HealthandHappiness

Mental health is just as important and physical health. One of the best things we can do for our mental health is learn to control stress.

Some problems caused by stress are poor immunity, pain, heart attacks and strokes, and irritability. For some people the problems build up over time. They never know they have a problem until ending up in the hospital with a heart attack. Hopefully they still have the chance to learn to manage stress and get better.

For others, their body tells them right away when stress is causing problems. I suffer from fibromyalgia, and whenever I get stressed my pain level shoots through the roof. The bad part is, the stress causes pain then the pain causes more stress and round and round I go for sometimes months at a time before leveling off again.

It’s not easy managing stress. Some things are just stressful, such as a death in the family, car accident, or health problem. We just have to do the best we can with the big things. It’s the small stresses that we can control. Don’t let the little things get to you. Who cares if the kids forget to pick up their toys one day, they’ll get them the next. Or your husband leaves his dirty socks on the floor; it’s not THAT big of a deal. Learning to let go of stress will make you feel wonderful.

Some things that help reduce stress are meditation, relaxation tapes, warm baths, and long walks. Pick the one you like best and try to reduce your stress level. You will be happier and healthier in the long run.

One of the easiest ways to help yourself is to be organized. If you have a set plan of action it makes the whole day flow better. For someone with a chronic health problem, this is even more important.

If you have the day planned out and you get to feeling bad half way through you can check your list and see what HAS to be done vs. what you’d just like to get done and go from there. Remember though, nothing is more important than your health. If you hit the wall and just can’t do anymore forget about the list and rest.

Making lists and sticking to them will help with stress and mental health also. If you have certain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, forgetfulness is a problem. This can be very frustrating. If you make a list for each day, you can look back at it and know that you aren’t forgetting anything. This will relieve a tremendous amount of stress and help you stay more relaxed.

So organization is key to health and happiness in more ways than one. Did you make your list today?

Sometimes we get caught up in the big picture and forget to enjoy the little things life has to offer. Learning to make the best of the little things will help your overall health and well-being. Here are some tips for enjoying the little things.

Take time to smell the coffee. Really! I know it’s a cliché, but don’t you just love walking down the coffee isle at the grocery store? I sure do, and I hardly ever drink coffee. Just the smell of coffee is soothing. Take it in and let it relax you.

Watch comedies. Sitting down with a friend or loved one and watching a truly funny movie is a great way to pass time. It isn’t a big thing, but laughing really is good medicine.

Listen to your child when they want to talk. You never know what you might learn if you actually listen to your children when they want to tell you something. They have insights that adults never even think about. If you don’t take time to listen to them, you’ll regret it later.

Get up early and watch the sunrise. Sunrise is one of the most spectacular sights nature makes. If you can catch one, do it. It will put a good spin on the whole day.

Same goes for sunset. Get the spouse, a blanket, and some wine, then head out to the lake and watch the sunset. It’s a small way to share something wonderful and draw closer.

Read a book. Find a book that you think will be interesting and set aside some time to enjoy it. Reading takes you to whole new worlds and lets you escape from everyday troubles.

There are many more little things you can enjoy. Look around you and really take in what’s going on. Don’t let special moments pass you by because you are in too much of a hurry!

Yesterday I wrote about not overdoing it on good days, and allowing people to help. Today, I have to follow my own advice.

I woke up with a headache. This happens quite often because headaches are one my worst symptoms with fibromyalgia. On these days I can’t write articles, or carry on many conversations, because they might not make sense. It’s hard to form coherent thoughts and check grammar and all that when your head is splitting in two!

So I take it easy on these days; as much as I can anyway. I am still doing some blog posts, talking on MyLot, and checking up on everything else. I might be able to put some recipes on eHow. Have to see about that one.

I took some Advil to help with the pain. Hopefully it will take the whole headache away. Sometimes I get lucky and that happens. If so, I might be able to get more work done this evening. Just have to wait and see.

I’ve learned through trial and error just what I can do on bad days, and what I can’t. I sure don’t want to push myself too much today and pay for it the rest of the week. I have done that before and it’s no fun.

So, today will be an easy day around here.

I hope all of you are having a good day. If not, pamper yourself and take it easy. Your health and happiness depend on it!

Make the most of a bad situation is a great motto for anyone with a serious health condition to follow.

Learning to do things on the days that you feel good, and rest the days you don’t, is often hard. It’s especially hard if you were an over-achiever before your sickness. It is important that you learn to follow this advice though. Doing too much on good days will lead to more bad days!

Letting others help with everyday tasks is another thing people are reluctant to do. When you have a chronic health problem you HAVE to put your health first. Pride has to take a backseat, and common sense must prevail. If someone is willing to help, let them. It doesn’t mean you are less of a person, it just means you are admitting you need a little assistance. Everyone does at one time or another. You would help a friend in need, so let someone else do the same for you.

Following these two bits of advice will allow you to be healthier and happier in your everyday life.

Positive Affirmations

It really is true that positive self talk will make you feel better about yourself, achieve the results you desire, and relieve stress. Everyone should practice positive self talk and affirmations. If you have a chronic health condition, it is even more imperative that you learn this skill.

Positive self talk is not hard to learn. You can tailor it to suit your needs and personality. As long as you are giving yourself a positive message and reinforcing it, it’s all good. As with anything, practice makes perfect, so use positive self talk and affirmations often.

Health problems can affect the inside as well as the outside of a person. Learning to love yourself no matter what is very important to overall happiness. Sometimes it’s hard to see the good for the bad, but you must learn to do it. All it takes is a little time and positive self talk to conquer all your doubts and fears.

Here are some affirmations to get you started:

·         I am a wonderful, talented, capable person.

·         I can accomplish whatever I set out to do.

·         I will take my health problems seriously, but will not let them run my life.

·         I am beautiful on the inside and out.

·         I am worth it.

·         I am not going to give up.

·         I am a productive member of society.

·         I am not crazy.

·         I CAN do it.

·         I am lovable.

There are many more positive affirmations you can practice. Anything that is a positive trait you wish to reiterate to yourself should be reinforced daily. Comments people have made that hurt your feelings or made you feel like less of a person should be taken in, turned inside out, and changed into something positive. This isn’t easy, but is possible. You know you are a good person and the comment was wrong. All you have to do is convince yourself and make the negative into a positive.

Whenever you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, stop immediately. You have to reprogram yourself. Talking negatively to yourself never does any good. We all have shortcomings and things we aren’t good at. That doesn’t make us a bad person. Knowing our limitations is only important so that we can grow.

Start practicing positive self talk right now. It will become second nature soon and you’ll see how much better it will make you feel about yourself.

Be good to yourself! It leads to health and happiness.