Welcome back to calming yoga with Amalia Trieger. We hope you enjoy this yoga practice.
happiness
How to Prepare For The Winter Blues
Everything from the shorter days to the greyer skies can drastically change your mood during the winter. It can even bring on anxiety, fatigue, and irritability.
The good news is, there are lots of things you can do to help turn your mood around.
Keep Busy
The thought of staying home all day may sound relaxing at first, but doing so will only hurt you in the long run. Any activity that gets you out of the house can significantly improve your mood.
Have a Support System
Think about it; your friends and family canāt support you unless they know what’s going on.
Chances are you likely aren’t going through this alone.
If any of your friends or family are feeling the way you are, you can get through the winter together.
Get Enough Sun
Our days are shorter in the winter months. This can make spending enough time outdoors a little tough.
Shorter days impact your internal body clock, which can affect your mood, sleep, and appetite.
There will be those days where it’s way too cold to go outside.
But don’t let that stop you – sitting next to a window is a great backup plan.
Stuck in a Rut? Hereās What to do
Have you ever had one of those days or weeks where you don’t feel like yourself? If so, hereās what to do!
Take Care of Yourself
It’s so important to evaluate what your body needs.
Are you feeling overtired? Go to bed early tonight.
Been eating takeout every night this week? Prepare a home cooked meal.
Feel overworked? Take the night off and go out with friends!
Your body is always telling you things. It’s just a matter of actually listening.
Amp Up Your Routine
Of course, habit and structure are important – but it’s fun and healthy to mix it up from time to time.
Feel like your routine is great to the way it is?
Remember – no one said these changes have to be drastic.
Taking a different route to work or visiting a new coffee shop can make a huge difference.
Say Goodbye to Perfectionism
Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, you still aren’t good enough? It’s definitely not a fun feeling.
When you’re constantly unhappy with your performance, it’s hard to say motivated.
Embrace your fears. Learn from your mistakes. Be proud of yourself.
Be Careful – Your Smartphone May be Hurting Your Health
Smartphones can be our best friend and worst enemy at the same time.
They help us connect with loved ones, learn new things and can prevent potentially dangerous situations.
However, they can also be quite distracting and can prevent us from living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
With that being said, here are a few ways smartphones can be used to your advantage.
Sleep With Your Phone Off
Keeping your phone right next to your bed can be extremely distracting.
Even if it’s on silent, the light actually stimulates your brain to stay awake.
Not exactly what we want before bedtime.
So, you may be thinking to yourself “But, what about my alarm?”
Great question.
Invest in an old-fashioned alarm clock. You’ll be surprised how much easier it will be to fall asleep without all the distractions and need to check social media.
Exercise & Activity
The app store has an endless supply of apps to choose from.
Some of them are great for our health, while others are great for entertainment.
There’s nothing wrong with playing games on your phone once in a while.
But some of these games can become addicting and decrease your daily activity.
Exactly you should make the switch to fitness apps. Some apps track your steps, remind you to work out, or even guide you through workouts.
Again, there are several to choose from, so it comes down to personal preference.
Productivity
Did you know that putting full attention into our activities make us happier?
It isn’t exactly easy to fully concentrate when your phoneās constantly going off.
Take a minute to think about how many times a day you check your phone. It could be dozens!
Put your phone on airplane mode, turn off push notifications and enjoy the boost in productivity.
How to Master Positive Self Talk
Mentally healthy people have quite a few traits in common – masters of positive self-talk is right at the top of the list.
Ready to change the conversation with yourself? Great news, you’re in the right place.
Success Comes From Doing
Wanting to feel better is a choice. You know yourself best. You know what activities make you happy. So what are you waiting for? Go out and do them!
Challenges Are Opportunities
No one ever said life was easy or fair. But it’s not just on you. We all have bad days full of challenges and obstacles.
You can either feel bad about it.
Or do what you can to turn this negative into a positive.
We All Make Mistakes
Now, this may sound clichĆ© – but it’s true. Everybody makes mistakes.
And mistakes are not a bad thing. In fact, they are one of the best ways to learn.
You can read about something day in and day out, but it isn’t until you actually go out there and practice, that you learn.
The biggest opportunity of your life might be just a mistake or two away.
Looking For Happiness?
Pull out your map, the quest to finding happiness starts today.
Know Something Positive is Waiting For You
What’s around the corner is a mystery.
If you want to be happy, you have to remind yourself that something positive is waiting for you.
You can either wait for that corner to show up, or go out and find it!
Surround Yourself with Happy People
Happiness is contagious!
Whether you realize it or not, the people you surround yourself with have a huge impact on your mindset and overall happiness.
When was the last time you spent the afternoon with a positive and upbeat friend? It may be time to give them a call.
Remember Positive Memories
You wouldn’t be the person you are today without overcoming all those obstacles. You know which ones!
Sure, going through the situation may not have been fun at the time.
But think back to how you felt when you finally overcame it. Pretty proud right?
Overcoming challenges builds resiliency, increases confidence, and can change your life for the better.
Come on, letās take a stroll down memory lane.
Hereās Why Trees Make Us Happy
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to de-stress, try spending more time in nature surrounded by trees. It can be very therapeutic.
Trees Improve Your Health
Itās about time to add trees to your gratitude list.
Not only do they release oxygen, but they also have the power to improve your health.
Studies show that spending time in forests can improve our immune system and heart health.
An apple (and a tree) a day keeps the doctor away.
Trees Make Us More Generous and Trusting
Think this sounds too good to be true? Well, just listen to this experiment.
One group of university students were instructed to look at a building for one minute.
While the other group of students were asked to look at a group of eucalyptus trees for one minute.
The group who studied the trees felt awe and a sense of wonder.
I think we can all agree, that was a minute well spent.
No Act Is Too Small
Being around trees isn’t an all or nothing activity.
So, camping or hiking may not be for you – and thatās okay!
Visit the park over lunch. Look out the window throughout the day. Plant a tree in your yard.
Giving Never Gets Old
Sure, purchasing something nice for yourself can feel good in the moment. However, as time goes on that feeling will fade. Studies show that spending money on someone else can significantly increase your mood and overall happiness. Here’s why…
Special Occasions
Think about it. Doing something outside your routine is exciting because it’s new. Going out for dinner every night may make you happy for a week or two. But, it’s only a matter of time until eating out becomes apart of your routine or even boring.
What Happens When You Treat Someone Else
There was a fascinating study done recently all about giving.Hereās a rundown. All participants got $25 to spend. Half the group was instructed to buy something for themselves. While the other half were told to spend the money on somebody else.
Want to guess which group experienced happiness longer?