With winter approaching, many people are affected by seasonal affective disorder and fight the wintertime blues. Since my busy life has made it difficult for me to post lately, I thought I’d repost my series of practical tips to get those happy hormones in your brain working to create a happier you this winter. Enjoy! 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 {Read More}
Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Stretch Your Way to Happy
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~Do what you love
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~Do you have insomnia? Learn how to sleep!
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
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!
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}