Your Comprehensive Guide to a Happier, Healthier You

The pursuit of pleasure and the upkeep of a healthy body are aspirations shared by all people, but they cannot be attained without thought and work. This in-depth guide will provide you with actionable techniques to improve your mental and physical health in a way that will enable you to take control of your own well-being. Read on and start your road toward a happier and healthier self by implementing these ideas into your daily life.

Nourishing Your Mind and Body

To lead a fulfilling life, maintaining a healthy body is absolutely essential. It begins with nourishing your body with a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, providing the essential fuel for optimal function. Hydration is equally crucial, so ensure you drink an ample amount of water daily. Regular exercise not only strengthens your physique but also contributes significantly to your mental well-being. Finally, prioritize getting sufficient restorative sleep, as it plays a pivotal role in enhancing both your physical vitality and mental clarity. These holistic routines form the cornerstone of a vibrant and contented existence.

To nourish your mind and feel fresh, you may also want to visit a therapist who’ll help you come out of the stress that worries you in life. Proper counseling can help anyone in this regard, so just search for good “counselors in Bethesda”, or wherever you reside, and start a healthy life soon.

Building Strong Relationships

Joy and strength often flourish within supportive and harmonious partnerships. Cultivating deep and meaningful relationships with loved ones, be it family or friends, can be a wellspring of happiness and resilience. Empathy and active listening are vital skills that enhance communication, fostering understanding and emotional connection with others. Surrounding yourself with positive influences can significantly impact your overall well-being, uplifting your spirits and contributing to a more fulfilling life. By nurturing these bonds and embracing positivity, you’re laying the foundation for a happier, more resilient future.

Setting Meaningful Goals

Life has purpose and direction when it is given significant objectives to work toward and when those goals are pursued. Define your goals, whether they are related to your professional life, your personal development, or the relationships in your life. Break it down into smaller, more achievable stages, celebrate your successes along the way, and be willing to make adjustments as necessary. The accomplishment of one’s goals gives one a feeling of satisfaction.

Embracing Self-Care

Self-care is not an indulgence; it’s a necessity for maintaining your overall well-being. Dedicate time to activities that rejuvenate your mind and body, whether it’s immersing yourself in a good book, taking leisurely strolls in nature, indulging in your favorite hobbies, or simply allowing yourself moments of relaxation. Incorporating self-care practices into your daily routine is key to recharging your energy and effectively managing the stress that life often brings. Remember, taking care of yourself enables you to better care for others and navigate life’s challenges with resilience and a positive outlook.

Practicing Gratitude

A strong mental attitude that boosts happiness is one that is characterized by gratitude. You can reorient your attention to the more positive parts of your life by engaging in daily gratitude activities. Some examples of these practices include maintaining a gratitude notebook or expressing appreciation to loved ones. People who practice gratitude are more likely to report higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of stress.

Resilience in Adversity

In life, everyone encounters inevitable difficulties and obstacles. These challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming, but possessing a high level of resilience equips you with the invaluable strength to not only navigate these hurdles but also to emerge from them even more robust than before. Cultivating a growth mindset is a crucial aspect of this resilience. It involves reframing challenges and failures as opportunities for learning and personal growth. Instead of viewing setbacks as roadblocks, see them as stepping stones on your journey to self-improvement.

Conclusion

The first step on your road toward a better and healthier version of yourself is to take deliberate action. Putting your mental health first, taking care of your body, cultivating healthy relationships, pursuing objectives that have value to you, embracing self-care, creating an attitude of appreciation, and being resilient are all essential elements. You can lay the groundwork for long-term happiness and well-being by implementing these habits into your regular routine. Keep in mind that the road to a happier and healthier you is one that will last a lifetime, and that each step you take puts you closer to achieving your objectives.

Why You Need to Take a Mental Health Day

“I need a mental health day.” How often have you heard or even said that quote, then nothing came of it? Prioritizing your mental health is a huge part of life. You wouldn’t force yourself to work through a day when you’re physically sick, so you should care for your mind’s wellness. Start advocating for your mental health, and you might see changes in how you feel and what you prioritize.

Why Should Mental Health Be Prioritized?

You should protect your mental health at all costs. If you truly want to live life, you must prioritize mental wellness just like physical wellness. It might be difficult to start putting yourself first, but it’s crucial, especially if you’re experiencing signs of burnout.

Some indicators of burnout might include the following:

● Lack of interest in things you used to love.

● Feeling helpless or trapped.

● No motivation whatsoever.

● Doubting yourself or thinking you failed.

● Little satisfaction with life.

Burnout can lead to constant stress and make it challenging to accomplish what you want. You experience chronic stress, which can lead to physical illness and the inability to enjoy any part of life. To get back to yourself and prevent burnout from happening to you, you need some sort of a break.

Mental health days are a great way to prioritize yourself and reset your routine when you feel like you don’t have enough time for yourself. Since you won’t be working that day, you’ll have plenty of time to take care of the pressing or time-sensitive chores while also having extra opportunities to take care of your mental health and do something that relaxes you.

Signs You Should Take a Mental Health Day Soon

There’s no right or wrong way to take mental health days. However, if you notice yourself taking an abundance of them, you may need to look for a change. It might be your workplace draining you. Your mental health days will help you understand more about yourself and what areas of your life aren’t currently serving you.

You’re Experiencing Signs of Burnout

Burnout can make you feel like you’re no longer yourself. You can lose interest completely in the things you love. Signs of burnout can be terrifying, but you should focus on what you can control so you don’t let uncertainty rule your life. Burnout can be scary and difficult to deal with, but if you catch it and its roots early enough, you can start to feel like yourself again.

You’ve Lost Passion for Old Hobbies

Losing your passions is a sign of depression and might indicate a larger problem. However, you may have also stepped away from the things you love because you don’t have enough time for them. When you’re working every day, you may feel like you don’t have a day to yourself because any off days then become a game of “catching up” with life by running errands and completing chores.

A mental health day can encourage you to think more about what makes you happy and make a plan to rediscover yourself. Even if one day doesn’t make a huge difference in your life, you can still use it to get back on track. You may just rediscover the things you used to enjoy.

You Haven’t Spent Time Outside Recently

You can use your mental health day to soak up the sunshine and breathe in the fresh air. Getting back out into nature can only benefit you. One study showed that communities with more greenery have fewer cases of depression than places with 80% less green space.

Similarly, as long as you wear adequate sun protection, getting some sunshine can be good for you. Without the proper amount of vitamin D, your brain may not create as many neurotransmitters, which can lead to increased symptoms of depression. Enjoy nature responsibly and reconnect with yourself on your mental health day.

You Need to Focus on Yourself

Several changes you make can influence you for the better. Focus more on what your body needs, and you may see a difference in yourself that makes you proud. For example, you might take your mental health day to sleep in, which can improve how your body functions and help regulate your mental health. Alternatively, you might exercise or create meals that serve your body well.

You Can’t Remember Your Last One

The average number of vacation days is usually no more than two weeks in the United States working world. Spacing out 10 to 14 days throughout the year might mean you can’t remember your last day off. If you can’t remember when your last day off was, take one for yourself. It could save you from symptoms of burnout to take a day for yourself when you need it.

Opt for a Mental Health Day Without Delay

When you feel yourself starting to slip back into old, dangerous habits, like not taking care of yourself properly, you need a day to reset and breathe. A day to yourself should consist of whatever you need to feel more like yourself. The changes won’t happen overnight if you’re experiencing severe burnout, but with regular mental health days, you can get back to the roots of your life and feel like yourself once again.

About The Author

Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find her in a yoga class, advocating for body positivity, whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, or smashing the patriarchy.

Domestic Violence Isn’t Just Black Eyes And Broken Glass

Domestic violence… Let me just say this from the jump. NOBODY DESERVES TO BE ABUSED.

The abuse can come in different forms; including: controlling behavior, gas lighting, narcissistic actions, verbal abuse, mental and psychological abuse, emotional abuse, and of course, physical abuse.

Fists and objects probably come to most people’s minds when they hear domestic abuse. But, DV isn’t categorized as only physical abuse. It isn’t just limited to objects being smashed, or fists flying into faces or walls. And a lot of DV victims aren’t even aware they are being victimized, they have dealt with DV so frequently, and for so long, they are used to it, and some even think its the “norm”, which is sad, because like I said, NO ONE DESEVES ANY TYPE OF ABUSE FROM ANYONE, especially from someone who claims they “love” them.

If someone loves you, they don’t try to manipulate you. They don’t twist your own words and use them against you or try to make you feel like the crazy one when or if you point it out to them. They don’t start fights just for the fun of it. They don’t pry on your weaknesses while your guard is down, and sneakily gather all the private and personal info you’ve shared with them, then later hold, and use, it against you either.

If someone loves you, they sure in the hell don’t go out of their way to be vindictive and say mean, hurtful things to you. They don’t scream and shout at you for mopping the wrong way, or punch giant holes in the walls that you have to cover with pictures because you forgot to pick up milk at the grocery store. They don’t accuse you of ridiculous things and then break the antique vase that your grandmother gave you before she passed away. They don’t threaten you, or tell you they will kill you, or theirselves, if you leave. And sometimes people aren’t even aware that they are being abused in other way; including the victims.

Mental abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, or physical abuse, IT IS STILL ABUSE. And NOBODY deserves any type of abuse. Words can hurt worse than the physical abuse at times, sticking with you for the rest of your life. And some of those “scars” that aren’t visible to the human eye can take longer to heal and overcome, leading to the emotional and mental aspect of it all.

Just know if you have been a victim of DV, you are not alone. There are places to go, people you can reach out to, and hotlines you can call if you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone you know. You don’t have to deal with it alone, and you should never, NEVER have to put up with any type of abuse ever. Domestic violence is very scary, and it can take a toll on you, draining you to the core.

Stand tall, stay strong, and reach out when you see the warning signs. Those red flags are serious, and you start seeing those red flags, run like hell!

If you need help

Call 1800.799.SAFE (7233)

Live chat here: https://www.thehotline.org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics/

Or Text: START to 88788

Things You Can Do to Get Ahead of Your Seasonal Depression

In theory, fall as a harvest season is the period of growth and birth. However, it really doesn’t appear so in urban environments, and people seem more likely to fall into seasonal depression.

After all, the weather is colder and wetter, which keeps you indoors for the most time. Sure, there’s Halloween, but is this really enough to compensate for all the activities you can no longer do outdoors? This is also the season of the flu (even before the COVID-19 pandemic), which further complicates things.

Moreover, a dormant lifestyle, junk food, not getting enough vitamin D, not getting enough sleep, and not hydrating properly can already make you feel depleted. Coincidentally, all of this is more likely in the fall.

In other words, while it might be the season of birth in the countryside, the situation is much grimmer in urban environments. Still, not everything is so dark and moody. With the right game plan, you can easily get ahead of this problem and come up with several solutions.

Spend Time Outside

This kind of lifestyle is particularly appealing, seeing as how it’s easy to skip a walk outside when it’s raining already. This could practically force you to skip some of your best cardio-based habits like walking, cycling, running, etc. Keep in mind that while this is more difficult, it is definitely worth keeping up with. After all, physical activity is one of the key components for improving your mood in the long run.

Sun exposure is also a huge issue, which is why you need to find some motivation to spend more time outdoors. One of the ways to do so is to prepare a special area in your own backyard. Installing a fire pit is a great start. Then, you should proceed to make seating around the fire pit in order to make the area even more inviting. Additional decoration efforts will only improve the effect.

Sure, it’s inconvenient, but it’s incredibly important for both your physical health and your vitamin D levels. So, give it your best to spend some time outdoors. If going gets tough, it might also be a good idea to start taking vitamin D supplements.

Improve Your Diet

Previously, we’ve talked about how you are likely to neglect the importance of spending time outdoors in the summer. The same goes for ordering food instead of going to the farmers’ marketto get healthy ingredients. This is a shame, seeing as how there’s always an abundance of incredible crops and fresh veggies to choose from in the fall.

First of all, you need to focus on preparing your meal from whole foods. Fortunately, fall is the season of apples, pomegranates, cranberries, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and cauliflowers. Blueberries are full of phytochemicals and antioxidants, which are great for your overall health. Pears are great for your heart, while pumpkin is one of the best sources of vitamin A there is.

Overall, the problem with this lies in finding enough motivation to improve your diet. Fortunately, this is not a difficult task.

Find a Therapist

There’s a reason why you’re reading how to get ahead of your seasonal depression – it’s probably because it has happened before, and you expect it to happen again. While mood swings are completely normal, having an active (inevitable) trigger is definitely something you should focus on. The most effective way to do so is to find a therapist you trust.

Remember that there are some people who love fall and all the little joys it brings. In other words, other than just being a matter of personality, it’s also something closely tied to your point of view. This is something that a therapist can help you understand much better. By understanding these triggers, it will be a lot easier to avert them.

Focus on Self-care

The better you take care of yourself, the better you’ll feel. Sure, for some, fall implies that you should carry heavier clothes, but, at the same time, this gives you brand new fashion opportunities to explore. Sweaters, coats, and long sleeves, in general, are not in use during the summer. Now, it’s time to change this for good.

Keep in mind that self-care is not just in the way you dress. Keep in mind that spending more time indoors means sitting more and becoming stiffer. So, go to a massage parlor for a treatment. Furthermore, if you do listen to our advice from the first section and decide to spend more time outdoors, you’ll be exposed to wind, which could cause some damage to your skin. As a solution, you need to moisturize and use better protection.

All in all, the more you tend to your mind and body, the better you’ll feel. Fall can’t do a thing against such extensive preparation efforts.

Regulate Your Sleep Patterns

There are a lot of issues causing problems with your sleep pattern during fall. While some people find that they sleep more during the fall, this is usually not the case with others. On the one hand, longer nights means that our body is more exposed to melatonin. As a result, we get exposed to the so-called winter tiredness. Therefore, it’s essential that you learn how to handle this issue.

First of all, you need to set a strict sleeping schedule and stick to it. Start by figuring out how much sleep time you need. If you’re physically active, you need at least 8-9 hours of sleep every day. If you’re leading a dormant lifestyle, even 7 hours of sleep can be enough. Yes, there is such a thing as too much sleep, and it usually results in getting more tired than if you just cut your rest a couple of hours short.

Other than this, you might also want to try using a humidifier to improve the overall quality of your sleep.

Fill Your Schedule

The busier you are, the more organized you’ll be. As we’ve mentioned, a lot of things that you’ve previously enjoyed may now be much more difficult. This means that you’ll cancel some tasks without replacing them with something new. This is a grievous error that you need to rectify as soon as possible.

Find new hobbies, change your exercise and physical activity routines and, overall, make an effort to fill in your schedule. There are so many things you can do during the fall. Perhaps, you could use these gaps in schedule to pursue opportunities and interests you continually postponed during the summer.

There’s a quote that if you work hard enough, you can replace your depression with exhaustion. This funny quote shouldn’t be taken at its face value, seeing as how depression is a serious illness with dire repercussions. Still, keeping yourself busy can help.

In Conclusion

There’s no magical cure for depression, but it’s important that you set realistic expectations. It’s ok to feel gloomy, sad, or even a bit anxious. These are the moods that will naturally appear and be caused by a variety of factors. Still, if you have the tendency to feel this way more often during the colder part of the year, it might be a good idea to do something about it. The above-listed tips are a great starting point.

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About The Author

Stacey is a freelance writer living in Minnesota with her cat, and she’s passionate about yoga, languages, home improvement, and drinking strong coffee. Find her on Twitter @StaceyShann0n

Why We Should Care About Britney Spears and Her Freedom

How did Britney Get Here?

When you watch the New York Times / FX documentary on Framing Britney Spears you may find yourself becoming very angry. Especially if you are a woman.

I myself was working in the music industry when Britney’s career skyrocketed. And I was in the industry when she had her public melt-downs. I can tell you that the people that I knew at that time that were close to Britney were doing their very best to help her work and sing and dance and do what she truly loved to do, which was to be the best entertainer.

At such as young age from the tiniest of towns, Britney was absolutely determined to be the star that she has become.

The tragedy unfolds as she climbs up the ladder of success. Because, for over twelve years, Britney Spears has been under the conservatorship of her father Jamie Spears. Recently Britney has asked to have someone other than her father, manage her well being and her money.

So why is it so hard for her to remove her father from her conservatorship? After all, Britney has been working for over the last 20 years, effectively and gloriously. Which includes her Vegas residency which ran for over four years. She is an able bodied super star female who can manage her money and her life.

So why the conservatorship in the first place? Why does her Instagram account appear that Britney is imprisoned in her own home? Sure, we are all under quarantine with the pandemic, however fans have been working on unraveling her mysterious and cryptic messages Britney has been posting on her IG.

It is hard not to look at Britney’s instagram without looking at the post comments. You have those posting direct messages to Britney directly showing support for her and her freedom. And you are also seeing people speculate on her mental health. And whether or not she is well.

Meanwhile, Britney is smiling, dancing and wishing nothing but pure goodness to those who follow her. She tells her fans she is discovering the simple things and how to live a normal life. Which would be believable with the exception of the fact that she is dancing in her instagram, hinting she is ready to get out there and perform again.

While Britney accepts that she will be under conservatorship, she no longer wants her dad to be in control of her person, what she does, whom she sees as well as her finances, which includes her entire estate and the jobs she takes on.

So what is the hold up?

Britney is refusing to work as long as her father is her conservator. So here we are. We know Britney is capable of working harder than anyone. And any pushback on her talent has more to do with the fact that she is comfortable in her body and embraced her sexuality at a young age. Which, sadly, the era that Britney had shot to stardom was the Monica Lewinsky era. Where a scarlet letter was placed on any female if she were sexual in nature. And look, she is not the first.. I mean Madonna still gets shit for dating men younger than her. But a man her age would never be under the same scrutiny. And that wrecking ball beauty Miley Cyrus? Where do I start….

Justin Timberlake

I don’t want to sell Justin down the river that he asked Britney to cry for him when they broke up. But an apology now publicly is just too little too late. Join the movement to free her if you really care. But this is just misogyny is at its finest. So when you watch the Diane Sawyers interview during the documentary you can’t help but envision actual gaslighting by a pollyanna news anchor. Mothers were upset? Because Britney soared and she refused to be locked into this role of a female not allowed to be comfortable in her own body?? It really seemed like everyone wanted to literally wipe the smile off her face. But you know what? So far, she is still smiling. And her genuine spirit has all of her fans having her back. And that support is growing by the day.

What You Can Do

Follow Britney on Instagram. It really does appear to be her own account.

You can listen to this podcast for the latest updates

And you can sign this petition to #FreeBrtiney via Change.org

You can watch the documentary via Hulu

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Are you happy?

“happy?”

“I don’t know. I wake up and don’t necessarily feel the want to die anymore, so I guess that’s good. I still have no motivation to live life the way I should be. I feel numb a lot. Going through the motions as I should, but feeling little to nothing in the moment. So, am I happy? No. Am I sad? No. I’m in the middle. I’m in the part where I feel like nothing and everything is right. Like, I’m almost there but I have so much more to do. I’m exhausted. I didn’t realize how tiring it is to find that happiness. To rule out all of the negative and bask in the positive. Sometimes, you get so used to living in a negative mindset that it makes you uncomfortable to feel happy. To feel like everything’s okay. I think everything will be okay, I just think that it will take a lot of time to find comfort and feel like I’m okay, because I still don’t sometimes.”

This quote is how I felt for so long. Like I didn’t really have anything or feel anything.

Recently I’ve come to realize life is so much more and there are so many ways to get through the rough parts. I know that life is not always good, that’s something everyone knows. There’s so much bad in the world and we all see that everyday, even when we try to avoid it. The negativity is almost suffocating, but you have to conquer it somehow. Life may not be great sometimes, but one thing to think about is that there is always more good than bad.

You have to find that good, you have to grab and hold it tight.

Make life better for you, because at the end of the day you are the only person that can define what your life is about. Rid the toxicity from your life. Whether that be family members, friends, significant others, or even just the thoughts you may have circulating through your head. Take time to focus on you, focus on what makes you happy and do something about it. Realize your worth and hold it close to you. Never let anyone bring you down and never bring yourself down. Life is about more than simply just living.

Life is absolutely what you make it. If you’re not happy, work to find that happiness. If you don’t really feel anything, find something that makes you feel again. Have an open mind and pay attention to the opportunities life has to offer you, you never know what you might find.

Living With Anxiety

Anxiety is something that I have struggled with since I was little. They called me the worrier of the family. As we all go through this uncertain time in life I am sure we all feel that our anxieties are a a higher level than normal.

My anxiety in particularl always feels high. Now you throw a global pandemic into the mix and my anxiety level is off the charts. So here are some things I am doing to manage:

Hot Shower

This is something that has always helped me calm down. I even find it helpful when my anxiety is really high is to lay in the tub and listen to the water fall. It reminds me of the rain. With a few deep breaths I can feel the anxiety coming down.

Talking to a Friend

We are all feeling a little isolated right now so this will help your friend as well. So far I have had FaceTime lunch dates. I have drove down by the river and parked next to a friend and sat and talked. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone new.

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When it Feels Like Your Life is Spiraling Out of Control, Remember This

Everything is such a mess.

It feels like your whole life is being derailed, everything you had planned is vanishing right before your eyes. And at times like these, when nothing seems to be going right, it’s easy to get lost in self-pity.

It’s understandable to want to throw yourself on the floor and give up. All our mind is wondering is “why?”

But when you’re hit with these setbacks, instead of cursing the world and succumbing to a victim mentality, change your mindset. When you find yourself wondering “why me?” instead, ask yourself “why not me?”

Ask yourself: “What makes me better than anyone else? What makes me so great that I shouldn’t have to struggle?” The truth is, everyone gets discouraged and everyone feels like their life is out of their own hands.

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Deep Dark Secrets Of A Psychopath

This is for all of my peers who wonder what it’s like to get inside the brain of a legitimate crazy person.

1. I am the only one who is allowed to call myself crazy – It is not okay to call me crazy. I will say this though, if you’re crazy then for the love of God ACKNOWLEDGE it.

2. I don’t know how I’m feeling half of the time – I might be manic one second or level headed the next. I never know who I’m going to be when I wake up.

3. I’m not proud of it – Just because I’m not ashamed to call myself a nut job doesn’t mean that I am okay with it.

4. I will say s**t that I don’t mean – My deepest apologies, for real. Saying dumb things goes hand in hand with never knowing how I’m feeling or going to feel.

5. I’m not hiding from you, I’m hiding from them – It has nothing to do with you, it has to do with everyone else in the world. I hide because I don’t want to face my fears or risk ruining any other relationships in my life.

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This is How You Live Your Best Life with Zero Regrets

I am not the person I was, and I am not yet the person I will become. The future is infinite so make memories, make mistakes, love, and learn from them with zero regrets.

Your past with love, friends, heartbreak, and pain changes you. You learn; and you grow; you love. The place where you are now is the place where you need to be.

The future is an open book and every day is a new chapter in the making. Once something has been read, it can be forgotten as you move along in the book, but it will forever be there. Even if you tear out the pages and set them on fire, they will still be there, even if only in ash.

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