BEAUTY IS A LIFESTYLE THING

Photo Credit: Irishtimes.com Holiday Loneliness The holidays bring together family, friends and a boatload of stress, the blues, and even isolation. This can be attributed to many reasons. First, we have our own personal expectations, and those people around us help to contribute to the continued pressure and less-than feelings. Everyone is different and everyone is different in different stages of their lives. Levels of Expectation Different stages of our lives bring different feelings. Happiness is gauged by feeling. Examples can be anything from becoming a new empty-nester, to suffering a loss of a loved one near to you. You are considered vulnerable during times such as these. These, however, may be brief in nature or have even varying degrees of loneliness associated with them, But interestingly most psychologists agree that another level of loneliness can be associated with your personal self-worth or self-esteem. Definitions A simple Oxford dictionar

From My Garden  a Couple of years ago MaryCaliendoPhoto2017 Dashes of beauty found basking in the sun. the flowers do the natural thing they reach higher and higher and they face the source of their growth dead-on; the sun. If we do what our bodies want to do most people would opt for sitting on the couch with a lap filled with carb-ladened goodies. So instead we have to set goals and stay motivated to achieve our true growth. No One Said It Would Be Easy The hardest thing that most of us need, is the last bit of "push" to get us over the hump to stay "with it" (whatever your goals may be).  It does not have to be fitness related. It can be studying as with students, or job-related, like writing a policy for your company or just simply organizing your household; perhaps for a move for some examples.  These types of things can be tedious on our minds, and the mental fatigue transfers to our physical body. Set Goals Setting goals helps stave of

photo credit: Pinterest Happy New Year! Happy New You! The biggest conversation everyone is having is about your resolutions. What will your goals be? What will you do in this new year?  So you set the goals, you'll write the long list of what you'll try to accomplish. Then you'll set out to do it and either your list is too complicated and the goals are unachievable and within the first three weeks you fail miserably and ultimately accomplish nothing that you had set out to do. One first thing on your list should be how less to stress. Once you are able to be calm you can approach your goals easily. I have come across many ideas but I know in my own healing journey is that music soothes, it is calming and once the stress is down the levels of cortisol lowers as well. Music is a great method of relaxation and coping. Music has also assisted in aiding the journey of depression and anxiety. I recently came across a YouTube Video that not only provided the m

Wellness challenge,  I accept. You may have read my last article about finding my hygge, where I'm trying to get in touch with my "comfort zone" and "stress-free zone", using the concepts of hygge with comfort foods, comfort things, like soft pillows, afghans and leggings. I love natural light as well and my comfort spot is located near my windows. I have dedicated this spot as a place where I can slow down and accept doing less, even if just for a few minutes. I came across a blog post today on bloglovin.com by becauseimaddicted.net , I immediately followed her and also let a message on the spot. I've been "practicing" for about 1 week so far, and I have noticed a sense of calm coming over me and now I cannot wait for my 15-20 minute quiet time in my special spot. I simply surround myself with things I love and spend 15-20 minutes being quiet, eyes closed (lightly meditating) with nice soothing breaths and then I will end off with about 3-

If you are like so many of us, you are running on the treadmill of life and feeling like the gerbil running on its wheel, just slow down. It is proven that stress takes years off our lives and we can do everything to help to change that. How? How about quiet meditation? Most people will find some excuse not to do it or they can't find the time, or some may even feel "weird" about it! By keeping it rather simple one can meditate without doing a full-blown meditation. We are not talking about some entranced state or extreme lengths of obligation. Just simply finding a quiet spot in the house and sitting in a comfortable place, chair,or even on the patio outdoors. Wherever you can find your oasis in your life this is where you go. It is up to you and your personal preferences some people like to sit on the floor, or some enjoy laying down; again it is up to you. Start by closing your eyes, and breathing in deeply and slowly fully relaxing into yourself and let go o