Everyday is Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an opportunity for family and friends to gather to enjoy each other, share a yummy feast, and express gratitude for the many blessings we enjoy on a daily basis.  Heart felt gratitude is a very powerful emotion with a high vibration.  Oprah Winfrey says that keeping a gratitude journal changed her life.  And no one could argue that Oprah is living the good life.  Michael Losier, author of Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What you Want and Less of What you Don’t,  writes, “If you want to start attracting positive things into your life, there is one small thing you should do every day—show your gratitude, appreciation and love for the people and things around you.”  By acknowledging what you are grateful for in your journal, Michael says you'll become a deliberate attractor of positive vibrations.

I keep a gratitude journal with a different spin.  Most mornings, I start the day by giving thanks for the day as I desire it to unfold.  I express gratitude for being especially effective and inspired by my work, for receiving large checks in the mail, for enjoying great health and being motivated to work-out, for the joy of learning, for the grace to accept every circumstance as a learning opportunity, for humor, for good food, for peace and joy in my heart, ect.  I end my morning page with the words, “This or something better.”  This simple practice has reaped more abundance, satisfaction, and serenity than I could have ever anticipated.  If you want to practice this simple, life-affirming technique, visit my website.

A Healthy Alternative to Smoking for Stress Relief

A staggering 50 million Americans smoke, including 3.4 million teens.  It is estimated that 7 people die every minute due to diseases related to smoking.  Currently, four health warnings from the Surgeon General are rotated on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements, but many experts think that they have become almost invisible to most smokers, including teens who pick up their first pack of cigarettes. However, many smokers realize that smoking causes lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease, and may complicate pregnancy, but they continue to smoke.The new cigarette warnings will include a large, gruesome color graphic image that will be accompanied by one of nine new health warnings, which will be rotated on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements.  It is hoped that the new warnings will graphically illustrate the harm and danger that tobacco use causes, and effectively convey the major health risks of smoking.
Most smokers are fully aware of the health risks that smoking represents but they continue to smoke because they are addicted to nicotine.  One of the most compelling reasons people begin smoking is to relieve stress.  And one of the greatest obstacles to quitting is the excessive stress caused by abstaining from smoking. 
There are healthier ways of managing stress.  Meditation not only reduces stress but it also relieves numerous other health related issues including insomnia, chronic pain, depression, hypertension and mental clarity, to name a few.  Consider meditation as a healthy option for improving your overall health.  My meditation CDs are an easy solution to the complex problem stress presents.

Angry Birds For Real

I have just been enlightened about Angry Birds.  If I had to have guessed, I would have said it was a female rock band.  Turns out it is a video game that some players are claiming is addictive.  In fact Angry Birds has been downloaded 18 million times in over 60 countries with the numbers climbing by the minute.  Apparently the object of the game is to propel birds from slingshots to topple buildings constructed by evil, green pigs in order to retrieve stolen eggs from the pig thieves. Does this sound as ludicrous as I think it does?  And I thought people were talking on those “smart” phones.

 

There are many disturbing components to this emerging global addiction.  First, it appears to be sucking excessive valuable time from people who already claim to be too busy to sleep, too busy to cook, too busy to exercise and too busy to socialize with real people.  Excess breeds stress.  Stress leads to relationship problems, health problems, depression and anxiety.  Addiction to anything leads to guilt, low self-esteem, and skewed values.

 If you are getting all worked up and stressed by Angry Birds or anything else, you need to chill by doing some meditation and/or getting some counseling from a qualified mental health professional.  Addictions of any kind are a dysfunctional escape from feelings, past or present.  What do you think?  Is your life spinning out of control with stress, worry, depression, relationship problems, addictions or feelings of worthlessness?  Don’t continue to suffer.  If you want to find out more, visit my website, susanboyes.com or email me, susanboyes@susanboyes.com.