Category: Uncategorized
-
If all is going wrong in your life, the worst thing to do is to dwell on it. Give yourself a little time to cry and feel your sadness and then move on.
That’s life, we all come across difficulties but we must make the best of the life we have been given. Death, illness, rejection, depression, a friendship or marriage that ends, they are all part of life. There is also so much beauty and glimpses of happiness in life. A new love, seeing your child for the first time, having a wonderful laugh with a friend. Our relationships with our family, our friends, that’s always been the key to happiness for me. Years ago, an important friendship that spanned over twenty-five years to someone I considered a sister came to a shocking end. It threw me into a deep depression. I wasted years dwelling on it and other unfortunate situations. Now if I encounter something that makes me feel depressed, I have the tools to help myself.
How do I do it? I guess you can say I’ve become an optimistic person. It’s not something that comes naturally to me. I look for the best in any situation and expect good things to happen. It’s my faith in God. I think certain unpleasant things happen to help us grow and push us into places we wouldn’t normally go to on our own.
New research shows that there’s a positive impact that optimism has on both mental and physical health. Finding happiness all boils down to the way we talk to ourselves. Having a deep connection with our source and believing that everything happens for a reason.
A book that really has helped me shape my positive attitude is “The Quran and the Life of Excellence” by Sultan Abdulhameed. The book literally changed the direction of my life. This inspirational book is a great read for anyone that has faith in God. I consider the author a mentor and a friend. He has helped me and many others see the power that is within us to live a life of excellence.
One of the ways I have tapped into the power within me is to practice gratitude. I’ve blogged about the importance of gratitude before. I know from my own experience that if we take time to notice and reflect upon the things that we are thankful for, we experience more positive emotions, sleep better and even have stronger immune systems. I keep both a gratitude jar and a gratitude journal. Writing brief reflections on moments for which we’re thankful—can significantly increase well-being and life satisfaction.I also try to spend time doing what I love to do. It helps me find joy in my life. I love reading good books and poetry. I love to travel and learn about other cultures. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do that but I still want to see more. I enjoy going to the movies, shopping, dinning in fine restaurants and taking in the beauty of nature. I love spending time with my family and friends.
I love helping people. That’s the direction I am taking now, to work on things that give me the ability to help others. It’s a selfish act because it makes me feel good. It makes me feel fulfilled. I hope someone reading this can benefit from my practice in their own life.
If you are interested in the book I recommended, “The Quran and the Life of Excellence” you can buy it on Amazon.
-
I always love watching the Super Bowl. I enjoy seeing my husband really get into the game and I enjoy all the entertainment and commercials that come along with the game. This year, the “like a girl” commercial really affected me. My sister-in-law emailed the commercial to me earlier and it really made me very emotional. It upset me.
The premise of the commercial is some adults and a little boy are asked to run, fight and throw “like a girl”. Of course they perform these tasks in the wimpiest way, hence “like a girl” is basically used like an insult! The punchline is that the same task is asked of a bunch of little girls and they just gave it their all! Just like my daughter would. They ran, fought and threw with a mighty force. There was nothing wimpy about these little girls. “Because throwing “like a girl” is the same as throwing like a person, right?” says one little girl.
On a day that glorifies masculine athleticism, Proctor & Gamble made viewers consider female strength. It’s important that we as parents remember to use the phrase “like a girl” with power and strength. Women are the ones that carry and nourish a child in their bodies for months. We are the ones that give birth to them and many of us single-handedly raise them. If that is not strength then what is? We have to make sure that we don’t put our girls in a category that makes them feel weak and passive. We’ve got to encourage them to celebrate the unique aspects of femininity. Girls should see themselves as designed and valued by God and savor their femininity as their strength, not a flaw. We parents, both mother’s and father’s are the ones that have to empower our little girls to grow up to become strong, capable and confident women.
Like the commercial says, let’s make “like a girl” mean amazing things! Just like Malala.
-
I’ve always loved playing in the snow as a child and so does my little girl. Recently she had a great day being home and playing outside with friends. Being outdoors for long periods of time in this weather means a lot of chapped, dry skin and brittle hair. She is prone to dry skin every winter. So I’ve got some great home made remedies that will help make winter a lot more enjoyable.
There are a lot things you can do to nourish your hair but here is one I’ve tried and like a lot. It’s a hair-nourishing aloe mask.
Hair-nourishing aloe mask
- 1/4 cup aloe vera gel
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 egg
- 5 drops of rosemary essential oil
Just combine these ingredients, comb the mixture through damp hair and wrap hair in a plastic bag. After just ten minutes, shampoo and condition as usual. The Aloe and olive oil instantly restore moisture to parched strands while the egg’s protein fill in any damaged areas. The rosemary stimulates circulation to the scalp for healthier, thicker hair.
Homemade Body Butter
- Coconut oil
- Vitamin E oil
- Lavender
As for the skin, my daughter has eczema and it comes out with a vengeance in cold weather. I use organic, virgin, cold pressed coconut oil because of its healing properties. I add some vitamin E oil and a few drops of lavender for a soothing scent and mix it up until I’ve whipped it for awhile. It almost looks/feels like wax but that’s normal. Store your new whipped body butter in an airtight container, in a cool dry place. When you apply it make sure you give it a few minutes to soak into your skin before putting on clothes. And that my friends, is a great way to treat your skin to a natural home remedy.
Stay warm and safe in the snow! -
Life sometimes gets in the way of our happiness. Bad things happen to good people. It’s easy to fall apart and let it take over your life and your happiness. Some of us are even prone to unhappiness. It’s called depression. Once it hits you it’s easy to go with it, crawl into bed and feel sorry for yourself. It takes a lot of effort to pick yourself up and be happy! Let me tell you from my own experiences that it can happen. It takes constant work but a simple three-minutes-a-day practice can change your outlook and make you feel more positive! It can happen if you work at it.
You have to hardwire yourself to be happy. It takes practice, lots and lots of practice. Just like repetitive weight lifting can sculpt your muscles, repetitive positive thinking will actually make you happier. It’s true, according to the latest headlines from the front lines of brain science. A recent study shows that habits can be sculpted into the very tissues of our brains. The key to rewiring your brain for happiness is focusing on positive experiences and memories. Our brains are shaped by what we focus on. Basically that means that by taking time to remember positive experiences can deliberately create and prolong the those experiences.
It seems like our brain has a negativity bias. While we think of pleasant experiences, we tend to fully absorb negative ones. In other words, negative reactions become a habit. In one day you can experience four good things, 4 neutral things and just one thing that may have gone wrong. Guaranteed you will come home and think of that negative experience. That will be the one thing that will bother you and keep you up at night. One negative interaction is as powerful as five good ones!
Now in order to become happier, you’ve got to first have a good experience. Maybe sit in a beautiful setting and feel how positive you are just being in that beauty. You’re now activating a positive mental state. Now stay there for few minutes. If you do this a couple of times a day even for a minute it will change your thought process and your life.
Now go and sit with your happy thoughts!
