Operation Self Care

Recently, I came to realize the importance of managing my mood. How I am choosing to perceive things has a direct effect on the way that I go about my day. If I wake up allowing myself to let the negative have an influence on how I feel, I will respond in a negative way. As I have discussed in previous blogs, we all have a choice in how we respond to things. I believe that by realizing the magnitude of our moods, we can more effectively make these choices. We must understand why we feel these ways in order to move forward and make good decisions that are beneficial to our wellbeing. Today I am challenging you to take a look at the past week of your life. I know for me I had many times where I struggled to believe that I was capable of completing a project or task. I did not want to become a person who gave up, but there were definitely times that I did not do my best. I suppose this is why I feel so strongly about helping others who do not know where to turn; I have been there a...

Sometimes I like to think of the mind being almost like a garden. The flowers and other plants that exist in your mental garden are a reflection of how closely you care for them. Let's say that these flowers represent the thoughts that you have. If you take care of your thoughts and "water" them with goodness and happiness, your flowers will thrive. If you ignore what your flowers need, they will wilt and ultimately you will not function properly. I have decided to challenge all of you to find a new focus, and in doing so really try watering the flowers that you have ignored for so long. I am on the same journey, so you are definitely not alone in this. My focus recently has been on homework, exams and my job. While this is all good and well, I will admit I have made certain mistakes that have prevented me from living my life to the fullest. Even though I know I cannot ignore these things in my life, I have decided to make my personal health my first priorit...

The Christmas season is a time for the world to be renewed. As the first snow falls, we see the world around us transforming into a winter wonderland. Decorations begin to appear, creating light even when the world seems to be full of darkness. For some, Christmas is a tough time. Perhaps there is a loved one missing from the table, or an issue has arisen that seems to be hopeless and impossible. It is easy to become discouraged during this time, when the world is supposed to be full of hope. In this day and age, our society has placed a large amount of emphasis on the need to buy things. We are consumed by the idea that material items will help us feel fulfilled and happy. As I have discussed in previous blogs, this is certainly not the truth.  Distracting ourselves with meaningless products and things is simply not the answer. You are probably asking yourself,  "So how do we find the answer?" This is a very good question, and I'll be the firs...

In my own life I have recently experienced a lot of difficult situations. There were countless times where I wanted to give up and let my anxiety, worries and frustrations take control of who I was. In my opinion, this is not an uncommon scenario. I think that these are feelings that many of us have; we want to give up at the first sign of a daunting task or beginning of a conflict. As hard as they may seem, the worst days do not have to be impossible to get through. After all, we have survived 100% of the bad days that we have experienced before! It is crucial to remind ourselves that the bad we experience is meant to help us grow and learn. If there is one good thing I can say about the bad days, it is that I learned more about myself from them. Maybe you are at a point in your life where you feel lost, or that you are in the same rut you simply can't seem to get out of. It is easy to want to give up, but I urge you not to. Not matter what you are going through, there ...

Too often, people are only focused on the end result when working for something. Money, flashy cars and expensive objects are usually the status symbols that we try to obtain. Even though there is nothing wrong with desiring these things, they can get in the way of creating the healthy mindset you need to actually obtain them.   The reality is that the journey is not about the material things or satisfaction that we gain from being successful.  Train yourself to acknowledge that this is the first step towards forming a mature outlook that will project you on towards bigger and better things. Many times, we can become frustrated with how long it can take for things to start happening in our lives. Our patience runs thin, and we feel as though nothing is really moving forward for us. It is easy to feel discouraged. However, you have the choice of whether you are going to sit back and let those feelings control you, or if you are actually going to do something ab...