Month: May 2020

🍎 Today’s Health Tip ~ Smell The Skin of an Orange

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Want a Mood Booster? Smell the Skin of an Orange

Studies have shown that orange essential oil helps boost mood and alertness, and can reduce anxiety. If you don’t keep the fresh fruit on hand, buy some bottled oil and dab a drop on each wrist or massage into your temples for the same effect.

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👊 Today’s Power Thought ~ The Power of a Stubborn Streak

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I’ve got a stubborn streak, tell me I can’t do it and I won’t stop until I do it and do it better than the rest.

🌾 Today’s Poem ~ Morning Prayer

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Morning Prayer

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Let me to-day do something that shall take
   A little sadness from the world’s vast store,
And may I be so favoured as to make
   Of joy’s too scanty sum a little more
Let me not hurt, by any selfish deed
   Or thoughtless word, the heart of foe or friend;
Nor would I pass, unseeing, worthy need,
   Or sin by silence when I should defend.
However meagre be my worldly wealth,
   Let me give something that shall aid my kind—
A word of courage, or a thought of health,
   Dropped as I pass for troubled hearts to find.
Let me to-night look back across the span
   ’Twixt dawn and dark, and to my conscience say—
Because of some good act to beast or man—
   “The world is better that I lived to-day.”

p. 30

Today’s Smile 😃

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Joe: “I lost my job at the cemetery yesterday.”

Pete: “What happened?”

Joe: “I buried someone in the wrong plot.”

Pete: “That’s a shame.”

Joe: “My boss said I made a grave mistake.”

🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ Make Time for Flower Power

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Brighten Up Your Life with Flowers, Indoors and Out

A team of Harvard researchers found that keeping fresh flowers at home does wonders in keeping away anxiety and negative moods. People in the study also felt more compassionate toward others and they felt a boost of energy and enthusiasm at work.

Source

<br />A: Old age. While<a href="http://www.vwl.tuwien.ac.at/hanappi/AgeSo/rp/Lacey_2006.pdf" target="_blank"> most people</a> believe happiness declines with age, studies show that's not true. A large<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/148064/europeans-happiness-doesn-necessarily-fade-age.aspx" target="_blank"> Gallup poll</a> found 85-year-olds to be more satisfied with themselves than 18-year-olds, and<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2890490/" target="_blank"> another study</a> found that happiness and enjoyment dip in middle age and rise again in old age.

 
<br />A: It depends on<a href="http://www.brown.edu/academics/philosophy/ethical-inquiry/sites/brown.edu.academics.philosophy.ethical-inquiry/files/uploads/Mogilner Happy Experiences.pdf" target="_blank"> your age</a>. Younger people gain more happiness from uncommon, extraordinary experiences, while older people savor simple, ordinary experiences that fill up daily life.

 
<br />A: Family games and traveling.<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/howellhappinsslab/home" target="_blank"> Studies </a>show that spending on meaningful activities that bring us closer to family and friends or boost self-confidence makes us the happiest, such as sharing travel experiences, playing board games or learning musical instruments.

 
<br />A: All of them. In fact, happy brain expert<a href="http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/cihmDrDavidson.html" target="_blank"> Dr. Richard Davidson</a> says<a href="http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/cihmScientificPub.html" target="_blank"> his data</a> show that if a person sits quietly and thinks about kindness and compassion for a half-hour a day, their brain will show<a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/21811" target="_blank"> noticeable changes</a> in just two weeks.

 
As research into our mysterious gray matter continues to explode, scientists are getting ever closer to understanding what creates a calm, contented and happy brain. Answer these eight questions to see whether your brain is wired to be happy or if you might need to practice positivity.

<br />A: If you picked the kitten or pup, your brain may be wired to be happy. <a href="http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/9/6/760" target="_blank">Studies</a> show that people who have happy brains respond more to positive things than negative or neutral ones.

 
<br />A: All of them. They all have positive elements. No one is hurt, and everyone has access to help. Happy people, according to<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpuDyGgIeh0" target="_blank"> happiness researcher and author Rick Hanson</a>, look for the positives in each experience and try to hold on to those.

 
<br />A: None of them. Happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky says that although all of these can contribute to contentment, they are also part of<a href="http://themythsofhappiness.org/discover-happiness/" target="_blank"> The Myths of Happiness</a>. She defines those as "myths that assure us that lifelong happiness will be attained once we hit the culturally confirmed markers of adult success. This restricted view of happiness works to discourage us from recognizing the upside of any negative life turn and blocks us from recognizing our own growth potential."

 
<br />A: All of them.<a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/laura-kubzansky/publications/" target="_blank"> Studies</a> tell us that writing down what we are grateful for several times a week, laughing and surrounding ourselves with positive, nurturing relationships and looking for the positive as often as possible are great ways to boost mood.

 
<br />A: Old age. While<a href="http://www.vwl.tuwien.ac.at/hanappi/AgeSo/rp/Lacey_2006.pdf" target="_blank"> most people</a> believe happiness declines with age, studies show that's not true. A large<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/148064/europeans-happiness-doesn-necessarily-fade-age.aspx" target="_blank"> Gallup poll</a> found 85-year-olds to be more satisfied with themselves than 18-year-olds, and<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2890490/" target="_blank"> another study</a> found that happiness and enjoyment dip in middle age and rise again in old age.

 
<br />A: It depends on<a href="http://www.brown.edu/academics/philosophy/ethical-inquiry/sites/brown.edu.academics.philosophy.ethical-inquiry/files/uploads/Mogilner Happy Experiences.pdf" target="_blank"> your age</a>. Younger people gain more happiness from uncommon, extraordinary experiences, while older people savor simple, ordinary experiences that fill up daily life.

 
<br />A: Family games and traveling.<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/howellhappinsslab/home" target="_blank"> Studies </a>show that spending on meaningful activities that bring us closer to family and friends or boost self-confidence makes us the happiest, such as sharing travel experiences, playing board games or learning musical instruments.

 
<br />A: All of them. In fact, happy brain expert<a href="http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/cihmDrDavidson.html" target="_blank"> Dr. Richard Davidson</a> says<a href="http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/cihmScientificPub.html" target="_blank"> his data</a> show that if a person sits quietly and thinks about kindness and compassion for a half-hour a day, their brain will show<a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/21811" target="_blank"> noticeable changes</a> in just two weeks.

 
As research into our mysterious gray matter continues to explode, scientists are getting ever closer to understanding what creates a calm, contented and happy brain. Answer these eight questions to see whether your brain is wired to be happy or if you might need to practice positivity.

<br />A: If you picked the kitten or pup, your brain may be wired to be happy. <a href="http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/9/6/760" target="_blank">Studies</a> show that people who have happy brains respond more to positive things than negative or neutral ones.

 
<br />A: All of them. They all have positive elements. No one is hurt, and everyone has access to help. Happy people, according to<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpuDyGgIeh0" target="_blank"> happiness researcher and author Rick Hanson</a>, look for the positives in each experience and try to hold on to those.

 
<br />A: None of them. Happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky says that although all of these can contribute to contentment, they are also part of<a href="http://themythsofhappiness.org/discover-happiness/" target="_blank"> The Myths of Happiness</a>. She defines those as "myths that assure us that lifelong happiness will be attained once we hit the culturally confirmed markers of adult success. This restricted view of happiness works to discourage us from recognizing the upside of any negative life turn and blocks us from recognizing our own growth potential."

 
<br />A: All of them.<a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/laura-kubzansky/publications/" target="_blank"> Studies</a> tell us that writing down what we are grateful for several times a week, laughing and surrounding ourselves with positive, nurturing relationships and looking for the positive as often as possible are great ways to boost mood.

 
colorful happy brain
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COVID-19 Is a Bummer – It Can’t Stop Good Things From Happening

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COVID-19 Is a Bummer – It Can’t Stop Good Things From Happening

Here are a few of the good things I witnessed or experienced today:

  • Salons are open. I needed to make a choice: get a haircut or twist my hair into a ponytail. Grateful for the stylist who took her time with me and grateful for the salon for making me feel safe (from COVID-19).
  • Churches can hold services, more places are open, people are kind to each other. We’re moving on. Yes we are! Grateful.

We’re another day closer to victory. We’ve got a clear road ahead and no radar traps. It’s all going to work out. Hang in there.

The little things are priceless treasures to me. They brighten my day. I hope your day is filled to overflowing with the little things that make life worth living.

Grateful for all the above.

If you’d like to share the good things you’ve witnessed on my blog, Email me (ray.brese@gmail.com) a short list (1 to 5 things.  I’ll post and attribute them to you in the way you choose to be acknowledged (e.g., anonymous, name, Word Press blog (etc.).

🤗 Feel Good Hack ~ A Good Way to Begin the Day

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Get Your Day off to a Great Start

Write Reminders – Are you forgetful first thing in the morning? If so, jot down important morning tasks the night before, and place the list somewhere visible. For instance, you could write reminders on a dry erase board that sticks to your refrigerator. You could also scribble encouraging quotes or mantras on the board to get some positive vibes going.

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🌞 Today’s Inspiration ~ Don’t Even Think About Giving Up

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“Your heaviest artillery will be your will to live. Keep that big gun going.”

~Norman Cousins

COVID-19 Is a Bummer – It Can’t Stop Good Things From Happening

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COVID-19 Is a Bummer – It Can’t Stop Good Things From Happening

Here are a few of the good things I witnessed or experienced today:

  • Yippee! The gyms in Texas open today. I stopped by my gym and spoke with the manager. She is working hard to make sure everything is in order to protect gym users. Working together we’ll win. Grateful to be able to go to the gym. Grateful for those working to keep it a healthy space.
  • Not a cloud in the beautiful south Texas sky. The blue sky along with the varying shades of green this spring make this a wonderful day. Grateful for my eyesight. Grateful for blue skies. Grateful for the color green and all its varying shades.

We’re another day closer to victory. I shy away from the naysayers, depressing, and “what if” folks. Bring on the music. Let’s dance. Life is good and getting better.

The little things are priceless treasures to me. They brighten my day. I hope your day is filled to overflowing with the little things that make life worth living.

Grateful for all the above.

If you’d like to share the good things you’ve witnessed on my blog, Email me (ray.brese@gmail.com) a short list (1 to 5 things.  I’ll post and attribute them to you in the way you choose to be acknowledged (e.g., anonymous, name, Word Press blog (etc.).

🍎 Today’s Health Tip ~ Healthier You Is Possible

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6 Tips for a Healthier Life

1. Realize that each human being has a built-in capacity for recuperation and repair.

2. Recognize that the quality of life is all-important.

3. Assume responsibility for the quality of your own life.

4. Nurture the regenerative and restorative forces within you.

5. Utilize laughter to create a mood in which the other positive emotions can be put to work for yourself and those around you.

6. Develop confidence and ability to feel love, hope and faith, and acquire a strong will to live.

~ Attributed to Norman Cousins

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