You Are Protected: 4 Ways To Get In Touch With Your Higher Self
1. Cleanse Negative Energy
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Over last year I’ve adopted tendencies of a minimalist, which helped when I moved across the country, but I wish I would have started a lot sooner. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a hoarder, but I have this habit of holding onto things because they carry sentimental value or I think that I may want it on a rainy day. It wasn’t easy to adopt this new way of life, but I wanted to see how I could benefit from it. I started with the purging of clothes and shoes. I got rid of everything I hadn’t worn within the last three years (this was the best I could do at the time). Next, I got rid of just stuff: books, old birthday cards, school work, electronics, old products, dried out highlighters, ink-less pens and paperwork. Once I finished my cleansing, I began to analyze the areas of my life that have improved. My Conscious Donating all of your unwanted things is just the start of regaining your strength. We all want to help others and this is by far the simplest way of doing so. You’ll have the choice of donating directly to a shelter or an establishment such as Good Will. There\’s consignment stores, but I suggest avoiding that option because you’ll be enticed to buy things which is the opposite of minimalism. Organization I like to think of myself as an organized individual (at times). Now having less around makes it easier to keep my room clean for one! This has also trickled down to other areas of my life. I was able to stay on top of appointments and my overall organization skills strengthened and stretched in both my professional and personal life. Distractions I had less distractions all together. It’s enough that social media is a distraction at any second of the day, having less around me, allows me to pay more attention to things of great importance (like blogging for MBB)! Improved Health Having clean and decluttered space will improve your overall mental and physical health. You’ll start by clearing out your space, next you’ll want to start eating cleaner (no more junk food, meats or excessive eating) and you’ll improve your cognitive thinking. It has been a challenge keeping up with this new way of life, but it’s also helped me learn what I truly value in my life. Family, friends and my career have received greater attention than ever before. I know it seems nuts and how could this really make a difference, but I dare you to try it! Start off slow, just clearing out a drawer or a shelf. Once you start you’ll only want to clear out more space and before you know it you’re on your way to improving your way of life exponentially!
This past summer I took time to unplug and re-boot. Limited social media and blogging. I thought it would be difficult at first but it was so refreshing! I felt guilty for not posting enough and sometimes even lazy for taking a break to take care of myself. Why is it that we sometimes feel guilty for putting our health first ahead of projects and deadlines? Mental and physical health are so important to our everyday lives. Poor health in either area can have short and long lasting effects on your work, relationships, and self-esteem. Social media, society pressures and television can also have a negative impact on your subconscious and affect you in ways of which you’re not even aware. The shows you watch, the music you listen to…it all makes a difference. We’re so attached to our screens and perpetually stimulated often times not giving our minds time to rest or our bodies the fuel it needs. You absolutely have to take time to unplug. I want to share with you some of the takeaways from my own health re-boot and would love for you to share yours below! NUTRITIONI’ve never had a problem eating if you know what I’m sayin’… I love food…but when you’re super busy sometimes it’s easier to eat out or even worse, skip meals. I never really thought about the effects of “not having time for lunch” would have on me—if anything I thought I was saving calories! Obviously that’s stupid. Your body needs fuel, good fuel, spaced out throughout the day to keep you going and your energy levels high. I was ALWAYS tired, in part because of my schedule, but also because of my diet so the first step in my re-boot was to re-think the way I was eating. I started with the Arden’s Garden 2-Day Detox and followed up with a healthy eating plan and schedule. Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep! FITNESSI like to think I’m moderately active. I walk to work, go to the gym (when I feel like it) and try to make healthy choices. I ran my 3rd half marathon two weeks ago and was feeling pretty accomplished. Although I’m not completely inactive I felt I needed a change to my fitness routine. I can admit I don’t push myself that hard in the gym and I give myself a pass if I’m tired or don’t feel like working out one day. I needed someone to hold me accountable, push me outside of my comfort zone and get me the results I was looking for. Cue the personal trainer. Best and worst decision of my life. The worst (not really) because let’s face it, it’s hard as shit and I want to cry every session, but the best because I’m making a long term investment in my health. The best because I feel great and have so much more energy. The best because I’m learning how to push myself physically in ways I’ve never done before. And the best because I’m putting myself first. So worth the time, money and energy. MENTALSTEP AWAY FROM THE PHONE, COMPUTER, EVERYTHING! Take a deep breath and unplug.I attended a short talk yesterday titled “Surviving to Thriving” by Dr. Kristen Race, Ph.D. She shared awesome tips for stress-relief and mindfulness. She reminded us of the importance of building resilience against the inevitable stresses in daily life. There is always going to be something but the key is how you rebound and reboot. How you handle the stress can send you into a spiral of chronic stress, lasting hours, days or years, or keep you at your optimal brain functioning level allowing you to think clearly and logically. I want to share with you my favorite notes and takeaways from her talk in hopes it can make a difference for you too. | Mindfulness | Pay attention to the present moment with kindness. As we practice it gets easier, just like muscle memory. | Breathing + Meditation | Start with 5 minutes/day to disconnect, close your eyes and simply breath. Focus only on your breath and “wrestle your mind to the ground”. | Connection | Make time to visit friends and family instead of texting or calling. Low real-life social connection, eye contact, hugging, etc., is worse than smoking or high blood pressure. | Engrave the Good | How many times has someone given you constructive feedback, both positive and negative, but only the negative stuck with you? Naturally our minds are more sensitive to negative information with stresses enforcing those negative experiences. “Magical moments are easy to miss when you’re not paying attention.” This could be something as simple as an admirer gazing at how beautiful you are and you don’t even notice or how excited your dog is to see you when you get home. | Three Good Things | Recognize 3 good things from your day at the end of the day. 3 minutes for 14 days. Try it and see how you feel! | Embrace the Mistakes | Making mistakes is a part of your life journey. It’s inevitable. Show the same compassion to yourself for a mistake the same you would a friend. Keep it positive and don’t be so hard on yourself! | Kindness | Performing 1 act of kindness a day can improve mindfulness and boost serotonin. It benefits you just as much as the other person. | Tying it All Together | Play the “Rose, Bud, Thorn” game at the end of the day. Rose: A good experience. Thorn: A obstacle or mistake. Bud: An act of kindness. “THE BEST SUPPORT YOU CAN GIVE YOURSELF IS A CALM AND AWARE PRESENCE.” I hope this reaches someone who needs it! I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences below! Well wishes and happy thinking!
“every once in a while. take off your life. and rest.” — Nayyirah Waheed Life can get overwhelming, plain and simple. Living in such a fast paced, high-tech world, we become consumed with the need to keep up. Along with all the pressures constantly shoved in our faces, our attention spans are literally nonexistent. It becomes nearly impossible to sit still and not feel the urge to text, tweet, or check your Instagram feed. I’ll admit that I’m guilty of this, and it definitely needs to stop. It’s weird because at times so much of our attention is put into molding our “digital world” while our real life is easily interrupted by distractions. With anything in life, I believe in a healthy balance. When things become unbalanced, our emotions and thoughts can easily turn into stress, anxiety, worry, unhappiness and ultimately illness. This fall season, I made a choice to focus more on mindfulness while detoxing both my mental and physical spaces. Meditation was always an interest of mine yet I struggled with understanding the concept and knowing where to start. I’m a person that lives in my head a lot of the time. Although, that may be great on a creative level, the downside becomes my mind constantly being in overdrive. Our minds like our bodies must be challenged and molded in a healthy way to alleviate certain stressors in life. Ultimately, my goal with meditation is to build a realistic habit that fits my lifestyle and to eventually reach of level of consciousness where I am not easily attached to my thoughts. Don’t get me wrong; technology is amazing, however, I do think it is important to unplug every now and then. Being mindful, that we do live in a digital world, why not make our smartphones/gadgets work best in our favor. For those of you who may be looking to practice more mindfulness into your daily lifestyle or are unsure about where to start, below are my top 4 recommendations of free iPhone/Android apps that can help you along that journey. 1. 7s Meditation: Daily Mindfulness Reminder I love this app. It’s like getting a text from a good friend or close family member to remind you how amazing you are. It allows you to set a time during the day when you most need a boost. For me, I set my reminder toward the end of a long workday. The message takes just a few seconds to read and helps you to breathe, be present and focus on what is really important in life. It’s simple, effective and uplifting for us beginners who are practicing more mindfulness. Below is a screenshot of one of my messages 2. Unique Daily Affirmations This is probably the simplest of all apps and one of my favorites. You receive a different statement to help jumpstart each day with a positive outlook. There is not much of a design when it comes to the interface. The background has a solid color with a green button that when pressed and held, the affirmation of the day will slowly appear. Once you let go of the button the message slowly fades away. The affirmations are short and easy to remember. You also have an option to save the messages you like in your favorites list to read at your own will. I tend to read my affirmation when I wake up in the morning. Instead of looking at my Instagram feed or any other social media platform for that matter, I take a moment to set my intention for the day ahead. This app is perfect for when you are on the go and may not have much time to spare. 3. Relax Melodies: Oriental Meditation When it comes to sleeplessness and the need to relax the mind, Relax Melodies is great. Instead of a voice guiding you through mindfulness, this app offers meditation through soothing sounds of nature. Isn’t it cool to be able to fall asleep to the sound of a waterfall? My current favorites are the wave splashes and the Chinese flute. You can create your own personalized mixes with whatever sounds of nature that connect with your mood. I love the variety of options to play around with. I don’t use this app every day, however, in those moments where I feel anxious or restless, this app definitely helps me to sleep, relax, and refocus my energy elsewhere. 4. Headspace Last, but not least is Headspace, the newest app that I downloaded to my phone. I came across Headspace after a reading a blog post about top apps for guided meditation. Its animated introduction alone makes me highly recommend you to give it a try. Headspace provides simple and easy-guided mediation sessions and mindfulness trainings. The founders Rich Pierson and Andy Puddicombe wanted to transform the way people think about meditation into a more practical way. Often times, we have this fairytale idea of what it is and how it should be done. You start off with a free starter course that is broken up into 10 lessons that are 10 minutes each, where you are guided through each practice by the sound of Andy’s voice. I just finished lesson one and I love the quality of the content. If you wish to advance into their other trainings there is a monthly fee. I read the best review that perfectly describes this app, “It’s like a gym membership for your mind.” The co-founder, Andy also has TED talk about his journey into mindfulness and the power of being in the present. Check it out here. “Meditation is not just for relaxation; it’s primary purpose is to develop the capacity to respond skillfully and gracefully to life’s difficulties as well as it’s joys.” What are some ways that you are incorporating mindfulness into your own life? Feel free to share in the comments section below.