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3 Simple Ways to Help You Get a Healthier Perspective on Life

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You’re busy, stressed, and overwhelmed by all that life is throwing your way. When we feel this way, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. It’s important to be proactive about combating stress. Try going back to the basics to gain a little perspective on what’s really important in your life: your own well being and the people around you. Chances are, when you do, you’ll realize you already have all you need to be happy.

Put Your Health First

It can be difficult to have a healthy perspective on life if you aren’t considering your physical health. Your mental and physical well-being are inherently linked. Junk food, sedentary lifestyles, and stress can all contribute to your mental funk. If you haven’t been thinking about your health or making it a priority, now’s the time.

A nutritious diet is the basis of good health. It helps fuel your brain and body to do great things. Start by cutting out high-calorie, low-nutrition foods and try healthier alternatives instead. Be sure that you’re drinking enough water – not just sugary drinks. Calories from beverages add up quickly, but they don’t help you feel satisfied.

Your diet is a key to health, but it’s just as important to stay active and find an exercise routine that works well for you. This can be challenging with today’s busy schedules, but it’s worth the time and effort. Regular exercise has been linked to many mental health benefits: lower rates of dementia, better stress management, and improved creative thinking.

Focus on Your Family

When our careers or life’s stresses have pushed us to our limits, we can sometimes fall into the toxic habit of taking it out on the people closest to us. If that’s you, it’s time to start viewing your family as the gift that they are, and not as another burden. The memories and happiness your family will bring you are worth more than any price.

It’s important to set aside dedicated time to spend with your family, whether you’ve got a little one at home, your kids are older, or it’s just you and your partner. Even when children are very young, the impact that quality time spent with parents has on their development is huge.

For older kids, it’s important to find time in your busy schedule to give them reminders of just how much you care. Even if you don’t have much time or money for something extravagant, try something simple like a fun family hike or barbecue.

If it’s just you and your significant other, try going out of your way to treat them to something special. The joy you’ll bring them from a thoughtful reminder of your love for them is sure to put a smile on your face.

Give Back

There’s no better way to get a good look at the bigger picture than to look at your own life in the context of your community. When you invest time into your community, you make the world a better place, plain and simple. Helping out others has been shown to have many benefits, including meaningful relationships with others and reduced stress.

You can find plenty of opportunities to volunteer within your own community. If you’re more ambitious, consider going global with your service. You can make a positive impact on international communities in need, no matter what your skillset may be, and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will help you grow.

If you find that community service fulfills you, you may even consider making it a bigger part of your life or career, where you can help people through crisis situations or just make them feel a little more comfortable in their day-to-day routines. Those who help better the lives of others also enrich their own lives by filling them with meaningful work. The positive impact that these individuals have on the people around them leaves a legacy that’s hard to match.

If you’re feeling under the weather, try one of these simple ways to brighten up your life and gain perspective. The more time or energy you dedicate to each, the more you’ll benefit. You, your family, and your community are all important and valuable, but sometimes we all just need a little reminder.

 

How to Simplify Your Life (Infographic)

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Complications are not fun. They aren’t peaceful, they aren’t lovely, they aren’t cool…. they aren’t anything but unnecessary, unwelcome headaches.

In that vein, I’d like to propose that we all simplify our lives in 2017. I believe the benefits will be felt in every corner of our lives – including our physical, emotional, and mental health.

The infographic below is a wonderful way to get the ball rolling. The infogrpahic gives us a lot to think about and will help us recognize the areas of our own lives that need a little simplifying.

Courtesy of: NetCredit

How to Stop Cussing: Breaking a Habit That Freaking Doesn’t Want to Be Broken!

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How to Stop Cussing
Before getting to the tips that’ll help you stop cussing, I have to tell you this funny and very true story: Once there was a young man who happened to be a Pastor’s son. Even though the boy was very young and fresh out of high school… without any experience aside from chewing gum… one of the men in the church pulled some strings and helped get him on at a local factory – a factory that paid great money. It happened to be a plant that everyone in a three county radius wanted to work at because the pay and benefits were outstanding.

The arrangement didn’t last beyond six months. Turns out, factory work turned out being incredibly tough for the young man and he decided that he didn’t care much for it.

But you need a really solid reason to leave a very good job that someone helped you get – especially when you have to look your dad (the Pastor, not less) in the face and tell him you’re leaving said job. The young man found what he considered to be an admirable excuse and one his father would approve of. He said that there was far too much cussing going on at the plant. He simply didn’t want to be around all of the foul language.

When asked what he planned to do, he replied, “I’m going to join the Marines.”

TRUE STORY. Priceless and wonderful and as true as a cat’s attitude.

Let’s get to the subject at hand, or rather tongue, shall we….

So, how’s it going with those New Year’s Resolutions?!! Oh, don’t want to talk about it, huh? I understand.

I perfectly understand.

One of my own resolutions – to give up sweet tea and drink plain Jane unsweet tea instead –  isn’t going exactly purring right along. I haven’t succumbed to the sweet white tempter, yet, but the day is still young.

I’ve been reading a lot of different people’s resolutions and got an idea (if nothing else, it’ll distract me from brooding about sweet tea). I decided I’d pick some of the resolutions that I know something about or that I think I could offer at least a few words of encouragement for people trying to sort them out.

One that stood out to me was the resolution to stop cussing. Unlike a sweet tooth the size of the Grand Canyon, this is not a problem area for me.  I’m not sure if it was the case everywhere, or if it was a Southern thing, but during my formative years, women and girls didn’t cuss. If they did, it was frowned mightily upon. The guys did, when “the occasion called for it” but the gals?

Heavens no!

So, I simply never had a problem with cussing, swearing, turning the air blue… whatever you want to call it.

The problem is there are plenty of people who never had a problem with it until they started hanging around (or married) someone who had a very real problem with it.  Funny thing about less-than-desirable habits, they’re much easier to latch onto and copy than the good ones.

Ever wonder why that is? I wonder all the time and still haven’t figured it out!

I’ve known girls who never said a word that couldn’t be spoken in front of the Pope, himself, who started hanging around with people who cuss so often they seem like they’re talking in tongues. Within a year, I find myself hoping they never meet the Pope.

Habits rub off on you when you least expect it.

What’s more, Holy cats, swearing is everywhere! TV shows, movies, and mainstream music are to be kind of expected – but cooking websites, news stories, and commercials? WOW.

Now, before you think I’m clutching my pearls, here, or that individuals who have made this resolution are trying to be “holier than thou”- that is not the case. Swearing can prove to be a very embarrassing habit. The individual who swears as easily as they breathe will… not might… will drop their guard at some point at let out a string of profanities at the worst possible time.

What’s more, cussing in front of children (aka breathing tape recorders) has never and will never lead to anyplace worth going.

There are plenty of reasons WHY people want to quit (or at least cut way back on) cussing. The tips below can help them put the odds in their favor.

How to Stop Cussing and Swearing

  1. Most of the time, swearing is a result of anger or, at the very least, frustration. Simply put, while some people swear as though it’s a part of their everyday vocabulary (more about these birds in a minute), the average swearer does so because he/she has stubbed their toe, has more bills than money, is annoyed with a family member, or has been called upon to wait 5 minutes for a table at Olive Garden. If you tend to turn the air blue when you’re either feeling anxious or angry, recognize that and watch out for it. When you’re having a stressful day (or week… month… year?!) remind yourself that you are very vulnerable right now. This reminder will cause you to put your brain in gear before you open your mouth.
  2. If you tend to cuss as easily as you breathe and the words you’re wanting to get rid of roll off your tongue as easily as horse, lunch, telephone pole, or sweet tea.. you are going to have a little bit of a tougher road than the angry swearers. Why? You don’t differentiate between moods – you’d just as soon rattle off the &$*@s while happy and content as you would while stressed and angry. You will have to start paying EXTRA close attention to the words that come out of your mouth. I’ve known people who cussed during a conversation and then swore up and down they didn’t say one word, let alone 3,302. People, it would appear, aren’t in the habit of listening to themselves. Problem is – how are you going to improve your speech if you don’t really hear what’s coming out of your own mouth?!
  3. Crazy tip (but one that works): Come up with your own innocent word or phrase to use in place of the unacceptable ones. When I was growing up, my aunt had her own favorite.. “Shoot a monkey.” How’s that for southern? That became my own “colorful phrase” and it served me well. Over the years, the animal lover in me simply couldn’t abide by it, so my own words became “heck” and the recently updated “heckity heck”(hey, tough times call for stronger language). I’m also very fond of “holy cats” and son-of-a-gun.  My mom worked with a lady who went with “doodle.” Yeah, that one doesn’t do much for me either. The thing is, this may be the only fun part of the whole process, so enjoy it. Come up with something that will be your replacement word/phrase, then take it for a test drive. Bonus tip: don’t go with rhymes or words that sound similar.  You’ll defeat your purpose if you sound like you’re doing what you’re trying not to do.
  4. This is just my own personal opinion – but I wouldn’t ask for a “helper” on this one. I wouldn’t have your significant other, son, daughter, mom, dad, or friend try to “catch” you or point out your language. Seriously – that’s asking for trouble and is putting them in a very unfair position…. a position similar to placing them in front of a runaway freight car. Hold yourself accountable by listening to your own words because, unless you’re the easiest going, kindest, mildest person in the world… you are not going to appreciate being interrupted mid rant.

What Does Your Handwriting Say About You (Infographic)

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For whatever reasons, I’m always fascinated with “personality” quizzes and infographics. They aren’t just fun, they can actually be pretty insightful. Ironically, they’re often right on the nose, too.

The great infographic below is all about what your handwriting says about your personality. Enjoy!

What Your Handwriting Says About You (Infographic)
Credit: essaywritingservice.co.uk

What is Up With All the Self-Absorbed People?!

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Self Absorbed People
A lot of people say, “I hate to complain…” but honestly, I have an absolute aversion to it. In fact, when growing up, many times my mom would take me to the doctor only to find that I was much sicker than she thought. I simply didn’t complain.

I still don’t. Don’t like the way complaining tastes in my mouth. Does that make me perfect? HA! Far from it – it simply makes me an optimist who takes her title seriously.

However, I have to do a little belly-aching today. What is up with all of the self-absorbed people these days?! I am not about to get into any politics or world events – I may be a lot of things (crazy cat lady, clown, hideous budgeter, chocoholic, caffeine addict…) but flaming idiot is not one of them. Why does the average man or woman think that THEY’RE opinion is the only one that counts?

Why does the average man or woman not only get mad when others disagree with them… but outraged?! It’s as though they’re screaming, “How dare you not think the way I think?! HOW. DARE. YOU?!!”

What makes their opinions, thoughts, or beliefs more valuable than the people they’re spraying anger all over?

Nothing. The problem is they are self-absorbed and can barely grasp that the world isn’t bowing to their every whim.

The self-absorbed epidemic isn’t just on the big stage, of course. It’s popping up everywhere – in fact, if you watch for it, you’ll be amazed at how rampant it is.

Think about it….

  • People take pictures of themselves and plaster them all over the internet – surely everyone else is as interested in how they looked this afternoon as they are.
  • They take their holier-than-thou selves to other people’s blogs, YouTube channels, websites, and social media and tell them what they’re doing wrong, what’s wrong with how they look, and how blissfully far from perfect they are. (I recently read someone criticize a celebrity chef for their fudge recipe… she said it was too sweet. Fudge! Too sweet!)
  • How many people have you seen in a GORGEOUS location with their camera phone pointed at themselves instead of the beauty around them?!
  • Ever listen to “podcasts?” Self-Absorption is rampant there, too.  It never fails to amaze me how some “hosts” or “interviewers” always turn the subject back to themselves. The guest can be talking about his/her field of expertise and how they can help others… only to be interrupted a hundred times by the host who seems aghast that the subject has veered away from them.  I once found myself counting the number of times one guy said, “I” or “Me” or “My” during an interview. I lost track at 50 something and he wasn’t halfway through.
  • Selfies are a thing. However did we survive without taking pictures of ourselves before social media?! I guess we always figured that if we did something worthy of a picture, someone else would take it.
  • The people who get so bent out of shape in traffic, stores, or restaurants? Sure, a lot of it is bad manners, immaturity, and short fuses, but at the heart of it is this – they are totally self-absorbed and can’t imagine how anyone could dare get in their way or slow them down.

The list goes on, but I’m kind of getting depressed, so I’ll end here.

What I’m driving at isn’t really intended for the self-absorbed crowd. No one can really help someone overcome a trait like that – the individual has to have a light-bulb moment and get so completely disgusted with themselves that they change. Unfortunately, you simply cannot turn someone else’s light-bulb on for them. Sure, you can try, but if they aren’t ready to SEE, they’ll simply slap your hand and turn it back off.

I’m just kind of giving the rest of us a reminder – don’t follow where they lead. Here’s the thing, even when we detest certain traits with everything within us, we sometimes follow suit. I read once that children who are abused often grow up to be abusive. That seems completely backward, doesn’t it? They should know better than anyone how wrong it is to EVER hurt another person. And yet…

A lot of it comes down to self awareness. We’d all do well to occasionally take a good, honest look at the person we’re becoming and ask, “Is this what I had in mind?”

When you live in a particular society, it can rub off on you if you aren’t careful. It can become the “norm.” Just think of the people we have made rich and famous – some of the most self-absorbed people to ever walk the earth.

Don’t let it become normal to you and… whatever you do… don’t drink the Kool-Aid. The more people who do become self-absorbed, the worse off we’ll all be.  Be on guard against accepting their way as the right way. It isn’t. Be concerned about others, compassionate, and always on the look out for someone’s life you can touch. Put others first and see how rewarding your life will be!

Okay, complaining over. I’m going to drink a Chai Tea Latte to get the negativity out of my mouth.

I hope your New Year is off to a beautiful start. I have SO many things planned for Self Help Daily this year! Thanks for visiting – you honestly honor me with your company. ~ Joi (“Joy”)