“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.” – Helen Keller God gave us five senses—hearing, sight, taste, touch, and smell. All of these senses send direct messages to our brains. Consider the information given by the Social Issues Research Center on the subject of fragrance and emotion: The association of fragrance and emotion is not an invention of poets or perfume-makers. Our olfactory receptors are directly connected to {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Stretch Your Way to Happy
28 April, 2012 by 15 Comments
When Marlee was just a toddler, she would stretch endlessly. When I would go to get her up in the mornings, she would stall saying, “Hang on, I’m not finished stretching yet.” And she would stretch to one side, then the other, procrastinating because she didn’t want to get out of bed. But she always got up in the best of moods! Stretching does so much for our mind and body. When I get up in the morning, I try {Read More}
Tips to a Happier you in 2012~The Sweet Truth
31 March, 2012 by Leave a Comment
What are the most common conditions for which we would consider a change in our diet? • High blood pressure? • Obesity? • Diabetes? • Those are the no-brainers. But what about your brain? Do you think about the food we eat being connected to our brain? Let me give you an example from personal experience: When I was finishing pharmacy school, I did a clinical rotation at Greenville Memorial Hospital in the Cancer Treatment Center. I had to {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Music Therapy
17 March, 2012 by 7 Comments
Everyone is affected by music. In one form or another, it’s all around us. In the Bible, David wrote the entire book of Psalm dedicated to singing to the Lord. David had a heart for God, but if you read the stories of David in scripture, you also know he was just another sinful human being saved by the grace of God. Music has been used for years as therapy for depression, stroke victims, and accident victims—virtually anyone, whose brain {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~The Muddled Multitasking Mind
10 March, 2012 by 1 Comment
Join me inside my head for a few moments, will you? I have got to go clean up the kitchen. {Walk to kitchen} I can’t believe Marlee left her dirty socks in the floor when she took off her shoes. {Pick up socks and take them to the laundry room} Shoot— I can’t believe I forgot to take the clothes out of the washer last night and now the smell horrible! If I have to start it again, I might {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Time to Dance
3 March, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I will admit that this Southern Baptist girl hasn’t done much dancing in her time. It’s not that I don’t like dancing; I’ve just never had many opportunities to dance. There was my senior prom, for which my date (now my hubby) and I learned to shag, but beyond that we have never spent too much time in ballrooms. With the era of X-Box and PlayStation, you no longer need a fancy dress and a ballroom to dance. You {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Do you have insomnia? Learn how to sleep!
11 February, 2012 by Leave a Comment
When God created the earth, he rested on the seventh day. Wouldn’t it be nice if we only had to rest once a week? It sure would free up time for my to-do list. But sleep doesn’t work that way. God created us to need sleep, and unfortunately, a little more than once a week. When I was in the midst of my seven years of hell, insomnia plagued me frequently. In my depression, all I wanted to do was {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Acts of Kindness & Altruism
4 February, 2012 by 2 Comments
Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” (Romans 15:1-2 Msg) The definition of altruism in the New American Oxford Dictionary reads as follows: altruism |ˈaltroōˌizəm| noun the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others One of the foundational truths repeated time and time again throughout the Bible is that we should practice altruism: You shall love {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Get Moving!
21 January, 2012 by 2 Comments
When God created man, He sent them out to work in the garden. He didn’t tell them to sit down at the computer and play Farmville on Facebook. We were created in His image. He created the intricately detailed system of nerves, glands, neurons, and neurotransmitters in our brain that controls our emotions. All that He created was good. But our world has changed. As I mentioned in a recent post on the benefits of being outdoors, (click here to {Read More}
Tips for a Happier you in 2012~Do you have nature deficit disorder?
16 January, 2012 by 1 Comment
Since yesterday’s post was rather lengthy and also gave you tips to a happier you, I’ll make today’s tip simple and easy. Go outside! Just as in today’s prescription verse, there are many references in scripture to the calming power of nature–God’s creation. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Your Handiwork
9 January, 2012 by 1 Comment
Has anyone tried Laughter Aerobics, my first tip to a happier you? (Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Laughter Aerobics) Well, here’s my next tip to a happier you: Work with your hands…“Handiwork.” I realize this really doesn’t make much sense, but it is another thing we can do that will naturally increase the serotonin in our brain. When we do repetitive, coordinating movement with our hands, the amount of serotonin in our brain will increase. The ideas are limitless–scrap {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Laughter Aerobics
2 January, 2012 by 9 Comments
As a pharmacist, a patient, and a child of God who’s had to be “parented” quite a lot over the last eight years, I have learned many practical solutions to insomnia, depression, anxiety, and addiction. I’ve also learned that these four issues often go hand in hand, and are directly related to the chemicals in our brain. The pharmacist in me sought a medical solution–pills. And as most of you know, pills just made things worse. Throughout this year, I’m going to share {Read More}
Dr. God
7 September, 2011 by 1 Comment
We have always heard God referred to as “father,” but how often do we really think of him as our father? Our daddy? It’s hard because he is not tangible. We cannot touch or hug him. But when he created us, he gave us the ability to have faith. We just have to tap into it. With faith, we can use our imagination to imagine him sitting on the sofa with us talking; sitting at the kitchen {Read More}
God’s Pharmacy
27 July, 2011 by 4 Comments
When God created the earth, it was good. So when he created man, we had everything we would ever need. Between the resources he gave us and the brain he equipped us with, mankind was all set. Until… Sin. Everything on this earth was created from, well, this earth. We started out with what God gave us, and that is all we have ever had. All resources we have ever needed were given to us when God created this earth. {Read More}
