Eleven Life-Changing Resolutions that are easy to stick to:
by Guest Blogger Donna Martini
Every day is your new day–an opportunity to start fresh, an attempt at a redo, a chance to put our best mindset and footstep forward. There are hundreds of ways to do this, but here are just a few that alter all aspects of our human selves, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
1. Drink less caffeinated drinks
One cup a day can offer benefits and rewards, but too much and you could be screwing yourself. Understand, A) Caffeine dehydrates everything in your body, including your skin, eyes, and your joints, B) It increases and decreases cortisol levels at inappropriate times, C) It is a stimulant, so imagine if you are feeling anxiety, anger, or fear and you were on a drug that made each of these emotions intensified? D) It can make a mess of sleep patterns, which is taking away our outer beauty and youth, our bodies’ rejuvenation time, and taking years off our lives. E) Unless you only drink organic, your coffee is most likely laced with pesticides and chemicals. How do you think Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts make their coffee taste the same no matter what store you are in all around the world? It is because they chemically alter it. F) Unless you make it at home with filtered water, it is brewed mostly with tap water, containing chlorine and other carcinogenic chemicals.
Most people do not realize that chlorine kills bacteria in the water but also in the gut! How could it not? So if you are wondering why you have so many belly and digestion issues, think about the water, coffee, soup, pasta, and all the stuff that is cooked in chlorinated water being part of the problem. A simple solution to weaning off caffeine without having to wean off coffee: Dilute! Use naturally decaffeinated coffee mixed in with your regular and slowly for a few weeks, go down to your desired level. This way, you get to drink as much coffee as you want, without the drug effect. Use organic coffee. Stop going to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and you will save a ton of money, as well as your health.
2. Drink water before going to bed
But not bottled water; get a filter and, again, save money while taking out the chlorine. Drink half a glass right before going to bed or when you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Here is the deal: Dehydration makes it impossible for your body to rebuild and repair at night. It also makes it impossible for your brain to truly rest. If you are wondering why you cannot stop thinking all night, it could be you just need some water. I put Frankincense in mine and other essential oils, depending on my mood, changing it into a health and beauty elixir. Doing this is really helping to keep me balanced and well-rested. That, in turn, is making my days much more productive!
3. Be aware of your exposure to electromagnetic frequencies
Like it or not, we are wi-fied! Our brains and hearts run on and communicate with natural, innate electromagnetic frequencies. Right now, though, we are inundating them with all the manmade EMF crap we are exposing them to. Do some research and get more acquainted with the symptoms and potential damage being done to our health, our eyes, our mental and emotional stability, and our sleep patterns.
Instead of feeling helpless, get geared up for safety. I use protective jewelry on my ankles that help me stay more connected to Earth’s natural frequencies, and by the way, was how we were designed. I also sleep on a grounded pillow, which is connected to the grounding wire in my home. And the wi-fi in my house is attached to a remote control switch I bought for $10 on Amazon. At night, I click it off; in the morning, I click it back on. This way, nighttime is at least restful.
Also, NEVER sleep with your cell phone or laptop near you. Put it eight feet away, as well as any plugs you might have behind your head, and that includes what is plugged in on the wall in adjacent rooms. Do not underestimate what your exposure is doing to your health. We are just beginning to realize how much influence these frequencies have on humans and animals, especially our children.
4. Walk more
So simple, yet so powerful! Start parking away from the front entrance, make two trips up and down staircases to bring up the laundry, forget the elevator and take the stairs at work… do anything you can to add to this physical activity. Walking was just proven to be better than yoga and cardio when it comes to retaining memory and enhancing brain function.
Yes, you have probably made this commitment before and could not stick with it. To break out of the old and into the new, do not bother looking for a parking spot anymore; pick the first one you see and then thank yourself for doing your body the good deed. Think about standing at your desk every hour at work. To get in the mood to move more, I wear fancy yoga pants to work. Who am I kidding; they are not fancy; they are just yoga pants! But hear me out; they were proven to increase circulation in our legs. By slightly holding pressure on our limbs, their fabric keeps our blood and fluid from pooling down. So, we see our legs and feet less swollen, and our energy level (blood flow to the heart) increased. If it is impossible to wear yoga pants, wear a very light panty hose under your garments. Too tight, and you might have the opposite effect. Just enough pressure and legs feel enlivened all day.
5. Take one unhealthy personal hygiene product away from yourself per week or month
Doing this changed my entire life! Unfortunately, everything we put near or in our bodies is filled with stuff our bodies need to figure out what to do with. Some of the time, it excretes what it does not want; very often, it stores it or tries to make use of it. The result can cause cancer, disease, imbalance, and so much else.
Toothpaste, liquid soap, hairspray, shampoo, skincare products… If you dare, look up the ingredients on Ewg.org to see what carcinogenic, endocrine interrupting, absolutely harmful chemicals are in there. I can honestly attest to the hormonal changes from my wrinkle cream. After stopping its use, though, my body went back to normal.
I will admit, it took me two years to get myself to switch every single product in my bathroom and nightstand over to organic, chemical-free stuff. The reward, though, is outstanding skin, covering a more hormonally balanced body. I make all my own skincare products now with essential and other natural oils, like coconut, almond, and grape-seed oils. I smell like something you would want to put on the barbecue, but I am told I look great for my age, so whoolah!
6. Watch less television, most especially the news, shows with violent content, and all commercials
Most of us do not realize how much negativity we are manipulating out of daily because of what we are watching. Not to mention the brainwashing that is going on. Commercials, most of them planting stressful thoughts in our minds, are purposefully aligning us with what we do not want, so we will need to buy their drug, product, or service.
Do yourself a favor. Next time your favorite television show is on, keep track of its commercial segments. There are about 15 to 20 minutes of ads or more in a 30-minute show. Track the content: Prescription drugs, food, cars, weight loss programs. Think about the fact that we pay between $75 and $200 a month to watch over 50 percent commercials! This is insane, and it’s not the boob tube that is to blame. It is us, boob heads who are paying for and watching it, that need to stop.
What about shows that promote violence and threats, glorifying harmful societal behavior… Being reminded of this every day is harmful to our psyche and belief in our ability to create a better world. When I realized how much my moods were affected by what I was watching, I switched to helpful documentaries and channels that promote morals, virtues, love, and goodness. What a difference that made in my outlook! And, of course, it goes without saying that our time on social media needs to be checked as well. I started to unfollow all the people who post negativity in favor of those who promote positivity. Since practicing safe social, I see more productivity in my day, as well as a feeling of gratitude for all I have to be grateful for.
7. Write down troubling thoughts on paper, then come up with a mantra that totally contradicts them
Mantras, positive affirmations, prayers… whatever it takes. Science knows now without a doubt that our self-talk is powerful, and it determines our health and our future movements.
Imagine, then, how important it is to keep things positive. Speak an opposing, positive mantra every single time you have those negative thoughts. If you think you are fat, say “I love my body!” If you believe you are sick, say “I’m a self-healing machine!” If you are worried about bills, say “All I need is flowing right into my bank account today!” Now, if you feel like a fraud saying these things, get over it! It is your ego that is fraudulent. You possess the two most powerful tools you will ever need to get and do anything you want. If you have not guessed already, they are your head and your heart, and they were made to operate without any applied boundaries, so do not start putting any on them. Repeat: “I have faith in the powers that be; I believe in me!” And if this doesn’t work for you after one week, then feel free to go back to chanting all the negative crap. After all, the only failure would be to never try.
8. Every time your mind attempts to judge someone, turn the tables on yourself
Ask to see their soul instead! Do not worry; you can still find things wrong with them later, but when we just try to seek goodness in people, we will find it. And another added benefit, they will feel it and surprise us by showing their soulful goodness to us! Stay in judgment, and they will feel it and react to it by going ego-to-ego with us. And how do we really want to spend our day… ego to ego or soul to soul? Knowing how powerful and beautiful soul energy is, most would choose it every time.
9. Before getting out of bed in the morning, pledge the day
Step into it on purpose by stating it is going to be whatever it is you want it to be: Peaceful, restful, spontaneous, uplifting, productive, lucrative… no matter what you want to achieve, you have to set yourself up for it.
Think about it this way, you are going to move in some sort of direction; do you want each step to be deliberate? Time is going to be passing you by; wouldn’t you rather pass through time? The bottom line, you cannot help but walk into the future you are preparing for, so do not let the day just unfold. Decide what your future is so you can steer yourself right into it.
10. Clean something out
Whether it is a drawer, a closet, an entire room, the basement, garage, or attic… just start with one thing that is really bothering you and feng shui the crap out of it! I cannot detail all of the energy benefits of this practice in one article, but if you can just do it, you will prove to yourself in an hour what a profound release this task offers psyche and your future direction.
Feel like the world is weighing down on you? Start with the attic. Feel like you cannot stay grounded? Start with the basement. Feel like you have no idea what direction to go in? Organize your shoes in the closet! It is easy to start: Just ask yourself what your most troubling concern is right now and then walk through your living quarters (or office) with that issue in mind. Allow your inner guidance system to lead you right toward the problem area. Do not say no to it! Just admit to it. You do not have to get rid of it or start cleaning it immediately, but you do have to acknowledge the area as a potential block. Then commit to doing one thing, even if it is throwing away a single piece of paper on that pile on your desk. Feel free to stop there or allow for the new energy to take you the rest of the way when you feel led to.
11. Stop playing the blame game
When we blame, all things stay the same. When we take personal responsibility, we go from woe is me to “Whoa, it’s me!” We are, after all, the common denominators in all our life episodes, so who else would have the power to change the future we are walking into? Who decides the people we are engaging with, the food we are eating, the life we are leading? Want to stop being a victim? Then instantly become a victor by staking your claim in life. Believe in yourself and the power you have to walk into the future you are desire. Remember, being born was our gift; living life is our challenge, but being the best we can be is our choice.