We can find more joy in our lives if we start by appreciating the little things in our lives. This is known as practicing gratitude. It can start with little things like, I am grateful that I woke up this morning, I am grateful that I have running water, my health, my dog, my car.

We need to find ways to stimulate our parasympathetic nervous system to help release our stress. Our parasympathetic nervous system is known as the rest and digest system. It basically undoes the work of sympathetic division after a stressful situation. How do we activate our parasympathetic nervous system?

There are simple ways to keep both you and your family happy. Spending time together in the kitchen makes your life easier but also gives your family more time to connect.

After you learn something new, your brain becomes more “plastic” and malleable. Every time we learn something new our brain forms new connections and neurons and makes existing neural pathways stronger or weaker. When you try new things you are literally changing the chemistry of your brain.

Relationships require effort and attention. As with most things in life, the effort and attention pay off tenfold. Loving relationships make us happy, but they also keep us healthy.

It has been a solid 6 months of stress. If we don’t find ways to release stress then it will continue to build in us. Have you developed ways to relieve stress in your life?

Have you ever had really good intentions behind what you say or do, but your words or actions don’t land the way you thought or expected they would? We need to work to make sure our intentions align with what we say and do because our words and actions can impact people in unintended ways.

Most of us have tried to create healthy and sustainable habits on multiple occasions. Some people are quick to find success and stick with it. More often than not though, we lose sight of our goals and success eludes us. Health and wellness coaches are your accountability partner. Even when you lose sight of the goal or get tired in the process of reaching it, your coach will keep you on track and help keep you inspired.

I used to go to the grocery store without a list and buy a bunch of groceries. I would spend a lot of money. When I got home and tried to make a meal I would realize I was missing at least one key ingredient from anything I wanted to make. It was super frustrating. I knew I needed a new system.

So often, when we start a new habit, energy is high and we are ready to conquer the world. As time goes on, and life happens, we hit ups and downs and our energy wanes. The mindset becomes, if I can’t do it perfectly then I won’t even try.

Gratitude has been shown to help people connect to their positive emotions, deal with adversity, build strong relationships, and deal with challenging experiences. Sounds perfect right about now, huh? ;)

When you don't restrict yourself you will find that, more often than not, you will actually make healthier choices because they make you feel better. You will remove guilt from your vocabulary as well because, eating all foods in moderation will be part of your lifestyle. Eating will become something you actually enjoy. When you feel good and enjoy what you are doing you are more likely to do it long term.

It is scary to be vulnerable. It is scary to know that people may not like what you say or do. It is scarier to know that they may react in an aggressive manor or shut you out completely. The true work that we do in this world starts with being vulnerable.

I saw on the news today that since states have started to reopen, Coronavirus cases have begun to rise. We hear a lot of talk about a vaccine but what we don’t hear about is what you can do to protect yourself.

Mindfulness practices allow us to observe our thoughts and feelings without judgement. This is key. When we remove judgement from difficult issues we are more willing to see ourselves for who we really are.

”The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.”

There is a quote that says, “Win the morning and you win the day.” When you create some space for yourself first thing in the morning you will be setting yourself up for success the rest of the day.

Nowadays, you can walk into the grocery store and get any fruit or vegetable any time of year. So why does it even matter if you eat foods that are grown locally and are in season?

We spend all this time developing and nurturing these great habits and then when times get tough, poof, they disappear. So now what?