Two Life Tips

 

 

Say Ohmmmm!

 

My mother gets more magazines than anyone I know.  She always has a huge stack of magazines near her chair and after she whips through them she is always happy to get rid of them.

 

This weekend I stopped by my parents' house to visit, catch-up and check in on them to see how things are going and she gave me at least 25 magazines to take home.  Oh don't worry.  My Mom still has more magazines for herself.

 

I am always looking for information on how get healthier and de-stress and while reading a December 2012 Family Circle magazine, I came upon an article by Sharon Boone about how to avoid a meltdown during the Christmas season.  Now Christmas may be over, but for me there is always the possibility of a stress build-up from any number of sources and anything that can help me make my stress work for me is a good thing.

 

Here are two life tips that popped out for me:

 

--Say  Ohmmm: Meditation can slow a racing heart, decrease blood pressure, steady breathing and even stop checkout lines from driving you crazy. (Well, maybe.)  "By eliminating all distractions save the sound of your breath, meditation transforms the body's fight-or-flight response to relaxation," says Jay Winner, M.D., author of Take The Stress Out of Your Life.

 

--Appeal To A Higher Power: People who prayed before performing a task -- say, preparing dinner for 30 people -- had lower blood pressure and felt less anxious than those who did not.  Researchers theorize that prayer creates the sense of having a nonjudgmental and powerful support network.

 

It's all about my choices and as I jump into a new work week, I am going to try and find strength in the positive and kick the negative stuff to the curb!

Self-Empowerment

Good news is always worth sharing and today I have some to share with you.

In February I wrote a blogpost about four friends of mine who are in different stages of battling different types of cancer.

This week I learned that one of them went in for some follow-up tests and the results came back clean!  This is remarkable on so many levels.  This person chose an aggressive course of treatment and has also tried very hard to change the foods he eats, exercise more and even allow less stress into his life!  He is not home free but he is taking better care of himself and that's a big improvement over his past high-fat, sugery, stressed out lifestyle.

The second friend finished her chemo, radiation and reconstructive surgery and is looking and feeling great!  She is truly a "wellness warrior," (to borrow a phrase from Crazy, Sexy Cancer author Kris Carr) and just celebrated a special birthday.  This week I found out she will be walking in a breast cancer fundraiser in October and continues to eat organically, making some pretty mean blender drinks full of fresh fruits and other super vitamin mixtures that make her smoothies the best I've ever tasted!

Another friend has endured two surgeries and is now in a stage of treatment that should last for about a year.  He has a positive point of view about his diagnosis which is SO IMPORTANT and he bought the cutest treat for himself: a beautiful, warm and friendly puppy.  I cannot tell you how much happiness and  just good ole-fashioned comfort this dog brings but I'm so happy this little cutie spaniel is a part of his life.

The fourth person is continuing to pursue a healthy lifestyle but she is also handling other illnesses in her family and I hope that she does not burn herself out.  She is good at know exactly where her limits are and then just stops when she reaches them. She is a big believer in power naps and snoozes during the day to recharge herself.  So smart!

That my report from the cancer front and thank God the news is a good solid home run for now!!!!!

 I am sending blankets of love out to all of them!!!!!!

I have learned from each one of them as they have courageously faced their news and then took charge and learned as much as they could about what was happening to them.

Change is so hard and sometimes we are forced to switch things around when we don"t want to but it is so much better when we decide to become an active participant in our healing rather than standing paralyzed wondering what will happen next.