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Meditation to Relieve Anxiety
“Meditation can wipe away the day’s stress, bringing with it inner peace.”—Mayo Clinic Staff Pick out your most comfortable chair. Sit down, loosen your skirt or trousers, slip out of your shoes, and close your eyes. Now imagine your feet dangling in a mountain lake’s cold, clear, blue water. Smell the aroma of nearby flowers. Can you hear the happy songs of carefree birds? You feel stimulated by the fresh mountain air. For a few minutes, eliminate, as far as possible, all other thoughts. With this peaceful scene in mind, meditate; focus your mind in silence. Feel better? More relaxed? What Is Meditation? Meditation is an ancient practice that has…
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Seven Ways to Love Your Body
“I don’t have perfect teeth. I’m not stick thin. I want to be the person who feels great in her body and can say that she loves it and doesn’t want to change anything.”—Emma Watson Are you obsessed with how you look? Take this brief quiz to find out: Which statement best describes how you feel about yourself: I’m never satisfied with the way I look. I’m sometimes happy with the way I look. I’m always pleased with the way I look. What would you like to change most about your body? Weight Muscle tone Body shape Skin changes Hair texture Complexion Posture and balance Other Complete the following sentence:…
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How to Improve Your Mental Health Quickly
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”—Albus Dumbledore When mental illness strikes, it is a cause of great sadness to those affected. Yet there is no need for a family to feel shame when this happens. Nevertheless, you want to know how your health can best restore your health. The good news is that there are several tips you can use to improve your mental health quickly, including: Practice deep breathing Engage in physical activity Connect with others Limit exposure to stress Get enough sleep Practice self-compassion This article will discuss each of these six ideas in detail.…
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7 Toxic Habits You Need to Quit Right Now
“Don’t let toxic people sabotage your happiness, ruin your positive attitude, contaminate your mind or destroy your self-confidence. Instead, surround yourself with generous, positive, and nurturing people who will lift you up.”—Farshad Asl Habits are not active choices you make. “A settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.”—Oxford Languages Dictionary “A usual way of behaving; something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way.”—Encyclopedia Britannica Dictionary Thus, habits are automatic responses without thinking about them. Some habits are labeled “good” because they benefit us somehow. We view other practices as “bad” or “toxic” because they harm oneself or others and…
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Emotional Healing: 6 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs)
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”—Willie Nelson What Are Thoughts? A thought is “an idea or opinion produced by thinking or occurs suddenly in the mind.”—Oxford English Dictionary Brain function produces thoughts, but beyond this fact, neuroscientists do not know where they come from. How the brain works as it relates to the creation of thoughts is still a fascinating topic of scientific discussion. But we all have thoughts. Every day and throughout the day, we constantly think, whether it be a thought, an idea, a memory, an event, an opinion, or a belief about ourselves and the world around us. These thoughts…
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22 Ways You Can Use Mindfulness to Have Better Health Today, Tomorrow, and Into Your Future
Not long ago, I met a woman named Bea. Bea felt so negatively about her home situation and caring for her ill husband of 44 years that she admitted to despising her husband and being tempted to leave him to fend for himself. Thankfully, she never went through with it and decided to stay. But what was happening to Bea’s health and well-being in the meantime? Bea felt shattered and hopeless. Because Bea had prolonged feelings of helplessness, she was losing her self-confidence and feeling stressed. Bea also experienced headaches, stomachaches, and anxiousness. Bea felt sure she was approaching burnout as she had little energy and difficulty completing simple, everyday…
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Beat Burnout: Replenish Your Energy
“I have so much to do that I will spend the first three hours in prayer.”—Martin Luther As I write this article, the global COVID-19 Pandemic is raging. And it would be of no use to quote the number of infections and deaths because the numbers multiply each day worldwide. The COVID-19 Pandemic has increased stress levels for many of us. We face new challenges in our home and family lives, social distancing, employment, and for some, isolation and quarantine. Stress, anxiety, overwhelm, exhaustion—I believe it is safe to say that we’ve all experienced these emotions, especially during this difficult time. What Is Burnout? Herbert Freudenberger and other researchers took…
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Senior Women: The Seven Keys to Optimal Health
“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. When one is free from physical disability and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.”—B.K.S. Lyenger I’ve based this article on my book: A Family Caregiver’s Guide: 7 Secrets to Convert Negative Triggers to Positive Emotions (2019) Meet Martha: “I have been taking care of Mom and Dad for nearly twelve years now. Six of the years have been 24/7 living with Mom and with Dad until he died two years ago. We all know how stressful life is when caregiving. And it only builds up. “Also, I have had anxiety/panic disorder for the last thirty…