Detox Your Life

Today I made a decision. And if I follow through, I think it will be a game changer.

                                                      I made the decision to 

                                                           Detox My Life.

From all the things that only bring me harm. What doesn't help me or lift me up, has to go!

                                           "But how do you know what's toxic?"

Well, usually you'll have a feeling. A strong negative feeling-the aftershock.

For me, this is brought on by things such as:

           JUNK FOOD. I feel so sluggish and a little guilty afterwards.

           TOXIC PEOPLE. These are the people who leave you emotionally exhausted.

           CLUTTER. Ever notice how a messy room can leave you feeling more anxious?                        CONSTANT social media. Yep, facebook is great until you're obsessed with                                          everyone else's lives and compare or neglect your own!

Now, the important thing when getting rid of some things in your lives is to make sure that you replace them with something else. Otherwise, you're left feeling like something is missing.

For me, I'm going to try to find better substitutes for junk food-such as fruit! It's still sweet, so I can please my sweet tooth, but it's so much better for me too! 

For people, I have to be more mindful of who I surround myself with and make sure that I spend more time with the people who inspire me and lift me up!

For clutter, it's time to start a new habit. I need to figure out a good routine that will leave me feeling more organized.

For social media, this means spending less time on facebook and more time on pinterest. Yes, pinterest is still social media, but instead of focusing on other people's lives, I can use pinterest to find ways to improve my own.

                  Give your life a detox! Even if it's just for a month. I promise you won't regret it.

What Happens When You Declutter Your Life

Recently I read about how important it is to take some time every once in awhile to remove some of the clutter from your life. Now, this clutter can be physical things, as well as psychological clutter. If you have some unresolved issues with a friend or family member, or never told someone how you really felt about them, then these things can be stored somewhere deep in your mind and add to the clutter in your life. It's worthwhile to dedicate some time, whether it's a weekend or a few days when you don't have many commitments, to do whatever you need to do to reduce the clutter in your life. Make a list of all of the useless things currently taking up space in your life or in your house/car/office and do what you need to do to make them no longer an issue. You don't need to declutter everything in one go or even in one weekend, but make a list and take pride in what you were able to accomplish. Refer back to the list whenever you're ready to continue decluttering. Today, I did just that, focusing on my closet-and here's what happened.

First off, I decided to declutter my closet because I knew that I kept a lot of things in there for years and years. There were things in there that I knew that I didn't need or use, but I'd never taken the time to go through everything and sort them out. 

I started with my clothes. I looked through my clothes and asked myself if there was anything that I hadn't worn in the past year. I put the clothes that I hadn't worn in a year in a pile. I made the occasional exception. For example, I've only worn my prom dress once, but I told myself that I just needed the right occasion so that I could wear it again. Realistically, that occasion will probably never come and this was just a way for me to hold on to something with sentimental value. By the time I'd gone through all of my clothes, I had a decent pile of things that I'd barely worn and would probably never wear again. So, I looked at this moment as an opportunity and posted those clothes on the website Poshmark. Worst case scenario, nothing sells and I can find another way to give away these clothes. Best case scenario, some of them sell and I can get some money from these clothes that I don't need.

But it gets better. I also cleared all of the bags that I had on the floor in my closet. These bags were full of college papers and textbooks and random things. So, I began to look through the bags and pull out anything that could still be of use to me. I found scissors, perfumes, bath washes, and best of all: 2 gift cards. Curious, I went online to see if they still had any money on them. They both did. So by the time everything was done, I was $50 richer, found some items that had long been "missing" and my closet is now one less thing on my mind because it is no longer so cluttered.

I really urge all of you to give this a try. There's no guarantee that you'll find a lot of money or something that means a lot to you, but I do really think that decluttering something-whether it's mentally or physically-will put you a little more at ease. You'll also feel accomplished when you look back at what you've done.

Give it a try and tell me how it goes!

Remember to Breathe.

Learn to Love (Yourself)

Do you ever have a conversation with someone and leave it going "I should've said this instead" or "I'm so stupid, why did I say that?" I know that I definitely have moments when I think back on something and about all of the things I did wrong in that situation.

But why do we do this?

Why is it that no matter how many things we've done well, we focus on the one thing that we did badly?

The answer is slightly different for everyone, but at the root of it, I think that it's human nature.

Instead of focusing on delving into our pasts to discover why we are so hard on ourselves, I'd like to focus on what we can do to be nicer to ourselves.

One of the 1st things we need to do is acknowledge the negative thoughts when they come. I think one of the mistakes that many people make is trying to push the thoughts aside and pretend that they don't exist. The problem with this is that it gives those thoughts power and it takes even longer for them to go away. In yoga, when you're meditating they tell you that if another thought enters your mind, acknowledge it and then let it go. By confronting it, we're taking away its power.

An important thing to do when we're acknowledging the negative thought is to label it. Criticize the criticism. For example, let's say that you think that you're a failure because you failed a test. Label this thought as "Not True" because it isn't, by any definition of the word "failure". Reinforce this opposing side by remembering all of the things that you have done well. Not only will it take away the power from the negative thought, but it will allow you to think back on some happy memories in your life.

Also ask yourself if this is how you'd treat your friend or someone you cared about. If your friend were in your shoes, would you call her "fat" "ugly" or a "failure"? No? Then why on earth would you say those things about yourself? 

Stop hurting yourself.

Stand in front of the mirror and say "I'm beautiful" "I'm brave" "I matter." Before long, you might start to believe yourself.

Take some time to take care of yourself, and that love for yourself will grow. Long week? Take a long bath at the end of the day, because you deserve it. Do you keep putting yourself down? Take a mental break. Start that new season on Netflix that you'd been thinking about watching eventually. Go journal-writing does wonders. Or maybe slip into bed with a cup of tea and a good book. Do little things to remind yourself that you are wonderful and deserve to be treated as such.

By doing these kind gestures for yourself, you'll start to love yourself along the way.

Remember to be kind.

Remember to Breathe.

 

Green Tea for Weight Loss?

Another day, another fad diet. Most of us that have been on a restrictive diet have learned 2 things:

1. Those diets don't work

2. You may lose weight, but you'll gain it all back (and then some)

But what if there were something you could take to lose weight without going on a diet? Many people on youtube and weight loss forums have claimed that they lost weight by drinking green tea! 

Green tea aided weight loss even with

MINIMAL exercise

&

MINIMAL diet changes

The research studies to explain this have been mixed, with some saying that you'd have to drink an incredible amount of it to see any change. But just go on youtube and you'll see people talking about how they were able to get results when drinking it just 3 times a day: first thing in the morning, before lunch, and before bed. 

What we do know is that green tea boosts your metabolism and increases the amount of fat you burn-especially during exercise. Green tea is especially effective in reducing belly fat. And while there isn't any research to support its role in appetite suppression yet, many people say that green tea reduces their appetite, making it a great addition to your diet if you tend to be someone who overeats. 

To get faster results with the tea, I'd suggest exercising at least 3 times a week and getting rid of any processed food from your pantry. You don't really need those chips and the soda that you have stashed in there. Snack on an apple, swap the soda for tea and water. You could start seeing results in as little as a week.

This small addition to your diet should help improve your overall health. 

Remember to take care of yourself

&

Remember to Breathe

For more on Green Tea:https://authoritynutrition.com/green-tea-and-weight-loss/

5 Reasons Why You're Miserable(And How Not to Be)

A lot of times, we know we're unhappy, but we don't know why. So we go about our lives, the unhappiness following us wherever we go, but we're unable to shake it. After awhile, we attribute it to something; a fight with a friend or a job we can't stand. But I'd urge you all to dig a little deeper, because once you discover what exactly is making you so unhappy, you can start using strategies to change it. Here are 5 common reasons why we're miserable.

1. You're in a toxic relationship

Have you been feeling more upset lately? Examine the people in your life and look for any new additions. That new "friend" of yours may be the reason why you're feeling down about yourself. People that have nothing but bad things to say about you or the things that give you pleasure should have no place in your life.

2. You're Starting Your Day Wrong

Is this your 5th time putting your alarm on snooze? Stop that! When you finally get up, you'll end up feeling more tired and confused than if you'd just woken up the first time. I know that this is hard to do, but it's really just a matter of willpower. If you tell yourself that you have to get up now, then you will. You may even realize after a few minutes awake that you're not tired after all.

3. You're Not Doing What You Love

This is probably the most common reason why people float around day to day with no drive, constantly hating the job that they're in. Nothing is inherently wrong with your job, in fact, there are some people that would love to have your job! But if your job isn't one that you enjoy, one that you're truly passionate about, then it may not be the right job for you.

4. You Don't Know How to Be Happy

Does it seem like no matter what you do, your mood stays at a constant low? It might be time to seek professional help. If you are suffering from depression, seeing a therapist may make a world of a difference. It might be helpful, though, to first see a doctor to rule out any underlying health conditions that may cause the symptoms of depression.

5. You're Lonely

Even introverts need to be around people sometimes. Humans are not meant to thrive on their own. If you're feeling lonely at school, work or even in your home life, consider becoming a larger part of your community. Join a club, go to church, just become a part of something with a group of people. You may discover a fun new activity or develop a new interest. Most importantly, you'll be meeting new people and helping your social life.

Could you relate to any of these 5 reasons? Follow me on Google Plus to connect-I can give you personalized strategies and solutions to problems like these and other areas in your life.

For those skeptical about the snooze button:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/01/why-hitting-snooze-is-bad-for-health_n_5630707.html

Remember to Breathe.

How to Make a Bad Situation Better (Video)

How to Make a Bad Situation Better

Today I've launched my new youtube channel! There I will discuss strategies and give advice for everyday life.

I thought this was a good video to start with because often times we feel like we have no control over our lives-but that doesn't have to be true! In this video, I discuss how important your mindset can be in determining an outcome, rather than the situation itself. 

Often times we forget that we are in charge of the period. Instead of saying "This is awful." We should say "This is awful, I wonder what I can do to make it better." We are in charge of where the period goes. You can say "I am a failure." Or you can say "I have failed, but I am going to do better next time."

How would your life change if you remembered that you controlled where the period went?

                                    Think about it. Try it.And when all else fails:

                                                     Remember to Breathe.