15 Ideas for New Year's Resolutions for Health

15 Ideas for New Year's Resolutions for Health
Do you want to improve your overall health in the new year but aren't sure how to go about it?
So many people set healthy New Year's resolutions like "eat healthier" or "exercise more." However, those aren't very effective goals because they're not measurable. Eat healthier than what? How much do you need to exercise to be "more"?
Let's look at some good goals that will actually inspire you toward better health.

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How to Beat Fall Depression

How to Beat Fall Depression
Have you been feeling sluggish, more tired than usual, less ambitious, and maybe even sad or depressed?
There's actually a physiological reason.
Fall – at least the pleasant part of it – is coming to an end. Depending on where you live, you may have warm days left, but here in the upper Midwest, last week was probably the last of the temperatures above 60 degrees. We're already into freezing temperatures and snow.
If you're experiencing the same end-of-fall funk as I am, it can be helpful to know why it happens and what you can do to deal with it.
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The Effect of Minimalism on Anxiety

The Effect of Minimalism on Anxiety
Have you ever connected the amount of clutter in your life with how anxious you are? They may be more related than you think.
I'll admit that I always liked having stuff. I think it made me feel like I was prepared for whatever might come. In some ways, that made sense, but in others, it didn't. I mean, what was having 10 extra shirts I never wore preparing me for?
I don't believe I ever reached hoarder status, but I was definitely a packrat from the time I was a kid. I had a hard time letting go of things if I thought they might be useful someday or if they had any sentimental value.
This behavior continued when I moved out on my own and after I got married. My husband had picked up many hoarder behaviors during his life. Letting go of anything at all is difficult for him.
As the stuff accumulated in our home, my stress level increased, but it took me a long time to tie the two together.

The Constant To-Do List
I once heard/read someone telling how clutter was basically a constantly visible to-do list, and that really resonated with me. Putting away the stacks on the dining room table was a to-do item, as were organizing the pile of shoes by the doorway, finally catching up with the dishes, and finding a place for the random books scattered on various surfaces.
Seeing each of these to-do items every day was an unconscious reminder to my brain that I needed to do something about them. It was a silent stress that was barely acknowledged but was there nonetheless. Over time, the reminders turned to frustration, guilt, and self-loathing.
Why couldn't I keep up with the clutter and the housework? I felt like a failure, and that only worsened my mental health.

I finally decided to do something about it and started getting rid of excess stuff. It was a struggle because I still had those attachments to useful and sentimental items. Plus, I couldn't get rid of anything my husband wanted.
But as I decluttered my life, I realized something – I didn't miss ANY of the items I got rid of! I sold my favorite childhood book series and my collection of model horses I'd accumulated from the time I was eight years old. And rather than regretting it, I was happy someone else could enjoy them. Letting go of the possession did not erase the memories!

And then, we moved to the first place that wasn't owned by family. Our previous homes had been already filled with stuff when we moved in, but this one was a clean slate. And I remember how I felt the first few weeks before we'd moved everything. I had a very small visible to-do list, and it was so extremely peaceful!
That is when I really got hooked on minimalism.

Being Able to Find Things
The next big benefit of having less stuff is you spend less time digging through what you have, looking for that elusive item you know is around somewhere.
For example, looking through a stack of mail and paperwork for a bill that needed to be paid was a common occurrence in our home. We had an exorbitant amount of paperwork. Some of it was necessary, and some wasn't. And none of it needed to be in piles on the dining room table for months on end.
I've developed a habit of sorting through the mail as soon as I get it, and all the junk goes right into the trash. There is no benefit to setting it all on the table to sort later. Junk mail does not deserve one moment of your time, much less two or three – or however many times you end up paging through it while looking for something else.
Not being able to find something you need is stressful! And having less clutter to get in the way of finding that item only reduces that stress.

Having a Company-Ready Home
I know I'm not the only person who stresses out about having people over because I feel like my house isn't clean enough.
Before minimalism, I was absolutely mortified if someone showed up unannounced. I didn't want anyone to see inside my house! And I don't want to think how much anxiety that gave me. Even if no one was there, I stressed about "what if" someone showed up.
Simply having fewer dishes has made a world of difference. I hope I'm not the only one guilty of letting them pile on the counter, but now that I only have a place setting for four people, they can only pile up so much before I'm forced to wash them. And it's easier to commit to washing them every day.
Now, I'm not saying my house is spotless all the time, but with less stuff, I am able to keep it at a point where I have people over every week, and when my parents made a surprise trip to see me, all I did prior to their arrival was fill the dishwasher.

Altogether, these three benefits of living a more minimalist lifestyle have reduced a lot of stress and anxiety in my life. And I by no means call myself an extreme minimalist. I will probably never live with only 50 possessions or cull my closet down to 25 items. However, I recognize that the people who've done those things have benefited greatly.
Minimalism is unique for each person, and it's up to you to find the level at which you're comfortable.
You might need a little bit of a push to get started, but once you experience the advantages, you'll be more inspired to keep going on your own.

If you need help for that first push, try these methods that will challenge you a little without being too overwhelming:
  • Get rid of one item every day for a year (or seven items a week if that's easier)
  • Cull 10% of something – clothing, movies, dishes, books, toys
  • Put items you don't use often in a box, write the date on it, and anything still in the box after a year get donated or sold
  • Turn your clothes hangars backwards on the bar, then put them back the right way after you wear that item – anything on hangars that are still backward after six months (or after going through all the temperatures in your area) gets donated
The main thing to remember with minimalism is it's a process. You didn't accumulate all the stuff in a day or even a year, and it's not going to leave overnight either. Don't add to your anxiety or mental stress by putting too much emphasis on it. Do what you can when you can, and let minimalism bless you!

Did you know you can have info like this sent right to you and not miss a single tip?


Surviving the Waves of Grief

Surviving the Waves of Grief
Grief, I think, is the most difficult circumstance of life to navigate.
It is a journey on which you are entirely alone. No one else feels exactly the way you do, so you don’t feel like there is anyone who truly understands, anyone you can really talk to about it.
Each relationship is unique, so each grief is unique, and that quote, “Where there is deep grief, there was great love” ... it’s true. Please remember that you are entitled to your grief, no matter what anyone else feels.
And if you are experiencing a loss that's less "accepted" – maybe a beloved pet or an unborn baby or biological family you never met but feel just as deeply as the loss of immediate family – you will probably feel even more alone because there are people who will think it’s not a big deal and others who will not even know you're grieving. Just remember the truth of your love; that is the only appropriate gauge by which to measure grief.


I once read a shockingly accurate illustration of grief. It was posted on Reddit by a person who goes by “GSnow” in response to a simple plea of “My friend just died. I don’t know what to do.” I share it here in hopes that it will help someone else the way it helped me.
“As for grief, you’ll find it comes in waves. When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and the magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. And all you can do is float.
You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float. Stay alive.
In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float.
After a while, maybe weeks, maybe months, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. But in between, you can breathe, you can function.
You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, a street intersection, the smell of a cup of coffee. It can be just about anything … and the wave comes crashing.
But in between waves, there is life.
Somewhere down the line, and it’s different for everybody, you find that the waves are only 80 feet tall. Or 50 feet tall. And while they still come, they come further apart. You can see them coming. An anniversary, a birthday, or Christmas, or landing at O’Hare. You can see it coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself. And when it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you’ll come out.
Take it from an old guy. The waves never stop coming, and somehow you don’t really want them to. But you learn that you’ll survive them. And other waves will come. And you’ll survive them, too.”

How does this help? By knowing it's a wave. It will recede, and you'll have a chance to breathe again. Sometimes, it doesn't seem like you'll ever come out the other side of that wave. But you will. Trust that. Don't fight the waves, just ride them. Your feelings are valid. Concentrate on surviving one wave at a time. You can make it through.

If you feel like you’re drowning in your grief and have no one to help you float, please feel free to contact me. I am not a doctor or therapist, but I am a listening ear who has been through the waves, and I will not measure or shame your tears.

Written in honor of the greatest loss of my life – April 26, 2019.


What Happened When I Used a Sun Lamp

What Happened When I Used a Sun Lamp
I got a sun lamp last month, and I noticed a couple changes.

Sun Lamps and SAD
A sun lamp mimics natural light from the sun. Unlike the typical indoor lighting, which is heavy on blue light, a sun lamp incorporates more of the entire spectrum of sunlight. These lamps are also called SAD lamps because they have become pretty commonly recommended in dealing with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
SAD typically occurs in the winter months in colder climates. The days are shorter, the sun is less powerful, and people are outside less to catch what sunlight there is. The result is a chemical imbalance in the brain, specifically affecting two hormones:
  • Melatonin, a sleep-related hormone
  • Serotonin, a mood-related hormone
The symptoms can include depression, anxiety, apathy, mood swings, irritability, social isolation, excessive sleepiness, or sleep deprivation.

Using a Sun Lamp
I'm still learning about sun lamps myself, but since I got it in early January, I've committed to sitting in front of it for 15 minutes each morning.
You should sit within 24 inches of it and allow the light to hit your eyes without looking straight into it. I found this a bit awkward at first. Where can I sit within 2 feet of a light for 15 minutes? I ended up setting it next to the music on my piano, and I just commit to playing piano for 15 minutes each morning. Combining sun lamp and music therapy!

Benefits I Experienced
But anyway, you want to know what I experienced, right?
The main thing I noticed is that my sleep is much better since I started using the sun lamp. I had been having trouble sleeping since we moved last September because our bedroom is so much brighter than I'm used to (still need to make some good curtains!). I would wake up a lot during the night and sometimes not be able to fall back asleep.
However, in the last several weeks, I have noticed that I wake up less most nights. And even though I have been staying up too late a lot of nights, I feel as rested on seven hours of sleep as I usually do on eight hours. That is proof that my sleep quality is better.

The other effect I hadn't even realized until I sat down to write this. I usually do experience SAD during the winter. Not all winter usually and not too severe, but it pokes its ugly head up for a check in now and then.
This winter, so far, no SAD.
At first, I thought that meant I couldn't speak about how I benefited from the sun lamp with SAD. And then, I realized, I got it shortly after Christmas, and usually, I don't experience SAD around Christmastime. 
So I can't say for sure, but I could argue that the daily sun lamp use kept the SAD symptoms at bay this winter. I have not had any sadness, my mood has been good, and I've had very little anxiety (which is, for me, generally a year-round on-and-off thing, not necessarily related to SAD).

So that's it – my experience after about a month of daily sun lamp use. I will definitely continue and consider it well worth the small price. And I would recommend it to people with sleep difficulties or SAD.

My Sun Lamp
If you'd like to try a sun lamp for yourself, I got this one because I thought it was prettier than most. But do your own research and choose the best one for you.
(That link is an affiliate link, which just means part of the purchase goes to me, rather than Amazon. You don't pay any extra, but you support my small business.)

Do you have difficulty sleeping or experience SAD? Have you tried a sun lamp? 
Are you going to try one now? I'd love to hear your experiences!

 
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