I love to take pictures of people. It’s both challenging and rewarding to capture the essence of someone’s personality in a photograph. Sometimes you can see personality characteristics in a photograph that you can’t see in real life. We were created in God’s image, and every single one of is is a masterpiece created by the Master Creator. One of the best ways to fight depression—or even just the blues—is to do something that you love. For me, photography is one of {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~The Artificial Sweetener Conspiracy
14 April, 2012 by 1 Comment
Since we’ve been talking about how sugar affects your health, I thought it would be helpful to look into the plethora of sugar substitutes available to us today that are FDA approved. My research, most of which I already knew, brought me back to the conclusion I shared in an old blog post, God’s Pharmacy. We just can’t leave well enough alone. God gave us some great stuff when he created the earth! But we insist on manipulating it to suit our {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Rest
7 April, 2012 by Leave a Comment
These next two months will hold many moments for me to stop and reflect. My firstborn is 18 years old today and will be graduating from high school next month. If time were personified she would obviously have wings. I’m really not sure where the last 18 years has gone. I look back at clouded memories wishing every moment had been recorded. But they weren’t. It’s up to me to hold those memories close to my heart. It’s up to {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~Acceptance in Christ (You are not what you eat)
24 March, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Last Monday, March 12, I posted about making a change to be healthier by eating foods that increase your body pH. I referred to several health “bandwagons” I jumped on in my search to cure myself while I was sick. It was conversations about that post that prompted me to write today’s tip to a happier you. I was so easily convinced that each and every supplement, juice, and diet I tried was THE one to make me better. And {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~Forgiveness
25 February, 2012 by 1 Comment
Today’s tip to a happier you is forgiveness. First, forgive me for such a quick post today. I have been invited to speak this weekend, so I’ve been busy preparing (and biting my nails =o/) and haven’t had time to spend much time blogging this week. God commands us to forgive over and over again in His word. Holding a grudge only hurts the one holding it. It can consume and destroy you from the inside out. I am short {Read More}
Tips to a happier you in 2012~Have Faith
18 February, 2012 by Leave a Comment
From the moment I had my first seizure, I tried to hold on to this verse. Having peace in God in the midst of my world of seizures, addiction, and depression required much faith. Faith is belief in something that cannot be seen. Having faith is a decision based on life experiences, which are different for everyone. I became a Christian when I was seven years old. I went to church, did Bible studies, and said my prayers. But something {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 Real!
28 January, 2012 by 14 Comments
Facebook is an amazing phenomenon of our culture, but for the most part, it’s not real. I don’t know why I’m always amazed to see pictures of “happily ever after” posted only to hear through the grapevine they didn’t quite make it “til death do us part,” but there may be a death before it’s over. What people share on Facebook is limited, and often skewed to give a good impression. We must develop real relationships in our lives. God {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}
