Category: Happy x Mindful

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

From Sutras To Breathwork, Here’s How To Take Yoga Off The Mat So It Can Improve Your Whole Life

Sure, one reason to love yoga is that it gives you a strong, bendy body that won’t quit. But the benefits of this ancient practice don’t stop there. With health benefits ranging from strength, flexibility, and endurance to better organ function, there’s no shortage of reasons to make yoga part of your fitness routine.
But anyone who has delved deeper into the mental and spiritual areas of a yoga practice, like its intersection with meditation, will tell you how much it can improve everything from your self-image to your focus at work to your relationships with your loved ones as it supports you in practicing patience and empathy. So, while a physical practice can definitely give you the muscles and lean look you’re after, yoga is oh-so-much more than just a workout.
In the Western world, when we talk about yoga, we’re usually referring to the physical part, as in a room full of spandex-clad women stretching, bending, and sweating their way through a set of salutations to the sun. But yoga as a form of exercise is simply one small part of the whole picture. Physical yoga, or asana, is just one of the “eight limbs” of yoga, so if you only focus on getting through the postures during a class, then you’re merely thinking about the tip of the iceberg. So, what’s below the surface?
An entire way of thinking, being, and acting mindfully and intentionally that can change your world for the better. Here’s how to take your yoga practice off the mat and invite it to improve every aspect of your life.

Sutras for the Win

Sutra means thread of knowledge, and yoga sutras are essentially the philosophical threads that support a comprehensive yoga practice. Basically, they’re 196 little nuggets of wisdom or thoughts on how to live your life mindfully, intentionally, and with compassion—for yourself and others. The sutras contain lots of advice about ditching your attachment to things that are weighing you down, nixing self-judgement, and learning self-empathy instead. Even though they were first written down thousands of years ago, they’re surprisingly relevant today.

Consider this:

In translation, sutra 1.22 says, “There is further distinction on account of the mild, moderate, or intense means employed.”

Apply it to your life:

Without its context, this sutra might sound opaque, but here’s a modern take on it: The demands of life ebb and flow. Give yourself the leeway to do and give what you can, when you can. You may have fallen off the exercise bandwagon when you were pregnant, for instance, or are just starting a new job and having trouble getting back to your self-care routine. Instead of feeling bad about it, remember life moves at different speeds, and you can make room for that. To everything there is a season, right?

Consider this:

In translation, sutra 2.16 says, “The grief which has not yet come may be avoided.”

Apply it to your life:

The anxieties of modern life get to us all at times. Sutra 2.16 is not a fable about planning ahead—it’s actually a reminder to the keep worry about the potential pain of what could go wrong from spoiling your present, especially if you’re worrying about things you can’t prevent or that might not happen. Even if something does go awry, worrying about it now will only cause you to suffer twice. Instead, appreciate the state of things in the now.
Worry is only a valuable emotion when it helps you act to change things for the better. The next time you’re trapped in an anxious thought loop, consider whether there’s anything good that can come from your worry. If yes, refer back to sutra 1.22 and dedicate the necessary intensity to enacting the positive change. If not? Remind yourself it’s okay to let that stress go.

Just Breathe

“Let it go” is advice that’s easier said than done. Take a tip from your yoga teacher and let it all out—through your breath. Pranayama, or breathing exercises, are easy to take off the mat and do throughout the day any time you need a little centering or focus.
Alternate nostril breathing, for instance, is taught to yoga beginners all over the world because it’s an easy and accessible technique for balancing the body and mind and intentionally directing your energy. Here’s a five-minute practice from one of my favorite international yoga teachers, Esther Ekhart.

Strengthening Your Mental-Health Muscles

Yoga is one of the best natural tools we have to combat anxiety and depression. In fact, some studies show that frequent yoga and meditation can be just as effective as prescription drugs (although yoga shouldn’t flat out replace a visit to your mental healthcare provider).
With all the physical, spiritual, and mental benefits of a regular yoga practice, you may be inspired to unfurl your mat right away! And remember, with just a bit of intention and practice, the benefits of yoga will last long after you say namaste.

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Self-Love Is In The Air: Advice From 4 Self-Love Leaders

From the nearly 13 million mentions of #selflove found on Instagram to the thousands of books, articles, and research papers on the subject, no one can say that self-love has been neglected—at least the concept of it hasn’t.
But putting it into practice? That’s another story altogether.
We’re finding that loving ourselves (and the manifestation of that love through self-care) is more than just massages, face masks, and yummy candles.
It’s looking at what we each really need as individuals. It’s accepting differences in how people look at the world—and at themselves. It’s finding ways to make ourselves a priority, each and every day.
To find out how to make self-love a priority in our lives, we spoke to four women who are active in the self-love movement about how they see the purpose (and process) of loving yourself in today’s world: fitness instructor and mom Nadia Murdock; goal-setting coach Kingsley Delacato; wellness coach Lauren Bondi; and singer, YouTuber, and #bootyrevolution founder Meghan Tonjes.

What does self-love mean to you?

Nadia:

Taking care of yourself in a compassionate, non-judgmental way so that you can be the best version of yourself.
From treating yourself every so often [in ways] big and small to be[ing] accepting of the mistakes you may make … honoring your imperfections and avoiding self-judgment or hate is inclusive of what I consider self-love.

Lauren:

Self-love is the thread that weaves all experiences, all emotions, all beings, all lives together. In my opinion, love is the most powerful emotion in our human capacity—and when this is directed inward, we can move mountains.
Throughout the years, I’ve learned that offering myself genuine compassion is not a luxury, but rather a requirement. Self-love means showing up for myself in every season of life and embracing whomever that woman may be. This love is as strong as it is soft. It heals trauma, mends broken hearts, pours light into the pain, quiets fears, ignites passions, manifests dreams, cultivates connection, and—perhaps most importantly—mirrors an undeniable worthiness to take up space in this world.

Kingsley:

Self-love to me means knowing when to say yes and when to say no. Realizing that in order to be able to put energy out into the world, I need to give myself the input of energy that I deserve. Giving time to myself and doing things that make me feel like me. When I am practicing self-love, I feel like the truest version of myself.

Meghan:

Self-love is incredibly individual. It doesn’t look the same for any two people. Self-love is actively holding space for yourself, your emotions, your traumas, your desires and practicing kindness and honesty within those.

HealthyWay

How do you practice self-love on a daily or weekly basis? How do you integrate it into your life?

Nadia:

Self-love has become a part of who I am, so it’s gotten easier to weave practices into my regular habits. I like to utilize my positive mind cards as often as possible during the week. I pull three cards that will remind me to do things like forgive, smile, and basically enjoy the simple things in life.
I always pat myself on the back if I have done a good job—from teaching a killer barre class to overcoming a fear. I strongly believe small actions in your everyday life will lead to a seamless incorporation of self-love.

Lauren:

In my present chapter … self-love is absolutely a daily necessity. With the strong sense of emotional awareness and somatic attunement that I’ve developed throughout the years, the specific practices vary [based] on what I need most. One day, it may mean a loving-kindness meditation. The next day, it may mean lighting several candles and feeling my body melt into a steamy bath. Every day, though, it entails starting my morning with an affirmation and ending the night with gratitude journaling. These are practices I recommend to everyone, no matter their circumstances.
As I wake up and pull myself out of bed, I take a peek into my heart and ask myself what I need to hear. Without analyzing or forcing, I allow whatever comes up to intuitively act as my guide. One whisper that many of us may feel calling from our authentic selves is “I am enough.” Say I choose this as my affirmation. Well, I then walk up to a mirror, close my eyes, place my hand over my heart, and breathe into the space. With five-second inhalations and exhalations, I feel the sweet peace start to wash over me. I open my eyes and meet my gaze in the mirror, then recite aloud, “I am enough.”

Kingsley:

Self-love for me looks like spending time with myself. It means reading a book, getting a little extra sleep, working out, spending time with someone I love—even if it means scheduling an appointment with myself in my calendar and blocking off that time … realizing that I am just as important as anyone else in my life and that I need to take care of myself first so that I can show up for those around me as well.

Meghan:

For me, self-love doesn’t look the same week to week or even day to day. The biggest thing I do is check in with myself. I do a lot of journaling and that’s a great way of tracking how I feel, what I want more or less of.
Once you can be honest with yourself about what you’re actually anxious, sad, or overwhelmed with, you can start problem solving. If I’m feeling sad, maybe it’s important that week for me to reach out to friends and spend time outside of the house. If I’m overwhelmed, maybe I need to take a day off and fine-tune my schedule so I feel less anxiety about my days.

HealthyWay

Do self-love and self-care differ for you? If yes, how so?

Nadia:

I think in many ways they overlap, but to me there are a few distinct differences. Self-love to me is being mindful of loving the person I was, am, and will be. So many times we live with regret or fail to live in the moment. Loving the person that has brought me here today and will shape who I am in the future is so important to me especially as a fairly new mom.
Self-care is about indulging in and paying close attention to habits that will keep me relaxed, healthy, and focused, for example massages, exercise, meditation, journaling, diet, and sleep.

Lauren:

Personally, I feel that self-care is simply an outward expression of self-love. While I can be madly in love with myself, it takes much more than vocalizing the emotion (although this is undoubtedly important). Imagine you’re in a long-term, committed relationship. You would certainly need your partner to demonstrate his or her love through appropriate actions, correct? The same applies to the relationships we’re actively creating with ourselves!
Self-care is one expansive umbrella term for every way this may be done. Weekly aromatherapeutic baths and meditations … are wonderful examples. While self-care is a budding topic in today’s society, it goes far beyond the “bumper sticker” of getting [our] nails done. It also means eating a nutritious diet, moving our bodies, declaring boundaries, vocalizing needs, and removing from our lives what is no longer serving us. Like I said: expansive!

Kingsley:

I see self-love as just that: doing the things that I love for myself. Self-care I see as taking care of the things in my life that make me feel supported, successful, and healthy. Self-care is doing what you need to do in order to take care of yourself, in order to operate from a place of abundance rather than depletion or exhaustion.

Meghan:

Self-love and self-care are pretty integral to one another. …Self-love is really the thought process: my desire to find more kindness and patience for myself. Self-care is the action.
The majority of wanting to love myself and feel good inside my own body is mental. But my ability to give my energy to that pursuit comes down to daily acts of self-care and the choices I make to support the wants.

HealthyWay

How has self-love impacted your life?

Nadia:

I had heart surgery at the age of 18 years old. I had an atrial septal defect that needed to be corrected. As a young girl, I [placed a lot of importance] on how I looked, so the idea of scars just before heading off to college was not easy for me to handle. It took a long time for me not to be embarrassed by my scar or have it define my worth.
Fast-forward to 2015 when I again had to have a major surgery. This time it was my thyroid. Growth definitely helped dramatically when it came to my attitude with this surgery, but also learning to love myself no matter what I looked like and being less superficial. I am more focused on what’s on the inside. Experiences like these have drastically impacted me.

Lauren:

My path towards a regular self-love practice was rocky, at best. Growing up, it was an altogether foreign topic. When a therapist first broached the topic with my deeply hurting self, I immediately huffed and puffed—admonishing something so lax. After all, how the bleep was self-love going to get me and my array of perfectionistic tendencies to XYZ?
This is a belief that many women share, which is precisely why these campaigns are so necessary. Moving from self-hate to self-acceptance to self-compassion to outright self-love took time, and allowing it to unfold in that order was the only way to make it genuinely feasible. Now having made it to the other side, I can honestly say that self-love saved me. Without it, I never would have healed from my trauma, my disordered behaviors, or my limiting narratives. I would have remained stuck in a cycle of terrifying self-destruction, tearing myself to shreds believing that it was this unforgiving nature that would eventually raise me into “enoughness.”
However, that wasn’t my fix; nor would it ever be. As it turns out, my own love was what I had always been searching for. Because of this realization, I have my life. Despite what many of us are conditioned to believe, we need not be our harshest critics. There is undeniable power in being gentle, and in this gentleness, I found I could be fiercely in love with myself and my purpose. That same fire is what has kept me—and will continue to keep me—going.

Kingsley:

Self-love has helped me love myself through both the good and the bad times. It’s one thing to love yourself when everything is going well. It’s another thing to love yourself when things feel really hard.
Those moments of self-love and self-care help you stay connected to yourself and remember how special you truly are.

Meghan:

Self-love allows me to grow into the best version of myself and know that I’m enough. With it I’m less worried about other people’s opinions about my body and my choices. I’m able to trust my intuition. I’m able to advocate for myself in ways I didn’t before I valued my own needs.
The world often tells you how it sees you, how it wants to see you. Self-love has helped me feel strong in telling the world who I am and how I’ll be seen. It gives me strength in putting myself out there, allowing myself to take up space in life and online. I wouldn’t feel as comfortable showing my body or being proud of my accomplishments if I didn’t fundamentally believe I deserved to be seen.

HealthyWay

What advice do you have for someone wanting to establish or strengthen a self-love practice?

Nadia:

It’s hard to achieve self-love if A) You are not surrounding yourself with people that acknowledge the importance of self-love themselves, or B) You haven’t truly committed to loving yourself.
Avoid self-hate talk, not giving yourself positive chats, etcetera. Keeping company with people that will build you up will only make it easier for you to continue to build yourself in a positive way.

Lauren:

My few pieces of advice are to start small, be patient, and make it your own. Your self-love practice is as unique to you as your fingerprint. Don’t look to others when trying to cultivate a “perfect” routine. Instead, take a deep look inside and get your hands dirty. What do you need most?
Your first dip into the ocean of self-love may be as simple as asking those questions and sitting with what comes up without judgment. Feel your full spectrum of emotions and acknowledge what makes you human. Then celebrate what makes you you. Set aside a block of time each week to do something nice for yourself. If … affirmations or gratitude journaling [resonate] with you, these are wonderful places to begin. Find your flow with them and ride that energetic wave wherever it may lead.
When you master the weekly practice, try it three times per week. Nail it? Great, move on to a daily practice. Remember, though, we’re developing self-love. Within this, there is no such thing as perfection. You may set a few intentions, but these are not deadlines or obligations. Love is a priority, but it should never be a source of shame. Show up with what you need as best you can and watch yourself blossom.

Kingsley:

Follow what feels right. Listen to your heart and your intuition. Don’t be afraid to put yourself first. Being successful in anything starts at the source, so take good care of yourself so that you can then go out and be great at all the things you want to achieve. The way you love yourself is the way you teach others to love you. So make sure you give yourself the time, love, and energy that you deserve. 

Meghan:

Pay attention to how others do it. Take notes. Narrow down the things that work for you, that feel good and right to you. Rearrange and practice until it feels like the right combination. Most importantly, be patient with yourself. Your practice isn’t going to look exactly like anyone else’s and it’s going to be constantly changing as you grow up and dig deeper.

Looking for more self-love inspiration?

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Everyday Stress Management Techniques That Emphasize Self-Care, Mental Health, And Physical Well-Being

“You look…stressed.”
It’s something you’ve probably heard before, whether from a well-meaning spouse, a colleague, or a concerned friend. You’ve probably had to stifle the urge to bitterly reply, “Of course I’m stressed!” After all, the only thing worse than feeling the internal tension of stress is having someone comment on it, proving once and for all that you’re not doing a good job of hiding just how stressed you are.
But again, how could you not feel stressed? In a given day you, modern women have to care for themselves, their careers, aging parents, young kids, spouses, and other loved ones. And that’s just the stress that originates close to home. There are also big-picture stressors like divisive politics, global warming, and mass shootings that leave some of us tangled up in one giant ball of tension.
And if it seems like you’re more stressed than the men in your life, you’re probably right. The American Psychological Association (APA) has found that women consistently report higher levels of stress than men. For example, 65 percent of women stress about money compared to 57 percent of men, and 56 percent of women stress about family responsibilities, whereas only 42 percent of men experience stress about the same thing.
There’s no denying that there is stress in your life. The traditional advice for dealing with stress was to just eliminate stressful situations from your day-to-day, but that’s easier said than done—especially when we have constant access to social media and are inundated with news that exposes us to stressors nonstop thanks to a 24/7 media cycle.
Because of this, it makes more sense for modern women to learn to manage stress than to try to eliminate it completely. Fortunately, there are great stress management techniques that will help you relax and have fun while letting go of the tension that stress can cause.
HealthyWay spoke with experts about the best stress management techniques that you can use to better handle your stress now—and make 2018 the year you’re not overwhelmed.
We promise it will be easy. …Don’t stress about it!

What is stress?

We talk about stress all the time, but how should we actually define it? According to the American Institute of Stress, it’s hard to define, especially because how people experience stress and what they find stressful varies widely.
An early definition of psychological stress as “the nonspecific response of the body to any demand for change” was coined in 1936, but that doesn’t exactly give us lots of information. As psychologists and others studied stress more closely, they began to view stress as “physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.” Researchers have also found that stress is associated with feeling a lack of control. If we’re not able to control something, we find it stressful.
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So what does all that mean for modern life? Each year the APA publishes a report titled “Stress in America: Coping With Change.” The 2017 study found that 80 percent of Americans reported feeling symptoms of stress during the month prior to being surveyed, and that those symptoms included headaches, anxiety, and depression.
The report found that both personal and social problems contribute to stress. Americans also anticipate stress. Respondents said that they are likely to stress over money (62 percent), the economy (58 percent), personal health concerns (58 percent), and health problems in the family (57 percent) in the next year. Terrorism and gun violence are also sources of stress for 34 and 31 percent of Americans, respectively.
With all these topics weighing on our minds, it’s no wonder that American women feel overwhelmed and are ready to get proactive about relief.

Stress has real health impacts.

You might think of stress as a mental health concern. And while that’s certainly true (and a valid reason to take it seriously), it’s important to know that stress has a huge impact on physical health. Studies including one on biomarkers and chronic stress published in Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews have found that stress can affect nearly all our bodies’ systems, from the immune system to metabolism and cardiovascular health.
“Chronic psychosocial stress and consequent physiological dysregulations are increasingly viewed as catalysts of accelerated aging and agitators of disease trajectories,” the study’s authors write. In short, stress can make you age faster and make you more susceptible to disease.
Another study concluded, “There [is] a significant relationship between daily stress and the occurrence of both concurrent and subsequent health problems such as flu, sore throat, headaches, and backaches.”
The same study found that some people are more vulnerable to the physical impacts of stress even if they have relatively low levels of stress in their lives.

What can stress management routines do to address its adverse impacts?

Stress can take a toll on your physical and mental health, so it’s important to try to navigate stress in a way that allows you to minimize its negative side effects.
“While some of us are more resilient in the face of stress than others, at some point all of us will reach our threshold for how much stress we can tolerate,” says Marni Amsellem, PhD, a psychiatrist at Smart Health Psychology, a private practice with offices in Westchester County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut.
“If we do not find a way to effectively let out our stress, our overall functioning will decline,” Amsellem says. “We will snap at little things that [do not] ordinarily affect us. If we are not checking in with ourselves and are not regularly managing stress, when we hit our breaking point, we may really have a negative reaction.”  
Having a stress management routine is a way to get ahead of stress, addressing it before it begins to have a negative impact on our sense of well-being. Since stress is constantly coming into our lives, it’s important to have a stress management routine that we practice regularly. Whatever stress management technique you choose to use, it’s important to employ it every day.
“It should be practiced as frequently as brushing our teeth—two to three times a day,” says Kelley Kitley, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Serendipitous Psychotherapy in Chicago. “It’s a self-soothing and emotional regulation necessity.”
The good news is that more Americans are finding ways to handle their stress effectively. The “Stress in America” report found that 41 percent of respondents feel they are managing their stress better than they were 10 years ago.
So how are they doing it? It turns out there are a variety of techniques.

It’s time to get serious about self-care.

All stress management techniques are forms of self-care. You’re taking the time to connect with your feelings and nurture yourself so you can let go of tension and fear. That self-care component is more important than the specific stress management method you use, says Amsellem.
“One strategy that I find is highly effective for my patients is to carve out time each day for self-care,” she says. “What self-care is varies from individual to individual and from day to day. One day, it may mean going to a yoga class after work, another day it may mean leisure reading or catching up with an old friend. On other days it may mean going through that unruly closet in the hallway that is in a constant state of chaos and taking the time to organize it.”
The most important thing is to make sure that you’re making time for self-care daily, even when (and especially when) life gets chaotic.

Breathe the stress away.

Having a self-care routine is a great way to keep stress at bay, but it’s also important to have techniques that you can use in the moment when you are feeling overwhelmed. If you open a negative email from your boss or get a phone call with bad news, what can you do to start coping with that stress immediately?
Breathe.
“When we breathe, we are literally pausing our initial reaction,” Amsellem says. “During that time, we can compose our thoughts to help temper our automatic reactions. Breathing also helps slow down our physiological reactions in our body that can get over-activated in a crisis.”
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Taking a deep breath (or five) can slow the heart rate and stabilize blood pressure—both of which often skyrocket in stressful situations—and can help you control your physical stress response so that you can react to the situation from a place that is more mentally and emotionally aware.

Take time to unplug.

Most of us are never far from our smartphones. We text with friends and check social media obsessively, often making it the first thing we do when we wake up and the last thing we do before falling asleep. That might be contributing to our stress levels, though, so experts say that taking time away from the internet and technology is a great way to manage stress.
Some studies have found that social media use can decrease people’s ability to cope with feelings of being overwhelmed. Other studies have found that being on social media can increase chances of depression.
In addition to those issues, the blue light emitted by tablets, smartphones, and other technology can disrupt our natural sleep patterns. Since sleep is important to coping and feeling less stressed, unplugging before bed is essential.
“Getting a good night’s sleep is critical to the well-being of your mind and body. For a better night’s sleep, consider taking a tech break,” says Neil Shah, founder and director of the Stress Management Society, a U.K. nonprofit that focuses on stress management issues. “Ditch the tech at least an hour before bed.”

Get moving.

If you’re feeling stressed, exercise may be the last thing on your mind. However, moving your body can have powerful stress-busting effects. Studies have found that exercise can lower stress levels and leave you feeling better psychologically (and stronger physically). It also helps you build resilience to stress, which is great if you don’t see your life slowing down any time soon.
Scientists don’t understand exactly why exercise helps relieve stress, but common hypotheses emphasize the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters that facilitate feeling good, involved with exercise. With more endorphins flowing, you’re less likely to feel the negative effects of stress.

Reach for healthy foods.

If you’re feeling stressed, science says that you’re more likely to reach for high-fat foods and other unhealthy treats. Although people report that they reach for these foods to comfort themselves, unhealthy eating can add to your stress in the long term as you worry about the negative implications of your diet for your overall health.
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Rather than reaching for an unhealthy treat when you’re feeling stressed, choose wholesome, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. These will help keep your blood sugar stable and your emotions in check throughout the day.

Go on a mental vacation.

Remember how relaxed you felt the last time you were on a vacation without deadlines, carpools, or groceries to worry about? Tap into those feelings that next time you sense stress might overwhelm you—not by booking a flight, but by closing your eyes and visualizing a wonderful memory from that time.
“Creative visualizations are very easy and can be done at your desk or on the sofa,” Shah says. “Just slow your breathing, close your eyes, and use all of your senses to remember your last holiday: Hear it, see it, feel it, smell it, and taste it.”

Take time to find what works for you.

There are many ways to manage stress, so the key is finding what works for you. The “Stress in America” survey found that exercise, talking with friends, reading, and praying are among the most common ways that Americans relieve their stress. But if those don’t sound right for you or if you don’t feel like doing them on a particular day, you have plenty of other options.
“Everyone’s stress management routine will be different,” says Nicole Archer, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist in St. Petersburg, Florida. “It is important to try different methods to see what works best for you. Many find exercise to be a great stress relief. Other examples could be getting fresh air, playing with a pet, yoga, breathing exercises, mindfulness, having a cup of tea, drawing, journaling, organizing your closet, a hot bath or shower, aromatherapy, practicing positive self-talk or self-compassion. The possibilities are endless.”
If you don’t know where to start, think about what things have soothed you in the past. If you’ve always loved taking a hot bath, that might be an excellent stress management technique for you.
The key is making the time to care for yourself consistently.
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“Balance is really important,” Archer says. “Our schedules will fluctuate, but try to schedule in self-care and stress management time just like you would a meeting or class. Sometimes you may have time to get a massage; other times you may only have a few minutes to do deep breathing or listen to your favorite song on the way to work.”
If you try a few different things and still feel that you’re struggling to manage your stress, Archer suggests talking to a therapist who can help you develop a stress management routine.
“Stress is impossible to avoid in life,” she says. “We all have responsibilities, traffic, etc. that we are faced with. Since we can’t avoid stress, we must have a stress management routine so that we can better deal with stress in order to not let it interfere with our well-being, relationships, or responsibilities.”
That’s a mission we can all get behind.

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

5 Things We Did In 2017 That We Need To Stop Doing In 2018

We’re well into 2018 and, if you’re like many people, your New Year’s resolutions have probably already come and gone. That’s ok though—after all, there’s no reason to believe that a new year has to mean a new you.
However, if social media posts are any indication, 2017 was a year that many people were thrilled to leave behind. From political turmoil to social stress and personal loss, 2017 gave many people a run for their money. Because of that, let’s focus on making 2018 a more positive year. One way to do that is by ditching some of the negative and downright useless habits we fell into during 2017.
Here are five things that we did during 2017 that we need to stop doing in 2018 if we’re really planning to live our happiest and healthiest lives.
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Don’t get me wrong, I love massages and long candle-lit baths as much as the next girl. Making time to indulge in those self-care activities is absolutely important, but let’s stop telling ourselves that if we’ve added some extra relaxation into our day we’ve got self-care covered.
To really take good care of ourselves we need to do hard work, whether it’s at the gym, in the kitchen, or with a therapist. Self-care means cooking yourself healthy meals, taking time to work up a sweat, and cleaning out your metaphorical closet by getting comfy on the therapist’s couch.
In 2018, let’s commit to investing in those tough self-care tasks that will leave us feeling better physically, mentally, and emotionally.
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How often do you ignore your kids to post something in your mom groups, or text with friends rather than talking to colleagues over lunch? Jumping into our devices can be a way to take a break from the world around us, but too often it leaves us disconnected.
This year, it’s time to stop fishing for likes or having conversations with friends on Twitter while ignoring our loved ones who are literally in the room.
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This year, it’s time to get moving. Getting in the habit of moving more will leave you with more energy and a more limber body in the long run.
This year, incorporate walks around the block after lunch, hold a plank while you play floor games with the kids, and take the long way through the store when you run out for a gallon of milk.
[sol title=”Being Cynical” subheader=”Cynicism can’t outshine your cause.”]
No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, there’s no denying that we’re living in polarizing times. This year, let’s rise above the cynicism, and rather than mindlessly complaining about problems, let’s actually work to fix them.
That means volunteering, donating, and showing up to make a difference for causes you’re passionate about.
[sol title=”Putting Ourselves Last” subheader=”It’s time to stand up.”]
Last year women began standing up more and making their voices heard in the political and social arenas. This year, let’s bring that power home and make 2018 the year that women stand up and aren’t afraid to say no to others if that’s what it takes to say yes to our own needs.

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

How To Form Healthy Habits (And Make Them Stick)

Treating your body as well as you possibly can takes dedication, perseverance, and (you guessed it!) a whole bunch of healthy habits. This isn’t something you can establish overnight unless you have an iron will. For the rest of us, implementing healthy habits and sticking to them is an ongoing process.

How to Form Healthy Habits

Creating healthy changes in your life means that little decisions and actions need to become ingrained in your routine. You’ve heard of the term lifestyle change, right? Crafting a routine filled with healthy habits is the exact same thing. Having healthy habits changes how you think so eventually, instead of telling yourself to eat veggies with every meal, you just do it! No decision necessary.
We like to make little changes, one by one, that grow together to represent holistic change. This theory of change makes a lifestyle overhaul easier since it affords you stepping stones between your starting point and your health goals.
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If the healthy habit you want to establish is to work out everyday and you aren’t used to doing so, you may push yourself too hard and abandon ship if the habit seems too exhausting to maintain long term. But working in a few push ups a day as opposed to a full-on workout is much easier. See what we mean? Focus on stacking up bite-sized healthy habits in order to build up and enjoy the benefits of overall lifestyle changes.

Habit Formation

To form a habit, the activity you’re trying to incorporate into your life needs to become second nature. To get there, we suggest following the three Rs of habit formation. This strategy was recently popularized by James Clear but has been popping up (more or less eloquently) since at least 2010. The three Rs are:

1. Reminder

When deciding on the habit you want to establish, it’s helpful to put it in context. If you’re aiming to eat a piece of fresh fruit every day, you’re more likely to follow through if you tie the activity to a consistent cue from your day-to-day life. For example, eat a piece of fruit every day with lunch.
When you’re packing your lunch, you’ll automatically put a piece of fruit in, and you can adjust your portions to make sure the fruit—rather than an extra handful of chips or a cookie—gets eaten every day.

2. Routine

This means consistently engaging in the activity you want to become a habit. You can pack an apple in your lunch all you want, but if you don’t eat it you haven’t made it part of your routine.

3. Reward

Practicing self-affirmation—that is, praising yourself for a job well done or identifying how your habits align with your core values—after engaging in your healthy habit can help you stick to it. It may also be the most gratifying part of incorporating your habit into your day-to-day life.
You may have heard (or read somewhere on the internet) that it takes 30 days to form a good habit. This would be great, really, but studies show that it takes closer to 10 weeks or two and a half months for an action to become a genuinely habitual part of your routine.
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To keep you on track with your healthy changes for the full 10 weeks, accountability is key! This can achieved in a variety of ways—from checking in with friends or on social media to starting a fitness journal. And don’t worry too much if you veer away from your new habit momentarily. Studies found that getting off track (thanks to a weekend-long Netflix binge, a vacation, whatever) did not seriously impact habit formation so long as you jump right back in. Don’t beat yourself up about a setback, just keep on trucking and you’ll eventually be golden.

Healthy Habits You Can Aim for This Year

Although everyone is in a different spot when it comes to their wellness and lifestyle goals, we can all make positive changes. Even if they are little, these changes can have a positive impact on your health. Here are our top ideas for healthy habits to implement this year

Apps to Get You There

Healthy changes need to become healthy habits in order to have the long-lasting wellness impacts you’re after. But until a healthy activity has become an automatic part of your day, one of the most helpful ways of keeping on track and moving toward habit formation is with proactive reminders and intentional scheduling.
We highly recommend setting reminders on your phone or calendar (for example, “6:30: 7-minute Meditation”). This works for everything from setting a healthy bedtime to a reminding yourself to eat your salad at lunch. If you’re using online meditation or fitness resources, copy–paste the URL into your calendar description so you can access the resource easily when your calendar reminder pops up!
Those of us with somewhat sedentary lifestyles and office jobs can also use fitness trackers like the Fitbit that will remind us to get up and move our bodies every hour.
Whatever your healthy change may be, we know that taking the time to make it a habit will make your life so much easier. When healthy choices become second nature, your well-being can only benefit.
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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

What’s Up With Sound Bathing? (And What To Know Before Your First Sonic Healing Sesh)

Is your yoga studio advertising sound bathing sessions or has a friend been raving about her recent experience? From massages and aromatherapy to sensory deprivation tanks and crystal healing, more and more women are trying natural wellness therapies that may have been dismissed as “too out-there” just a few years ago.
Still, being adventurous has its benefits, and proponents of the so-called sound healing trend are a new wave of pioneers. One of the major benefits for overworked or overtired sound bathers is that all you really have to do is lie down and let the healing wash over you.
Sounds amazing, right? If you’re stressed, have a chronic health condition, or are just looking for a new way to give yourself a nourishing treat, you owe it to yourself to try this therapeutic treatment for the mind, body, and spirit.

Wait, what’s a sound bath?

No, you won’t get wet. Instead of warm water and bubbles, when you partake in a sound healing session, you “bathe” in the sonic vibrations created by instruments like Tibetan singing bowls, gongs, handpans, bells, and chimes played by the sound bath practitioner for your benefit. Some sessions also incorporate singing and chanting. As sound specialist Monte Hansen told The Washington Post, one of the reasons it’s called a bath is because people “feel like they are being submerged in sound, like the sound waves created by the Tibetan singing bowls are a visceral thing and they are washed in waves of water.”
Sound bathing and gong healing sessions have been popping up more and more frequently in alternative wellness centers and yoga studios, but it’s actually an ancient tradition that’s experiencing a major comeback.

Does it really work?

Maybe. I say this as someone who recently tried sound bathing and experienced a tangible benefit, so I want to say yes! Of course, aside from my personal experience, it’s important to note that while there are lots of studies showing real, empirical evidence that sound, audio vibrations, and music therapy are legitimate treatments for conditions ranging from generic stress to PTSD, there aren’t any peer-reviewed studies specifically about sound bathing—yet. But as many sound healing enthusiasts will tell you, “I may not know exactly what it’s doing to me or how it works, but I know if feels amazing.”
I went to a Shakti Gong Sound Healing event at The People’s Yoga—my regular yoga studio here in Portland—hosted by the Starnes Sisters. Stephanie and Sarah Starnes have been conducting sound healing sessions for years, and they’re known for their otherworldly singing voices, which they bring into their sound healing rituals.
I’m already a frequent practitioner of yoga and meditation, and am pretty open to alternative wellness, but was still totally shocked at how different I felt after simply lying down and absorbing the sounds for 90 minutes. I would describe the feeling as a slow, creeping relaxation that ended in me feeling almost exactly as if I had just received a massage.
Sarah says sound baths are “an opportunity to connect more deeply with yourself,” while Stephanie invites sound bathers to “lay down with [their] eyes closed in a safe space, allowing [them] to relax and absorb the sound that we create.”

Know before you go.

A sound bathing experience usually involves laying down on your back on a yoga mat or blanket in savasana (corpse pose), with or without supporting props like bolsters and pillows, with your head directed toward the source of the music. The idea is to be as comfortable as possible. If your sound bath is hosted in a yoga studio, there will likely be some props available to borrow, but the Starnes sisters recommend bringing your own cozy accoutrements like pillows, blankets, and an eye mask—anything you want to help you feel “extra comfortable.” They also recommend wearing layers, since lying still for an hour and a half can cause your body to cool, and you don’t want to get chilly.
You should also know that some people have reported feeling strong or unexpected emotions during or after their sonic sessions. Some even feel the need to laugh or cry. As Stephanie said at the end of our sound bath, “Just in case something has come up for you,” you should make sure to “keep caring for yourself and treating yourself gently” for the rest of the evening. As for me, I went home, drank tea, and basked in that post-sound bath feeling that you’ll come to know if you give it a try.

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

What The Heck Is Hygge? Here's Why You Need Some This Winter

Disclaimer: Just so you know, if you order an item through one of our posts, we may get a small share of the sale.

The winter months can be especially stressful. Cooking and baking, wrapping the presents, and making it to all eight of your holiday parties…when it’s all over you can really feel worn out. For the post-holiday daze, we’re advocating a little bit of hygge. You’ll thank us later.

What is hygge, exactly?

You know that peaceful feeling you get when you’re nestled snugly on the couch with your favorite blanket and a warm cup of hot chocolate and everything is just right? That’s hygge. Hygge is taking time to appreciate the feeling of coziness. It’s being present in the moment and enjoying the little things, like a nubbly sweater or hot tea on a cold day. We’re feeling calmer just thinking about it.
The term hygge is of Danish origin—there isn’t an English word that means quite the same thing (and it doesn’t rhyme with jiggy; it’s pronounced more like “hue-guh”).
Hygge is widely considered a defining characteristic of Danish culture and has been trending across the globe, thanks in no small part to the rise in popularity of self-care. Hygge places emphasis on being appreciative of what you have, seeking out comfort, and feeling good about your surroundings. The Danes make hygge a part of their everyday life, and it’s not hard to see why.

How to Embrace Hygge

Especially during the cold, gray, dark winter months, taking a moment to get cozy and be thankful is good for the soul. Who needs a frosty mood on top of the chilly weather?
When you get home after a long day and it’s already dark out, practice a little hygge with your lighting choice. Burn a few candles, opt for warming lamps over harsh overhead lights, and get comfortable on the couch with your favorite blanket. Candlelight is warm in color, temperature, and feeling (just make sure to keep an eye on an open flame).
You can also infuse a little hygge in your self-care routine to make it more meditative. You can find joy in washing your face, we promise! Enjoy the sensation of bubbles on your skin or the feeling of a warm washcloth when you remove your cleanser. Rushing through a skincare routine, taking the shortest shower possible, or not bothering to brush your hair doesn’t need to be your standard. Bring in some mindfulness and you’ll find the coziness in your self-care routine in no time.
Having friends over is an ideal time to embrace hygge. Instead of stressing about getting just the right snacks and making sure every little detail is perfect, relax into it. Pop some popcorn, grab extra blankets, and settle in for a fun night with your gals.
Not feeling like socializing? That’s okay! Everyone needs time to themselves too. Some people find it easier to wind down when they’re totally alone. A warm bubble bath is the perfect way to get your hygge on when you’re having an evening in. When’s the last time you allowed yourself to lazily soak in the tub? Take an evening to put your feet up and pamper yourself.

Enhance your hygge.

While you’re getting hygge with it (sorry, had to at least once!) you may want to have a treat-yourself moment. We’re all for cozying up, and this knitted blanket is just the thing. Tea drinkers can get their mug in the mix with this equally warm tea cozy. We also like to light a nice candle like this delicious winter woods–scented one.
For adding a little comfort to your day we highly recommend picking up some super soft socks, a wrap cardigan, and some jogger sweatpants so you’ll always feel warm and snug.
But really, you don’t need to buy anything to have a hygge moment. Appreciating what you have, warming up with the ones you love, and reveling in the calm is all it takes.

Products you’ll love:

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Refreshed + Ready With Keri Kugler: Meditation


This 7-minute meditation can be used to set an intention for your day or whenever you need a break from your busy routine to center yourself and refocus your energy.
You can learn more about Keri’s coaching and yoga practice here.
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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Happy, Healthy, And Strong: What You Can Learn From These Celebs’ Wellness Routines

I have a confession to make:
I’m 31 years old, and before this year, I had never been able to do a “real” push up.
I’ve always had to do a modified version, and even then I struggled.
That is, until I started following fitness star Kayla Itsines on Instagram. Her before-and-after photos of regular women just like me getting stronger and more fit inspired me.
I downloaded the app, treated myself to fancy workout clothes, and got to work.
It hasn’t been pretty, but thanks to Kayla, I can now carry my son in his car seat without having to stop and catch my breath every five feet.
Itsines is just one celeb dishing out some serious wellness inspiration.
Check out these seven celebrities’ routines for restoring health to mind, body, and soul.
Drew Barrymore
Recently, internet trolls tried to come after my girl Drew for posting a photo of herself without makeup. Even though she looked totally gorgeous in the photo, Barrymore admitted that the comments stung. Instead of wallowing in self-pity though, Barrymore practiced self-love.
In a pic posted to Instagram, Barrymore commented, “Yesterday I saw comments on my Instagram feed about my post that were mean, cruel, and ugly. It hurt me. And you know what women do when they get hurt???? They pick themselves up! Go get a haircut. Put on some lipstick and chant ‘if you don’t have something nice to say… don’t say anything at all’ thank you @markishkreli @yumi_mori for picking a girl up and dusting her off. And more than anything, helping me feel pretty. Pretty is on the inside. But a little love on the outside never hurts.”
Whitney Thore
I love Whitney Thore, the star of TLC’s My Big, Fat, Fabulous Life, and not just because she’s from my home state of North Carolina. Thore has become a vocal advocate for body positivity and self-love, both on her show and through her website, No Body Shame.
Thore became YouTube famous with her viral “fat girl dancing” videos, which seek to show that women don’t have to be a certain shape to practice wellness—or have fun doing it.
Thore believes that wellness isn’t just about a particular workout or diet. In an interview with The Gloss, she says:
“It’s not just about body image … I want to reach anyone that has something they feel is holding them back from just living in the moment and being happy.”
Jessamyn Stanley
Another Carolina girl (we really are best in the world, y’all), Jessamyn Stanley is a body positivity advocate and yoga instructor.
One reason I love Stanley is how refreshingly honest she is. Even though she’s written a book, amassed more than 300,000 Instagram followers, and now teaches yoga all over the world, Stanley did not always love yoga. In fact, she hated it. According to a post by Stanley on Tumblr: “I think it’s really important for me to say that my first yoga experience was hell on earth. Are you hearing me? HELL. ON. EARTH.”
Lucky for us, Stanley gave yoga another chance and has this advice for wannabe yogis:
“Don’t be intimidated by your inexperience—even world weary yoga teachers are lifelong students. We are all constantly learning and evolving, and your evolution is absolutely perfect from the start.”
Julianne Hough
Julianne Hough is serious fitness goals. I mean, have you seen her abs?
But Hough is so much more than a rockin’ bod. She created her website, JulianneHough.com, as a space for women to be the “best versions of ourselves through style, fitness, and giving back to the world around us.”
Most recently, Hough shared her struggle with endometriosis, a painful condition in which uterine tissue grows outside the uterus. Other famous celebs like Lena Dunham have recently revealed their own battle with endometriosis, but the condition is still a mystery for most women.
Hough is committed to raising awareness for endometriosis through her organization MeInEndo and says, “Through this campaign aimed at inspiring women to learn about and understand endometriosis, I too have learned so much. Most importantly, I’ve learned I’m not alone. … Together, we can change the way endometriosis is understood.”
Ashley Graham
I typically think of Dress Barn as being a place women of a certain age might shop, but Ashley Graham changed my mind. When her Dress Barn collaboration came out, I bought every. single. piece. She’s almost (but not quite) replaced Dolly Parton as my style icon. And that’s not a statement I make lightly!
One of the best things about Ashley Graham is the way she stays true to her own wellness routine and shuts down haters. Recently, Graham had the best response to some ugly comments about her workouts on Instagram:
“Just for the record—I work out to: stay healthy, feel good, get rid of jet lag, clear my head, show big girls we can move like the rest of em, stay flexible and strong, have more energy … I don’t work out to lose weight or my curves, bc I love the skin I’m in…”
Preach, Ashley!
Paloma Elsesser
The new face of Fenty, Paloma Elsesser is not just a bombshell but an advocate for body positivity and women’s wellness. Recently Elsesser appeared in Glossier’s campaign for their new Body Hero line. In an Instagram post, here’s what she had to say about the experience:
“I did this to show that being fat isn’t a burden. Being fat isn’t ugly or shameful. To prove to one person that it isn’t BRAVE to be fat, but bountiful. And for that young girl looking on Instagram, or walking down Spring St, that she is … perfect despite the precarious and irresponsible versions of beauty we are urged to digest.”
Like Ashley Graham and Jessamyn Stanley, Elsesser also wants women to know that wellness has nothing to do with size. In an interview with Coveteur, Elsesser says, “This image that we’re now unpacking is that there’s no one body type—we all have different body types, everything can sit differently.”
How does Elsesser maintain a wellness routine while also being a jet set supermodel?
“There is so much chaos [in the world], so it’s important that we, as women, as human beings, are able to tap out in a positive way. [I was living in a] negative, destructive way that I was just not willing to participate in anymore. [And for me] that was wellness, having tranquility.”
Serena Williams
I don’t know about you, but when I was in my first trimester, it was all I could do to drag myself to work on time, much less work out.
That’s why Serena Williams is and always will be the GOAT.
Not only did she slay on the court, but she won the Australian Open while in her first trimester.
Serena’s secret to wellness?
Killer self-confidence.
After the birth of her son Alexis, she posted on Instagram, “’I’m ready to get back at it. My belief in myself has never been stronger.”
In an interview with Fitness magazine, Williams revealed that although she eats a healthy diet and maintains a wellness routine even when she’s not training, she does have days where she feels a little inadequate. “When I was young I thought I should be built more like an athlete—long and lean—not with a womanly figure. But then people my age started coming up to me, saying, ‘I love you because of the way you look.’ They could relate to me. That was really motivating.”
Williams’ advice for women?
“I learned to be proud of my curves and to embrace my large boobs and my butt. It’s all about loving who you are and realizing that you’re beautiful.”
In my opinion, that’s the only wellness routine women really need to follow.

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Happy x Mindful Wellbeing

Making Space: More Headspace, Less Clutter, And Better Holidays

If you’re like many women, by mid-November the holidays are probably taking up a lot of your physical, mental, and emotional space. You’re planning what you need to cook, who you need to buy for, and how you’ll balance all those holiday party invitations. You’re dreaming up the perfect gifts for the kids while at the same time wondering where you’re going to put any new toys. You’re wondering if your brothers will be civil to each other at the big family dinner.
At the same time you’re probably spending more time indoors and might be overwhelmed by the clutter in your house.
All of that can combine to make December a pretty hectic month. There’s no way to escape the fact that there is a lot going on during the holidays. However, it is possible to make space for yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally, and doing so can help you enjoy the holiday season without getting overwhelmed.
Here’s how to get started.

Find your headspace.

If you’re trying to combat stress this holiday season, the most important thing you can do is find time to clear your head. There are many ways to go about this. Meditation has been shown to reduce stress and improve attention. There are many apps available that offer short guided meditations for beginners. 
If moving is more your thing, head to the gym or have a dance party. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress and improve mood, and music releases the feel-good chemical dopamine. Try to incorporate these practices daily to keep stress at bay, and turn to them when you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed.  

Clear physical space.

Chances are that your home is feeling a bit more crowded this time of year. After all, depending on where you live, you can no longer open the windows and doors or opt to spend all day outside. That can make the home feel crowded, which makes the idea of taking in more holiday gifts seem like a big burden. After all, clutter has been shown to increase stress since it overstimulates your brain and reminds you of work that has to be done (like sorting through that pile).
To help alleviate that, take time to clear out clutter from your house this winter. You’re probably thinking, “Wait, that’s just one more thing to add to my to-do list!” but don’t worry. Clearing clutter can be easy.
Give yourself a goal of getting rid of five items every day. Go through your bureau, the toy box, and the junk drawer and ditch anything you haven’t used recently. Toss anything that’s in questionable condition, and keep a box outside your home or in your car for anything that can be donated (that way you’re not tempted to take it back inside).

Clear emotional space.

During the holidays many people (especially women) spend time worrying about other people’s emotions. We often accept gifts that we don’t want or need and keep them for a long time so we don’t offend the giver. However, anyone who gives you a gift wants you to feel great, so ditch the guilt if a gift isn’t for you. Feel free to pass it along to someone who would enjoy it or donate it.
Better still: If someone asks what you want, ask for experiential gifts (tickets or museum membership) or disposable gifts (like bath bombs or lotion) that will not add to the clutter in your home and mind.
This year, don’t let the holidays overwhelm you. Instead, make space to truly enjoy them!