Have you found yourself telling others how busy you are all the time? Daily commitments can definitely add up and begin to feel overwhelming. But when saying you’re busy becomes your mantra, you can actually start to believe you have no control over your time. Instead of making smart decisions and being proactive about spending [...]
Chances are, you’d rather be doing something else right now. Whether it’s traveling, having drinks with friends, or doing crafts, we all have pastimes or hobbies that help us unwind. These interests can be healthy for reducing stress and adding to the quality of life. Unfortunately, it’s possible to have too much of a good [...]
Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday of the year. It’s a day for lovers, and I truly love everyone. Obviously, there is some commercialism tied to Valentine’s Day, as with all of our holidays, but gifts don’t have to be flowers, or diamonds, anything expensive or expected. Gifts can be a simple expression of how [...]
The idea of making a resolution for the New Year is a 4000-year-old practice believed to have begun with the ancient Babylonians. Yet, according to recent research, while as many as 45 percent of Americans say they usually make New Year’s resolutions, only 8 percent are successful in achieving their goals.1 Considering most resolutions are [...]
Learning to manage your nervous system can be crucial to good health. The sympathetic nervous system controls your fight, flight, or freeze reaction, which is activated by your response to stress. Instinct and human conditioning support this natural response as far back as caveman days, and it used to serve a daily essential purpose. (As [...]
Your breath is one of the only involuntary bodily functions that you can control. By taking control of something that usually operates on auto-pilot, you can use it as a tool to improve a variety of aspects of your life. Managing your breath with breathing exercises can: Relax or energize you Help you feel grounded Bring [...]
I have compassion for cigarette smokers. It’s a habit—just like mindfulness. I don’t smoke, but I teach the “healthy habit” of mindfulness. While researching this blog topic, I learned that about 80% of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are caused by smoking. We know smoking kills. In fact, cigarette smoking is the leading [...]
Practicing mindfulness is a great way to reduce stress, gain clarity on what’s most important, and experience more fulfilment in daily life. That’s why the new frontier of practicing mindfulness is becoming popularized with both individual people and organizations. In fact, many notable companies have already introduced mindfulness training into their culture. They have recruited [...]
There are many daily tasks that become routine and don’t require much thought. Although it’s easy to think about the past or what might happen in the future, it’s good to be fully present with whatever you are doing at the moment. This awareness—or mindfulness—has a range of benefits including stress reduction, clearer thinking, and [...]
Ever wonder about that voice in your head? The constant chatter of thoughts registering in your brain and piling up? Have you taken a moment to listen to what all the talk is about? Just sitting still for a few minutes will reveal some startling information . . . First, you will notice that much [...]
