exercise - Kathy's Life Lessons

Revitalize your Personal Life in a Stressful World

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The question is how do we revitalize our personal lives in a stressful world? As if the daily hustle of life weren’t already tough, this past year has raised the bar. Each day we have been challenged in navigating this pandemic. To say nothing of the pressure and burdens that have cost us tremendously, it is important to be mindful of our health. As a matter of fact, the answer is as simple as how healthy we keep our mind and body.

Avoid the Internet Reading Trap

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First of all, high social media usage can cause stress and anxiety. A simple Google search will show you that there are several search results about the negative impact of social media. Take for example the Facebook algorithm. It will bring you more of the stories you consume on its network. Inevitably, choosing a questionable article can change the type of posts that you might see in your news feed. Once you go down that rabbit hole, it may be difficult to change the reading habits that you’ve begun.

Furthermore, time spent on the Internet may also kill your productivity. It can become a crutch where you mindlessly scroll, realizing too late that hours have flown by and you haven’t completed your tasks.

Therefore, the best line of defense would be to limit your time on social media and the Internet. Begin by changing your habits and setting the timer. Over the course of three weeks, lower your time spent here and set goals to place your focus on projects that you value.

Moreover, choose better reading material. Read a novel for pleasure or seek knowledge from self-improvement books. Exchange the often times stressful pursuit of the mindless scroll for reading with the purpose of destressing. In my opinion, escaping reality for an hour or two in a novel is a good use of anyone’s time. As a result, you will revitalize your mind and ease the stress from a chaotic day.

Try Mindful Movement to alleviate Stress and Anxiety

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Secondly, physical activity relieves stress and anxiety. It stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin; thereby, raising your mood. Exercising helps lower the strain and tension of our hectic lives. Recently, I’ve included mindful movement to my workout regimen. I am very happy to share the results of this life-changing experience.

To begin, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure several years ago as a result of job-related stress and anxiety. My doctor has prescribed medication with varied results. Despite retiring from teaching, my stress level has not been completely resolved. So, I decided to rededicate myself to some type of physical exercise. While working on my post in January this year, I renewed my interest in yoga and mindfulness meditation. Because of the pandemic, I chose to look for enlightenment on YouTube.com and discovered Brain Education TV where I found a video on high blood pressure.

Specifically, mindful movement includes a series of exercises focusing on different areas of the body. The instructor teaches breathing and movement to move or release energy and blockage. I have saved many of the videos concerning the areas that I needed to work on. Over a period of six weeks, I have made it a habit to revitalize through exercise for 20 minutes and as a result my flexibility and strength have greatly improved. For that reason, I look forward to my exercise time as it has given me much more energy and a vastly improved mood.

Final Thoughts

Lastly, I encourage you to revitalize your mind and body as we navigate through this stressful pandemic. Just as we eat nutritious foods to grow healthy and strong, we need to feed our mind and body with all manner of good content to keep them strong and fit. So, read to keep your mind full of positive thoughts and optimism. Move your body to stay in good physical condition and keep your spirits up. Most important, remember to mask up, stay healthy, and believe that we will get through this soon!


Creating Inner Peace and Healing in the New Year

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Need Motivation? Just Get Up and Get it Done!

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We all have come face to face with lacking motivation whether you are sitting at home in lockdown (hey, it’s 2020), or you have locked yourself in your room refusing to do the dishes. So, how do you stay motivated?

In reference to the dishes, you just may not be ready to do those chores. On a more somber note, the lockdowns that many of us had to deal with have left many of us depressed and unable to deal with this sad reality.

Simply, how does one find motivation? In my mind, I hear my mother tell me, “Get up and just get it done”. Just the kind of advice that you’d expect a mother to give, right?

Actually, she’s right but it involves much more.

First, Get motivated and Take care of You

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Your needs must be taken care of before anything. So, what do you need? Sleep? Coffee? Dinner?

Make a list of what you want and/or need. Then, read through it. You might be surprised by what you find. Most of us will learn that our most basic needs are on this list. In any case, prioritize your most important needs and then get up and just get it done.

For example, my most important needs include time alone in the morning reading and drinking my coffee. At other times, I pray and/or meditate. Sometimes, I exercise. Doing any or all of these things help motivate me to make it through my day of tasks.

Second, Make that To-Do List

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What are the tasks that you keep procrastinating about? Make that list of things that you have put off doing. Then, this next step is key to motivation. Say out loud, “These aren’t impossible to do.” Read aloud your list and prioritize what you most want to do to the least.

I suggest starting with the easiest task because when you complete it you will feel somewhat accomplished no matter what it was. Then get up and just get it done!

Read over the list for what you would want to complete next, and set a time when you will complete it. Whether you schedule it in your planner or type it into your reminders in your phone, make a commitment to do it on that date.

Follow up on your Daily needs and tasks

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Once you have made it to this point, you have to continue taking care of you daily needs and then your tasks in this order on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter whatever those needs or tasks are. Get up and just get it done.

As a mother of four grown children, I always made sure I took care of my basic needs before I took care of my children. I often woke up earlier to take care of myself so that I could be ready when my children needed me. It takes hard work and commitment to stay motivated. As my mother would say, that’s the way life is.

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