Stretch Your Way To Being Happy.

Okay folks, here is my newest piece of advice.

Yoga.

Now don’t laugh, but SERIOUSLY, it’s changed my life!

Every morning for about 15 minutes I do a little yoga before school, and it has helped me so much.

I do that, plus I listen to good music as I do it, and then on the way to school, and both calm me, and help me to be able to focus.

Doing yoga helps you to breathe, and awaken your muscles while relaxing them. Right after you wake up every day, your muscles tense up, and getting them to stretch back out and relax does wonders. I watch different videos about yoga on youtube, and I’ll post my favorite stress relieving ones in my “videos” page.

For some advice from the pros, and some print outs, check out: http://www.yogajournal.com/, or http://www.yogabasics.com/.

Understanding Depression.

Dealing With Depression – A General Understanding
Dealing with depression starts by understanding its patterns and symptoms. Depression is described as an abnormal emotional state characterized by feelings of sadness, despair, and discouragement. Classic signs and symptoms of depression include:

Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities
Changes in sleep patterns
Changes in appetite patterns
A deeply sad or depressed mood
Difficulties concentrating
Changes in activity level
Guilty feelings or feelings of worthlessness
Energy loss
Thoughts of suicide
The existence of multiple symptoms for greater than two weeks could merit attention.

http://www.depression.com/

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-treatment-care

http://helpguide.org/mental/depression_tips.htm

Evaluate yourself: http://www.4therapy.com/consumer/assessment/taketest.php

30 Tips To Be Happier.

Some people may be created happier than others, with enjoyment of life programmed into their hardwiring. For others, getting to happiness isn’t always that simple. You weren’t programmed that way.

But like any programming, yours can be changed. Rewrite your life program to include as many of the following tips as appeal to you, and the ultimate goal of happiness can be yours. If you’ve already achieved complete happiness, well done!

1. Experiment to find out what makes you happy. Different things make different people happy. If you aren’t sure what your hot spots are, experiment. Try different things out. Find out what you enjoy most. The answers just might surprise you. Try a few of the following for starters.
2. Surround yourself with others who are happy. If you are around angry, depressed or sad people, it will transfer to you. You can’t help it. But if you’re around people who are happy, that will also transfer to you. You’ll also learn their habits, and learn to react the way they do when something bad happens. Slowly weed out the negative influences on your life and replace them with positive ones.
3. Count your blessings. When something bad happens to you, try not to focus on it. Instead, take a minute to count your blessings. Everyone has good things in their lives, whether it is health or loved ones or whatever.
4. Gratitude sessions. Along those lines, it is a good practice to have a daily gratitude session. Think about what you have to be thankful for, and silently thank those who have done something good for you in some way. If you have time, take the time to call them or email them to thank them.
5. Think solutions. Instead of thinking about problems, move to the next step: how to solve it. When someone says to me, “Oh, this is so hard,” or “Oh, I can’t seem to do this,” or “Man, we don’t have any more of that,” I just ask them, “Well, what’s the solution?” If you develop solution-oriented thinking, you’ll be much happier.
6. Connect with others. As much as possible, spend time with those you love, and with others who you enjoy. It could be a simple phone call, or a short visit. Or take a day with the person or people you’d like to spend time with. Have a conversation, do things together, be intimate.
7. Accept things. We are often unaware of it, but we usually want things or people or ourselves to change. And that’s a sure way to lead to unhappiness, because we cannot control the world. We have to accept things as they are, try to understand them, even love them. Including and most especially ourselves: accept who you are, allow yourself to be yourself, try to understand and love yourself. Then do the same with the others in your life.
8. Take time to savor life. Instead of rushing from one thing to another, resolve to have less to do each day, less appointments and fewer tasks. Then do each thing slowly, with mindfulness and ease, and try to be present in the moment. And truly enjoy whatever it is you do, from talking to eating to walking to just sitting.
9. Notice small things. Along the same lines, try to notice when you feel good, or you’re not suffering, or you are tasting something really delicious, or you feel something cold or hot, anything. Noticing the little things will help keep you focused on the present.
10. Treat yourself. Take a few minutes each day to give yourself a little treat, whether that’s something like chocolate or berries, or a bubble bath, or walking barefoot in the grass, or taking a nap. Whatever it is, treat yourself. You deserve it.
11. This shall pass. When bad things happen, and you’re having trouble accepting it, think to yourself the same thing the ancients did: “This, too, shall pass.” And it will. And you’ll survive.
12. Volunteer. When you give to others, whether that’s money or the stuff you no longer need or your time and love, you become happier. It’s true. Take 5 minutes today to call a charity and volunteer to donate some time sometime this month. It will make a big difference in your life.
13. Follow your passions. If you do what you love to do, especially for a living, you wil be extremely happy. This is one of the best things you can do. If it seems impossible, don’t give up. Others have done it and you can too.
14. Look at your achievements. Instead of looking at what you haven’t done, or what you’ve failed at, think about what you have done. Many times that’s much more than we realize.
15. Laugh. Just the simple act of laughing can make you happier. Watch a funny movie, tell jokes, read a book by Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, go to humor sites on the Internet. And laugh your head off.
16. Realize that you deserve it. You deserve happiness. That simple statement is actually profound for many people, as they don’t believe they really deserve to be happy. It’s often unconscious. If you feel that within yourself, you need to first realize that you deserve happiness. Repeat it if necessary.
17. Get into the flow. There is a state of doing known as Flow, which is when you completely lose yourself in a task and forget about the world around you. It leads to happiness, and productivity. Set yourself up for it by clearing distractions, giving yourself a challenging (but accomplishable) task, and making it something that you like doing. Then try to lose yourself in that task.
18. Have a goal. Too many goals will lead to ineffectiveness. Try to choose one goal and really focus on it. And work to accomplish it. Goals lead to happiness, if you make progress on them.
19. Get inspired. Take time to read blogs or books or magazine articles about success stories related to what you want to do. It will get you energized.
20. Celebrate. When you do something right, when you accomplish something, when you feel like it, reward yourself. Celebrate. Have fun, and pat yourself on the back.
21. Autonomy. Try to have at least one area in your life where you have autonomy. It’s best if this is at work, but if not, find another place, such as a hobby or civic activity. You need to be in control of what you do to be happy.
22. Spend time doing something you love. Make room in your life by eliminating some of the commitments you don’t really like doing, and replacing them with something you truly love.
23. Show little acts of kindness. Each day, try to be kind to others in little ways, opening doors, smiling, giving up your place in line.
24. Exercise. Just a short walk or run could lift your spirits and reduce stress. Nothing difficult. Just get outside and move.
25. Catch negative thoughts. Monitor your thoughts. When you catch negative ones, try to think of something good instead. Corny, but it helps.
26. Jealousy doesn’t help. Many people obsess about others who are successful or happy. That gets you nowhere, fast. Instead, be happy for them. Then focus on yourself, and what you do right.
27. Stop watching and reading news. Sure, this sounds like a head-in-the-sand suggestion. But really, if you give this a try, you won’t miss a thing. And instead, you can focus on reading books and listening to music that lifts you up.
28. Learn something new. It’s strange how many of us are afraid to try new things, or admit we don’t know something. But learning new skills or new information is one of the most fun things there is to do. Give it a try.
29. Check out nature. Go and watch a sunrise or sunset. Watch the water, whether that’s a river or ocean or lake. Watch the stars, or the clouds. Watch animals. Watch people. Watch children. And be inspired by it all.
30. Laugh some more. When you are in the middle of a bad situation, look around you, realize the absurdity of the situation, and just laugh. In a year, no one will care. In two years, you’ll be laughing at this anyway. So laugh now, and be happy now.

I got this from http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/09/30-happiness-tips-program-your-life-for.html

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/08/04/rs.ten.ways.be.happier/index.html

http://www.self-confidence.co.uk/index.html

Wise Wise Oprah.

Miss Oprah Winfrey, came from very hard circumstances, and is a true testament to winning the battle against low self esteem. I remember this story from a long long time ago, but it stuck with me. Here is a little bit from O Magazine: “The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it your intention to do good for somebody else. Years ago I started a gratitude journal. This year I’m keeping a “proud” journal. Every day I make a conscious effort to extend kindness, grace, comfort, and peace. It doesn’t take a lot to have an impact on someone’s life. I’ve often told the story of Tish Hooker, a pretty woman who visited my church while she was campaigning for her husband, who was running for governor. I was 8. She stopped me and told me I was pretty as a speckled pup. I never forgot it, and I make it a point to tell every other little girl I see the same thing. I know for sure that when you shift your paradigm to what you can do for others, you begin to accelerate your own evolution and trigger a bounty of blessings. What have you done today?”

http://www.oprah.com/

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine.html

“For me, it might sound cliche, but beauty for me really starts on the inside.  It’s like a state of mind, a state of love if you will.  Then, whatever you can do on the outside is all like a bonus.”  -Queen Latifah

Some great tips for life

1: Thinness Doesn’t Guarantee Happiness.
Everywhere you turn, the message is that physical beauty is the ultimate cure-all. It might seem like the perfect body or a flawless face would make life easier. Take it from me: that is one ugly lie. I’ve wasted countless hours obsessing about size. In the end, I discovered that my preoccupation with weight was masking much deeper problems–problems that had nothing to do with the numbers on a scale.

2: What You See Is Not What You Get
Stop comparing yourself to pictures in magazines and on billboards. Seriously, stop it! You will never look as good as those models. Outside of the glossy universe, even the models don’t look that good. Thanks to the magic of retouching, the line between fantasy and reality is blurred just enough to make us all feel like we’re not good enough.

For example, in this picture:Magali’s B-cup bust was inflated to a D-cup. Her waist has been trimmed. In this one:

her teeth have been straightened, and her lips have been plumped– all with a few clicks of a mouse.

Perfection sells, and there are plenty of people buying. Here’s the catch: there is no beauty product in existence that will work as well as Photoshop.

3: You Don’t Have to Suffer in Silence.
Millions of men and women feel just like you! Eating disorders and body image issues have reached epidemic proportions, plastic surgery rates have skyrocketed, and it seems like just about everyone is feeling the “makeover” pressure. We know that anyone can be affected, regardless of race, class, age, or gender. Reaching out is the first step. Find your voice, and find help for yourself or someone you care about. You can’t do it on your own, but the good news is that you don’t have to.

For more information, visithttp://www.insidebeauty.org/

Or to help young girls: http://www.newmoon.com/

The Facts.

Two out of five women and one out of five men would trade three to five years of their life to achieve their weight goals.

In 1970 the average age of a girl who started dieting was 14; by 1990 the average dieting age fell to 8.

A study found that women overestimate the size of their hips by 16% and their waists by 25%, yet the same women were able to correctly estimate the width of a box.

After viewing images of female fashion models, seven out of ten women felt more depressed and angry than prior to viewing the images.

The “ideal” woman – portrayed by models, Miss America, Barbie dolls, and screen actresses – is 5’5, weighs 100 pounds and wears a size 5.

Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents.

One out of three women and one out of four men are on a diet at any given time. Two thirds of dieters regain the weight within one year and virtually all regain it within five years.

35% of occasional dieters progress into pathological dieting.

The diet industry (diet foods, diet programs, diet drugs, etc.) takes in over $40 billion each year and continues to grow.

30% of women chose an ideal body shape that is 20% underweight and an additional 44% chose an ideal body shape that is 10% underweight.

The average U.S. woman is 5’4” and weighs 140 pounds whereas the average U.S. model is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds.

After viewing images of female fashion models, seven out of ten women felt more depressed and angry than prior to viewing the images

To find out more shocking stats go to the Student Wellness Program at University of Colorado at Boulder.

For more facts visit http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/teens/eating/277.html

To assess if YOU might have an eating disorder, please take this survey: http://www.4therapy.com/consumer/assessment/taketest.php

If you or a loved one has anorexia, call the National Eating Disorders Association’s toll-free hotline at

1-800-931-2237 or visit it online for free referrals, information, and advice.

Joy Journal.

Here is something I did when I was feeling really down on my life. I know what it’s like to feel sad, scared, bored, and overwhelmed with life. I think we all do. This was something I did, that truly changed my life.

It’s called a joy journal.

It was a small notebook I bought for 99 cents at a bookstore, and it was as simple at this:

Everyday I wrote one thing that I was grateful for that day.

It was anything from “Today, I am glad that I passed my test” to “Today, I sat out in the sunshine for the first time since winter.” I did this every day for a month, and it truly changed me. By the end of the month I had on hard paper 30 things I knew that were good about my life. It made me feel so much better. It was a simple thing that took about 60 seconds to do every day, and it was one of the best things I ever did.

For more information, visit http://www.livecomfortably.com/stress-journal.shtml

or http://www.mysimplerlife.com/blog/joy-journal

Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
Physical	Emotional
Dramatic weight loss	Depression
Slow heart rate	Anxiety or nervousness
Low blood pressure	Distorted body image
Low body temperature	Intense fear of weight gain
Brittle hair and finger nails	Low self-esteem
Hair loss	Withdrawal from friends & activities
Dry skin & dehydration	Thinking about food most of the time
Growth of lanugo (soft furry hair on face, back & arms)
Amenorrhea (menstrual period stops)
Slow or stunted growth

Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa
Physical	Emotional
Electrolyte problems	Depression
Irregular menstrual periods	Shame or guilt
Dehydration	Anxiety
Swollen face (fluid retention)	Fear of weight gain
Sore throat	Withdrawal from friends
Tooth decay/loss
Dry, flakey skin
Heart arrhythmias (due to potassium loss from vomiting)
Constipation
Body weight is typically normal

For more information, visit http://helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm,

or http://www.medicinenet.com/anorexia_nervosa/article.htm.

Are you really going  to let a NUMBER control your life?

DID YOU KNOW?

8,000,000 or more people in the United States have an eating disorder.
90% are women.
Victims may be rich or poor.
Eating disorders usually start in the teens but may begin as early as age 8.

Source: National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

-Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C

For more inspirational quotes visit http://thinkexist.com/quotations/self-esteem/

Evaluate Your Self Esteem.

I discovered this in my research today. Just like you, I’m working on my self esteem too! I scored a 65, which is pretty good, but I definitely could improve!

Take the test and see how you measure up.

http://discoveryhealth.queendom.com/self_esteem_abridged_access.html

If you could use some improvement, check out this website!

http://www.more-selfesteem.com/