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Daily Steps To Mindful Living

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Painting What You Feel

Home, Life, Mindfulness

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Enlightenment

Art Therapy is the combination of art, counselling and psychology. Using art as a creative tool one is able to express what they feel easily, which speeds up the healing process. Creative Expression also utilizes art to heal, but a little different. The Health Education Authority’s description of mental health is , “Mental health is the emotional and spiritual resilience which allows us to enjoy life and to survive pain, disappointment and sadness. It is a positive and sense of well being and an underlying belief in own and other’s dignity and worth” (Oliver, 2007). This definition exemplifies what creative expression offers to its participants. Creative expression is the art of creating what you feel and articulating your personal traumatic experiences when words cannot be verbally expressed.

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Originally posted on December 30, 2013 @ 11:25 am

11 Quotes for Tough Times in Your Relationship

Healing, Life, Relationships

Relatonships

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Being in a relationship is a wonderful thing, as we were made to be social. Even the most introverted person yearns for a connection, only the intensity and frequency varies. As Margaret Mead said, “Having someone wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night is a very old human need.”

There is, however, the universally known fact that relationships can be a strain at times. Even the best matched couples in the world can go through rough patches.

Perhaps one of the trickiest things to decide on is whether a couple is going through a rough patch or it really is the end of the road for them. [Read more…] about 11 Quotes for Tough Times in Your Relationship

Originally posted on November 19, 2013 @ 10:02 am

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 do your bit for charity

Inspiration, Life, Personal Growth, Spirit

 Hands

Charities do a great deal of good in the world, from helping the homeless to fighting animal cruelty, but they need support in order to carry on with this good work. Supporting a charity, whether that be through volunteering or donating money, can be a great way of standing up for a cause you believe in and doing your bit to help make the world a better place.

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Originally posted on September 25, 2013 @ 5:22 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