☺ Ways to Fight the "Blahs"! ☺

You know those days where you just feel like you can't beat that "blah" or that tension that you feel all over your body? When stress becomes a bit much to the point it feels like your entire body is constraining and needing to release but don't know how? Well, you're not alone. We all have moments when we are tense. So, what to do about it? I like to take some time to do as many of the following tips as I can, however sometimes you're just not in the right place or have the time to do it all and so any one of these exercises can help. Do all of them, do one of them, do as many as you can depending on your situation and setting. 

1. Scream and shout and let it all out… that's what it's all about. ;) But seriously, just letting out a good "RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" can feel amazing. No one gets hurt and you get to let out a good shout which releases some pent up energy. If you're somewhere where you can't let out a loud "RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" then go through the motions (in private or you might look a little funny) and scream your "RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"  in your head and pretend it's coming out of your open mouth, feeling the release. 

2. Sigh out loud. This is a breathing exercise which helps to calm the mind. Inhaling deeply through your mouth and then exhaling with an outloud sigh through your nose. Yes your nose. I know it may sound strange but it absolutely works. Just plain sighing helps too. 

3. Dance your ass off! I mean really really dance and let out all that energy. Not only will you release negativity but you'll be refilling your body with positive vibes. If you have to start with an aggressive song then do it, but you're only allowed one angry song, then be sure to switch up your beat to something positive by the end of your dance off. ;) 

4. Happy List! Pull out that pen and paper and start listing off all the things you're grateful for. This practice is great for any time of the day and you can do this even if you're in a crowded space and don't really have the opportunity to do all of those noisier tips above. You may feel tense at the start of this list but by the end you'll feel much better and will have switched up your energy. If you haven't, keep writing down things you're grateful for until you do feel better. 

5. Meditate. Calm your mind, clear your mind and breathe deeply. Meditation is the cure-all for anything, just focus on your breathing, breathing deeply into your stomach, and releasing any thoughts that come to your mind. 

6. Stretch! Stress and tension get stored in your muscles and sometimes all you need to do is have a reaaaaally good stretch session. Feel out where your body is holding tension and hold those stretches for as long as possible. Push yourself into deeper stretches than usual, really stretch it out. It shouldn't hurt, but you should feel that burn. 

7. Go for a walk. Breathe in some fresh air and get your body moving. Again, this helps to clear your mind and empty out the negative thoughts so that you can refill with positive upbeat thoughts. Any kind of movement helps, whether it's a leisurely walk or a full-on run. If you're walking, say "thank you" with each step you take too, it's a very powerful exercise that can totally turn your mood around.   

8. Change your surrounding. Get up and go somewhere else. A change of scenery can help change your mood, same with doing a different activity, so try to get somewhere different, preferably outside and around as much nature and trees as possible. 

9. Get moving! I know, I already said to go for a walk and to dance, but really doing any kind of physical activity will be beneficial and I will largely recommend doing yoga! It's the perfect activity to stretch muscles out and get active and breathing. It's like a combination of several of the above! ;) 

10. When all else fails, remember that it's just temporary. Sometimes there's just nothing that seems possible to dissolve tension and it does you no good to dwell on a dirty mood. So, don't dwell on it and remember that it will pass, and the sooner you can stop paying attention to the tension, the sooner you will allow it to release and simply take it's course. 

When you've practiced feeling better and clearing up that tension then there is one last thing you can do to prevent it from returning and is always a good idea; Resolve! This is one of those tips that's more of an inward look upon your self and your life. Usually when we are tense or stressed there is a reason for it and unless we take a moment to analyze and take a look into what it might be then, chances are, it might return. However, over-analyzing can make it worse, so be sure to look gently at your life and situation and if you can't figure out where the tension came from then don't dwell on it! It will become clear to you when you are calm, not stressing over what it might be. 

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☺ The Power of Gratitude! ☺

Gratitude will change your life. No joke. It will change your attitude about everything, bring you more things to be grateful for, heal your body, mend your soul, fix broken relationships, and bring you all that you could ever ask for in life. No joke. 

It's sad that it is so easy to complain about life and we do it without a second thought. We complain when our health is bad. We complain about our relationships, talk behind people's back and badmouth people. We complain that we're tired. We complain when we're not feeling well. We complain, complain, complain. All that negativity (because that's what it is) makes our lives fall apart. Not only is all our attention drenched on the negative, but it is also drawing more and more things into our lives to complain about. Simple Law of Attraction at work; like attracts like, complaining attracts more things to complain about. The good news is that the power of gratitude can change all of that around. Gratitude is perhaps one of the simplest and fastest ways that you can start loving your life and see the biggest changes in all aspects of your life. Simply by giving thanks. It's just as easy to give thanks as it is to complain so turn your bad habits around into gratitude instead of complaining. 

Don't think you have anything to be grateful for? Let's start with that you are alive. You can open your eyes, feel your body, your organs are working. Maybe you're blessed with the ability to walk. Maybe you're blessed with the invention of a wheelchair or cane to help you walk if you can't. What about food? Food keeps you alive, sustains you, gives you energy. What about your immune system that fights off infection and heals your body from harm? Do you have a roof over your head? Running water? Heat? Do you have people in your life you can rely on? People to talk to? Is there a big beautiful world full or opportunities outside your window? Do you have a job that provides you money? A car? A bicycle? Do you have clothes? It's so easy to overlook all the beautiful things in our lives, but when we overlook these things and forget to give thanks for them, well, that's when our lives usually spiral or it invites things to go wrong. Just take a look at our world today and you'll see the reality. How many people are depressed? Don't have money? Stress out all the time? Have relationships that fall apart? You'll probably notice that there are certain people you know that are always complaining about something, and these people seem to always have something going wrong. Now think about how much gratitude you are actually giving in your life. You are probably going to see that the amount of gratitude you are giving is the amount you are getting back. The areas of your life where you give thanks are the stronger areas of your life, the areas where you don't give thanks are the areas that suffer. 

Again, the good news is that giving thanks can almost instantly change your life. Make it a habit, it's easy enough to do, I promise. I've talked about gratitude a lot lately and the reason for that is I am realizing just how powerful the magic of gratitude truly is. The book "The Magic" (which I am going to talk more about soon) is a great way to start using the power of gratitude to instantly change your life and teach you how to use the magic of giving thanks in your everyday life in an effortless and fun manner. It has honestly opened up my world that much more and I am seeing things that I have been trying to manifest happen so quickly. It's rewarding and positively inspiring. 

Simple Law of Attraction: giving Gratitude = more things for you to be Grateful for. 

Giving thanks is always the fastest way to turn your mood around as well. Admittedly, sometimes I wake up in a not so great mood for one reason or another, but as soon as I sit down and start writing down the things I am grateful for and saying the words "thank you" while feeling as grateful as possible, I instantly feel better. Like Magic! ;) I've made it a new habit that whenever I feel my mood is waning, I stop whatever it is I'm doing, take a moment with myself and starting listing all the things that I am grateful for in my head, whether it's some big news or a glass of water. It always always makes me feel better and grateful for my life and all the things around me, so that I truly appreciate the things and people I am surrounded by. It is just so easy to give thanks, and, again, the more thanks you give, the more you'll have to be grateful for. 

Even if you have one dollar to your name, say "thank you" and feel as much gratitude as you can for that one dollar. If you have a bad relationship, start focussing your attention on all the things you are grateful for in the other person. Even if you don't particularly like where you live, say "thank you" for the roof over you head and be grateful you are not living on the streets. Give thanks for the air you breathe, your body for functioning, your heart for beating, your food, water, a piece of paper, your desk, your computer, your fingers, your eyes, your clothes, the sun, the moon, the soil, your waiter or waitress, the bus driver, a knife and fork, your shoes, absolutely everything. You'll quickly realize just how fortunate and blessed you are to have all that you have and how those things enhance your every day life. 

Gratitude will change your life in an instant. So no more complaining. If you catch yourself complaining about anything at all, stop, and take a moment to start listing off at least ten things that you are grateful for instead. And be sure to say a big "thank you, thank you, thank you." 

I've also been in the habit for a while now of giving thanks at the end of each day for all the good things that happened that day or in your life in general. It's a great practice to do in the morning as well--or, again, whenever you need a pick-me-up. Feel the power of gratitude and change your life!

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