Living Positively and Healthy

When I was in fifth grade, our teacher, Ms. Rader, used to make us write a story using all of the words in our spelling list.   Most of the kids grumbled at the thought of all of that work.   It seemed tedious to most, but I looked at this as a challenge.   I made a game of the work by making my stories have recurring characters in each one.   The other kids were entertained by my stories, and they began to look forward to seeing what would happen with these characters each week.   I took a chore and turned it into something that I became passionate about.   I found the activity fun, and the other students were amused.   I realized how much I liked the attention that people paid to something that I created.   There began my love of writing.   But as I got older, life happened.   Between school, work, raising a child, and having a social life, I didn’t continue my hobby of writing.   I took writing up again when I started s...

Much like Mindfulness and Gratitude, doing Random Acts of Kindness allows one to be in the moment and appreciative.    Most of us can get caught up in our busy lives that we forget to pay attention to the little things.    One small, seemingly insignificant act may not appear considerable at the moment, but may mean a great deal to someone who is having a bad day or feels down on their luck.    Little things can mean a lot.    The world would be a much different place if everyone took the time and effort to do something, no matter how small, for someone else every day.   Do a good deed for the day.    Go out of your way to make someone else’s day a little bit better.    Open the door for someone.    Give someone a smile, hug, or compliment.    Do at least one each day for a week.    Make someone else’s day better.   Here is a list of some examples: Give someone a compliment ...

Get a FREE copy of the Heart of Happiness Workbook Go for a walk.   Walking is a great stress reliever.   It can be quite cathartic as well.   As you walk, take time to look at the trees, flowers, houses, and people around you.   Find things along your walk that you are thankful for.   And while you are on this walk, smile at the people that you pass by.   Really observe your surroundings.   Notice the textures, colors, sounds, and smells of your environment.   Be aware of nature.   Stop and smell the roses! There are several ways of getting your steps in each day.   One way is by simply walking.   The average person can burn between 80 to 140 calories per mile walked.   The current trend is to try to walk at least 10,000 steps per day to maintain your health.   Surprisingly, most people, unless they have an active lifestyle, do not get the needed number of steps per day.   The average person takes 2,000 steps...

            In the world that we live in, it is sometimes difficult to be positive.   The news can be flooded with negativity.   Even reading your social media feed can be a downer.   But we have to remember that pessimism is not good for your health.   Negative thinkers have higher rates of depression.   Pessimists have higher levels of heart disease and do not live as long as more optimistic people.   Optimists also experience greater productivity at work than their counterparts.                   There are only two ways to look at things:   Positively or Negatively.   But we have to realize that the phrase “stay positive” is much more than just wishful thinking.   It is a matter of rewiring our brains.   We have been conditioned to accept and expect negativity, and it does not have to be that way...