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I love storytelling and always want my readers to have options. You can find my blogs on my YouTube channel and listen to them on the go.
The Benefits of Meditation
If you had told five years ago that someday daily meditation would be part of my life, I would have said you don’t know me very well. Yet here I am now, practicing meditation daily and finding peace in my heart and mind that I never thought possible.
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique such as mindfulness or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity - to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. - Wikipedia
The thought of meditation may sound silly to some, I know that’s how it sounded to me not too many years ago. But if you are someone who is finding yourself consistently stressed, tired, unhappy with life, or unable to focus, give daily meditation a try for a week and see if you still find it silly after giving it try.
The Basics of Meditating
The practice of meditation is simple and calming and can be done just about anywhere. The basics of meditation are finding a place to be able to sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing.
When I meditate I like to have the lights low. I sit on the floor in a quiet room, with a small blanket under my tailbone, and with my legs in the crossed position. I close my eyes and take deep slow breaths, as I clear my mind.
When I first started meditating, I would do it for about five minutes, which honestly felt like forever. Now I meditate for twenty minutes or more and the time flies. I stand up from meditation and crawl into bed, completely relaxed, at peace, and ready to sleep.
The Benefits of Meditation
Relieves Stress
Life can be very stressful. Whether you are a student, a parent, or a boss, the demands on us in our daily lives can feel overwhelming. Just ten minutes, or three minutes if that’s all you have, can help bring calm, center you, and help you refocus your thoughts and reduce your stress level.
Helps With Sleep
I am an insomniac. I have struggled with sleep for years, which is why I choose to meditate before bedtime. Meditation is very calming and brings down your blood pressure, slows your heart rate, and gets your body ready for a good night’s rest if sleep is your goal.
Relaxing
Meditation is about quieting your mind and getting rid of all the brain chatter that prevents you from being able to decompress and relax. When you center yourself, focus on your breathing, and shutout all those other thoughts, you will feel your body soften as you began to relax.
Helps You Focus
Meditation promotes thoughtfulness. If you have a project or an important event coming up, meditation will help you clear your mind and focus. As you close your eyes and quiet your mind, breathe slowly as you allow your mind to gently focus on the specific topic.
Brings You Peace
The practice of meditation can clear both your head and your heart. When you are able to clear your heart and mind, you are able to make space for love, gratitude, and peace.
I am by no means a meditation expert or Zen master, but I can speak to how meditation has changed my spirit, how it has changed my stress levels, and how it has changed my life for the better. I work on my Zen daily and focus on inner peace.
What are your thoughts on meditation? Do you practice meditation? If so, how does it benefit you? Please share your thoughts and experience with meditation!
10 Best Ways To Destress and Clear Your Mind
For many people, life feels more stressful now than ever before. The feelings of uncertainty, instability, and vulnerability weigh heavy on many hearts and minds daily, so being able to manage your stress level, and clear your mind to focus and think is a much-needed tool to make it through tough times.
Life is stressful, and while a certain amount of stress is normal and healthy, too much stress can cause serious physical and mental issues.
Unfortunately, there is no magical cure to make all of your problems and worries go away, but there are things you can do to help you cope better.
10 Ways To Destress and Clear Your Mind
Play With A Pet
Animals are wonderful stress relievers. They are loving, and affectionate, and can really be your best friend. If you don’t have a pet, head to the animal shelters and consider giving a home to an animal in need. It’s a win-win decision.
Go For A Walk
Getting outside into the fresh air can do wonders for clearing your head and destressing. The sunshine and vitamin D will almost instantly improve your mood.
Focus On Or Find A Hobby
Hobbies are fun, relaxing, and a great way to spend your free time. Maybe your hobby is bird watching or crocheting, or fixing cars and cooking. Whatever you enjoy doing, dive on in and destress.
Exercise
While walking is technically a form of exercise, you make want to challenge yourself more mentally and physically by doing some cardio and weight training. Hit the gym, or workout at home with free weights, videos, or fitness apps.
Spend Time With Friends
Spend time with people who make things feel lighter and better. Great friends can truly be a lifesaver in times like these. Have your friends over for dinner, or meet up for a hike or drinks.
Take Time For Yourself
Do something just for yourself, whether that means going to the spa or to the gun range. The simple things in life have been missed lately. Going to get your nails done, going to the gym, or just window shopping feel like activities of the past. Normal is different, so allowing yourself the little treats you can is worth it and will help to reduce your stress.
Spend Some Time Alone
While many of us have been in quarantine during the pandemic, we still may not get any alone time. Time alone with our thoughts or time alone with our hobbies. Close the bedroom door or bathroom and give yourself an hour of alone time. You deserve it.
Declutter Your Life
Believe it or not, clutter can make you feel more stressed and unable to focus. Spend a Saturday decluttering your closet, your bedroom, or your kitchen, and you will reap the benefits. Not only are you getting rid of stuff you no longer use or need, but you can also help others in need by donating your stuff.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community, give yourself a purpose, and a way to find appreciation for your life. Whether you choose to volunteer at a hospital, at a retirement home, or at a homeless shelter you are likely to come away from your experience less stressed about your own life.
Get More Sleep
Sometimes managing stress is just a simple matter of getting more sleep. Turn off all of the electronics, put on a sleep mask if needed, and get a good night’s rest. When you wake up in the morning, the world and your life will still be the same, but you will have the energy and the focus to face anything that comes your way.
While we cannot control the world around us, we can do our best to manage and control our response in what often feels like chaotic times. Remember, you got this. You will get through this and things will get better.
Are you feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? What do you do to destress and clear your mind? Please your share experience and advice!
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” - Albert Einstein
Self Love...Best Ways To Pamper Yourself
There are many ways to love yourself. It is just as important to be kind, respectful, and loving to yourself as it is to others. Taking time for yourself is personal maintenance and you should not feel guilty for doing it.
How you pamper yourself is unique to you and what relaxes you and brings you peace.
I pamper myself and recharge with some self-indulgences, and no regrets about it. Everyone needs the occasional indulgence. I think my indulgences are simple, not too pricey, and oh so pleasing. If you are not sure how to go about pampering yourself, I have some suggestions for you.
5 Ways To Give Yourself Some Love
“Me” Time
We all deserve to have some time to ourselves and our thoughts. Or maybe time to just not think at all. Whether you are a wife, girlfriend, mother of two, or full time student, you need to take time for yourself to recharge. I like to hit the gym or get a facial for my me time.
Flowers
Fresh flowers are a must have in my home. I buy fresh flowers every week for the kitchen island, the family room, and the master bedroom. Lilies and tulips are my favorite, but I will also mix it up with seasonal flowers.
Like right now I have spring bouquets throughout the house with peonies, tulips, and lucky me, beautiful white and pink lilies.
Cookware
I cook daily for my family. Le Creuset is my cookware of choice. It is pricey but I love to cook and it is so worth it. Le Creuset is quality, heavy, cast iron cookware that I see myself passing on to my daughters who also like to cook.
The cookware comes in great colors. I prefer the caribbean blue. I also splurged on some great bakeware from William Sonoma. Awesome products which make my time in the kitchen easier and much more enjoyable.
Beauty
Now that I am in my forties, my self-awareness in regards to aging is on high alert. I have always taken pretty good care of my skin, but I have bounced around from products. Well I have finally found the skin care and make-up line that I think works best for me, and that is Estee Lauder.
Estee Lauder is also very pricey but worth it to me. I also get regular facials and pedicures which are so relaxing, they are almost therapeutic.
Hikes
Hikes or walks, call it what you will, I enjoy them. I like to get up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings and go for about 2 hours if I can. It clears my mind and get those endorphins going. This one is probably the best indulgence of them all.
I listed things that I enjoy and love to do. That’s really the secret to self love. You find time for the things you love to do and do them. What are your thoughts on self love? Do you make time for yourself? Please share your thoughts and experience!
"If you aren't good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you'll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren't even giving to yourself." -Barbara De Angelis
5 Signs You Are Emotionally Stressed
Life is stressful. Stress can come from all different areas in our lives. Sometimes just saying the word stress can induce that feeling of burden and anxiety. We stress over finances and health, and family and relationships. Not to mention all the in between stresses of “how will I ever be able to do this or that?.
All stress is not a bad thing. Stress can actually be a good motivator to get things done and accomplish more. The problem comes when our stress levels spiral out of control and we feel completely unable to manage the stress.
It is important to recognize when you are emotionally stressed in order to get it under control.
5 Signs You Are Emotionally Stressed
Difficulty Sleeping
Stress can cause difficulty sleeping for several reasons. When you are stressed about something, thoughts of that concern or issue is always on your mind. It can feel almost impossible to shut those thoughts off and relax enough to be able to fall asleep.
Change In Eating Habits
Many people eat their feelings. When stressed you may find that you go for comfort food, which is usually foods that are high is sugar and fat. So not only are you still stressed, but also riddled with guilt over the pint of ice cream you just ate.
For others, when they are stressed they lose their appetite. Some people find themselves unable to eat or even thinking about eating when they feel stressed.
Overly Emotional
It doesn’t take much to make a person who is emotionally stressed to flip out and go to tears. Stress brings our emotions right to the surface, and can affect our ability to think rationally and control our emotions.
When feeling overly emotional it is best to avoid people, until you feel like you have a handle on your thoughts and feelings. Otherwise you may be filled with regret for your hurtful words or behavior.
Feeling Tired
Being stressed is both physically and emotionally draining. Not to mention that your sleep is negatively impacted when you are stressed out.
When feeling emotional stressed you may have feelings of low energy, and like you are dragging around a ten pound ball behind you.
Your Body Hurts
Stress will manifest itself physically. Stress can cause back pain, neck pain, and even heart palpitations. Headaches are very common during times of stress. Extreme stress can make you feel like you are having a heart attack and raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels.
5 Ways To Manage Your Stress
There will always be some element of stress in your life. That should be expected. But there are some simple things you can do help keep your stress at manageable levels.
Meditate
Go For A Walk
Exercise
Focus On Your Hobbies
Journal
The best thing you can do for yourself is find healthy outlets for your stress. For you that may mean making changes to your personal or professional life. Or it could mean seeking counseling or confiding in a friend. Just remember that you do not have to go it alone.
What are your thoughts on emotional stress? How do you cope when feeling overwhelmed? Please share your thoughts!
“If you don't think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days. “- Kris Carr
5 Positive Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Your Life
I believe we are all looking for ways to improve our lives. We only get one life, and we want the best one possible. The place to start with a better life, is by improving ourselves. I mean, after all none of us is a perfect specimen, and we are works in progress. Just perhaps some of us are closer to perfection than others.
We have all been told that change doesn't happen overnight, but that does not always have to be the case. There are little changes, and some big ones, that we can make today that would change our lives for the better. Below is my list of five things you could do right now to improve your life.
5 Positive Things To Do
Help Someone Else
Helping someone else doesn't have to break your bank account, or mean spending all day at a soup kitchen. You could help someone by doing something as simple as rolling out your elderly neighbor's trash cans. Or by walking your sick friend's dog. The little things make a difference to others, and make you feel good as well.
Be Appreciative
It is easy to focus on all the things are wrong, or didn't turn out how we wished they would have. But if you look at your life there is some good, maybe even a lot of good. Appreciate what you have, including the people, and more good things will likely come your way.
Exercise
There are so many ways to exercise. Take a walk. Hit the gym. Go to pilates of yoga. Exercise is not only good for you physically, but also mentally. Whatever you choose to do for exercise, you will most assuredly feel less stressed, happier, and have better mental clarity when you finish, at least that is the goal.
Reflect
When I say reflect, I mean for you do some self-reflection, and a little soul searching. Reflection can show you how far you have come in this life, and open your eyes to where you want to go.
Set A Goal
Having goals keeps us moving forward. Whether your goal is to lose 10 pounds, or to read 100 books this year. A goal gives us focus and purpose. A purpose driven life is a life with meaning.
Anyone can do these five simple tasks on any given day, and make their life better. So what are you waiting for? What are your thoughts on the five ways to improve your life? Please share your thoughts and suggestions!
By admitting your inadequacies, you show you're self-aware enough to know your areas for improvement - and secure enough to be open about them. - Adam Grant