Self Help

How to Really Live in the Moment

February 13, 2019 by Joi Leave a Comment

by Adrian

You’ve got to live in the moment… it’s easy advice to give out and to hear, but is it quite so easy to put into practice? Living in the moment and paying attention to what is happening right now around you sounds wonderful, but with so much going on and everyone being so busy, it also might sound impossible.

The good news is that it’s not impossible. In fact, there are some simple ways to really live in the moment that you can start implementing today, and you’ll soon start to feel the benefits.

Conquer Your Addictions
Addictions can be the thing that is stopping you from enjoying your life to the fullest and really being able to live in the moment. If you are always looking for the next drink or fix of drugs, or the next chance to smoke a cigarette, for example, then you won’t be noticing what is happening around you. Get help with your addiction from The Recovery Village, not just so that you can live in the moment but because they can lead to all kinds of health issues including borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Remove What You Don’t Need
Living a more minimal life doesn’t mean you have to give up everything and live on just bread and water. It simply means that it’s time to clear away anything that you no longer need or that doesn’t make you happy. Older possessions are often linked to memories, and although some memories are good, others may not be so great, and it is these items that should be discarded.

If you really can’t bear to remove them entirely from your home, put them in a box and place them in the attic, basement, or into storage. That way, your home will be full of things that you love without causing clutter that can cause stress. Remember, living or sleeping in a room where piles are high can lead to poor sleeping patterns and added worry. Minimalism is a great means of keeping stress to a minimum.

Appreciate The Little Things
To start living in the moment, you need to appreciate the little things, no matter how small. If they cheer you up and make you stop and pause to think, then they are worth admiring. It might be a sunrise, a beautiful sky, a flower growing where nothing else can, a cat lounging in a front yard, or any number of little, day to day things that will keep you grounded and happy. Use all of your senses including sight, smell, and hearing, and enjoy everything.

Forgive
By walking around holding onto past hurts, you are never able to truly live in the moment and enjoy it for what it is. There will always be something holding you back from fully engaging with what is happening around you.

It is best, therefore, to choose to forgive those who have hurt you and move on with your life. If you don’t, you are missing out on the happiness you could be having, and they will have hurt you even more. Let go of grudges.

Author: Adrian is a lifelong thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie. A freelance sports writer, Adrian is passionate about health and fitness and pushing his body to limits. Whether he’s rambling in the beautiful Cotswolds or bunjy jumping in New Zealand, Adrian is a fervent believer in making the most of the great outdoors.

Changes Coming to Self Help Daily in 2019!

January 29, 2019 by Joi 2 Comments

First of all, I want to apologize for my lack of articles, posts, book reviews, and quotes on the Self Help blog the past year. Contrary to how it may look, I didn’t fall off the face of the earth.

I wasn’t abducted by aliens… but what a cool story that would be.

I didn’t join Bigfoot in a cross-country trek… cooler story.

I didn’t forget how to type, blog, or turn the computer on.

I DID, however, become a grandmother for the first time and, quiet frankly… if I can be honest for a moment… that’s all I could think about, celebrate, or concentrate on for months on end!

I am blessed – uncommonly blessed – in that I get to spend so much time with this little angel. While his mom and dad work every day, he and I play! We watch Sesame Street (he loves Elmo while I’m partial to Gabby), the Disney Channel… we read, we go for long strolls… play with everything from pots and pans to the countless toys we’ve all bombarded him with.

I’m guessing you’ve figured out the lack of updates by now, haven’t you?

There is a huge – really, really huge – learning scale when it comes to budgeting your time. What’s that phrase about an old dog and new tricks?? Well, a blogger who is, shall we say, over 49, can have a hard time finding time for everything she needs time for. Especially when all she really wants to do is sit in the middle of the kitchen floor with a cute little guy and bang on pots and pans. Do NOT get me wrong, I wouldn’t change time with Maddox (the perfect baby’s name) for anything. Talk about a tremendous blessing from Heaven! Most grandparents have to long for more time with their grandkids – I see mine as much as I do my own husband and almost as much as I do my cats!

BLESSING.

I have finally figured out the time scheduling and he is getting to where he is able to entertain himself while I do a few things at the computer. Naturally, there still have to be frequent breaks for hugs, Mickey Mouse, lunch, Starbucks trips (he loves smoothies!), and… of course, Elmo.

I actually have several new things planned for Self Help Daily. The changes may – or may not – we’ll see how it goes! – even involve a new design.

Self Help Daily Additions and Changes in 2019

I have added a new category: Dream Analysis. You can click the link to read more about what you can expect with this content.
I also added two other fascinating new categories, Aromatherapy and Essential Oils.
I am going to dust off the Self Help Daily Twitter page and actually update it and make it work! I spend the majority of my Twitter time on my personal account (@JoiTaniaSigers). It takes a great deal of time and effort to “grow” a Twitter account and I lost patience with the Self Help Daily page long ago. In fact, my last Tweet on that particular account was back in August! I’m going to make it a priority to get it off and running and plan to devote the time and energy needed to make it happen.
Book Reviews: I get MANY offers for book reviews on my blogs and I love it. I am an avid reader and book collector, so this is one of my favorite parts of doing what I do. I stopped accepting books to review on Self Help Daily this past year because I was overrun (and, come on, busy doing other things!). I am going to begin accepting books to review again, but I’ve narrowed the subjects I will accept or review. You’ll be seeing reviews of books covering the Spiritual and Christian genre, Inspirational books, books about aromatherapy, essential oils, healthy eating, mental fitness, brain health, and happiness. Basically, I’ve decided that if I am going to spend time reading and reviewing books, they darn sure need to be books I’m interested in and that I will enjoy!
The Quote of the Day I once did on Self Help Daily will now appear, daily, on the Self Help Daily Twitter page. I will occasionally put quotes and quote graphics on the blog but they will be on the Twitter page daily.
I have become almost as fascinated with the mind/body/food connection as I am by animals…. almost. So you’ll begin seeing a lot more content about how food can help us feel better, live longer, and even protect our minds. What doesn’t sound exciting about that?!

Thank you for reading my words – you absolutely humble me by being here. If you are on Twitter, please follow Self Help Daily. I’ll gladly follow you right back!

The Fascinating World of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Benefits Beyond Belief!

January 23, 2019 by Joi 2 Comments

Sweet Orange and Eucalyptus Essential Oils

Admittedly, I can often be “late to the party.” I’ve always blamed this phenomenon on being an only child. When you live in your own little world, sometimes news travels in (and out, at times) slowly.

Truth is, sometimes it trickles in.

Whatever the reasons, people all around me (literally… as in my own family, but more about her in a minute) have been using, loving, and swearing by essential oils for months upon months and I am just now really jumping on board.

Only child or not, a debilitating headache that isn’t responding to either Ibuprofen OR hot showers will leave you searching for relief. Here’s where my essential oil expert daughter comes into play.

My youngest daughter, Stephany, has been a HUGE believer in and user of essential oils and aromatherapy for years, now. I knew this and appreciated a few of them – such as lavender (my favorite scent) and citrus (very close second). I’ve known the beauty of lavender long before the phrase “essential oils” came into play. However, whenever she talked about peppermint for pain relief or eucalyptus for congestion, I don’t know, I guess I thought, “Well, it clearly works for her, but I’m sure it wouldn’t work for me.”

Then came the headache from the inner circle of hell, and I found myself willing to find out!

Peppermint Essential Oil

I told her about the headache and she gave me a bottle of Peppermint Essential Oil and a “carrier oil.” She uses Jojoba Oil as her “carrier oil.”

What’s a carrier oil? Sounds mysterious, doesn’t it? It is simply an unscented base oil that you add a few drops of essential oil to before applying it. Steph uses Jojoba Oil she buys off of Amazon. I found Avocado Oil at Meijer that I’ve used. Some people use coconut oil – although I’d think the scent would combine with the essential oil’s aroma and be an issue.

Back to the evil headache. I added a few drops of the peppermint essential oil to the Jojoba oil and rubbed it directly on my forehead. Playing the role of Doubting Thomas, I wasn’t actually expecting much (if any) relief, so I didn’t actually “time” how long it took for relief to come. If I were to guess, however, it was less than five minutes.

The pain literally faded away and a headache that had hounded me for hours was a thing of the past.

She had my undivided attention at this point.

It turns out, Peppermint Essential Oil has a very strong, proven history with alleviating pain. Since the headache experience, I’ve used it on everything from neck tension to leg cramps.

It never lets me down. I have no idea what magic it has up its oily sleeve and, frankly, I don’t care – it brings relief without doubling down on Ibuprofen and that’s all I could ask for.

Recently, while shopping at Meijer and I went to their essential oil section. This essential oil convert loaded up on several – as well as the avocado base or carrier oil.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Fast forward a few months – I came down with my annual cold (he arrives with his nasty attitude every year between January 1 -January 10). Being an “extra” kind of gal, I ALWAYS get bronchitis at the end of my cold. I have no idea if it’s because I have asthma or if I’m just terribly lucky, but without fail – it happens each and every year, dating back to when I was in Elementary School.

I’m nothing if not consistent.

When my chest was insanely congested, I would rub a little Eucalyptus oil (along with the Avocado Oil) directly on my chest. The relief was amazing. However, the BEST way I put the Eucalyptus Oil to work was (naturally at the advice of Steph) by adding a few drops directly on the floor of the shower. While taking a warm shower, the Eucalyptus surrounds you and clears your chest, head, or anything else that might need it!

I’m in the process of giving Self Help Daily a much-needed overhaul – more about that in the next post. I will be adding a great deal of information about essential oils and aromatherapy. In fact, I’ve created a new category for each. There is simply too much natural-healing to be enjoyed and experienced with essential oils to ignore them any longer.

I’m reading and researching like a college student in search of passing grades when it comes to essential oils and I’ll be sharing everything I come across here on the self help blog. I’m excited to see just how many miracles these oils can bring about. (Naturally I’m being very liberal with the word miracles here…. a cured headache has that effect on me.)

Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Steph gifted me with more essential oils for Christmas – my beloved lavender, eucalyptus, and one that was very new to me: Sweet Orange Essential Oil. One of the first things I thought of when I saw it was cleaning. I love, love, love cleaning products with a citrus scent. It can be tough to find orange-scented cleaners, though. Sweet Orange Essential Oil makes it easy to add a fresh, feel-good aroma to any cleaning solution. Just add a few drops and you’re good to go.

Having said that, I actually have a different favorite way to use Sweet Orange Essential Oil. I call it my wake-up call. On mornings where it’s particularly hard to get up and get going, I simply sniff my orange essential oil.

And, yes, I realize how weird that may sound.

However, since it never fails to give me the get up and go that I’m lacking, I’ll just keep on sniffing!

Many people report that doing so can also lift your mood. Sweet Orange essential oil has also been linked to a stronger immune system.

Hmm.. maybe that could help me end my annual cold/bronchitis event.

See this page – Sweet Orange Essential Oil – for a great deal of information about this particular oil.

Lavender Essential Oil and Aromatherapy

Lavender Oil is another one of my favorites and one that anyone… absolutely anyone… could and would benefit from. It’s all about RELAXATION (sorry for the all caps treatment, but relaxation is something I get excited about).

My favorite way to buy Lavender Oil is in spray bottles. It makes it easier to spray onto your pillows and/or favorite blankets of throws.

Heck, I’ve even sprayed it on my pajamas before.

There’s simply something beautifully relaxing about the scent of lavender. If you’ve never tried it, I hope you will asap. It is magical.

Aromatherapy and Essential Oil Diffusers

Essential Oil Diffusers, like the LiteMist Ultrasonic Diffuser are very popular and for a great reason. They put aromatherapy to work for you, without you having to do much more than pour and plug. A diffuser would be a great way to take advantage of lavender, eucalyptus, and sweet orange essential oils.

Though my favorite way to use eucalyptus oil will always be in the shower. It’s just outrageously effective. Just be sure not to use too much. You’ll feel like you stepped into an alternate universe – one with cough syrup for oxygen.

I’ll be adding a lot more information about essential oils and aromatherapy to the website. I have my face buried in two books at the moment, taking notes like my life depends on it.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Where to Buy Essential Oils and Carrier or Base Oils:

Many department stores now carry a good selection of essential oils and even carrier oils. However, from my own experience, the best quality oils are found online.

Essential Oils on Amazon

Carrier Oils for Essential Oils on Amazon

Life Changing Inspirational Quotes by Mother Teresa

January 8, 2019 by Joi 7 Comments

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
~ Mother Teresa

This Mother Teresa quote about life is a sermon and an education in 16 sentences. The simplicity of this great woman was part of her beauty. What takes the rest of us billions upon billions of words to convey, it was a though Mother Teresa said, “Give me 16 sentences and I’ll get my point across.”

And that she did. Every single time. She’d have been a Twitter rock star.

More Mother Teresa Quotes:

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

Intense love does not measure, it just gives.

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.

I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?

Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action.

One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.

There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things that we could use.

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.

Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.

Tips for Modeling Good Mental Health for Children

January 5, 2019 by Joi Leave a Comment

As a parent, you want to teach your children as many things as possible. While you might feel this means tangible lessons like helping them learn their ABCs when they are preschoolers and teaching them to drive when they are teens, it’s important to remember that your kids will also learn by simply watching what you are doing.

For instance, when it comes to having good mental health, how you act, the decisions that you make and the way you treat yourself and others can all help your children learn what this important concept means. In order to model good mental health for your kids, please consider the following tips:

Be Mindful of How and Where You Spend Money
While you might not equate solid mental health with spending money, the two are linked together. If your kids see you constantly stressing about bills and fighting with your spouse about money, it can lead to negative associations with money in their future. Strive to live within your means and if money is tight, take proactive steps like trimming back expenses rather than putting everything on your Visa.

Also, to show your kids how to be smart with money, make a point of shopping for brands that you can trust and believe in. Explain how you don’t want to waste money and research the best companies before making purchases. For example, if you are looking for high quality health, beauty and lifestyle products, a company like Amway is a great place to start. If your kids bring up the Amway scam rumor, show them how the company refuted the accusations on their site, and assure them that you only spend your money on products from reputable and reliable companies.

Take Care of Yourself Too
Parents often put their own self care last while their children get the lion’s share of time and attention. You probably make sure your kids get enough sleep, yet you are sleep deprived. Your kids see the dentist twice a year on schedule, but you keep cancelling your own appointments because of your huge number of commitments. While it is definitely important to take good care of your children, you need and deserve the same treatment. Being a parent who handles the needs of his or her kids while still modeling good self-care is a wise choice that your children will definitely notice. Mention that you are going in for a physical with your doctor, go out for walks as a family and establish a family bedtime—these are all ways to take care of yourself and your kids at the same time.

Show Compassion for Yourself and for Others
Another effective way to model good mental health habits for your kids is by being compassionate. As The Washington Post notes, being gentle with yourself and others can help you and your children learn to navigate difficult feelings. On the flip side, poor emotional regulation, including being really hard on yourself, can result in headaches and stomachaches and other physical symptoms. So, when life is stressful and you make an error in your checking account or accidentally burn dinner, instead of blurting out “I’m such an idiot!” try to remain as calm as possible and avoid making self-deprecating remarks.

Remember, Your Kids Are Always Watching
On those days where you have to remind your children 100 times to take out the trash, it may be difficult to believe that your kids actually listen to you. But children really do watch what you are doing and what is coming out of your mouth, as well as your daily habits. By striving to model good mental health, you will not only feel better yourself, but your kids should also grow up to be mentally healthy and happy adults.

Self Help

How to Really Live in the Moment

Changes Coming to Self Help Daily in 2019!

Self Help Daily Additions and Changes in 2019