Five Ways to Naturally Reduce Stress

Dad, you might like these:

http://huffpost.com/us/entry/4681739?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ir=Healthy+Living

Breakfast smoothie

Mango (for thickness), kale, spinach, blueberry, trader joes super red mix, chia seeds, chlorella, spirulina and organic apple juice

Super Easy, Super Fast Healthy Breakfast

Heat up pan on high for several minutes before adding olive oil. First, fry egg and add crushed black pepper. Then, add more olive oil and two handfuls of spinach after removing the egg. Season spinach with garlic salt. 

Tastes good, good for you, and a balanced breakfast too. Takes about 8 minutes total. 

Marathon training, day 1

Started at 6:50 this morning. Took 20 minutes to get out of bed and on the road but I'm glad I did! 

Organic whole milk, whey protein and cacao powder for a recovery drink. 

A Healthy, Fast Food

When I'm too tired or busy to really prepare something healthy, even just to blend something up, I love to stock up on Odwalla or Naked juice - especially the superfood or green machine flavors. 

Odwalla doesn't use concentrate in their juices; they use a purée of real fruits and vegetables. The superfood flavor even has spirulina, one of my favorite superfoods. It's literally jam-packed with nutrients and basically nothing else. And the best part is, these juices are actually delicious!

They do go bad faster than most juices you'll get, and that's a good thing. It means they're more natural and aren't loaded with preservatives, so you can still get a "quick fix" that tastes good and not get burned by it later. 

I like to stock up on 3-4 of these at a time. They're great for taking with you in a hurry too! I've had them for breakfast on my way to work several times this week already. 

Don't live off of them, of course. Make sure to drink plenty of water too. As always, moderation and balance and everything. 

Oh, and don't get the protein ones. They're super gross. 

Weathering the Storm

Image Credit: http://laurie365degrees.blogspot.com

Sometimes, you may be overwhelmed by a tidal wave of thoughts, feelings, emotions, or even physical pain.  Usually those have come in the form of thoughts, for me.  But you don't need to worry about them.

Thoughts are just thoughts, and nothing more.  Feelings and emotions are founded in our thoughts and beliefs, so for this post we're just going to focus on thoughts.

This week, I've been overwhelmed at times by thoughts that seem to hit me like a semi - totally out of nowhere, and unsolicited for the most part.  Most of the time, I've tried to prevent them from coming or straight up fight against them.  But that only serves to make them stronger.

What I've recently learned from meditation is this: thoughts can be like a storm.  But like any storm, it eventually passes.  You can't control if the lightning rages and the wind beats against you, but you can always choose to wait it out.

I'm not saying you can't control your thoughts.  I think you can.  But when you're tired, bored, stressed, lonely or whatever, it gets much harder to do so.  

Today I got up early and ran, did everything right, even ate healthy all day.  But I'm still tired from not sleeping enough, and from being mentally exhausted by a project at work.  My mind started to wander to relationships in my life that are stressing me out, and before I knew it, I was smothered by this tidal wave.

But rather than try to fight it, analyze it or avoid it, I decided to try this technique of just "weathering the storm."

What happened was, I simply felt peace.  I don't know what will happen in these relationships; nobody does.  But what I do know is everything is ok as it is, right now.  I am ok.  Not in a few months, and not when x, y, or z happens.  Right. Now.

Letting these mental storms run their course leaves you feeling empowered and hopeful, and is great for your mental and emotional health.  Harnessing this mental clarity will give you an extra reserve of energy and endurance for those days when you're feeling more tired, bored, lonely or stressed than usual.

Why It's Bad to Call Bad Feelings... Bad

Ok, so it's not the best title.  But this is a little more of a serious, deep topic than what I'd usually write. I learned some of these things while practicing meditation (ooobah) and also from doing a processing session with Carrie.  Trust me, it gets good.

One of the most common urges I think we have as human beings is the need to label things.  Specifically, to decide if emotions are negative or positive.

Is that helping?

When we put labels on emotions, we are often doing it to protect ourselves - whether we are aware of it or not.  For example, we may say it's bad to feel angry.  Why?  Because anger expressed can alienate those around us for a time and even ruin relationships when the fire rages out of control.  And we all know how important relationships are for us to thrive.

But consider this: what if that anger (or fear, or insecurity, or confusion) was merely a warning and a lesson, and wasn't really bad after all?  What if its primary purpose was actually to teach you something?

What if, for example, it was only telling you that something was out of whack in your expectations?  What if, like a sprained ankle, it was meant to teach you to take it easy for a bit and not expect so much from yourself?

Photo Credit: www.wellnesscoach.com

There are, of course, countless problems that these "negative" emotions are meant to uncover.  Heavenly Father's design includes an opposition in all things, and it is my personal belief that this opposition is meant (at least in part) to be a powerful, symbolic teacher.

Choosing to allow these emotions to be (rather than immediately putting them in a box to be condemned or praised), exploring them and letting them run their course enables you to be open to learning about deeper needs, wants, and unresolved issues in your life that you never would have discovered otherwise.  Labeling and thus confining our emotions prevents us from making those discoveries that "loose the chains that hold us bound."

For me, this discovery has facilitated the exposure of some mercilessly crippling core beliefs, ultimately giving me the peaceful reassurance I needed to face some of my biggest demons in life.  I hope it can do the same for you!

"...for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

-William Shakespeare