What Routine Can Do for Your Health

While you're sitting at home, it can be easy to ask yourself, "What am I missing out on?" The mind has a habit of making ordinary activities feel not good enough sometimes. It can be tempting to constantly search for the latest and greatest thing out there. "What is everyone else doing, and what are the consequences of missing out on that?"

The truth is, the "latest and greatest" has no real end in sight. There is always something new that people are talking about, passing on, and seeking. Regular 'ole routine, however, has something great and healthy going for it too. The habits you've developed for a typical day can offer you steady comfort, grounding, and rhythm. Your routine can help support you through high days, low days, times of transition, and times of uncertainty.

Which routines are your favorite? Habitual activities allow you a moment to reflect and experience peacefulness. For example, maybe you enjoy doing laundry around the same time each week. While you're methodically getting clothes out of the dryer, folding them, stacking them, and putting them away you might enjoy listening to music or watching a T.V. program. What does laundry have to do with health?

The time you spend on something as familiar as laundry presses the brakes on the usual high-paced traffic of the day or the week. While you're folding away, you can think about whatever you want. If you want to temporarily ignore worrisome thoughts of workplace drama, unattended errands, or upcoming deadlines, you have the freedom to do that! If you'd rather simmer your thoughts/worries on low during your routine, you can do that too. Routines give you the opportunity to interact with thoughts less intensely, and they may even help you gain new perspective on a situation you're experiencing.

Routine doesn't have to be hum drum and boring. It can be reliable and medicinal in its own way. In a way, everyday routines are healthy "me" times. Your time is your own, and you get a chance to hang out with yourself.

Routines aren't always about chores like laundry either. Maybe you go outside and pick up mail at a certain time each day. You walk to the bus station and wait for the bus. You return library books and grab a few more. You enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning or a cup of tea at night. You catch a favorite show on the television. You listen to a quirky radio program on your way to work. It can be anything!

This week, notice which of your routines give you a chance to enjoy spending time alone. Have fun with your routine, and let it support your health in the natural way that it can.

The Art of Relaxation

Ever had the feeling that everything is rushing at you way too fast, and way too forcefully? Life has a habit sometimes of testing you in challenging ways all at once. What do you do when this happens?

Often, our minds tell us that we have no choice but to keep up with all of it at once. Time to be Superhuman, right? If you ask the body what it needs during this time, it will tell you a different story. It will tell you to learn the Art of Relaxation, both during your "on" times as well as your "off" times. The effects of ignoring this lesson often trickle not only into health, but also into all the activities and tasks you're trying to keep up with.

The Art of Relaxation involves some key ingredients to make it work well for your body, mind, and overall enjoyment of life. Let's go over them one by one:

1) Don't worry too much about what others are doing! The mind will tell you that Sue, and Mindy, and Kate (for example) are all able to manage exercising five times a week, starting their own businesses, raising families, cooking a different meal every night all while working a full-time job. Will this thought process help you in the Art of Relaxation? NO! So, let yourself off the hook in not comparing your stress and relaxation thresholds to other people's levels.

2) Do you feel like you have to "get back to" your responsibilities first before you're allowed to relax? Is that nagging bill bothering you, or your coworker who's demanding that memo? Do something different for a change, and get back to yourself first. If you were to e-mail or call yourself right now, what would you tell yourself? Think about the suggestions you could give yourself about unwinding and letting loose a bit. Be creative on how you can breathe some fresh air into your life without outside hindrance. Be selfish! After you take a breath, you'll feel readier to handle everything else.

3) Take it one step at a time. Sometimes when we get super busy, the thought of relaxing and unwinding becomes yet another task. You may hear your mind chastising you for not being more chill, or scolding your body for having under eye bags, skin breakouts, indigestion, fatigue, or other physical evidence of stress. Now is not the time to yell at yourself for not having it all together. Take relaxation off of your "To Do" list and place it in a more respectable position of "You Time." You deserve the Art of Relaxation, and even though no one else will remind you of this regularly, it's still true.

The rest is up to you! What do you want to do, when you're not doing? Go for a walk around the neighborhood, maybe. Read a suspenseful or thought-provoking book. Draw or paint something. Learn a new instrument. Just lie on your bed and listen to music. Cook something new. Tune out for a bit in whatever way you choose.

As you embrace the Art of Relaxation, you'll see that it is medicine for your health, your soul, and your life. Practice it regularly, and you'll get better at it.

Here's to Your Quirks!

Whether anyone's around or not, what do you most enjoy about yourself? What makes you You?

Each individual has unique traits that are hard to describe, yet can make that person not just endearing to others but also to themselves. What are these unique traits called? Maybe French speakers would call it a "Je ne sais quoi," meaning something which can not be described with words. These traits can also be called your unique "quirks."

Quirks include the little habits you have without even remembering how they got there. Think about your preferences, food cravings, a few of your favorite things, and anything else that makes you smile or feels familiar when you think about it. Even if no one else is "into" your quirky habit or preference, you still like it regardless of what anyone says. Some quirks are chosen, others just appear over time without you realizing it.

Quirks are a part of who we are, and therefore they are also a part of what makes up health. Some healing and medicinal arts even take your quirks into account before choosing your ultimate remedy or treatment. For example, Homeopathy asks a number of quirky questions as they assess your health profile, including questions about your food cravings, temperature preferences, and whether you keep your room messy or tidy.

Ayurvedic medicine not only finds out your body type and physical traits, but it also explores mental-emotional traits and quirks. Practitioners look into whether you have a creative streak, like to be a perfectionist, enjoy being your own boss, and a number of other behavioral nuances that help make up the individual that you are.

Sometimes a tendency arises to notice other people's quirks and see them as unique and interesting, while simultaneously ignoring our own. What makes it possible for us to appreciate other people's quirks is the fact that each of us has our own. It's healthy to enjoy your personality, so go ahead and celebrate the quirks that you have.

Can you think of an example of a T.V. show you like to watch that celebrates quirks? One popular show that continues to entertain years after its original airing is "Seinfeld," and this is largely because it touches on those unnamable expressions of life that each of us possesses--Quirks! Here are some questions to jog your mind on your signature quirks:

What's your favorite color or number?
What are a few of your favorite things?
What special things do you do in the morning or before bedtime that comfortably set your schedule more than a clock ever could?
How do you talk to your pet?
What is the first food you'll look for in the kitchen when your stomach growls?
What's your favorite cereal?
Do you eat slow or fast? Sip or gulp? Enjoy leftovers or not? Prefer sweet or salty?
Chuckle softly or bust up uncontrollably?

Arguably, no two people will have the same answers to all these questions. No two snowflakes are alike, fingerprints are singular, and you are you. Let your quirks make you laugh. Let them shine. Enjoy them and embrace them. Let them help you through challenging times. And you'll see something cool take place--your quirks will support you in your health at the same time.

Wanna share your quirk? Comment below!

Pressing the "I Don't Want to Know" Button

Each of us has a combination of friends, acquaintances, and some un-categorizable people in our lives. We want to share experiences with these people and get to know them each in a unique way. There can be times, however, when you identify parts of people or their lives that you don't want to know about. Is this okay? Ask your body and your mind, and they'll say it's more than okay. Boundaries are important and we can each learn to listen to our health and press the "I Don't Want to Know" button when other people's stress is starting to become our own. And you can do this without sacrificing a friendship or other type of relationship.

First off, learn to recognize the signs of outside stress entering your life from another person's life. Are you constantly thinking about something this person said or did to you, even while trying to fall asleep? Do you feel like he or she is pushing you to see them in a certain way that is challenging for you based on your eyesight? Do you feel like a friend is pulling, pushing, or wrestling you into his or her personal drama? Do you find yourself wondering why, why, oh why is this person acting this way?

Uh oh--It might be time to push the "I don't want to know" button. Realistically, you could spend every waking second for weeks trying to figure this person out and why they do what they do--especially where you're concerned. The problem is, there isn't always an answer. And while you're pouring your brain cells over it, other people's stress can become your own and raise your cortisol levels, create adrenal fatigue, upset your stomach, and disturb your sleep without your conscious choosing.

Ultimately, relationships aren't 100% drama free throughout life. You may not even want it that way because a healthy sprinkling of drama naturally occurs from people being different from each other and from you. Why else would we be hooked on gritty T.V. show dramas? But you still have the right to press your own "release" button before allowing someone else to cross the line in pushing your buttons and triggering excessive annoyance, irritation, and anger. The "I don't want to know" button reminds you that not everything in other people's business has to become your business if you don't want it to.

Healthy relationships help create a healthier you too. So learn where your boundaries are, realize what you'd like to know versus what you'd rather not know, and keep your "I don't want to know button" handy in case of an emergency. Your body, adrenal glands (the organs that help you through stress), blood pressure, and mental-emotional health will thank you for it. Maybe your friend will too in the long run, you never know.

Turning Weaknesses into Strengths--for Better Health

The word "weakness" has a tendency to create such a heavy feeling in the soul, whether it's related to career, relationships, health, or any other area of life. It can make one feel panicky and focused on what is lacking in terms of skills, talents, or strengths. It can create a storm front in the mind with gloomy clouds floating in over your head. Ultimately, the W word can feel pretty awful when it pops up in life. Does it have to be that way? No way!

When seen with a clearer perspective, the W word can change into a whole new world that presents you with opportunities for growth, learning, and flexing your potential. It just depends on the way you look at it. It can be too easy to look at weakness through the lens of comparison. For example, statements such as "He can do this" or "She can do that" are usually followed by a disappointed "I can't."

It's also too easy sometimes to look at weakness through the lens of permanence. For example, once you see that you have a weakness it can feel like nothing will ever change and you're stuck in that category. If you bend your ear a little closer and listen to what weaknesses are really saying, however, you'll hear a different story.

Points of weakness will let you know that you've walked into a new area that can be developed in your life. For example, maybe you're learning how to play tennis and at first your forehand shot looks like a permanent weakness in your game. But then you think some more about this mentality and start noticing, "Hey--it's too premature to decide this...I haven't even tried to develop my forehand yet!"

So you start to practice, stay dedicated, and after a few months, your forehand is in a different category from just a plain "Weakness." It is still a beginner level shot, but now it's been renamed in your mind as a developing skill. Not only is your forehand getting better, but it's also teaching you new things about your learning style, your overall tennis form, and your ability to adapt on the court. Doesn't that sound a whole lot more workable than a plain old weakness?

Weaker areas in your body and health often whisper valuable advice to you as well about opportunities for growth and stretching your horizons. For example, maybe you consistently have trouble sleeping and have labeled your sleep as "bad" or "weak." The more trouble you have sleeping, the more you chastise your sleep and feel weak in this area of health. Meanwhile, your sleep starts knocking a little louder and telling you to look at other parts of your health and your life. It wants you to pay attention to the factors that may be making it difficult for you to achieve a good night's rest.

You decide to listen and start to see all kinds of clues that your sleep was trying to send you about your health. It turns out that your diet can use a little tweaking so that you get more energizing nutrition during the day and less stimulating sweets and carbs at night. Your sleep also pointed out that stress was starting to build a little too high for comfort. Not taking care of your daytime stress, it started following you to bed at night. You decide to make a few changes to your lifestyle and you not only start sleeping better, but you also now have a more supportive diet and more effective stress management in place.

The "W's," or weaknesses in your life--with enough practice, patience, and dedication--can turn into "S's," or strengths. Don't let the word "weakness" loom larger than it needs to and create a barrier between you and your potential for growth and learning. If you listen carefully, your weaknesses can teach you a lot. So, in which areas of your life and your health do you want to turn a weakness into a strength?

Health: Pencil It In

There are many different activities we promptly and regularly add to our planners, phones, and other schedule makers. We note when it's time to pay the bills, make a doctor's appointment, and go grocery shopping. We know when library books are due and what days to pick the kids up from sports and extracurricular activities. Birthdays are circled with a balloon drawn beside them and holidays are highlighted with an exclamation point.

One item is often left out of the planner, and this item can help support us in all the other activities we usually write down: Health! When responsibilities, dates, and activities are swirling all around us, it can be easy to forget that the necessary energy needed to do all this stuff comes from supporting our health first. It's worth it to press pause, pick up a pencil, and write down a reminder to yourself to fill in the gaps in health care routines that may have developed during a busy schedule.

How do you pencil it in? It's up to you and how you best envision supporting your health for your unique lifestyle. If it helps to write down a reminder tip for every Sunday, maybe you can make that day a tune-up day. You can work on re-balancing your diet if it's been too erratic for your taste. If you're feeling tightness in your muscles from the prior week's stress and tension, you can allot some time for stretching and movement. Maybe you've skipped out on adequate hydration for a few days and you feel like drinking water is especially important to pay attention to before a new work weeks starts.

Aside from healthy habits, it could be that you just haven't had a moment to yourself or a chance to relax and do nothing. Your tip for Sunday, or whatever day you choose in your planner, could involve a mental-emotional massage. What's that? Just choose something calming to do or get in touch with the parts of you that have felt stressed and pay more attention to them. You can pick something that's fun for you and makes you feel excited such as going to the park, reading a good book, drawing, or cooking a delicious meal.

Each week doesn't have to run nonstop into the next in terms of doing, doing, doing. To pencil health into your planner means that you'll use that opportunity to check in with yourself and your health before the start of another potentially hectic week. Doing so will allow you to feel healthier, more energized, and better able to handle any challenges and stressors that come your way.
As you go through this week, remind yourself--

Health: Pencil It In

Do Your Thing

What is one healthy recommendation that, while not dispensed in doctor's offices or featured on health bulletins, can greatly boost your health and vitality? Simply put, Do Your Thing.

What's your thing? The magic about your thing is that the only person who knows the answer to that question is you. When you're doing your thing, whatever it may be, you might feel a warm rush of curiosity filling your mind, energy entering your body, and time flying by without you even noticing.

When you do your thing, the person who decides how you go about it is you. That's the reason why the activity or outlet can feel so stimulating, engaging, and satisfying. No one else can tell you exactly how to do it, because then it wouldn't quite be your thing anymore. When you're doing your thing, it's almost like a secret you have with yourself.

That thing that you uniquely do is a very individual pursuit. It could be an art form that grabs you and that no one has ever taught you. It could be that you love hitting a tennis ball against the wall methodically while you feel muscle memory forming. It could be that you jam out to music while writing a story on your typewriter. There may be a time of day that feels like your thing, when you know you'll hit your stride and feel energized. Maybe inside your thing, you love encountering new challenges so that you can enjoy the feeling of overcoming them. Maybe in your thing, you help others face challenges similar to the ones you've been through.

There are times when your thing involves spending time with your child, your pet, or someone special in a way that only you do. Maybe you put a 1,000 piece puzzle together or something. Maybe you stumble across your thing on a day that just seems same 'ole in the morning, but ends with an unexpected surprise. Your thing could involve your favorite chair, most cozy spot, or most visited park.

What's cool about you doing your thing is that it's yours and no one can take it away from you. It's not only a valuable way that you spend your time, but it's also valuable for your health. Though your doc didn't write this one down on a prescription pad to get filled at the pharmacy, you doing your thing is well-rounded medicine.

When life feels confusing, in limbo, challenging, or tough, it can be tempting to abandon your thing because you feel distracted. It can be worth it sometimes to try doing your thing anyway. It may help you jump over a tough obstacle. If not, don't worry because your thing will still be there later once things calm down. Even when you're experiencing changes and transitions, you can still do it your way and thus you'll still be doing your thing.

This week, as you go about your routines and responsibilities, pay attention to the feeling of doing your thing as well. How do you Do Your Thing?