What Self Love REALLY Is - How These 3 Secrets Will Make Loving Yourself Easy

Self love is an underrated topic.  Self love is often just brushed over as just ice cream and pyjamas in the afternoon or “love yourself before you can love anyone else.” But even that’s not entirely true.  Sure eating ice cream could be self love for some people but self love actually goes much deeper.  

Self love is honouring yourself and recognizing your worth.  Self love, like any true and genuine love, is unconditional. When you have self love, you see, value, understand, accept, and love yourself.  You care deeply about yourself and can recognize things, people, thoughts, and energy that does not serve you. With self love you are unstoppable because you know that you can do anything.  Self love is putting yourself first and taking charge of your life.

Most people don't have self love because they have over complicated it. They put up all these walls and barriers keeping them from being happy.  I will love myself when I lose these last 10 pounds. I will be happy when I get a raise. I will love myself when I do this or have that or am this or that kind of person.  And you’ve probably been overcomplicating it too. What have you put in between yourself and unconditional self love?

What if all you had to do was love yourself to get everything you want? How do you know that loving yourself is not the only thing you need to do?

Think about that for a second.  What would change in your life if you just chose to love yourself right now?

Self love is simple.  It can be broken down into three main things.

Self Acceptance

Self Trust 

Honouring Yourself

Self Acceptance.

Too often people start their day by looking in the mirror and jumping straight into picking themselves apart.  You look tired. Is that another pimple? Your teeth are too yellow. And so on. How do you feel about yourself right now? Are you unhappy with yourself or your body? What are you beating yourself up about? How do you talk to yourself? Are you loving or hurtful with yourself?

It is in human nature to look for faults and to compare yourself to others or your younger self.  This is flawed thinking when you are trying to embrace and accept yourself because it is hyper-focusing on the negative aspects of yourself.  What you perceive yourself to be lacking. When all you see are the negative things about yourself, it can be hard to feel as if you are worth accepting.  

True self acceptance comes when you can see the person in the mirror and feel good about everything you see.  And the person that you are or are becoming in every aspect. Accept the good and bad things, the problems and successes, all of it.  Accepting yourself is easy. Just choose to see yourself as already whole. You are complete and perfect just as you are. Act out of deep love for yourself and know your worth. 

Jump to self awareness to learn how to objectively view yourself, your habits, and your being.  Blind self acceptance, accepting absolutely everything about yourself without determining the effects it has, can be detrimental to your commitment to self love.  Self love is a commitment to do and be the best you can and without self awareness you will never know if you are just blindly accepting yourself or if you have true unconditional self love.  Self awareness is key to owning your happiness and having self love.  

Self Trust.

Self trust is honouring your word and doing the things you say you will do. How many times have you promised yourself something and not followed through on it?

A lot of the time it can be easier to keep your word to others but not to yourself.  You promise that today will be the day that you finally start eating healthy or that you will not forget to wash the laundry. But you forget anyway because no one held you accountable.  Every time that you don’t go through with your word, you are further moving out of self trust. The less you trust yourself, the worse you feel about yourself. How would you feel if a friend did this to you?

Acting with integrity is a key part of self esteem and trusting yourself.  When you do what you say you are going to do, you move into self trust. You can trust yourself to take care of what needs to be done and it’s not a question of if you’ll forget or not.  You take care of it because it is important for you to have a good rapport with yourself.  

As you keep up with what you say you will do, you feel better about yourself and your abilities.  You trust yourself and in turn have a better opinion of yourself.

Honoring Yourself.

Honoring yourself is knowing yourself and what makes you feel good.  When you honor yourself you are protecting your energy. You only have so much energy and it doesn’t feel good to give it away to things that do not serve you.

If you know that you really don’t like going out with friends all the time, you honor yourself by allowing yourself to say “no” sometimes.  If you know that you love to create art, you make time for it. If you really love ice cream and crappy tv shows, you will let yourself indulge sometimes.  

Honoring yourself can be anything that you do for self care.  From meditating to sleeping in, or calling your family. Honor yourself and your energy by doing things that make you feel good and recharge you.  

Don’t hesitate to put yourself first.  

Self love is an integral part of living your best and happiest life.  When you work from a place of self love, you act with a deep desire to show yourself love and compassion.  A huge part of the human experience is emotions and how you feel about yourself shapes so much of your world. By allowing love to flow through your being you open the channel for others to see themselves as valuable too.  Self love is knowing your worth and honoring your being. So love yourself deeply and don’t be afraid for the world to see. The more we can love ourselves and tell others that it is okay to love themselves too, the more love there is in the world.  And we can always use more of that.

Self Care for the Soul - 11 Things You Need to do to Take Care of Yourself

In the past, I used to believe that self care was fluffy and simple things like face masks and bubble baths.  And yes, sometimes that is the kind of self care we need but self care is actually bigger than that. So why is self care so important? 

Self care is listening to your body and spirit to understand what you need to feel better.  Self care is important because it is an act of self love and gratitude. Having ideas for creating the best self care checklist or self care strategies can be helpful but a true self care day has more to do with how it makes you feel.  Your self care routine should be full of different self care practices to fully nourish yourself. Self care can look like many different things for many different people but you will know what feels right for you.   

By creating a self care routine or a self care day around nourishment and health of mind, body and soul, you shift from doing something because it is on a list or because you think that that is what self care is supposed to be, to doing something because it feels good and makes you feel healthy and abundant.  Now, not to be contradictory of the list-- a list of no BS self care tips that actually makes you feel good and benefits you on a multitude of levels.  

Do Something You Love

Read a book. Create art. Journal. Take a nap.  Do something that you don’t normally have time to do or seem to always find a reason not to do.  Do this just because you love whatever it is.  

Talk to Someone You Love 

Call your mom, I bet she’d love to hear from you.  

It doesn’t have to be your mom specifically, just take a few minutes out of your day to have a conversation with someone you care about.  Go distraction-free and just talk.  

Say “No”

Self care can be as much about not doing something as it is about doing something.  The best thing can sometimes be to say no to the event or thing that you don’t want to do.  You know the moment from your childhood where you gave your parent the look that said, “please don’t actually give me permission to go, I’d rather stay home than go.”  Give yourself permission to stop when you know that something is just going to drain you more than you are prepared to deal with.  

Meditate

Taking a quiet moment(even as little as 5 minutes) just to calm your mind and recenter yourself, can not only help you to relax but will also help you to focus on how your feeling.  

Self Improvement

Learning more about yourself and cultivating habits that are healthy for your mind and body, is a big part of self care.  Self improvement or self development don’t have to be big things. It could be as simple as taking one thing from this list and applying it every day.  Self care is nourishing yourself and the best way to do that is by getting to know and grow yourself.  

Laugh

Ever heard that laughter is the best medicine?  It seriously is. Laughing, not only distracts you from the busyness of life, but it also acts as a release of energy.  Put on your favourite comedy, joke with a friend or loved one, or just laugh at yourself. Whatever you do just find some time to laugh or joke or just straight up be silly.  

Move your body

Now I actually don’t mean go to the gym or run a marathon(unless that tickles your fancy). Find a way to move your body in a way that energizes you and excites you. Dance. Take a walk. Learn to do a handstand.  Just move your body in a way that makes you happy and feel good.  

Have a Morning/Night Routine

Self care can be the act of nourishing your body whenever you feel like you need it, but it can also be something that you bring into every day.  If you know that drinking water first thing after waking up feels good, try to make it a habit. Having a routine is a good way to nourish yourself without having to think too much about what feels good or right.  

Clean Up

You're probably a little confused by this one but I’m not saying you need to deep clean your whole home.  Just do a little bit, declutter, dust, or any household chore that is simple but that might be bothering you.  It can be surprising how much better you feel when you tackle a small task. 

Talk Nicely to Yourself

Tell yourself, out loud or in your head positive affirmations and words.  When you talk kindly to yourself you are doing inner self care that feeds you from the inside out.  When you love yourself unconditionally, you begin acting out of self love more easily and all self care becomes more powerful.  Instead of being critical and hard on yourself, give yourself a break and just be loving and kind to yourself.  

Smile!

Do it right now.  Slap a big grin on your face and be happy that you are alive.  Smiling makes you feel and believe that you are happy. Smiling is probably one of the easiest and fastest ways to feel better.  For that extra umpth, think about something that you are grateful for and smile big.  

Self care doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.  Keep it simple and think about how you can nourish yourself and give love for yourself.  Don’t feel guilty about putting yourself first, I promise you, you deserve it. When you use self care with the intention of recharging and nourishing yourself, you are giving back to yourself for all that you do.  Self care is an act of self love and self appreciation. Self care can be so much more than just what is on a list, including this list. So do what feels good for you and do it often because you need to practice taking care of yourself and self care is the perfect way to do that. 

6 Scary Truths about your Phone Screen - How to use Blue Light Better

Before the introduction of technology into almost every aspect of life, the sun was the only source of blue light.  Nowadays, almost every form of technology and lighting emits blue light. Blue light is really important for the regulation of body functions and can help you to be more alert.  

Blue light also has a dark side though.  When you expose your eyes to unnatural lights, at the wrong time of day, you can actually mess with your body’s natural regulation of its systems and can make yourself always tired.

Learn to master the use of blue light in the right ways, and avoid it when it is harmful to you.

What is Blue Light 

Blue light is most light emitted from digital devices.  This includes your smartphone, tv, and even most e-readers.  Blue light is also emitted from the sun and fluorescent and LED lights.  

Blue light is a short wavelength color and is easily visible to the human eye.  Because of it having one of the shortest wavelengths(380-500nm), it also has one of the highest energies.  

Effects of Blue Light

Reduce Sleepiness - Waking up and getting some blue light, in the form of sunlight, is particularly important for helping to set the circadian rhythm and wake you up for the day.  

Alertness - Exposure to blue light suppresses melatonin(sleep hormone) and in turn, helps you feel more awake and alert. 

Reaction Time - This study found that 6000K lights were more effective for increasing a person’s reaction time than a lower Kelvin(K) bulb.   

Heart Rate - Your body temperature and heart rate increase after blue light exposure.  You get pumped up and ready to go.   

Dangers of Unnatural Blue Light

Before Bed - Because blue light from screens mimics the sun, it sends a message to our body that it is not time to sleep and instead keeps us up.  

When exposed to blue light from an e-reader, participants of this study were found to take almost 10 minutes longer to fall asleep.  As opposed to participants asked to read a printed book before bed.  To fall asleep faster, science says that it is important to stay away from your phone screen. 

Sleep - In the same study, using blue light also caused less rapid eye movement(REM) sleep. This could impair your ability to learn and affect cognitive function.  Misalignment with a natural circadian rhythm is more likely to lead to sleep deficiency or insomnia.  

Alertness - Blue light will also make you feel less tired and more energized so it will be harder to relax and calm down.  People who used blue light before bed also report waking up tired and taking longer to become fully alert.  

Cancer - The World Health Organization(WHO) has classified night shift work as probably cancer-causing to people.  Blue light exposure at night was linked with an increased risk of prostate and breast cancer.  

Eye Strain - Staring at computer screens or other digital devices can lead to dry, irritated eyes.  Eye strain from computers can also lead to difficulty focusing.  

Eye Damage - Over time, regular exposure to blue light can damage retinal cells and cause vision problems.  

How to Reduce Effects of Blue Light Exposure and Protect your Vision

Use blue blocking lenses(blue light blocking glasses)

Reduce glare on your devices(keep screens clean to avoid extra eye strain)

Use a program to change the colors of your screen(Flux- for computer, night mode - for phones)

Take breaks from staring at a screen 

Avoid screens for 2-3 hours before sleep

Use a candle for late night activities(instead of an LED bulb)

How to Get Better Sleep and Use Blue Light the Right Way

A healthy bedtime routine is a scheduled wind down from the day.  Have a night ritual planned out so you can sleep better. Put your phone down with any alarms you need already set.  Get away from any other screens or lights and do a relaxing activity like reading a book or meditating. Brush your teeth and wash your face using candlelight and relax with a cup of your favorite hot beverage.  

If you have to use a screen after sunset, make sure to use eye protection(like blue light blocking glasses). 

Regulating and normalizing your circadian rhythm is important for a lot more than just your sleep-wake cycles.  Your circadian rhythm also controls your metabolism, hormone secretion, digestion, and many more of your body’s functions.  By messing with your circadian rhythm, by using your phone or other screens late at night, you can disrupt a lot of systems in your body.  Blue light from a device, basically tells your body that it is midday.  

When you first wake up and stick your nose in your phone you seemingly tell your body that it is the middle of the day and you might become more alert but at the sacrifice of the rest of your day.  Then by the time you get to the afternoon, you feel tired and ready to sleep. But when bedtime rolls around, you have been looking at a screen right up until you crawl in bed. And now you can't fall asleep because your body still thinks its midday.  

To use blue light in a more effective way you have to avoid it until the sun has risen and after the sun sets.  Try to get outside to soak up the morning sun and again in the setting sun. This will help to regulate your circadian rhythm.  Plus getting outside can have other health benefits.  

Blue light, although not always harmful, can have a major effect on sleep and wake patterns, eye health, and overall well being.  It is almost impossible to avoid in a world dominated by technology but there are measures that you can take to reduce the negative effects of blue light.  

But you probably noticed that not all of the effects of blue light are bad.  Having more alertness and better reaction time can actually be quite beneficial.  To embrace these benefits, you shouldn’t stick your nose in your phone when you first wake up.  But instead, try to get outside and into the sun’s early morning rays. The sun is a lot more natural way to wake yourself up and, like it nourishes plants, it can nourish you as well.  

By noticing and applying the right timing and kind of blue light, you can effectively improve many different aspects of your sleep and health. 

How to Hack Your Happiness with a Daily Gratitude Practice - Full Guide to Getting Grateful

Gratitude has become a bit of a buzz word.  The idea that we need to be grateful for what we have, has been around forever though.  Making gratitude a practice is something that many people are turning to, to feel better about their lives.  Viewing the world from a place of gratitude and appreciation seems like a small change to make, but it is a shift in perspective that can alter many things in your life.

Can an attitude of gratitude really increase your overall well being and satisfaction with life?  

What is Gratitude

Gratitude, in the simplest terms, is an appreciation and connection to things that are good and meaningful in your life.  Gratitude can be expressed as an appreciation and thankfulness for things or people around you.  

A gratitude practice can become a habit and coping mechanism for tough situations. Looking for the good in everything is an attitude that is cultivated with gratitude.  An attitude of gratitude changes everything. The definition of gratitude can be different for everyone because of the many applications it can have.  

Things that Strengthen Gratitude - How to Be Grateful

Gratitude Journal: Have a book or journal in which to record things you are grateful for.  Everyday write 5(or more) things that you feel grateful for. This gratitude list can include items as big or as small as you are feeling that particular day.   

Gratitude Meditation: This kind of meditation focuses on showing gratitude for different things or people in your life.  Try to find a person you know to be grateful for, one thing that has brought you great joy, and find gratitude for yourself and who you are.  

Tell Someone: If there is someone in your life that has helped you in any way, tell them how much you appreciate them.  It will not only make them happy but you as well. Show your gratitude and share your grateful feeling.  

Say “Thank You”: Even for the small stuff.  Practice saying(and fully meaning!) the words “thank you.” Thank the cashier who rung your groceries through or the guy who held the door for you.  Feel the appreciation for the small stuff.  

Reminder: Have some kind of reminder that every time you see or hear that particular thing, think about something you are grateful for.  You could set a reminder in your phone that goes off multiple times a day. You could even use a person and every time you see them you think of something to be grateful for.  It could be the sound of your furnace kicking on or every time you hear sirens outside.  

Write Note: When someone goes out of their way to help you, write a note or give them a card showing how much you appreciate what they did for you.  

Benefits

Positive Feelings: Gratitude, because it is a positive feeling, allows for more positive emotions to arise.  You feel grateful that your family member helped you out and you also can recognize that you are feeling loved and supported.  Grateful people overall tend to be happier.

Less Negative Feelings: Because grateful people tend to focus more on the good, it leaves less time to worry and feel negative emotions.   

Coping Tool: Gratitude can be used as a great coping tool because when a negative situation comes up, you will be more able to find something good in it.  You can also find meaning in traumatic events this way.  

Well Being: Grateful people are all around happier people.  Grateful attitudes allow for more optimism, appreciation, and joy.  Gratitude changes and shifts thinking patterns into the positive.

Better Sleep: Grateful people tend to ruminate less and will, in turn, not be kept up thinking about negative experiences.  

More Likeable: Gratitude makes you happier and people like to be around happy people.  Plus when you show them that you are grateful for something they did, they become more likely to help you in the future.  If you foster good feelings in other people, they take note of that.

Increased Awareness: Grateful people tend to be be better at noticing or seeing the positive in most situations. They also become more aware of how they are feeling and how expressing gratitude changes that.

More Gratitude: When you bring a gratitude practice into your life, you are welcoming more feeling of gratitude.  What you look for you will see more of. A gratitude practice solidifies to the universe that you would like to see more good and that is exactly what you'll see.  

Key Ideas

The most important part of practicing gratitude is that it is a consistent thing.  To see the most benefits, make gratitude a daily practice. The more you practice gratitude, the easier it will become to be grateful.  

Having a commitment with yourself can help to make gratitude habitual in your life.  Commit to keeping a gratitude journal for 30 days(or even a week) and notice how you feel.  Every morning say 5 things that you are grateful for. If after the time period you are more easily able to feel gratitude, that means its working.  Try to keep making time for gratitude as often as you can.  

Over even more time, as your gratitude practice becomes like second nature, see how feelings of gratitude come more easily or at times when you don't expect it.  Gratitude has a way of leaking into the rest of your life if you can commit to it. You will start to notice feelings of gratitude more often and outside of your practice.  

Observing your world from a place of gratitude has the power to shape your whole mindset.  You move away from “why did this happen to me?” and into “what did this experience give me?”  Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces for change because it forces you to look for the good.  The more good things you are able to notice, the more it seems that you attract them.  

Gratitude is many things.  Mindset, feeling, or a simple acknowledgment of the good.  When you make gratitude a part of your daily life, you become a happier, more optimistic person for not only yourself but everyone around you.  Making gratitude a habit for life is possibly one of the best things you can do.

Power of Meditation: Brain Health, Happiness, and Tips for Every Meditator

Meditation has a profound impact on people who practice it.  The act of being mindful, through mindfulness meditation or mindfulness activities, has the power to elicit change both mentally and physically(and spiritually).  From happiness to physical changes in the brain, the practice of meditation has the ability to enhance so many different aspects of life. Mindfulness and meditation are techniques that everyone should find a way to incorporate in their lives.  

Brain Health

After an 8-week mindfulness program, beginner meditators were seen to have better brain health.  Particular improvements in the posterior change(mind wandering, self-relevance), left hippocampus(learning, cognition, emotional control, and memory), pons(production site of regulatory neurotransmitters), temporoparietal junction(TPJ - compassion, empathy), and the amygdala(fight or flight reaction, stress reaction).   

Long term meditators appear to have younger brains.  More gray matter was found in both sensory and auditory, and the frontal cortex, this leads to improved senses and better decision and memory function.   

Meditation Benefits

Pain Reduction: After only four days of meditation, there was less of a reaction to discomfort and pain from heat.  This could also be true when it comes to pain of any kind, as meditation helps you to focus more on your body and breathing but also be less reactive.  

Self Awareness: Meditation changes the way you look at the world and yourself.  When you are more in sync with your body and aware of your thoughts, you cultivate a better way of looking at the world.  

Sleep: Meditation for sleep, like body scans and relaxation practices, can help in calming you down and in falling asleep.  The easier it is for you to relax at the end of the day, the easier it will be to fall asleep.

Emotional Regulation: Because of the awareness that meditation brings, it allows you to better “see” your emotions and recognize them.  Without getting caught up in them. Meditation can be especially helpful for anxiety.

Focus: It was found that, although meditation didn’t help people multitask better, it did help them to stay focused on one task for long.  Meditation trains your ability to focus and that focus can be seen in areas outside of meditation.

Happiness: It is suggested that the moments in which a person is the happiest, are the ones where they are the most present.  Meditation teaches how to embrace the present moment and not get distracted by thoughts and worries.

Decreased Stress: Along with the changes in your brain from meditation, having the ability to focus on your breath and body helps to slow the flow of thoughts.  Because of this, you are more able to relax in stressful situations.

Well Being: Meditation, not only decreases stress, but it also lowers depression, insomnia, and can help increase your overall quality of life.  Having a better functioning brain is important for a lot of areas of life.

For your Meditation Practice - Meditation Tips

Sit or lay with a straight back, don’t slouch or let your shoulders roll forwards but be comfortable.

Always bring your attention back to your breath.  Don’t judge thoughts that come up, just let them go.  Learn to come back to your body or breath.

Don’t beat yourself up when you inevitably lose focus.  You will question your ability to focus. Let that feeling be and come back to your breath.  Don’t get too caught up in needing to focus, this will make meditation feel like work and it won’t have the same effect.

A commitment to a meditation practice is key.  It doesn’t have to be daily, just consistent. Aim for 3 plus times a week, 10-15 minutes and increase it over time.

The more you do it the more benefits you will see.  With consistency and regular practice, you will notice more benefits and it will become easier to let go of your thoughts.  

The “in the moment” presentness of meditation should spill out into the rest of your day.  You want to be more mindful and connected in everything you do. Meditation just teaches you how to do that.  

Adding Intention

By adding intention to your meditation practice, you can get more out of it.  When you create an intention, you can help to deflect some of your doubts about meditation.  You stop looking for a goal and instead are open to whatever you are given.

To set an intention(for one meditation practice or more), come up with a positive statement about what you want to have answers to or work on. “I will feel calm and centered.”

Write it down or say it over in your mind a few times before or after(Was there something that came up while you were meditating that may be important for the rest of your day?) you meditate, let it really sink in.  Then surrender to the experience of meditation or the rest of your day and allow yourself to let go. Be open to whatever comes to you and if it doesn’t feel right, allow yourself to let it go as well.

When You Feel like You just can’t Meditate

Maybe you’ve never meditated before, or you are just finding reasons to skip your meditation practice.  Whatever the reason, these tips should help you feel more ready to meditate.

You don’t have to be good.  Meditation is a practice and your goal is not to do it perfectly, its just to do it.  

You can’t focus.  Meditation helps teach focus and so it’s perfectly okay if you feel like you are having a hard time not engaging with your thoughts.  Just relax and come back to your breath. Different kinds of meditation promote different ideas, some have nothing to do with focus. Trying new kinds of meditation can help you find what works best for you.  

You don’t like meditation.  There are so many different types of meditation.  If you don’t enjoy a certain type of meditation, there are plenty of other types and other forms of practice.  

If you don’t want to meditate, it probably means you need to.  If you are avoiding meditation for any reason, it most likely means that there is something going.  Whether its just stress or you don’t feel like you have enough time, practicing meditation will help you quell that feeling.  

The ability to slow down and be in the moment is something that everyone needs to embrace.  Meditation should inspire you to be more aware and apart of the world around you. When mindfulness moments are welcomed and embraced(especially outside of your meditation practice), you start to value your time in the present moment more.  

Everyone needs to slow down a little and keep themselves and their brain healthy.  Meditation and mindfulness can do all of that. This practice is beneficial for everyone.  I hope this gave you the inspiration to improve your health with meditation.

Benefits of Cold Showers - How to Embrace the cold for Health and Happiness

Taking a cold shower can seem like a whole lot of NO.  Like how can a cold shower be good for you? Surprisingly though, being exposed to minor stress like the cold can actually have many benefits both on the mind and body. 

Many cultures around the world have used forms of cold therapy to heal.  This can come in the form of cryotherapy(entering a room -100C for up to 3 minutes) or even through the practice of winter swimming(swimming in bodies of water where the winter conditions make the water freeze).  Beginning in the 1970s cryotherapy was first used as a fixed for rheumatoid arthritis and had now evolved to everyday people using the cold as a way to improve immune function, increase energy levels, and have overall better performance.

Cold Shower Benefits

Energy Increase: Jumping into a cold shower gives your body a boost of energy.  For this reason, a cold shower in the morning can be a great way to wake up.  Some people even liken cold showers to having a cup of coffee! 

Increased well being: Although only a slight increase, this study showed that in all intervention groups(each group participated in cold showers, just in differing amounts of time), there was an increase of the reported quality of life.  Cold showers can have an even greater effect on reducing depression and anxiety as well.  

Improved Immune Function: Cold showers in combination with regular physical activity have been found to result in a 54% reduction of sick days taken.  

Pain Relieving: Cryotherapy was initially used for arthritis and later found to be beneficial for sports induced cell and tissues damage(DOMS, injury, etc.) in high-performance athletes.  This could mean that most people could also see improvement with pain or injuries after exposing themselves to the cold.

Reduced Stress: It was found that being exposed to the cold did not increase cortisol(stress hormone, responsible for fight or flight response) levels.  With regular and consistent exposure to the cold, cortisol can actually be decreased. Plus the benefit of cold showers is that you can’t think about anything other than the cold.  

Increased Willpower: If you can expose yourself to the cold regularly because you have to endure some level of discomfort, you can condition yourself to be able to do other challenging things easier. 

Weight Loss: Cold showers can help with weight loss in a few ways.  When practiced long term, cold therapy can actually boost your metabolism and in turn help with weight loss.  As well the increased will power can help you resist the urge to go for an unhealthy snack.    

Hair and Skin Health: Cold water tightens and closes your pores, which can prevent them from getting clogged.  Hot water, on the other hand, opens your pores and can actually cause your skin to dry out.  By closing your pores, you stop dirt and bacteria from entering your skin. On your scalp, cold water can help you to lose less hair in the shower than if you were to wash your head in warm or hot water.  

Better Circulation: The cold shock that your body receives when you expose yourself to the cold, actually improves circulation as your body is forced to keep your vital organs warm.  When your heart has to pump more efficiently like this it helps blood flow to all of your body.

Downsides

Trouble Sleeping: The only cases where insomnia was reported after taking cold showers, was in individuals taking cold showers in the evening.  A cold shower before bed could wake you up. This just further proves that cold showers can act as a stimulant to get you up and ready to go.  It could also help to cool you down and relax before bed.  

Lingering Cold: In some cases, after getting out of a cold shower, the cold feeling may not go away right away.  This should not discourage you from trying a cold shower because you can always warm up afterward by putting on clothes or snuggling up in a blanket.  

Discomfort: Although cold exposure was only found to cause discomfort during the experience,  this discomfort isn’t a bad thing. When you can deal with a more mild level of discomfort, you, in a sense, prepare yourself better for high-stress situations.  

Tips for Tolerating the Cold

It might seem a little intimidating to even think about hoping a completely cold water shower, here are some cold shower tips to get you ready to cool down:

Hype yourself up. Get excited about getting cold.  Make having a cold shower fun and exciting.  

Find a distraction. Don’t think about the temperature at all, listen to a podcast or your favorite song, something to make you not focus on the cold.  

Go slow. You don’t have to jump right to full on cold showers.  Start small, maybe only a few seconds of cold.

Turn it into a meditation.  Focus on your breath and the cold becomes less noticeable.

How to Take a Cold Shower

If your normal idea of a shower is hot and steamy, the idea of blasting yourself with cold water can seem really intimidating.  You can start easy, by only slowly decreasing the temperature of your shower until you get a feel for cooler water. You can keep decreasing the temperature until it is nearly cold, either by the course of a few showers or only one.  This way you work up, slowly, to being able to tolerate the cold.

You could also have your normal temperature shower and, at the end of your shower, turn the tap to only cold water.  This way is a pretty simple way to have a cold shower because it doesn’t have to take away from your normal shower temperature.  Stay in it for as long as you can. Work up time-wise from 15-30 seconds to upwards of 3-5 minutes.  

Winter Weather

You don't even need to jump into a cold shower to see the benefits of cold therapy. For those living in regions of the world that get cold, just going outside can be an effective form of exposure to the cold.  

Acting in a similar way to cryotherapy, just going outside in winter weather exposes you to the cold in a beneficial way.  Depending on how cold outside it is, you will need to wear some level of clothing. You don’t want to wear a big jacket or snow pants, instead opt for shoes, gloves, shorts, and a light or sleeveless shirt.  And just go outside for a minute or as long as you can comfortably tolerate.  

Ice Bath

There are two ways of doing this, the first an actual ice bath. Fill your tub about halfway with cold or cool water, dump a hefty amount of ice in, and jump in.  

If you are just looking for the skin benefits, you can also do this in a bucket or bowl, and just dunk your face in for as long as you can.  You can then go for another attempt and dunk yourself again, continuing for three or four times, or until you can’t anymore. (Not too many times and you don’t want to freeze!)

You could also submerge yourself in a natural body of water for some cold therapy(and grounding too!). This one is pretty straight forward, find a body of water(lake, ocean, etc.) and just go for a dip.  

Always make sure to check in with yourself and your body while doing any form of cold therapy as you don’t want to overdo it.  If you feel like you are unbearably cold, stop, get out and warm up.  

Cold therapy can be an interesting(and mostly free) way to improve your health and well being. There are no limitations to how you can incorporate it into your day.  When you can tolerate a cold shower and really get used to it, you feel like you can conquer almost anything. The cold can act in different ways for many people, so experiment with it.  

Try getting cold in different ways and try it for different lengths of time.  Learn to love the cold(even if it’s only sometimes).

Benefits to Going Barefoot - How to get Grounded with Earthing

Throughout history, humans had direct contact with the earth.  If they were not walking barefoot, they were wearing or sleeping on animal skins.  We were almost always in constant contact with the earth.

Until now, in present time, we spend almost all of our time wearing shoes or inside buildings.  We have almost completely disconnected ourselves from the earth. Can you recall the last time that you went outside barefoot and just enjoyed nature?

I'm guessing you either don’t remember a time when you did that or it was sooo long ago that you hardly remember it.  

Just going barefoot to the earth could be a lifestyle shift that helps protect your body from stress and could even keep you healthy for longer.  

How it Works

The human body produces free radicals as a response to stress, injury, or disease.  These free radicals are positively charged and can be eliminated by anti-oxidants or free electrons.  Our immune system produces free radicals to bind to negative electrons from damaged tissues or others pathogens that enter our body but because of the constant stresses from everyday life, these free radicals build up and can cause inflammation.  

Because human bodies are electrical and conductive in nature, we can connect to already existing currents.  The Earth has a negative potential and an abundance of free electrons. It is believed that by connecting the body to the Earth, it allows for free electrons to move into the body and bind with the free radicals.  When the free radicals attach to the electrons they are neutralized and can no longer cause inflammation and damage to your tissues.

On a more light note(and a little less scientific) connecting with the earth allows you to synchronize with its energy.  The earth is one of the best sources of life and energy(other than the sun which we also need to survive). Everything on this planet exists because of the earth and is reliant of it.  Every single animal has direct contact with the ground and humans are the only ones to be disconnected from it.

So what happens when we make purposeful contact with the earth?

Benefits

Feelings of Well Being: Many people report that spending some time in their day to ground themselves, makes them feel healthier and happier.  This could be the gratification of taking time to disconnect from stress and going out into nature. This could also be the result of the free radicals binding and no longer being active in the body.  Nature has a natural calming effect and grounding is one way to take advantage of that.

Improved Sleep: Earthing has been found to improve sleep in cases where the study participant sleeps grounded throughout the night.  However, just connecting with the earth can help to normalize the body’s biological rhythms. By resetting the day-night cortisol levels, grounding can help you to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep the whole night.  This can be especially useful for reducing jetlag.

Lower Stress: Earthing helps to regulate cortisol which is responsible for the fight or flight network. By earthing on a regular basis, you can help keep your cortisol levels regulated, and in turn, feel calmer.  As well, just getting outside is a natural stress relieving activity.

Pain Management: In individuals with chronic pain, earthing can be a great tool to reduce inflammation.  Because of grounding’s effect on blood viscosity, muscle tension and headaches can also be reduced.  

Muscle Recovery: It has been found that earthing reduces blood viscosity(thins blood) and in turn increases circulation.  This can have an effect on the body’s ability to recover after an intense workout and can reduce DOMS(delayed onset muscle soreness).  As well earthing reduces inflammation which can lead to faster healing in muscles.

Menstrual Symptoms: Women have been found to get even more benefits from earthing than men.  Earthing can provide relief from both PMS symptoms(food cravings, irritability, emotional irregularities, etc) and menopausal symptoms(hot flashes, weight gain, chills, etc.).  There is a lack of evidence showing why women have better success with earthing.

Weight Loss: Because of the connection between high cortisol levels and increased weight gain, earthing could have the ability to help you lose weight.  Not only do you feel more relaxed and calm when earthing but it helps to mitigate stress and in turn help with weight loss.

Some afflictions earthing could have the potential to help: cardiovascular disease, allergies, arthritis, anemia, asthma, psoriasis, eczema, Alzheimers, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and many more.  

How to

The best and safest way to practice earthing is by connecting with the actual ground.  Find a park or an area that is relatively untouched by human electrical current and just go barefoot.  Doing this for 20-40 minutes every day would be optimal. If all you could do was going out in your backyard daily, this would act to ground you as well.  

Grass, sand, dirt, or concrete are all conductors, meaning that all you really need to do is touch these surfaces(assuming that they are connected to the earth) to ground yourself.  Water is also a great way to practice earthing. Salt water is more conductive than fresh water so it could hold potentially greater power for its ability to ground you. Both fresh and salt water are good ways to ground yourself if you have access to them.

Avoid grounding mats of other technologies meant to ground you, as they may not be a reliable way in which to receive the benefits of grounding.  In some cases, grounding mats can actually cause more issues than fix. Keeping it natural and simple is often the best way to go.

Issues with the Science of Earthing

Most studies are only performed on small sample sizes.  This means that we don’t know for sure if earthing really has any benefits to the majority of society.  Many of the studies that have been conducted have only been done on people with ongoing sleep or other issues.  Because of this, it can be hard to say whether or not a person who does not experience any of these issues would receive the same kind of benefit.  

Many of the studies regarding grounding use different methods.  Some employ grounding mats, copper plates, or other technologies believed to ground you.  Because there is such a wide variety of techniques used to ground, it is hard to say if each method has the same effect.

Most studies that exist today, are funded or completed by individuals or groups that have a preset view of grounding.  Some of the conclusions made from these studies, are purely speculation and cannot prove definitively where the benefits come from.

Because of that, it is not taken into account that just being outside may have the ability to give the benefits we see from grounding.  Just the act of being outside with no other things to focus on could be the reason some of these studies find benefits.

A lot of the evidence behind earthing can be touted as anecdotal or biased.  Until more studies are completed, it is hard to say that grounding can really be a cure-all.  It is important not to take everything you read as fact, but to try it and see the difference(or lack of) in your own life.

Earthing is a relatively new idea and although we do not have all the science to back it up, some people have found some great benefits.  Whether you just try earthing for 20 minutes of quiet or just to see if you feel healthier, it is worth experimenting with to see how it can fit into your life.  

Beat the Loneliness Epidemic and Make Friends for Your Well Being and Overall Health

Humans are inherently social creatures.  We evolved through the sharing of resources and information.  Tribes and communities were the norm. As time progressed, we moved farther away from tight-knit communities and although with the invention of the internet, we can connect with people all over the world instantly, we are also very disconnected.  

Moving back to our roots of being close with the people around us, helps to grow strong connections and could be the key to happiness and health.  

Making and having friends helps you to better cope, be healthier, and can force you to level up in life.  You grow your social skills and get to feel apart of something when you do activities to make friends. You can meet lifelong friends and beat the loneliness epidemic when you embrace and welcome people into your life.  

Dangers of No Support

From this study, lonely adults were more likely to have poorer sleep and elevated heart rates.  On top of that, loneliness and depression have strong associations.  Being lonely for long periods of time, seem to contribute to immune stress and lower cognition in older people.  Lower cognition can also signal dementia and cognitive decline in later life.

Social isolation, such as in spouse-less or those with longstanding illnesses(arthritis, impaired mobility, etc), are at a higher risk of all-cause mortality.  This could be because they have no one to tell them when they need medical attention, or they overall have a lower quality of health.  

It appears as though, having a strong sense of community, leads you to live a healthier and longer life.  

Types of Support

Emotional - Emotional support helps you feel heard, deal with stress and worries, and feel like you have someone who will listen and back you up.  

Physical - Physical support is real tangible support, typically in the form of financial support, or goods and services.  

Companionship - Having a companion, not just in a relationship sense, makes you feel a sense of belonging as if someone is going through it with you.  This could be someone who goes to the gym with you or something as simple as someone sharing the same experience with you.  

Informational - Informational support is just what it sounds like.  It can be in the form of guidance or teaching or even decision making.  

Benefits of Having Friends - Importance of a Support System

Improved well being

Better coping with stress

Motivate you to make healthy choices

Feel cared about 

Feel apart of something bigger than yourself

Many types of needs can be met

Better sleep

Healthier 

Make it Not about You

Reaching out to people can be hard.  Sometimes, it can be easier to reframe it.  Think about the other person. They need a community as much as you do.  It might be scary to be the first one to reach out but having the idea in your head that it's not always about you, can help.  You can feel more empowered and excited to reach out when you know that they will feel good after talking to you.  

You never know how much someone else needs support until you reach out.  They might be suffering and just the smallest gesture can mean the world to them.  Not only can you use connections to enrich your life, but you can help other people do that too. Everyone needs a support system.  When you call/text/see this other person they benefit too.  

How to Make Friends(even as an adult)

Call your mom: Or your dad, or someone in your family.  Reaching out to family is a great way to have a support system.  

Join a Club: Have something that you are interested in? Chances are that there are other people in your area that are interested in it too.  If you like yoga, go to a class and talk to someone else in the class. Check internet forums for local people interested in the same thing you are.

Reach out to your friends: Everyone can get caught up in everyday life and seeing your friends can get put on the back burner.  Even just texting your friends or meeting for coffee for a short time can boost yours(and their!) mood.  

Go Somewhere: Even just walking down the street and smiling at the people you pass, helps to make you feel more connected.  When you radiate happiness it rubs off, even to strangers. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you could strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know.  

Do Community Service: Volunteer at a soup kitchen.  Clean up trash in your city. Hang out at a retirement community.  There are so many opportunities to help make a difference. Doing something good for your community feels good and makes you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself.  Plus these activities line you up to make friends with good people.  

An Extra Note

Sometimes, in your life, you might not feel worthy of love or support.  It is important to know that wherever you are and no matter your circumstance, you are worthy.  To overcome loneliness and potentially social isolation, you might have to forgive yourself and let go of past pain.  You are better off talking to friends and family and building a support system, rather than suffering alone.  

There are clear benefits to having people you can talk to and, suffering or not, you deserve to feel supported.  

It is important, not only for you, but the people around you too to feel apart of something.  By building a community and reaching out to people in your life, you can improve your overall well being and the well being of others.  The key to mastering community, in this day and age, is to know when to embrace technology and when to put the screen down. Allow yourself to be fully connected with the person in front of you and to call or text people when you can’t see them.  

Everyone needs a sense of support, you can foster that in other people and nourish yourself at the same time. 

21 Powerful Mindfulness Affirmations for Inner Calm and Relief from Anxiety

Just like, how you can use good habits to beat bad ones, positive affirmations can be used to challenge and redirect negative thoughts.  An affirmation is a phrase or set of phrases that you repeat to yourself to affirm a belief or thought. By working with daily affirmations or morning affirmations, you can set intention into your day.  

With this list of positive affirmations, you can tap into your mind power to reduce stress and learn to live in the moment.  Not only can these affirmations help you be mindful but they can work as relaxation exercises and relaxation techniques for anxiety.  Mindfulness based stress reduction paired with positive sayings, like these personal affirmations, are sure to bring more calm positive thoughts.

Words of affirmation can be used like positive mantra’s, meaning the weight you put into them is up to you.  If you can believe these positive phrases then you can make them a reality.

Daily positive affirmations, because of the repetition, begin to feel true the more you say them.  This creates a habit of positive thinking.

I know how sucky it is to feel like you’re always worried about something on the horizon.  It feels like your mind is working against you and it starts to affect your health. I could never sleep, I always felt lethargic and tired, and something was always working against me.  

Being able to have positive affirmations for anxiety helps me to chill out.  Once I start feeling the overthinking sneak up, I can feel confident knowing that I have positive affirmation after positive affirmation to distract and bring my mind back.  By using these affirmations to create mindfulness for anxiety, you can begin to eliminate the stress caused by being too much in your head.

These do not need to be just positive affirmations for anxiety relief though.  You can use these to create more mindfulness and calm for any day.

I only exist right now.

I am calm.

I will not worry about things out of my control.

I have nothing to worry about.  

I am free from constraints.

I choose to exist right now.

I am here in the present moment.

I have the power to change what does not serve me.

I will focus on what makes me happy.

Challenges only bring me closer to my goals.  

I will be mindful and aware of my body and space.

I attract positive energy.

I am prioritizing my happiness.

My mind is calm.

I am free to let go of fear.

I will not be held back by the past.

I create the world I am in.

I surrender my fear and doubts, as they do not serve me.

All is well in this moment.

My thoughts are not me.

I choose to replace worry with love and acceptance.  

Feel free to save these affirmations for coming back to.  

Mindfulness opens the door to a calmer life where living in the moment is second nature.  Positive affirmation words like these can help to remind you to be more mindful. You can be a self fulfilling prophecy by using positive self affirmations to be the calmest, least stressed person ever!

How to F*cking Relax - 8 Tips for Overcoming Anxiety and Overthinking

Overthinking sucks!  I get it, I was a chronic overthinker.  I know the cycle of worry that picks up speed and builds until it is all consuming. I might even be the queen of overthinking.  

I would overthink and overanalyze every possible thing.  Random memory from my past that floods me with horrible anxiety.  Thoughts of defeat towards something that hadn’t even happened yet.  Wondering how to stop overthinking… wait am I overthinking this.  You name it, I’ve thought about it all too much.  

I’ve wanted to scream, “How do I stop thinking!?”  Scratch that. I have screamed that.  Maybe not out loud but definitely in my anxious brain.  I just wanted to relax.  I wanted to stop being kept up at night and I wanted to be able to focus.  

You see the worst part about overthinking is that, not only do you fall further down the rabbit hole the more you think, but the more you think the worse you feel.  

And suddenly you're worried about the earth falling out of the sky.  It feels like it is teetering on your shoulders and you’re just not strong enough to hold the whole damn thing up anymore.  

What if I told you that you don’t have to carry that weight anymore?  You don’t have to feel like your mind imprisons you. You are free to let it all go.  

But you have to really want it.  You have to be ready to call yourself out and get really honest.  You need to choose to live now, not yesterday or tomorrow, but right now.  Nothing else exists but the moment you are in right here.  

Are you ready to choose that?

Do you want to harness the present moment even more?  Stay on track and crush your goals using this Daily Success Driver and Habit Tracker.  No more guessing what you need to do.  Just get shit done!

1. Set yourself up for success

When you are living an unhealthy lifestyle, you are even more prone to anxiety and intrusive thoughts.  By developing good habits and routines you set yourself up to feel better and have overall lower levels of stress.  Get a good night’s sleep to start the day off well, find a way to incorporate physical activity into your day, and try to eat healthy foods.  A healthy you is a happy you.  

2. Be Aware + Observation

Learn to catch yourself in moments where you are overthinking.  Acknowledging the habit of overthinking is the first real act to limiting the amount you overthink.  By learning to recognize overthinking and other anxious behaviors, you can also begin to find the causes.  Try to find the root of the problem to further your awareness.  

3. Accept it

To challenge your anxious mind, when you feel yourself overthinking, tell yourself that you cannot change the past and that worrying about the future will not get you there any faster.  Allow yourself to accept that some things are not in your control.  If you can’t change it, don’t worry about it.  This can be tough as you mind wants to worry but you have to remind yourself that things are not always in your control.  

4. Pull yourself out

This one is going to take some strength.  Once you are aware that you are overthinking, you have to bring yourself out of your head.  Accept that your mind wants to wander and then bring it back and tune into the present moment.  

5. Take Action

There’s no point worrying about something that you can’t control.  If you can change the situation or there’s something to fix or do, then do that.  Quell the worry by dealing with the problem.  

6. Find Distractions

When you start feeling anxious, the easiest way to immediately take action is to find something different to think about and focus on.  Any activity that works to get you out of your head is helpful.  

7. Schedule “Worry Time”

Give yourself time to overthink and worry as much as you want.  When “worry time” is over though, so is your overthinking.  

Feeling some overthinking come up?  Sorry, can you hold? Book yourself an appointment to let your brain go wild with thoughts.  Instead of engaging with your mind, put it off for a later date.  Not only does this stop you from overthinking in the moment but by the time you get to “later” you might have no need to overthink.  

8. Learn Forgiveness

Angry is a stew-y emotion.  It likes to hang out for too long and can build up easily if you let yourself overthink it.  Instead of finding all the reasons to be upset, learn to forgive.  This includes yourself.  Forgiveness helps you to let go of the emotions you might have towards a situation or person.  

9. Put it into perspective

Rationalize it!  In your head, explain to yourself all the reasons you have not to worry about whatever is bothering you.  Instead of worrying about what you did wrong or what might go wrong, realize that you’re probably worrying for no reason.  If it hasn’t happened yet then there’s no point putting yourself through it beforehand.  If it has already happened, know that nobody else is thinking about what you said or did, they are way more worried about themselves.  

10. Affirmations

This is a variation of distracting yourself where, when you feel intrusive thoughts you repeat a mantra or affirmations to counter your other thoughts.  Affirmations for anxiety or a line you can repeat to yourself forces your mind to break up your pattern of thinking.  Once you have recognized your overthinking, let it go and begin to repeat your affirmations.  Keep doing so until the anxious thoughts pass.

11. Embrace the present moment

This is a mindset shift.  You have to actively choose to not let yourself exist in anything but right now.  Know that thinking too much is not good for you and instead, try to embrace the present moment.  

When you can relax your over active mind and stop overthinking, you can begin to manage stress and anxiety better.  By pulling yourself out and consistently coming back to the present moment, you develop a mindset that keeps overthinking away.  Beating overthinking is really hard because like any pattern you have, it’s comfortable and easy to slip back into. Some days, all you might need is to push off your anxious thoughts and others you might try everything on this list.  Keep coming back to a place of observation and awareness and try to move back into the present moment.

How to Beat your Bad Habits and be Happy - 7 Steps to Kill Bad Habits

Bad habits are controlling, hard to manage and can seem impossible to get rid of.  Breaking a bad habit is a process and can take patience.  The biggest part is that you are able to be aware of your habit and form processes to curb it.  Beating your bad habits can be a lot of work but you are left happier and healthier when you do.  

Breaking the habit or habits that control your life can put you on the path to be your best self.  Changing your habits and overcoming the fear of change helps you to have a happy life and a positive attitude.

I am a chronic phone user.  I love to scroll through the endless sea of posts and stories.  Problem is, it’s endless.  I can scroll through post after post and never realize just how consumed I can get.  

I’m not going to share how long each day I’m on my phone because it is a little excessive and my “Daily Screen Time” already shames me enough.  

I don’t want to keep up this pattern though, my phone is not a way of life.  I want to stop reaching for my phone whenever I have a hand free. By trying to catch myself during my scroll, I can start to break the habit.  Acknowledging I have an issue and catching myself in the act, help to begin to change my habits.  Instead of reaching for my phone, I try to grab a book instead. When my hands itch for the fix on my feed, I find something else to do with my hands. Crocheting, drawing, or cleaning are quick ways for me to distract myself.  

I’m not over my scrolling addiction and I can still find comfort in my old ways but I have to keep coming back to the real world.  Pulling myself out of the trace that bad habits bring can be really tough and change will not happen overnight but with repetition and replacement with good habits is helping to break my bad habit cycle.  

You are a wannabe go-getter and you want to live your most fulfilled life but you don’t know where to start? When you subscribe to my newsletter you get access to my Daily Success Driver and Habit Tracker! Both of these work together help you choose the right kind of habits and stick to them!

Tips for success

These really don’t fit into my 7 step bad habit breaking system but I think they are important to note, as they may help you get an extra edge over your bad habits.

Buddy System - This works really well when you need help to keep yourself accountable.  By finding someone who is trying to quit the same bad habit you are, you can work together to keep each other on track.  Having someone who is going through the same thing you are, gives you someone to relate to and can make you more likely to stay on track.

Talk about it - Maybe you don’t have anyone who can be your partner in breaking your bad habits but you can use social pressure to keep you accountable.  By talking about and telling your friends, family, or coworkers about your goal, you seeming leave yourself with no option but to succeed.  

Reward Yourself - When you find yourself meeting your goals, make a point to acknowledge it.  Make reaching your goals something exciting and something you look forward to.  

Step 1 - Acknowledge your Habit

Chances are if you are reading this then you already know what your bad habit is(or habits are).  Acknowledging your bad habit is a little more than knowing what your habit is.  Acknowledging your bad habit is also about accepting that your bad habit does not serve you.  You have to believe that your bad habit is worth getting rid of.  

Step 2 - Determine Causes

To fully understand your bad habit you have to find the trigger or cause of it.  Most commonly stress and boredom are the cause of bad habits.  You can try to narrow it down even farther to help with the next step.

When you get stressed at work you might feel like lighting up a cigarette or you might start drinking every weekend.  Maybe when you’re bored you pick up your phone.  What drives you to your bad habit?

Step 3 - Change your Environment

When you have triggers all around you it can be hard to make sure you don’t slip back into your bad habit.  By removing any potential triggers you can limit the frequency that you will have to fight your mind not to resort to the bad habit.

If you are trying to quit sugar, you should get rid you the snack foods in your pantry and make sure not to buy any more.  If your bad habit is using your cellphone too much, you could try leaving your phone in another room or even set a time in your household that you make cell phone free.  

Step 4 - Set Goals

You don’t have to eliminate your bad habits cold turkey.  Instead, work on setting reasonable goals for yourself to meet.  Use goals as daily motivation to keep your bad habits at bay.

If you want to quit smoking, try to limit the number of cigarettes you have.  Start by having one less than normal, then two and so on until you reach one cigarette per day.  Try to stop entirely for one day then two. Quitting your bad habits does not have to happen all at once; start small and work your way up.

Step 5 - Create Healthy Habits

When you can rely on good habits instead of your past bad ones, you can channel your energy into something healthy.  Instead of smoking when you get stressed, try meditating or add daily physical activity into your routine.  Take the energy you once had for your bad habit and use it for something to benefit you.

Making good habits is also a process but it can be the turning point for leaving your bad habits behind.  Develop happy habits and become happy yourself.  

Step 6 - Learn Awareness

If you find yourself feeling stressed or reaching for the bad habit, take a moment to acknowledge it.  Check in with yourself.  Are you feeling any certain way? Bored? Stressed?

If you can catch yourself before you begin to engage with your bad habit you can reroute and pick a healthier way to deal with how your feeling.

You can also use this strategy to catch yourself during the act as well.  Your response may be more of, what can I do right now to stop myself from continuing my bad habit?  How can I pull myself out of the act that I'm partaking in?

Step 7 - Keep Showing Up

Breaking a habit is hard and there is a good chance that will power alone will not be enough to keep you from your bad habit.  Learn to accept when you relapse but also learn to get back up.  You have to actively want to break your bad habit and when you can keep coming back to good habits and healthy ways of dealing with stress, you increase your ability to not let your old ways control you.  

Breaking bad habits is hard because they are something that you have become comfortable with.  The key to successfully freeing yourself from them is to put in the effort and not be afraid of change.  When you are willing to work for the things you want, you will see results. You already know what your bad habits are, now it’s up to you to do the work and free yourself from them.

Get your bad habits off your chest by leaving them in a comment!  Let’s work on this together!

How to Release Stress with this Self Massage for your Neck

A massage sounds like a nice idea in essence but unfortunately, the cost and time can make them hard to access.  Self massages are an easy way to achieve the benefits of a massage without having to spend any money or go anywhere.  Self massages can be a targeted way to reduce stress and relieve tension.

When you give yourself a massage you can tailor your technique to what you are feeling in that specific moment.  If you come across any spots that are tighter than the rest, take a few extra moments to massage and work the area.  Take your time and feel free to follow the steps as you read them. This massage should be 6-8 minutes but could made to be shorter or longer depending on your needs.  

If you’re looking for more ways to have a fulfilled life then this is for you! When you subscribe to my newsletter you get access to my Daily Success Driver and Habit Tracker! Both of these work together help you choose the right kind of habits and stick to them!

Nobody has time to visit a massage parlor and although this is technically a “self massage,” you can absolutely recruit your significant other or someone else to help you.  Or if you are a significant other, you could give this massage.

My neck and shoulders are almost always carrying stress.  Which can be exhausting. When stress is really getting to me I can feel it creeping into my body and making itself home.  Unpleasant to say the least. A large part of this is controlling how I deal with stress but how do I deal with it once it's already there?

Pushing it out.  For some extra stress relieving properties, I imagine myself pulling and pushing all the built up stress out.  With every drag of my fingers, I feel the tension beginning to leave.

Not only do I use self massages for self care but they are also great for when I’m feeling overwhelmed.  I get a chance to tune into my body to find and relieve stress. As well I can dial up the intensity for a more deep massage, to really get the stress out.  

By combining awareness with this massage you can start to get to the root of your stress and begin to protect your physical body from it.  Stress is as much about the physical sensations you deal with as the emotional ones.

Massages can be helpful in reducing stress and can have relaxing aspects.  Massage oil or cream can be used to amplify these properties. As well neck massages can help to reduce headache pain, high blood pressure, and improve brain function by increasing circulation.  By massaging your neck regularly you may also see improvements in your posture, flexibility, and can reduce the chance of pulling a muscle. By giving yourself a massage you are able to get in on these benefits and start managing your stress.  

Start by reaching both your hands to the base of your neck.  Use your whole hand to massage or palm the muscles there. Move down on to your upper shoulder/back and keep palming your muscles.  You should feel your muscles begin warming. Keeping with the same action, move upwards on your neck, about to the base of your skull.  Do this a couple more times until the whole area of your upper back and neck feel warm.

Move your hands farther down your back, next to your spine.  With an upwards motion push with a little more pressure on your traps.  Imagine yourself pulling the tension out as you repeat this movement 3 or 4 more times.  

Palm over your entire neck area again, keeping heat there.  Start massaging in a circular motion the top of your neck and continue to the base of your neck.  Then pull your fingers away from your spine. Keep with the circular motions if that feels good for 7-10 more repetitions or while moving your fingers down and away from your spine apply mild pressure.  Some mild discomfort may be noticed. You can keep palming the area if pushing is too painful. Make sure never to do anything painful or too uncomfortable. As well it is important to not push directly on your spine with too much pressure as you may cause unintended injury.  

Move again farther down your neck and begin to pull your fingers over the muscles at the tops of your shoulder blades.  Find a rhythm and begin to apply a little more pressure. Keep massaging your muscles out and away from your spine. Do this for 7-10 repetitions.  You can vary the speed or alternate the side you are doing this on.

Lightly tip your head to one side, make sure to find a stable point or support your head.  With your head tipped, again begin to make circles down the extended side of your neck and a short ways down.  Go for 5-7 repetitions. Repeat the same on the other side of your neck.

From a tipped point slowly roll your head forwards, to the side, and then backward until you’re in the starting point again.  Do this on each side 2-3 times.

Starting at the top of your neck, using your preferred method gently massage down your neck a few more times before returning to palming your neck.  Continue gently squeezing and palming up and down your neck, bring that heat once more.

Begin to focus in on where it feels tight.  This may be at the base of your skull, behind your ears, between your shoulder blade or elsewhere.  Pay extra attention here. Begin to massage the tight area with your fingers or thumbs. Make circles if that is what feels good or just simply push with your fingers.  

Give yourself one or two more large palming squeezes before letting go.  

Feeling relaxed yet?

After pushing all the stress out of your body, imagine yourself as a blank slate.  Allow yourself to release any extra stress you might be feeling. Know that keeping stress inside your muscles does not serve you and you are free to let it go.

Self massages are a nice way to help your relieve tension and relax.  You can give yourself a light massage anytime without needing to go anywhere or spend anything.  Massages can help to alleviate a number of ailments and get you on the path to being your best and most relaxed self.