Journey to Health, Part 5

-- Journey to Health, Part 5 -- 

Getting involved is my opening topic today - whether it is through online posts, and communications online, notes on bulletin boards, volunteering, recycling, donating or just cleaning litter from around your own neighbourhood. Whatever it is, do it regularly.

I find that going online to places like Facebook quite rewarding because it gives me the opportunity to share posts that inspire conscious thought, encourage positive actions and thought. It gives me a valuable opportunity to share posts that support charitable organizations, worthy causes, or conscious-living activities. I get to celebrate conscious living projects, green businesses, and share recommended resources.

I refuse to respond to negativity online; I do not submit negative comments or posts, and I delete "friends" or "hide" their posts so that I see fewer negative and more positive over time. Getting involved in even the smallest of ways can really change your outlook on your own personal value, impact and worth.

The second topic I want to highlight is:  Get outside for at least 30 minutes every single day – sit on the deck or yard or park or whatever with a good book or read a blog. It helps if you have a pet you can take out walking with you, one that suits your physical abilities, because of the companionship and the encouragement to go for a walk, or hang out in the yard that comes with owning a pet. Start gardening - you can have container gardens on a small balcony or front step, grow vertically along a fence, hang potted plants, or go all out and have a big large manicured garden. It is up to you, but the simple act of nurturing something is proven scientifically to have great healing benefits. Besides it is yet another excuse to get outside. The thing is, get outside very single day.

The final tip of the day - organize. We touched on this the other day, but I want to clarify what I mean here. Clean and organize your home, storage rooms, garage and office …one box, one drawer one closet at a time – donating, recycling or selling/trading what you no longer need and completing projects as you come upon them.

One of the most common frustrations in our lives is to have a mental list or even a hard copy of the lists of to do's that aren't getting done. If you take the analogy of having a package to mail, but you leave it in the hallway just outside the bathroom so that you won't forget it. And you trip over it and curse it week after week, you see it sitting there getting dusty and you become angry or frustrated or guilty that it hasn't been done. And a year later there it sits. Every morning frustrating you, hurting your toes, upsetting the family. So mail the damn thing already! lol That is kind of what I'm talking about here.

It helps to make a list of all the things as they come to you and slowly work your way through the list. You no longer have to have that cycling around in your mind over and over and over, it is written down on the list, you know that, so you know that it will get done and you don't have to think about it all night anymore.

But actually do the darn list. Cross off stuff really well so you can see your progress. Celebrate each accomplished goal. A lot of people say they don't have time, but if we got up during the commercial breaks in the evenings and took that 10 minutes to work on one item of our list... there's a lot of commercial breaks in one evening of TV watching, you know. Ok maybe that doesn't work for you, but for some people it might. It is really important to accept and take personal responsibility for the world around us, we do have control over some parts of our lives and we can take ownership and get proactive.