Meditation is an ancient practice that has been around for centuries. Over time it has gained popularity and made its way into Western culture. From my personal experience, I’ve been exposed to meditation on different occasions of my life. It has become pretty common and it would be surprising if you haven’t heard of it. Meditation has been around for thousands of years and it offers countless benefits. Since there are so many techniques there is something for everyone. With technology, there are plenty of resources online and even videos to help you get started on your meditation journey. 

Some of the benefits of meditation are: reduce stress, controls anxiety, promotes emotional health, enhances self-awareness, relaxation, lengthens attention span, improves sleep, you can meditate anywhere, etc. Meditation is also a great way to practice mindfulness. Anyone can try meditation but in order for the best results, one should practice it often. There are a plethora of different ways you can meditate so it is possible to incorporate it into your daily life. Listed below are simple meditation steps for beginners.

1. Sit or lie in a comfortable position

2. Close your eyes

3. Breathe naturally

4. Focus your attention on your breathing and how your body moves when you inhale and exhale. If your mind starts to wander just return to focusing on your breath. 

Practice this for a few minutes to start and then you can move onto longer periods of time. Don’t give up after your first try. Keep practicing until you find what’s right for you!

~Thavary Mam

The truth is, you can affect your home environment in the same way that your home environment can affect you. With this in mind, ask yourself how do you feel when you get home? Relieved? Happy? Overwhelmed? Sometimes we can get caught up in the outside world and bring these energies into our own space. Our home should be a place where we can recharge and refresh yourself from the day. It's necessary to create a calm and peaceful atmosphere at home to invite positive energies and manifestations..

Here are a few simple things you can do improve your home positive environment:

1. Declutter Your Home: Clutter adds chaos to the mind on an unconscious level. Tasks left undone can weigh on your mind even while you're away from home, so always follow a plan to keep things in place and get rid of the things that you don't need any more - donate, if possible. Just like you, your home needs to breathe too! So focus on quality, not quantity and create space.

2. Letting That Sunlight In : Similar to when we have to take a walk and clear our mindset, our house does the same. Again, the energy you want is the energy you create. By opening the windows daily, allowing fresh energy and rejuvenating sunlight in, we allow space for positive energy too!

3. Nurturing plants: Whether its a live plant or fake plants, having natural beauty around and keeping some greenery indoors has an energizing effect. Not only do they calm the mind, but live plants also re-oxygenate the air and eliminate noxious gases, giving you a sigh of relief.

4. Get Rid of Bad Mojo: Decorate your home with mementos that are reminders of good times and get rid of items that are associated with negative, undesirable feelings. Add more of the things that make you smile, to boost and nurture positive vibes. Personally, I enjoy paintings, candles, vases that I painted, flowers, etc.; but, whatever is best you will work!

5. Acknowledging Your Five Senses: Once you get home, your five senses should become positively stimulated. A nice aroma of food, some essential oil, the sound of relaxing music, the sight of energizing plants and fresh flowers, clean homes and pets all add to the joy of getting home.

There are many reasons why people may feel the need to keep quiet about a traumatic experience. These reasons may include; shame, guilt, fear, and judgement. No matter the reason, keeping quiet about trauma may cause an individual to deteriorate internally and prevent them from their highest level of mental health. Why should we limit ourselves from living our life to the fullest due to constant fear of being open and honest about the trauma that we have experienced?

Women often express how they continuously avoid certain conversations, people, and events to prevent the possibility of having to relive a traumatic event. When talking about a traumatic event, it can trigger an individual to have flashbacks and it may elicit emotions that they worked to unconsciously suppress. Suppressing one’s memory of a traumatic event can only lead to more harm in the long run. Women must take power over their minds and fight against the negative attributes that they believe will or have come from traumatic experiences.

Speaking up about one’s trauma does not only help the traumatic event become less devastating to the victim, but it can also help others overcome their anxiety about opening up about their experiences, as well. Women in general need to stick together and make each other aware of traumatic situations that are often not discussed or are attached to a stigma. Being aware of how the trauma effects the livelihood of individuals may help the healing process for others in that they will understand that their experience is a part of their healing journey. I stand with women across the world in saying, Let’s break the silence and become resilient women who have gained empowerment over our situations and turn tragedy to victory by helping other women become stronger!

~Kiara Baldwin

Who doesn’t love securing a bag? Finally landing your dream job or getting that promotion you’ve been working hard on can leave you feeling like you can conquer anything! It is something you should be proud of! But once all the confetti settles and you’ve finally come down from your happy high, what else is left to do? A.C Shilton of Psychology Today writes about the emptiness she felt after achieving what she thought would be unthinkable, and how she coped with it. She writes of her experience with “arrival fallacy”.

“Arrival Fallacy” is defined as the “illusion that once we make it, once we attain our goal or reach our destination, we will reach lasting happiness.” This term was defined by Tal Ben-Shahar, who is a Harvard-trained positive psychology expert who is also credited with coining the term. This term focuses on what people expect from success. Then when they get that success, the happiness they once had during their rise to the top, takes a nosedive and vanishes. He says this is what he believes leads to celebrities having mental illnesses.
The research from this article showed that it is okay to be happy at the bottom. It’s also great to be happy at the top, but when you’re there, always take time to reflect on the things you did the way up. Find something that keeps you humble, but keeps your mind busy at the same time. When you are at peace and not in pieces, anywhere you are on your road to success can keep you fulfilled.

~Alicia Meredith

Between schedules and keeping up social appearances, it is hard to take a step back and enjoy the wondrous beauty of our surroundings. In a world where there is pressure to be accountable for each hour, a feeling of guilt takes over when we take some time out of our routines to seek joy in the small things. However, keeping in touch with the little things that can bring moments of joy into our routine can not only bring an increase in productivity as well as improving our mood. Joy is a contagious feeling which can change each person when even a small part is introduced. So much of our life revolves around moments of stress that it is hard to see moments of joy that are right there in front of us. Many people fail to understand the importance of including these moments until they are hit with a devastating experience, after which they try to include the steps to experience joy.  If we take the initiative to involve finding joy in ordinary things, there will be fewer regrets, and there will be an increase in living in the present instead of worrying about the future. Just by trying to intentionally find joy can create a natural transition into finding moments of joy unconsciously, which leads to a happier life.  

~Angela Jetty

Differentiating between anxiousness and an anxiety disorder may be challenging. Learning how to recognize and manage key contributors of anxiety may be even harder. Let’s dive deeper into the difference, contributors and management of anxiety.

The Difference: When you are constantly anxious, or your anxiety interferes with your day-to-day life is a direct indicator that you may be experiencing an anxiety disorder as opposed to common anxiousness. Psychologists define an anxiety disorder as a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one's daily activities.

The Contributors: Many things can cause anxiety such as stress, genetics, medical conditions and substance withdrawal. Stress from a relationship, job, school, or financial predicament can contribute greatly to an anxiety disorder. Genetics also plays a role in anxiety. People who have family members with an anxiety disorder are more likely to have one themselves. Other medical conditions can lead to an anxiety disorder, such as the side effects of medication, symptoms of a disease, or stress from a serious underlying medical condition. Chemicals in drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, hallucinogens, prescription anti-seizure, pain-relieving medications, alcohol and even substances as common as caffeine can affect the way the brain functions and cause anxiety symptoms. These symptoms can occur while using drugs, but they may also last for weeks after the drug use has stopped. The stress of day-to-day living combined with any of the above might serve as key contributors to an anxiety disorder.

The Management: Anxiety can be managed through self-care, therapies, medications, and specialties. Self-care such as avoiding alcohol, reducing caffeine intake, physical exercise, stress management, quitting smoking, relaxation techniques, and a healthy diet can reduce anxiety greatly. Therapy offices for example, Joie de Vivre, can equip you with the necessary tools to help manage your anxiety. Lastly, medications and specialties can also be very useful if further assistance than self-care and therapy is needed.

Over 40 million adults in the United States suffer from an anxiety related disorder.  There are numerous prescription medications on the market dedicated to treating the symptoms of anxiety.  Yet, many who suffer from anxiety are seeking healthier and alternative ways to manage their anxiety.  If you suffer from anxiety and are seeking additional means to wellness, consider incorporating one or more of the following practices into your daily routine.

1.   Practice Daily Deep Breathing Exercises: Deep breathing promotes mental clarity and relaxation. The key is to place yourself in a distraction free environment. Some prefer to lie down while others sit in an upward position. Inhale deeply through the nose and allow your stomach to expand. Engage the chest muscles and feel the fullness in your lungs. Then, exhale in a controlled manner. Perhaps even silently counting to four as you breathe out. Practice this a few times while concentrating on your breathing. By bringing full attention to your breaths, you are able to block out the anxieties surrounding you. 

2. Journal for Stress Management: Documenting your thoughts, experiences, and emotions through journaling can have a large impact on your ability to manage stress. Writing, in general, challenges the mind to create content that expresses an emotion. When managing anxiety, writing down possible fears, gratitude lists, and honest emotions will assist with conquering negative thoughts. You will approach obstacles in an organized manner without feeling overwhelmed. In addition, writing can assist with self-exploration. Often times, anxiety is a result of feeling distant from the inner self. Such prompts will help to analyze yourself in order to reach understanding. Some include:

•    Three mantra’s I would like to live by are…
•    What are my three biggest fears and how can I overcome them?
•    What methods did I previously use to conquer a past challenge?

3. Creating Vision Boards: Vision boards are excellent ways to visually display goals, feelings, and affirmations. By doing so, you are able to organize your thoughts in a way that reduces anxiety of the future. In fact, a recent study found that, “Our brains prefer invented visual information to the real thing.” This statement solidifies the fact that creating a visual representation of your emotions can help to manage stress and lessen anxiety. In fact, the process behind making a vision board is relaxing in itself. By focusing your attention on creating something of value, you are redirecting that stress in a positive manner.

Incorporating practices such as these into your daily life can help reduce the effects of anxiety while forcing you to acknowledge your troubles head on. By doing so, you will reach an optimal level of wellness that makes the symptoms of anxiety manageable.

~ Monica Manuel, MS, LPC