The Daily Mind

Daily Steps To Mindful Living

Hannah Gamis

Mindful Travelling Tips: Eco Love, Learning Thai and Being Nice

Life, Mind, Mindfulness, Travel

Traveling and experiencing what the world has to offer is an educational experience like no other, but horror stories of rude tourists and irresponsible ones abound, leaving a bad taste in locals’ mouths and an ever worse fate for the environment. You don’t have to contribute to the bad image of tourists if only you practice mindfulness during your travels. So the next time you go on a trip, remember to spread some eco love, learn a bit of Thai, and be nice to everyone you meet!

ECO LOVE (Care for the environment)

No matter how eco-friendly you are, travelling unfortunately takes it toll on the environment. Do your part to protect the Earth by reducing your footprint as much as possible. Simple measures like bringing your own water bottle and a resealable plastic bag to put your trash in goes a long way. It will mean less disposable plastic bottles thrown away and less trash littering the ground and waterways. If you are a smoker, you should also bring a “portable ashtray” wherever you go since cigarette butts are the single most collected item in international coastal cleanups. You can make your own portable ashtray by lining a tin can or old film canister with used coffee grounds as suggested by the Muni community in their #NoMoreButts campaign.

cutthecrup no more butts posterImage Credit: MuniPH

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Originally posted on October 30, 2013 @ 3:23 am

How to Live Happily with Your Regrets

Personal Growth, Spirit

Regret is such a negative word and is something that no one really wants to face. Yet everyday we commit mistakes, both big and small, that we end up regretting. Some regrets, however, are bigger than others, having the potential to destroy our happiness and that of other people.

If you’ve done some things in the past that you can’t get over with, this post is for you. Know that you CAN still live a happy life even with so much baggage. You don’t have to erase your past, you only need to learn to live with it.

regrets arthur millerImage Credit: FortheLoveofQuotes

So how can you live happily even if you have regrets?

1. Acknowledge your regrets – A lot of people I know seem to think that admitting to regretting their decisions is akin to admitting failure in life. Instead of acknowledging the fact that they have done some (or many) things in the past that they truly regret now, they instead insist that they are happy now and that it’s all that counts. While it is true that living in the now is important and dwelling on the past is not something you should do, the inability to admit your mistakes and acknowledging the resulting regrets is a sign that you are not honest with yourself and that you haven’t truly learned the lessons you need to to learn from those mistakes. Everyone has done something or acted in a way that they later on regretted. Acknowledging this fact is the first step to being true to yourself and to living a life of happiness and dignity.

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Originally posted on October 14, 2013 @ 8:59 am

4 Power Nap Mistakes That Kill Your Energy Buzz

Body

Power naps are supposed to perk you up and give you the second wind you need to get through your day in a better mood. But are you getting the most out of the quick zzz’s you take during your lunch break?

If you want to make the most out of your nap time and be that guy in the office who doesn’t look like a zombie by the end of the day, then you’d better brush up on your power nap strategy to avoid the common mistakes below.

Charlie BrownPhoto Credit: Cplbasilisk

No wonder Charlie Brown’s always so depressed –  he never learned how to power nap!

 

1. Extended napping – Hitting that snooze button and getting an extra 5 – 10 minutes may work for you in the morning, but when it comes to napping, it is the biggest mistake you can make. Naps are supposed to be just 15 – 30 minutes long for a good reason. This rule was not invented by bosses who wanted their employees back at their desks ASAP, but has been proven by research to be the ideal period for napping. In fact, napping for more than 30 minutes will not give your more energy, but will actually leave you feeling groggier due to sleep inertia. So before you hit the slow wave sleep (SWS) phase where sleep inertia is at its peak, you’d better wake up. You’ll still feel slightly groggy after a 20-minute nap, but you can bet that you’ll be able to shake it off more easily than you would an hour long nap.

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Originally posted on October 3, 2013 @ 5:51 pm

7 Common Habits of the Perpetually Stressed

Body, Life, Mental Health, Mind

If you’re wondering why your life seems so stressful and are trying to figure out why, you might want to take a moment to look at yourself because YOU might actually be the major reason behind all the stress you’re having to deal with on a daily basis.

Life will always find a way to throw curve balls at you, inevitably making you feel stressed from time to time, but if you don’t watch the way you think and act your habits will amplify the stress and make it harder to cope with daily stressors. Here’s a list of 7 habits commonly exhibited by people who claim to be perpetually stressed. If you’re the sort of person who often feels drained at the end of the day, no matter how uneventful the day might have been, you’ll probably find yourself checking one item after another on the list below.

stressed nail bitingPhoto Credit: CileSuns

 

7 Common Habits of the Perpetually Stressed

 

1. Negative thinking – If you don’t think much about what you think and how you think, chances are that you also fall prey to negative thinking. Think about it. What comes to mind first when something doesn’t go your way? How do you talk to yourself when you make a mistake? If your thoughts automatically turn to the negative, then you can be sure that this is adds to your daily stress levels in a major way. You need to re-train yourself to be a positive thinker and change this bad habit starting NOW. Yes, you’ve got to start now and stop thinking that it’s too hard and start by telling yourself that you can do it. Remember, positive affirmations to yourself goes a long way!

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Originally posted on September 16, 2013 @ 1:09 pm

10 Ways to Simplify Your Life and Reduce Stress

Life, Mental Health, Mind

Stress. No matter what you do, no matter how you do it, and no matter how positive an attitude in life you have, you’ll still encounter stressors that will make your day a tad bit more difficult. Though stress is inevitable, it does not mean that you are helpless in its face. You have the power to take away some of the stressors and reduce the impact of ones that you cannot avoid.

Simplifying your life will make you less prone to stress, because often time more does not simply mean more, but more equals to more stress. So while a simpler life might not sound too enticing, you’ll find that it will actually improve the quality of your life a lot.

Here are some ways you can simplify your life and reduce the stress you feel every day:

1. De-clutter – The space you live in is a reflection of your inner self, so the clutter around you reflects how much peace you are. While de-cluttering won’t automatically give you peace of mind, you’ll significantly help yourself by making your environment less stressful it you keep in nice and tidy. De-cluttering your bedroom, bathroom, workplace, and even your bag might not seem much but it will make your life easier as you don’t have to keep on scrambling around for lost keys and have a clean inviting bed to lie down on at the end of a stressful day.

clutter portrait

Clutter Portrait by Andy Mangold

2. Buy less – You’ll have a hard time keeping your place tidy if you keep on buying and hoarding stuff. So stop buying things, unless you absolutely need them. You’ll be surprised at how much throttling down on your shopping will do for you, as it helps you develop to be a more responsible person not only in your spending habits but also your shopping choices. Less purchases means less stuff and clutter, more savings and sense of accomplishment, and more important, less stress in life.

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Originally posted on August 26, 2013 @ 11:34 pm

Quotes to Keep Away the Negative Vibes

Inspiration, Meditation

Meditating on your life and learning to empty your thoughts is a good thing, sometimes it’s good to be meditate on wise sayings. Quotes and wise sayings are like ammunition and picking a few of your favorites to repeat to yourself everyday or during specially difficult times can help you battle negativity and ensure that you keep a positive frame of mind.

For example when René Descartes said, “Cogito ergo sum. (I think, therefore I am.)” most often think that the quote is just about existentialism, but recently I’ve been using it to remind me that what I think shapes who I am. Twisted words? It doesn’t matter, as long as it helps me be better.

i think there i am

Photo Credit: Wonderlane

So choose a couple of your favorite quotes from below and make them part of your daily mantra. Hopefully it’ll help you keep on smiling, even if through gritted teeth, because the quotes below will remind you to focus on the good and will give you that extra push back to positivity whenever you’re sliding into negativity and need a mindset reset.

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Originally posted on August 16, 2013 @ 11:30 pm