Showing posts with label Positivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Positivity. Show all posts

4 Tips to Getting Through The Stresses And Strain Of Being A Mom

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Finding out that you’re pregnant and that you are to become a mother is one of the greatest feelings in the world. A few months beyond that, you realize that giving birth and welcoming your child into the world takes the lead as the greatest. Seeing the little human being that you created and grow inside you for months and months finally in your arms as they frown, smile, cry and laugh is a feeling that you don’t understand until the moment happens to you.

5 Activities That Encourage A Calm Mind

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In this day and age, it’s natural for you to feel overwhelmed. Very much so. And when this is the case, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re able to can manage yourself well. Because if you’re disorganized in life, and you’re not all that intentional, chaos can occur. Our minds are strange places. Naturally, they’re programmed to cause problems. They worry, they fear, they’re negative. And they’re exhausting too! So, you have to go the extra mile to keep your mind calm. To quieten your thoughts and to promote peace and positivity.

In a busy world, that’s tough. So it’s always good to know ways to deal with anxiety and stress. But when you’re dealing with both, it’s the hardest thing to do. To help you, let’s consider five activities that can encourage a calm mind.

Writing

To start with, there’s writing. You don’t have to want to pen the great American novel or even have anything to say to write. You could just start by journaling and emptying your thoughts onto a page. Or you could make up stories - anything. The process of writing is like therapy. It’s calming and allows you to escape your mind for a while.


Running

Exercise is so good for us. And not just for your body - mainly for your mind. Running, in particular, is one of the forms of exercise that gives you immense mental clarity. If you find that your thoughts consume you and you cannot escape them, hit the road. Just start running. It weirdly clears your mind and allows you to focus. It’s a great way to force yourself to breathe and to be present, whether you’re listening to music while you’re doing it or not.

Meditation

And then, of course, there’s always meditation to think about here too. Meditation is one of those things that you can easily think is hard work or not for you, but most of the time you may not even know what it involves. The idea is that you’re calming the mind. And anyone can do that. So much so, that there are different meditation apps that you can try to see what works for you. By making your mind still and controlling your thoughts, you’ll always be able to encourage a calmer mind.


Reading

Next up, there’s reading too. Because it’s escapism. Whether you’re an avid reader or not, there’s always going to be a kind of book for you. And it allows you to take your mind off of whatever it’s thinking about and diving into a new world that allows you to feel calm.

Drawing

And finally, there’s also drawing too. You may not realize it, but drawing is a great stress reliever. Even if you don’t think you’re all that creative. Or you don’t you think can draw, it’s pretty calming. Here, you could even look to get one of the adult coloring books. Because spending your time coloring things in is just as therapeutic as drawing something from scratch.



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Leading By Example: Overcoming Devastating Events As A Parent

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Picture by Josh Willink

If you want your children to be well-rounded individuals, confident, good-natured, generous, and kind, it takes hard work, dedication, and commitment.

The Weather And Your Mental Health

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We’re all aware that the weather can affect our physical health, some people get more aches and pains in the cold; the flu and viruses are rife as winter hits and sunstroke, sunburn or heat rash are common in the summer. However, did you know that the weather can also affect your mental health? It’s not just about the time of year which people find difficult, Christmas and New Year aren’t necessarily happy for a lot of people, and if you’re suffering from depression, then you probably feel the pressure to be happy as well as general anxiety around the festive period. It’s also the weather and the weather won’t be getting any warmer or brighter for a few months yet, so after Christmas and New Year is often really tough as well.

You may have heard about Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. It is sometimes known as "winter depression" because the symptoms are usually more apparent and more severe during the winter although a few people with SAD may have symptoms during the summer and feel better during the winter.

According to the NHS, the exact cause of SAD isn't fully understood, but it's often linked to reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter autumn and winter days.

The leading theory is that a lack of sunlight might stop a part of the brain called the hypothalamus working correctly, which may affect the: production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that makes you feel sleepy; in people with SAD, the body may produce it in higher than normal levels.  A lack of sunlight may also lead to lower serotonin levels, a hormone that affects your mood, appetite, and sleep. Feelings of depression can also be linked to your body's internal clock (circadian rhythm) as your body uses sunlight to time various vital functions, such as when you wake up, so lower light levels during the winter may disrupt your body clock and lead to symptoms of SAD.

It’s not just SAD and not just people who suffer from depression that suffer depending on the weather, according to John Grohol, PsyD, founder and CEO of Psych Central, “the overall preponderance of evidence suggests that weather can have more than just ‘a little effect’ on your mood.” In a 1974 study with 16,000 students in Basel City, Switzerland, 18 percent of the boys and 29 percent of the girls responded negatively to certain weather conditions, exhibiting symptoms of fatigue, dysphoric moods, irritability, and headaches.

During the winter months, everyone should try and get as much natural sunlight as possible, exercise regularly, and manage your stress levels. There are Depression Treatments available such as light therapy – where a particular lamp called a lightbox is used to simulate exposure to sunlight or talking treatments – such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), or counseling can help too.



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Taking Active Steps to Make 2019 As Positive As Possible

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2019 is literally around the corner and this can mean many things to many different people.

Helping You And Your Family To Be The Best Versions Of Yourselves

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When you have a family, you just want everyone to be the best versions of themselves. You want everyone to be happy, healthy, and successful. It’s only natural to care about your loved ones. Of course, it can be hard to be the best version of yourself and ensure that your family members are striving for the same goal. But you shouldn’t have to support your family on your own, as we’ll discuss in this article, a group effort is needed. The following pieces of advice should help you and your family to be the best versions of yourselves.

Gratitude and Incorporating It into Everyday Life

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Gratitude makes what we have enough


We all get into the rush and tumble of everyday life. When we do, we tend to forget being grateful for what we have, tend to only focus on the negative, and/or keep imagining all of the other stuff we want/"need". I am certainly guilty of all of these. In fact, as I reviewed my gratitude log, I realized in 3 weeks time, I only did 6 entries. I didn't exactly meet the everyday goal...

Depression, PPD, and Decades of Living Through It: Chapter 3: Part 1

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In case you missed Chapter 2, you can find it here.  Sorry for the delay in writing, but we moved last Thursday and my life has been a literal wreck.  I can't find anything and boxes are everywhere which is driving my anxiety through the roof!


Why Everyone Should Have a Journal

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Journaling is not just something certain creative individuals do, but it should really be something everyone does. Journaling helps in so many ways, from finding triggers to your stress, to helping with physical and mental health, and of course being a creative outlet.

2018 Reading Challenge Courtesy of @AnneBogel

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Fun Facts About Me - Bella Inspired Grace

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I'm part of a Bloggers group #BloggersUnite and found a another interesting blogger, Paul. His blog is https://brutalhonestyblogger.wordpress.com . His most recent post is all about him and his thoughts on the type of blogger he is. So I thought I'd tell everyone a little about me.



1. I love fonts, especially handwritten ones.

2. I have never felt creative but I keep trying every day.

3. I love being barefoot.

4. I randomly find half used journals from my youth.

5. I really don't understand Instagram.

6. I'm not a big picture taker.

7. Reading is my obsession.

8. I really like learning code like html, css.

9. Secretly, I am a HUGE dork.

10. Doing anything on the water makes me happy.

11. I hate sand. Like really hate it and will not sit on a towel on the beach.

12. I can be very Type - A and OCD.

13. I built my website on 5 different platforms before choosing Blogger.

14. I love bullet journaling but don't feel like I'm good at it and I certainly don't use it as it was created.

15. In the past 2 years, I have completed 2 life dreams: having a baby girl and owning my dream home.

What are some fun facts about you?

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Fun Facts About Me - Bella Inspired Grace

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How to Simply Grow Your Journaling Practice

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As I've mentioned previously, in my post The Power of Journaling, I have been pouring my heart out to the pages of any notebook, diary, or journal I could find. It wasn't until the past several years that I became a more dedicated journaler with a daily (well almost) habit of writing.

Let's Start Feeling Creative Now

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Creativity is not just art in the museum or the picture sense of the word.  I assert this yet still struggle with this even though I know it to be true.  Why do I feel this way?  Because I can't draw, sing, make beautiful things to be displayed in galleries.  However, I keep working on believing that I am still and have always been creative.

Level 10 Life Explained: A 3 Year Journey of Discovery


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Level 10 Life
 I first heard of the Level 10 life from Boho Berry who heard from it from Hal Elrod. I've always enjoyed goal setting, self-motivation, dreaming, planning, and creativity. This seemed to combine all of those things! Needless to say, I was very excited to do it myself. So, what exactly is this Level 10 Life thing?

Sunshine Blogger Award - WOW!

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Well, this was certainly a surprise! I've only been blogging a month and I was nominated for something. Jeepers Creepers! Amazing!

The Struggle is Real - Getting Through Post Partum Depression and Forgiving Oneself

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I have been very blessed in life.  Is my life perfect?  No, not by a long shot.  Have I suffered from depression for the vast majority of my life?  Yes.  Had I thought that I had gained control of it by 35?
  Yes, I did. 
I was finally functioning like a "normal" person.  I was married, we were happy, and we were starting to try and make a family.

May's Reading List

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I'm always reading at least 3 books at a time. I have loved to read since I can remember or more accurately since I learned how. Filling out my reading log in elementary school was the highlight of my week! Yes, I am a dork. I was also sort of an only child. I have 6 brothers and sisters but they are much older than me. The oldest is 25 years older than me. Therefore, I never lived with any of them but got the benefit of having them around. Plus, I was the youngest so I was the baby and a touch pampered.

6 Habits that will make you feel More Productive

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As I talked about in my Journaling post, I was really drawn to the daily ritual discussed in The Miracle Morning. It sounded equally like a great way to ease into the day as well as a way to get the creative juices flowing and as it touts "feel productive before 8am." I'm a bit of an overachiever; so, anything that makes me feel like I've already accomplished something is a win for me.


What constitutes this ritual? Why do habits and routine make us perform better? A habit is defined as "a settled or regular tendency or practice" which means it's something we perform on auto-pilot. It doesn't take extra thought or motivation to complete the action. When we have positive habits and rituals, our body goes through the motions without extra effort and sets us up with a foundation for daily success. Similarly, bad habits do the opposite but are oh so hard to break because they come naturally (eating fast food or smoking are some obvious examples). Good habits allow for us to reach life goals and set the tone for everyday life. With the Miracle Morning, you are training and implementing good habits while helping to visualize your end goal or life goals.



The first habit is silence. Just taking a few moments in the morning to give thanks for what you have; to meditate (if you wish to call it that).  Simply engaging in the act of not rushing to emails or social media or to your kids gives a fresh perspective on the day.  Daily gratitude has been shown to create real and long-lasting effects in one's everyday life.  Research done at Berkeley has proven that those that practice gratitude have better immune systems, have more joy, and are more helpful and generous.   Those alone seem like great reasons to start practicing silence and gratitude!

The next is affirmations.  I show my full affirmation board and talk about affirmations in another post.  Suffice it to say, I'm 100% on board with doing daily affirmations.  They make you feel better and according to some research, they help sculpt the brain and work the positivity muscle.  More can be read about affirmations here.

Along with affirmations, visualization is another key habit in the Miracle Morning.  If you can really see in your mind's eye what you want, you are already half way to getting there.  Most people wake up in the morning and go through the motions of everyday life without a thought as to what they want out of life.  Beyond thinking of the paycheck they need, that they have to feed their kids, that they somehow have to pay for college, that they need a bigger house, that they need more stuff.  Some are little better than zombies on the treadmill hoping they'll somehow run into the life of their dreams when they aren't actually going anywhere.  Yes, we all need money to pay for various things, but what do you really want out of life and why?  

Why do I want a really big 5,000 square foot house?  I love to entertain; I love traditional Southern decor and the grandness it demonstrates to me.  Those are the selfish reasons.  Ultimately, I want to have a house where fundraisers are thrown to generate donations to give back to the community.  I love historic preservation; I love children; I want to be able to give back.  No, you don't need a big house to give back - you can have a tiny house, not spend as much, and give cash.  That's just not me.  Plus, I've been living in less than 1500 square foot for a decade and I want room to spread out!

Exercise: the habit I love to love and love to hate at the same time.  We all know with our desk jobs that we have to exercise daily to prevent our middles from growing as we age.  Truthfully, I feel better when I exercise regularly. I used to go to the gym for an hour a day and walk for 2 hours a day, but I also lived in Washington, DC where everything was walkable and all I had to do was walk out the front door of my building.  I currently live on 400 acres full of forest without trails and on a relatively busy road.  I have to drive to go walk which takes time I don't have with a child and full time job.  This is an important habit I know; I'm just hoping with the new house and neighborhood I can get back to my walking habit!  I now try to do 20 minutes of exercise with Skimble or Sworkit.

Reading, as a habit, is important for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, it helps to develop the mind.   It boosts creativity, gives you new ideas, and helps you grow as a person.  Reading is my favorite habit and I have read every day of my life for pleasure with the exception of those 2 years of grad school!  You couldn't pay me to read for pleasure then!  Even 10 minutes can expose you to something you might not have otherwise encountered that day.

Scribing or writing every day is something that might seem to take a lot of time, but it doesn't have to.  Keeping a one-sentence journal every day is enough to get into the habit of it.  Writing down our thoughts and feelings helps to flesh them out, give them clarity, and make us really think about the swirling emotions, feelings, thoughts constantly circulating in our brains.  The Artist's Way does an excellent job of going into detail about how writing every day helps to unblock your creativity and open the mind to new possibilities.  


While the acronym is SAVERS, they certainly don't have to be practiced in any particular order.  Although, starting with Silence seems to work best, otherwise, you start going and promptly forget it!  I prefer starting with silence, making coffee, writing, doing affirmations/visualization, and the exercising but that's just me.


What about you?  What rituals and habits do you do daily?




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