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20 Ways for Somone to Have Psychological Safety

May 18, 2021 by Power of Positivity

Do you feel drained, stressed out, on edge, and like you’re ready to throw in the towel? These are all common phrases used by the average person each day. Life is stressful, and you must find effective ways to handle this pressure for your psychological safety.

Mental illness is a significant problem, and the load that each person must carry can put increasing pressure on your mental wellbeing. Take, for instance, a parent with three children and a full-time job. They must get up at 6 am to get the kids ready for school.

They have just enough time after getting them out the door to get ready for a long day of work. This hard worker labors until 5 pm and then rush home to get dinner prepared for the spouse and children. By the time they complete the cleanup, laundry, and other household chores, they collapse into bed at midnight. They get only a measly six hours of sleep.

Does this scenario sound familiar? Add to this picture chronic illnesses, grocery shopping, running kids to sports, and it leaves little time for self-care. An empty well cannot pour into others, and it won’t be long until the dry well will crack and become damaged.

Twenty Ways to Enhance Your Psychological Safety

If you want to ease the pangs of stress and take care of your needs, you must learn how to protect yourself mentally. Thankfully, there are many steps that you can do that will ensure your mind, body, and spirit stays in good health. Here are 20 things you can do starting today.

1. Turn Off Electronics

While scrolling on your cell phone is an excellent way to pass the time. It would help if you took the time to disconnect from electronics. Stop the newsflashes and doomscrolling about the trouble of the world. Unplugging can be a mental health break that is much needed.

2. Avoid Self-Criticism

You’re human, and you will make mistakes. How many times have you been your own worst critic? Stop looking at all the things you do wrong and focus on what you do that’s right. Your psychological safety depends on your perceptions of self.

3. Show People How You Want to Be Treated

Setting boundaries protect you from harmful comments and undue stress. You have the power to tell people how you expect to be treated. When you set firm guidelines for your life relationships, you can save yourself major heartache now and in the future.

4. Find an Outlet for Negativity

You’re going to be influenced by negativity each day, as it’s impossible to avoid it. Rather than ingesting it and allowing it to overtake you, you must find an outlet. Try things like meditation, yoga, singing bowls, and box breathing to help you eliminate all the stress you pick up each day.

5. Surround Yourself with Positive People

How many times did you hear old sayings like “you’re known by the company you keep?” Parents and grandparents had all these little proverbs that were so applicable to life. When you hang around with people who are pessimistic and grumbly, then it won’t be long till you develop the same attitude.

However, if you surround yourself with people who tend to see things positively, they can help alter your perceptions for the better.

6. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

One of the worst things you can do is to compare yourself with others. It doesn’t matter what car you drive, the house you live in, or how much money you make an hour. What matters is what’s inside your heart.

The ability to love and be loved is one of the best gifts around, and it’s priceless. Please don’t allow yourself to get into the comparison game, as it will only destroy your self-esteem.

7. Hit the Gym

It’s a proven fact that exercise can help you boost your mood, which enhances your mental health. According to the National Library of Medicine, exercise proves to increase serotonin, which can help keep depression and anxiety at bay.

8. Speak Up for Yourself

Do you let people walk all over you? Do you have the words doormat written over your forehead? Learn to stand up for yourself and call the shots in your life, as your happiness depends on it.

9. Ask for Help

While you may try to portray yourself as a superhero, you need to know your limits and when it’s time to ask for help. Sure, no one folds the laundry or cuts the lawn as you do, but sometimes you must let go of these petty controlling tactics for your psychological safety.

Give your spouse or kids the power to do the dishes, laundry, or grocery shopping, as it’s very freeing to let go.

10. Get Sufficient Rest

Are you getting enough rest each night? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need at least seven hours each night. When you don’t get that much rest, then you create a deficiency that can affect your mind and body.

11. Practice Mindfulness

Learning mindfulness can help you to be present in the here and now. Do you know that most of the things you spend your time worrying about won’t happen anyway? Stop crying over something that might not even come to pass.

Learn to appreciate all the beautiful things around you, like the face of your child, the smell of a flower, and the golden rays of the sun.

12. Do A Vision Board

Part of having good mental health is making goals and achieving them. Wouldn’t life be boring if you did the same thing day after day without alteration? Creating a vision board helps you plan your life in one year, five, and even ten.

Where do you see yourself a year from now? Creating a vision board is a fun task that you can get your kids involved in too.

13. Learn to Say No

How many times do you take on more than you can handle? Sure, the PTA wants five dozen cupcakes from your kitchen, but do you really have time to commit to such a feat? Learn to say no for the sake of your mental health, and it will absolutely change your life.

14. Spend Time in Nature

One of the tactics used to stop a panic attack is to go outside. The fresh air has healing properties that can be therapeutic. If you’re having problems feeling grounded in this world, then take off your shoes and feel the cold earth between your toes.

When the world around you is chaotic, and you feel like you might lose touch, get outside, as it can help.

15. Laugh Often

Laughter is good for your soul, and it’s more beneficial than most think. When you laugh, you’re releasing those feel-good hormones that help to keep your mental health in check.

16. Eat Healthily

You are what you eat, so make sure that what you’re eating is not harming your body. While plant-based diets are beneficial, you don’t have to go full vegan to eat healthily. Watch your intake of junk food, and make sure you stay away from fast-food joints.

17. Spend Time Alone

Everyone needs alone time as it helps you recharge your batteries, which helps with your psychological safety. Even if you only get a half-hour each day, make sure you have some time to be in the silence.

18. Keep a Gratitude Journal

Sure, it’s effortless to focus on all the negative aspects of your life, but keeping a gratitude journal will help keep you balanced. When you start counting all your blessings, it’s easy to put the negativity away from you. Pessimism only hurts your mental health, as it changes your outlook and perceptions.

19. Socialize Often

It’s essential to get away from your job and household responsibilities and have fun. Going out with your friends once in a while can make you feel like a teen again, carefree and happy. Please make time to socialize, as it can do wonders for your mental health.

20. Learn to Forgive

Forgiving others releases the hold that the wrongdoing has on you. When you forgive someone else, then you remove the negativity into the atmosphere to allow for positivity to flow through you. Having unforgiveness in your heart can cause a root of bitterness to grow, and no one wants anything like that growing in their garden.

Final Thoughts on Psychological Safety

Your psychological safety is an integral part of your life. You wouldn’t walk out into rush hour traffic knowing you’re going to be hit now, would you? You need to take the same approach to your mental well-being as you do with your physical.

The most important things are to learn your limits, don’t be self-critical, get plenty of rest, eating right, and make time for your needs. Keeping your mind in check is a tricky balance, but with a few tips and tricks, you can learn how to stay mentally strong even when everything around you seems to be chaotic.

8 Ways to Stay Positive When You Suffer From Chronic Illness

May 17, 2021 by Power of Positivity

Why is it that society accepts disabilities when they can see them with their eyes, but it’s the chronic illness that goes undetected that they judge? When you have an ongoing battle with your health, you’ve become accustomed to people thinking you’re not really sick or that it’s all in your mind. Suffering from health issues can dampen your spirits and leave you questioning your very existence on earth.

Is it any wonder that depression, anxiety, and other mental disturbances often accompany health battles? How can you stay positive when you feel so bad in your body that even dragging yourself out of bed seems to take all the energy you can muster? Struggling with your health can leave you bankrupt financially, mentally, and physically, not to mention the fact that your spiritual being also takes a hit.

Since you have no choice but to keep going, how do you stay positive when your world seems so negative? Is it possible to wear a smile even though you feel like crying? Your mindset is a powerful thing and one of the best defenses you have against ongoing illnesses.

Ways to Stay Positive When You Face Down a Chronic Illness

First, you must come to terms with the fact that no one will ever understand how you feel on the inside. Chronic illness can take a toll on every fiber of your being and leave you questioning your very existence. However, there is a way to change your mindset to improve your outlook and keep your optimism high.

1. Count Your Blessings

It sounds very cliché to say that you need to count your blessings. Consequently, if you focus on all the wrong things in your body, you will only make matters worse. Instead, start telling yourself all the things that are good about your life. For instance, you should use express things like:

I have a family who loves me and stands beside me in my health struggles.
I am not alone, as I am surrounded by a loving spouse.
Though I may be sick in my body, there is always someone else that is worse off than me.
I have a nice, warm bed to rest in when I am tired, which many people don’t have.
There is food in my cabinets, and my belly is full.
Though I may not be rich, there is money to pay my bills.

When you start being thankful for the smallest of things, like the bills being paid and bread in the cabinet, it changes your perceptions. It’s hard to be downtrodden when you have so many blessings. According to one school of thought, practicing gratitude is an important strategy to sustain your well-being.

2. Journal

Journaling is an excellent option that allows you to get things out of your head and release them into the atmosphere. It also helps you to create an account of the battles you fight with your health. If you feel that people are tired of hearing about your bodily woes, you can put things in writing to voice.

It’s hard when you feel so bad, but you don’t want to complain about every ache and pain. Rather, it’s better to put it down in writing and release these negative feelings from your body.

3. Create A Vision Board

Ongoing battles with your health can strip you of your will to live. A vision board helps you to look beyond where you are now and into the future. If you have a condition that is a battle that you will conquer eventually, then you can focus on the victory aspect.

For instance, if you’re struggling with thyroid cancer and going through treatment, it may be hard to see sunshine ahead when you feel so bad. Thankfully, a vision board will help you prepare for the future and set goals towards being a better, healthier you.

4. Talk to A Counselor

Counseling may be an integral part of your mental health when dealing with a chronic illness. Talking to a third-party neutral individual can help you have a sounding board to let the negativity out. You don’t want to burden your family, so having this person that can help you clear your headspace is essential.

Additionally, a psychologist can give you tips and tricks to help you through this battle. Just knowing that you have someone to lean on in the darkest days of your life is reassuring.

5. Give Back

Depending on the degree of your illness, there are days when you will feel like getting out and doing something. Do you have a gift or talent that you can share with the world? When suffering from a condition like lupus or back troubles, your issues will wax and wane.

There will be times when you have some energy. Giving back is an essential part of life, and it helps you to feel better. Though you may have limitations that dictate what you can and cannot do, there is always some way that you can assist others who have things worse off than you.

Helping others feels good, and it helps to repay karmic debt and puts you in a better headspace.

6. Use Meditation

Meditation is excellent for chronic illness as it allows you to cleanse your body of the negativity that comes with health battles. There’s something extraordinary about using this time to purge negative thoughts and feelings from your mind and heart, which allows you to focus on healing. Even if your condition is terminal, meditation can help to relax your mind and body for the struggles ahead.

During meditation, you reflect and concentrate on the positive, which has an impact on your health. According to a study published by the National Center For Complementary and Integrative Health, meditation has been proven to help lower anxiety levels and blood pressure. It would help if you tried to meditate at least once a day, but you can do smaller sessions anytime you feel overwhelmed by your struggles.

7. Turn to Your Higher Power

Your faith and spirituality are an integral part of any chronic illness battle. The belief that there is someone bigger than you who oversees things brings you a source of comfort. Prayer can change things for you and put you in a better frame of mind.

It doesn’t matter what your beliefs; turning to your faith in times of crisis can be comforting. If you have a priest, pastor, or another spiritual advisor over you, you can call them to help when things are at their worst. A spiritual guide in times of adversity is often the thing that gives you hope when the outlook seems so bleak.

8. Use Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are another tool that can help to put you in a better frame of mind. For instance, as soon as you get out of bed, you should have a list of affirmations that you retort to keep you in a good place. You must say these affirmations before you read social media, turn on the news, and be filled with all the negativity of the world around you.

Try saying things to yourself like:

I am going to have a good day.
I’m not going to let my illness define me.
I will accomplish all the goals before me.
No matter how bad things look, I am choosing to stay positive.
Today, I will live life to the fullest.

The wonderful thing about these affirmations is that you can customize them to your specific situation. If you start feeling negative during the middle of the day, there’s nothing that says that you cannot quote these encouraging phrases again.

Final Thoughts on Staying Positive Amidst Chronic Illness

Being sick is never fun, and it’s even more of a struggle when it’s an ongoing battle. While these eight things listed above may help you, there are also other things you can do to keep you on the upswing. Remember that negativity is like an invasive cancer that can eat at the very fiber of your being.

When you allow yourself to walk down the pessimistic path, it’s hard to get back to a more positive outlook. Once you let that negativity have a place in your life, it will take hold and grow like a weed strangling your will to go on. Use your support system on days when things are at their worst, as you will need to have someone to lean on during this battle.

There’s nothing fun about chronic illness, and it can take its toll. However, never let a sickness define you. When there are good days, get out and enjoy the sunshine. Consequently, don’t push yourself on those bad days. Know your limits and when you need to rest.

Remember it won’t rain always. There will be times when the clouds break, and the sunshine comes beaming through. You can and will find effective coping skills to get you through this storm in your life.

Adventurous Cat Explores the USA With His Family

May 17, 2021 by Kristen Lawrence

One Maine coon cat named Fisher is living the life people dream of with his adventurous cat parents. Wherever they go, he goes, and he’s always up for something new. People who follow his account online love seeing his travels and watching him live the good life. It’s always exciting to see where he’ll go next and all the sights he’ll see along the way.

As soon as Loraine and Finn, his owners put his harness on him, he knows it’s adventure time. Maine coons are known for being fun-loving, curious, playful pets. Their adaptable, sociable nature makes it easy for them to enjoy a life of travel. When the family gets ready for an adventure, Fisher waits excitedly by the door, much as a dog would.

“Basically, some of his favorite things to do are to travel with us; he loves going for bike rides or cruising on our boat,” Fisher’s mom Loraine says. “There’s many times that we are stopped because people think he’s a baby, and they’re surprised that he’s actually a kitten. They get excited, and they smile about it, and they just say, ‘That makes my day,’ which makes us really happy.”

“Back in 2018, I was turning 50, and I wanted a cat, so my fiancé and I started looking around [for] different breeds of cats that liked water,” Fisher’s cat, dad Finn says.

Since he and his fiancé grew up in Florida, they love going out on the water and traveling. They wanted a cat that could keep up with their active lifestyle and enjoy it as well.

“We settled on a Maine Coon, we picked him up after 8 weeks, and the beach was the first time he’d ever walked on a harness and a leash. It was just adorable, and right then, you could just see he was going to be an adventure cat.”

The adventurous cat loves exploring the US with his loving parents

“We tried everything from walks, boating, putting him in our bikes and baskets, making sure that he was able to stroll with his stroller through the neighborhood, and that he just liked all the activities we did. He was always happy to go ahead and try anything new,” Loraine says.

“We do everything with him – we go on RV trips, we go out on the boat, camping, to dinner and friends’ houses, and if for some reason we don’t bring him, everybody’s like, ‘Where’s Fisher?’ Finn said. “And it’s just so rewarding to see that he’s put a smile on people’s faces and people are just so happy to talk about him. They love watching his videos, and they can just see how much we love him and how great we take care of him. He’s very sweet and loving.”

Another thing Fisher loves is watching the sunset, either from home or out on the boat. They take him on the water almost every night because he enjoys it so much! Having a glass of wine while cruising on your boat at sunset with your cat certainly sounds like the life. On those nights, Loraine and Finn just feel so thankful they get to share life with their adventurous cat buddy.

They’re always on the go, looking for the next opportunity for fun in the sun. Finn travels a lot for work, and Loraine works from home, so they’re always moving around. This is perfect for their Maine coon, which fits right in with their nomadic lifestyle. Fisher sees the adventures as a chance for him to keep exploring the world and experiencing new things.

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A post shared by FisherTheMainecoon (@fisherthemainecoon)

When they’re out on the boat, people often call Fisher’s name, even if they don’t know Loraine and Finn. He’s got many fans on social media, so his pet parents have gotten used to all the attention he attracts. They’re just happy that he puts a smile on people’s faces and brightens their day!

Fisher’s got quite a personality, both independent and sweet

Loraine says Fisher is very loving but enjoys having his time alone as well. He acts much like a dog in that he loves exploring and is more outgoing than most cats. Fisher’s relaxed, easygoing personality makes it easy for him to adapt to any situation. He takes to the boat very naturally; Finn says it’s like he’s sitting in the living room at home.

Basically, they love having Fisher around because he just makes life more fun. They joke and say that it’s his world and they’re just living in it. If your pet runs the show, you may as well have one that’s as adventurous and fearless as Fisher!

“I would say if you’re considering getting a cat or any other animal, what you want to think about is, what is your lifestyle and what do you want to do that is going to include a new pet to your family?” Loraine says, “You just want to make sure that they’re integrated into your life and they’re just a part of your family.”

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A post shared by FisherTheMainecoon (@fisherthemainecoon)

So, if you live an active, outdoorsy lifestyle, a Maine coon might just be the cat for you.

“We love that we get the privilege on a daily basis of just loving him and making him happy. In turn, he gets everything he wants, and he makes us smile, and he makes us happy. And we get to share that with people, and that’s probably our favorite.”

Final thoughts on the adventurous cat exploring the country with his family

Fisher’s living the life that everyone would love to have. He’s always getting to see new places and explore the world with his family. His life is far from average for a cat, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He truly seems to fit right in with his outdoor-loving parents, and they just adore him.

Do you go on adventures with your cat or other pets? If so, we’d love to hear some of your stories in the comments!

3 Effective Ways To Heal Childhood Trauma

May 17, 2021 by Lakeisha Ethans

Are there things in your past that you can’t shake? Do you see issues stemming from your childhood that plague you to this day, showing up in your actions and behaviors in ways you feel that you can’t control? If so, then it is time to heal childhood trauma.

It’s easy to feel powerless when you’re dealing with the aftermath of childhood trauma. But there are ways that you can recover and be freed from this pain. Here are three practical ways to heal childhood trauma.

1. Perform a Step-by-Step Mindful Healing Exercise

The steps needed to heal childhood trauma often involve correctly sitting down and fully immersing yourself in healing efforts as part of a routine. Trauma is a very complex thing and requires careful handling, after all. While you can manage its symptoms in more indirect ways, healing the trauma needs a lot more focus.

Luckily, a mindful healing exercise can work, developed by marriage and family therapist Andrea Brandt, Ph.D.

Dr. Brandt boasts more than 35 years of experience in her field. She states that this healing exercise is highly beneficial for most, if not all, of her clients that it is relevant to.

The healing exercise helps you confront the emotions associated with trauma and can improve positive thinking with regular practice. Here is how to go about it:

· Step 1: Grounding

To start healing, you have to be present. So go to a quiet location away from disturbances, and begin to ground yourself. To do so, sit down and close your eyes, breathing deeply and focusing on your body. Bring awareness to your arms by contracting and relaxing muscles, feeling the weight of your limbs. Feel the ground beneath you and root yourself in it. Visualize energy from your tailbone connecting you down to the earth’s core.

· Step 2: Recalling

Once you feel grounded, reach into your memories and think about something that recently upset you. It can be anything at all that created a reaction, whether mild or strong or somewhere in between, or made you feel suddenly numb. Think carefully about this incident and imagine it in as much detail as you can, as if transporting yourself back in time, engaging your senses, too.

· Step 3: Sensing

Once you begin to feel those emotional reactions return, breathe deeply and relax quietly for a moment. Then, observe your body, paying attention to any sensations that are occurring. Are your fists clenched? Is your pulse accelerating? Are you sweating? Describe each feeling to yourself, quietly in your mind, in clear detail. Work through them until you’ve described all the physical experiences you’re dealing with.

· Step 4: Naming

For each sensation, find an emotion that explains it and associate the two together. If your fists are clenched, for example, you may be angry, and if your pulse is accelerating, you may be anxious. If you have trouble naming emotions, it can be helpful to look up a list of complex ones before beginning the exercise so you can match them up more quickly. Differentiating many similar emotions accurately can be very helpful for positive healing.

· Step 5: Loving

Acceptance and love are necessary for healing. Even though these emotions are complex, tell yourself: “I love myself for feeling (emotion).” Name each emotion and proclaim your love for yourself, remembering to love and accept yourself.

· Step 6: Experiencing

Now, sit quietly with your feelings, the sensations they create, and your reactions to them. Watch them quietly, like you would watch a passerby, and don’t judge, hide, or try to change them. Acknowledge each emotion and experience and welcome them, expressing them in a natural and healthy way – so cry, shout, or punch a pillow if you must.

· Step 7: Receiving

Now, connect these emotions and sensations with things further in your past. Do they relate to trauma, bad experiences, and difficulties stemming from long-rooted pain? What is the message your feelings are trying to tell you? What are they saying, or what would they say if they could speak or describe you? If you have difficulty, grab a pen and some paper or a journal and writing freely to fully express your thoughts without stopping for 10 minutes.

· Step 8: Sharing

Your reflections may have been insightful. If you like, you can share these reflections with individuals you trust. If you don’t want to share them with others, share them with yourself. Please write down your feelings and the healing process, describe your emotions and connections to your past, and reflect on them each in turn.

· Step 9: Releasing

Finally, imagine all that trauma and negative energy in your body and imagine it leaving you or being expelled from your being. You can also do this in a more physical way by throwing away things that are reminders of your trauma, or by standing under or in running water and imagining the energy being washed away from you.

You can repeat this exercise as many times as necessary for your recovery process. It is somewhat similar to practices of mindfulness, which have been proven to also have positive effects on trauma and trauma disorders.

2. Practice Sufficient Self-Care

When you’re healing from childhood trauma, you need a lot of energy, and you need to be in relatively good health. It’s easy for traumatized individuals to forget to look after themselves. Don’t fall into this trap! You need to care for your mind and body to recover well. Here are some factors that you should be incorporating:

· Balanced Lifestyle

Your lifestyle is essential for ensuring positive wellbeing when you’re dealing with trauma. You don’t have to live a perfectly healthy life – ensure a balance that can keep your body ticking healthily. Get enough sleep, avoid excessive junk food, and don’t abuse drugs or alcohol.

· Exercise

Trauma involves the ignition of the fight-or-flight responses in the human body. Exercising can help to relax a lot of those more extreme impulses and reactions by expending energy. Research has shown positive effects of aerobic workouts for treatments for individuals with PTSD when performed most days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.

· Social Connection

Trauma can often make you want to isolate yourself, but this is very detrimental to your overall recovery process. In order to recovery from PTSD and long-term trauma, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America recommends retaining contact with positive and supportive people in your life. You don’t have to talk to them about your trauma. But you do need to maintain good interactions with others, especially those who love and care about you.

3. Get Therapy

The reality of the matter is that healing childhood trauma isn’t something you can usually do independently. While taking care of yourself and using certain helpful exercises can be beneficial, deep-rooted trauma of a severe nature doesn’t just go away. Trying to heal it yourself, especially when it’s attached to PTSD or other trauma disorders, is like trying to perform open-heart surgery on yourself!

Speaking to any mental health professional will give you some insight into possible treatment methods. It can take a while to find a therapist whose methods work well with you and for you. But once you do, they will usually be able to determine the suitable treatment method for you. If you like, though, you can read up on some standard therapies for childhood trauma. Then discuss them with your therapist.

It is normal to require therapy in order to heal from childhood trauma. That trauma leaves deep, cutting scars on you with roots. Indeed, they may be buried in your subconscious and within repressed memories. There is no shame in getting help for the pain you’re experiencing. Here are some common forms of therapy that are used in the treatment of trauma:

· Cognitive Processing Therapy

Cognitive processing therapy, or CPT, is typically the main choice of cognitive-behavioral therapy subtypes for treating adults with PTSD from childhood. The American Psychiatric Association usually recommends CPT for the span of 12 sessions, which involves developing an awareness and understanding of emotions and thoughts from PTSD. This is followed up by formal trauma processing and the development of skills to manage trauma-based thoughts.

· Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR, is a form of therapy that uses eye movements to treat PTSD and other trauma by re-patterning memories. The treatment process is separated into eight different phases that help patients along the way, from the history to preparation and from assessment to treatment, all the way up to the final evaluation. Studies have found EMDR to be highly effective in addressing trauma-based unprocessed memories.

· Prolonged Exposure Therapy

Prolonged exposure therapy, or PE, is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy used to treat many mental disorders, including PTSD. It is meant to help patients face their fears, memories, feelings, and circumstances that are difficult to confront due to trauma. This usually requires a trusting and fair therapeutic relationship, and the American Psychiatric Association states that the total amount of treatment time for positive effect takes about three months.

· Art Therapy

As its name suggests, this form of therapy harnesses the powers of creative and artistic expression to aid in healing trauma. It’s a good way to express trauma and pain without words and help build emotional resilience.

· Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, or TF-CBT, is another type of cognitive-behavioral therapy usually used for adolescents and teenagers. Studies have shown that TF-CBT can have a positive effect on young individuals dealing with the emotional fallout of an event of trauma. However, supportive networks and trusted caregivers are also necessary for the process.

· Narrative Exposure Therapy

Narrative exposure therapy, or NET, is a TF-CBT alternative for PTSD specifically. It is a very short-term kind of intervention that aims to help patients embed trauma into their own lifespan’s autobiographical timeline, which patients should continue to use after the therapy is over. According to research, NET works best to treat those facing many traumatic events in their past.

Final Thoughts On Some Effective Ways To Heal From Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma is not easy to overcome. By performing mindful healing exercises, taking care of yourself, maintaining positive thinking, and seeking professional aid in the form of therapy, you’ll be able to take steps towards being free from those sources of hurt and trauma.

10 Ways to Reconnect With Your Inner Child

May 17, 2021 by Power of Positivity

Everyone starts as a child in this world, and you slowly grow into an adult. You learn many lessons during your childhood, but there are some things that you would rather leave in the past. However, while you grow and morph into an adult, you still have an inner child that longs to be released on occasion.

Perhaps you’re not familiar with your inner child and need to be introduced to this silent being inside. Your inner child is the person that found out all kinds of fascinating things about life due to their curiosity. While you’re in an adult body, the kid within loves strolling down the toy aisle, even though you no longer play with toys.

It’s the curiosity and zest for life that you need to reconnect with, as it often gets lost as you age. This child inside you still loves superheroes and has aspirations to do something great like writing a movie or book. Perhaps he or she wants to go to a faraway land and explore ancient ruins or an exotic beach.

This little person within you is the gentle nudge that tries to show you things about the world around you that you might not notice in the hustle and bustle of your day.

Ways the Child Within Helps You

The benefits of connecting with this child are vast as it helps to keep you young at heart. Here are some other advantages of reconnecting.

Keeps you ever aware of your goals
Allows you to make your own rules and follow them
It helps you to focus on your dreams and not be stuck in the daily grind
Makes you see the world around you as a place of wonders rather than all the negativity and darkness
Assists you in recognizing dangers and when to be afraid
It teaches you that you need to love more and worry less

Ten Ways of Reconnecting with The Inner Child

Since there are so many benefits to connecting with this child within, you probably need some instruction on accomplishing this goal. Here are the following ways to start the reconnection process.

1. Laugh Often

Do you remember as a child laughing, even giggling because you had nothing holding you back? You didn’t have to worry about paying the bills or getting up early for work. You lived for the moment and what toy you would play with next.

If you want to free this inner child, then bust out in a big belly laugh. The key is to laugh like no one is watching you and not be self-conscious about it. There are so many things in life that can make you chuckle, but if you need some inspiration, you can use the internet.

It’s okay for you to be completely ridiculous, as the child within will connect with this light-hearted and fun nature. Engage with fun games with your family, such as slug bug, eye spy, and other travel competitions. Find opportunities to laugh every day, and it can also do wonders for your mental health, according to the National Library of Medicine.

2. Enhance Your Laser-Like Concentration

Do you recall how focused you were as a child as you worked your Legos or put together a dollhouse? Your concentration was hard to break as you had one goal in mind, and nothing was going to detour you from accomplishing it. Some call this laser-like concentration because the focus is so strong that it’s seemingly unbreakable.

While mundane tasks like taking a bath, brushing your teeth, or putting on your clothes for school seemed to take forever, the moments you spend with those toys flew by. By enhancing your focus, you’re clearing a path for what matters most. The key is to get your work done with intense concentration, and you can have fun once work is done.

The child within you wants to feel, love, discover new things, be innovative, and longs to do something great.

3. Explore and Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

During your formative years, you were constantly being faced with new sights, experiences, and people. However, there were times when you just wanted to be alone and play with your toys. When you were saying hello to new things and people, you had to learn to adapt.

The world around you changed in the blink of an eye, and you had to learn a whole fresh reality that included the new things you’ve discovered. Children must learn to expand their comfort zones constantly, and adults aren’t as keen on making changes. Adapting and evolving is just part of life, but adults are not eager to step out of their comfort zones.

It would help if you learned to stop being grumpy and set in your ways, and you need to embrace the infinite wonders that are all around you. The child within you craves adventure and to change things up a bit.

4. Exploring the World Around You

One of the best ways to establish the connection with the child within is to take a walk in nature. Find someplace that you find exciting and pleasant and let your senses go wild. Take inventory of the sounds you hear, the shapes you see, and the aromas blowing in the breeze.

Using your senses helps to open you to a new reality. While you’re walking, take a stroll down memory lane. Go back in time to where you thought art was a creation, and you were captivated by it. Remember drawing big trees with their branches stretched up to the heavens and the sunshine beaming on them?

Somehow you felt that drawing those trees was connected to walking outside on a warm summer’s day. Strolling through the world around you will help you to reactivate these memories and re-center yourself.

5. Acknowledge Your Strengths to Enhance Inner Peace and Security

Everyone needs to feel protected, especially a child. You must form an unshakable identity that you know will protect you. You can accomplish this by learning your strengths emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Embrace your gifts and accept your challenges. If you want to connect with the child within, then you need to make them feel safe.

6. Keep Your Feelings in Proper Alignment

It would help if you did things to honor the child within you, which means you need to keep proper alignment. The adult in you wants to please people and not say no when people ask you to do something. However, you may need to brush up on your self-love.

Never put other people’s feelings above yours, as this will make the child within you feel neglected and frightened.

7. Cherish Your Inner Child

Sometimes the child inside you is broken or wounded due to trauma. This can cause you to act out just like a kid due to the pain. In these instances, you need to cherish and nurture this inner kid, and let them know that they’re safe, loved, and protected. Use positive affirmations to heal deep wounds that keep you conflicted.

8. Work on Chakra Blockages

If you’re in touch with your spiritual self, then you may know about chakras. These wheels are energy points in your body, and when you have negativity, hurt, or sickness, these energy points become blocked.

The sacral chakra is the one that is connected to your child within, so you need to make sure you unblock this pathway so you can reconnect. Meditation is a great way to start opening these clogged pathways.

9. Write a Letter to Your Inner Child

If you want to connect to the child within, then a journal may be the key. If it’s been several years since you’ve been disconnected, then you may have a lot of questions. Journaling is an excellent way to spark this inner being, and it can help you resurface memories of things from childhood you may have long forgotten.

It’s okay to write a letter to your inner child, too, as you may have some unsettled business to take care of.

10. Cultivate Your Aspirations

Do you remember the days when you thought that every impossible task that came your way was nothing more than a bump in the road? Your inner child has no problem seeing obstacles as nothing major, which is unlike adults. When you’re a grown-up, you feel all kinds of pressure and often go underappreciated.

You’re stuck in the 9-5 pm grind and opt for fast food because there are not enough hours to cook a healthy meal. Connecting to the child within will allow you to reignite those passions that you can conquer the impossible. Perhaps you wanted to write a book.

Sure, that book may not be on New York’s Best Seller list, but it will be powerful because you accomplish something that seems impossible. Each day, your mind will meditate on tons of goals that you want to achieve. It would be best if you reconnected with all those that seem unfeasible, impossible, and unlikely.

Final Thoughts on Reconnecting with Your Inner Child

The child within you isn’t a means for avoidance, nor is it a vehicle for you to act irresponsibly. Rather, connecting with the inner child allows you to open your sense of marvel. It’s the core of your being, a personal character which cannot be formed nor demolished, merely transformed.

Fashion Company Designs Accessories Out of Trash Pile in Russia

May 14, 2021 by Power of Positivity

A fashion company based in St. Petersburg, Russia takes trash piles and transforms them into unique accessories.

Unfortunately, Russia’s landfills have poorer maintenance and less oversight than those in other countries throughout Europe.

In fact, one landfill in Moscow measures at least 10 stories tall. Authorities warn that poor waste management could lead to infectious diseases and polluted groundwater.

Because of the dire trash situation in Russia, the fashion company 99Recycle decided to take matters into their own hands. Workers sifted through mountains of trash to gather various recyclable materials. Then, they turned them into novel recycled accessories and school supplies. The company designed items such as backpacks, bags, pencil and laptop cases, and toys like skateboards and bicycles.

Their ingenuity caught the attention of officials overseeing the 2020 St. Petersburg Awards. They gave the Recycle/Upcycle Project of the Year award to 99Recycle because of their sustainable products.

In the modern world, “fast fashion” is an ever-growing problem. Companies aim to create mass quantities of clothes as cheaply as possible, without regard for the consequences. Unfortunately, keeping costs low takes a devastating toll on the environment. According to the World Economic Forum, the fashion industry produces an astounding 10% of total carbon emissions.

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Some other startling statistics about fast fashion include the following:

Here are some interesting facts.

The fashion industry uses a lot of water

The fashion industry is one of the most water-intensive industries in the world, second only to fruit and vegetable farming. It consumes around 79 billion cubic meters of water annually.
Making just one cotton T-shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water, and a pair of jeans takes nearly 7,600 liters.
The water it takes to make one T-shirt could provide one person drinking water for 900 days.
The fashion industry contributes greatly to water pollution. Textile dyeing is the world’s second-largest polluter of water. Runoff from the dyeing process goes into rivers, streams and ditches.
Cotton requires 5,283 gallons of water to produce just 2.2 pounds of the crop. This amount of cotton can produce just one T-shirt and a pair of jeans. According to the WWF, “current cotton production methods are environmentally unsustainable.”
Washing clothes also creates harmful air and ocean pollution. Each year, around 500,000 tons of microfibers get released into the oceans from laundry alone. This equates to 50 billion plastic bottles worth of microplastics.

Clothing litters the world’s landfills

The equivalent of one garbage truck of clothes goes to a landfill every second. A staggering 85% of textiles ends up in dumps each year, where it gets burned or simply goes to waste. The Sydney harbor could get filled annually with the amount of clothes thrown away.
People bought 60% more clothing in 2014 compared to 2000, but they kept clothes only half as long.
Since 2000, the fashion industry’s production has nearly doubled.
Fashion companies in Europe only offered an average of two collections per year in 2000. In 2014, that increased to five.

The impact of synthetics

The majority of the fibers actually come from polyester, a type of plastic found in roughly 60% of clothing. Polyester production releases two to three times more carbon emissions than cotton, and polyester doesn’t break down in the ocean.
A 2017 report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) offered more damning evidence against the fashion industry. It estimated that 35% of all microplastics, tiny pieces of non-biodegradable plastics — in the ocean came from washing synthetic products like polyester.
Just one example of the fashion industry’s catastrophic impact on the environment can be seen in Uzbekistan. There, relentless cotton farming caused the Aral Sea to completely dry up after 50 years. To put that in perspective, the Aral Sea was once one of the world’s four largest lakes.
In total, the fashion industry causes 20% of all industrial water pollution worldwide.

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How 99Recycle is disrupting the fashion industry with sustainability

As you can see, fast fashion and the production of clothes, in general, contributes enormously to environmental degradation. 99Recycle is just one company that aims to drastically reduce its carbon footprint.

The company uses a large 3D printer much like the type used by Hyundai. This 3D printer only utilizes recycled plastic as raw materials, and creates textiles from hand-sewn products. This ensures that each accessory or clothing item retains individuality. So far, 99Recycle has gathered over 70 tons of recycled plastic by collaborating with local recycling agencies.

“The process of preparing the materials is more complicated than for ordinary materials. Most of our time is taken up by the preparation, because we need to clean it, to make it even, to select it, to reject some materials,” Olesya Kulik, designer at 99Recycle told Euronews.

Since 95% of all waste in Russia ends up in landfills, 99Recycle doesn’t want to contribute further to the problem. Instead, they want to become part of the solution in combating throwaway culture. In addition to creating eco-friendly products, the company holds classes and lectures about recycling and sustainability. They hope their small influence will help people become more aware of their daily habits.

“Globally, humanity needs to resolve the garbage problem, there is no way around it,” co-founder of 99Recycle Anton Rykachevskiy says. “A lot of trash is appearing, and we take on the role of guys who inspire everybody around us. We take something that seems to be garbage. Now people call it recyclable materials, it’s good. And we create cool, exceptional things, which weren’t previously made of recyclable materials.”

Final thoughts on the fashion company based in Russia, turning trash into treasure

So who would’ve thought that trash rotting in a landfill could become a fashion statement? That’s exactly what 99Recycle had in mind when the founders created the company. They scour landfills and work with recycling non-profits to create unique, sustainable items.

The company has a small online store selling bags, backpacks, fanny packs, and skateboards. They also offer to work with corporate companies on promotional products and branded merchandise. Indeed, 99Recycle shows that the fashion industry can adopt sustainable practices while still creating aesthetically appealing products.

8 Destructive Habits to Stop Right Now

May 14, 2021 by Power of Positivity

Everyone has destructive habits that keep them from being their best. Whether it’s putting yourself down constantly or taking illegal drugs, there are all sorts of problems that you must overcome in life. Why do people engage in dangerous habits that can affect their mind and body?

Eight Destructive Habits You Must Stop

If you have habits hurting more than helping you, it’s time to quit. How does one stop “cold turkey” when they’ve developed a practice that’s lasted for months, years, or decades? You can only overcome things with the power of positivity and a drive to do and be your best.

Here are eight everyday destructive habits you need to stop right now, and there are a few tips on achieving these goals.

1. Using Negative Self-Talk

Quit talking down to yourself. So, you’ve made a few mistakes along the way; you must remember that you’re only human. There is no perfect person on this planet, and the mistakes give you plenty of opportunities to learn. It’s very derogatory to say things to yourself like:

I look fat in this outfit.
My hair is ugly because it’s so thin and wiry.
I will never amount to anything.
I’m a loser.
I am unlucky in love and life.
Why am I such a failure?

When you use such negative talk to speak to and about yourself, you’re beating yourself down a little at a time. Stop looking at yourself as a failure, and you won’t fail. It would help if you started using your words to pick yourself up and claim victory rather than defeat.

•How to Fix This:

Fixing this negative mindset isn’t going to happen overnight. You will need to practice. Start by rebutting all these negative thoughts that pop into your head. When you look at yourself in the mirror and think you look fat, try saying something like: “I may not be at my goal weight, but I am worth working on getting where I need to be.”

2. Surrounding Yourself with Negativity

You’re known by the company you keep, and how many times did your parents tell you that birds of the same feather always flock together? If you’re around people who are always negative and look at life as if the glass is half empty, then you will develop this negative mindset too.

•How to Fix This:

You can fix this by making new friends. Your friendships should enhance or add something to your life and not take away from it. Rather than living in a bubble with such pessimistic folks, it would be better to be surrounded by positivity.

No one wants to be friends with people who are melancholy all the time anyway. So be the kind of person that people love to be around.

3. You Limit Yourself

Why do you put limits on yourself and think that you can’t do something? Suppose you have a degree as well as anyone else in your office. A new position opens on the job board you’re qualified for, but you don’t think you can do it.

You have the qualifications and the training, so why do you put yourself down and act like you’re no better than the other folks? Your imagination is the only thing that limits you.

•How to Fix This:

Start validating the years of college and other work that you’ve done. You’ve been trained and have experience, so why can’t you go for that new job that will give you more money?

Start using the facts to combat the limitations that come to your mind. Anxiety will do nothing but keep you from being all you can be.

4. Caring Too Much What Other People Think

Why is it that society, in general, cares so much about what others are thinking? You love this shirt that you got on vacation, but you won’t wear it because of the vivid pattern. You’re so afraid of what others might say about it that you let it collect dust.

Who cares what other people think? If you love the shirt, if it fits and looks good on your body, then that’s all that matters. It would help if you never lived your life hoping to please someone else, as it will only make you miserable.

•How to Fix This:

Each time these thoughts come into your mind that tells you that someone won’t like this or make an individual mad, you need to combat it with a dose of truth. Tell yourself that it doesn’t matter what Tom, Joe, or Karen thinks about you, your family, clothes, or where you live. It’s your life to live, and if you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.

5. Binge Eating

Are you a stress eater who loves to gorge when your nerves get the best of you? You can’t maintain a healthy weight and overall good health when you’re letting your stress level guide your gut. The obesity rate is out of control in this country, and according to the National Library of Medicine, more than 1.2 percent of the population has this problem.

•How to Fix This:

If you have binge eating troubles, then you need to get help. Counseling is an excellent place to start to learn practical coping skills for this common problem. Other methods can help you eat less, but developing new ways to deal with stress is the key to success.

6. Abusing Drugs or Alcohol

Many people self-medicate because they want the pain to go away. It’s effortless to find alcohol as it’s sold in every supermarket and convenience store nationwide. Illegal drugs, and even those prescribed, can also easily be abused.

Do you know how many people started out taking a little shot of whiskey to get them to fall asleep or turn off their minds? However, the song “The Whiskey Isn’t Working Anymore” comes from a place of truth. Once you indulge in this habit regularly, you will need more to get the same effect; this is how addiction is born.

Abusing any drug or alcohol can have serious consequences.

•How to Fix This:

You must seek help for any addiction. If you need alcohol or drugs to get to sleep or function during the day, you have a problem that needs to be addressed quickly. The longer you allow this addiction to go on, the more damage it can do to your body.

7. You Don’t Speak Up for Yourself

Do you let people walk all over you? Have you become a doormat with a sign on your head that says, “please step on me?” Why don’t you stand up for yourself and stop letting people take advantage of your kindness?

If you give some people an inch, they will take a mile. Your time and money are just as valuable as theirs, so don’t let these folks tread on you.

•How to Fix This:

It would help if you learned how to say no. People will use you as long as you allow them to. When you start telling people how you want to be treated, then it’s a game-changer. Healthy boundaries are good for you and others, per the National Institute of Medicine, and they’re essential in a professional setting.

8. Comparing Yourself with Others

Why do you constantly compare yourself to someone else? You compare your home, car, job, and income levels to those of other people. This kind of mindset will drive you mad. The neighbor down the street may have paid $300,000 for his home, but your home that cost $120,000 is just as good.

Maybe you don’t need all the bells and whistles in your life, and you can be happy with the simple things. Comparing yourself to others shows low self-esteem and a deflated self-worth, and it’s one of the worst destructive habits.

•How to Fix This:

Learning to be thankful for what you have is a great place to start. When you begin to feel jealousy over your neighbor’s big house, you need to remind yourself to be thankful that you have a home to live in.

The same goes for a car or job. Be grateful for what you do have so that the Universe will entrust you with more.

Final Thoughts on Stopping Self Destructive Habits

These are just eight of the everyday destructive habits that people engage in; however, there are many more. The key is to start taking accountability for your words and actions. Don’t beat yourself up all the time when you make a mistake.

Instead, look at these mistakes as ways to learn lessons that will help you grow and flourish. With age comes maturity, but it doesn’t mean bad habits go away as you age. What can you do today to get your self-destructive habits under control so that you can live a better life?

50 Things You Can Do For Yourself On A Bad Day

May 14, 2021 by Sarah Barkley

An occasional bad day is inevitable. Even if you got up, did your positive affirmations, exercised, ate a healthy breakfast, and did everything correctly, things out of your control can ruin your mood. In a world where there is so much positivity and beauty, there is also negativity and drama.

The good news is that you can learn to love yourself through these challenging times. Why is it that people immediately start to beat up on themselves when things don’t go the way they intend? Rather than delving into the negativity and problems of the day, you can help turn your mood around by taking care of yourself.

Fifty Things You Can Do for Yourself on A Bad Day

The next time everything seems to be going wrong, and you can’t get ahead, try one of these fifty things to help put you in a better mood.

1. Go for A Walk in The Sunshine

There’s nothing better than going for a walk in the sunshine. If you’re having a bad day, you won’t be able to stay downtrodden when you’re basking in the golden rays. The sun is very healing to your mind, body, and soul.

2. Treat Yourself to A Gift

Is there something that you’ve been wanting to buy for yourself but haven’t done it yet? Why not treat yourself to that special item? You work hard, so you deserve rewards on occasion.

3. Phone A Friend

No one can help you through rough times like a good friend. Phone that person that always knows just what to say to make things better. A good chat session will improve your mood and help you get through the rest of the day.

4. Take A Bubble Bath

Is there anything more soothing and relaxing than a bubble bath? When you’ve submerged in a tub of hot water with bubbles all around, it’s as if the cares of life just fade away. Light some candles for yourself to give the soaking session extra ambiance.

5. Watch Some Comedy Videos

Laughter is truly the best medicine, and there are studies to prove it. According to the National Institute of Medicine, belly laughing helps to release feel-good hormones in your body. You can find hilarious videos all over the internet that will make you chuckle.

6. Write in Your Gratitude Journal

A gratitude journal helps you stay grounded and be thankful for all your blessings that Mother Earth has given you. Even when you are mad at the world and feel the world has been cruel to you, you can learn to be thankful. The sun will shine again, and it helps when you have gratitude in your heart.

7. Meditate

Meditation puts you in a better mindset. You can purge the negativity from your mind that seems to be drowning you. Meditation is great because you can do it in the office, the bathroom at work, or in your car on your break.

8. Practice Yoga

Yoga is another ancient practice that can help to purge negativity from your body. When you’re under stress, your muscles can hold onto that tension. Thankfully, yoga is one way that you can release all that tension from your system.

9. Cry and Let It All Out

There’s nothing like a good cry to purge all the bad feelings from the inside out. Don’t bottle things up, as they can quickly become a time bomb. It’s okay to cry, even for guys.

10. Dance Like No One Is Watching You

There’s something magical about dancing. Put on some great music and just cut loose. Moving your body is good exercise, and it will help to release those feel-good endorphins.

11. Sing with Your Favorite Music

Grab the hairbrush and pretend you’re a rock star. Music is a great motivator, and it’s even used in therapy for those with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the National Library of Medicine, they can calm patients with sundown syndrome just by playing some catchy tunes.

12. Bake Something Yummy

Baking can be great medicine for your bad day. When you’re in the kitchen creating a masterpiece with your hands, it can boost your mood. Who can be sad when you’re making something delicious like chocolate chip cookies?

13. Walk Barefooted in The Grass

If your mood is terrible because you had a bad day, and you’re not sure if you can make it till tomorrow, then take off your shoes. That’s right; take off your shoes and walk outside barefoot. There’s something euphoric about feeling the earth beneath your feet that helps to ground you and re-center your life.

14. Organize Something

When your life feels like it’s falling apart and everything is a mess, organizing something can make you feel much better. It’s time to clean those closets anyway.

15. Take A Nap

A nap can reset your stress levels and bring some relief. Try not to sleep for more than two hours, or it will interrupt your rest at night.

16. Take the Day Off

If things are bad one day, then you should take a whole or half a day off. There’s no reason to sit at the office and be miserable when you can go home and get some of the negativity out of your system.

17. Call Your Parents

No one seems to have better words of wisdom than good old mom and dad. When things are going so wrong, and you’ve had a bad day, why not give them a call?

18. Go for A Bike Ride

Riding a bike is a great workout that works for all your major muscle groups, plus it makes you feel better. It’s hard to focus on your troubles when you’re outside smelling flowers and feeling the winds from Mother Nature blow across your face.

19. Light Scented Candles

Aromatherapy has long been used to enhance moods. If you feel like your mood is tanking, then light some candles or use some essential oils. Lavender is known to lift your spirits and make you calmer.

20. Sit on The Porch Swing with Fresh Lemonade

Many great books and songs start on a porch swing. Is there anything more refreshing than a glass of lemonade and a nice swing on a beautiful day?

21. Go to A Lake or The Beach

Water is a calming element that can help you with your mood. No matter how bad your day, tip your toes in the water and let the cares of life fade away.

22. Listen to Stories of Encouragement from Ted Talks

Ted Talks are one of the greatest motivational inventions around. You can choose from 100s of stories of people who have accomplished major things. Your troubles will pare in comparison when you hear some of the heroic tales and troubles of others.

23. Go for A Dip in The Pool

When you need to cool off, there’s nothing better than a dip in the pool. Not only does it help you with your hot temper, but it feels great when the temperatures outside are soaring too.

24. Hit the Gym

Work out your frustrations on a punching bag or other piece of equipment. According to The National Library of Medicine, an intense workout can help to balance cortisol levels.

25. Spend Time with Your Pet

There’s something very therapeutic about pets. A recent study reviewed by the National Library of Medicine finds that those who own pets have a lower blood pressure than those who don’t have animals. This can only be beneficial when you’re all worked up after having a horrible day.

26. Have Someone Hold You Tight

Isn’t there something powerful and even tranquil about being held tightly when your whole world is falling apart? In an Autistic person, the basket hold is used to help them during a meltdown. It gives them a sense of security per Autism PDD, and it allows encourages them to get to a better place. Why wouldn’t this help you too?

27. Spend Some Time in A Hammock

While you may have a challenging time getting in and situated, there’s something extraordinary about swinging in a hammock. You don’t need two trees in proximity to hang one of these swaying beds, as ones on a stand do just as well.

28. Make A Bucket List and Dream

Perhaps the best time to dream about your future is when you feel that your current life isn’t going so well. There’s something very therapeutic about grabbing a pen and paper and making a bucket list. Plus, it will help you think about more positive things.

29. Take Yourself Out to A Nice Dinner

Why cook and create a mess when you can take yourself out on the town? Grab a friend or your partner, or you can even go by yourself to a local eatery. Try something new and adventurous that you usually wouldn’t even consider.

30. Take a Drive with The Windows Down and Music Blasting

Is there anything quite as nice as a drive in the country with your windows down? Perhaps it’s the sense that you are free and can go anywhere you want when you’re in control of the wheel. Don’t forget to play some amazing music to enhance the experience.

31. Listen to Mood Music

Music is indeed a motivator, and you can use some good tunes to keep your mood in check. The great thing about having so many different genres of music is that you can match it to your mood. Whether you’re sad and want country music or prefer heavy metal when you feel like banging your head doesn’t matter, as you’re in control.

32. Scream and Let All Your Frustrations Out

Have you ever tried screaming therapy? Well, it’s not for the faint of heart, but there’s something very therapeutic about opening your mouth and just letting out a spine-tingling scream that feels releasing.

33. Shut Yourself Away for Some Alone Time

If you want to make the world go away, then there’s no better time to do that than on a bad day. Close your door, grab your favorite blanket, and just be alone with your thoughts. Sometimes, the silence can be quite healing and turn your mood around for the better.

34. Read a Good Book

If your troubles have become too much to handle, then why not slip into a good book and get lost in a story? Whether you like fiction or nonfiction doesn’t matter, a good story will draw you in and make you forget about your troubles.

35. Have Some Wine

Having a glass of red wine is not only good for your heart, but it can be very relaxing to the entire body. Now, you don’t need to become inebriated to experience the benefits of this drink, but one glass can undoubtedly calm you down.

36. Clean Your Car

Find some mind-numbing and tedious tasks like cleaning your car to engaged in. While your vehicle probably needs a good scrubbing, it will also take your mind off the day and all your heartaches.

37. Start A New Television Series and Chill

You no longer need to wait for the next episode of your favorite show when you have so many on-demand options. Choose your favorite program provider and find a good show to binge-watch.

If you’re at a loss on what to view, then ask your friends for suggestions on social media. You will find out about all kinds of shows you never knew were out there that you would love.

38. Unplug from Technology

If you’ve had a bad day and don’t want to be disrupted anymore, then turn off all technology. The world will survive if you’re not connected to your cell phone or social media accounts for a few hours. It’s pretty stressful to be connected all the time, so disconnect and have some peace for a bit.

39. Plan a Much-Needed Vacation

Nothing can kick your bad mood to the curb like planning a week in the tropics. Where would you like to go this year for your much-needed time off? There are so many places to see and explore, and doing some travel searching while you’ve had a bad day can boost your mood.

40. Write Poetry

If you want to get into your feelings and embrace your mood, you can write poetry or a song. Did you know that some of the greatest songs ever written for this country came from times of great adversity? For instance, everyone knows the song The Star-Spangled Banner, and the story behind it is just as amazing as the song.

Frances Scott Key was a Frederick, Maryland lawyer who wrote that National Anthem during the battle, and he certainly had a bad day. During the war of 1812, Key was stationed in Fort McHenry. They were bombarded with bombs, and he didn’t know what the state of the country would be in the morning.

To his surprise, the first thing he saw when he awakened the next day was the flag still waving. Being a poet, he put his words and feelings into writing that has become one of the most popular songs of all time. Is there a song in you that’s waiting to be birthed?

41. Head to A Local Park and Swing

Sometimes you just need to chuck responsibilities and be like a kid. Head to your local park and swing for a bit. Just leave your worries and the bad day behind.

42. Look Through Old Photo Albums

Why not remember when times were much simpler by taking a stroll down memory lane? Looking through old photo albums will make you have nostalgic feelings and improve your mood.

43. Visit the Grave of a Loved One

It’s often the case that the person that is your confidant when the world is cruel has already passed on. There’s no reason why you can’t take some flowers and go to their grave to visit them. There’s undoubtedly therapy in having a conversation with someone who always had all the correct answers for you, even if they can’t physically respond.

44. Color in An Adult Coloring Book

Like them or hate them; adult coloring books can undoubtedly take your mind off your troubles. If you don’t like to be too detailed or get into all that intricate work, then you can select some easier pages.

45. Write an Old-Fashioned Letter to Someone You Love

How long has it been since you wrote a letter to someone you love? No, email doesn’t count, and text messages don’t count either. Sit down and write a letter telling someone how important they are and what they mean to you. It will certainly enhance your mood.

46. Play an Instrument

Do you play the piano, the drums, the saxophone, or another instrument? You can be the most creative and play your heart out when you’ve had a bad day. Remember, music is good therapy, so you can sing and play your way to a better mood.

Is there any better instrument than the drums to beat out all of your frustrations on?

47. Go on An Ice Cream Run

Is there anything in this world that chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles won’t resolve? Treat yourself to an ice cream run to one of your favorite shops. Instead of getting it to go, why not sit inside and enjoy the ambiance of a place that makes both young and old smile?

48. Do A Random Act Of Kindness

Just because your day isn’t going so well doesn’t mean you cannot make it better for someone else. You can do a random act of kindness and find great pleasure in seeing the smile on someone’s face. Paying for someone’s food in line at a drive-thru has been overdone.

While it’s a nice gesture, these people already have money, or they wouldn’t be there. Why not choose a clerk working behind the counter and bring them flowers or a gift card? They’re the ones who don’t get much money for such a challenging job.

Plus, you could run into a grocery store and pay for an older person’s groceries who is undoubtedly living on a fixed income. Think outside the box to do something truly amazing.

49. Visit Some Beautiful Places and Take Pictures

Mother Nature has painted a spectacular canvas that no artist has ever been able to do homage to. Why not find some gorgeous spots like a lake or even sunset and paint or take a picture of it? You can share your photos on social media for all to see, and you might find that your picture-taking abilities are worth selling on the online sites that encourage it.

50. Look for The Lessons

Life is about sunshine and rain, but you will learn many lessons during the various seasons. You had a bad day, but was there a lesson to be discovered in the things that happened to you? Many people want to shake off horrible experiences, but they need to investigate what can be learned to do better the next time.

Some things are far beyond your control and don’t have any lessons, but there are sometimes that the Universe is trying to teach you. Remember, to whom much is given, much is required, so you are constantly in a state of learning and teaching others about how to make the journey in life even better.

Final Thoughts on Ways to Combat A Bad Day

Everyone has bad days, but it’s what you do during these times that matter the most. This list has something for everyone with varied interests. When you feel downtrodden and like you want to throw in the towel, then use something on this list to pick yourself up and keep going.

10 Signs Someone Needs a Parasite Cleanse

May 14, 2021 by Power of Positivity

We share this world with countless creatures, many of them microscopic. Did you also know that some of these tiny bugs and worms also share your body? How do you know if you have a bodily invasion of parasites? Could you even need a parasite to cleanse?

It’s a sobering realization that your body is not entirely your own. According to an article published by Clinical Microbiology Reviews, you are a virtual menagerie of microscopic flora and fauna. The report reveals that average humans may host as many as 300 parasitic worm species and 70 species of protozoa.

Over thousands of years of human evolution, some were from primordial ancestors and others from animals. Not all microbes are parasitic, meaning they rob blood and nutrition from your system. Some of these tiny organisms are harmless.

Your body depends on specific microscopic flora for the well-being of your digestive system as well as other benefits. However, internal parasites can cause disease and other conditions if left untreated.

Ten Signs You May Have Internal Parasites

Nobody likes to think that they have tiny creatures wreaking havoc in their body. The parasitic pests may be tiny, but they often have notice calling cards when they’ve taken up residence in your gut. Here are ten signs that you may have internal parasites that would warrant a good parasite cleanse:

1. Anemia

While vampires may be the fiends of horror fiction, nature’s tiny bloodsuckers are a reality. Some parasitic species bite into the lining of your digestive system to sip life-sustaining blood. After a time, you may develop anemia from iron deficiency.

2. Changes in Appetite

You may hear expectant mothers say they are eating for two. What if you have internal parasites and are eating for thousands? An article published by the Mayo Clinic says that just two tapeworms in your intestines can be problematic.

These disgusting pests attach to the lining of your intestines and steal some of the nutrients meant for you. Since you must share, you may not feel full after a meal and may experience unusual hunger. You may also develop painful bloating and gas due to tapeworms and other parasites.

3. Unexplained Digestive Problems

Did you know that a parasitic invasion can mimic other digestive issues? Some people who experience gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation may be misdiagnosed with IBS or other conditions. Many are surprised when further testing reveals that they have intestinal parasites that may be purged with a parasite cleanse.

4. Grinding Your Teeth

Have you ever noticed or has your sleeping partner told you that you grind your teeth at night? This condition, called bruxism, is usually caused by disturbances in your sleep and general anxiety. Both of these can be symptoms of intestinal parasites and the toxins they excrete that interact with your neurotransmitters.

5. Unusual Exhaustion

Juggling the chores of caring for your family, career, and other social responsibilities is enough to keep you exhausted. However, you can judge if your fatigue is worse than usual. If you are malnourished and anemic because of intestinal parasites, fatigue, lethargy, and depression are common.

6. History of Food Poisoning

If you’ve ever experienced an episode of food poisoning, you know the digestive nightmare it creates. Sometimes, a past attack may leave you more vulnerable to parasites in your digestive tract. If your digestive system feels as it’s been chronically changed, a parasite cleanse may help.

7. Pain in Muscles and Joints

When you’re battling an invasion of intestinal parasites, realize that these pests travel at will. When they get bored of hanging around in your guts, they can also migrate to the nearest muscles and joints. The toxins they excrete can result in painful joints and muscles.

Know the fifteen signs of a parasitic infection.

8. Disrupted Sleep

If you don’t get enough sleep, your entire body pays the price. You feel grumpy, lazy, and in a chronic brain fog. Sometimes, the problem is an undiagnosed condition of internal parasites. They disrupt sleep with digestive issues, itching, and unexplained body aches and pains.

9. Digestive Issues While Traveling

You’ve heard the perennial warning while traveling, don’t drink the water. It’s not unusual to travel out of the country and contract intestinal parasites from the water, food, and soil. It’s essential to consider a parasite cleanse after being out of the country for any length of time.

10. Skin Conditions

Both internal and external parasites can cause a multitude of skin conditions. Some people experience unexplained hives, rashes, dermatitis, eczema, or extreme itching. These pests can invade pillows, sheets, and mattresses to hop on somebody else.

Five Healthy Foods to Support Your Parasite Cleanse

Mother Nature offers several ways that you can get rid of intestinal parasites. Many herbs and whole foods have natural compounds that destroy parasites and discourage any from invading your system. Here are some healthy and delicious suggestions.

Probiotic Foods: Fermented foods have been in the spotlight recently for good reasons. Some of your favorites, like probiotic yogurt, pickled veggies, kefir, and sauerkraut, are loaded with flavor and anti-parasitic power. They battle the microscopic invaders while encouraging good gut health.
Sulfuric Veggies: For an effective but still palatable parasite cleanse, add some more sulfuric vegetables to your diet. Think fresh varieties of onions, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. The sulfur compounds spell death to the parasites while you get a nutritious boost of antioxidants.
Herbs: Collect a healing parasite cleanse from your herb garden. Many herbs have been used for centuries for their anti-parasitic and antimicrobial properties. Try peppermint, ginger, or oregano fresh, or use the essential oils.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Not only does apple cider vinegar provide beneficial probiotics and help restore a healthy pH balance, but it can boost your digestive system. The mild acid can kill the invading parasites and promote healing where they’ve been.
Papaya and Pineapple: These temptingly sweet fruits have enzymes and other natural compounds that can rid your system of parasites. These compounds also act as a gentle anti-inflammatory for your sore gut.

Five Foods to Avoid During a Cleanse

Are you considering a natural parasite cleanse? Some foods are best avoided for a while for optimal results. Try to avoid these or eat as little as possible temporarily:

Processed foods: Overly processed foods are not only loaded with empty calories, sugar, fat, and sodium, but they put a strain on your digestive system. You don’t need the extra burden if you’re trying to kill intestinal parasites.
Extra sugar: It’s not surprising that most harmful parasites have a sweet tooth. If you have a diet high in sugar, you are providing a paradise for these pests. Yank away the welcome mat and eliminate as much added sugar as possible. Some health experts also recommend eliminating or reducing your consumption of fruits high on the glycemic index.
Pork: Hogs can often have unsavory food choices, so pork is notorious for its risk of parasites. During your cleansing time, minimize your risks and avoid pork products. If you can, you may consider trying to reduce all red meat until your system is parasite-free.
Alcohol: If your digestive system is already compromised because of intestinal parasites, you don’t need to add to the inflammation. Compounds in liquor can irritate the lining of your stomach and digestion tract. For now, try to eliminate your alcohol consumption.
Gluten: You needn’t be sensitive to gluten to avoid it during a cleanse for parasites. The gluten found naturally in wheat and some other grains quickly dissolve sugar in your digestive tract, which can lead to inflammation. For your cleanse to work best, you need as little inflammation in your gut as possible.

Consider a Colon Cleanse

It stands to reason that flushing your colon with water can clear toxins and parasites from your system. These cleanses conducted by certified specialists, and it involves cleansing the whole colon. Talk to your healthcare provider about a specialist in your area and how a colon cleanse may benefit you.

Are Enemas Just as Effective as Colon Cleanses?

For thousands of years, people relied on enemas to promote gut health and relieve constipation symptoms. However, an article published by Children’s MD states that many people recommend enemas to expel pinworms, a common intestinal parasite. Since the evidence is subjective and enemas don’t flush the entire colon, more research is needed to prove their anti-parasite effectiveness, says the article.

If you are considering an enema, do some research before you try. Although many people tout the benefits of enemas and additions such as herbal extracts or coffee, they may not be suitable for you. Also, learn how to properly self-administer an enema and notice any adverse reactions like dehydration.

Final Thoughts on a Parasite Cleanse

Although the subject makes most people feel squeamish, intestinal parasites are common and can be detrimental to your health if left untreated. Talk to your healthcare provider about these and other ways of diagnosing and getting rid of parasites in your digestive system.

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