Something To Look Forward To (Part 2)

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun, Healthy Mind

Tags

Different, Family Fun, Fun, Having Fun, Healthy Mind, Looking Forward to Something, People to see, Places to Visit, Positive Psychology, Something to Look Forward to, Special, Things to do, Things to look forward to

Last week I wrote about the benefits of having something to look forward to in “What are you looking forward to?” Today, lets look at some ideas of what you might consider looking forward to and putting on the calendar. Select some things that are fun, special or different, to do today, tomorrow, in a week, in a month, next season and/or next year.

Here’s a list to get you started:

Getting together with a friend or two for a walk, lunch or tea

Going to the movies

Game night at home or with another family

Play time at a park

A trip to the zoo, amusement park or miniature golf

A vacation to another area, state or country

Bowling, skating, skiing, swimming, or playing tennis

A weekend away

Attending a concert, play or sporting event

Your birthday

Being pampered with a facial or massage

A drive to the mountains or beach

Play tourist in your own backyard or the next city over

Trying a new restaurant

Participating in a 5k, 10k, half-marathon or full marathon

Celebrating the next holiday on the calendar

May you, your friends and family, have lots of things to look forward to this year!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

What Are You Looking Forward To?

18 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun, Healthy Mind

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Day Dream, Family Fun, Fun, Happiness, Increased Productivity, kindness, Looking Forward to Something, Meditation, Mental health, Positive Psychology, Smiling, Special, special occasion, Tolerant, Well-being

No matter what your age, having something to look forward to that’s fun, special or different can help us get through our day-to-day routine.

Anticipating an upcoming event, outing or get-together, builds excitement and may even cause us to daydream about it, similar to being in meditation.

When have something to look forward to we may experience ourselves smiling more, being more kind to others and ourselves, and more tolerant of things that normally annoy us. In other words, having something to look forward may have a positive affect on our happiness, well-being, and even our productivity.

What are you looking forward to?

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Time to Take Out the Trash

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Brain Programming, Compassion, Fear, Garbage in Garbage out, Habits, Healthy Mind, Judgments, kindness, Make Space, Mental health, Negative Self-Talk, New Habits, perfectionism, Positive Psychology, Self-defeating Beliefs, Thoughts, Values

Time To Take Out The Trash

Garbage in = garbage out, is a term often used when programming computers. What if we looked at our brains like computers and acknowledged that we picked up some garbage along the way? By the time we are seven years old, we are pretty well programmed by the people who raised us, siblings, teachers, peers, religious organizations, television and society.

Think about the negative statements, judgments, rules and values that you were brought up with during childhood. You were too young to choose these, yet they became your primary programming for adulthood. Here are a few questions to show how “garbage in” produces “garbage out.” Are you kind to yourself? Caught up in perfection? Tolerant of other’s mistakes?

As adults, we can begin to empty the garbage from our brains by becoming aware of the negative self-talk, fears, and self-defeating beliefs and habits that don’t serve us. Thank them for being there and release them. It’s time to take out the trash and let them go. Make space for new ways of being towards yourself and others, with kindness and compassion.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

The Domino Effect

07 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Choosing Kindness, Domino effect, Happiness, Healthy Mind, kindness, Mental health, Positive Domino Effect, Positive Psychology, Random Acts of Kindness, Smile, What you say matters, You matter

Have you ever stopped to think about the impact of what you say and do has on others? The effect of what we say and do, good or bad, ripples out beyond ourselves, and even beyond the people we interact with.

One random act of kindness, as simple as a smile or a kind word, can cause a domino effect, positively impacting the recipient, which then sets the tone for them to conduct themselves in a positive way, and who knows how many other people will be effected, all because one person decided to spread some kindness.

What you do matters and can change the direction and path of not only the people you personally encounter, but also the people they encounter, and on it goes.

Choose your words and deeds wisely!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

We Never Really Know If Something Is Good or Bad

10 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Blessings From Negative Experiences, Healthy Mind, Injuries, Is it Good or Bad?, Negative Experiences, Positive Experiences, Positive Psychology

A friend of mine recently fell and injured her arm and knee while preparing to move. Most people would say this was a bad or negative experience. I reached out to my friend and she gladly accepted my help.

The two days we spent together were a blessing that probably would not have happened had my friend not gotten injured. We were able to spend time together sorting, packing and trashing. She got to show me some of her most meaningful art work and photos, and I came away with some treasures, including two items she hand-made. On top of that, together we got everything ready for the move ahead of schedule.

The next time something happens that seems bad or negative, consider that something good may come out of it.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

The Mind Doesn’t Know The Difference

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Anxiety, Cortisol, Dopamine, Fight-or-flight response, Gratitude, Healthy Mind, Laughter, Meditation, Mental health, Play, Positive Psychology, Serotonin, Stress, Stress hormone, stressful event, Thoughts, Thoughts and Hormones, Well-being

The mind doesn’t know if you actually did something or just thought about it. Research has shown that without a stressful event actually happening, we can create anxiety along with the chemical release of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, just by thinking about such an event. These hormones provide the “fight or flight” response, increased heart rate and increased blood pressure.

The converse is true. When we have pleasant, calm or happy thoughts, the biochemical production and release of serotonin and dopamine occurs.

How you think has a direct correlation to how you feel. Since our thoughts create a cascade of chemical releases, and we know our thoughts can produce healthy or unhealthy hormones, we do have some control over our well-being.

Here are some ways to shift to calmer, happier thinking:

Focus on gratitude, being thankful, looking for the happiest moment of the day, or meditating. Ease up on perfectionism, laugh and play more. Remind yourself throughout the day to check in with your thoughts. You could do this each time you reach for the phone, stop at a red light, just before you eat, or when you wake up and just before you go to sleep.

If you are feeling stressed, it may be time to look more closely at your thinking and choose to look at situations differently.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can!

12 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Believing in Yourself, Brain Research, Expectations, Healthy Mind, Positive Expectations, Positive Psychology, Self-Help, The Brain Believes, Thought, Wayne Dyer, You'll See It When You Believe It

We can train our minds to work for us rather than against us by thinking in the direction of what we want, even if we aren’t sure how to get there. If you don’t fully believe in yourself, if the most you can say is, “I think I can,” that’s a great start.

Believing in yourself is a process of experiencing positive outcomes and building confidence. It helps to have positive expectations since what you put your attention on is what you are more likely to get. Affirm what you want. Tell yourself, “I think I can.” Or, “I can do that.” And as Dr. Wayne Dyer wrote about in his book titled, You’ll See It When You Believe It, you too may just find yourself saying, “I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could.”

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

What to Say When You Talk to Your Kids, Self and Others!

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Family Fun, Healthy Mind

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Communication, Critical Comments, Family, Family and Relationships, Family Fun, Healthy Mind, Parenting, Parenting kids and teens, Positive Psychology, Put-downs, Relationships, Shad Helmstetter, What to say when you talk to your kids

Many adults were not brought up with positive encouraging comments, but rather critical negative put-downs. The following statements come from the book, Predictive Parenting; What to Say When You Talk To Your Kids, by Shad Helmstetter. While these statements may feel foreign at first, they are worth saying to your child, yourself, your spouse and any other human being!

That was really great! * You were wonderful! * You really do that well. * As always, you look good today. * You’re a winner! * I trust you. * I can always count on you. * You’re really smart. * People really like you. * I like the way you did that. * You’re really fun to be with. * You make me feel good. * You really take responsibility for yourself. * I like the way you keep your room neat. * You sure have a lot of energy. * You’re really positive! * You always seem to be able to keep yourself busy. * You ended up with the best of both your father and myself. * I really rely on you. * That was close. Next time I know you’ll make it. * Good Job! * You’re beautiful. * You’re very pretty. * You’re handsome. * You make every day brighter. * You sure have a nice smile. * I listen to what you have to say. * You’re a good friend. * You really get along well with other kids. * You’re an achiever. * I can tell you’re going to be successful in life. * You’re very creative. * I’ve noticed you’re a very good listener. * It’s obvious that you care about yourself. * You’re a good runner. * I’m proud of your schoolwork. * That’s much better. You’re doing great! * You’re really special. * I love you and I like you too! * You make hard things seem easy. * You really practice good manners. * There is no one else like you in the whole world. * I need your advice. * You sure are talented!

Go make someone’s day with a positive, uplifting personal comment!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

I Amazed Myself!

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

100th Post, Accepting Help, Creating a Healthy Lifestyle, Happiness, Health, Healthy Lifestyle, healthy-living, Inspiration, Positive Psychology, Prevention of Diet Related Diseases, Psychology, Recipes, Reversal of Diet Related Diseases in Children and Adults, rich experience

Today is my 100th post! I’ve always admired people who are creative, have experiences and information to present and are willing to share who they are. That’s not how I saw myself 99 posts ago.

I truly am amazed that I took the leap to accept help from a friend who encouraged me to start a blog when I had no experience at all with blog sites. I also had encouragement and suggestions from another friend who is an avid blog reader. I dived in and learned how to upload photos, figure out what tags are and how search engines work. Yet the biggest step I took was when I nervously clicked the “publish” button to “go live” with my first post.

I had already been researching and writing a book for families on positive psychology, prevention and reversal of diet related illnesses, and healthy living, with the hopes of one day getting published. While I have used some of what I had already written, I am in awe and love the feeling of being inspired, even if it’s at 3am., with a great idea to write about or a new recipe to create.

I appreciate all of the people who read what I post, allowing me to share a part of myself with the world while making a positive difference in the health and lives of others.

A big thanks goes to my wonderful friends Linda and Jamie, who got me started on rich experience!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

13 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Mind

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Chicken or the egg, Happiness, Healthy Mind, I'll be happy when..., Positive Psychology, which came first the chicken or the egg

We have all heard the question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Does it really matter? It may not when we are talking about chickens and eggs, but it could matter when we are talking about happiness and events.

We have all said this at one time or another, “I’ll be happy when _________________.” Fill in the blank with what fits for you: I get a new job, get a new car, get a new wardrobe, buy that purse, get a promotion, move to a new house, get married, have a baby, lose weight, go on vacation, etc. You get the idea. When we anticipate that a future event will make us happy, does that prevent us from being happy today, right now in this moment?

Could you be happy regardless of your circumstances and lack of desires? Might being happy now allow you to gravitate towards the things you desire by seeing and taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves? It could be that happiness is the way.

May you find happiness where you are today.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis