Motivational Monday – National Brain Health Month

 

Are you keeping your brain healthy? The month of June is recognized as National Brain Month. Focus on things that bring awareness to your self-care and wellness. A few ways to accomplish this include – exercise, socialization, and being mentally active.

One method I use for mental health is to practice yoga and meditation. I am not at the top of the class when it comes to meditation, my mind won’t cooperate. The soft voice guiding the meditation says, “relax your mind.”

My mind immediately snaps back at the calm voice – I need to make a grocery list, put a load of clothes in the wash…what time does the bank close today?

The voice continues, softly rolling instructions from her tongue like a ball of yarn unraveling. My legs are crossed, my back is straight, and my eyes are closed. My mind…still not relaxed.

The friendly voice says, “inhale.” What I hear is in hell. My mind lashes out at the voice, who’s in hell. I’m not going to hell. I’m trying to live right, get my body right. I don’t want to be in hell.

After a couple more deep breaths, I refocused. I realized I’d had a flash back to my childhood days where we studied words that sound alike but have different meanings. I believe those are called homophones.

The same as we practiced our lessons in childhood, there are still things we can learn as aging adults. Perhaps there is an activity you have considered trying but kept putting it off. Challenge yourself to try something new this month.

Invest in yourself this month, exercise, eat healthy, socialize, and focus on your mental health. You deserve it.

Muffins with Mom – A minute to meditate – 3 Tips for humor as self-care

 

If you give a mom a minute...she'll be distracted

...And distracted again

If you give a mom a minute to meditate, she’ll drift into a deep sleep. If she goes to sleep, she’ll want to snuggle with her favorite fleece blanket. If her blanket isn’t warm enough, she’ll want fuzzy socks.

If her sock has a hole in it, she’ll search for needle and thread to sew up. As she sews the hole, she’ll become tired and remember why she began to meditate in the first place. And the cycle repeats in the life of a busy mom.

Step off the hamster wheel, the merry-go-round, the rinse and repeat cycle of life, and schedule deliberate time for selfcare. Laughter is one tool I like to include in my selfcare, and you can too. Here are 3 ways to use humor or laughter as selfcare.

1.      Find humor in daily situations – I’ve fallen asleep during meditation, prayer, and a zoom class. None of these things were boring, it’s just that my body has a mind of it’s on. When it needs rest, it’s going to rest. I find the humor in each situation and share it through a story or comedy. You too can uncover humor in your daily walk. Try it.

2.      Treat yourself to a comedy show – find a comedy club in your area, call a friend, and laugh until your cheeks hurt.

3.      Read something humorous – as a youngster I loved to read Archie comics.  Every now and then I’ll still grab an Archie Digest from the bookstore (yes Archie comics are still around). The stories my not be laugh out loud funny, but they can evoke a smile. I’m currently reading Fifty Things that Aren’t My Fault by Cathy Guisewite, the creator of the comic strip Cathy. I have laughed out loud while reading her book. I also had an opportunity to meet Cathy in person at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop in 2022. Her keynote talk had the room filled with laughter.

If you give a mom a minute to meditate, she can truly find a million other things to distract her. The opposite can also happen -  she will fall asleep because she just finished doing a million things. Laughter can help to ease some of the daily stress we experience.

Take a minute, or two, or three to invest in your selfcare. Laugh more.

Wellness Wednesday - 3 Tips for a Warm and Cozy New Year

If you were asked to identify one thing you will do this year to focus on your self care, what would you say? Make this year, the year of "you."

When temperatures are frigid outside, it brings to mind the desire to feel warm and cozy. This leads us to today's topic - ways to have a warm and cozy new year. Here are a few fun ideas I've generated:

1.    Slide into warm pajamas and curl up with a book.

2.    Sip a warm beverage while sitting wiht your feet proped up on something.

3.    Put on a pair of fuzzy socks and Moonwalk or slide across a wood floor. If you're so inclined, sing a Michael Jackson song while doing the Moonwalk. Of course, keep in mind your safety and ability level.

Most importantly do something that will bring a smile to you face and deliver that warm fuzzy feeling.

YouTube Video: The Moonwalk

I don't own the rights to this video 

Fun Friday – National Relaxation Day – 3 Ways to Chill Out

 

Attend a comedy show - Bored Teachers Comedy Tour at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle

National Relaxation Day is near, it’s celebrated each year on August 15^th. Do you know how to relax? It’s not hard, but it may take practice, especially if you’re used to filling your schedule with things to do. You are now granted permission to chill out:

Here are 3 ways to relax and chill out:

1.      Get in a daily dose of laughter – There is scientific research that shows laughter is a good stress relief. Laughter helps your muscles relax, and increases circulation, among other benefits.

Chill out tip: Hold a car concert (or kitchen, living room, bathroom) – to be clear, a car concert is when you crank up the volume on your radio and dance like no one is watching…but rest assured someone may see you. The key here is to bob your head, move your shoulders, while listening to upbeat music. Jerky movements, singing off-key, anything that makes you laugh while doing this is acceptable. Have fun because you can.

2.      Create a Chill Out Day once a week – schedule a date with yourself. Block off time in your schedule to unwind and something that brings your joy or do nothing at all.  It doesn’t even have to be a full day of chilin’ out, it can be small blocks of time that you designate for your self-care.

 Chill out tip: Practice meditation and yoga. Put aside the busyness of your day and allow yourself to sit still, in a quiet place, and breathe.

3.      Eat foods that reduce stress – according to the Total Wellness blog, fueling your body with foods “filled with vitamins and nutrients can elevate mood and energy.” Some stress-busting foods include:

·         Bananas

·         Spinach

·         Green Tea

·         Dark Chocolate

·         Oatmeal

·         Turkey breast

Chill out tip: create a fun snack bar for you and your family and watch a funny movie.

All tips were adapted from the Total Wellness Health blog.

Although National Relaxation Day is once a year, this is just the start of building a healthy relationship with relaxing. If you’re already an expert at relaxing or using relaxation techniques, share your knowledge with someone else.

What suggestions do you have for ways to chill out?

Fitness Friday – There’s an app for that – What tool do you use for fitness?

 

Workout complete!

Fat, fat go away, don’t come back another day. I repeat that mantra over and over, in hopes to convince my inner thinner girl to show up. Some days are better than others in search of a consistent fitness lifestyle.

One thing that I have found to be valuable in a fitness routine is use of a fitness app. You can access a workout from almost anywhere…and that’s exactly what I did, while on vacation.

I rolled out of bed, leaving behind four plush down filled pillows, and warm blankets. The room was dark, the only audible sounds were the humming of the heater, and a creaking noise. I soon discovered that the creaking sound was from my ankles and other joints snapping into place in the early morning.

A few stretches later, I was dressed in yoga attire, shoes laced, and ready to exercise in my hotel room. I selected a 30-minute workout from my app, that didn’t require weights or other equipment. My body weight proved to be suitable for a strength workout (comparable to lifting  heavy weights).

The warm-up started, the repetitions became more intense, the trainer talked…I yelled back, as much as I could in a quiet room with strangers on the outskirts of my area. Following the trainer, I was jumping and, twisting, with added heavy breathing and grunting that he wasn’t doing.

I was praying that sleeping vacationers in rooms next to or below me didn’t hear muffled sounds, and my feet slapping the carpet and assume I needed to place the Do Not Disturb door hanger in view.

After thirty minutes, I chanted once again, Fat, fat, go away, don’t come back another day.

Find the tools that work best for you, that will keep you consistent in your self-care. Whether your tool is an app, or something entirely different…Don’t give up on yourself.

What tools do you use for fitness motivation?

 

Motivational Monday – Embrace each chapter of your life

 

Embrace aging

I can name 56 flaws as I embrace Chapter 56 of my life. Instead, I choose to focus on chapter 56 with faith, fun, and feeling fabulous. What chapter are you on in your book of life?

When your birthday rolls around do you run and bury your head in the sand or hide  underneath your bed covers and refuse to surface? Don’t do it.

The countdown has begun for my 56^th birthday. Yes, I know the saying, a woman isn’t supposed to tell her age. Well, I just did, and I wasn’t struck down. Embrace your age.

As I encourage myself, I encourage you to embrace who you are, where you are. Our word this week is embrace. Here is a reminder of the definition of embrace:

“The act of accepting something willingly or enthusiastically.”

Now for your challenge…

Take your age or half your age and create a list of positive words or phrases about yourself. Make up words if you want, as long as you have fun in the process. Don’t think too hard about it, set a timer, and go. You don’t have to show your list to anyone, so brag on yourself. Here is a list to jump-start your thinking:

Start with and I AM statement.

I AM…

Beautiful     Caring     Fun     Good Friend     Prospering    

Fantabulous     Intelligent     Giving     Dependable     Kind

Honest     Smart     Unique

Consider this exercise as part of your path on the road to wellness and increased self-care. What route will you take? This week I’m taking Route 56. The road will be paved with 56 kind words, quotes, phrases or whatever I come up with.

Every day for the next week, remember our key word, embrace. If challenges come your way, embrace them too. Stop and ask yourself, what can I learn from this situation?

One way I embrace my uniqueness is to take my flaws and turn them into funnies (funny stories). For instance, there was a time I was starting a new nutrition program (for the millionth time). The plan included a day of cleansing.

Just to be clear, the reference wasn’t to cleanse as in washing your body with soap and water. It meant not eating. I was discussing the program with my son, I told him, “I can’t wait to go to bed, and wake up tomorrow to NOT eat all day.”

There you have it. I embraced my weight challenges and efforts with humor (sprinkled with sarcasm).

If you’re celebrating a birthday this week, this month, or in a coming month…Happy Birthday.

Keep pushing forward.

Have fun.

Embrace you!

Motivational Monday – What is your prescription for Self-care? -3 Tips to stay motivated

 

"Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood."

What are your intensions for the new year? Write yourself a prescription for self-care and add this to your list of things to focus on in the coming year. One of the things that I include in self-care is to schedule time for fitness. Some days are more productive than others.

Having a fitness routine helps me to have energy for other aspects of my daily routine. Each person’s routine will look different. In order to experience success, you have to start with what works for you. Trust me, I’ve learned this through trial and error.

If you are beginning (or beginning again) a fitness routine, here are 3 tips to help you stay motivated:

1.      Get an accountability partner – do you have a friend who exercises regularly or is beginning regimen as you are? Set goals together or periodically check-in with each other with words of encouragement. Send her a text message saying, “you got this.”

2.      Challenge yourself – set fun goals for yourself. Each time to reach the goal set another. For example – “I will workout 3 times this week, 30 minutes each time. My reward will be 30 minutes of uninterrupted Me Time.” Set your reward as something that is not monetary. A monetary reward is covered in tip #3.

3.      Create a Workout Tip Jar – a friend saw this idea on social media and shared it with our group of ladies who workout together (virtually now). The idea behind the tip jar is that you reward yourself for exercising. You add $1 to the jar each time you workout. Once you reach $100, celebrate by treating yourself to something new.

Since I am not a licensed practitioner, the only prescription that I can write for you is one of encouragement. Here’s what it looks like:

·         Get Plenty of rest – so you have energy to exercise.

·         Drink water  - because our bodies need water.

·         Practice gratitude – you’ve heard it said before, but when we practice gratitude regularly, it makes us feel better. Being grateful makes it easier to express joy in difficult situations.

What tips would you suggest in helping someone stay motivated with their self-care routine? Share your prescription for self-care.

 

Motivational Monday – 12 Days of Kindness

 

Photo Credit: theodysseyonline.com

Are you familiar with the song, The 12 Days of Christmas? Sure you are, the first line says, “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.” What if…we took that same concept and called it The 12 Days of Kindness?

I wish I could say I came up with this title, but I didn’t. I saw it on Instagram. Here’s the spin I’ll put on it. Let’s create s 12 Days of Kindness Challenge. The challenge begins with being kind to yourself. Instead of a partridge in a pear tree on the first day of Christmas, the first day of kindness will be self-care for you.

Start your challenge by coming up with one positive word that represents you. On the second day of kindness, come up for two positive words for a friend, and share them with him or her in a text or email. Let the list of kindness expand from here.

Third Day of Kindness – buy a cup of coffee/tea/snack for three people.

Fourth Day of Kindness – in the spirit of “four calling birds,” call four friends or relatives just to say hi.

Fifth Day of Kindness – give away five potted plants, make them poinsettias with gold ribbons attached.

Sixth Day of Kindness – encourage six friends to donate to a cause. Do you have a favorite charity or know someone in need? Come up with a creative way to help.

Seventh Day of Kindness – in the traditional song, seven represents “seven swans a-swimming.” Since swans are beautiful and graceful, come up with seven things that make you feel beautiful and carefree. No need to do them all at once. Keep your list and do them when you want.

Eighth Day of Kindness – leave an encouraging message at eight places you visit.

Ninth Day of Kindness – let’s go back to the song again, and what the lyrics say, “nine ladies dancing.”  Invite nine friends to dancing. Get your body moving, it’s a form of self-care. If you don’t want to go out in a crowd, use Zoom or another virtual platform to create a dance party.

Tenth Day of Kindness – what is the most valuable thing that you can give away, but can never get back? Time. Give yourself the gift of time. During this Holiday season give yourself 10 minutes a day to relax in any way you choose. I said any way you choose, but I do have a few suggestions – read, listen to soft music, meditate, look at Christmas lights while relaxing with a warm beverage. You get the idea. Eventually you’ll expand your ten minutes and create valuable uninterrupted time for yourself.

Eleventh Day of Kindness – send a letter to eleven family members with updates on what’s happening in your household and find out what they’ve been up to.

Twelfth Day of Kindness – write a positive affirmation or quote on twelve pieces of paper, make it like a bookmark. Leave one in 12 random books at the library.

What would you add to the list of things to do for the 12 days of kindness? Remember most of all to be kind to yourself.

Feel Good Friday – National Relaxation Day

 

Weekend grocery shopping, paying bills, driving kids to practices…if these were statements on Jeopardy, what questions would you come up with? Here’s the category question I’d come up with, what are things that can cause stress? Now that you have stress at the forefront of your mind, let’s discuss the opposite of that – relaxation.

National Relaxation Day is celebrated on August 15^th. This is an opportunity to focus on your health and well-being. Below are 3 ways to celebrate this national holiday.

1.      Create an at home retreat – one thing I like to do is go in a quiet room, hang my shingle on the door that says, “Gone Writing,” and listen to quiet music as I create. Your retreat could include sitting and looking out at nature. You may see something amazing happening, or at least interesting.

As I looked out my kitchen window one sunny morning, I saw a bunny sitting in the middle of my backyard. I watched a couple minutes as it chewed on a blade of grass, then stretched its hind legs, and back to chewing.

A chuckle escaped my throat as I thought, is that bunny doing yoga in my yard? She was relaxed and so was I.

2.      Spend time with family and friends who make you laugh – My crew keeps me laughing. Check out the faces in the photo below, each one of them has a story (as we all do). They frequently do or say things that cause them to end up in a blog post or comedy set. When I mentioned this to my son he said, “so I guess you’re not really funny, since you get all your material from us.”

3.      Get a massage – no explanation needed. This is something you deserve.

Whether it’s the beginning, middle, or end of your week, press pause on your busy life, and make time to relax.

You could probably think of a dozen other ways to add relaxation to your agenda. What would you add to the list above?

Wellness Wednesday – 5 Ways to Invest in Your Spiritual Well-being

 

Family Relaxing - Brothers with their Grandma

Is your spiritual bank account running low? Don’t let it lead to insufficient funds, make a deposit today. Spirituality has been described as the belief in something greater than yourself. Just as you would take care of your mental and physical health, your spiritual health should be included too.

There are benefits to investing in your spiritual well-being. Here are 4 benefits listed by The Hartford:

·         Feeling calmer, more centered, more mindful

·         Decreasing anxiety

·         Giving you a sense of community

·         Developing your values and feeling more attuned to your emotions

We have to be intentional about our well-being. I say we because I have to remind myself to make time for self-care. The Hartford article also listed 12 Ways toinvest in yourself, I will share my top 5, in no particular order.

1.      Meditate – meditation can reduce symptoms of stress and possibly reduce headaches.

2.      Spend Time in Nature – reduces stress and increases happiness.

3.      Digital Detox – take time away from technology.

4.      Practice Mindfulness – focus on the present moment without worrying about the past or future.

5.      Do a Good Deed – helping someone else can give you an emotional boost.

Don’t let your spiritual bank account lie dormant, take action today. Round out your mental and physical well-being by activating your spiritual well-being.

What tips do you have for investing in spiritual well-being?

Motivational Monday - Mental Health Month – 5 Self-Care Tips

 

Photo Credit: Essential Life Skills

“It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.” Mandy Hale

It’s Mental Health Month, what are you doing to invest in your self-care? The purpose of May as Mental Health Month is to bring awareness to trauma and “the impact it can have on physical, emotional and mental well-being of families and communities (youth.gov).”

Focus on your well-being by engaging in activities that bring you joy, peace, and relaxation. Here are 5 Tips for Self-care:

1.      Create a list of positive affirmations.

2.      Start a new hobby.

3.      Plant a garden.

4.      Plan an at home spa day.

5.      Catch up with a friend you have talked to in a while.

These ideas were adapted from a Mental Health Month Activities calendar.

You deserve to be happy. Focusing on your mental health doesn’t have to cost you anything, yet can give you riches – healthy lifestyle, a positive attitude, and joy.

When was the last time you took a mental health break? A mental health break can be anything that allows you to relax. It can be a 10-minute break, or a weekend getaway. Reminiscing on good times can also be a mental break.

My young adult sons were home over the weekend and took an unplanned trip down memory lane. It was my fault. I was trying to watch a virtual church service on a big screen (bigger than my laptop) in a common space – our living room.

As the pastor began the prayer, my sons began talking loudly to each other and laughing. I had to shout over them, “Hello, I’m in church AND it’s prayer time. Can I get a little silence?”

My youngest son was the first to respond, “I know you’re joking. When we were little, you used to draw tic-tac-toe grids and slide the paper back and forth to us during church.”

“I did that to keep you occupied so I could focus on the church service. If that worked maybe I need to do it now.”

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

After I glared at my sons, they left the room and took their memories with them. I continued watching the church service but smiled as I too remembered the things I had to do to keep them quiet and keep my sanity.

It’s Mental Health Month, take a mental health break daily. What self-care tips would you add to the list above?