Joy is not simply a feeling of happiness. It is the presence of peace and contentment that has the power to sustain us even when our lives are challenging and stressful. Joy is something you create by intentionally doing things that bring pleasure, peace, or purpose to our lives. Here are 15 things—some simple, some more elaborate—you can do to create joy ...

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” At least, in year's past, that’s what song lyrics, our friends’ posts on social media, and advertisements for the perfect gift has told us. We have never experienced a year quite like 2020. Many memes and jokes laugh about how if anything unique, weird, bad or unusual happens - we can just 'chalk it up' to it bein...

First, set an intention by answering the question, "What do I want most in my life right now?"   Probe your mind for a moment.   Ask:  What is it that I want the most and why do I want it?   World renowned social intelligence Psychologist, Daniel Golemen, taught that our relationships, with ourselves and others, mold not just our experience but our biology....

Everyone wants to be happy and everybody can be when we have healthy attitudes, beliefs, and values. Despite the current global crisis, an increase in the use anti-depressant drugs and talk of emotional disorders, the truth is, most people are happy. According to a recent study, people who live in relatively free countries (and aren't in prison or psychiatri...

Albert Einstein said, "Everything should be made as simple a possible, but not simpler." This is an important secret to happy living: realizing goals, projects, and purposes and organizing and accomplishing them in simple, yet prevailing fashion. This requires us to eliminate what's unnecessary while holding on to the essential details. As we discover what's...

We spend one-third of our lives doing it—or at least trying to. Going without it for several days in a row is significantly more dangerous than going without food for days at a time. After only seventeen hours without it, a person starts to experience cognitive deficits  similar to those experienced by people with a .05 percent blood alcohol level. Parents ...

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”  I love this thought from the renowned poet, writer, and activist Maya Angelou! It speaks to her own resilience in the face of adversity and inspires me to remember that I, too, can determine how I will react to challenges. This week I'd like to discuss what it takes and what it mean...

Sight. Smell. Hearing. Touch. Taste. Our primary senses do much more than enable us to see, smell, hear, feel, and taste. We are learning that, if nurtured regularly and deliberately, our senses can also help us heal. A manifestation of the power between our senses and our physical health is found when examining the receptors that enable the sense of smell. ...

The whole world has been in quarantine and a popular phrase has been going around....'the quarantine 15' - referring to the extra 15 pounds you may have put on during quarantine. Eating habits have shifted while cooped up inside and there has been an increase in 'boredom eating'. As things are starting to get back to a new sense of normal, it may be time to ...

Former First Lady Barbara Bush,  once said “Your success as a family—our success as a nation—depends not on what happens inside the White House, but on what happens inside your house.” It is in the home, after all, where children first learn to talk, to share, to say please and thank you, to express emotions, to sing, to laugh, and— hopefully—to love.  Child...

The late American screenwriter Frank Howard Clark once said, “Habit is something you can do without thinking, which is why most of us have so many of them.”  Where are most of these habits developed? In our families of origin. Many patterns of behavior learned in the home thrive for generations simply because no one in the family realizes there is any other...

How can we use affirmations to make changes?  We use positive affirmations to mold the details of our lives into something more desirable. Just saying something is true doesn’t make it so—especially if you don’t believe it. Sure, you can fake it till you make it. Things do sink in after a while. But the best way to use affirmations is to enhance them by: 1) ...

5 Characteristics Emotional Intelligence The balance and depth of emotions is critical to leading a happy and healthy life. In fact, we propose—along with many others—that your emotional intelligence, or EI, is as important, if not more, than your IQ. A person’s EI is defined as the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotion. It encompasses the...

8 Ways to Reduce Stress & Anxiety Anxiety is your body's natural response to stress. Under conditions of extreme stress when we feel our life is threatened, our body naturally activates the "fight-or-flight" response.  Your success in managing the biological trigger of stress depends on your ability to understand your own emotions and manage them.  Here’s ou...

  Would you like 10 Tips for Improving your Immune System along with DIY recipes for protection against environmental threats? Then this blog post is for you! Learn the best way to ADD ESSENTIAL OILS  to your Wellness Lifestyle.   Remember the foundation of your health are these four things!   EAT RIGHT EXERCISE REST AND STRESS MANAGEMENT REDUCE TOXIC LOAD ...

We’ve covered how important self love is, but we can’t help but move onto the next important topic of love, relationships. You may be in a relationship right now, you may not, or you may have just gotten out of one. Regardless of your “status” this blog is for you. This blog is for the worrierers, the romantics, the wall builders, and everyone in between.  T...

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Several years ago, I enjoyed watching the American medalist Michael Phelps compete in the Olympic Games in Beijing. His world-record-breaking performances have been motivating, to say the least! What enthusiasm!? Michael Phelps made his dreams come true and he's inspired the worl...

  Looking for ways to avoid stress and increase joy this holiday season? If so, perhaps including meditation on your to-do list over the next few weeks may just do the trick!   Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Originally, it was a method used by those who desired a spiritual and intuitive connection. These days, people around the world t...

  And the Grinch with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling: how could it be so?  “It came without ribbons! It came without tags! “It came without packages, boxes or bags!” And he puzzled three hours till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from...

On any given day, more than 440,000 children live in foster care in the United States.  The children in foster care spend an average of two years in care and rarely remain in the same home during that time. Sadly, some of the homes they are placed in provide an environment that is no better than the environment from which they were removed.  Jamie Thomas, a ...