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Spring is nearly here. A beautiful time to lose yourself in many things, not just projects from renewed energy. It’s a great time to invest in your well-being both emotionally and spiritually. So while you’re carrying away with cleaning out closets and donating clothes, make sure you reserve energy for spending time with good friends or reinvesting in a relationship that serves you well.
Here are just a few reasons why.
1. Daily affection (from friends, pets or family…anyone you have a relationship really) may boost levels of the calming hormone oxytocin. Plus, a few belly laughs can improve blood-vessel function which helps blood pressure. Nature’s natural health enhancer.
2. Nearly 75% of adults admit they don’t take the right steps to prevent themselves from feeling stressed out according to a recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association. Luckily for us all, studies suggest that lifting our spirits may be as easy as:
- Sticking with a routine – rituals create a sense of calm. Helps feel a sense of control in an unpredictable world (it also helps to prepare for, welcome and embrace change, too!)
- Eating to your happiness. Avoid trans fats, which can affect mental well-being by triggering inflammatory changes that have been linked to depression. Steer clear or limit to 2 grams a day, avoid foods made with partially hydrogenated oil. On this note, try eating just fruits and veggies (raw, ideally) for a week and see how you feel. I bet your body and your mind will be light and energized. So brilliant how the earth provides for us, we just have to allow it!
- Getting your O3’s. Omega 3 supplement takers were 20% less anxious during a stressful period than those not taking their Fish Oil supplements daily, according to an Ohio State University study. Experts believe that healthy fat may buffer against stress-related inflammation.
- Listening to your breath – it will tell you something. Breathing deeply and listening to soft music can be as relaxing as getting a massage. If your breath is shallow and fast, you’re going to feel stressed and anxious. Slow your breathing and your heart and mind will calm too. You can try this yourself. After a work out, lie on your stomach on a yoga mat. With one ear on the ground, take a deep breath in and hear your heart rate slow with each deep breath. Recognizing how much influence your breath has over your systems, tune into your breath regularly and be sure to take deep breaths, even when you’re not stressed.
- Feeding your gut. It is the source of our intuition and our health. By taking care of our digestive tract, we are taking care of our overall health. Beyond this, probiotics (healthy bacteria) can actually lower levels of the stress hormone corticosterone and have a direct effect on moods and anxiety. Research suggests that nerves transmit messages from the microorganisms in the gut to the mind, influencing brain chemistry and further connecting the mind with the body. We rely on our gut instinct to tell us yes or no in any given situation.. and we should rely on this Yuck or Yum decision making compass more often. It of course makes great sense to feed our “second brains” well with the fuel it needs = simple probiotics.
I heard recently that dwelling in the positive increases resilience. That feigning joy can induce joy. Try this sometime. List specific times in your life you’ve felt great. What are the details. Once you have 10-20, a pattern will emerge.
Photo by Amy Drumm
…when planning for something else.
Plan fast, live long.
Just live it.
Got peace?
Don’t scurry. Be happy.
Just a few slogans for your day.
Some weeks you’re on top of it, others you’re not. Just when you feel like you’ve made some progress, something new presents a challenge in your progress. Let’s reflect. Steps towards a goal, traffic, laundry, task lists, finances…just when you think you’re ahead, something comes up. How long has this been happening? All of your life? Somethings may just never change.
It’s how you deal with them that counts. A few ideas on best ways to stay peaceful in this continuum of life:
- Recognize the world isn’t against you. Why would the world want to pick on you? Maybe this is happening to everyone and it’s a real, reliable part of life. Chances are, a lot of folks feel like this. It came up enough times in recent conversation for us to feel like it’s a good blog topic!
- Reframe your perspective. If you constantly feel like you’re being pushed back, then you probably will always feel like that. Subconsciously, you’re likely waiting for the next wave to crash. What an exhausting place to stay! Reframe: you know this is just a cycle and the upswing will be right around the corner.
- Look for the learning. Why might this be happening? Maybe you missed the lesson the first time you were rushing through life. This set back maybe divinely placed to show you something. In this moment, what am I supposed to see? Look around in traffic, perhaps an inspirational bumper sticker that is just what you needed today? A happy couple sitting on the bench to inspire you? Or maybe in this moment, there is a learning opportunity to help you adjust so to maintain future waves a bit longer. Evaluate your processes, evaluate your priorities. Maybe a few changes will make the difference in your ability to surf.
Think realistically, reframe your perspective and look for learning. Pretty simple and the setbacks won’t have any power over your life! The final piece of advice is to learn the step backward lesson quickly, because the next wave is coming regardless of how many set backs you’ve had or if you’ve had time to catch your breath. Learn within your own parameters ways to stay on top and ride the wave a bit longer (changing your perspective and getting back up on the wave faster will help extend the ride, but there may be tweaks you can also find in your self reflection) When you’re on top more often than you’re recovering, it won’t feel so exhausted when life nudges you to slow down and look around.
In support of making peace with your setbacks and moving forward with your surfing is AV Architects + Builders and House of Steep. Please share your thoughts with us on living presently and peacefully, especially during the No-cember-ja season.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Henry David Thoreau
Not all trends are in fashion, and not all trends are short-lived. This week’s blog is a nod to a trend that we at placidhouse want to see become a staple in our culture. Like the cupcake or the peace sign. But bigger!
In her blog about living with intention, Jennifer Hoffman has created a magnificent movement that we could all benefit from: a relaxation meme (pronounced ‘meem’). We join her in challenging our daily demands to simply relax for 20 minutes and just be. It’s not a nap, it’s an intention-set experience to help us relax, reflect and re-energize. And we owe it to ourselves, our work, and our family/friends to bring our best to each day… we can’t think of a better way to accomplish these simultaneously. Read more, and try it! We are huge fans!
See if you can encourage your friends and family to adopt the same practice. Before we know it, this meme will be common practice, and oh, what a peaceful place this will be!
In support of taking 20 for YOU! is AV Architects + Builders and House of Steep. Please share your ideas and reactions to present living and relaxation meme trend.
PlacidHouse 