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8 Emotional Benefits of Journal Writing Never to Ignore

August 15, 2022 by Kristen Butler

Discover the joys of keeping a happiness journal.

You don’t have to be a talented author to find joy in journal writing. A gratitude or happiness journal is writing for pleasure and not for a grade or publication. Even if pen and paper have never been your preference, you can still benefit from journaling.

Perhaps you’re like some people who are unsure about journaling because you see it as a school assignment. Remember the dreaded task of writing an essay about what you did over summer vacation? The thought of picking up a pencil may bring back feelings of dread and signal instant writer’s block.

If these rambling thoughts stand in your way, it’s time to dispel the myths. The only rule to journal writing is that there aren’t any. It’s entirely up to you; nobody will critique your grammar, style, or other aspects. Your journal is for your eyes only, but you may decide to share some passages with someone you trust.

A Happiness Journal Is a Great Release

Keeping a journal is an enriching gift that you give to yourself. It can also be a valuable contribution to your family’s future generations. Journaling can recount your days and give voice to your innermost feelings.

According to an article by the American Psychological Association, journal writing may help you reduce avoidant and intrusive thoughts about adverse events. It may also boost your working memory by devoting twenty minutes daily to writing. According to the article, it may benefit your physical and mental health and your cognitive abilities.

Have you ever had pressing issues on your mind and couldn’t discuss them with anyone? Consider venting via ink pen to your journal or diary. You can pour out your heart without worrying about broken confidence or judgment. No wonder it’s a tradition for folks to address their diary or journal as if it was a cherished friend.

Eight Emotional Benefits of Journal Writing

Once you start penning your thoughts, dreams, and feelings, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start doing this therapy method years ago. It’s also fun to record memories and other milestones you want to remember. Here are eight emotional benefits of journal writing never to ignore.

1. Prioritizing Your Problems

Let’s face it, everybody has problems and often doesn’t know how to begin to solve them. Most of the time, you’re too close to the situation to understand all its components. Journal writing takes you beyond the petty details and lets you see the big picture.

Writing about your problems may offer you more clarity and help you focus on your priorities. Writing can be beneficial when you feel like you’re on the fence about issues and decisions in your life. When you are faced with choices, prioritizing according to your values is essential.

2. Journal Writing Helps to Organize Thoughts

Brainstorming is a superb venue to tap into your creativity and find solutions to problems. However, it’s just like having a countertop lined with ingredients, but you have no recipe. Once you’ve gathered all your thoughts and ideas, you need to organize them.

Your workday may be too chaotic to dedicate your thoughts to crucial decisions. Consider devoting a portion of your journal to jotting down thoughts and ideas. Later, you can review what you wrote and organize these thoughts in the best way.

3. Discovering Thought Patterns

What better way to identify your daily habits and patterns than journal writing? Daily writing can be enlightening if you’re battling addiction or another mental health condition. It allowed you to discover triggers and thought patterns that may lead you down the wrong path.

For example, say you’re trying to lose weight by controlling your emotional eating habits. Maybe you’ve had a few challenging days and wonder why you gave in to temptation. After reviewing your recent entries, you may discover the situations and triggers that caused those food cravings.

Of course, no magical solution or cure to deal with any mental health condition exists. However, keeping a journal may make it easier for you to eliminate or minimize your triggers. Don’t forget to record each success you have, no matter how small.

4. A Happiness Journal Lowers Your Stress Levels

Whether you’re royalty in a golden palace or dwell in a humble middle-class home, you’ll have stress. In fact, without a certain amount of stress, there’d be no learning or growing in life. However, too much pressure in your life can devastate your well-being.

Fortunately, your brain has an automatic survival mode activated by stressors. The prehistoric world was overflowing with hidden dangers that could have brought the entire human race to extinction. This mode gave their bodies temporary strength and agility to fight, flee, freeze, or faint to save their lives from danger.

Since your brain perceives all stressors as life-threatening, chronic stress can keep your body in survival mode. According to an article published by the National Library of Medicine, stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline power you during emergencies. The report states that chronic buildup of these hormones due to stress can lead to severe health conditions.

Reserving time out each day to write in your journal can be relaxing. Plus, putting your feelings into words can minimize stress and promote healing. A happiness journal lets you let out your emotions, then look at them more objectively later. In reflection, you may find situations that cause you too much pressure and how to avoid them.

5. Improving Your Sleep Patterns by Writing in a Happiness Journal at Bedtime

It’s common for most people to have occasional nights of tossing and turning. Such interrupted sleep can stem from stress, worry, and even eating too heavily before bed. If this is the case, your body will usually adjust, and you’ll return to your regular sleeping pattern in a couple of days.

However, chronic loss of sleep can make your daily routines difficult. You may struggle with brain fog and try to boost your energy with caffeine. The extra coffee keeps you staring at the ceiling all night, becoming a vicious cycle.

You may gain a better understanding of your sleep patterns through journal writing. What problems weigh heavy on your mind, and how are you coping with stress? Did you have a bad day, or are you noticing a pattern of insomnia?

All this information is helpful to record daily. Perhaps you can improve your coping skills to lessen your stress in the evening. Putting your mind at ease is the ideal way to promote a solid night of restful sleep.

6. Reducing Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

You’re bound to experience depression or another anxiety disorder at some point. Left untreated, these mental issues can entangle every aspect of your life and rob you of purpose and joy. Did you know that writing about your feelings can help ease these debilitating symptoms?

Once you put these down on paper, you’re less likely to obsess about them. You can be completely honest with yourself without regard for others’ judgment. The more aware you are of your emotions, the more empowered you are to control them.

Many folks add a section of gratitude to their daily writing routine. Counting your blessings can often help lift the fog of depression. When you are grateful for what you have, you can focus on the benefits and less on the problems.

7. Boosting Positive Thinking With Happiness Journal Writing

You may not even realize that you are battling negativity until you keep a record of your thoughts. Review what you’ve written over some time and see the picture you’ve painted. Are you being weighed down by pessimism and negative energy?

Consider using your journal to boost positive energy in your life. In addition to your gratitude list, you can highlight other positive aspects of each day. Even though problems are inevitable, can you see how the good often outweighs the bad?

In time, you’ll be able to identify things you can’t change. Instead of wasting energy on these, you can focus on the things you can alter. Even if you can’t change some situations, your musings can help you transform your attitude toward them.

8. Journal Writing Enhances Your Creativity

Doesn’t it feel uplifting when you do something creative? Creativity boosts your mood and self-esteem, whether solving a problem or making something beautiful. Feel free to add artwork, creative writing, or anything to your happiness journal to make you smile.

You can use your writings as a springboard to other artistic talents that you can develop. You can also keep a record of each step in your creative process. You may not become another Picasso or Mozart, but you can improve your painting and music skills.

Final Thoughts on Happiness Journal Writing

These are just a few of the many benefits of keeping a journal. Whether you write daily or just once a week, it’s time well spent for self-improvement. Journal writing about your life can heal physically, mentally, and spiritually.

6 Reasons Friendships Come to an End

August 15, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

Throughout life, you’ll have many friendships. Some of them will be circumstantial or acquaintances. You’ll also have friends you deeply care for and always want in your life–part of your inner support system. But, as luck would have it, not all of them will stick around. You’ll lose all types of friends, even your closest ones. This is just how life is sometimes. Friendships are very volatile, and there aren’t as many responsibilities attached to them as in a romantic relationship.

That means they are less likely to survive some hurdles. This could even be the case with your closest friends. As much as losing someone hurts, some friendships inevitably come to an end. Sometimes it’s for the better, as they aren’t the people you’d want in your life anymore. That isn’t always the case, though. Losing friends can be messy and can scar you.

But you can always get over these friendships ending and find better people in your life. To better handle the end of a friendship, you need to understand why people grow apart in the first place.

6 Reasons Friendships Sometimes End

Why do people lose these parts of their support system?

1. People Change, So Will Friendships

As simplistic and unsubstantiated as this reason seems, it’s one of the leading causes of why friendships end. It doesn’t mean it’ll last forever if you got along with someone at some point in your life. As people grow and experience life changes, their paths start diverging. They might not even want the friendship to end. But the bond will eventually fizzle out when your lives become drastically different.

Say you became friends with someone in high school. Maybe you were even best friends and spent all your time together. But then you went to college and studied different things. You mingled in other circles and chose different paths. These choices inevitably shaped you into the people you became today.

But now you’re not friends anymore. You wanted to stay in touch, but you couldn’t. That’s because you aren’t the same people you were back in high school. You have your responsibilities and lives. You are busy with your jobs and new friends. This kind of scenario is something everyone has experienced at least once.

We’ve all lost friends because we changed as people. And that’s no one’s fault. All you can do in that case is try to stay in touch as much as possible without wearing out the welcome. Some friendships aren’t meant to last. If you are simply too different for things to work, just let go of that person.

2. You Don’t Share Commonalities Anymore

This is similar to the previous reason but with an essential exception. In the previous case, you don’t necessarily have to lose common interests. You just have to take different paths in life. In this case, your paths could stay similar. You just don’t have many things to talk about anymore.

This often happens when your friendship is built around specific interests. Say you’ve bonded with someone over your love of old movies. That was the first thing that made you click. You might have even shared a strong bond. They could have been your closest friend who you saw every day at some point.

But, when that shared interest (or interests) disappear, so could the connection. Your friendship will lose meaning when you don’t have many things to talk about with someone anymore. Sure, you might stay in touch. But there are only so many times you can talk about the weather.

Eventually, you’ll get bored of each other, and your friendship will end. Sure, you’ll feel sadness over losing such a friendship. But you’ll be able to get over it rather quickly. Again, this is a person you’ll be able to catch up with from time to time and share a coffee. But they’ll just be an acquaintance rather than a friend.

3. You Were Just a Circumstantial Friendship

We all have those friends we wouldn’t consider friends if we wouldn’t run in the same circles. They can be friends of your friends or people you do yoga with every week. In most cases, circumstantial friends are the people we meet at school or work. Sure, some of the people we meet in these contexts will become your closest friends. But most of them will just pass through your life.

You call these people friends because you see them almost every day. From time to time, you hang out with them. You might even go on trips together. But your bond with them is not necessarily the strongest. Still, you get along well enough to consider them friends. They are reliable enough so that you can count on them to help you out with certain things.

But, when the circumstances that brought you together disappear, so does the friendship. If you stop working together, you’ll probably stop checking up on each other. As in the previous case, losing this friendship won’t break you. Sure, you’ll miss the people you usually see daily at work or school. But they aren’t part of your support system. You don’t exactly need them in your life, so you’ll get over that loss pretty quickly.

4. Geographical Distance Compromises This Support System

This is another reason that seems superficial. Living far away from someone shouldn’t be an issue in theory. But friendship is not just about being able to talk with someone on the phone. Is about sharing experiences, joining as a support system for each other, and being able to hang out. It’s essential to be able to do things together. Even something as small as going out to get a coffee can make a difference.

When people live far apart, it’s much harder to make plans to meet up. And talking on the phone just doesn’t feel the same. More importantly, if you live far away from someone, you don’t feel you can rely on them as much. You can’t call them to help you fix something in the house. You can’t ask them to go out to a club. It even feels harder to plan trips together because you have to account for different traveling needs.

You wouldn’t want to fly separately and meet at the destination. That takes some of the fun out of the trip. Say one of your good friends moved. Sure, at first, you’ll try to keep in touch. But in time, you’ll find yourself gravitating towards other people. You’ll start strengthening your bonds with the friends who are physically there at the expense of losing the other friendship.

5. You Have Different Expectations From Your Friendships

When people become friends, it happens organically. They don’t sit down and have a serious talk to set guidelines for the friendship. So, there’s a risk of having different expectations than your friend. Or maybe your expectations were similar at first, but they diverged over time. Still, this can affect your bond and even bring the friendship to an end.

If you just wanted a casual friendship, but the other person wants to be close, that’s an issue. They are asking for more than you are willing to give, so someone will end up unsatisfied. Either you’ll have to sacrifice and put in more effort, or they’ll have to settle for less. Tension will build, and things will likely explode into a big fight. In most cases, that’s a fight you won’t be able to come back from.

Even worse is when one of you becomes romantically interested in the other. If that interest is not reciprocated, things will get weird. The person who isn’t interested will likely become cold and try to end the friendship. Or the other person will feel awkward and end things themselves. If your expectations are different, don’t expect things to last.

6. Betrayal

Betrayal is something that unfortunately happens too often in friendships. And it’s something you can never come back from. You can try to patch things up, but the bond will never be the same. People will always make mistakes. All of your friends will hurt you at some point. The friendship can be salvaged if they meant no harm and they own up to their actions. But if they do it knowingly and willingly, that’s not excusable. And that’s what a betrayal essentially is.

Betrayal can come in many forms. Lying is one of the more common ones. But not white lies; big lies and deception. This breaks trust between two people. But people can also stab you in the back. They can start excluding you from social outings and making you feel like an outcast. They can tell your secrets to other people. Some friends even go as far as hitting on your partner or trying to steal your job.

If you were close to someone who betrayed you, you’d be scarred by the experience. It can feel like your own family stabbed you in the back. You’ll need a robust support system to overcome that loss. But it’s better for your friendship with such a person to end. You need to have people you can count on in your life, not people with no regard for your well-being.

Final Thoughts on Why Friendships Come to an End

People are social creatures. We can’t live without friends. Indeed, managing friendships can be tricky. Some friendships aren’t as close and don’t require as much effort. But others are very tight-knit and special. You will have some friends in your life who will be closer than family. They serve as a vital support system. But, as with many things, some friendships eventually end. Sometimes it’s no one’s fault.

Maybe you tried to mend things, but the connection wasn’t meant to last. But some friendships will end because of a betrayal. In most cases, people go through life changes and simply grow apart. Maybe they took different paths, or one of them moved far away. Other friendships will end because you’ll lose your commonalities. If you have nothing to talk about, you’ll eventually stop talking. You’ll also lode circumstantial friendships when you stop sharing the same environment.

Losing those connections is natural. While those losses will hurt, you’ll quickly get over them. But the more complicated-to-manage losses arise from different expectations or betrayals. Things will quickly get weird if you don’t want the same thing from the friendship. And the one who wants more will be the most affected. But betrayal is unquestionably the thing that hurts the most. If a friend betrays you, they weren’t your friend to begin with.

6 Key Differences Between Hunger and Appetite

August 15, 2022 by Deborah Tayloe

Most people think that hunger and appetite are the same things, but there’s a vast difference. These words are related to consuming food, but they aren’t synonymous. Knowing the difference may help you better understand your eating habits.

It’s often been said that people first eat with their eyes. When you see a delicious dish of food, you activate your pleasure centers before you take your first bite. Are you hungry or simply craving the delicious food in front of you?

Do you only eat when you’re starved and stop when you’re full, or are you tempted to overeat? You may chalk it up to a healthy appetite, but you may feed your body more than it needs. How can you tell the difference between the two experiences?

Your body converts food into energy by a process called metabolism. When you have an average or high metabolism, you expend most energy and save a small portion of fat in your body. It’s an evolved survival mechanism in humans that you can use in case you’re starving.

You’ll usually maintain a healthy weight when your food consumption and energy expenditure are roughly equal. If you have an energy or caloric deficit, you burn more than you consume and lose weight. However, eating more calories than you burn leads to excess fat storage or obesity.

An Illustration of a Women Who Learned the Difference Between Hunger and Appetite

Consider Rachel. She had a few health issues as a child that often kept her indoors and isolated. Her parents didn’t want her to feel bad, so they showered her with sugary sweets and other comfort foods.

The good news is that Rachel’s health improved, but she was overweight. She was often teased and bullied throughout her school years because of her size. Rachel ran to what had always comforted her and eased the anxiety, which was food.

It wasn’t until later in life that she discovered she wasn’t eating because she was hungry. She was an emotional eater, and she eventually learned better coping skills. Today, she is flourishing and helping others on their journey to a healthier lifestyle.

Six Primary Differences Between Appetite and Hunger

Enjoying balanced meals and an active lifestyle is crucial to your future well-being. How do you know if your eating habits are based on eating when you’re hungry or bored? These are six significant differences between appetite and hunger to consider.

1. Physical vs. Psychological

You’ve been working all day without a lunch break, and suddenly it hits you in the late afternoon. Your stomach growls and rumbles like an angry grizzly, accompanied by a slightly gnawing pain deep in your gut. It’s that familiar way that your body is telling you that you need food, and you need it now.

You have these signals because you’re hungry, states an article published by Dalhousie University. When your stomach is empty, the smooth muscles within its walls contract, causing pangs and bubbly noises. As your glucose levels drop, your liver and pancreas alert your brain that you’re hungry.

You immediately recognize these physiological signals and head to the kitchen for something to satisfy your hungry belly. As you ingest food, your stomach expands, and your body sends chemical messages to your brain that it’s complete. Then, you’ll experience that warm, pleasant feeling of satiety as your body turns the food into fuel.

Conversely, your appetite is a psychological experience that has nothing to do with the physiological cycle of being hungry. It doesn’t depend on whether your stomach is full or not. You can be full but still eating because of mental cues.

2. Needing vs. Wanting

The digestion process draws your food’s vitamins, minerals, and calories. It turns these calories into energy to keep your body healthy, strong, and working efficiently. According to a book excerpt published by the National Library of Medicine, women need an average of 2,000 calories daily, and men need an average of 2,500.

Of course, these are average guidelines, and caloric intake may vary according to other aspects. If the body doesn’t receive proper nutrition, it goes into starvation mode, and your health declines. After approximately a month to 70 days, starvation will lead to death.

In this respect, you feel hungry because your body needs food. It’s not a suggestion or a choice. You eat that plate of delicious food because your body must have it to survive.

Remember as a child when your parents lectured you on the difference between a want and a need? Perhaps you told them that you needed that new toy. They reminded you that you may have “wanted” the toy, but it wasn’t a life-or-death need.

Likewise, your appetite is based on your wants and not your desires. You may want that second slice of cheese on your sandwich, but you don’t need it. The sandwich will still be just as tasty and delicious.

3. Eat to Live vs. Live to Eat

Many people don’t wait until hunger sneaks up on them to search for a snack. The three-meals-a-day ideal is ingrained in American culture. It’s probably automatic that you have breakfast in the morning. Then, you have lunch in the afternoon and dinner or supper in the evening.

When your body gets used to an eating schedule, you may feel a bit hungry if that schedule is disrupted. Some people don’t often sit down to full meals but rather graze throughout the day as they get hungry. Even more, folks eat full meals plus graze on snacks between those meals.

Such mindless eating falls under the heading of appetite rather than being hungry. You may be watching a TV show and devouring an entire bag of chips without realizing it. It’s not that your stomach was telling you that you’re hungry. Rather, it’s just a mindset of eating because of your appetite.

4. Open Attitude vs. Specific Items

If your belly is growling and your blood sugar levels are plummeting, just about anything looks delicious. You may prefer a T-bone steak, but you’ll not decline a tasty bologna sandwich. In true starvation, humans may resort to eating anything to ease their agonizing bodies.

Unless you’ve experienced starvation, your appetite prefers specific food. Nobody’s taste buds are the same, so eating preferences are expected. You know what foods you enjoy and despise, and you should plan your eating habits around those appetite choices.

You probably wouldn’t be as picky if you were hungry to the point where your insides ache. You’d be more apt to dig into any dish set before you on the table. In starvation mode, you wouldn’t be above digging in dumpsters or eating other disgusting things.

5. Gradual vs. Sudden

Another significant difference between appetite and hunger is that you’re usually not suddenly hungry. If you had a satisfying meal, it takes time to digest and turn into fuel. Unless you have diabetes, your blood glucose levels will stabilize and sustain you until you’re hungry again.

It’s a different scenario when the urge hits you suddenly. For example, you just had a satisfying meal before heading to the mall. As you pass the food court, you’re immediately enticed by the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon pretzels.

You had enough food to fill your stomach, but that soft, hot pretzel was a sudden temptation. There would be no more shopping until you stood in line and purchased a bit of sweet and salty heaven. These cravings aren’t like the gradual process of your body signaling that you’re hungry.

6. Automatic vs. Triggered

Fortunately, your body won’t let you forget that you need to eat. Unless you’ve been diagnosed with an eating disorder, you needn’t set the alarm to remind you. It’s an automatic reaction when your body tells your brain that you’re ready for food.

Food cravings are often based on emotional triggers–a response to stress and negative emotions. Have you ever described yourself as an emotional eater?

When you’re stressed or feel bad, you may turn to food to relieve the anxiety. These negative feelings are triggers for you to raid the cabinets and refrigerator.

Your mind may trick you into thinking you’re hungry, but that’s not the case. Emotional eating is often a learned pattern from childhood. You may equate food with the warmth, love, and acceptance you crave.

Final Thoughts on Recognizing the Differences Between Hunger and Appetite

Are you eating to live or living for the next yummy snack? Knowing the difference can be a turning point in your life. Once you learn to eat when you’re hungry and not your random appetite, you may take control of your weight and general health.

Here’s Why Most Empaths Struggle with “Belonging”

August 15, 2022 by Kristen Butler

Do people often come running for you when they need someone to talk to? Perhaps they are attracted to the inner light of your empathetic spirit. It’s a gift that you may still be trying to understand. However, as much as others rely on you, perhaps you lack a sense of belonging. That’s a common trait of empaths.

Empaths Help Others But Often Feel a Lack of Belonging to This Universe

If you ever had the privilege of meeting Amelia, her unassuming presence wouldn’t overwhelm you. Although she doesn’t have movie star glamour, her girl-next-door beauty is attractive. She was raised in a loving family and worked through nursing school.

After chatting with her for a while, you’ll notice that she is different. She is a bit reserved, but she’s still an excellent conversationalist. Amelia is usually much more interested in hearing your story than sharing her own.

Don’t be surprised if you feel like you’ve known her forever. She puts folks at ease, and they often say that she gets them on a very personal level. Due to her empathetic nature, she has many friends in her inner circle.

Amelia’s rapport with her patients, families, and coworkers is remarkable. Without interruption, she listens intently as they explain their medical history and current situation. As an empathetic nurse, she connects with her patients holistically for a care plan.

She chose hospice nursing to enrich the lives of those with limited time. Her excellent medical knowledge and honest compassion are a blessing to terminal patients and their families. She’s held the hands of countless patients as they passed and is a source of strength for grieving loved ones.

While she has the gift of making others feel more comfortable, Amelia deals with a sense of not belonging. She spends so much time absorbing and interpreting other people’s emotions that she doesn’t have time for hers. Instead of enjoying a social life like most people her age, Amelia usually takes on extra work shifts.

Does the story of this compassionate nurse resonate with you? Why is it that highly sensitive people often feel alone in the world? They work well with other people’s feelings but aren’t always in tune with themselves.

Empaths and the Sense of Not Belonging

Perhaps you’ve struggled for years with your heightened sensitivity. Do you feel comfortable in your own skin, or are you a wandering old soul? Here are seven reasons that may make empaths question their sense of belonging.

1. You’re an Emotional Sponge But a Sense of True Belonging Eludes You

If you’re an empath, you recognize the overpowering rush of emotion when you enter a crowded room. You take in the room’s ambiance before you begin interacting with the other folks. You’re like a life-size sponge absorbing their deepest emotions.

This essential characteristic of an empath often leaves you with an impression of not belonging. The lines are blurred between your emotions and theirs, and you feel out of place. This is one of the many reasons that empathetic people like you are often introverts and prefer solitude.

2. You Become Frustrated and Overwhelmed Easily

Absorbing emotions and spiritual vibrations around you are enough to make you feel overwhelmed. Having difficulty sorting other people’s emotions from yours can easily frustrate and frazzle your nerves.

You may feel like you’re losing your identity or sense of belonging. While your powers of empathy can be a blessing, they can also become a burden. If you don’t have the right coping tools, such distress can threaten your entire well-being.

3. Empaths Have a Constant Urge to Help

According to an article published by Personality and Individual Differences, research demonstrates a link between empathy and helping others. In fact, people with high empathy levels are more likely to pursue careers in fields where they help others.

Whenever you see someone in trouble, are you compelled to reach out to them? You’re just as apt to help a stranger as you would a friend or family member. You’re often at your best when you’re lending someone a hand.

It only becomes a burden when people take your empathy for granted. Usually, you feel like a failure and lose your sense of belonging when you can’t save everyone.

4. You’re More Supportive than Others

Another situation that affects your sense of belonging is the rarity of true empaths in this country. An article published by Nature Neurosciences states that only approximately two percent of the population fit into this category. Many people are empathetic, but not all are empaths, which is confusing to understand.

Many people in your circle would probably agree that you’re one of the most supportive people they know. You’ll be the first person to call when they’re hurting because you offer words of encouragement. They can count on you to step in and help, whether it’s for a school bake sale or lending a hand with moving.

However, your love and support may not always be reciprocated. You’re often frustrated and resentful because others don’t always go the extra mile for you. You don’t have a sense of belonging because you may feel that these people don’t care enough.

This is often the case for empaths who are chronic people pleasers. The need for approval and acceptance are basic human needs. You may always say “yes” to everything because you’re afraid that the person will reject you if you refuse.

The more you try to please everyone, the more they’ll expect from you. Soon, you’re harboring bitterness, and your self-esteem falters. The best way to deal with this problem is to learn to say “no.”

5. You Can Usually Tell When Someone’s Lying, and It Adds to the Feeling of Solitude

Wouldn’t it be nice if a little buzzer would sound, and a light would flash when somebody lied? There would be no more scams and few broken relationships in the world. Unfortunately, that’s a fantasy, and people still rely on words, body language, and gut instinct to detect a forked tongue.

On the other hand, those with heightened sensitivity are more aware of subtle clues of dishonesty. When someone is lying, you might notice a little shift in their body language or a slight change of tone. You’re not always a 100 percent accurate living lie detector, but your sensitivity gives you an advantage.

Dishonest people may feel uncomfortable around you because they perceive your gift for seeing right through them. Their indifference may make you feel inferior, and you question your sense of belonging. The unfair feeling will begin to fade once you realize they are the one with the problem.

6. Your Other Senses Heighten, Leaving You in Another Sphere

Understandably, if your senses work together, one heightened sense will affect the others. Empathetic people not only have a stronger intuition, but they often have issues with their other senses. Everybody is different, and your case may be more severe than others. Many sensitive people experience sensitivity overload, explains an article published by UCLA-Berkeley. Specific lighting, sounds, smells, or tactile sensations may overwhelm you. The medical community previously labeled women with sensory overload as “hysterical” and mentally unstable.

Fortunately, these old and cruel assumptions have been exchanged for sound mental health science. Maybe your sensitivity overload has made you avoid certain situations, like being in a crowd. The good news is that your sensitivities can usually be successfully treated.

7. You Think You Would Feel More Belonging in Another Time and Place

As an empath, you’ve probably always known that you were different. You never felt quite comfortable in your own body as a child. You’ve always had an unexplainable sense of belonging to another time and place.

For example, you’ve always dreamed of visiting Italy, and you finally get your chance to explore this great nation. While touring a lovely countryside village, you might feel a sense of familiarity. You can find your way around the streets as if you were born and raised in the town.

If you have the chance to share stories with other empaths, you’ll find that you’ve got a lot in common. Empathy and intuition often work together, so most true empaths feel this isn’t the first spiritual journey they’ve experienced.

Think of the many times you’ve been overwhelmed by déjà vu when you meet a stranger or visit a place you’ve never been. Advocates of reincarnation cite this phenomenon as evidence of past lives. You have an innate knowledge of past people, places, things, and facts because they are part of your former incarnation.

Your feelings of déjà vu may involve all your senses as if you traveled back in time. Something or someone triggers a memory that comes alive at the moment. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, your sense of belonging in another place and time can’t be denied.

Final Thoughts on Empaths and Sense of Belonging

If your heightened sensitivity has made you feel like a stranger, you needn’t stay that way. Things change when you offer yourself the same compassion and understanding you do to others. It’s a hearty welcome back to the body, mind, and soul you call home.

4 Tips for Regulating Emotions for Happier Relationships

August 14, 2022 by Lakeisha Ethans

Relationships are not just about how the other person treats you. They are about regulating your emotions and being rational and calm. Of course, you already know that, but it’s important to remember it from time to time. Sometimes, we get too caught up in how our partners treat us and ignore emotional intelligence. Given that we are humans, we are also likely to act impulsively and in ways that we’ll regret later. Not having our emotions in check can be detrimental to all relationships, especially romantic ones.

At the base of all happy and healthy relationships lies communication and understanding. When people act impulsively, they don’t stop to think. They don’t try to have a conversation or listen to what the other has to say. A relationship in which this is how people act has no future. You’ll only end up hurting your partner if you don’t learn how to regulate your emotions. In the worst case, you’ll end up in a very toxic relationship that’s bad for both of you.

In the best case, you’ll break up before you can emotionally destroy each other. As you can probably tell, neither of these options seems too good. Ideally, you could work through your issues like adults and reach a solution that works for you. And you can only do that if you learn to manage your emotions.

How Does a Happy Relationship Look Like?

Before regulating your emotions, you need to understand a healthy relationship. This is so that you know what you are aiming towards. While regulating your emotions is essential, that will not solve every issue in your relationship. If your relationship is fundamentally toxic, no amount of emotional regulation will fix it.

In most cases, your issue won’t be having a toxic relationship. If that’s the case, your best solution will be to leave your partner and look for something better. If you are dealing with any form of abuse, contact someone who can help you get out of that situation. But if you’re struggling with a lack of communication, you would gain from learning to regulate your emotions.

You need to aim for a relationship in which conversations are always calm and rational. It’s not that you should avoid fights at all costs, as that’s impossible. But, when you inevitably fight, you must make sure you can talk things through. Make sure that your fights are about a particular issue, never about trying to tear the other down. Don’t throw dirt at each other, no matter how much you’d want to or how good you feel in the moment. More concisely, ensure you fight the problem instead of fighting each other.

Another important factor is making sure that you can enforce healthy boundaries. These boundaries protect your feelings, wants, and needs–and those of your partner. All healthy relationships start by having a conversation and talking through things that could potentially become issues. This ensures you never do something that triggers the other person without even knowing you’re triggering them. It also allows you to grow as an individual while caring for your partner and your relationship.

4 Tips for Regulating Emotions for Happier Relationships

So, how exactly do these factors relate to you regulating your emotions? Well, if you suppress your emotions or do whatever you like, you’ll never have such a relationship. To get the motivation to start regulating your emotions, you need to know what kind of relationship you are aiming for. You also need to know that if you are in a toxic relationship, you’ll never be able to regulate your emotions.

1. Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

Regulating your emotions means being able to improve your emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EQ) represents your ability to understand and manage emotions. Someone with a higher EQ is more in tune with their emotional side, which gives them some life benefits. They are the people who are more empathetic and communicate better.

It even helps you diffuse tense situations and sometimes avoid conflict altogether. Some people are born with a higher EQ. But the EQ level doesn’t stay consistent throughout your whole life. You can improve it if you make an effort to work on yourself. If you manage that, you can easily start regulating your emotions.

There are four pillars you need to work on if you want to improve EQ. The first is self-management, mostly about controlling impulsive feelings and learning to be adaptable. This is best done through stress management, as impulsiveness is often dictated by how much pressure you feel. The second pillar is self-awareness, which is understanding how your emotions affect your behavior. This is best developed through introspection.

The third pillar is social awareness, which is all about empathy. In this area, the best way to improve is by paying attention to other people and always asking them what they need. At first, you might not relate to how they feel, but after talking to them, you’ll start to empathize. Lastly, there’s relationship management, which is about how you develop and maintain connections. To improve this pillar, you must improve your communication skills.

2. Managing and Regulating Your Stress

Stress management is essential for regulating your emotions. The more stressed someone is, the more impulsive they’ll be. When people are under pressure, they are likely to snap at the people they love for no reason. And they tend to escalate any minor issue into full-blown fights.

To manage stress, your best bet is to eliminate the stress source or use stress-relieving techniques. If your job is too demanding, you can consider a demotion if that means working less. Or maybe the job is not the problem, but instead of taking care of a pet alone. In that case, you might need to use a pet sitter from time to time.

But if you can’t eliminate the stress from the source, you need to find ways to relieve it. One of the best things you can do is use breathing exercises. They are very effective and can be used anytime, in any setting. The easiest technique requires standing still, keeping your eyes closed, and breathing. Inhale slowly, taking four breaths in, and exhale slowly, with four breaths out.

Do this for a few minutes, and you’ll start feeling much calmer. When you are calm, you can be rational and regulate your emotions. So, breathing exercises are something you can do when fighting with a partner. If you are irrational, take a moment to breathe, and you’ll be able to get a hold of your emotions.

3. Meditate

Regulating your emotions is related to how well you know yourself. Knowing what makes you tick and how your emotions affect you can control yourself better. But it’s not that easy to understand all your emotions. Sometimes, you need to look inward and get to know yourself.

Meditation is the best way to reflect and understand who you are. It’s a technique that has been used for thousands of years and is still very popular. But don’t confuse meditation with breathing exercises because they are very different. Meditation aims to allow you to get in touch with everything that’s going on inside your body and brain.

To meditate, you must find a quiet environment and close your eyes. Allow yourself to feel everything going on with you and around you. When you meditate, the aim is to become one with your body and thoughts. You realize every signal that your body is sending you. If something hurts, you’ll feel it. You’ll be aware of it if you need something, like food or water.

But you’ll also have the opportunity to get in touch with all your thoughts. This is the moment in which you can understand what mindset you are in and how it affects your feelings. This way, you can understand where your emotions come from and how they manifest. Meditation makes you more mindful, thus regulating your emotions.

4. Accept Your Emotions and Communicate

Every healthy relationship is based on the ability of the partners to communicate and help each other navigate challenging times. And part of that is being able to communicate your feelings. Regulating your emotions will be much easier if you allow your partner to help you. They can’t manage your emotions if they don’t understand what’s happening with you. You’ll avoid most conflicts by telling them that you are struggling. Instead, the focus will be on helping you manage your emotions.

But that’s not possible unless you accept your emotions. Often, people deny that they feel a certain way, which means they can’t be helped. You need to reflect and understand how you feel to solve that issue. There’s no shame in being angry or sad. But it’s terrible if you act irrationally because of those feelings. Allow yourself to feel your emotions to the fullest extent. One trick you can use is writing your thoughts down. This way, you can keep track of everything. When you see those words written down, it’s easier to accept your thoughts and feelings.

Final Thoughts on Regulating Emotions for Happier Relationships

Being in control of your emotions is essential if you want to have a healthy relationship. But regulating your emotions is easier said than done. Still, you just need to learn a few tips to get closer to your goal. You need to make sure you learn about emotional intelligence so you can improve it. A higher EQ alone will take you closer to being calm and rational. But you also need to manage your stress to stop being impulsive.

You could try meditation to get more in tune with your feelings. Once you understand where they come from and how they manifest, you can easily change them. Slowly, you’ll be able to take all negative emotions, regulate them, and become calm and rational. Don’t be scared to communicate with your partner and ask them for help. Accept your feelings and let them know you need guidance to learn to manage them. This will help you have happier, healthier relationships.

3 Things That Explain the Chemistry of Love, According to Counselor

August 14, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Everyone has experienced love in some form as it’s essential to life. Of course, love is an exciting experience that feels effortless initially. However, as time goes on, the feelings become more complex as the rush of hormones recedes.

Love involves chemical processes in your brain dealing and psychological interactions. Chemistry is what helps develop long-lasting relationships.

When you know about the chemistry of love, what it is, and what it means, you can use it to your advantage. You can also delve into what triggers the feelings and what occurs in your mind and body.

Love triggers the release of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters. Your chemistry means more than you realize regarding your romantic life. Understanding the chemistry of love is beneficial to determining the course of your relationship.

What is the Chemistry of Love?

Dr. Helen Fisher is a researcher on the chemistry of love, and she breaks it down into three categories. These categories help explain the chemistry in a way that makes sense. Each of the stages of love involves different hormones.

1 – Lust

Lust is the first stage, and it involves sexual gratification. It begins because of our natural need to mate and reproduce. This stage consists of the brain’s hypothalamus and stimulates testosterone and estrogen.

Testosterone and estrogen are sex hormones that come from the testes and ovaries. Many people associate testosterone with being “male” and estrogen with “female.” However, both are present in men and women.

Lust is integral to forming a relationship, and the signs include:

focusing on their looks and body
being interested in a sexual relationship but not a conversation
no desire to discuss feelings
not wanting to spend quality time

2 – Attraction and Passion

Attraction is the next thing that can explain the chemistry of love, and it’s the second stage. Lust can develop into attraction and passion, making you want to take the next step in your relationship. Attraction and desire can occur alone, or they can develop over time.

This step occurs when the brain pathways that control rewards get triggered. It happens early in a relationship, making the first part exhilarating and potentially all-consuming.

Your hypothalamus produces dopamine when you do things that feel good. Cuddling with your partner, being intimate, or holding hands can trigger the production. You’ll also experience increased norepinephrine, making you giddy and energetic. It activates your reward system and makes you feel good.

Norepinephrine also reduces serotonin. It can cause decreased appetite and insomnia because it keeps you alert and triggers your fight or flight response. During this stage, you may idealize your partner and think irrationally.

The hormones involved in attraction also contribute to other feelings, including:

intrusive thoughts
emotional dependency
increased energy
reduced anxiety
increased trust in your romantic partner
fewer negative responses
Increased excitement

3 – Commitment and Attachment

After the initial attraction in your relationship comes commitment and attachment. This stage is essential to long-term relationships and comes with its own set of chemicals. You’ll experience increased levels of oxytocin and vasopressin.

Your hypothalamus releases large amounts of oxytocin when you attach to others. It’s common during sex, breastfeeding, and childbirth because those are precursors to deep bonding. You’ll develop passion toward your partner when this occurs in your relationship.

Oxytocin plays an important role here. It promotes bonding and helps build the trust you need for a long-term relationship. Oxytocin also enables you to feel safe and secure in the relationship. While lust and attraction might fade sometimes, the attachment persists.

The Chemicals Involved in Love

When you fall for a new partner, it’s an exciting time. It comes with excitement, sleepless nights, wanting to see your person all the time, and a racing heart. In the past, you might not have realized that it was all about the chemistry of love. When you can understand the chemicals involved, it helps you understand the intense emotions that come along.

Many hormones were mentioned before, but it can help to have a rundown of what they do. Learning the three things that explain chemistry makes a difference, but understanding the various chemicals is essential, too.

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is responsible for a racing heart, flushed cheeks, and sweaty palms. This hormone triggers adrenaline and causes a loss of appetite. It can also start the following:

euphoria
bliss
increased energy
intense focus

Dopamine

Dopamine is the happiness hormone because your brain releases it when you feel good. You might experience increased dopamine when you eat, exercise, or do an activity you enjoy. It can affect your emotional responses and ability to express pleasure, but it boosts your feelings of enjoyment.

Phenylethylamine

When you feel butterflies in your stomach, you can thank the hormone phenylethylamine. When you experience attraction, your brain will release more of them.

It also makes you feel euphoric and energized, contributing to the giddy feelings that trigger butterflies. When you have higher levels of Phenylethylamine, you’ll also produce more dopamine and endorphins.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in empathy, trust, sex, and relationship building. Your body will produce more of this hormone during cuddling or an orgasm.

One study shows how oxytocin can help treat depression, anxiety, and intestinal problems. Another study indicates oxytocin produced during childbirth and lactation can make a new mother less anxious and promotes a loving bond. Oxytocin promotes a deep, trusting bond in a romantic relationship.

Vasopressin

After the lust and attraction start to wean, you’ll experience feelings of falling out of love. This feeling occurs because of the hormone vasopressin. It makes you want to bond with and nurture your partner and interacts positively with testosterone.

When the Chemistry of Love Becomes Too Much of a Good Thing

The chemistry of love is beautiful, and it’s an exciting experience you’ll never forget. However, too much can cause some issues in your life.

Hormones that make you feel good are released, although they can cause some issues. They can make you experience jealousy, erratic behavior, and irrationality. The overabundance of hormones and fluctuations can be overwhelming, causing downsides to the chemistry.

Too Much Dopamine Can Cause Love Addiction

Dopamine is responsible for your brain’s reward pathway, which sounds beneficial. However, it controls the good and bad and is associated with addictive behavior. It triggers the same areas of your brain as those with a substance abuse disorder experience.

Too much dopamine can cause obsessive behavior and emotional dependency. An overload of dopamine causes a temporary high, much like an addiction. You can become dependent on another person, and that’s not a good position to be in.

Too Much Oxytocin May Cause Negative Attachments

Like dopamine, too much oxytocin can cause some problems. When you produce an overabundance of oxytocin, it makes you feel good. However, when you receive a temporary high from these instances, it can become an issue.

Party drugs MDMA and GHB also produce oxytocin, relating to a substance abuse disorder. The overly optimistic feelings can cause you to dissociate from your surroundings and act recklessly. You might do things you wouldn’t normally do, leading to troubling situations.

In extreme cases, the oxytocin will cause you to become overly attached to your partner. While it’s nice to remember why you love someone, you must know that time apart is okay, too. This hormone can make you feel like you can’t spend time away from your partner. It leads to isolation and neglecting your passions and other relationships.

When you become overly attached, it can cause you to do things you wouldn’t usually do. It shuts off the part of your brain that regulates critical thinking, self-awareness, and rational behavior. The hormones can make you do things you’ll regret.

What to Do When the Love Chemistry Becomes Too Much

Sometimes you can’t help it, and the feelings spiral out of control. If you start prioritizing a new partner over other people and aspects of your life, you might want to reel it in. In this situation, the best thing you can do is focus on living your life separately from your partner.

You can still spend time with your partner and focus on other aspects of your life. Spend time with friends and family, and take time to yourself. When you prioritize the other essential areas of your life, you’ll resist or ease the negative aspects of the chemistry of love.

Final Thoughts on Things That Explain the Chemistry of Love, According to Counselors

Falling in love is a rewarding, exciting experience. It isn’t a matter of chance, as many chemicals play a role in the experience. These three stages can help explain the chemistry, allowing you to understand yourself.

While chemistry plays a role, love is different for everyone. Your journey will be much different from those around you, and that’s okay. The hormones play a role, but trusting your gut will get you where you want to be.

These things and the chemistry involved lead to love being a complex combination. However, other people believe it is a matter of fate. Either way, it’s an extraordinary experience, and you should embrace the experience.

25 Foods That Can Interfere With Losing Weight

August 14, 2022 by Chris Butler

Like most people, you think losing weight is easy if you eat things like smoothies, fruit, low carbohydrate, and fat-free items. However, manufacturing companies have found that marketing to the dieting group is easy when you use the right words. These “healthy foods” could be why you’re not losing weight.

Don’t fall prey to these marketing gimmicks, especially when your health is at stake. It’s essential to fill up on green veggies, fiber, and fruits, which will not only increase your metabolism but help your body burn fat. Maybe you’re not losing weight because you’ve been dieting all wrong.

25 Foods to Avoid for Weight Loss

Not all calories are created equal. It would help if you learned what’s best to eat for your weight loss journey. There’s nothing you can’t occasionally have in moderation (think carbohydrate foods), but it’s best not to make it a habit. Here are 25 foods that can inhibit you from losing weight.

1. Sugar-Free Anything

By now, you should know that anything labeled sugar-free doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy. Sure, they remove the sugar, but they mainly substitute it and add more fat to give it flavor. Sugar-free doesn’t mean calorie-free or healthy, and many people fall into this trap.

If you’re doing the keto diet, sugar-free might seem like a good fit, but even sugar alcohols can throw your body out of ketosis, as they’re not all the same.

2. Energy Bars Can Slow Down When You Are Losing Weight

The market is overloaded with energy bars. They promise to give you strength and increase your energy by fueling your body with protein. You must turn the bar over and see what’s in there.

It often has more calories and fat than a candy bar, so it’s not doing you much good. These bars are overpriced and touted as the weight loss aid you must have, but this is all smoke and mirrors. Finally, the carbohydrates they claim would give you energy often come in sugar.

3. Chips and Other Snacks

Processed snack foods are full of sugar, fat, and calories. If you have the munchies, reaching for carrots and hummus or apples and peanut butter would be better. These empty calories don’t nourish the body but fill your gut and load it down with stuff you don’t need.

4. Eating the Wrong Kind of Salads Can Hinder Losing Weight

You may be shocked to find this one here, but some salads are worse for you than a double cheeseburger with all the works. You must monitor what you put in the salad, as the more toppings you pour on top, the unhealthier it becomes. Stick with vegetable toppings and less dressing, and you’ll be fine.

5. Pizza

There are not many people who don’t like pizza. You can get these Italian pies in so many varieties now, but most won’t help you lose weight.

Pizza is another food that can be done right if you try. Opt for a thin crust, less cheese, and more veggies. These deep dish, double cheese, loaded with meat pies, will clog an artery if you overindulge.

6. Smoothies

One would think fruit, ice, and some protein powder with almond milk would be good for you. However, you’ve got to watch the calories. Sure, you can make healthy smoothies, but when you start throwing a bunch of ingredients in them, they lose their nutritional status.

7. Losing Weight Slows Down When Eating High-Sugar Cereal

Please don’t fall for the marketing gimmick that states it’s made with whole grain. Very few cereals on the market win the title of healthy. Most contain sugar, artificial colors, and preservatives to entice children.

8. Granola

Granola can be a bit of a hit or miss. Some of them are low in sugar and high in healthy fats, but others are laden with things that will do nothing more than pack on the pounds.

9. Packaged Low Carbohydrate Desserts

These low-carb options seem like a dieter’s dream, but don’t be fooled by the labels. Look at the calories and fat in these items, as it will usually shock you. You would be better off having the real thing in moderation rather than these expensive, unhealthy selections.

10. Losing Weight Can Slow Down if You Eat Some Sushi

Sushi seems healthy since it’s fish, which is full of protein. Consequently, be careful of the dishes that say ‘spicy’ or ‘crunchy.’ They need to add sugar or agave to get the crunch in there. While it’s an excellent protein-based meal, you must be wary of those mayo-based sauces.

11. Potatoes

Potatoes are a vegetable, but they’re not one of the better ones for you. Whether you like them boiled, baked, fried, or mashed, the carbohydrates turn to sugar once in your bloodstream. Try a sweet potato instead.

12. White Rice

Rice is a typical side dish that goes with just about anything. However, it’s a refined grain lacking fiber and critical nutrients your body needs to thrive. Just one-fourth a cup is almost 150 calories, and is it any wonder they use this to help people gain weight in third-world countries?

13. Red Meats

The problem with red meat is that it’s full of saturated fat, which will pack on the pounds. It can also raise your “bad” cholesterol levels, which isn’t good if you’re losing weight and trying to get healthy.

14. Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate tastes so good because it contains pure sugar. Why not try dark chocolate instead? According to The Cleveland Clinic, it’s lower in sugar, full of beneficial antioxidants called flavonoids, and is anywhere from 50-90 percent pure cocoa. It’s a better option for losing weight.

15. Wraps

It would seem that a wrap would be a healthy alternative as you’re ditching the bread. However, you need to read the labels, as most wraps have just as much if not more calories and fat than bread. Additionally, it matters what you put inside the wrap that counts.

16. Pasta (too many carbohydrates for losing weight)

Pasta is high in carbs, calories, and starches. It turns to pure sugar inside your body, so you should avoid it. Try veggie pasta instead.

17. Microwave Popcorn

Popcorn can be a healthy snack if it’s air-popped and doesn’t have a bunch of additives. Sadly, microwave popcorn is typically loaded with tons of butter, inhibiting losing weight. You can find a healthier version but read the label.

18. Dried Fruit

Did you know that when you dry fruit, it enhances the sugar content? You’re better off eating a piece of fresh fruit. If you like dried in your trail mix, limit your portions.

19. Yogurt

Some excellent yogurts are on the market, but most are full of sugar, carbs, and fat. Try plain Greek-style yogurt and add things like cinnamon to enhance the flavor.

20. Fast Food

Fast food is often an easy fix when you’re exhausted at mealtime. However, the problem is that these foods are not made with your health in mind. They contain fat, salt, and empty carbohydrates. Thankfully, there are a few healthy options to consider, but you must choose sparingly.

21. Coconut Oil

While coconut oil isn’t a food, it’s certainly used in plenty of them. It’s hyped way too much as a healthy alternative, but the calorie content is the same as vegetable or canola oil. One tablespoon is around 120 calories, so using it sparingly is advisable.

22. Processed Meats

In theory, lunch meat, hot dogs, and other processed meats would be good for you. Most are low in calories and fat, but it’s the other ingredients you must watch.

According to The Harvard School of Public Health, the things they use to preserve these meats are not only unhealthy, but they’re dangerous to your heart. Nitrates are the biggest concern, so don’t be fooled by that low-calorie per slice offerings.

23. Acai Bowls

These bowls seem to be the latest rage in the health trend industry. Sadly, one bowl can be around 800 calories, which is nearly what you should eat in a day.

24. Sweets or Desserts

Your sweet tooth can get you in trouble. An occasional treat isn’t hurt anyone, but if you’ve got to have something sweet every day, it’s probably interfering with losing weight.

25. Dressing

Salad dressing is allowed on the Keto diet but frowned upon in others. Be careful of the fat-free ones as they often have higher sugar contents. The dressing should be used sparingly and not poured all over the top. Try dipping your fork in the sauce before you take a bite of salad as an option to consume less.

Final Thoughts on Fat, Carbohydrate Dense, Salty Foods to Avoid for Losing Weight

Losing weight is a long and arduous process. You didn’t pack on those pounds overnight, nor will they fall off quickly. The most important thing you can do is read the labels and not fall for the marketing gimmicks. Eat healthy carbohydrates that deliver nutrients, and avoid sugar and salty foods–you will get there. Losing weight won’t be as complicated when you learn what you can and can’t eat.

15 Quotes to Appreciate Your Forever Best Friend

August 14, 2022 by Sarah Barkley

Friendship brings joy, laughter, comfort, and much more to our lives. A best friend is someone who challenges you to become a better version of yourself and loves you unconditionally. When you want to appreciate them, quotes are one of the best ways to do it.

Friendship is a blessing that evolves, grows, and deepens. Some friends become close enough to be family, and you should cherish these relationships. They’ll want to see you do well, and they’ll be comforting and supportive through everything.

Using quotes to celebrate can remind you how much your forever best friend means to you. Send the quotes to your friend, use them in a card, or create a gift with a quote to show how much you appreciate them. These heartwarming messages are perfect for any friendship, helping you put words to your feelings.

Your best friend is there through the ups and downs and loves you through everything. Even when you’re apart, you feel their friendship within you. These people impact your life in ways you can’t imagine, and these quotes will help you describe the appreciation.

Fifteen Quotes to Appreciate Your Best Friend

You can’t replace a best friend, so take the time to appreciate them and their presence in your life. They help you become a better version of yourself and love you every step of the way. These quotes can help you put it into perspective with the perfect words.

1 – “A good friend is a connection to life — a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.” – Lois Wyse

A forever best friend knows all about you. They understand your past, where you want to go in the future, and help keep you sane. With a good friend, you’ll always feel connected to life because your person is there.

2 – “In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” – Albert Schweitzer

We all have hard times and go through periods where we forget who we are and what we stand for. A friend can help you find that inner fire again.
They help you find the meaning of life and remind you of who you are. Show appreciation for those who rekindle your inner fire and allow you to find happiness again.

3 – “There are three things that grow more precious with age; old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy.” – Henry Ford

Old friends are incredibly meaningful. The longer your relationship continues, the more significant it becomes. Your oldest friends should hold a special place in your heart because they are one of the most enjoyable parts of life.

4 – “That’s when I realized what a true friend was. Someone who would always love you – the imperfect you, the confused you, the wrong you – because that is what people are supposed to do.” – R. J. L.

When you realize you have a friend who loves you no matter what, you know you’ve found your person. They’ll love your imperfections and moments of confusion and even love you when you do something wrong.

Even if they speak up about your behavior, they still care. Best friends only speak up because they want you to become a better version of yourself.

5 – “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Walter Winchell

It seems like most of your friends disappear if things go wrong in your life. However, a best friend will be there no matter what you’re going through. They don’t leave because they want to be there to support you and help in any way they can.

Even if they can’t help, they’ll be there to listen, keep you company, or do anything else you need. Cherish these friends because you know they can be forever best friends.

6 – “Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest. It’s about who walked into your life, said, “I’m here for you”, and proved it.” – Unknown

Your forever best friend doesn’t have to be someone you’ve known for many years. Some of the best people you ever meet are ones you haven’t known for a long time. As long as they show up for you and prove they care, they’re someone you can keep around forever.

7 – “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” – Amy Poehler

Your friends should challenge and inspire you, helping you become a better version of yourself. They want to see you do well, and they will help you along the way. If you find these people, make sure you appreciate them and tell them that you recognize their positivity in your life.

8 – “A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden.” – Unknown

No one’s life is perfect, and your best friend doesn’t expect yours to be. Other people might point out the flaws in your life, but a best friend points out the beauty. In their eyes, your goodness prevails anything else. If the flaws bother you, they’ll be more than willing to help you fix them. Otherwise, they see no reason to even think about it.

9 – “In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” – Khalil Gibran

Friendship brings more joy than most other situations in life. It brings laughter and feelings of refreshment when you need them the most.

10 – “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” – Oprah Winfrey

As Oprah explains, everyone wants to be there for the good times. You’ll be surrounded by people when you’re doing well and feeling happy. However, many people disappear from your life when things aren’t going well. You’ll know who your forever best friend is by seeing who sticks around during the hard times in your life.

11 – “Every friendship goes through ups and downs. Dysfunctional patterns set in; external situations cause internal friction; you grow apart and then bounce back together.” – Mariella Frostrup

If your relationship wavers, it’s okay and doesn’t mean it’s doomed to end. All relationships go through hard times, and you might not see each other for a while. However, once you reconnect, it bounces back like nothing ever happened. If you have someone like this in your life, they’re a friend destined to last forever.

12 – “Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.” – Richard Bach

The people who get you will understand you quickly. They won’t be a good friend if someone can’t appreciate who you are when they meet you. How long you know someone doesn’t matter because a real friend knows who you are.

13 – “The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing… not healing, not curing… that is a friend who cares.” – Henri Nouwen

Kind words or gestures can’t cure your pain. Some people stick around long enough to see that they can’t do anything and leave. A best friend realizes they can’t do anything and stay, want to be there to support you, and let you know you’re not alone. If someone wants to be there even when they can’t do anything, they’re a forever best friend.

14 – “Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.” – Thomas J. Watson

While you shouldn’t feel like you can’t be yourself around your friends, you still want to be careful. Find friends who encourage you to become a better version of yourself. They won’t want you to become complacent with your life, so they’ll push you to improve. If you’re lucky enough to have someone like this, don’t forget to show appreciation.

15 – “And what is a friend? More than a father, more than a brother: a traveling companion, with him, you can conquer the impossible, even if you must lose it later. Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” – Elie Wiesel

Blood relatives are important, but friendship can be even more than that. Some friends are your chosen family and the ones you look forward to spending all your time with.
Falling in love is unique, too, but it can become more intense and unpredictable. As Wiesel explains, your friends leave a lasting mark on your life and involve nothing more than sharing.

Final Thoughts on Quotes to Appreciate Your Friendship

Your friends love you unconditionally, so take the time to appreciate them. These quotes can help you remember how much your friends mean to you. Don’t forget to share the quotes with your best friend to let them know how you feel.
Embrace the special people in your life who bring joy to each day. Don’t miss a second to show appreciation. These words of wisdom can help you find a way to describe how important your friend is to your life.

9 Lifestyle Changes for a Healthy Liver

August 13, 2022 by Chris Butler

Your liver is one of the known organs in your body. “Known” because your body is so complicated that researchers still find new systems which help your body function. This football-sized organ works hard to keep you healthy. But if you’re not careful, some lifestyle choices can harm your liver. You may not even know your liver isn’t working properly. That’s because liver disease has few symptoms. Don’t worry. You can have a healthy liver with a few simple lifestyle changes.

We reveal nine lifestyle changes and the best habits for optimal health.

Liver facts you may not know

Your liver weighs approximately three pounds. It lives near the upper right section of your abdomen, just below your diaphragm. As the largest organ in your body, it has over 500 jobs. Liver disorders include the following:

Liver disease
Hepatitis
Liver cancer
Cirrhosis

Liver disease comes from lifestyle choices, genetics, infections, or autoimmune diseases.

What does your liver do?

Your liver is busy keeping you healthy. Some of its jobs include:

Makes albumin: Albumin is a blood protein that carries drugs, fatty acids, and hormones throughout your body. Your liver also makes blood clotting substances when an injury causes bleeding.
Produces bile: Bile is a chemical that helps your liver turn fat into energy. Without bile, your body couldn’t digest foods.
Removes waste: When you absorb an unhealthy, toxic substance, your liver helps remove it from your body.
Bilirubin remover: Your liver works to remove bilirubin from bile. Too much bilirubin causes jaundice and yellowing of your skin.
Maintain glucose levels: Your liver maintains the proper glucose level in your body. It moves glucose to your blood or removes glucose if there’s too much in your blood.
Controls immune system responses: If viruses, bacteria, or other harmful organisms attack your body, specific cells in your liver can destroy them.

How do you know if you have a healthy liver?

Getting a blood test is the best way to know if your liver is healthy. This test measures your liver function. There are at-home liver function tests you can order online or ask your naturopath to do a test.

What are the warning signs of liver disease?

Liver disease typically has no symptoms, but warning signs show you have liver problems. These include the following:

Itchy skin
Swollen abdomen
Nausea
Jaundice-yellowing of your skin or in the whites of your eyes
Swelling of your legs or ankles
Dark urine
Pale stools
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
Bruising easily
Vomiting

Nine Lifestyle changes for a healthy liver

Before your liver gets damaged, here are nine lifestyle changes you can make to improve the health of your liver.

1 – Avoid dirty needles

Taking drugs damages your liver. This lifestyle has many dangerous side effects beyond liver damage. Drug addiction leads to many poor choices, and using dirty needles puts you in danger of liver disease. Get a test immediately if you or someone else has penetrated your skin with a dirty needle or sharp utensil. It’s rare, but there are even situations where hospitals have accidentally used dirty needles. Of course, this warning includes tattoos and body piercings where needles are used. Don’t share personal hygiene things like razors or nail clippers. You’re the best advocate for your health. If you’re concerned, take action and go to an emergency room. Your life could depend upon it.

2 – Practice safe sex for a healthy liver

Unprotected sex with many partners increases the risk of hepatitis B and C. Both cause liver damage. Left untreated, they can cause death due to liver disease.

3 – Wash your hands

It’s a simple, hygienic practice. Wash your hands with warm water and soap after you change a diaper, use the bathroom, or prepare food. Washing your hands prevents the spread of Hepatitis. This type of hepatitis is a dangerous liver disease that spreads from person to person. Anybody can get it, especially if you don’t wash your hands before you prepare or eat food or drinks. It spreads through close contact with someone who has Hepatitis A.

4 – Stay at a healthy weight for a healthy liver

According to studies, approximately 30% to 45% of Americans carry excess fat in their liver. A fatty liver can lead to liver disease. Weight loss reduces liver fat and helps you fight liver disease. Recommended lifestyle changes include weight loss if you’re overweight, exercise, and eating a healthy diet to decrease fat. Even a small amount of weight loss makes a big difference in preventing liver damage.

5 – Eat a balanced diet for a healthy liver

Eating high calorie, saturated fats, and refined carbs lead to unhealthy habits that can lead to liver disease. Your healthy diet should include

Fiber
Fresh, whole fruits
Whole vegetables
Brown grains like whole wheat flour and brown rice
Good fats like olive oil, seeds, and nuts
Drink lots of water

6 – Follow directions on all medication

You may have realized that taking too much medication or wrong can damage your liver. Mixing alcohol and medicines can also harm your liver. Other potentially dangerous “medical” items you take that can damage your liver include the following:

Herbal medicines or supplements
Herbal teas, if mixed with over-the-counter or prescription drugs such as heart medication
Non-FDA-approved supplements from other countries. You don’t know what is in these supplements.
Over-the-counter medications: Acetaminophen or ibuprofen, if taken in excess, will damage your liver

7 – Avoid toxins

You come in contact with certain toxins daily that can damage your liver. Things like cleaning products, aerosol products, chemicals, additives, and insecticides will damage your liver. If your job requires you to use any of these, wear a mask on the job. At home, choose natural ingredients when cleaning your home. Avoid using aerosol sprays. But if, for instance, you want to paint with spray paint, choose a well-ventilated area such as a garage with an open door or even outside. Be sure to wear a mask while you’re spray painting.

8 – Limit how much alcohol you drink

Alcohol is number one on the list of things that can damage your liver. Use alcohol responsibly. Adults who are at a legal drinking age should drink in moderation. This means no more than two alcoholic drinks daily for men and one alcoholic drink for women. A heavy drinker is considered a man who drinks at least four drinks a day or 14 alcoholic drinks in a week. Or a woman who drinks three alcoholic drinks per day or seven weekly. One alcohol rehab clinic explains how long-term advises that long-term abuse of alcohol can even lead to liver scarring.

By making simple lifestyle changes, such as limiting your alcohol intake, you can reduce the damage to your liver and prevent more damage from occurring.

9 – For a healthy liver, stay physically active

A healthy liver contains a small amount of fat. Fatty liver disease is when too much fat is built up in your liver. A fatty liver is one with 5% to 10% of your liver’s weight in fat. Lifestyle changes like staying physically fit can help you maintain your weight and reduce the fat in your body. Exercise also detoxes your liver and helps reduce fat build-up. Try to engage in some blood-pumping exercise at least 150 minutes per week. It can be anything that you enjoy but gets your heart rate up.

Dancing
Running
Bike riding
Swimming
Hiking
Skating
Surfing

Final thoughts on the importance of a healthy liver

It’s easy to live as if your body will always be healthy. It’s sobering to realize that simple everyday lifestyle choices could cause a lifetime of heartache if you end up with the disease. Overindulging in food, alcohol, or recreational drugs can cause liver disease. It’s important to understand these ten lifestyle changes to include in your life for a healthy liver. Breaking your bad habits and starting new healthy habits toward a robust and healthy liver is possible. You are the only one who can make healthy choices for your life.

Editorial Note 8/24/2023: Added link to authority source.

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