“SPRING is a time to find out where you are, who you are, and move toward where you are going. ” -Penelope Trunk
SPRING seems to breathe new life into everything. You walk around a store and see color everywhere, you walk out into your yard and see the first yellow daffodil’s that seem to sing SPRING.
Spring seems to wake up the soul and fill in the empty spaces with plans and projects, with new beginnings, with spring cleaning, with hope like a bud blooming on the trees outside the window. Everything whispers, grow.
Here are some tips, tricks and ideas to wake up the soul, stretch beyond, open spaces, and make room for the new ideas, dreams and soul seeking things you need right now!
YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH. YOU ARE BEAUTY. INTELLIGENCE. LOVE. LIGHT. YOU ARE DIVINE.
Some great tips for your MIND. BODY. SOUL. HOME…balance is better
IDEAS TO NOURISH YOUR SOUL: Take time to be alone, to be quiet. Read–something that will enrich your mind and heart. (a few personal favorites: The Heart of Goodness, The Seekers Guide, Zest for Life, Wayne Dyer, The Untethered Soul) Write–journal things you are grateful for, begin a personal blog to express where you are in life & get feelings out, or write letters to yourself. Write to find your true voice, to set your feelings free and be able to understand yourself a little better on a personal level. Get Creative–what artistic avenue may help you tap into a deeper part of you. Do you have a hobby or passion that lights you up? Find some way to express yourself creatively [photography, painting, wood, collage, etc]. Get out in nature–take a walk through a park, look at flower petals up close, sit under a tree, touch the smooth lines of a pebble, listen to water, watch the clouds. Nature has a calming, soothing affect on us. Get in tune–listen to music that soothes and comforts through the rhythm and flow of the melody of music. It has a power and influence that you cannot over look. Music takes us to memories, it records moments within our lives. You can feel what feels right for you at a specific moment. Listen to what your heart needs. Breathe deeply–take at least five deep breaths and let go. LOL–share jokes, watch a comedy, be silly because laughter really is a great medicine for stress and releases hormones that help us feel better.
IDEAS TO NOURISH YOUR BODY: Sleep–make sure you are getting 7 to 9 hours . Stretch–to avoid soreness, aches and pains. Exercise—according to Dr. Mercola eighty percent of Americans fail to meet the recommended amount of exercise, which is 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity activity or 1.25 hours of vigorous-intensity activity each week…along with twice weekly strength-training workouts. Drink more water–You are suppose to have eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals a half a gallon a day. Make one small change–switch out a soda for flavored water, eat an apple or try a fruit or veggie you have never had. Sun Me–Get out in the sun for a little vitamin D (at least 15 minutes) Try Walnuts–I keep hearing how walnuts are so good for you because they stimulate the brain and nervous system. Don’t eat so fast–This is a big one for my family. We ‘inhale’ our food. Chew, take your time and savor your food. Tap into your scents–lavender calms, Cinnamon reduces nervousness, Orange & Vanilla are an antidepressant, etc. Spray, light a candle, use infusers or oil, but use the power of the aromas.
IDEAS TO NOURISH YOUR MIND: according to HuffingtonPost here are 10 things that benefit our brains–Tired is better?–Your brain does creative work better when you’re tired. That is probably why many ideas often happen in the shower. Stress–can actually change the size of the brain (and make it smaller). Stress is very bad for the brain, so do all you can to avoid it! [ie: get enough sleep, eat healthy, limit alcohol and don’t smoke, exercise, try to have a good work/life balance] Multitasking— is literally impossible for your brain. When we think we’re multitasking, we’re actually context switching. That is, we’re quickly switching back and forth between different tasks rather than doing them at the same time. Research shows your error rate goes up 50 percent and it takes you twice as long to do things. Take a nap–short bursts of sleep are actually really useful to improve memory, solidify memories, better learning, and more. Vision trumps–Hear a piece of information, and three days later you’ll remember 10 percent of it. Add a picture and you’ll remember 65 percent. Pictures beat text as well, in part because reading is so inefficient for us. Our brain sees words as lots of tiny pictures, and we have to identify certain features in the letters to be able to read them. Meditation can rewire the brain for the better–causes less anxiety, more creativity, better memory, increased compassion, decreases stress, improves memory skills… Exercise is good for your brain–there is a link between exercise and mental alertness, in a similar way that happiness and exercise are related. Best foods to boost brainpower according to bbcgoodfood.com–Wholegrains, Oily fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines, Blueberries (improves short term memory loss), Tomatoes, B vitamins, Blackcurrant (vitamin c), Pumpkin seeds, Broccoli, Sage, Nuts (vitamin E)
IDEAS TO FIND MORE PEACE WITHIN YOUR HOME: Your home should be a safe haven, a sanctuary for the soul, a place where you are lifted and renewed. Here are some ideas to create more peace at home. According to health.com you need: Cut the clutter–“Remove anything that causes you stressful thoughts,” says Janice Sugita, author of The Feng Shui Equation. Add watercolors–“Certain hues bring on calm: Blue attracts creativity & prosperity, and green creates a feeling of new life in a room,” Sugita says. Embrace space–an overstuffed room can make you feel tense, so leave about 2.5 feet of walking space around the furniture. Invite nature indoors–Open blinds to let in natural light, and place plants around the room, “Plants bring new life, growth and oxygen to a space, ” Sugita says. Have specific times each year to de-clutter— Clutter can add feelings of tension & when you have space and clear out excess you have a more peaceful mind and body. Energy drain--Make a list of things that drain you around the house & then begin one by one to take care of them.
I hope this post has helped you find ways to nourish your mind, body, soul and home.
It’s Spring, a beautiful time to renew
Peace to you. -H
The Colors: Easter brings Spring and Spring is full of new growth, birth, green grasses, butterflies, flowers…there is color everywhere and after a stark winter, color is good. I love decorating my front porch with a fake green tree that is covered in silk butterflies to ring in the new color of Spring. My table is adorned with an arrangement of long, green grasses with fluttering butterflies and an Easter Lily. I have a long ribbon that I hung from my ceiling fan & clipped 7 various bright butterflies. Add a little color to your home.
Creative egg decorating: What about emoji eggs! What about covering eggs in fun stamps! What about fun tattoo eggs for kids! We LOVE the fake, white eggs that you can decorate and then keep from years to come. Chalk eggs are also a fun thing. There is also a white paint pen you could add fun designs to your brown or colored eggs. You could also do clear glue over plastic eggs and wrap them in thin yarn. Fine tip colorful sharpie markers can add all kinds of fun details to your eggs–add names, doodles, patterns, etc. You could also use nail polish that you have around the house to create fun patterns and designs. Washi tape is also a fun accent to add to eggs.
Fun for an Egg Hunt: What about putting confetti and a fun fortune in some plastic eggs for your kids to find. I also thought Disney Mini Tsum Tsum toys, mini pets, mini toys would be perfect to fit in eggs for the easter hunt. What about mini nail polish or $1 bills for teen age kids. It might be fun to put foam letters in the eggs that spell out fun words. A cute idea from kidsactivitiesblog suggested creating ‘Bunny Munny’ & have that in some of the eggs, so then the kids can buy items from the ‘Bunny Emporium.’ I LOVE doing glow in the dark egg hunts. We put glow sticks in the eggs with candy & the kids have a ball. Turn it into a scavenger hunt–ie:find four blue eggs, two chocolate eggs, 5 pink eggs, one striped, etc.
Fun Foods: I funny idea from country living–Hatching hard boiled eggs. What about easter basket cupcakes or the chef mix bird nests. Every year we buy the hostess snowballs and make bunny faces with paper ears, licorice whiskers, gumdrop or jellybean eyes. Deviled eggs are always a yummy treat, but who don’t you use your colored eggs to give them a little flare. There are lots of fun recipes out there to make the holidays fun!
Putting Jesus in the details: I have done the resurrection eggs which are wonderful. [there are DIY ideas & some great kits you can purchase on Amazon] I have also read different books each season that tie in Christ or the meaning of Easter [The Legend of the Sand Dollar, The story of the Easter Robin, The Legend of the Easter Egg, Benjamin’s Box to name a few] I also like thedatingdivas idea to have a Sunrise Breakfast on Easter to remember Jesus rising from the tomb. [they have 100 other ideas–a couple I added here that I liked–here is a link http://www.thedatingdivas.com/holidays/easter/100-ideas-for-a-christ-centered-easter/
Top Stress Busting Tips: 1. Take three deep breaths–5 seconds in, 5 seconds out–to slow your heart rate and the pace of your stress hormones. 2. Copy a cat: Stretch and then shake it out. 3. Sing a favorite song. You’ll breathe more fully and the increased oxygen will do your body good. 4. Hang your head forward as if it were a heavy ball, then move it slowly to the side, back, side and front. Repeat. Circle around twice in the opposite direction. 5. Sit up straight. When your shoulders are back, you open up your chest and breathe more freely. 6. Hold the hand of someone you love. Skin-to-skin touch is calming. 7. Pop a piece of gum. Chewing loosens the jaw, where you often store stress. 8. Take a mental break–focus on a photo of a loved one, a goal or a favorite place. 9. At work, walk over to someone’s desk to talk, take a break, force yourself to move. It will relieve physical tension. 10. Smooth on hand lotion. The smell and feel is wonderfully distracting. 11. Say a prayer–it’s one of the most potent antidotes to stress. Connecting with a higher power helps you gain strength and clear your mind. 12. Use your whole body as you yawn. The deep exhalation is relaxing and the stretch loosens your muscles. -taken from Women’s Day
Interesting & FUN Animal Facts: Sea Otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t drift away from each other. [So sweet] We could all take a lesson from that. What if we all went to bed holding hands– what a difference that would make. Would our connection, love, affection, care last longer? It is an interesting thought. Maybe just holding hands a little more often may bring the same results. Hold someone’s hand and spread a little love.
The world without Hitler: Something to think about. How our world would have been so changed. I learned that he almost drown in 1894 (he was 4) as a young boy in the waters of the River Inn in Passau. It is likely that Hitler airbrushed the incident out of his life history. Being rescued by a boy who went on to represent a religion he despised would not have sat well with the myth he had built around himself of being called by destiny to save Germany.
Laughter: Heavy laughter can strengthen the immune system & releases positive endorphins. According to imbd.com the movies that make you cry of laughter are: The Hangover movies, Superbad, The 40-year old virgin, Pineapple Express, Harold & Kumar(s). Zombieland, American Pie (s), Road Trip, Horrible Bosses, 21 Jump Street, Due date…
I LOVE YOU in a variety of languages: Ti amo (Italian) Yo Te amp & Te quiero (Spanish) Je Taime (French) Wo Ie Ni [woah-eye-nigh] Chinese Aishiteru [Aye-shee-ter-u] Japanese Ich liebe dich [ick-lee-bah-dik] German
Website EVENCOOL.COM has 45 links of all sorts of things you can learn (from talking like a pirate to how to knit) COOL ART. COOL FACTS. COOL NEWS. COOL STUFF
25 Secrets for a better life by even cool.com Relax. Smile more. Do what you Love. Have goals and dreams. Travel. Be curious. Get good at something. Help others. Remember peoples names. Choose friends wisely. Don’t burn bridges. Get fit. Drink water. Think positive thoughts. Read. Be honest at all times. Start your day off right. Take a rubber band to negative thoughts. Learn to be unaffected by the words of others. Forgive. Learn to control your mind. Learn to control your emotions. Make good first impressions. Keep your brain sharp. Develop charismatic personality.
Life medals: There was a great part where Eddie’s mom gives him a tin box as a boy to keep all his “olympic” medals in. You see as the story goes, that he tries numerous sports which then causes him to have multiple pairs of broken eyeglasses that he puts in the tin box. I loved the image and metaphor of each pair of glasses being his medal of determination. We could all use a special box or place that we collect mementos from our life that illustrates the many times we try different things within our life. Maybe it is a collection of photos of places we visit, a box of screenplays that we are constantly drafting, a portfolio of illustrations we collect to see improvement, pieces of jewelry that symbolize different memories…etc.
It’s never too late: Eddie had numerous people tell him that “You do realize the time to start jumping is when you are five or six?” -Bronson Peary BUT, this did not stop Eddie from pushing forward no matter what anyone said.
Never give up: “You’re not going to give up are ya?” -Bronson Peary Eddie was shear determination from the beginning. He was told at a young age that he should give up on any sports because he had troubled knees. He had surgeries and wore braces for much of his childhood. The doctors told him to “take up reading,” so the first book he picked up was about the Olympics. This one book, coupled with his will to never give up led him to one path—the Olympics! “A true Olympian is not a God-given skill set. It is never giving up.” -Warren Sharp [played by Christopher Walken–Peary’s old coach] This was the epitome of Eddie and his determination.
Great article about the true Eddie Edwards & his story—more details about how he truly did not give up—
Don’t let anyone take away your dream: There were a few characters throughout the movie that challenged the character of who Eddie was determined to be. He had multiple times where he had to push back on people who were trying to stop his dream.
Challenge anyone who is there trying to stop you from becoming your best: Eddie’s father challenged him on numerous occasions, but Eddie was confident in his determination and ability. At one point Eddie’s father said, “Name me one British ski jumper.” Eddie answered, “me.”
Your moment: In the movie Eddie said, “I needed my own moment. A moment to prove them all wrong.” I think many of us get caught in searching and searching for something that will give us a ‘big moment’ or feel like we have something to prove to others. I think if we can find the many moments that make us grow, shine, inspire–then we will look back on our lives & have many moments we are proud of.
Don’t compare yourself to anyone else: With Facebook, Instagram…our world is turning more into a ‘compare and despair’ problem. Eddie was thrilled with each little success. He did not look at the other athletes and see his jump was half theirs, he celebrated in his personal wins no matter what anyone else thought. Eddie’s coach shouted in defiance, “Personal best and we’re a disgrace!”
Be yourself: Eddie’s first jump in the Olympics was not anything compared to the other jumpers, but Eddie celebrated, danced, found joy in the moment & his enthusiasm was contagious & lit up the crowd and won everyone over. He became a crowd favorite. His bird dance won him the name, “Eddie the Eagle.”
Walk the talk–ACT: Eddie was a person of action. He may not have been the best on the hill, but his heart was one of action and determination. The top jumper knew Eddie’s heart & knew that neither of them could leave the hill without doing their best. Eddie had never tried the 90 meter jump, but he was determined to. “I did not come here as a novelty act and I will not be going home as one.” He took action despite fear and possible death.
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