Health is Wealth

We'll get back to the series on breaking habits in the next post...because it is time to celebrate Christmas and the New Year! You probably already know - Christmas is my favourite holiday! There is something special about the lights, gifts, carols/music, gatherings, etc. that fills me with joy. Of course, this is the season where we celebrate Jesus' birth, making it a time of spirituality and peace. As I have grown, Christmas has changed - in a good way. As a child, I looked forward to the gifts and cookies the most. Now, these are still important to me now...but the meaning of Christmas has become deeper for me. Christmas is no longer simply about being surprised by presents; it is now a time of thanksgiving and reflection. As December comes to an end and we celebrate Christ's birth, it is an opportunity to look back on the previous year. I am extremely grateful for the blessings of 2018. It was by no means an 'easy' year; we have all faced challenges, obst...

Last time, we introduced the topic of breaking habits. This is the second post, following the first . Changing our habits is no easy feat. To try to change the way we act, think, or do things is challenging because we have gotten so used to our patterns and routines. But sometimes, we get uncomfortable with our routines or habits. We find that they no longer serve us, or are no longer what we need in life. So, we decide that we want to break these habits...but where do we start with this? In my own life, I found that the first step to breaking a habit is to simply acknowledge that I want to change it. There is something that I don't feel comfortable with about this habit...I am comfortable WITH it - because it is so familiar to me. At the same time, I am uncomfortable with it because I no longer find that it helps me, or is useful at this time in my life. To recognize that there is a NEED for change is truly the first step. It is only in admitting that we WANT or NEED to chan...

Many of us have habits, routines, or practices that we wish to change or 'break'. Often, we decide that we want to change a habit because it is 1) causing us distress or discomfort; 2) not serving it's original purpose any longer; or 3) we feel that there is a better way of doing things. This post is going to be the first of a series on breaking habits. Stay tuned, because it is one of my favourite series here on the blog! The tough part, of course, is actually CHANGING the habit. To stop doing what one has done for so long is foreign . On a more biological level, our brains have gotten comfortable with the previous habit. It has become 'standard' to us. So, changing things up is like a red flag to our brains - it has to relearn something new. This applies to nearly any habit we may have. And although it is not simple, it is POSSIBLE. I have found that the best way to try to change a habit is not necessarily to ignore the habit or routine, but to reflect on 1...

We all have habits that we want to change, goals that we wish to achieve, and dreams that our hearts are set on. I've personally struggled with understanding my reasons for certain goals and changes I have wanted to make. WHY am I trying to achieve XXX? Is it for ME? Because I want to be happy, healthy, and feel successful? Or is it because of OTHERS? Or am I doing this because I want others to leave me alone, to praise me, to think highly of me, or to talk about me in a certain way? In all honesty, working through these feelings and thoughts are tough. Because let's be real: if we are not setting goals or changing habits for OURSELVES, we will never achieve them fully, nor will we ever feel satisfied or happy. Why? When you set a goal or dream - and you are imvested in it because you truly believe that it will be helpful or useful, will make you feel more confident/happy/proud, you realize just how much you want this thing. For YOU. And so whatever challenges you may fa...

I am the type of person who loves getting my work done. If I have a to-do list, I hate when things pile up on it. So, to avoid this, I try to get things done right away. This is super helpful and important - I mean, who wants to procrastinate and leave it all to the last minute? That only creates additional stress, rushing, and anxiety. But at the same time, I am learning that it is OKAY to not always be busy. What do I mean by this? There are times (not many, but still...) where I have finished the work I planned on doing. Do I have NOTHING to do? No, of course not. But the 'most important things' on my checklist are done. At these times, you may think that I deserve a long break. And I likely do, seeing as how hard I have worked. But taking a break feels so...wrong. I mean, why spend time doing NOTHING (or fun things) when I could do MORE work and get that done, too? This is a difficult cycle to stop, and I am training myself to try to stop and take time to do 'fun...

  Last time, we talked about why and how our values influence our decisions and choices. We know that our values - what is really important to us - shape our priorities . This helps us make decisions for ourselves. But sometimes, we are unable to live according to our values fully. This can happen for many reasons: life may not give us many choices, we might feel unwell or stressed, we have conflicting thoughts and emotions, etc. For example, let's say you value spending time with friends and family. But life is really busy with constant work duties, long hours, and things to do. You begin feeling stressed, you are not relaxing or sleeping enough, and you feel 'down'. Because you have so much to do - and the fact that you feel kind of 'down in the dumps', makes you either go to work, or come home and 'crash'. As a result, you have not spent much time with your loved ones, nor have you relaxed in a while. Of course, this makes you feel frustrated and e...

A value is something - a concept - that is important to us. Many of us value our friends, family members, etc. But we also value things like honesty, respect, professionalism, love, relaxation, and so forth. This is Part One in a series about VALUES. Why are values important, and how do they impact the lives we lead? Simply put, we organize our priorities and activities around our values. For example, if you value working and feeling as though you are contributing to society, you will try very hard to land a job that allows you to do so. Similarly, if you value spirituality, you will make efforts to seek out experiences that bring you closer to God. When we don't live our lives in keeping with our values, we become distressed, dissatisfied, and feel unfulfilled. This is because we realize that things we cherish or enjoy are not being projected and enhanced in our daily experiences. This article talks about how we can use our values to focus or redirect our lives. I recommen...

Last time, we talked about how feeling 'bad' can actually be GOOD for us. If you need a refresher, take a look here. Feeling our emotions can be challenging, especially in intense moments. We might, for example, feel anxious because we are worried about the results of a test. We might be angry because we have a coworker who is trying to outshine us. We could be frustrated and hopeless because nothing seems to be going right at the present moment. How on earth can these emotions be useful? What can we gleam from these moments and feelings? Let's start with feelings in general. Feelings tell you that you are human. You are a living being, capable of emotions! The feelings may not always be comfortable or fully appropriate to the situation, but you should not judge yourself for the way you feel. Rather, take time to explore how and why you are feeling that way. Why? When you observe your feelings and tolerate them, you are practicing distress tolerance and acceptanc...

I'm sure the title of this post sounds rather contradictory, if not outright 'wrong'. How can feeling BAD possibly be GOOD? Usually, feeling 'bad' means we are frustrated, sad, stressed, angry, lonely, bored, etc. All of these emotions are unpleasant. So, how can this ever be a good thing? Please note that this is Part One is a series about Negative Emotions. This is a HUGE topic and I would like to try my best to delve a bit deeper into this! Let's start this journey! This article does a fabulous job of explaining why negative emotions are important for us to experience. Firstly, we need to understand that all feelings - even the 'bad' ones - serve a purpose. We FEEL them because we have experienced some sort of event or trigger that prompted these emotions in us. Now, of course, our emotional responses may not always be appropriate to the situation we are dealing with. For example, one event may be stressful, but for one person, it might be so o...

Distress. What does that word mean to you? We may feel distressed when we are overwhelmed, sad, angry, or frustrated. T his can be caused by external events, but we can also feel distressed from our emotions or thoughts. When we are distressed, we find it extremely difficult to think clearly, relax, or calm down. Our thoughts may be racing, and our bodies may get tense. But unfortunately, distress is inevitable. We will all have to deal with distress at some time in our lives. What is important to realize is that we cannot avoid distress. In fact, trying to do so or denying it will just make us feel worse. What we CAN do is try to learn how to cope with it. This is called 'distress tolerance'.  This link has a lot of good information on how we can learn to handle distress. One very useful strategy is to remember the ACCEPT acronym. When faced with a difficult emotion, thought, or event, some helpful things to do are to try to engage in activities that you like. Alth...

There is an innate need for us, as humans, to interact with others. Feeling like we are loved, cared for, and supported is essential. We want - and need- to feel that we belong, An   article I recently read tries to describe some reasons for why being lonely makes us feel worse. In simple words, feeling lonely induces a 'stress response' in our bodies. Hormones, like cortisol, get released. Cortisol is also known as the 'stress hormone'. It is important for many functions, like lowering inflammation. However, high levels of cortisol are harmful because it weakens our immunity. The theory is this: loneliness activates cortisol release, which dampens our immune response, makes us susceptible to illness, and affects our mood. Put it together, and you have an individual who is not feeling well physically, mentally, or emotionally. Think about what happens when you feel 'lonely'. You likely feel isolated and alone. You want to feel as though someone is there...

Happy New Year! I hope 2018 has been manageable for you thus far! If you have been following this blog over the years, you will know that I am not big on 'resolutions' for the New Year. Not because I do not think setting goals is important, or because I think we should not strive to do better in the new year. However, my issue with resolutions is that society makes it seem that we need to set one huge big fancy thing that we will work on for the year. And often, these resolutions become redundant - such as weight loss, exercise, healthy eating, etc. And while these are important, I do not think making a resolution is important. It is the ACTION PLAN that is. This is why I like intentions. I feel that they are more goal-directed and achievable. Allow me to explain. A resolution could be 'this year, I resolve to eat more vegetables and exercise more'. If you try that for a week or two, you may not be able to sustain it. Meanwhile, an intention could be 'this yea...