, whether you’re scrolling through your Facebook feed or watching the news, be aware of how each story is impacting you. What kinds of stories are you drawn to? Now think about what impact they’re having on you.

Do you feel discouraged or depressed after you close the browser tab? Mark Manson states the following in his excellent article In the Future, Our Attention Will Be Sold:

Social networks are the business model of the attention economy. They are wholly dependent on eyeballs and clicks to make all of their revenue. To do this, they design algorithms that show you the most interesting and attention-grabbing information available in your social network. If your newsfeed was full of the boring and drab day-to-day stuff, you’d stop looking at it. So instead, Facebook shows you the most extreme occurrences in your social network for the simple reason that the extreme events draw the most attention.

This has drastic effects not only on our perceptions of society as a whole, but also on how we perceive our personal lives.

Why Is Information Overload a Problem?

Have you ever started a new project and tried to learn ALL the information to the point that it feels like your brain might explode? That’s what information overload feels like, and it’s a daily reality for most people due to fast access to information from social media. Information overload be the cause of a number of stress related symptoms such as: * Headache * Stress * Moodiness * Overweight * Cardiovascular issues Not only that, but it often causes problems in relationships with family, friends and colleagues. When you post something that stirs up contention, that’s what will come back to you. If you struggle with information overload, remember that it’s an intentional choice you make to be connected all day. You don’t have to watch all the news and all the talk shows to stay current.

Don’t Go Down the Rabbit Trail

Anytime you want to learn something new, it’s incredibly tempting to start gathering tons of information. And with multiple platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and all the rest, it’s easy to get sucked into the due to the social media mob mentality and wander down the rabbit trail of never ending information. After awhile you don’t even recognize what’s good information and what’s bad.

Overload Leads to Poor Information Filtering

When you are bombarded with nonstop information and news headlines,, your brain can’t filter and process it all properly.. Your brain starts to generalize all information as being the same, instead of filtering information in terms of importance. This is makes wise decision making a real problem.

It Also Leads to Black and White Thinking

The older I get, the more I realize that the world is not black and white. The world is colorful, black, white, gray and everything in between and more. The same can be said for a lot of issues. There are very few issues that are either right or wrong, black or white. There are always many perspectives to consider.

If you have too much information at your fingertips and are rating everything the same, it’s easy to see things as black and white, which can make it hard to negotiate a happy life and successful business. And if you filter your newsfeed to read only the stories and opinions that you agree with, that only worsens black and white thinking.

Does Social Media Affect Your Health?

Social media addiction can lead some people to experience mental problems such as short-term memory issues and even depression. If you find that you’re just feeling mixed up a lot, forget appointments and aren’t doing your best in real life such as home or work, you probably want to consider information overload as a potential culprit.

The impact of social media addiction affects all of us. Families have forgotten how to talk to each other. People are wrecking their cars due to not being able to turn away from looking at their text messages. Many people are overwhelmed, unfocused and stressed out from the 24/7 news cycle and endless notifications.

But Can Social Media Help You?

For me, social media used positively can be a good thing but I’m learning how to implement boundaries. As a special needs mom with chronic illness and a woman in recovery, it’s easy for me to feel depressed and isolated at times and social media offers a great place to connect with old friends and those who share my interests.

Not only that, but it helps me to stay current with disability advocacy issues. But when I find myself using it to procrastinate about other things that I really should be doing, numb out or if I feel depressed after getting online, it’s time to reevaluate how I’m using it.

Learning how to practice mindfulness in my social media consumption has been really helpful. I’ve learned how to implement boundaries. For example, in 2008 when I first got my Facebook account, I got into a few stupid arguments that placed a strain on real life relationships.

I don’t always want to know my friends’ political leanings but I’ve had to learn to live and let live. I very rarely comment on public threads or memes that I know are designed to provoke. I hide people from the news feed who constantly post stories that are triggering. I do try to stay informed on what’s important but don’t get sucked into everything.

How to Stop Wasting Time on Social Media

If you’re not ready for a detox, learning to use social media mindfully can help reduce the screen time that may be stressing you out. Here’s a few suggestions:

Check in twice a day at set times. It’s a good idea to avoid it completely before lunchtime. Checking into your accounts with your morning coffee will cloud your productivity and getting caught up in the day’s drama will cause you to lose focus.

Focus on what matters most. If you’re a blogger or online business owner, when it comes to doing tasks on social media, money-making tasks should come first, then relationship building, then personal activities. If you focus on just whatever is in front of you when you check your social media, you’ll get sucked in. Develop a plan of attack.

Outsource. Find someone to help you with social media if you’re using it for business. There are many social media managers who are good at helping you do the job properly. If that’s not your main money-making activity, let someone else do it. (Shameless promo: I’m a virtual assistant and can help you lighten your social media load. Learn more here!)

Turn off notifications. If you use Facebook for business, turn off the notifications so that you’re not tempted to respond every time one of your friends posts something. If you’re a member of Facebook groups (which certainly serve their purpose) turn off the notifications and mindfully check in once a day.

Give yourself a set time limit for scrolling. 10 or 15 minutes tops is a good boundary to set.

Unfollow the people who stress you out. Seriously, even if it’s a family member. For me, I don’t need to know people’s politics or what crazy conspiracy theories they’re into. And I don’t have time to watch dozens of videos. You can always check in periodically so that they don’t think you’re completely ignoring them.

Be honest. Many times being busy feels good. It feels like you’re doing something and accomplishing something. But, the truth is, not all activities that make you busy are productive.It’s important that you develop the ability to be honest with yourself about why you’re really on the phone.

Be mindful. Whereever you are and whomever you’re with, be fully present with them. Practice the presence instead of being distracted by your phone. And when you do get online, take note of how you’re feeling first.

Do You Really Need a Social Media Detox?

For those of us who work online, doing a social media detox isn’t terribly practical. But if it’s a non-essential activity for you, you feel like you might be addicted and you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, doing a detox would be a really good thing for your mental health. Take the apps off your phone and tablet. You just might be surprised at how much better you feel!

Remember, if you’re already feeling stressed, anxious or depressed, it’s probably a good idea to do something else for awhile..something physical and tangible like going for a walk, journaling to get out of your head. If you’re looking to numb yourself, remember than social media can be abused just like any other substance like alcohol or food. And when you’re using it for the wrong reasons, chances are you’ll feel even worse afterwards.

Health Benefits of Mindful Coloring

You’ve probably noticed that coloring books have been a thing right now, and an extremely popular one at that. Coloring seems like the perfect antidote to our stressed digital lives. It takes us back to a simpler time. There are many health and psychological benefits of coloring.

When I was a kid, my favorite thing to do was hide away in my room and sketch and draw for hours. With no digital distractions, it was easy to get lost in it. But as I grew older, I grew dissatisfied with my work and never felt like it was good enough. To make things worse, I tried to get into an specialized art school but didn’t make it, and I stopped after that. However in my midlife years, I’ve begun to take it up again.

Mindful coloring is really a very simple concept. It is the art of coloring while practicing mindfulness. Being mindful is all about being in the moment, being engaged and involved in what’s going on around you. Unfortunately, mindfulness has become a lost art in our day with the ubitquous presence of cell phones along with social media and a 24 hour news cycle. We sadly miss out on the basic pleasures and simple joys of life because we’re so busy multitasking.

Have you heard of the amygdala? If not, you’ve certainly heard of a fight or flight response. This is what happens when you’re overwhelmed, overworked, and anxious. It gets worked up and leaves you feeling panicked. Coloring can help to calm the amygdala, which can help you focus on a more positive life experience.

Coloring is a no-stress creative outlet that anyone can do with just a few inexpensive supplies.

How is Coloring Mindful?

Mindful coloring is great for stress reduction. Think about it..when you’re busy coloring, you’re just doing one thing. More than likely, you just want to focus on coloring and not check your phone, do housework or watch TV. As you focus on one thing, you’ll clear your mind of everything as you pick colors and focus on what you’re doing.

Mindful Coloring Can Be A Teaching Tool

Coloring is a form of mindfulness meditation. The simple act of coloring can teach your to create better habits in other parts of your life. Mindful coloring allows you to learn to clear the junk out of your mind and focus on the task at hand, the act of coloring. And as you learn to focus and be mindful while coloring, you’ll learn beneficial tool to practice mindfulness in every area of your life.

Mindful Coloring Relieves Stress

One of the biggest benefits of mindful coloring is the way it relaxes you. You’re no longer focused on all the things that overwhelm and worry you. You’re focusing on something simple and childlike and it greatly reduces whatever’s troubling you. One of the big reasons for the popularity of coloring books is that it’s a great way to calm down and find focus.

Coloring is beneficial for anyone. It isn’t just for kids! Once you realize how beneficial mindful coloring is, you’ll return to it for stress relief, as a creative outlet and simple meditation. Coloring can be a great part of your self care toolbox, but if you live with serious mood disorders, please seek the help of a competent professional.

How to Get Started With Mindful Coloring

There’s so many options available not it can be a little overwhelming. And if you don’t like coloring mandalas, there’s lots of options to choose from that are completely adaptable to your skill and mobility needs. Don’t think you’re limited to just coloring mandalas. There are dozens books on almost every theme imaginable. Here’s a few ideas to get you started!

Coloring Supplies for Adult Coloring Books

There’s no rules for adult coloring. Don’t be afraid to experiment and feel free to color outside of the lines! Two of the most popular options are colored pencils and markers. Each one has its own advantage.

With colored pencils, you can change the intensity of the color by varying the amount of pressure you put on the pencil, which gives you more control over how your coloring page will appear.

Markers can give your picture an intense, vibrant look. They’re also a faster way to color, if you’re low on time or energy. However,they don’t allow you to vary your hue. So if you want to color a flower several different shades of pink, you’ll have some difficulty with that. And you’ll also have to check any new coloring books you buy to ensure your markers aren’t ‘bleeding’ onto the next page.

But don’t be afraid to experiment with coloring tools that are out of the box. Some people really using gel pens to color, while other people might prefer to use a box of crayons. Try out a few options and see what you strikes you as the most fun.

How to Choose a Color Palette for Adult Coloring Books

If you’ve ever become frustrated with how your pages come out, try working with color palettes to give your adult coloring books a more uniform look. You can find inspiration for color palettes in nature or around your home. Any time you’re out, if you see a color pattern that inspires you, just take a quick picture of it. For online inspiration, you can do a Pinterest search of color palettes, this inspirational brand palette guide from Canva, Design Seeds, or Color Collective.

The Best Coloring Books for Adults

There is science to support coloring for adults, and even Crayola is excited about the social trend. The brand now carries markers, colored pencils and their own label of Coloring Escapes for grown-ups.

With the explosion of adult coloring, the subject matter of coloring pages for adults is almost infinite. Look for what motivates you and helps to express what you might be thinking…even your darkest thoughts or edgy humor. Nobody has to see it but you!

Still Coloring Book Picks

This blog uses Amazon affiliate links.

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10 Ways to Stop a Panic Attack In Its Tracks

10 Ways to Stop a Panic attack

If you’ve ever felt a sudden rush of anxiety and worry and possibly even feelings of terror, you may be experiencing a panic attack. Panic attacks can be brought on by many things, from a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or a highly stressful situation that brought on the panic attack. Panic attacks are debilitating and scary. While you can’t always prevent them, you can learn some helpful techniques to stop a panic attack when it happens.

Those of us who live with anxiety disorders know that they can’t be cured, but we can find some hope that with some simple self care tips in our arsenal, we’ll feel more empowered the next time anxiety starts to creep up.

How You Know You Are Having a Panic Attack

It’s important to understand the signs and symptoms of a panic attack. If you understand and recognize the signs of a panic attack early, you can begin to implement some of these strategies quickly. This can help you to stop a panic attack in its tracks instead of letting it worsen. Here are some of the various symptoms you might experience:

* Tunnel vision
* Dizziness or lightheadedness
* Fight or flight
* Fear of losing control
* Racing heartbeat
* Flushes or chills
* Sweating
* Tingling in the extremities
* Twitching or trembling muscles
* Feeling like you aren’t real
* Flushed face
* Fear of dying
* Gastrointestinal upset

Panic Attack Symptoms May Be Similar to a Heart Attack

Many people mistaken the symptoms of a panic attack with a heart attack since they are very similar, including chest pains and dizziness. Unfortunately even if you know you’re having a panic attack, you may worry that you’re working yourself up into a heart attack, which can then worsen the panic attack and this can lead to a circular thinking that’s exhausting and debilitating.

(If you’re genuinely worried about a cardiac event, always consult with your medical provider asap. Better to be safe than sorry.)

How to Stop a Panic Attack

Panic attacks are awful. I have a long history of them myself. But be reassured that you can stop a panic attack or at the very least diminish its intensity. It’s important to spend some time figuring out what’s right for you, because not every method will work for every person. You may even already have some helpful coping mechanisms that work for you. You might want to write them down so you can easily reference them when you need to.

Just Breathe. Breathing exercises are a great way to reduce feelings of panic, where you feel like you’re losing control and can’t breathe in and out properly. Simply inhale and exhale. Just focus on your breathing. Try deep, slow inhales of breath and keep your mouth closed. Then open your mouth and exhale. Do this for equal counts. This simple breathing exercises allows your mind to focus on the oxygen and not the worried thoughts.

Move it, move it. There’s nothing that burns off anxiety for me faster than getting up and moving. This can be a workout video, yoga or even 5 minutes of silly dancing to something on YouTube.

Mantras or affirming words. Coping words and statements are very helpful for someone with a panic attack, especially in the beginning. when you start experiencing the first symptoms. Have a single word or short phrase that you can remember to distract your brain.

Aromatherapy. I’m a big essential oil fan because it’s so calming and supportive to my emotional health. A single like lavender or chamomile is very soothing, or try a calming blend.

Find a focal point. Called drishti in yoga practice, it means to fix your gaze on something. It will help your mind to focus on something other than what’s distressing you.

Homeopathy. While I’m not a trained homeopath, I have found some remedies that have proven to be very helpful when I’m struggling.

Distract yourself. Find something that will distract you from the worried thoughts and feelings, whether that is listening to music, doing something creative, watching a movie or television show, or talking to someone on the phone. This can take a little more time finding what helps you the most.

Count Backwards From 100. I’ve personally never tried this, but some people may find it helpful and it’s very easy to remember. The simple act of counting will help your mind get to a more relaxed state.

Meditate. Meditation is simply a practice that involves training your mind to focus on something as you detach from what’s going on around you. Meditation is a fantastic tool to calm your mind and lower stress levels. One scientific study looked at the electrical activity in the brains of participants who practiced meditation and those who didn’t. These researchers discovered that there was a significant change in the areas of the brain responsible for moods in those who meditated. In yet another study, 18 people were asked to practice meditation for a three-year period. The results determined that the participants actually experienced decreases in their depression that proved to be both long term and significant.

Relaxation Videos on YouTube. I love these and use them all the time when I can’t get my mind to stop racing.

stop a panic attack

Ongoing Self Care

Self care can be any number of strategies that help to curb the toxic effects of anxiety. The most important thing is that you mindfully set aside some time that’s dedicated to you..doing something that you enjoy. Your choice of self care must interrupt the fight or flight cycle your brain is going through.

Continue learning about panic attacks and anxiety so you can find a good treatment option that is best for you and prevent them from happening.

For some people, anxiety spirals so badly out of control and their bodies release so many stress hormones that they may have symptoms ranging from complete isolation to frequent panic attack. These can often accompanied by severe physical symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, and migraines.

While I hope my lifestyle and self care tips help you to feel like you have a better handle on things if you find yourself spiraling out of control, please reach out to a professional and get help.

(Please note I’m not a mental health professional or a counselor. I’m just a mom sharing what’s worked for me!)

10 practical ways to stop a panic attack in its tracks #anxiety #selfcare

How to try to stop a panic attack when you're having one or when you feel one coming on. #mentalhealth #anxiety #depression

Self Care Tips to Beat the Winter Blues

Every year around this time of year the sky grows darker and the air gets colder. For many people, depression sets in. It’s a condition commonly known as SAD. Winter depression can be severe and debilitating. If you suffer from winter depression, be encouraged that there are positive steps you can take to beat the winter blues. Read on to learn how to manage your winter depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Winter Blues

The long, cold and dark winter season causes many people to feel down in the dumps. The degree to which they feel depressed varies widely. Some may experience full-blown depression while others simply seem to have the mild case of the blues. Most people assume they have Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This isn’t always true. The treatment for SAD and the winter blues is quite different.

If you struggle with depression during the winter months, it can be tough. Finding the right treatment and diagnosis is key.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder is also referred to as SAD. It is not the winter blues. It affects people on a regular basis. Each fall and winter, as the sky grows colder and darker, people begin to experience this heavy sense of depression.

Symptoms of SAD include but are not limited to:

* Depression
* Feelings of hopelessness
* Anxiety
* Social withdrawal
* Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
* Appetite changes and weight gain
* Difficulty concentrating and focusing
* Lack of energy and difficulty sleeping

If these symptoms persist for more than a few days and consistently every year, you probably have SAD. It’s important to see your doctor and get properly diagnosed.

Because SAD is often caused by lower levels of melatonin and serotonin, treatment for SAD may include

* Light therapy
* Medications
* Home therapy

Self care including dietary changes, yoga, meditation and supplementation that have been shown to improve SAD.

Winter Blues

The winter blues is just as common as SAD. The difference is that the winter blues doesn’t last as long and may not show up like clockwork like SAD does when the seasons change. The winter blues often happen when a person is feeling down for a couple of days. Many times getting out and socializing, exercising and making a few dietary changes can help you to kick the winter blues to the curb.

There’s nothing wrong with you. Many people experience an occasional bout of the blues. And the winter is a common time for it to creep up. The sky is dark. The air is cold. People donít get as much fresh air and sunshine as they need.

Fun Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

Scandinavian countries have a long and intense winter. They understand the importance of Hygge, which is is a great way to make your home cozier and boost your spirits. Little touches around your home can make a big difference. In fact, something as simple as a cheerful photo or a splash of color can change your perspective. During the winter months it can be difficult to think positively. Try some these simple tricks to lighten the mood.

Paint. Color can have a big impact on your mood. Cheerful colors like yellow, orange and purple can make you smile. Soft blues and greens can instill a sense of calm. You don’t have to go crazy and paint your entire home. Simply paint a wall or two in your favorite room.

Add flowers. Flowers always brighten any room and mood. Add a pretty bouquet of your favorite flowers to a table. Be sure you can see them when you enter the room. Daisies and bouquets of mixed flowers are generally inexpensive and can last a long time on your table. You might even consider joining a flower of the month club so this delightful splash of color comes to you on a monthly basis.

Accessorize. Add some pretty throw pillows or a new area rug to add fresh color to a room. Many people change their home decor to complement the season. You can add some brightly-colored items during the winter months to add some cheer to your home. Find colors that make you smile and feel good. A little bit of cheer can go a long way during the gray winter days.

Candles. Candles are a great way to create a dozy atmosphere. They provide more than aroma and light therapy. They come in every size, color and shape imaginable. You can add whimsy to your home and soften the mood while also adding color. Candles can brighten a room and your day. Look for candles that come in invigorating citrus scents and bright colors.

Photos, paintings and decorations. Find some colorful pictures to display or hang on your wall. It can be anything from a photo of a loved one or a piece of modern art. You’ll want to choose something that makes you smile. Try creating a collage of family photos and mounting them on a colorful background. You can frame this with a store-bought frame to create instant cheer.

Exercise to Beat the Winter Blues

You probably know that exercise can alleviate depression. Getting outside and exercising gets your heart pumping and improves circulation, giving you a nice mood boost. It also gives you the fresh air and sunshine your body craves.

If you absolutely can’t get outside, exercising indoors can help too.

Take a daily walk. Unless the weather is unsafe due to ice or extreme temperatures, there’s lots of value to good some old-fashioned fresh air and sunshine. The sunshine stimulates production of vitamin D which improves mood. Sunshine also helps your body manage stress. Taking a daily walk gets your body moving without the pressure of fitness performance. Aim to walk for twenty to thirty minutes a day.

Stretch. Yoga and other mindful exercise are a fantastic way to improve your mood and get the blood flowing. They also helps you become mindful and focused, as they pull you into the present moment. Instead of worrying about tomorrow or regretting yesterday, you’re in the now and as a result, you can feel calm, in control, and centered.

Dance and play. Adults often forget how to play. Focusing on life’s responsibilities they forget about joy and laughter. Find an activity that you love, that makes you laugh or brings joy. Consider dance, martial arts, jumping rope or even riding your bicycle. You might even want to take walk in the snow or build a snowman1

Run or jog. Running is a fantastic calorie burner and it’s great for improving your fitness. Almost anyone can do it. And it doesn’t have to be about performance, speed and distance. You can simply embrace the sport as a fitness jogger. If you’re new to running, combine it with periods of walking. The goal is to help boost your mental and physical health.

Swim. One of the reasons we can become down during the winter is because it’s perpetually cold and gray. Join a swim club or find a gym with a pool. The warm water and the bright lights will help you feel better. If swimming laps isn’t your thing, join a water aerobics or Zumba class. It’s great fun to laugh and boost your fitness at the same time.

Sometimes a person just needs a little extra help to beat the winter blues. Simply changing your environment and brightening your home can help. Make your home a place that makes you smile. Surround yourself with color and cheer. Think about the activities you did as a child. What made you feel good? Get outside and have a snowball fight. Go sledding. Climb a tree. Get in the kitchen and try a new recipe.

And remember, you’re not alone in this!

How to Create a Gratitude Mindset

Having an attitude of gratitude means that you make it a daily intention to express thankfulness in every part of your life. Gratitude is essential to staying in the now. And it’s good for you. Gratitude can help to relieve stress, reduce anxiety and depression, and decrease overall chronic pain levels. Read on to learn how to create a gratitude mindset no matter where you are in life right now.

Why Gratitude is Important

Gratitude Relieves Stress. It’s hard to be both stressed out and grateful at the same time. While you can’t always choose your circumstances, you can choose a positive in the midst of it by practicing gratitude every day.

Gratitude Focuses You. In our technology and social media driven society, it’s very easy to to look at what others have and feel like we don’t measure up. Maybe you’re on disability and struggling to make ends meet. Or maybe your friends get to take fabulous vacations every year. Or you look at the carefully curated social updates on your feed and think that everybody has a great life except for you.

But when you embrace gratitude, it helps you to stay in the present and focus on the most important things in life, such as your family, friends, pets and community. Remember, your relationships matter far more than any material thing you might want.

Gratitude Energizes You. Without gratitude, it’s easy to slip into the victim mindset. You tell yourself things like, “I’m just destined to be a loser. I can’t have an amazing life. I’ve never had it easy, so why should I expect anything to change?”

Gratitude empowers you. Instead of being the victim in the story, you become the hero. You write the ending. You’re one who overcomes the odds to build a fulfilling life.

More Positive Benefits of Gratitude

Gratitude is so much more than a mood booster. It can transform every aspect of your life if you’ll allow it to. Here’s some ways that gratitude can help to improve all of your relationships.

Gratitude Heals. In long term relationships, it’s easy to focus on what your spouse is doing wrong or how you feel your friend is never there for you. But harboring these types of attitudes can create a negative loop of thoughts. Maybe you think your husband is lazy. And you keep letting him know. But the more you tell him this, the less he tries. This can set a negative pattern that goes on for months.

Instead of focusing on what others should or shouldn’t doing, think about how they care for you and what you love about them. And then let them know. For example, you might say to yourself, “Yes, my husband just plops on the couch when he gets home from work. But he works so hard to provide for our family and I’m so thankful for that.”

Gratitude Strengthens. You may not realize it but when you’re grateful, it shows up in your relationships. For example, if you’re grateful for your husband, you’re likely to demonstrate this without even realizing it. You take the time to listen to listen to him and make the time to do enjoyable activities together.

When you express gratitude in your relationships, the other person feels valued and heard. As a result, they want to bless you, too. Often, this creates a continuous cycle of generosity that contributes to positive feelings on both sides.

So let your loved ones know how much you appreciate them. You can do this by thanking them for something they’ve done or who they are. For example, you might thank a friend for bringing you cookies after surgery. But you could also thank her for being so thoughtful when you were in the middle of a difficult time.

Relationships are precious and irreplaceable. Spend some intentional time letting a loved one know you care.

How to Create a Gratitude Mindset

A gratitude journal will not change whatever’s going on in your life, but what it can do is to alter your life perspective. A gratitude journal is a worthy investment of intentional time and effort. A gratitude journal is simply a space to record what you are thankful for.

By simply writing down the things that you’re grateful for, positive energy is fostered and increased. While the mundane and unpleasant aspects of life will still exist, they may become dim in the light of a heightened awareness of goodness and wonder. Keeping a gratitude journal can make life burdens feel lighter, or at least more balanced.

If you’re on a mission to start journaling this year, a gratitude journal is a great place to start. With this type of journal, you can write as much or as little as you want every day, use any type of notebook, and just write down what you are grateful for.

Gratitude journals are simple by their very design and are often quicker to write in than full out personal journals. If you don’t have time to write out a full journal entry, just scribbling down some quick thanks is perfect. When you are feeling depressed or are having trouble seeing the light, go back and read your previous entries and gain a new perspective on all that is right with your life, both past and present.

Finding Gratitude With Chronic Illness

When I first saw Thankful for Cervical Dystonia I took a deep breath but continued reading. I’ve had enough life lessons, thank you very much! Dystonia is a life changing, miserable condition that has impacted our entire family. How could anyone find gratitude with chronic illness?

But as I read on I saw that the author was grateful for the life lessons that cervical dystonia had taught her. Our worldviews are very different, but I as I read through the list I realized that I have been learning these same lessons myself since my own cervical dystonia diagnosis in 2010. Much like the 12 steps of recovery, some spiritual truths are universal and practical for anyone who seeks them.

Finding Gratitude With Chronic Illness

No matter what chronic illness you’re living with, I know that you’ll find these life lessons to be encouraging as well as empowering.

And if you haven’t found gratitude in chronic illness, that’s okay too. We’re all on the journey. Keep seeking and reaching out to others and the way will become apparent to you. Read on.

Gratitude changes your perspective on the life that you’ve been given. When you have gratitude in your life you:

Feel less victimized by others or what’s happened in your life. Blaming no longer exists. Rather than look at what you may have lost or what you don’t have, you’re able to look at situations in a new light and move forward focusing on what you can do and what you have.
Have a more open heart. Gratitude helps you become more compassionate and empathetic. You’ll be able to connect with people even if you don’t think you have much in common with them. It’s a more rewarding way to live.
With gratitude you’ll be able to recognize and appreciate what you have rather than what you don’t. As you begin to become aware of what is good and positive in your life, what is good and positive will grow.
Attract more gratitude and happiness. It’s often found that people attract experiences and people based on what they expect. If you focus on and expect good things to happen, more good may show up.

Keep A Gratitude Journal

Gratitude journals are often quicker to write in than full out personal journals so provide a quick snapshot into a span of time. If you don’t have time to write out a full narrative, jotting down some quick thanks is perfect. When you are feeling depressed or having trouble finding what’s positive, go back and look over your previous entries and gain a new slant on everything that is right with your life.

There’s no wrong way to begin and keep a gratitude journal. You might want to make it a daily habit, or you can keep the journal in a handy place and to write thankful thoughts when the mood strikes.

Gratitude Journal Prompts

Music
Your pets
Nature
Your body – no matter what it’s capable of
The gift of story in books, movies and social media
Your faith
Meditation
Art
People
Food
Your Home
Modern conveniences
Your work
Experiences
Hobbies that bring you joy.

Finally, here’s some Christian scriptures to meditate on:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-8

7 Survival Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress

The holiday season can be a great opportunity to spend time with family and friends and celebrate. While the holidays can be a joyous time the reality is that for many, holidays are stressful and can cause anxiety. Whether it’s because of finances, family dynamics or other worries, not everyone is excited about the holidays.

The expectations of seeing family, endless social events, gift shopping, and holiday preparation can become too much for even the most dedicated extroverts. All too often, anxiety and depression can become unwelcome holiday guests. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can reduce holiday stress and mindfully enjoy the holiday season.

One of the most common reasons that the holidays become stressful is the expectation placed on families who are sometimes overextended emotionally and financially. The added burden to provide big meals, provide gifts, pay for travel and overextend the budget feels like a heavy weight. Families begin to stress out just about the time they are putting away the Halloween decorations.

Despite Hallmark Channel’s fairy-tale insistence that families all love one another and that just being together is what really counts, many families are fractured, busy and unable or unwilling to live in harmony.

Have A Simple Christmas

There’s something to be said about having a simple Christmas. It’s very possible to have a holiday season without the stress and without going all out on decorations, events, and gifts. By scaling back and focusing on the more spiritual side of this holiday, you just might find more joy this season. And as an added bonus, when you keep things simple, you have a lot more time to enjoy everything this special time of the year has to offer.

For my older readers, do you remember what Christmas time was like when you were younger? Chances are you spent the month of December looking at Christmas lights, playing board games, baking cookies and singing Christmas carols. Gifts were probably less expensive but more meaningful and homemade.

So instead of buying more decorations, sort through what you have. Keep what you love and give away the rest. The house will be less cluttered and January clean up will be much easier.

Keep your calendar light too. You don’t have to go to every. single. event. Just pick a few activities and events that you know your family will enjoy. Spend the rest of the time with quiet activities at such as making cookies, crafting and watching holiday movies.

Limit Social Media

The amount of online drama and negativity has dramatically increased with no sign of slowing down. It seems to get worse every week! It can be incredibly draining. Too much time spent scrolling and absorbing other people’s outrage never helped anyone feel any better. Not only that, if the holidays are difficult for you it can increase feelings of despair and isolation. You might want to consider putting strict boundaries on your social media time.

Your time with God has to come first. Spend the first few quiet minutes of every day in quiet devotion and prayer to help center your thoughts. I like to pray the offices to spiritually check in as the day’s stresses begin to accumulate.

Eat Well

The sugar onslaught that begins around Halloween can result in decreased immunity, meaning it’s easier for you to catch everything that’s going around. As much as you can, make healthier and intentional food choices. If/when you choose to indulge, don’t turn it into a binge that lasts into January. Begin eating healthy again at the next meal. And be sure to stay hydrated.

Keep Moving

Set aside some time for movement – whether it’s walking, gentle yoga or just getting outside for a bit, getting your blood circulating is enormously helpful. Any activity or exercise you can fit in will help reduce your stress and elevate your mood. And it will help to keep the extra holiday weight away!

Set A Budget

Admittedly, retail therapy can be great fun but not so much when you have to face the New Year with more credit card debt than you can handle. You can minimize the damage by setting a budget and sticking to it.

Know Your Limits

As a chronic illness patient, I’ve had to come to accept that I can’t do everything that I used to. I don’t bake as much as I once did, try keep the decorations minimal and try to pick just a few holiday events to try to participate in. Set the priorities that work for you and your family and then stick to them.

For some of us, holidays can be really difficult. Not everyone has a supportive extended family close by. If you’re by yourself, look for ways to serve in the community. If you’ve sick, have experienced a recent loss or are experiencing ongoing financial struggles, you might want to step away from the holidays completely. Take a road trip, go to the beach or mountains. Detach in whatever ways make sense to you.

Practice Self Care

Self-care is a conscious choice that we have to make on a daily basis not only now, but throughout the year. Take some time and create a deliberate plan of self care for yourself to make it through the holiday season. Find my winter wellness tips here.

The key to having a stress-less holiday is all about preparation and setting boundaries. Holding to a plan that allows for the fun parts of the season without setting the family up for failure is the best way to ensure that everyone has the best time possible, even if times aren’t perfect.

Small Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Health

Small lifestyle changes can add up to improve your health. Much of what we talked about in this 30 Day Self Care Challenge, and especially the quick stress busting tips might seem kind of small. And when you’re feeling very stressed out and overwhelmed, they may seem like a small drop in the budget. Doing something more radical might be tempting so that you can see faster results.

While doing something as drastic as selling your house, quitting your job, and moving across the country could certainly be an option, it’s not your only one.

All the small changes and tweaks we’ve talked about throughout this self care challenge can add up to improved health and reduced stress. They may seem small but as you become more intentional about them, your efforts will multiply to bring about real changes to your overall health.

The key is to intentionally implement them one at a time and be patient. You’ll get a little bit of stress relief every time you try something new. Even if all you can do right now is getting an extra 20 minutes of sleep per night or starting to doodle when you feel stressed out.

That small beginning will help you to start to feel better right away. And the next small change will move you yet another step in the right direction.

And before you know it, you’ve made great strides towards a more less stress and a more fulfilled life.

The first part is always the toughest. It would be lovely to simply push a button that could make our stress and worries vanish, but that’s not reality!

But you do have the capability and power in you to change your life for the better, just one step at a time. And in the end, that’s much more valuable than a quick fix.

You’ll feel so accomplished with what you’ve done! You’ll be able to enjoy the fun and relaxing lifestyle you’ve created for yourself and your family.

So go ahead start making some small lifestyle changes TODAY. Go back to that list of things you made that stress you out.

Keep working through them. As you declutter your schedule and time goes by you’ll start to see more and more opportunities to for little tweaks and changes that will improve your quality of life. You just have to be mindful of them and then implement them.

As you do this, it won’t take long before you see some positive results. It might also help to remember that you’re not only changing your own life and how you’re feeling, but also the lives of your loved ones. A more relaxed and less stressed partner, parent, and friend is a much more fun to be around than a woman who’s constantly stressed out and snapping at everyone.

5 Small Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Health TODAY

If you’re in a bad place as you’re reading this, here’s a few quick stress busting tips that you can implement right now.

Unplug. Like, right now. Anne Lamotte famously said that “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Take 20 minutes to try something new. It could be reading a new book, meditation, doodling or just going outside for a run or walk.

Drink more water. This can’t be overstated. Many of us are chronically dehydrated and fill up on water and soda. Adequate hydration affects everything from your overall health to your moods.

Just say no. This isn’t always easy or even possible, but carefully evaluate your time commitments and your energy level before you say yes to the next thing. It’s perfectly acceptable to say no when you need to.

Practice gratitude. No matter what’s going on, there’s always something to be grateful for. It can be as simple as telling a family member that you love them and finding something beautiful in nature.

Reflect on how far you’ve come

I have one thing to ask you. Compared to where you were at the beginning of the self care challenge, how much more relaxed are you feeling as you’ve made your way through the challenge?

If you’ve been applying even just some of what I shared with you throughout, you should start to feel less stress and have a calmer, more balanced life.

What has had the biggest impact on you? What tips and ideas have you found the most helpful? Those are the posts that you want to come back to again and again.

Take a few minutes today to reflect on not only how far you’ve come, but more importantly how this simple self care challenge has influenced you to take positive steps to improve your health.

I’d love to hear what positive experiences you’ve had as a result of spending the month working on relaxing more and stressing less?