 Have you ever noticed how heavy your chest feels when your surroundings are cluttered and in disarray? Millions of Americans struggle with clutter. What you, and they, may not realize is that clutter can affect your mind and body – your health. Having a cluttered home can lead to more stress, anxiety, and lack of mental energy. It puts your mind in a low self-control mindset, causing you to be more likely to overeat and make other sabotaging choices. So fascinating how much our surroundings affect us, isn't it!? On top of all of this, a cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind, making it more difficult to think clearly. Basically, you are unable to work through the clutter which makes your brain struggle with processing information. This can make it hard to remember things and problem-solving. Clutter drains you of energy and makes you feel tired. When you have to look at clutter, you most likely feel overwhelmed. You know you need to do something but you don’t have the energy. Take time to clear the clutter from one small area. It can help you and your family feel more energetic and more inspired to work on decluttering in other areas. Did you know clutter could be making you sick physically? No one wants to think about it, but clutter can be the breeding ground for germs, dust, mold and mildew. It could even hide a problem with mice. If you do not believe clutter can make you sick, think of the stress mentioned above. If you have too much stress, you may develop high blood pressure. Dust and mold can cause allergies or worse. Clutter can also affect your body weight. People with clutter are usually sedentary while those with an uncluttered home are active. Part of this may be because the clutter in the home makes it hard for you to move around freely. You may also be using clutter, like being overweight, as a means to protect yourself. Clutter keeps people at bay and so there is little chance that you will be hurt. Now that you understand some of the ways clutter can affect your mind and body, consider what you are going to do about it. Will you take a step forward and begin decluttering, or will you let it continue to rule your life and that of your family? The New Year is the perfect time to begin decluttering your home and starting fresh. What room needs decluttering the most in your home? Clutter can be dangerous. Learn how clutter can affect your mind and body by reading this article today
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Breaking habits can be even harder than starting new habits -- wouldn't you agree? Especially when those habits are related to your health. If you tend to gravitate toward unhealthy junk foods, it can be a considerable struggle to change your eating habits to incorporate healthier items. There are a few reasons why this is so difficult to do, and even better, there are several tricks you can implement to get over that hump. Today we're speaking specifically to breaking the junk food habit and beginning to eat more whole foods... Go gradually with your cutbacks Junk food is loaded with sugar, and your body gets hooked on it. Start by cutting down on these junk foods that are currently in your diet. You’ll get less of a high from them, and you’ll be more likely to stick to your healthy eating goals. Start by taking the sugar out of your coffee, or by switching out your snacks each day with a healthy snack. Whatever small step you choose, stick with it until you're comfortable with your new healthy habit -- then move on to your next healthy habit. It works like a charm! Don't buy foods with more than five ingredients In the supermarket, you should mainly roam the fresh aisles where the produce and unprocessed foods are. However, there are still staples you’ll need from the inner aisles. Read those labels when you find items in those inner aisles, and try to find the healthiest option possible of what you're shopping for -- the fewer ingredients and the more you can pronounce those ingredients, the better. Add more colors and textures to your plate A salad is impossible to eat if you just throw soggy lettuce in a bowl. Instead, make it a rainbow of colors and a playground of textures. Add tomatoes, colorful peppers, crunchy nuts, and even a bit of plant-based or goat cheese to please your palate. Break your bad habit cycles If you always ventured to the vending machine at work in the mid-afternoon, break the association with that by starting a healthier habit. Take a walk that keeps you away from that vending machine, for example. It will only take a few weeks to replace that old bad habit with a good one, and you'll be feeling so good about your swapped habit that you'll be ready to tackle your next habit swap. Make healthy foods more accessible You’re more likely to eat right when you’ve got a healthy snack ready to go. Bag up portions of mixed nuts, make your own trail mix, and keep cut up veggies with hummus around and you’ll always have a healthy go-to snack. Don’t keep junk in the house To make the switch complete, keeping those junky items out of your house is best. That way if you get a craving at midnight, you won’t be willing to run out and get it. You’ll train yourself to save sweets and treats for special occasions instead of for late night snacks. Allow yourself to be disgusted A great way to make the change to eating less processed foods is to really learn what’s in them. Go ahead, pull those packaged foods out and research the labels. Look up all the ingredients you can’t pronounce. They sound much less delicious now, don’t they? Be patient and kind with yourself, too. Your inner voice needs your nurturing to make this change for the better.  How you think about yourself makes a big difference in how you feel. You can avoid feeling down or upset if you know what to say to yourself and how to say it. Even during difficult times, you can find moments of joy and blessings to talk to yourself about. No matter what you want to do in life, self-talk can help you accomplish your dreams, goals, and desires. Believing in yourself is a strong component of moving forward into the life you really want and deserve. Positive self-talk can bring you this belief and instill within you the confidence to succeed. Discover the Beauty in Your Life When you face serious challenges in your life, being unhappy and speaking negatively to yourself won't change anything for the better. Instead, seek out joy in positive affirmations of your continued worth. The problems you may be facing have absolutely nothing to do with your value as a human being. Remind yourself of your great value! Positive self-talk is not about being unrealistic or lying to yourself. It's about seeing the beauty and value in yourself and others. Each one of us has something we can give and we each have a purpose and a reason to be here. Using Positive Self-Talk Each Day How do you take advantage of positive self-talk? When it comes to talking to yourself, there are no specific rules. You can focus on anything about you or your surroundings that's positive. Avoid letting negative or upsetting thoughts creep in. Things might not be going your way at any particular moment, but there are better days ahead, and the fact that you're alive is something to be positive about! Here are some tips to help you get started using positive self-talk to bring about a joyful, fulfilled life:
The Benefits of Positive Self-Talk The benefits you'll get from positive self-talk will depend on your commitment to it. If you practice it every day, it will become second nature to you. When others say negative things, it will be less likely to take root in your mind, since you will already be filled with positive information about your worth. Regardless of what stage of life you're in, there's always room for more happiness. Even in the face of despair, there are opportunities for great joy and growth. Avoid missing out on those opportunities because you don't see your worth as a person. Instead, you can expect the best because of your positive self-talk. Positive self-talk can help you rise higher in your career, family life, spiritual life, and any other area that matters to you. Friends and family members will notice your new-found confidence, and so will your co-workers, boss, and others. You just may find that positive self-talk leads you to some amazing new opportunities! |
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