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The Anatomy Of Excuses – And How They Keep You From What You Want
Everyone has tried to set a goal at one point in his or her life. Goals keep us motivated and on task when we are trying to achieve things in our lives. Occasionally, excuses sneak into the equation when we go about our lives trying to reach our goals.
What are some of the ways that excuses keep you from getting the things you want in life?

Stop You From Taking Responsibility
Excuses are a fantastic tool that our ego uses to help us not accept responsibility for our actions. Coaching Positive Performance notes that one of the keys to success is taking responsibility for your actions. When you make excuses, you are allowing yourself to avoid the responsibility of your actions. Here are the top excuses and how they allow you to avoid responsibility for your actions:

Not enough time: avoiding responsibility for not managing your time properly
It’s too difficult: not taking responsibility for learning the tools or skills necessary for the task

I don’t have the right skills: avoiding the responsibility of admitting you have failed the program properly or learn what is required to complete the goal

No one thinks it will work: this allows you to avoid admitting to yourself that you do not believe you will achieve your own goal
Now you can see how easy it is for an excuse to allow you to avoid taking responsibility for your own actions. Many people use excuses to protect their own ego instead of admitting where they had a falling short when trying to achieve a goal. Taking responsibility for her shortcomings as well as successes is the first step to getting what you want in life.

Stop You from Even Starting
One of the things that excuses do that many people don’t realize is they keep you from taking the first steps to achieving your goal. Excuses allow you to procrastinate. According to Lifehacker procrastination is basically another word for being lazy. Achieving goals and success requires hard work. Many times people don’t want to put in the work necessary to achieve the big goals in life. Excuses allow you to procrastinate if you don’t even start you never have to put in the work.
Procrastination also has a demoralizing effect. The longer you procrastinate on a task the worst you feel about getting it done. Procrastination has a snowball effect. The longer you avoid doing the dishes, the more dishes pile up. The cycle goes on and on until all you’re left with is a pile of dirty dishes and nothing to eat on. Excuses let you go out and buy paper plates instead of washing the dishes.

They Allow You to Stay Comfortable
Lead to Impact talks about how people want to stay comfortable. Once you are in a routine, the desire is to stay in that comfort zone. Setting a goal to achieve success requires us to get out of that comfort zone. No one likes to be uncomfortable.
Excuses allow you to stay in your comfort zone. Saying things such as, “I will start on Monday,” “there’s not enough money,” or “I can’t do it” make sure you to stay right where you are, comfortable but not satisfied.

Bottom Line
It’s very easy to let an excuse to rule your life. Excuses are our way of protecting our ego, enabling us to avoid responsibility and keeping us comfortable. It is much easier to say, “I didn’t have the time or money” than to admit you weren’t willing to prioritize or invest your efforts in the right ways.
Once you put excuses to the side and admit where you succeeded and where you fell short, your goals will be much easier to attain.
The longer you make excuses for not achieving your goals the longer you will remain exactly where you are, excuses allow you to go nowhere fast.

– Scott Blessing

Everyone knows that exercising boosts your strength, stamina, balance, and flexibility, but did you know it also improves your memory as well? This has been borne out in several research articles, including one out of Ireland that looked at the benefits exercise has on boosting memory.

The Results of the Study
In the study, young men were recruited for an exercise study. Initially, they were told to remember the names and faces of people in a lineup that they saw only briefly. After trying to memorize the lineup, they were asked to remember as many names and faces that they could.
As a comparison, the researchers allowed 50 percent of the young men to ride a stationary bicycle and were asked to ride the bicycle as strenuously as they could until they reached the point of exhaustion. There was a control group, which included the other half of the men in the study. Controls just sat still for a half hour.
After the two groups did what they were told to do, they were asked again to memorize names and faces in a lineup and were asked to memorize them as quickly as possible. This was to see if the exercise group could better memorize the names and faces any better than the control group.
The end result was that those who had exercised on the stationary bicycle remembered more names and faces when compared the control group who did not exercise. The scientists believed that it was the exercise done by half of the men that made the exercise group do better on the test.
As part of the test, the participants were asked to give a sample of their blood in order to see if there was a biological reason for the enhanced memory in the exercise group. The results were somewhat surprising.
Those men who exercised on the stationary bicyclist had higher levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a chemical in the brain that maximizes the ability of brain cells to function in several different capacities. Those men who did not exercise had no change in the levels of BDNF in their bloodstream.
This leads the researchers to conclude that exercise, which increases BDNF levels, played a role in the cognitive functioning of those who exercised during the test. They were not, however, able to understand exactly where in the brain the BDNF took effect nor could they identify how BDNF affects memory and thinking behavior.

Other Studies
This isn’t the only study done on exercise and the boosting of memory. There have been studies done on humans and animals both and studies done on older subjects versus younger subjects. A study out of Brazil was one of these studies.
In the study, older rats who normally did not do any exercise were made to exercise by running for five minutes per day for several days per week for a total of 5 weeks of increased exercise. The researchers found that there was a unique chain of biochemical processes that stimulated the areas of the brain most associated with memory. The rats also had an increase in BDNF levels.
In the end, those older rats who exercised did as well as young rats in a memory test for rats. The researchers came to the same conclusion as seen in the above study: that an increase in BDNF during exercise positively affected the memory of the exercising rats.
Still another study was also done on animals (rats). The study was done out of the University of California, Los Angeles, at the Brain Injury Research Center. The study used adult rats who were able to run as much as they wanted to for one week. Those rats had their blood drawn and the BDNF levels were measured against rats who were left sedentary. The exercising rats had higher levels of BDNF and had better memory scores on memory testing.

Studies were also done on humans.
In one study, published in Translational Psychiatry, researchers out of Stanford University did a research study on almost 150 men who were experienced pilots. The pilots were asked to perform in a cockpit stimulator 3 times over a period of 2 years.
As the participants aged, their overall performance declined when they did the cockpit simulation task. This decline was attributed to the advancing age of the pilots, which is a natural aspect of aging.
Interestingly those men that had decreased levels of BDNF in their brains from a genetic tendency toward having low BDNF level performed more poorly on the cockpit simulation test when compared to those who had normal or elevated levels of BDNF in their blood.
Notice that this study did not directly involve exercise but instead focused on BDNF levels. Even so, since BDNF levels rise with age, it is likely that a test involving exercising the men would have had the same result.
Besides BDNF, there are other neurochemicals that seem to be related to memory and cognition; however, BDNF seems to be one of the major neurochemicals affecting memory.

BDNF and Exercise
While BDNF improves with exercise and this secondarily improves memory, men, and women who have a genetic predisposition toward low levels of BDNF should probably exercise more frequently than those who have normal BDNF levels. Unfortunately, people aren’t routinely screened for their BDNF levels so it is a good idea to exercise for better memory even if you don’t know whether or not you have low BDNF levels.

– Scott Blessing

My life would be so much better if I just had more money, the perfect job, the perfect relationship.
Does this sound familiar?
Everyone has been in a situation where they have put their power and their happiness in the hands of someone else or place their control on an external situation to provide happiness. Some people chase a relationship after relationship, believing that it holds the key to their life’s happiness. While others hold on to the belief that earning a certain salary will bring them joy.
These are common thoughts, but when you think like that, you’re giving your power away. You’re giving that power to an external factor, such as the thought of success, a person, or your job.
Your inner dialogue is telling your subconscious that you cannot be happy unless you satisfy certain criteria. Sadly, you’re entirely unaware that you’re doing this to yourself, so you’re oblivious to the fact that you’ve given your power away.

Don’t Label Yourself
What you need to understand is the only way to be happy is by taking back your power, and to do that you need to get to know yourself. You are responsible for your feelings, your behaviors, and your thoughts. By giving your power away to external factors, you are inviting unhappiness, frustration, and a general feeling of being trapped.
We live in a world of labels – you’re smart or you’re stupid, you’re ugly or you’re pretty, you’re successful or you’re unsuccessful. We have this pressure by society to fit into certain boxes that conform to what is considered normal and expected.
When you allow yourself to be put in these boxes, though, you’re giving your power away. Therefore, when you are faced with a decision you need to ask yourself where it’s coming from. Are you making your choice based on society or on your inner truth?

Six Steps To Take Your Power Back
Your potential is limitless, and it’s time that you understood that and took back the power necessary to achieve what you want from life. Use these six steps to free yourself and recapture your power.

Choose You. When faced with a choice are you making a decision that will empower you? Does your decision add value to your life and help you grow? Does it make you feel free? Does it make you feel happy? If the answer is no, then it isn’t the right decision for you, don’t be afraid to choose you.

• Inner Connection. To truly know and understand what it is that you want from life, you first need to know who you are. Take time to get to really know yourself and you’ll soon see your decisions being fueled by you instead of external sources.
• Find Fear. You can’t overcome your fears if you don’t even know what they are, can you? So, determine your fears and then leave them in your wake. You should never allow your fear to outgrow your self-belief.
• Self-Expression. You can express your feelings without blaming other people. Allow yourself to open up and be vulnerable, be courageous by expressing your needs and your feelings. You don’t need to apologize for knowing what you want and who you are, it’s the light that will guide your path.
• Self-Awareness. Be aware of what you’d like to change, whether it’s about yourself, your career, or life in general. You should always be aware of what your self-talk is truly saying as opposed to what your ego is telling you. Your ego is just noise, it’s your self-talk that speaks your true self.
• Accountability. You are nothing if you cannot take responsibility for your words and deeds. Don’t deny mistakes or make excuses, learn from them and do better.
  Life is short and if you want the best out of it, you will start taking back your power today.

  – Scott Blessing

Problem Solving: Key Steps That Really Work

Problems arise daily in our lives, at home, at work, in our personal lives – everywhere! The difference between solving problems in a logical, comprehensive way that gets results and just dancing around the problem is in the way you face them: head-on, with a well-thought-out plan that leaves little room for doubt or hesitation.

Below are 7 essential steps to figuring out how to solve problems to get real results. However, before we go on, let’s define exactly what problems and solutions are. A problem is “a question raised for inquiry, consideration, or solution,” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, while the definition of a solution is “an action or process of solving a problem.”

One of the most important factors to have while searching for solutions is that there must be a clear-cut goal of what you want out of your problem-solving process. What do you want to achieve? What are your goals? Solving problems requires the following skills:

• a sense of readiness to face problems head-on
  creative thinking
  composure and logical thinking
  analytical thinking
  decision-making skills

Nonetheless, with that in mind, it’s important to know that not all problems have quick fixes, while some have solutions that require open-ended, intangible solutions, like coming up with strategies to end world poverty.

The second trick to have up your sleeve is to have confidence when approaching a difficult task. In addition, the way to be confident is to have a solid 7-step process to help you through any problem that comes your way.

Read on to find out more about these 7 steps:

Put your finger on the problem. Clarify exactly what the task is. Highlight potential leading factors for the problem, as well as any sought after results. In order for this to transition smoothly, you need to gather as much information and data as you can. Use logical steps to reach accurate predictions through the clear distinction between cause and effect. This is where you define what goals you are trying to accomplish via this course of action.

Break it down. Simplify the problem into smaller parts. In this day and age, problems have become multi-faceted and more difficult to tackle than ever before. Sometimes all you need to face a problem head-on is to break it down into smaller pieces and find the answer to each one independently before tying everything together into one big solution.

Work backward. Remember those mazes we did as kids? The only way to logically figure out which way was the right way was to start at the end and work backward. Some problems require the same type of logic to reach one possible solution, or perhaps several. Start at the end of the maze and slowly try to move through the tunnels, until you’ve reached the beginning. Interestingly enough, this train of thought was the inspiration behind a number of today’s cleverest inventions.

Brainstorm. Think up as many solutions as you can, along with both their disadvantages and benefits. The main aim of this step is making a list of all possible ways to reach a solution to the problem at hand – no matter how ridiculous they may seem to you. Write down each idea that pops into your mind; be imaginative and creative. This is the step that will put you on the right path of finding that one perfect solution, or at least as close as you can possibly get.

Evaluate and prioritize one main solution. Out of the list of possible solutions, there will be one that catches your eye the most. It’ll be the one that makes the most sense, with the best possible results and the least amount of negative consequences as possible.

Clarify the desired outcomes. Draw out a plan of action because of 9 times out of 10, the solution you pick will need fixing and adjusting before it’s a perfect fit. This is the time for planning, executing, and seeing if it’s reached that level where it can actually solve the problem. Bear in mind that most solutions that constant updates and fixes to make sure it keeps up with the evolving dynamics of the problem.

Follow up. Make revisions to your solutions, in addition to the steps you took to get there. It’s important to review your decisions and the impact they have on the problem and its solution. Continuing to assess your progress will give you insight into your critical thinking skills, and further enhance your ability to move forward.

– Scott Blessing

Doubt and fear are very much akin to being paralyzed. Your ego (aka your inner voice) creates a halo of fear to keep you small and contained. In addition, listening to that inner voice that feeds on your self-doubt as much an act of self-sabotage that needs to be handled in a caring, constructive way. Everyone is guilty of it. However, unfortunately, it keeps us from doing things we might have otherwise enjoyed – even become great at!
Overcoming self-doubt is something that comes with time and practice. Take it slowly and focus on your actions, rather than the results. It’s just like anything in life; if you work on it, you’ll get better at it like riding a bicycle or doing cartwheels.
Below are some tips to help you practice the art of getting over whatever gives you sweaty palms and heart palpitations.
Remember, it’s a process so give yourself time, and reward yourself whenever you reach a milestone, no matter how small it may be:

Give yourself a goal. For the next 10 days, do something that scares you and gets you out of your comfort zone.

Start a journal. Writing things down can be helpful because you keep track of things going on in your life when you put down the pen to paper and voice your stress factors, fears, and doubts. Things start becoming a bit clearer. You start seeing things from a wider perspective and you gain insight on what scares you and what you can do about it to keep it from happening again.
Get comfortable with the physical sensations of fear. This is how you can start to manage to be physically uncomfortable. This can be anything from clammy hands to shallow breaths, a nervous twitch – take one deep breath and try to adapt. That’s the only way it’ll get better with time.

Separate yourself from the source of your fear. The brain shuts down when you’re faced with a fight or flight response. When you give your fear a name, you’re diminishing its power over you. That way you can turn off your fight or flight response and turn on the analytical parts of your brain located in the prefrontal cortex.

You’re not an island. Everyone experiences fear, anxiety, self-doubt – you name it! It’s the way they consciously decide to overcome it rather than let it overcome them is what makes them seem like they’re invincible. But they’re not. They’re just taking things one step at a time.
Foster your self-esteem. Constantly remind yourself of what you did wrong isn’t going to help your self-doubt dissipate. Instead, focus on your accomplishments, no matter how small you may think they are.

Fill up your time. Try to fill your schedule with meetings, events, outings, dates, get-togethers. When you’re left with time on your hands, self-doubt starts to sneak in filling your head with negative thoughts. The more people you interact with, the more you feel your confidence start to soar.

Meditate. Even for a few short minutes, and especially when you’re faced with a stressful, fearful situation. Inhale for 3 seconds, hold it in for 2 seconds, and then slowly exhale for 3 seconds. It will do wonders for your stress levels. You’ll start thinking more positively and with a go-for-it attitude.

Put your imagination to good use. All the greats do this, including athletes, scientists, and politicians. They all mentally visualize themselves being successful at whatever it is they’re setting out to do. It all starts in the head. Then after that, things just fall into place because, in your mind, you’ve already spoken to a packed audience or –. Keep practicing because once you can see it clearly in your mind with enough intensity, then you’ve already reached the peak state even before starting.

Stop comparing yourself to others. We’re forced to look for everybody else’s approval rather than our own. We need to start being true to ourselves. Recognize that it’s normal and natural to be afraid; being afraid isn’t what defines us. Worrying what others will think of you will just hold you back from overcoming your true fears and accomplishing big things in your life. You’re small in a big, crowded world and even though it may seem like it, no one is rooting for you to fail. They’re just going about their daily business worrying about what other people are saying about them too. Don’t let people like that keep you from setting goals and feeling pride at accomplishing them.

Change your way of thinking. When you try out different things, some will work out, some won’t. That’s life. The important thing is that you focus more on what did work out, do more of those things, and forget about what didn’t work out so well. When you look back, you’ll realize that those things you failed at are what helped shaped your current success.
Overall, the only failure you can truly be accused of is not taking that first step to face your fears. Don’t let your vulnerability and hesitation dictate your actions. You’re better and stronger than you believe. You can do anything you put your mind to.

– Scott Blessing

Mental health and wellness start with you. Often the tapes that we play in our head can lead to a negative impact on our mental wellness. If you are struggling with things going on in your head here are some tips to make sure you have the right frame of mind to keep your mental wellness up.

Take Care Of Your Body
The University Of Michigan Student Health Services notes taking care of your body can improve your mental health. Many people think that taking care of their body just means exercise or eating right. The University of Michigan produces a list for taking care of your body that includes:
Eating well
Drinking water
Exercise
Sleeping
Avoiding drugs, alcohol, cigarettes

Make sure that you keep a total body wellness routine so that you can protect your mental illness as well.

Practice Kindness
A Healthier Michigan study noted that being kind and practicing random acts or simple acts of kindness can improve your mental state. There was something about people practicing random acts of kindness that improved their overall mental well-being.

The simple act of being kind to friends, family, and even strangers improves the mental state for many of the study participants. Imagine a world where being kind to improve your overall mood because that’s the world that you live in.

Stay Positive
Eliminating negative thoughts from your thought processes keeps your mental wellness elevated. Negative thoughts and thought trains can completely derail your mental health status.

Often people don’t realize that they’ve been caught in a negative thought loop and will continue to obsess about negative thoughts or actions for a long time after an incident has occurred that caused the negative thoughts. Recognizing negative thoughts or changing the internal dialogue to something more positive will help you maintain healthier mental wellness.

Daydream
Many of us have heard that meditation can be associated with positive mental health outcomes. The Canadian Mental Health Association recommends that you give daydreaming a try. Daydreaming about positive events, calming places, beautiful scenery can have the same effect that mindful meditation practices have on mental health status.

There are many people who cannot get into a meditative practice because they find meditation boring, or it conflicts with pre-existing religious views. If you can’t get into meditation, try daydreaming in a relaxing way you could find it gives you the same mental health benefits that meditation would give you.

Get Professional Help If You Need It
There is still a significant stigma in many parts of the world about receiving help for mental wellness issues. Mental Health America recommends that if you are struggling with mental wellness you seek professional help.

Many professionals are trained with coping skills, meditative practices, and relaxation techniques that can help you deal with negative thoughts, anxiety, depression all of which lead to negative mental health status. If you would like to maintain positive mental wellness and find you are struggling, seeking professional help may be the best step for you.

Bottom Line
There many steps that you can take on your own to keep negative thoughts and ideas out of your headspace. Daydreaming, staying positive, practicing kindness, and taking care of your physical health are all ways that can help you maintain positive mental wellness.
Remember there is nothing wrong with seeking professional help if you find that the above suggestions are not enough to help you maintain positive mental health out. If you are struggling, there many local resources that you can contact including state and county health departments that can get you in contact with someone who can help you maintain a positive outlook on life.
Sometimes in order to find the positive all you have to do is hunt the good stuff.

– Scott Blessing

Life has its ups and downs. Some people go through the good and bad equally the same, with a resilient, upbeat attitude. They get pushed down by one of life’s obstacles, and they spend their time thinking of how to get back up rather than focusing on what made them fall in the first place.
Then there are other people who find the negative in every aspect of life, even in a pretty pink rosebud. They give off negative energy and in turn, the universe sends negativity their way in spades. They have negative things happen to them invariably.

When you think positively, the following manifest itself in everything you do:
Positive thinking
Constructive thinking
Creative thinking
Optimism
Motivation and energy

Having a positive attitude can help you in a number of ways, such as:
Makes you stronger in the face of hardships
Helps you to believe in yourself and your abilities
Allows you to see failure as a blessing in disguise
Boosts your self-esteem and confidence
Helps you recognize opportunities and know how to make the best of them
Allows you to look for solutions instead of problems

Living a long, fulfilling, and happy life is all about being resilient and optimistic.

Here are a few tips to seeing the brighter side of things and getting things in balance:
Get Some Perspective
Sometimes we just tend to worry about something so much that it loses perspective and is blown out of proportion. Writing down what’s bothering you will help you to focus and think with more clarity. By analyzing your worries, you’ll feel lighter and make decisions based on logic rather than on fear or stress.

For each item, ask yourself these questions:

• What’s the worst thing that might happen?
  Will it matter in a year’s time? In 6 months?
  Does it really matter in the greater scheme of things?Accept Things as They Are
  It’s easy to complain and feel miserable and too sluggish that you don’t get off the couch and keep postponing that project you’re supposed to be working on. However, it’s a whole other story to face your worries and fears and decide to accept what you can’t change and change what you can for the better.Take Action
  The first thing you should do is take the first item on your list and break it down into simple, logical steps. For example, if you need to change careers or look for a new job, break it down into smaller steps such as updating your resume, speak to friends and contacts in the industry, visit internet job sites on a daily basis, etc. Persistence is key. Once you have your list of smaller steps, all you have to do is follow through and the rest will take of itself.

  Exercise
  Those who exercise on a regular basis, whether it’s walking, going to the gym or working out at home, tend to see things from a brighter, more optimistic viewpoint. For one, their brain stops releasing stress hormones and starts releasing endorphins, which help elevate your mood and give you a brighter perspective on life. In addition, they feel like they are able to take charge of their health instead of passively growing old. They also tend to get sick less because their immune system is stronger which makes them less prone to suffering from diseases, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

  Connect with Others Socially
  Having a full social calendar is the key to success. You don’t have to go out every single night, but it is healthy to have a wide circle of acquaintances that you see on a regular basis. Talking to others gives you a better understanding of whatever is worrying you, and knowing that you have someone you can talk to and who can come to you is priceless.
  One important note, however, is to make sure you’re surrounding yourself with the right kind of people; those who are optimistic and positive, with a good head on their shoulders.
  We get affected by people’s attitudes very easily. If one of your friends is in a bad mood, it’ll rub off on you especially if they’re always stuck in that bad mood. It’s a known fact that positive people generally have greater success in both work and relationships.
  They have an innate ability to look at life’s challenges with humor and are resilient when it comes to the obstacles life throws their way. In addition, optimistic people laugh often which produces endorphins that help you feel good about yourself.
  As Victor Hugo quotes in Les Miserables, “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” In short, your life will reach a sense of balance when you take positive and certain actions toward allaying your concerns. After that, have faith that things will work themselves out.

  – Scott Blessing

Your greatest asset is your health, yet it’s something that we often ignore until it becomes a problem. Your wellness is an area of life where prevention is the best answer. To prevent serious health issues from causing problems you need self-awareness.
By being self-aware you can boost your wellness. Whether it is through monitoring your mental health and keeping track of your physicality. It’s important to know how you feel at various times so that you can act quickly when an issue does arise.
You might have the best of intentions, eating a healthy diet and regularly exercising, yet your mental health could be working to undermine that.
In addition to what you are feeding your body, you must also be aware of the emotions and thoughts that have been feeding your mind. You can do this through self-awareness. It can help you maintain overall wellness by keeping you healthy physically and mentally.

Here are a few questions that you should ask yourself to improve your self-awareness about your overall health:
What makes you feel amazing?
When you feel amazing what sensations and feelings do you experience?
When you push yourself too hard what signs exhibit themselves?
Which activities do believe are good for you?
Which of those activities leaves you feeling great?
Which of those activities is having a negative impact?
You can improve your wellness by being aware, proactive, and curious. You should notice how your body and mind react to your demands. Just by taking note of how your body reacts, though, you can improve your health. Regularly ask yourself the above questions and act appropriately. Now, these are some key habits that will allow you to stay accountable, even when there is no one else around.

Honesty
You need to be totally honest with yourself about how your health is impacted by your daily activities, be it chores or your working life. Make a list of your healthy habits, and another with the unhealthy ones. Healthy habits are those which support your mental and physical health. When you see those habits in writing it will be easier to identify the habits that you need to change.

Accountability
One effective way to remain accountable to yourself is by being accountable to others. Whether it’s a group of friends, loved one, or a physical trainer. Being accountable will assist you in solidifying your goals. It’s also a great opportunity for your loved ones to provide you with encouragement and support.

A Calm Mind
Perhaps the fastest way to increase your self-awareness is by regularly meditating. You don’t need to spend an hour meditating, nor do you need a special room designated for the practice. Find a peaceful location and spend five minutes of your day meditating. It’s an effective way to build acceptance and self-love, which is an excellent way to calm your mind and increase your patience. It also happens to reduce stress, which plays a major role in a wide variety of illnesses and lifestyle diseases.

Look For The Good
Chances are you are heavily saddled with responsibilities in your home and working lives. As a result, you are sacrificing activities that provide you with you. Use your new-found self-awareness to identify what activities truly make you happy, and then find time to do them. You can give yourself permission to take the time to feel joy, whether it be at a resort, a family trip, or even just reading a book.
It’s important to remember that your overall wellness hinges on the foundation that your mental state fuels. It’s important that you understand your mental habits as well as your physical ones because it’s the only way to effectively increase your self-awareness to improve your wellness.

– Scott Blessing

It is a well-known fact that exercise has many benefits. Some of the first benefits people tend to think of are those that are related to weight, heart health, and body image. However, these are by no means all of the benefits that regular exercise can bring you.
One of the biggest benefits to regular exercise is the effect that it has on your mental health. There are many emotions that exercise has been proven to help. From exhaustion and stress to hopelessness and anxiety, exercise can help you gain control of your emotions, and feel more emotionally, and mentally stable.

Exercise And Feeling Exhausted Or Depressed:
When you are tired or feeling depressed working out probably seems like the last thing you would want to do. Studies have shown that regular exercise can reduce fatigue and dramatically increase your energy levels. Exercise also helps you to sleep at night, which assists in feeling less exhausted. When you are able to get more sleep, it can also help with depression.

Exercise And Feeling Overwhelmed And Stressed:
When you are already feeling stressed out and overwhelmed with all of life’s obligations, adding one more obligation to yourself may seem as though it is counterproductive. However, by taking time out of your schedule to make yourself a priority you will feel better since your body releases endorphins when you are physically active.

Exercise And Feeling Hopeless:
When everything in your life seems hopeless, exercise becomes something you can control. By being able to take the time out and do something for yourself, you are able to see that you are in control and things aren’t as hopeless as they seem. The endorphins that are released when you exercise also boost your mood and enable you to feel more positive.

Exercise And Feeling Bad About Yourself:
If you are feeling bad about yourself, setting small fitness goals, and reaching them, can help to boost your confidence and help you realize you are capable of accomplishing the things you set out to do.

Exercise And Overcoming Grief:
Many of the symptoms of grief are similar to those of depression. Turning to exercise can go a long way towards helping you cope. Exercise brings a purpose of and focuses on your life; it also triggers the release of endorphins, which help to control your moods.

Tips For Getting Started:

Getting started with exercise can be challenging, try starting with some of the tips below:
Make exercise a social activity to make it more enjoyable, choose people who you enjoy being around and take a yoga class or walk to the park with your kids.
You don’t need to go to the gym. Cleaning the house, washing the car, or walking around the block are all acceptable forms of exercising.
Make it a part of your everyday life. Choose activities that are easy to incorporate into your day-to-day life. This can mean walking to work instead of driving, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking over to a friend’s house instead of calling them to chat.
Choose activities you enjoy. This can include walking around the mall window-shopping, throw a Frisbee for the dog, or go for a swim.
Taking the first step towards exercise can be incredibly difficult, especially if you are feeling any of the emotions that are listed above. Now that you know the benefits that exercising can provide, you are ready to begin to overcome the obstacles and get started with working out.

Start small, with even just a five-minute walk, and before you know it you will be feeling better emotionally and regular exercise will become second nature to you.

– Scott Blessing

Knowing how you’re feeling and why is known as being emotionally aware. Understanding our emotions helps us relate to others, realize what we want and can even help dictate the choices we make.
Our emotions have all this power over us but were unable to consciously control them, mainly because they’re based in the limbic system of our brain. This part of the brain is quite primitive which is why our emotional responses tend to be outspoken, forceful, unrestrainable, and based on the need to survive.
“Feeling happy is a part of mental wellbeing. But it’s far from the whole…Of course, good mental wellbeing does not mean that you never experience feelings or situations that you find difficult, but it does mean that you feel you have the resilience to cope when times are tougher than usual,” says professor of public health at the University of Warwick and a wellbeing expert, Sarah Stewart-Brown.
This is why some people seem to have it together every time, all the time. However, the truth of the matter is that these people don’t have a magic concoction that gets them through the hard times; they’ve simply gathered the tools they need for coping with difficult situations while maintaining a positive outlook. They are capable of adapting because they know how to remain focused and decisive when things aren’t going their way. They know how to act in an uncomfortable situation or when uncertain circumstances arise, in spite of their fears not for lack of it. Even when they are unsure how things will turn out, they have faith that it will all work out in the end.
There are several things you can do to stay emotionally healthy and balanced, but here are the 5 most basic tips to maintain a balanced emotional state:

Focus On The Good
Don’t give in to negative thinking because it’s easier to find the bad in any situation. It takes strength to find the good and put your faith in it. One of the most important things you can do is be open and accept what’s going on around you.
Slowly, you’ll learn to avoid criticizing others or being affected by others’ criticism. It can positively affect how you approach life and all the challenges it has to offer.

Connect
Spending time with others will do wonders for your self-esteem, as well as decrease stress levels and increase the release of happy hormones in the brain. Build your social network and boost your connectivity to others even if it’s just through a smile, a handshake or by volunteering your time to help out your community.

Do the Things You Enjoy
That clearly makes sense on so many levels. In addition, one of your strengths is recognizing that you still have more to learn and discover about the world around you. You can sign up for a class or learn how to play a musical instrument.
This gives you a sense of achievement and boosts your confidence. Hobbies should be a part of everyone’s life since they bring joy and pride. It could be growing an herb garden, painting or collecting coins.
Eat Right
What you eat not only affects you physically, but it affects how you think and feel. A diet filled with fatty, greasy, processed foods will have a negative effect on your brain, on your body, and on your immune system. On the other hand, when you eat a well-balanced diet, you’re giving your brain the energy it is to work to its full potential. You’re also on the right track to improving the quality of your sleep, your mood, and immune system. It’s also a great boost to your self-confidence.

Enjoy the Outdoors
Being around nature is a great way to calm the nerves and see things from a different perspective. It’s a proven way to suppress the brain’s stress hormones. In addition, it’s been proven scientifically that regular exposure to sunlight improves your mood and boosts energy levels via the release of endorphins. It also increases levels of vitamin D in your body, which strengthens the immune system and fights against depression.
If you really want to reach that peak level of emotional health, make a conscious decision to exercise outdoors. Incorporate it in your weekly schedule to get the most benefits for the longest time and boost levels of health-promoting neurochemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
If you hate working out, or keep making excuses, flip your perspective around. Rather than viewing exercise as time-consuming, try looking at it as something that can boost your mood almost instantaneously and greatly reduce your stress levels.

– Scott Blessing