- Acknowledgement: you need to acknowledge and understand that things are changing
- Acceptance: even if you don’t want to accept the outcome, you need to accept that things are changing. If you don’t like the projected outcome- fight to change it.
- Stress: all change can cause stress- even good change. It is important to manage your stress levels by taking care of yourself. Continue eating well and exercising during change.
- Routine: keep yourself on a routine as close as possible to the one you had before your change. This will help make it seem as though the change is not affecting your life quite as much.
- Talk: it is important to reach out to someone if you need help dealing with change. Seek out friends and family that you can trust to help you through whatever the change may be.
Developing a New Healthy Habit
Earlier this summer I decided I wanted to be healthier- mentally, emotionally, and physically. I thought about what I wanted to improve and what could help me get there. What I wanted was to find a good stress reliever to help improve my mental and emotional health along with getting me in better shape physically. My solution: running. I know many people who run and they are some of the healthiest people I know- in all areas of health. They are in good shape and they are happy, so I decided to give it a try.
The most important things when developing a new healthy habit are:
- Stay motivated- have your friends and family keep you on track and hold you accountable if needed. When I first started running I would text my friend about it every day.
- Don’t discourage yourself- it’s okay if you have a hard time sticking to it in the beginning. If you take a day off, look at it as an opportunity to try again tomorrow, don’t give up because of one setback.
- Start slow- give yourself time to adjust to this new habit. They say on average it takes about 60 days to make a habit become more natural. That’s two months. Stick with it and don’t give up on yourself.
- Manage your expectations- results are not immediate for most new habits. For example, my habit of running, I did not lose weight after one run. It takes time to build towards your end goal. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.
To start, figure out what you need or what your life is lacking. From there, you can decide what habits you would like to start developing. Whatever you decide you need, remember everything listed above: start slow, manage your expectations, don’t discourage yourself, and stay motivated!
Expressing Your Emotions
It can be hard to explain to someone what you are feeling and what you need from them but it is so important to learn how to do this in your friendships and relationships. Oftentimes we expect others to know how we feel and to understand. We want them to know what is wrong and how to help without us explaining it. However, this is not realistic and we need to stop putting these expectations on others.
For example, if you are upset with someone for something they said or did, you should be straightforward with them and explain what it is that they did to upset you, why it upset you, what they could have said or done instead, and how they can fix it. I have found this to be very helpful, especially in my relationships. I realized that people cannot read my mind and it helps significantly when you are honest with them. It can be difficult or even awkward at first but in the long run it helps everyone in the situation. Try processing your emotions first and then expressing them to that person!
Benefits of Walking
If you’re like me and want to find easy ways to stay healthy, then you should consider going on walks. It is a low impact way to get some exercise in and a great way to relieve some stress. There are so many benefits to going on daily walks, here are some of my favorites:
- Burning calories
- Improves your sleep
- Strengthens your heart
- Eases joint pain and supports your joints
- Boosts immune system
- Increases your energy
- Improves your mood
- Improves circulation in your body
- Can help you lose weight
- Strengthens muscles
It is hard to stay healthy when you are busy or have low motivation- that is why going on walks is a great solution! It is not a vigorous task but it still gets your heart pumping and can help improve your mood. Start by going on a few walks each week and try increasing it to daily walks!
Mental Health Resources
There are many resources for people who are struggling with their mental health. Besides talking to family or friends, there are other people you can reach out to! One option is therapy. Accessibility to therapists is increasing by allowing in person, over the phone, and video call appointments for patients. Many insurance plans will work with you to find a therapist that they will help cover.
Another option is calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline which is 800-273-8255. If you don’t feel comfortable with either of those, you can text MHA to 74174.
There are so many resources available for people who need help. Never hesitate to reach out to any of the listed resources to get the help you need. There are always people there to listen, help, and be there for you!
Health Benefits of Owning a Pet
Most people love pets and who can blame them? Animals are the sweetest things ever, especially dogs! I rescued a puppy last year in February and having a dog has really improved my overall health! Here is how I have benefited from having a dog:
- Mental health: My anxiety was getting pretty bad and I was falling into a depression before I had gotten my puppy. Petting and cuddling with him would help me feel more calm and ease the anxious feelings I had. It helped with depression as well since I needed to be responsible for something other than myself. Due to my anxiety and depression, I would want to stay in bed all day. Having a dog forces you to get out of bed and go outside and get fresh air!
- Exercise: Dogs need exercise daily and so do people! The best part about exercising with a dog is the motivation. You know your dog needs exercise to be healthy, then you end up participating in exercise too! My favorite things to do with my dog is to go on walks, runs, and take him to the dog park. Even throwing a ball around for him at the dog park keeps me active too! Not to mention being more active just by bringing him outside throughout the day.
There are many health benefits of having a pet and it’s different for each person and each pet! If you have been struggling with overall health, see if having a pet could help you like it helped me. There may be reasons you can’t have a pet, if this is the case, I recommend looking into volunteering at a local animal shelter!
How to be More Productive
- Make a reasonable to-do list:
Don’t overwhelm yourself with creating a to-do list that is too complex. I typically add most agenda items, even if they are smaller, because this gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can cross it off my list. After gaining that sense of accomplishment, it motivates me to do the bigger tasks on the list. Try keeping it simple by only adding items that are important.
- Group similar tasks together:
When we start switching between tasks that are unrelated, it breaks our concentration. An example of this is going through all of your emails at once and catching up on them before moving to your next tasks you need done that day.
- Stop multitasking:
When you try to do too many things at once, you lose your focus and this tends to relate with losing quality of work. It has been said that changing tasks too frequently can cause your IQ to be lowered. You will be more effective and efficient if you focus on one thing at a time.
- Take more breaks:
When you start to feel that slight headache after working for hours, that is your body telling you that you need a break. Take a few minutes to stretch, take a walk, or eat a snack. This will help you feel recharged and keep you going with your day!
Drinking Water
Everyone says you should be drinking water to stay hydrated, but why? What is it actually doing for your body? There are numerous health benefits to drinking water every day but here are my favorite reasons:
- Improves energy levels and brain functions
- Helps relieve headaches
- Flushes the waste from your body
- Makes nutrients and minerals accessible to your body
- Can help lose/maintain weight
- Improves your skin and helps prevent wrinkles
- When you are drinking alcohol, drinking water along with it can prevent hangovers
There are so many benefits of drinking water, but to get those benefits you need to drink enough water. But how much is enough? Doctors recommend drinking half an ounce of water to an ounce of water for every pound of body weight. Meaning if someone weighs 170 pounds, they should drink between 85 to 170 ounces of water a day. Try starting with half an ounce of water for each pound of your body weight and if you think you can drink more, slowly increase your daily water intake!
Ho’oponopono
I was recently taught what Ho’oponopono is and this is helping me find closure with feelings I needed to acknowledge. Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice that uses love, forgiveness, repentance, and gratitude. To practice this, you will use four phrases when reflecting to yourself. They are: I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I thank you. I love you. I tried this technique last night for the first time, here’s what I did: I sat on my bed, made sure I turned off distractions such as the tv and my phone, I closed my eyes, thought of a specific scenario that was bothering me, and I said the following:
I’m OK with _______[that event/name] and _______[that event/name] is OK with me.
I’m not OK with _____[that event/name] and _____[that event/name] is not OK with me.
Either way OK or not OK with _______[that event/name], I now remove all negative feelings about _______[that event/name] and _______[that event/name] removes all negative feelings about me all the way back to the point of origin, including all associations, connections, generations and past lives.
Thank you _______[that event/name] for showing up and teaching me a lesson, I love you, please forgive me.
And _______[that event/name] says back to me, thank you [your own name] for showing up and teaching me a lesson. I love you, please forgive me.
This technique is not going to magically fix whatever it is that you are going through, but it is worth it to give it a chance. For me, they helped me gain perspective, calmed me down, and made me feel more in control of my emotions. I strongly encourage you to try this and feel free to personalize them to fit your own needs.
Acknowledging Past Emotions
I have been wanting to find ways to process my emotions better lately, not only for myself but for my relationships as well. I heard a phrase the other day that really hit home. That phrase was, “There’s a part of you that has been so hurt that it forces itself to be seen. It makes you revisit those moments so that you can acknowledge that it got hurt.” This made me realize that there are things in my life that I just sort of brushed off and moved on from, without really acknowledging how it made me feel, so I never truly healed from them. Hearing this helped me with my first step of self reflection- making me aware of my emotions. I usually cannot come up with an effective solution for a difficult situation until I am fully aware of what my emotions are. With this phrase, it reminds me that we all have feelings and emotions for a reason and unless we acknowledge them, we will never truly be able to move on from them. Now that I realize what I have been doing, I will be looking into ways to improve dealing with my emotions. You have emotions for a reason, we need to start acknowledging and accepting them!
IS LIFE US 