HealthandHappiness

Call it karma, or whatever you wish, but you really will be rewarded if you pay kindness forward.

Being nice to others is rewarding in so many different ways. Your heart will feel lighter knowing you’ve helped a fellow human being. Your mind will be rest because you are being the best person you can be. Your soul will sing, because you have made the burdens of another lighter.

Help people, offer a kind word, and compliment someone today. Any little gesture is appreciated on a bad day. You never know when you might be the one to turn a person’s whole life around!

Pay it forward. Remember the smile, or help you received, and offer the same to someone else. Make today a blessed day!

Susan, at http://dementia.today.com, recently nominated me for the Lemonade Award. Thank you very much for the nomination, Susan, I really appreciate it. The Lemonade Award is for sites that show gratitude and a wonderful attitude. I think that’s a good group to belong to!

Now for the blogs that I wish to pass this award on to:

http://dementia.today.comhttp://alzact.today.com

http://mentalhealthhumor.today.com/

http://sillymomthoughts.today.com/

http://www.zemeks.blogspot.com/

http://www.evstory.blogspot.com/

http://chronicchicktalk.com/

http://recoveryrocks.today.com/

http://healthmysteries.today.com

http://ofsomethingsomething.blogspot.com/

There are my ten nominations. These blogs offer laughter, hope, and understanding. There is creativity, sentimentality, and humor. I hope you enjoy them! 

Surround yourself with positive people! Positive people will lift your spirits, make the day brighter, and put life in perspective.

Everyone gets down now and then. If you are depressed, however, you are sad all the time. When going through depression, surround yourself with positive people. It will help lift the veil of sadness and hopelessness you are under.

Positive people have a different way of looking at the world. It’s not that we don’t believe bad things happen, people get hurt, and everything’s a bed of roses. It’s just that we look to the good in situations, take the time to be thankful for what we do have, and put a positive spin on things.

Positive people have bad days too. Don’t expect your happy-go-lucky friend to always be chipper. They will probably bounce out of it in a short time though. I find it takes much less energy to be happy than sad. It’s easier to find the good in people than the bad. I don’t like being unhappy, so I find ways to stop it. That’s what positive people do!

Trying to lose weight and get healthy are great goals, but not at the detriment of your self-esteem.

During a weight loss phase or diet, remember to be nice to yourself. Don’t put yourself down for slips, or only look at the things you want to change. Concentrate on the good parts too. Compliment yourself on progress, and love yourself for what you look like now!

It is so important to be nice to yourself. Putting yourself down because you weigh a certain amount, or fit into a certain size, will only make it harder to lose weight. Don’t forget the good things about yourself when dieting. Accentuate the positives and praise yourself for accomplishments.

Be nice to yourself and the scale will be nice too! Mind and body go together in weight loss just like everything else in life.

Are you stuck indoors because of the weather? Playing in the snow is fun, but it can get very cold out there! Here are some ideas to keep the boredom away when stuck inside on a cold winter day.

Read a good book. This is a great idea any time, but especially on a cold day. Snuggling up with a book, some hot coco, and a warm blanket is a great way to spend a few hours.

Play a board game. This is a good indoor family activity. Playing board games is a great way to reconnect with your kids. The excitement will keep boredom from kicking in for sure.

Watch a good movie. Pop some popcorn and slip the movie in the DVD player. A good movie will keep everyone entertained for a few hours.

Just talk. What better time to find out what’s going on in each other’s lives, than on a cold winter day when you are stuck inside? Each family member can share something. This is a great way to get to know each other better. Often, kids and parents drift apart. Use every opportunity to strengthen the bonds between family members!

Crafts are another indoor activity that helps time pass on winter days. Crochet a scarf, do some painting, or make some jewelry. This is also a great way to get some gifts completed that you’ve been putting off.

I’m sure if you think about it, you can come up with more ideas for winter days. Use your time wisely. Take advantage of the time spent with family.

One gift we are all capable of giving, no matter how much money we make, is time. Many people in the world are lonely. Nursing home residents, the homeless, even your own family members who live alone. If you know someone in this situation, spend some time with them this holiday season.

Just sharing a few hours of conversation with another person can lift their spirits and make them feel worlds better. It might help you too! You never know what you’ll learn when you sit down and really talk with another person.

You can take it one step farther and invite the person over for a holiday meal. Spending the holiday with a laughing, loving family is sure to erase a little of their loneliness.

Share the real meaning of the holidays this year. Give of yourself!

We should all give to those less fortunate throughout the year, not just around the holidays. It seems many people only think to help others this time of year. The holidays bring home the importance of helping our fellow man. But what about those people the rest of the time? Most of them need help more than a few weeks a year.

Any time you, or your children, outgrow clothes; give them to a thrift store, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or any other such organization. Warm, clean clothes are always welcomed for the needy.

When your children get tired of their toys, donate them! Someone else can use anything that you no longer need. Never throw away anything that is still in good condition. Someone will appreciate it!

Give of yourself and you will receive ten-fold!

Having a bad memory isn’t good at all. It wrecks havoc with your life and makes you feel like a total dweeb. You forget where you put things, what you need to do that day, or sometimes even where you were going!

Personally, a bad memory messes with my writing in unfortunate ways. I will know there is the perfect word, I know the meaning and that it will fit into the sentence I’m doing exactly right. The word will be on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t think of it! I’ll end up using a totally different word in the end.

Another problem I have is remembering all the grammar rules. I can’t keep them all straight so I end up making mistakes. Cheat sheets are my friend!

I was trying to think of a way to put a positive light on having a bad memory. Last night it hit me. My husband and I were watching a movie. It’s one we own that I’ve seen before. I know the basic story, but there were quite a few things I didn’t remember at all. Sure did make watching the movie again more fun!

So how bout that? Something good for all of us folks with bad memories. We can watch the same movie repeatedly and it’s always exciting.

Parents should teach their children about positivity. Showing children how to look on the bright side, stay positive, and be optimistic are all wonderful gifts parents can give their children.

Children learn from watching adults. If you are always putting out negative energy, you child will think this is how it’s supposed to be. Try to stay positive. Show your child the good in people and things in their lives. Teach them that good lessons can be learned from bad things.

Help your child to understand that life is what we make it. That if they stay positive and look at life with optimism things WILL work out. Teach them that sometimes bad things will happen, but we can learn and grow from them.

Make sure your children have a positive self image. Don’t talk down about yourself in front of your children. A young girl who sees her mother always putting herself down about weight or looks will learn to emulate this behavior. She won’t know that she is beautiful no matter what, and that looks aren’t the most important thing. Always be aware of what you are saying in front of children.

Help your children practice positive self talk. It’s never too early to learn! Telling themselves they are smart, beautiful, and capable of anything will make any child feel better about themselves!

Help your children to grow into happy, healthy adults.

I have three stories in for contest consideration, and two in for publication consideration. I’m a nervous wreck waiting to hear the results!

I love entering contests, and I want to keep submitting things for publication until I at least get one story published, but it is nerve wracking! I wish everything went quicker. It’s hard to put something in and then have to wait a month or more to hear the results.

I try to keep myself busy doing other things. I succeed for the most part, but the closer to the deadline it gets, the jumpier I get. It’s not like I even expect to win any of the contests! I’m still fairly new to writing and I know a lot of really good authors enter these contests. It’s just the waiting that gets me. Don’t get me wrong. I would be nice to place in a contest. Third place would be great even!

It’s not easy to stay positive when the competition is so fierce. It helps that my expectations are low. Also, I really enjoy writing, no matter if I win anything for it or not.

How do y’all deal with anxiety of this type?