you can understand how important it is to manage stress in an increasingly stressful environment. Massage is an incredible tool for managing stress that has been proven to lower cortisol levels. It’s now being used to treat PTSD and long-term studies have shown that consistent massage therapy can even decrease diastolic and systolic blood pressure, reducing risk for heart disease and stroke. However, it might be difficult to afford a massage treatment regimen. So, what else can be done to reduce stress?
Read MoreOnce you’ve established why you want to set this goal, how you create and go about achieving it is just as important. Remember, if you don’t build the right foundation for your goal, it will stand on shaky ground. One reason why many New Year’s Resolutions fail is that they are too vague. How do you know when you have reached your goal when your resolution is to “be in the best shape of your life?
Read MoreWhat’s cluttering your life? Is it the stuff in the corner of the bedroom, or the stuff in the corner of your mind? What are you tolerating that keeps you from expressing your true self? Authors Bruce and Lou Stewart say that clutter–both in our environment and our mind–is stagnating, blocking the free-flow of energy, or chi, in our homes and lives. Whether we’re detouring around a box in the living room or repeating a negative pattern in our head, it’s time to clear the path.
Read MoreHere in Eugene, I feel so fortunate to live somewhere with such abundant greenspace. Just being able to sit by the Willamette and soak in the sights and sounds of nature is a little magical. And as the weather slowly warms up and the sun peeks through the clouds, spending time outside in Oregon becomes even more enjoyable. Even my “indoorsy” self has something to enjoy outside here: the Japanese concept of Shinrin-Yoku, or “forest bathing.”
Read MoreChances are that, by now, you have fallen off the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon. Research shows that almost 80% of New Year’s Resolutions are ditched before the second week in February. Overly lofty goal and aspirations can quickly fall by the wayside once the holidays are in the rear-view mirror and we settle back into the routines of our normal lives. I always start the year with a list of goals, and usually by the end of the month I am back to my old ways. This year, I made a resolution to eat fresh veggies every day (we’ve got a long and complicated history). In order to maintain these goals long enough to develop into healthy habits, I have noticed that two things help me to rediscover my aspirations: mindfulness and acceptance.
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