Have you ever sat there and thought about the quality of life? Being grateful for what you have right now, setting a mindset for a healthier mind, and manifesting new positive chapters to come into your life. Often we take life for granted. All of a sudden, 5 New Years have past and you just sprinted through life. It does not have to be a new year for you to start dreaming, that's what Mondays are for. There are 52 new beginnings every year, giving you more opportunities to start over.
Be grateful - 'feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness'.
I am sure you see this everywhere, but have you ever wrote down in a book every morning about what you are grateful for? It is harder than you think. The thumb of rule is that you should be writing at least 5 things you are grateful for everyday. The intent is to be as specific as you can, thinking of details in your life that make you smile. Recording your gratitude is good for your mental health. Why do you think we have Thanksgiving? To remind us to stay thankful! Now writing why you are grateful is not for everyone, when a person is not in a good state of mind, it is harder to think of the goodness in life, having a negative effect on the result. Yet, showing gratefulness disconnects us from negativity. Writing it down encourages you to focus on what in your life is good, not what you keep needing. I will go first...
1. I am grateful for my family and friends always supporting me in what I want to do in life, motivating me further.
2. I am thankful for the comfortable bed I get to sleep in every night.
3. I share gratitude towards the stargazed lily's blooming beautifully in my kitchen.
4. I am grateful for a working computer where I get to fullfill my dream of a blog.
5. I am thankful that I live across the street from my YogaSix studio and get to practice hot yoga.
Setting a mindset.
Perspective is the key to a healthier mind. You have heard me say it before, you are with yourself the most out of anybody in your life. Other people and things can boost your immediate happiness, but only yourself can provide it longterm. If you are constantly negative, tired, or sad, that is the way you are going to see the world. Your stress levels and health will be at calm if you take everything with a grain of salt. Everyone has road bumps, it is the way you handle your challenges that define who you really are. Hate to say it, life is not all rainbows and unicorns, like how Instagram seems it to be. You can not change what happens around you, only what you think of it.
Setting goals - New Years is a perfect time to set goals.
Start big, think what you want to accomplish in that year or five years. Writing your 1-5 year goals on a piece of paper and pen to paper makes it feel permanent, making your goal easier to accomplish. Put it somewhere you can see it, by your nightstand or in your medicine cabinet. Everyday you see that paper, it will set an intention for your day. Those goals typically do not happen in one day, but are done over time for a bigger outcome.
Then go small, every Monday, I sit down and write out my goals for the week in list form. In my weekly planner I list my habits (yoga, read, and journal) then list important tasks that need to be completed, maybe it is the next step to your big end goal. The feeling of checking off your whole list is a great feeling, not just once, but every week. The satisfaction on accomplishing your goals weekly leads to progress. There are 52 Mondays in a year, imagine the progress you can achieve by consistently completing those boxes.
Manifesting - 'strategies that make an individual's wishes come true by mentally visualizing them'.
This is a self-help act of desire turning into reality. When I first heard about this practice, I instantly blew it off and didn't believe it. Until I started joking about it, seeing my friends do it, made me realize manifesting does have purpose. Wooh! You think what you want and you get it! False, you still have to take proactive steps towards your desire. Manifesting practices positive, mindful, and visual acts towards the law of attraction. This is a universal essence that expresses you will attract whatever you focus on in life. You have the opportunity to create your own future by using the power of the mind. Be intentional on what you trust, believe in, and uncover your limiting thoughts.
Affirmations - 'emotional support or encouragement'.
It is the assertion that something exists or is true. Using that definition and using it towards self-love. Giving your self positive assertion, inspires and reassures you the quality of life. Along with manifesting, affirming helps motivate you towards a certain goal you want to obtain. Releasing negative thoughts and self-sabotage about yourself. You can do it and you are this person, whatever attracts you. If you have trouble giving yourself compliments, the app 'I AM' is a great helpful reminder. I will go first again...
If I want something I've never had, I must do something I've never done.
All challenges are an opportunity for growth and I am thankful for the chance to evolve.
How I am now is more important than who I was in the past.
I will not give up on myself.
I've been through worse times, I'll make it through this time.
I radiate with self-confidence and self-esteem.
I am growing into the greatness I was born for.
I must be the change I wish to see in this world.
Negative thoughts that are not true.
This would be called cognitive distortions, irrational negative thoughts that make you believe are true. Mentally exaggerating assumptions, creating us to feel anxiety and feel bad about ourselves. These awful thoughts tend to not be true. We convince ourselves into this state of mind from stress, trauma, and when life isn't going our way. Be stronger than the worst version of yourself. Instead we should be focusing our attention to positive thoughts and remind ourselves that those negative thoughts are not facts. Coming over this irrational hump, builds us into the best version of ourselves.
If you have read the 'about' in my blog, you would understand why bringing this up is important. Practicing mental health programs us to live the quality life we deserve. A helpful tip to overcoming this hump is to write the negative thoughts lingering around our brains, under it, write the affirmation version of it that is true. This can be difficult, but you have to recognize and own the bad before letting go of it. Here is my example...
x I have changed a lot in appearance, physically, and mentally in the worst ways.
* I am the same beautiful, fit, and smart girl I have always been, possibly better now!!
x I am not fit for any job.
* I am capable and any employers would be lucky to have me!!
Sprinting through life.
We mistakenly take life for granted. We are put on this earth with one shot at life... Why not make it a great fucking one. Instead of going through the motions and letting life's struggles push us around, take control. Humans love being the dominant species, why not fall into that category. We blink our eyes and here comes the next New Year! Slow down, every minute counts. Embrace those moments you have to yourself. Make yourself smile and feel good. Take the long way to the destination, the view is prettier.
With that being said, yes we have responsibilities and dark times. It is important to be in control of those moments, even when you want to skip it. 'This moment will be another story', I promise. You are in pain now but you will be able to talk about it easier and come out stronger. Share your stories because it can help other people get through their struggles.
Everyday tips.
Nature generates a positive mood boost and calmness to your day. It could be getting up every morning and going a walk or if you tend to look at social media when you wake up, nature videos and pictures will do the trick. Starting your day with increased happiness and reduced negativity. Looking at nature is proven to help with mental health by recharging your mind. Setting your intention for each day will decide how you feel from sun up to sun down. Looking at nature everyday will reduce stress, improve mental and physical health. There are somethings not man made, that will increase our overall productivity.
Turning notifications off from all apps. The only notifications that hit my lock screen is calls, reminders, and the "I Am" app. We already have so much going on in our busy lives, the last thing you need is your phone blowing up, creating a cluttered brain. Clear you mind and turn them all off, when you want to look at notifications, you should be able to look when you want, not when the app wants you to. For example, all my important notifications only pop up in my notification center, not lock screen or banner. Social media notifications are always completely shut off. This helps line your priorities and not be tempted to get off the track.
Listen to podcasts vs music. When driving in the car or going on a walk, we listen to music. Do not get me wrong, I love my genre moods. To educate yourself on whatever it is you desire, listen to a podcast. Music helps us boost immediate happiness, but podcasts gets us to use our brains and have deeper thoughts. I have a go to podcast called 'The Motivated Mind' by Scott Lynch. I listen when I'm sad, mad, or perfectly in a good mood. This podcast is like therapy, it will instantly boost your vibrations to a great mood. Using every moment you have to develop profound thoughts, will make you a wiser for the future.
Youtube instead of TV. If you are a big television person, try watching Youtube. I keep a list of things I want to learn more about and research them to get it imbedded into my mind. Why not use the biggest educator in the world, you can look up anything you set your heart to and build knowledge how to do it on within 10 minutes through Youtube.
Just do not forget about 2028.
You may be like, what? Didn't you just talk about not sprinting? If you are looking for a big permanent change, think 1-5 years. Everything you do leading up to it matters. Life is fast, a year goes by and you haven't completed your goals. If you think long term and make those baby steps count, your dream will come true. We are welcoming 2023 with wide arms, start thinking about how you are going to welcome 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028. No such thing as dreaming too big. Keep your mind open and never limit your abilities. There is still time no matter what age you fall under.
Photos by Kailynn
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