Seeking and Finding Wholeness

What’s 11/11/11?
It’s a day!

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Is it astrologically significant?

I don’t know!  I don’t know astrology.  I can’t even tell you if the date is really 11/11/11 for all I know the year might be wrong say 2014 instead of 2011, the date is probably normal and boring in other calendars (like the Muslim, Mayan, Hebrew calendars) today.
But, I can tell you the moon is full tonight!
And, no matter what the date astrologically (and corrected for error) might be,  that doesn’t lessen the uniqueness of this day.

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What’s so special about the date?

Nothing and everything!
It is what you make it.  Just like everything else in our lives and society at large, it is what we, human-kind, decide to make of it, and is ultimately what we make it, as a society and on individual basis. (Think: christmas, rituals, holidays, money, brands, trends, music,  laws, habits, best sellers, and others “labels” that we as a society create and agree to live by.. we created them, we made them all what they are).

So, consider making this day 11/11/2011 special.

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Pray?

Consider saying a prayer, pausing for a minute, being thankful, being hopeful, being positive, wishing well to others, extending love and smiles to others..

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Why?
Just because you want to.

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Wont it be nice for you, to look back in 10 years form now, and know exactly what you were doing at 11:11 11/11/11 ?
Do something special,  do nothing at all .. whatever suites you; just be aware of the moment.

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Mariam Amash, an active inhabitant of an Arab Israeli village named Jisr a-Zarka, applied for a new Israeli identity card in 2008 and became popular because they found she could be 120 years of age!

The Guinness Book of Records currently lists 114-year-old Edna Parker of Shelbyville, Ind., as holding the title of oldest person alive. Even if Mariam is not 120 years of age, she’s still pretty old; her original birth certificate was issued by the Turkish/Ottoman authorities that ruled that region between the years 1299 and 1923.

How did she live to such an age?  maybe it’s just genetics, or just statistics.. but for whatever it’s worth I’d like to quote:

A granddaughter-in-law, Hamda Amash, 40, said Mariam is a “healthy, active woman. She walks each day and makes sure she drinks at least one glass of olive oil.” She was a pampered second wife who married relatively late, explaining the ages of her children, Hamda Amash said. “Her house is always full of people,” she said. “People like to come to her house. She talks to us about the old days. She knows the history since the Turkish times.” Turkish control over the Holy Land ended with World War I.

A devout Muslim, …

Next, I quote from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariam_Amash

As of February 2008, Amash was reported as being “remarkably sprightly”,^[1] with 10 children, 120 grandchildren, 250 great-grandchildren and 30 great-great-grandchildren.^[1]

She has bad hearing and can only recall portions of the past at a time, making her difficult to interview. In a 2008 interview with Al Jazeera English, she recalled the Ottomans as being “nice”, but did not like the British when they took over in 1917, and is satisfied with life in modern day Israel, especially with her government-provided social security. A devout Muslim, she has made the Hajj to Mecca five times. She claims to owe her age to olive oil, which she drinks every day, her avoidance of alcohol, and a local herb Palestinians often use for salads. She also stated that she expected to live “another ten years”.^[3]

Disclaimer: can’t always rely on wikipedia for accurate info.

What I can ascertain  from the quotes regarding her longevity is the following:

1- She is active (and healthy)

2- Walks each day

3- Drinks at least one glass of olive oil a day

4- Her house was full of people (she is either sociable or simply surrounded by social interaction, love, emotions, communication)

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We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.

~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive

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Who’s Roderick Thorp? What’s Rainbow Drive? I dunno. (Maybe you do? Clue me in if you feel like doing so.) Call me ignorant. And INSPIRED! Cuz this quote is loaded- with the key to your life being much, much easier.

Be easier on yourself.

We are programmed and bombarded daily with negative images, “news”, and feedback about ourselves. So it’s no wonder we run loops of negative self-talk over and over, throughout the day, most of which, is unconscious. Until it’s not.

CATCH YOURSELF- notice when you are saying something negative about either yourSELF or about your LIFE and say “stop”. If you want to add some extra breaking-power, use an EFT/Tapping technique, where you take your index and middle finger, and tap just below your eye, on the top edge of your cheekbone, and say “I release this thought about myself. I completely accept myself, just as I am. All is well.” Then take a few deep breaths and just relax.

You are gonna have to live with yourself for the REST of your life, so you might as well become the best of friends with your own worthy self. If you think you are boring, mean, or not a good friend to others, then start by being open to feeling more excited, kind, and a good friend to yourself. Remind yourself throughout the day that YOU CAN DEPEND on you.

We are here on Earth to be in relationship to other people- to receive help, guidance, love, and companionship from others. This is a huge playing field in which we learn to expand ourselves into grander versions of ourselves. But you can also expand yourself ALL ON YOUR OWN! And you do that by FEELING GOOD.

So start feeling better- about yourself and your capacity to handle WHATEVER life brings your way. Feel better about your ability to be loving, and helpful- seek opportunities to do so, so you can be amazed by your experiences. Feel better about your life, no matter WHAT is going on (or NOT going on), but tapping that point below your eye and affirming that life can get better, and you are learning to be your “bestest” friend in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD.

Then others will do the same. And you don’t even have to “try”- you don’t have to convince them of anything, or say or do anything to help them change. It will be AUTOMATIC. People may start to watch you, look at you, and wonder “what is WITH you?” and you may reply by saying “myself. I am with me. I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” And you’re here to ROCK the world! To shake it back awake- Our brothers and sisters are in need of love and this gentle reminder. Let yourself remember just how amazing you are.

I love you!

I found about this cool website today. It is worth sharing with you..

The Green Routes website is an easy-to-use tool to help you find one-of-a-kind places to eat, play, shop, sleep, and learn. Use the map to find a destination, or add filters by clicking the categories above. You can also search or highlight selected routes for traveling. Enjoy!

(click to visit Green Routes)

You can explore “Journeys with first nations” and find out how you can visit a ton of “first nation” locations to learn about their food, culture, sustainable projects and history, make new friends plus much more. Here are some of the places you can tour:

Anishinaabe Culture Center and Gallery, Becker County Historical Society, Becker’s Resort, Cass Lake Chamber of Commerce and Hwy 2 Welcome Center, Cass Lake Museum and Lyle’s Logging Camp, Chippewa National Forest – Blackduck Ranger District, Dennis Banks Native Products, Eagle View Organics Farm, First Week Boutique, Forestedge Winery, Great River Pizzeria, Historic Holmes Theater, Historic Winnibigoshish General Store and Resort, Ice Cracking Lodge & Resort, Lake Country Scenic Byway, Lakes Area Farmers Market, Lakes Processing, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Fitness Center, Leech Lake Tribal College, Maplelag, Minwanjige Café, Mississippi Headwaters Hostel, Muskrat Coffee Company, Native Harvest/White Earth Land Recoverey Project, New Horizons Resort & Lodge, Northern Adventures Guide Service, Northern Lights Casino Gift Shop, Palace Casino Gift Shop, Sahkahtay Indigenous Preservation Society, Spirit of the Forest Enrichment Center, Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, White Earth Public Transit, White Earth Tribal and Community College Extension, York’s Log Cabin

Visit now: journeys.greenroutes.org

You want to explore more?   Nation-wide? .. Visit places such as:

Buffalo Lake Farm & Flea Market, Fairfax Farmers Market, Fieldstone Vineyards, Great Plains Designs, Hector Farmers’ Market, Jeffers Petroglyphs, Moonstone Farm, Morgan Creek Vineyards, Olivia Farmers Market, Putting Green, Renville County Historical Society, Renville Farmers Market, Tatanka Bluffs B&B and thousands of other eco local-tourism options!

Simple!

Find these and more here: www.greenroutes.org

Don’t buy into polluting, blind, commercialized, hyped-up, profit-centered tourism!

Find a local location worthy of your time and money, make new friends, vacation consciously, align your travel plans with your morals and values.

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It would be helpful to define the problem before implementing the solution.

-Dr. Garbonzo Chizenheim

This is true in any situation, be it a relationship, a dis-ease, car problem, computer issue, an obstacle to progress, inventions, technology, energy generation, space travel, oil spills … literally anything!

Even once a problem has been defined, it is a good idea to go back and redefining it periodically in order to continually find progress. Nothing is constant but change itself, problems always change so do circumstances.

I often find people (including doctors, politicians, teachers, etc..) working to fix (or fight) a problem that was “incorrectly defined” or one that is a “ghost” because it existed at some point but no longer does.

Remember: Many times the problem you are tackling may be someone else’s definition, thus it is not “your” problem.

Got a problem?

Then, define it as clearly as possible.

Once done,

if the problem still exists,

and if you’ve defined it correctly,

your problem now is

a

progress opportunity

A friend told me about this little mindfulness program and website that I have used for the last 5 hours and found very useful. Time to let you know about it.

You can set it to ring at any time interval, once an hour, every 15 minutes or even at random times. I was excited to hear about it since I spend a lot of time on my laptop (probably too much time), I’m sure you can tell.

Anyway, it is a beautiful sound and every time I hear it I stop my typing, and take a deep breath and try to continue to deep breath, then it rings again and to my surprise I find that I had stopped deep breathing, so I stop what I’m doing and take another deep breath. You can use it as a reminder to breath, stretch, blink, look outside the window, drink water, etc..

If you install the software you can replace the sound file with any sound you like. However, the supplied bell sound is very nice. This bell reminder can remind you, as many times as you need to be reminded, to bring yourself back to your true home.

Find it here http://www.mindfulnessdc.org/mindfulclock.html

PS. If for some reason the link is not working contact me, I downloaded and saved the software on my computer and can send it to you. I scanned the software with Norton it says it’s safe, so is the website (as of 4/25/2010).

Qigong is an ancient healing practice from China, which brings your mind, body, and heart energy together to achieve balance through active meditative movements and sitting meditations.

The Chinese call the energy in a person’s body “qi.” Qi works in this way: when qi flows smoothly in the body, life is good and you are physically and mentally healthy. When the flow of qi is interrupted, energy blockages form and can lead to physical or mental health problems. When qi totally stops, that is the end of life.

“Gong” means the “the flow of” or “the practice of.” Qigong, then, means the flow or practice of energy.

Qigong practice helps the qi (energy) in the body flow freely so the body stays in balance and healthy, which helps prevent energy blockages. It can also help heal energy blockages when the body is sick. Many people in China practice qigong, and many doctors teach their patients different qigong exercises and postures to help them heal.

QiGong relies on the art of deep breathing. Deep breathing is relaxing, it also increases the energy level in the body and more fully oxygenate your blood and has countless health benefits.

Qi, is pronounced “chee” and is written in many different ways: Chi, Qi, Ki, Ji, Chy, Kee. These are all the same.

Happy New Year!

At this time, a week after the celebration of Christmas, we find ourselves gearing up for one more round of parties, celebration, and perhaps some deep reflection and quiet contemplation.   And we carry on a tradition of making , what many people call, New Year’s Resolutions.

I was pondering this word on the night of the solstice- when the light begins to return for longer periods than the darkness- and it dawned on me (no pun intended!) that the evening of the solstice felt more like “New Year’s” to me than anything.  A new year was beginning for me that night, as the darkness would be given less time to linger, and the light would be filling our days moreso.  What a great way to think about how we are moving into a new chapter in our lives.  The chapter of 2010-

But the meat of what I got to pondering, on that cold, crisp night here in Minnesota, where I live… was the word “resolution”; what’s with this making new year’s resolutions stuff?  I find there is a lack of feeling and motivation behind this word, resolution.

I wondered how many other people hear that catch-phrase and imagine the plethora of topics that are common in our country:  eating healthier, going on a diet, losing weight, getting in shape, paying off debt, quit smoking, quit drinking, quit this, quite that, stick-to-this, follow-through-on-that, etc.  These things can sound like such a CHORE!  And then it hit me:  the very word itself, resolution, implies there is something to be resolved, and if something is to be resolved, then we must first have a “problem”.

Well, I don’t like the word problem. When we take into account the Bigger Picture, I feel that here, there are no problems.  A problem is a matter of perception.  They are just a sign-post that something is simply out-of-whack in our mind and our heart, and thus is spills forth into our outer lives.  So we must bring it into the light, where it will be TRANSFORMED, brought back into alignment, and returned to us as a fresh perspective, a right outlook, a new energy that will fill us and point us in the direction of where we would like to be going.

After all, nothing can truly be destroyed, extinguished, or ended.  ALL is energy, ever changing, in a state of flux, shifting and moving and altering form as it naturally evolves or as we come along and perceive it and project our energy onto it.  So it’s not that bad habits need to be cut out of our lives- in fact, this can prove to be quite difficult!  Going “cold turkey” just usually doesn’t work that well.  But if we offer it to the Light, it will be transformed and shifted in the way that is most effective and perfect for us.

We are not here to resolve our lives or “fix” the world- WE ARE HERE TO TRANSFORM IT.

And Oh!  What a grand opportunity that is.

May you know that you,

right here, right now,

are FULLY  EQCUIPED to do just that-

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It is sad how people experience stress during the holidays, but things don’t have to be this way!

The shopping, driving, mailing out greeting cards, going to the post office, budgeting, traveling and seeing relatives. Sounds familiar?

I want to tell you now, that you can change this. You do not have to be stressed. In fact, you can be happy and make a bunch of other people happy.

You do not have to navigate crowded malls, get stuck in traffic, drive long distances, deal with airports and air travel, worry what gifts to buy, wrap gifts, mail gifts, send cards… nothing! Yes, you can simply say “no”.

Many alternatives to the commercialized, stressful, costly and polluting norms exist. Consider finding a bunch of friends that are close to your heart and locale (in your same state or region) and spend time with them.

Give people good words, give good wishes, give hugs, give love, give smiles, do good deeds, be extra relaxed, open doors for people, plant trees, etc.. The sky is the limit. You do not have to venture into these pesky malls.

You have the power to save money, save the environment, save yourself from headaches and have a greater more positive impact this season by being a better friend to yourself, to others and to nature.

Yes, YOU have to power to keep things simple. To say no. To start new traditions. To be unique.
Consider giving a donation to non profit organizations, give the Gift of Microfinance , be selfless, serve others, or make some good food and invite people to eat.

Consider spending time alone in meditation, in counting your blessings, in reflection, in prayer, in adoring Nature or a candle’s flame. Take a walk on a trail, go alone or take a loved one, if it’s cold bundle up and go out, adore the snow, adore the sky, adore the trees, spend time with your God or Nature.

Make the new years, Christmas, solstice or Yule a time to be good, truly good to yourself, to nature and to other people.

If you celebrate Christmas, this year remember that Jesus said “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” and “sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Rid yourself of materialism and stress, keep things simple, honest, spiritual; you will be happier and make others happier while saving a bunch of trees, reducing your carbon and waste footprint and feeling better than ever for having done what you KNOW is right, not what you are told is right.

Remember, you are not alone.

Blessings, Love & Wisdom

I’ve been reading the book: Molecules Of Emotion by Candace Pert. I have a chapter left to go, and I am very eager to read it.

I have to say, the more you read the better this book gets. The first half is more of a biography, and is a very good foundation for the later parts of the book, it also gives you an insight into the life of a scientists in the lab. The last few chapters have a different taste and are loaded with information, names and useful references.

If you are interested in researching holistic and complementary health topics or the body-mind connection, the later half of this book is a very good starting point.

Find it on Amazon and read users reviews (rated by 118 readers – got 4starts/5 avg rating as of the date of this article)

I have a story for you:

Once Upon a Time In a Land Far Far Away, there was a young king who suffered from mood swings.

He would be confident of his decisions and his own greatness, until he got depressed and fell into a deep depression. When this king was feeling blue, he would sit and stare, he would sleep for hours on end, he would do nothing, and he would also become convinced that he was worthlessness and unimportant.

If this king lived today, we would have called him bipolar or perhaps manic-depressive; but this was a long time ago, and back then no one had names for these symptoms. The king was left with no real help, he brought the best herb doctors and they gave him special attention only fit for a king, but his mood swings did not improve much.

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Did you know that fear and excitement are essentially the same feeling, the only difference is the label we give them and our preconceived perceptions of the label.

Think about it. Both feelings are experienced in the belly. How we think about that feeling in our belly determines whether it has power over us or if we get power from it.

Excitement is energizing. Fear is paralyzing.

Be aware of this when you feel that paralyzing sense of fear and consciously turn it into an empowering exciting feeling.

This is how you can turn paralyzing fear into motivating exciting energy every time you face a life challenge.

Do this and you will discover your inner power to always convert challenges to motivations, hard times into growing opportunities, and as a result have a never ending source of motivating energy and a positive outlook on life.

My opinion on the use of drugs to treat mood-related issues has always been less than favorable. I have seen no reasons to alter the state of my mind with any drugs, ever.

I say, if you have anxiety or depression, this means there is a culprit behind it. You need to deal with the cause, and the emotion will become well balanced again. If you cannot deal with your emotions or thoughts alone seek a friend or a counselor.

You should not want to treat (and i use the word treat very loosely here because you are not treating anything with mood drugs) stress or depression and anxiety with mood altering drugs that rob you from your true self and usually get you hooked for life.

If you are experiencing unbalanced emotions or moods, I guarantee you there is a reason for it, whether it is a spiritual, a subconscious, a cognitive or even a physical reason; there is a reason. The reason may be an imbalance in any/or all of the eight dimensions of wellness (read about the eight dimensions of wellness here) All of these dimensions are interconnected so the cause of your lack of balance probably spans over many of these dimensions.

Do you really want to mask the problem, only to re-experience these emotions once the drugs wore off?  If you take mood drugs you are only dealing with a symptom, not the underlying causes. If you go on mood drugs you are likely placing yourself in an endless loop of drug dependency, stuck, dependent on an outside, manufactured, and expensive medications to keep you well. While, what you need is already available for free, inside of you. You need nothing to be well, all you need is yourself (or a person to talk to), certainly not drugs.

Identify the cause, the imbalances and deal with them, if you do this you’ll see your anxiety evaporate into thin air. Further, you will be empowered by your experience, you will gain experience and you will take control of your life. On the other hand, you could seek refuge in drugs and hide from the real problems.

I find meditation to be a great tool to combat emotional and mood issues. I often tell people: “Say no medication and yes to mediation”. Meditation is one weapon you got, for free, that is inside of you. All you have to do is use it.

Make the move now,

“From Medication to Meditation”

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Hypnosis is a state of relaxation with a state of heightened awareness all induced by nothing more than suggestion. It is perfectly normal and natural. In fact, hypnosis is a state so natural that every one of us uses it sometime every day without even realizing it.

When we daydream we are experiencing a mild hypnotic trance. ‘Motorway hypnosis’ is a term coined for those periods when we drive somewhere and cannot remember it. That’s a form of hypnotic state. This is how you tend to feel whilst in hypnosis. It is very pleasant, relaxing and extremely comfortable. It’s an altered state of awareness. Many people would liken it to a ‘mental massage’.

The theory behind hypnosis is that we have one brain but two minds – one conscious and the other unconscious. Every day after we wake up, we begin running programs stored deep in our unconscious mind – this is the mind that remembers all the automatic stuff like riding a bike/driving a car, how to make yourself feel good OR bad. This ’storage area’ is much bigger than the mind you are using to read this now.

They work together; so that when you are driving and your conscious mind suddenly switches to something bothering you [a coworker, a big presentation/fear of height]; your unconscious mind carries on driving until you arrive at your destination or your conscious mind resumes driving, not remembering how you have just driven. If something dangerous had presented itself you would have avoided it.

These running programs, once formed, have an amazing capability for producing the same results, over and over again. Whether they are good for you or bad! Hypnosis gives you the tools to make these programs work FOR YOU!

A hypnotic state is not is sleep, it is not unconsciousness. Nothing can be done to you without you allowing it; you won’t be made to bark every time you pass a dog or cat. For hypnosis to work you must want it to happen, expect it to happen and most importantly allow it to happen.

Some people question if they are in a trance because they don’t experience a mystical transcendental journey; the truth is the depth and state of trance is different for everyone.

However everyone can experience a hypnotic state, be it at varying levels, and thus everyone may benefit from hypnosis.

Hypnosis is effective in all areas of self improvement, in overcoming fears and phobias, in assisting in health and well-being as well. It can be very successful changing habits, overcoming anxiety, losing weight, defeating depression, to name a few of its applications.

Hypnosis has been used for centuries, and millions of people have been helped in many different ways. It’s also said to be an excellent way of relaxing.

I was listening to an interview with Eckhard Tolle a few days ago. He mentioned something very simple that, while I knew, I did not practice. He talked about living in the moment, appreciating the present and recognizing that when we seek goals we may be missing on the more satisfying journeys.

Many of us, including myself, are goal oriented individuals. We hop from goal to another and operate our daily lives driven by goals or destinations. When you are like me, it is not unusual to never appreciate where you’ve been or enjoy what you’ve done. When you reach your goal you feel satisfaction and pride, but this doesn’t last long because all you want now is to move on to the next goal.

Seeking goals may get you far in life, but at the same time you risk not being aware of the majority of your life since most of youe life is actually comprised of journeys that you decided to take. Eckhard’s view is that the journey is important, perhaps more important than the destination. My personal view is that both are important, because the journey is part of the quest, part of the destination; they are the “one experience”.

Your life is full of journeys, and destinations. There are some destinations one may never reach, take ‘wholeness’ for example, optimum intelligence, perfection, or even enlightenment. This does not mean that we cannot pursue these goals and partake these journeys; in reality we do seek these unattainable goals. Even if all your goals in life are achievable, most of your life will be journeying. Thus we should use our journeys to enrich and add value to our lives.

I leave you with this question to ponder: Is life all about the journeys, not the goals?

We often seek to accomplish things, reach places, complete tasks. We do this so often that we never ever notice it when we reach a goal, accomplish a task, or reach a destination.

Here’s a simple trick to help you live in the moment. Simple ask yourself “What’s my relationship now to this moment?”

This question enables me to appreciate what I have done, and where I stand. It helps me calm down, and relax as well. When I’m stressed without being consious of the stress this question takes my mind out of the loop and enhaces my conciousness.

Amazing how one question can change your experience, even if for a moment. Give it a try, ask yourself  “What’s my relationship now to this moment?”

Once you’ve tried this, leave your feedback to let us all know what you thought.

I recently visited an aunt that I haven’t seen in a couple months, and she made the comment that I looked relaxed and more attractive. No I am not selling myself or bragging here, seriously. The point I’m making is that she, without knowing of my recent lifestyle changes, saw a difference by looking at my face. The way I felt emotionally and physically must have influenced my facial features.

Personally I did not notice the difference, but others have and they’ve pointed it out to me by either saying that I looked more attractive or more relaxed, and that they like it better this way.

I guess, experiencing meditation, mindful meditation, guided imagery, breathing exercises, experiencing life force, or whatever you do to relax, reduce stress in your life or be healthier does have an impact on you face (and on your soul, behavior and body’s posture). It makes you look more attractive!

It does make sense, doesn’t it? Your face will reflect your body or emotional status. In addition, having your body under stress and your facial muscles under constant tension will show on your eyes, mouth, forehead.. It also make sense that all this causes wrinkles.

Have you had a similar experience??

If you have please leave a comment to let me and other know.

Thanks

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Stress is very common these days, this article has very simple tricks to help you let go of that stress before it turns into chronic stress. Enjoy!

1. Be present with whatever you are doing and whoever you are with.
2. Notice something beautiful on a daily basis (e.g., trees, clouds, flowers).
3. Walk, work, and eat at a relaxed pace.
4. Take a short break after meals to relax.
5. Go outside at least once per day and notice nature even if simple, such as the weather, scenery, etc. Allow yourself to enjoy and appreciate nature.
6. During the day, as often as possible, notice and tension in your body (jaw, neck, diaphragm, shoulders, etc.). Breathe deeply and gently stretch and relax any tense areas.
7. If you notice your mind racing or worrying about the past or future, take a minute to breathe deeply and gently focus on something in the moment such as your breath, scenery, birds. Try an emotional shift.
8. Wear comfortable and loose clothing when possible. Take off your shoes when you can.
9. Leave work worries at work.
10. Avoid holding in feelings day after day, avoid holding negativity, release and let go off those feelings before you go to bed.

More to come in future articles