Weekly tips, affirmations, and small actions to feel your best.

She Realized Her Strength After She Was Pushed Away

Your partner had more strength than you realized–until you pushed her away.

You probably didn’t realize how much the break up would affect you. After all, you weren’t the one who got hurt; it was her. However, as you may now realize, a breakup affects both parties, even if it affects them in different ways.

The reason you’re reading this is that your ex seems to be doing fine without you while you’re sitting back, regretting your decision. You’re likely wondering why. You probably thought your ex would come back, begging to be with you again but instead, she’s thriving without you.

First, I want to commend you for taking the initiative to find out why. Doing so shows at least a little spark of humanity in you after all you’ve put your ex through.

However, you may not like what’s next. It will be harsh, but knowing this information could make you a better person for the next relationship. Consider this a reality check. Although we are speaking about “she” in this article, it’s never okay to mistreat others. This advice can apply to women or men equally.

Eight Reasons Why Your Partner Found Her Strength

strengthHere are eight reasons why your ex seems to be doing well without you.

1. She’s been dealing with heartbreak the whole time.

When people are heartbroken, it can be devastating. They’re flooded with emotions that can be hard to overcome. However, eventually, the person gets over these emotions and finds the strength they need to move on.

In your case, you’ve been breaking your ex’s heart all along. She has dealt with the pain of betrayal, the pain of being taken for granted, your abuse, your unkindness, and all the things you’ve done to her for so long. Now she is a pro at handling those emotions.

This doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel pain right now, but she is so used to feeling pain from you that it’s much easier for her to brush it off and focus on a better future.

In a sense, you’ve conditioned her to get along without you. You gave her the practice and strength she needed to walk away and not let her emotions get the best of her.

2. She realized how strong she was after she left you.

Women are powerful. They may reach a breaking point, but they bend just enough to get themselves to a new starting point instead of breaking. Your ex may not have known how strong she was at the moment she walked away, but once she was able to take that breath of fresh, single air, she realized her incredible tenacity for standing on her own two feet.

Your ex probably loves the person she is without you. She doesn’t have to endure the pain anymore. She can focus on herself without restrictions, and she can finally be genuinely happy. Everything you did to her helped her conquer her fears and build her strength, so now nothing is holding her back.

A strong woman won’t let anyone hold her down. She may have allowed you to do that for a long time, but now that she is sensing her strength, you can be sure that she will never allow you to do that to her again.

3. She cut you off.

Ouch. That probably stings but getting you out of her life was exactly what she needed to do better. She knows that, so she is completely cutting you out of her life.

It would help if you faced the fact that you and she are done. She is not coming back, and you’re lucky if she even communicates with you. In the words of R. Kelly, “when a woman’s fed up, there ain’t nothing you can do about it.”

In fact, it’s not uncommon for women to walk away and leave everything, not just you. She won’t care about furniture, cars, dogs, or anything else you’ve shared. She wants out and wants nothing to do with you anymore.

For you, this hurts. For her, it’s exactly what she needs. The longer she goes without communicating with you, the more strength she’ll find. The least you can do is respect her newfound peace. You owe her that much.

4. Your mistreatment helped her realize exactly what she wants in a partner.

Your ex now knows what not to accept in a relationship. More importantly, she knows what qualities she wants in a partner. This means that the next relationship she is in will probably be successful, and she’ll be happier than she ever could have been with you.

It may take her a while to get back into the dating scene. After all, she is human, and she may still be dealing with a few emotions from the failed relationship (not enough to come back to you, unfortunately). However, she is much better off now that you’ve taught her what a bad partner is.

strong woman5. She has no guilt because she gave it her all.

She may be a bit sad, but she can sleep at night, knowing that she did everything she could to save the relationship. But she has no guilt because she was an amazing partner. She gave you all her love, even when you didn’t deserve it.

When a person doesn’t feel guilty about leaving the relationship, they don’t have anything weighing on them. Your ex is as light as a feather and as free as a bird. She doesn’t have any unfinished business with you.

It’s too bad that you can’t say the same. That’s probably why you’re reading this – perhaps you have some guilt that is eating away at you. Guilt can keep you trapped in the past and can negatively affect your emotional strength. As much as you deserve to feel guilty, it would be best if you still let it go. You’ll need to work that out so you can move on also.

6. She neglected her goals for so long that she is ready to focus on them now.

Your ex put aside her goals and passions to be there for you. She kept giving and giving and giving in hopes that it would somehow be enough for you. She hoped that you would see how she supported you and that you would return the favor.

Now your ex sees how she has neglected what she wanted. Since her eyes are opened, there is no way she would go back to neglecting her own needs again. This is her time, and she won’t let you take that away from her ever again.

Now she is putting her goals and her future first. She should have been focusing on them the whole time, and you should have been supporting her. It’s too late for you to support her now, but it’s never too late for her to make herself a priority.

7. She recognizes her worth.

Finally, your ex-partner saw her value, which is why she finally decided to end things with you for good. She realized that she was too good to continue going through the crap you were putting her through. Eventually, she understood that she deserved better and that she was never going to get anything better from you.

She left you behind so she could seek out her value. She is now starting to build herself up, even if it’s slowly at first, and you don’t fit into the picture anymore. The two of you probably could have been gold together, but you wouldn’t hold up your end of the bargain.

She sank with you long enough. It’s her time to shine, and she deserves it. Without you weighing her down, she will rise to new heights that she never imagined before.

8. She honestly believes you don’t want her.

Your ex-partner probably heard criticism from friends and family repeatedly. They advised her that you don’t love her, and that’s why you mistreated her. She took up for you for so long, telling people who were close to her that they were wrong about you. So she made excuses for you, and even when that voice in her head told her that her friends and family were right, she ignored it and stayed with you anyway.

Then it happened.

She opened her eyes and saw things for what they were. Perhaps you do love her somewhere deep down inside, but for some reason, you were never going to show it. For some reason, you were incapable of loving her the way she needed to be loved.

She realized that you don’t truly want her, or perhaps you were simply incapable of loving her. Either way, she decided that she wasn’t going to live that way any longer. She realized that she is strong, beautiful, and has a lot of love to give to someone who would fully and unconditionally give it back.

You showed her that you didn’t want her, and she finally believed it.

strengthFinal Thoughts on Why Your Ex Found Her Strength and Left for Good

After reading these eight reasons your ex seems to be getting along fine without you, you’re probably wondering what you can do about it. The short answer is nothing. There is absolutely nothing you can do to change her mind.

The two of you have reached a point of no return. You broke her heart, and she is finding the strength to put it back together without you. You messed up, and maybe one day she will forgive you, but you must let the relationship go and move on.

Vow to do better next time. Think about all the reasons above that she is over you and never do those things again. Once you are ready to love again, learn from your mistakes, and treat your next partner with newfound respect.

Fitness Enthusiast Lost Half Her Body Weight and Became a Mother

Katie Bolden, born and raised in Chicago, finally got her dream of having children after losing half her body weight. She says she and her husband had been trying to conceive for two years with no success, but everything changed once Katie lost all the weight. They conceived their first child after Katie lost 80 pounds, and the second one after she’d lost 150 pounds.

“They are the best things that have come from my journey, and I’m just so proud to be their mother. They’re both miracle babies,” she said. Katie said she’s dealt with weight issues most of her life and often got criticized for it growing up. She’s also had to deal with a few health scares, which prompted her to begin her health journey.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Katie Bolden (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on

A health scare for Katie

She started having arm and chest pains in her early 20s, and doctors diagnosed her with angina. They warned her that if she didn’t lose weight, she would likely have a heart attack in the near future. She had also been diagnosed with PCOS and optic neuritis, a vision disorder often associated with MS. Unfortunately, she also began experiencing other strange symptoms of MS, such as mobility and neurological issues.

Doctors haven’t been able to diagnose her, though, because they need evidence of two episodes of disease activity in the central nervous system. So far, they’ve only been able to find one area of damage. On top of all that, Katie had been battling depression and anxiety disorders for quite some time. After the MS scare, she felt like it had been a wake-up call and a sign to start living her life the way she really wanted to.

Fearing that one day in the future she might become disabled, Katie decided to start making big changes.

Taken from her website:

“MS is an unpredictable disease that I may or may not get diagnosed with. People who live with it won’t know what will be the actual outcome for them, but who knows what can be. After many health scares, I knew that I desperately needed to make a change in my life for various personal reasons and to finally do something in my life that makes me feel accomplished… I decided it was time to make a change for my health. One thing led to another, and here I am today, this fitness-loving health nut who loves all things health and fitness!”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Katie Bolden (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on


Katie took a complicated and unfortunate situation and turned it into something beautiful. She took charge of her life and health, deciding once and for all to become the best version of herself. She wasn’t going to let any diagnosis stop her from achieving her goals. After moving to Hawaii for a few years in her mid-20s, she fell in love with exercising and staying active.

“I mean, how could you live in a place like Hawaii and not be active?! I did everything from swimming laps in the ocean to hiking some of the most beautiful and difficult trails that led to some of the most beautiful places, including the infamous ‘Stairway to Heaven’ hike. It was one of the scariest, hardest, yet rewarding endeavors I put my body through besides giving birth! Being active makes me love life that much more! It’s also where I started running, and I must say that I terribly miss running on the beach in warm weather.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Katie Bolden (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on

Fitness became Katie’s passion.

She has come a long way from the beginning of her journey, where just walking down the street or up the stairs gave her great difficulty. Now, she is a certified nutrition coach and an internationally published fitness blogger. She even competed in a bodybuilding competition! She says that running, weightlifting, and bodybuilding are some of her favorite types of workouts.

In order to lose weight, Katie said she “started eating smaller meals, and started eating a lot healthier.” She didn’t restrict her diet, though, choosing to include all foods in her meal plan. However, she limited junk foods and ate mostly healthy. She also got a lot of at-home workout ideas from Youtube, perfect for a busy mom. She said she worked out 4-5 days per week, even on the hard days when she wasn’t feeling it.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Katie Bolden (@huffnpuff2buffntough) on


“You need to build the discipline to rely on discipline more than motivation,” she said. “You’re gonna lose motivation. There’s gonna be days that you don’t want to do anything, and I have plenty of those days. But, that’s when discipline steps in and says ‘Hey, you gotta get this done. Just do it!’”

Her advice for anyone wanting to start their fitness journey is: “Don’t wait for a Monday. Don’t wait for next month, don’t wait for next year. Do it now! You’ll thank yourself.”

Katie’s inspiring story is a wonderful reminder that we can all do anything we set our minds to. Moms, college students, full-time employees, and everyone in between can commit to a healthy lifestyle. We all have the ability to get in the best shape of our lives and reach our goals as long as we stay consistent.

Remember, anything worth having takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but that’s part of the journey. If it came easily, it wouldn’t feel as good once you achieve what you set out to do, anyway.

Family Rescues Raccoon and Adopts Her Into Family

While most people would probably never willingly own a raccoon, one family took in a stray as their own. Bethany and her husband Russ noticed a raccoon had fallen about 25 feet from a tree. It stood at the bottom screaming for its mom, who just stared back down from the branches above. They figured they would just leave the raccoon there and the mom would come to get her eventually.

“Well a couple hours went by, and now it’s late at night and June is covered in ants, leaves and mulch,” Bethany said. “And, she’s still screaming, and her mom’s not in the tree anymore.” So, they did what anyone in their position would do.

They took the helpless raccoon inside to warm her up, give her some fluids, and get her nice and clean. They made sure to get all the ants off her so she wouldn’t get bitten.

“The next day, we put her back outside, but her mom was never seen again. And that’s how we got June!”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by June & Waffles (@juneandwaffles)

A rescue mission becomes more permanent.

They named her after the month she was found at the bottom of the tree. Not knowing what to do with her, they decided to just adopt her into the family. They couldn’t release her into the wild without her mom since June was so young. If they left her alone outside, she could have gotten attacked by another wild animal.

They decided that leaving her with them was the best option. Apparently, this had not been their first encounter with wild raccoons, either. They both have experience as wildlife rehabilitators, so they knew how to handle June properly.

“We raised June just like any of the other raccoons that we had raised before to encourage her to be wild, be free, and to release her,” Bethany said. “The raise and the rehab went really well, but the release part did not go well.”

June seemed to enjoy the comforts of human life far too much to go back to the harsh wilderness. They thought that after a while, she’d want to go back outside again and live like a normal raccoon. After four years, however, they still had the orphaned raccoon living in their house. At this point, they accepted her as a permanent member of the family.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by June & Waffles (@juneandwaffles)

Then, they decided to add another furry friend to the family.

“We had June a little over a year and then we decided we wanted to get a dog for our family,” Bethany said. “We introduced Waffles, which is a Vizsla, to June.”

They seem to get along really well and even cuddle together for naps on the couch. They hardly even seem to notice their differences, and just act like best animal friends.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by June & Waffles (@juneandwaffles)

“June and Waffles like to wrestle and play together – they’re always getting into mischief, and it’s really funny. They work together, and they tag team so they’re double trouble. I really think that June thinks she’s a person, and Waffles thinks she’s a raccoon,” Bethany says.

No matter how they see themselves, they love each other unconditionally and make a perfect team. They hang out all the time and never seem to want to leave one another’s side.

Of course, Bethany says that they would have preferred to release June into the wild if possible. They know that raccoons need a life in the wild to thrive, but in this case, they saw no other option.

“If she had been able to be raised with other raccoons, June would not be here now. She would be out in the wild, but that didn’t work out that way.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by June & Waffles (@juneandwaffles)

Raising a raccoon is not for everyone!

Bethany loves having June as a pet, but she cautions others who may want to adopt a raccoon. She says that raising a raccoon comes with a lot of challenges, and doesn’t recommend people raise them.

“I do not advocate that people have raccoons as pets unless you know what you’re doing and you have time to devote,” she says. “So just make sure you know what you’re getting into. The best option is to give it to a certified wildlife rehabilitator.”

After a few years of spreading the story about June & Waffles, Bethany and Russ wanted to make more of a difference somehow. They decided to partner with animal rescue organizations to spread the word about animal rescue. They now have a shop with mugs, shirts, and other items decorated with pictures of Waffles and June. Visit the Shop for a Cause page if you want to check out their shop and how they give back.

If you know of a shelter or organization in need, you can send them an email to nominate them for donations. Remember, every little bit counts!

Do you or someone you know have a pet raccoon? If so, we’d love to see pictures or hear more about it in the comments!

10 Ways to Decrease Neck and Shoulder Pain at Home

Everyone experiences neck and shoulder pain once in a while. Stress, lack of exercise, and poor posture all add up, leaving you with stiff, tense muscles. Fortunately, there are things at home you can do to reduce your discomfort. Check out this list of ten simple things to help decrease your neck and shoulder pain. If these do not cease your pain you should consult a shoulder pain care specialist for additional treatment.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is your body’s way of letting you know there is a problem. It signals your immune system that it needs to start fighting off an infection or heal an injury.  The beginning of pain is always inflammation. It doesn’t matter whether your pain is sharp, achy, dull, burning, stabbing, or tingling, all pain comes from inflammation.

The best way to reduce your neck and shoulder pain is to figure out:

  1. What’s causing the injury to your neck and shoulders
  2. How to reduce the inflammation associated with that injury

10 best ways to decrease your neck and shoulder pain at home

1 – Yoga

Yoga emphasizes relaxation techniques based on mind-body workouts. It can help ease the stress and tension in your muscles using stretching and strengthening poses. Practicing yoga is a great way to decrease your existing neck pain plus relieve the stress in your mind so you can relax.

3 – Stretching exercises

Like yoga, stretching helps ease the stiffness and pain in your neck and shoulder muscles. Stretching takes minutes, but you’ll experience the benefits last for hours. Here are three basic stretches you can do at home. Try these stretches a couple of times a day to maximize the benefits.

 Shoulder and neck rolls

Sit down on the floor with your hands on your knees. Be sure you’re sitting straight with relaxed shoulders. Lower your chin to your chest, then gently roll your head to the right until your ear is touching your shoulder. Then with one hand reach over your head and gently stretch. Then with your other hand gently push your shoulder in the other direction.

Crossbody stretch

Stand straight and gently place your arm across your body until there is gentle stretching. Use your other arm to support this arm. Hold for a minute, breathing full deep breaths and exhaling them. Then switch arms and do the same thing.

Forward bend stretch

Sit on the floor, legs stretched out straight in front of you. Slowly bend forward and fold your body toward your legs until you can hold your heels in the palm of your hand. Your chest should touch your knees or at least get pretty close. Gently lower your chin so it is tucked to your chest. Count to three and slowly move back into your original position.

3 – Rest

Rest presents a unique challenge for many people. It’s difficult to stop in the middle of your busy schedule to rest. But,  rest can be a simple, but effective way to ease your neck and shoulder pain.

Bed rest

If the pain in your neck and shoulders is unbearable, try total bed rest for a day or two. Be sure you keep the natural curve of your spin while in bed with your neck in a comfortable position. If you’re on your back, put a pillow under your knees to reduce strain off your back. Don’t watch television or read with your head propped up, instead sit up or rest on several pillows so your shoulders and neck feel relaxed.

 Daily rest

If you can’t afford the time for complete bed rest, try taking a break every afternoon from your work and other activities for a 20 minute rest time. You can sit on a sofa with your feet propped up or lay down in your bed, whichever one works best for you to just relax your neck and shoulders. Don’t answer your phone or look at emails. Just concentrate on relaxing. If it helps you, listen to quiet music or drink a cup of herbal tea. Before you know it, you’ll feel more relaxed with less pain.

4 – Ice

Icing your shoulder and neck may help relieve pain. Try icing these areas for 20 minutes every few hours during the first few days of the injury. Ice will relieve the pain plus help the muscles around the area to relax to reduce tightness.

5 – Heat

Like ice, heat is an effective natural pain reliever. The warmth stimulates blood flow and loosens your tight muscles. Try using these different heat therapies for several weeks to see if it works at relieving your neck and shoulder pain.

  • Hot towel wrapped on your neck and shoulders (be sure it’s not too hot)
  • Heating pad (place on the painful area for 20” every hour)
  • Sauna or hot tub (stay in the warmth for at least 20 minutes)
  • Warm bath with Epsom salts (Soak in the tub for 15 to 20 minutes)

6 – Anti-inflammatory diet

If you feel like you’re always fighting neck and shoulder pain, it could be that you have an inflammatory problem. Food is a powerful anti-inflammatory remedy. Studies show that eating foods like those found in a Mediterranean diet can ease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and oily fish is healthier than eating processed foods and refined grains. Even a small change to your diet helps reduce inflammation.

An anti-inflammatory diet relaxes your immune systems’ response, giving your body a break from inflammation. There are some foods that increase inflammation in your body.

Inflammatory foods to avoid:

  • Soda and sugar-based drinks (even some seltzers have sugar)
  • Fried foods
  • Refined carbohydrates like white rice and bread, and baked goods
  • Red meat and processed meats
  • Lard, shortening, and margarine
  • Gluten causes inflammation in some people
  • Alcohol

Anti-inflammatory foods to add to your diet:

  • Tomatoes: These are nightshade plants but don’t cause inflammation
  • Extra virgin olive oil: be sure to buy a good quality olive oil
  • Fatty fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Blueberries
  • Oatmeal: be sure it’s raw
  • Ginger
  • Green tea
  • Dark chocolate
  • Turmeric
  • Red beets
  • Black beans

shoulder pain7 – Hydrate

Did you know that staying hydrated avoids inflammation? Drinking lots of water builds up your synovial fluid, or sometimes called joint fluid, in between your joints. The fluid in your joints cushions the ends of your bones so there is less friction. Proper hydration reduces inflammation by keeping your shock-absorber cartilage working well.

8 – Massage

Getting a massage is just what the doctor ordered for your painful muscles around your neck and shoulders. Massage is rubbing, pressing, and manipulating the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. There are different types of massage, including

  • Swedish massage: This gentle massage uses longer kneading strokes and deep circular movements to relax.
  • Deep massage: This technique is slower and more forceful to get to the deeper layers of your muscles and tissue.
  • Sports massage: Similar to a Swedish massage, but it’s used for people who are in sports to treat and prevent injuries.
  • Trigger point massage: This type of massage works on tight muscle fibers that build up in your muscles in overworked or injured areas.

Always go to a trained massage therapist. You can end up in more pain if the person isn’t trained correctly. Schedule a massage once a week until you are pain-free, then continue with maintenance massages to prevent pain from returning.

9 – Correct your posture

Your mom knew best when she told you to stand up straight. Correct posture rectifies neck and muscle pain. Slouching or bending forward puts undue strain on your neck and shoulders. Check yourself in the mirror to see if you are standing correctly. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to develop bad posture habits.  Ask your family or a friend to tell you when you slouch or ask your mom, she’ll tell you.

10 – Limit computer screen time

Get up and walk around your house for a few minutes. Do a couple of stretches or go outside for a brisk walk around the block. Breaking up your computer time gives your muscles a break so they can rest and recoup. You may need to change your workspace to find a new desk or chair. Standing desks have grown in popularity because they help alleviate shoulders and neck pain, and they’re healthier for you than sitting all day. Ergonomic desk chairs are built to reduce the strain on your neck or shoulders.

shoulder painFinal Thoughts: What if your neck and shoulder pain don’t get better?

So what happens if you try to improve your neck and shoulder pain at home with little improvement? Here are two next steps.

See a chiropractor

Chiropractors manipulate your back so your spine is in proper alignment. These manipulations stimulate blood flow and release tension in your muscles and nerve areas.  Once your spine is in alignment, it improves your body’s function and your spine’s motion. A trained chiropractor can find ways to adjust your neck and shoulders to release the pain and tension in those areas.

Physical therapist

A physical therapist will work to improve areas of weakness or stiffness around your neck and shoulders, which could be causing pain. They’ll treat the areas with low impact exercise, strengthening exercises, and pain relief exercises. They usually give you homework: exercises and stretches for you to do at home. Physical therapists’ strength is getting to the source of your pain.

Neck and shoulder pain are distractions that interrupt your life. Finding natural home remedies to prevent and treat your neck and shoulder pain is best. Hopefully, these 10 suggestions will help decrease your neck and shoulder pain to help you get back to feeling your best and being your healthiest.

15 Ways to Build Rapport and Gain Someone’s Trust

Whether in the personal or professional world, you’re only as good as your word. People must see you as trustworthy and honest so that you create a name for yourself. If people don’t trust you, then it’s harder to get even the smallest things accomplished. But first, you must earn trust by building rapport when you meet someone new.

There are many benefits to having an excellent rapport with people. First, when you are trustworthy, you are influential. You become a person of authority who others know they can come to for advice. Since you give valuable information, your friends and colleagues can open up to you about their needs.

In the business world, people want to do their dealings with authoritative individuals in their arena. Can you imagine doing business with someone you don’t trust? Would you ever want to give them a credit card or your home address?

The benefits of trust are hard to deny, but once you build that rapport, you can use that as a foundation to build good relationships.

Fifteen Ways to Build Rapport When You Meet New People

Do you need help building rapport with people? Perhaps you struggle in the business world to make the connections you need to be successful. Whether in your personal life or your career, you need to learn effective ways to enhance your relationship with others so that you’re not only seen as trustworthy but a well-liked person. Here are 15 ways that you can build this connection.

rapport1. Listen Attentively to Others

It would help if you always listened more than you speak. To be an effective communicator, you need to make sure you catch every word from the other party. Never talk over people, cut them off in mid-sentence, or try to act like your thoughts or feelings are superior to theirs.

It’s also beneficial that you remember previous conversations as it looks good when you talk in the future. Folks like people that remember things like the names of their children or pets. When you state things talked about in previous conversations, it shows others that you were listening attentively.

2. Be Responsive to Calls, Emails, and Texts

How many times have you called or texted someone only to have your efforts ignored? When someone is trying to reach you, you should always respond within 24 hours at the most.

It’s incredibly offensive when others can see that you have read their message and haven’t taken the time to respond. Sure, you’re busy, but people make time for the things that are important to them.

3. Never Exaggerate or Embellish

There’s nothing worse than someone who exaggerates. You can use exaggerations on your wealth, knowledge, or material possessions. Have you ever been around someone that always has something better or knows more than you?

It isn’t enjoyable to deal with people who seemingly always have the upper hand. Don’t try to be something that you’re not. Be real with others, and don’t be afraid to let them have the upper hand.

An exaggeration is the same as a white lie, and people don’t like to conduct business or develop friendships with those who aren’t 100 percent truthful.

4. Transparency Is Key

There’s nothing worse than someone who isn’t transparent. Have you ever done business with a company that has tried to hide charges? Think of your last trip to a car lot to purchase a vehicle. They have all sorts of fees they add to the purchase price, which only drives up the cost.

How do you feel when you leave the office knowing that the vehicle you thought was going to cost $20,000 has now inflated to a whopping $29,000? All the service fees and taxes made the car cost quite a bit more. Now, use this analogy when it comes to your business and association with others.

Ensure everything is out in the open, and there are no hidden things you’re withholding. When it comes to relationships, make sure there’s nothing pertinent that you’re not saying. Sure, it doesn’t mean that you must tell all your secrets, but each relationship needs to have a certain amount of transparency.

5. Don’t Use A “Fake” Voice

You don’t need to be anything other than yourself to win people over. Don’t patronize them with a fakely sweet voice. Also, avoid using words like sweetie, honey, or baby either.

Have you ever talked to someone on the phone who seemed so fake because you know that they don’t speak that way? Try to use your real voice and don’t “put on the dog” when communicating with others. Sometimes, the patronizing tones or baby doll shop talk is just over the top.

6. Show Compassion

Do you see yourself as a compassionate person? If it helps you, try visualizing yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment. If something terrible happens to a person you care about, you can better express your sympathy when you see how they view things.

An employee may not be able to make it to work because their dog died, and no policy allows for such time off. However, realize that the dog was like a child because she couldn’t have any children. When you look at things through others’ eyes, it will make you more compassionate and a better person.

7. Empathize

When you are empathetic, you take sympathy to a new level by absorbing emotions. People will trust you more and deem you a better person when you understand them and their position in life.

confident8. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Vulnerable

Did you know that when you open up to others that it builds trust? It’s okay to show your human side as it helps you to connect on a different level. Your vulnerability will be endearing to others as it shows that you’re on equal playing fields.

People don’t want to spend their time with those who always act like they’re above and beneath them.

9. Don’t Name Drop

Don’t try to build rapport by dropping names, as it will be a big turn-off to others. Some feel that using the name-dropping technique is a way to enhance your abilities. You want them to like you for who you are and not the people you know.

It doesn’t matter who you’ve met or rubbed shoulders with during your lifetime; it’s about how you act with the folks you encounter each day.

10. Own Up to Your Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes in life, but the key is that you should learn from them to do the same thing again. Have you ever driven through a fast-food restaurant only to see that the order was wrong when you got home? If you call, do they own their mistake and replace the item, or do they try to act like the error was on you?

If the company were eager to make things right, you wouldn’t hesitate to go back again. When you admit you failed and tried to fix it, then people will trust you more.

11. Keep Secrets

If someone tells you something in confidence, do you tell others or protect their secret with your life? If you want to build rapport with people, they need to know that they can count on you. Plus, some gossip can violate both moral and ethical standards, so you want to make sure people can trust you.

12. Don’t Show Off

No one likes a showoff. Do you try to self-promote constantly? People who tend to show off often only care about their success and not those around them. Constant self-promotion will build more resentment than anything else.

13. Never Lie Or Manipulate Others

If you must lie or manipulate others to get ahead in life, you won’t build trust. You could destroy any reputation that you have. Manipulative people are selfish and only have their agenda in mind. How can you make a business or personal relationship with someone when you use such narcissistic tactics?

Plus, no one likes to be friends with a liar because you can’t trust their word. You want to be a person of integrity and openness whom all can trust.

14. Stop Trying Too Hard

People can tell when you’re not truthful to them. Have you ever talked to someone so nice that their words seemed to drip like honey from their mouth? You probably immediately picked up on their fakeness, and others will pick up when you’re fake too.

15. Consistency Is Key

Are you steadfast in your ways, or do you seem to waver with the shifting winds? People want to be associated with those that are consistent in their views. Today, your stance on certain subjects should also be your position tomorrow. Be as grounded as a tree standing by the water.

rapportFinal Thoughts On Building Rapport

Whether you are a vendor, an executive, a schoolteacher, or a parent, understanding how to build rapport is crucial to your accomplishments.

While your everyday exchanges won’t be so serious, you can use the methods to understand how to become successful in your life approach. People want to be associated with those who are trustworthy and listen to them more than talk. Building rapport is easy once you learn that it’s more about others than yourself, and you can use these skills both professionally and personally.

Chihuahua and Giant Mastiff Become the Best of Friends

Who knew that a giant 155-pound mastiff and a tiny 7-pound chihuahua would get along so well. Huey the mastiff and Bella the chihuahua mix, both rescues, have become an inseparable brother and sister duo. Their owner, Tara Rex, says all of her dogs she’s owned have been rescues.

“We’ve had a German Shepherd in the past, a Saint Bernard in the past, a Newfoundland. So, all pretty big dogs. And then we got Huey and he was with a foster family that was in our neighborhood,” she said. “My girlfriend saw him on a post and said ‘You need to go take a look at this dog.’”

When they met him, they immediately fell in love and decided to bring him home to see how he’d fit in with the family. They decided to adopt Huey after seeing how well he got along with everyone. Now, he’s become a member of the pack, and they couldn’t imagine life without him.

An unlikely friendship

Tara says that when they go for walks, Huey loves playing in sprinklers. When he sees one, he’ll run through it and drink some of the water, “just like a kid would in the sprinklers.” Bella was a little more apprehensive at first, just watching her brother from the sidelines. Once she saw how much fun he had, though, she decided to join in too.

Tara said when they adopted Bella, she only weighed three pounds, just like a tiny baby. Being so little, they wondered how she’d get along with her much bigger brother.

“When we brought her home, Huey wasn’t quite sure what to make of this little rat-looking thing that was running around,” she said, laughing. “He was standing up, looking at her running around and just trying to put the puzzle pieces together in his mind, I think.”

Tara says she’s pleased and lucky to have such wonderful dogs and to be able to share their heartwarming story with everyone.

“Especially in times like these when people are just looking for a glimmer of good and sweetness, compassion and love. The whole story is kind of all that together,” she said.

When Bella and Huey aren’t chasing each other around the house or getting into other escapades, they like to cuddle together for naps. Huey sometimes gets annoyed at his hyper, energetic sister, but his more laid-back energy helps balance it out.

Perhaps that’s why they get along so well; not only are they polar opposites in size but in temperaments, too.

These two really are the best of pals, and their family couldn’t be happier with how close they are. If you look on their Instagram page, you can see plenty of videos of them getting into shenanigans or lounging around together. Many times, their hang out sessions look something like this, where Huey just waits for his sister to settle down:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by English Mastiff & A Chihuahua (@hueyandbella) on

When they’ve worn themselves out after a long day of playing, you can find them cuddled up on the couch:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by English Mastiff & A Chihuahua (@hueyandbella) on

Or, they like to play a nice, old-fashioned game of chase around the living room:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by English Mastiff & A Chihuahua (@hueyandbella) on

They don’t just limit the chasing and running around to the living room, though. In fact, outside works much better, especially for Bella with all her pent-up energy!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by English Mastiff & A Chihuahua (@hueyandbella) on

It’s in the DNA

In case you were wondering, Bella is a mix of Chihuahua, Pug, Bolognese, Mini Poodle, and Nordic Spitz. Tara wanted to order a dog DNA test for her and was surprised to find no beagle, basset hound, or Jack Russell terrier in the results. Either way, she’s pretty adorable, especially in this picture:

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by English Mastiff & A Chihuahua (@hueyandbella) on


Bella and Huey are the perfect examples of a beautiful story that can unfold when you decide to adopt instead of shop. Plenty of dogs out on the streets or in shelters need homes, so if you want a dog, consider adoption first. If you go to a pound, they will have all their necessary shots, so you don’t have to worry about getting them up to date. Dogs can add so much love and friendship into our lives, and they need our love, too.

If you have space and resources to adopt two rescues as Tara did, even better! Who knows, they may end up becoming the best of friends as Huey and Bella have. Of course, if you get a dog as big as Huey, you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of room (and dog food). Although giant dogs tend to act a bit lazy due to their size, so you really just need a couch or oversized bed for them.

Do you have dogs that act like best friends? If so, share pictures with us in the comments!

5 Facts About Mood Disorders Most People Don’t Know

According to the National Institute of Health, mood disorders affect 20.9 million adults over 18 and older in the United States. This accounts for approximately 10% of adults in the United States experiencing a mood disorder every year. Still, mood disorders are greatly misunderstood today. If you want to learn more about mood disorders, here are 5 facts you may not know about them.

Your moods are those pervasive and long-term feelings and thoughts you hold inside. Moods can impact your behavior and decisions. Mood changes are normal for everyone, but it affects your everyday ability to function at work, school, and home if you have a mood disorder.

What is a mood disorder?

A mood disorder occurs when there’s a disruption in your emotions that causes extreme highs or extreme lows. Mood disorders are put into two large categories: bipolar disorders and depressive disorders.

There are two specific areas of your brain, the amygdala, and the orbitofrontal cortex, which are located in the front of your brain, that are thought to be responsible for controlling your emotions and feelings. Studies found that people with mood disorders have a larger amygdala. This supports the idea that abnormalities in this part of the brain can lead to mood disorders. It’s thought that repeated episodes of a mood disorder may contribute to this area’s enlargement.

mood disordersBipolar mood disorders

A bipolar disorder or manic depressive disorder is defined as extreme mood swings in between depression to mania. When you have a manic episode, you may feel elated or very irritable with increased activity at all times of the day or night.

There are 4 types of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar 1:

This the severest form of bipolar disorder. The manic episodes may last as long as a week and can result in hospitalization. You can also feel depressed for weeks at a time, or sometimes both mania and depression at the same time.

 Bipolar 2:

This mood disorder creates cycles of depression similar to bipolar 1, but it is usually less severe and not as intense. You can handle your daily responsibilities, and most people who suffer from bipolar 2 don’t need hospitalization, but it still affects your life and how you relate to others.

Cyclothymia disorder:

This type of bipolar disorder has milder side effects. If you have this, you’ll experience irregular mood swings, some highs, and lows without the extremes. These will last for short periods of time. Adults aren’t diagnosed with this unless they’ve experienced the symptoms for at least two years. Sometimes it’s hard to diagnosis for this reason.

Unspecified bipolar disorder:

This bipolar disorder doesn’t meet the other criteria that define the other types, but you may still have noticeable abnormal mood swings.

Suppose you have experienced these feelings and wonder if you may have a bipolar mood disorder, talk with your doctor. They will run a variety of tests to determine the cause of your mood swings. They may also suggest you see a counselor to talk to about your highs and lows.

Depression mood disorder

Depression is very common. You may feel depressed due to grief, a traumatic event or crisis such as a death in your family, losing your job, or having a debilitating disease. Depression that continues after the stressful event is past or lessened is classified as clinical or major depression. You are diagnosed with clinical depression if you have symptoms that last for two weeks or more.

Below are the types of depression mood disorders.

Persistent depressive disorder:

This is a chronic depression that lasts for years. You may have breaks in your depression, but it’s fairly consistent for you to experience it daily.

Postpartum depression:

As the name suggests, postpartum depression can happen during and/ or after delivering a baby. It can be due to hormone changes. But for some, the depression lingers months after giving birth.

Psychotic depression:

This is severe depression with psychotic episodes like seeing something that isn’t there and hearing something that isn’t there.

Depression due to medical illness:

This type of depression can happen when you’ve been diagnosed with an illness. The diagnosis can make you feel depressed because you’re not able to do the things you want. You may feel like life isn’t pleasurable or fun anymore. This is a common depression experienced by older adults if they are diagnosed with a chronic disease. Depression in the elderly is very common.

Seasonal affective disorder:

This type of depression occurs for some individuals in the fall and winter months, especially in areas where the weather turns cold and cloudy. It’s triggered by a lack of sunshine and feels like major depression for people. Typically, when the weather gets sunnier and warmer, the depression lifts. Many people who suffer from this type of depression use a light therapy lamp to lessen their symptoms.

10 facts about mood disorders most people don’t know

Here are a few interesting things that many people do not understand mental health.

pop meme1 – Medications can be the cause of a mood disorder

Taking some medications mimic mood disorder symptoms. Corticosteroids, chemotherapy drugs, beta-blockers, Parkinson’s disease drugs, estrogen replacement drugs for menopause, birth control pills, and cholesterol-lowering drugs all affect your mood. Other mediations that affect your mood include

  • Acne medications
  • Pain relievers
  • Allergy medications
  • Thyroid medications
  • Antibiotics

If you take these medications and notice you feel depressed or have extreme ups and downs, talk to your doctor to see if there are alternative drugs you can take with fewer side effects.

2 – Genetic Factors

Studies show that specific genes make you prone to mood disorders. A family history of mood disorders will make you more likely to develop one. If your parents suffer from a mood disorder, you’re at an even greater risk for developing a mood disorder in your life.

3 – Hormonal imbalances

Hormones can affect your mood and increase your chances of a mood disorder. Increased levels of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity are one type of hormonal condition that caused depression. Also, increased levels of TSH, a thyroid-stimulating hormone, effects mood swings, and depression. Approximately 4.6 of the United States population 12 years and older suffer from hypothyroidism, which causes depression. Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland on the side of your throat. This gland produces hormones that regulate your energy and metabolism levels. Too little TSH in your blood indicates your thyroid gland isn’t working correctly. This is hypothyroidism. The symptoms include

  • Anxiety
  • Weight gain
  • Tiredness
  • Hair loss
  • Cold
  • Constipation
  • Irritability
  • Depression

This condition is more common in women. Thyroid changes are common during pregnancy, and this is when many women find out they have hypothyroidism. If you are experiencing these symptoms, talk to your doctor. They will do a blood test to check your TSH levels.

4 – Psychosocial Factors

Stressful life situations such as traumatic events or abuse in childhood put you at a higher risk of developing a mood disorder later in life. Indeed, a 2019 article published in Frontiers in Psychiatry cites trauma as a common trigger for mental health crises, such as depression and PTSD.

5 – Woman suffer from mood disorder depression more than men

Women are twice as likely to suffer from a mood disorder compared to men. Women also have more symptoms and more severe mood disorder symptoms compared to men.

Best natural treatments for mood disorders

Early diagnosis and treatment are important to deal with your mood disorder. Once you have a thorough assessment, you and your doctor will decide the best treatment. Many prescription medications help with mood disorders. Along with these medications or sometimes in place of them, depending upon your diagnosis and your doctor’s treatment suggestions, these treatments can help mood disorders.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice that helps you be more aware of and in control of your emotions, anxiety, and stress. It helps you relax through breathing and other techniques. This can be helpful to slow down the progression of mood disorder symptoms. Mindfulness activities like

  • Mindful eating
  • Mindful thoughts and body awareness
  • Mindfulness mediations during walks

Brain stimulation therapy

Repeated brain magnetic stimulation has shown good results in treating mood disorders. This outpatient treatment involves cortical stimulation to speed up or slow down your brain’s activity. The procedure takes around five sessions over a 4 to 6-week period. It has no long term side effects. Short-term side effects include a headache or some minor scalp pain in the treatment area.

Healthy diet

A 2020 study published by Harvard University confirmed what doctors suspected all along. Maintaining a healthy diet decreases your risk of a mood disorder. Eat a diet with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, and dairy foods is essential.

Yoga or exercise

Regular exercise protects you against developing a mood disorder. Inactive people have a greater chance of depression. This is because exercise has a positive effect on your brain, releasing endorphins, which improve your mood.

Quit smoking

People who quit smoking say they feel more positive and optimistic about their future. Smoking is an antidepressant that increases your anxiety and the chances of becoming depressed.

Increase omega3s

Omega-3 fatty acids serve as antidepressants. This is because fatty acids regulate the serotonin and dopamine in your brain. Fatty acids also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits for your body.

mood disordersFinal Thoughts on Better Understanding Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are often misunderstood and misrepresented. They are more common than you think, so it’s important to understand what they look like and ways to decrease your chances of developing a mood disorder later in life.

10 Signs You’re Suffering from Emotional Exhaustion

Do you feel emotionally exhausted? What’s the difference between physical and emotional exhaustion? Some say that fatigue turns inward to the soul once the body becomes tired and doesn’t get the rest it needs. You suffer from emotional exhaustion, leading to depression, anxiety, and other mental or physical disorders.

Today’s world is quite demanding. Most people start their day by six am to prepare the kids for school. Then after rushing them out the door, you must fight traffic to drop them off at daycare. Once you’ve made it to work, you’re exhausted and feel you’ve done more than you can handle.

Does This Sound Familiar?

emotional exhaustionNow, you must work an 8-10-hour shift to give your job 110 percent of your efforts. Some days, you go through the motions and try to muddle through. Once you finish your workday, you rush to get the kids, get home, make dinner, pack lunches, and lay out clothes for tomorrow.

If lucky, you may fall into bed at 11 pm, barely having time to speak to your spouse. How did life get so crazy? There is only so much that your body can handle before it cracks. It would help if you had downtime to take walks in nature and enjoy your family.

Plus, you need time for you to be alone with your thoughts. Like many people, there’s no way to fit it all into your day. You use your bedtime as a bargaining tool for an hour of tranquility after everyone goes to bed.

Sure, you know that if you get in bed by midnight, you will get six hours of sleep, but it’s still not what you need to function the next day. When the alarm goes off, your body can barely move from the weight of the emotional exhaustion you feel. Your body seems like it’s just done a major workout, and your head is pounding. How can you face another day, week, or month going on the way you are?

Ten Signs That Reveal a State of Emotional Exhaustion

Different phrases describe those so tired that they feel like they cannot function. It can be called psychological burnout or emotional fatigue. According to a study, it’s a relatively common problem that plagues more than 58 percent of American workers.

How do you know if you are emotionally burned out, and what should you do to combat this miserable feeling? Left untreated, this emotional exhaustion that you feel can send you straight to the hospital. Here are ten ways to tell if your emotions are on edge and need help.

1. No Amount of Sleep Makes You Feel Rested When Emotionally Exhausted

You go to sleep and may even get a lovely rest of for a good eight hours, but you still feel as if you haven’t slept an ounce. Your entire body feels lethargic, and you’re becoming depressed. You have no problem sleeping as you seem to die once you hit the bed. When you wake up, you’re just as exhausted as when you first laid down.

You should discuss these issues with your doctors, as things like chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, and multiple sclerosis make people feel continuously exhausted. If no medical tests find anything wrong, then it’s possible that your body is emotionally and physically tired.

2. You have Insomnia or Sleep Too Much if You Have Emotional Exhaustion

Sleep disruptions are commonplace when your emotions are out of whack. You can sleep too much, consider anything over nine hours, or you might have problems sleeping. While some people need more rest than the average of seven to eight hours a night, you should ensure that all your free time isn’t spent napping.

Additionally, you may try to go to sleep, but your mind won’t stop racing. You may reflect on all the day’s events and dread what you must accomplish tomorrow. Sleep disruptions are a classic sign of someone who is emotionally exhausted.

3. You Have Body Aches You Can’t Explain, a Result of Emotional Exhaustion

Stress can do strange things to the body. When you feel anxiety, your body automatically raises cortisol and adrenaline levels to combat these feelings. When these levels stay elevated for too long, it can cause long-term problems.

Your body is made to handle the day’s routine stressors, and some stress is good. The reason you’re on edge when you’re driving down the freeway is that your body is on high alert. It’s essential to be in a heightened state to protect yourself.

However, you cannot continue to function in fight or flight mode all the time. When you have these hormones pulsing through your body, it can affect your heart and mind. The result is headaches, muscle aches, nausea, physical fatigue, and emotional exhaustion.

4. You Dream of An Escape When Emotionally Exhausted

It’s not uncommon for you to dream of living somewhere else where your troubles might not follow you. However, someone mentally exhausted might do more than contemplate such moves. You might be so on the edge that you would leave your husband, wife, and children to find greener pastures.

Never make decisions in such an exhausted state as you will regret them later. Your mind is incapable of such choices when under such duress.

pop meme5. You’re Grouchy and Irritable Because of Emotional Exhaustion

Does your family avoid you like the plague? Are you continually yelling or so irritable that even you don’t like to be around yourself? You may feel angry and can’t pinpoint the reason. Irritability is a classic sign of a psychologically exhausted person.

6. Your Emotions Are All Over the Place

Do you cry a lot? Can you go from crying one minute to acting like nothing is wrong the next? Crying is normal and a healthy thing to do. However, if you’re continually calling, it’s a sign that the chemicals in your brain are out of whack.

The main chemicals in your brain are serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. If any of these levels become off-kilter, then you can suffer much. One person may always cry while another can’t seem to stay awake. If your emotions are everywhere, it’s time to see a doctor.

7. You Feel Disconnected from Life When Emotionally Exhausted

Does the world around you seem detached, almost like you’re looking at it through cartoon lenses? One of the body’s coping mechanisms is to disconnect to stay sane. You may feel like an alien has taken over your body and is trying to ruin your life.

Be incredibly careful if you start having these feelings, as it can indicate that you are heading for a complete psychological breakdown.

8. You’re Lonely Because of the Emotional Exhaustion

Do you have a house full of people yet feel all alone? Part of why people feel lonely when they have others around them is that no one understands. Exhaustion makes your mind not think clearly, and you may begin to feel isolated.

Remember, things like anxiety and depression are great pretenders because they make you think and feel things that aren’t true. You’re probably pushing these people away because you’re cranky, irritable, constantly crying, and detached from your life.

9. You Can’t Keep Up Anymore Due to the Emotional Exhaustion

Your house is a mess, the kids need haircuts, you have a project due at work, and the bills haven’t been paid this month! You cannot keep up with all you have to do anymore. Your home and office that once ran like a finely oiled machine now barely have enough fuel to keep going.

Your emotional exhaustion has affected all areas of your life, and you are barely treading water.

10. You Feel Depressed When Emotionally Exhausted

You don’t want to admit it, but you find no pleasure in the things that once brought you joy. Perhaps you feel as if you exist rather than live. You hide in your bedroom because you don’t want anyone to bother you.

You see changes in your appetite and sleep schedule, cry for no reason, and feel depressed. Depression is a severe condition affecting more than 22 percent of American adults, according to Statista. It’s a sickness that is just as real as the flu or a cold. It requires lifestyle changes and treatment.

emotional exhaustionFinal Thoughts on Overcoming Emotional Exhaustion

While you can’t rid your life of all stress, you can attempt to eliminate the things that bring you so much pressure. Maybe it’s time for a career change if you’re in a high-stress job like a nurse, police officer, or teacher. Is your home a haven or a warzone?

Troubled marriages can often make people go through dark times emotionally. The great news is you can pull yourself out of your emotional exhaustion. The best place to start is by changing your diet.

Did you know that many people on the keto diet say they have better mental clarity? Once you fix your diet, you should incorporate an exercise routine. Exercise can naturally increase the neurotransmitters in the brain and make you feel better.

Lastly, it would help if you made time for yourself. Don’t give yourself the scraps left out of your day or bargain with your sleep time. How can you expect to pour yourself into others when you have nothing to give? It would help to keep your energy tank full to have the strength you need to make it through each day.

Brave Woman Starts Fitness Journey and Regains Health

Since beginning her fitness journey, Tracy lost 45 pounds and transformed her health. Here is the incredible story of how she got her life and happiness back. Take a look.

“After turning 40 and being the heaviest and unhealthiest I’ve ever been in my life, I knew I needed to make a change. So, in the fall of 2017, I decided to join a gym, and I began eating healthier and more nutritious foods,” she says.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tracy (@tracys_pwr_journey)

By changing her everyday habits, she found so much freedom and happiness. She realized she had the power to overcome unhealthy choices. Finally, she became brave enough to take her health into her own hands. However, she hit a few roadblocks shortly after beginning her fitness journey.

“Five months after starting, I had to put a pause on my journey because I was unfortunately diagnosed with what is likely to be a benign brain tumor in the center of my brain called a Pineocytoma. Unfortunately, just weeks after that diagnosis, I was also diagnosed with a facial pain disorder called Trigeminal Neuralgia, which is also known as the Suicide Disease.”

Trigeminal neuralgia

Doctors call it this because of the intense pain many patients experiences, leading to suicidal ideation. Patients may deal with the following:

  • intense migraines
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • sleep disorders
  • other debilitating, painful symptoms.

Around 150,000 people get diagnosed with the disease each year, and it most commonly affects those over 50.

Tracy says that around ten months after receiving the diagnosis, she regained control over most pain and symptoms. So, she decided to go back to the gym and restart her fitness journey. She says that her decision to transform her health also improved her mental and emotional well-being. She feels healthy and happy for the first time in a while and feels thankful for the changes she’s made.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tracy (@tracys_pwr_journey)

“When I started my journey, I was just under 170 pounds, so I began intermittent fasting, drinking more water, and I cut down on my sugar and carb intake. With these changes I made to my diet and with the introduction to exercise, the pounds melted away pretty quickly,” she said. “I have to say, at the beginning, I found it extremely hard to stay disciplined. But I always remembered my ‘why,’ and because I didn’t want to give up on myself or my goals, I kept pushing on.”

Setbacks are normal, but don’t get discouraged!

Many people who decide to start a fitness journey experience setbacks, such as losing motivation. However, a common theme seems to be remembering why they started in the first place. Keeping in mind what brought them to a healthy lifestyle in the beginning, helps many people remain focused. Of course, the mindset shift doesn’t happen instantly, but working out and eating healthy becomes second-nature after a while.

“In total, I lost 46 pounds, but because my body composition has changed so much, and I’ve gained lean muscle mass, I don’t really go by a typical scale anymore to gauge my progress,” Tracy said. “I now measure my progress by how I feel and look, rather than by my current weight. I also track my gains over my losses now, and honestly, what I’ve gained from living a healthier lifestyle far outweighs the weight I’ve lost.”

Tracy had this to say about her fitness journey on one of her Instagram posts:

“If I didn’t care about myself and gave up in the face of all the things I was forced to deal with over the course of my journey so far, I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am today!

I’ve pushed through all the things that could easily have made me quit on myself and ended up proving to myself that I can do what I set out to do and that I’m so much stronger than I thought I could be!

If I can do it, so can you! Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from reaching your goals and dreams!”

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tracy (@tracys_pwr_journey)

Final thoughts on Tracy’s fitness journey

Tracy has some advice to offer based on her own experience for anyone looking to start their fitness journey.

“If I had to give some advice to someone on starting their weight loss journey, or their journey to a healthier lifestyle, in general, I would tell them that they are worth the effort and energy. So, they just need to get up and do it. I promise you that once you achieve or reach your first few realistic and attainable goals that you set up for yourself, you will want to keep on going. I suggest starting off by doing what you can, how you can and when you can, but make sure to always go all in and give your best effort.

Not every workout will be the same, and that’s totally okay. What matters most is the effort you gave. Progress over perfection every time, and consistency will always be key. Rest days can be just as important as workouts sometimes, so take at least one a week. And finally, set yourself up for success by setting small, realistic, and attainable goals to where you currently are in your journey, and don’t give up on yourself. You got this!”

Skip to content