It’s easy! Use some of these simple tips to help you get out of your bad moods:

1.   Get dressed. That’s right. Get up, take a shower, put on some nice clothes and jewelry and gussy yourself up to the nines.

• Studies have shown that your mood has a lot to do with your self-image. How different do you think your self-image is between a just-rolled-out-of-bed look and a ready-to-hit-the-ground-running look?

• By getting dressed and doing what it takes to make yourself look good on the outside, you feel better on the inside. When you feel better on the inside, your mood changes significantly and you’re ready to face the day.

2. Get moving. Exercise releases hormones that help alter your mood. Cleaning your space gets you moving and makes you feel better about your surroundings. It doesn’t really matter what you do; just get up, get out, and get moving.

• Many times your bad mood can be amplified by your lack of movement. Getting up and doing something, whether it’s exercising or even walking over to the nearest coffee shop, can give you a big mood boost.

3.    Read a book. Reading a book takes you to a different place and allows you to step into someone else’s shoes. Why not pick up a book by your favorite author and let them transport you out of your bad mood for an hour or so?

4.    Meditate. Deep breathing exercises and a focused mind can break you out of any sour mood. Remember back in grade school when you were taught to take deep breaths and count to 10 when you got angry? It was actually for a very good reason. When focusing on one thing and breathing deeply, our bodies tend to respond in a positive way by relaxing and releasing tension.

5.  Hang out with friends. What are friends for? Be around any of your good friends for any length of time and you’ll be snapped out of that bad mood so fast you won’t even know what hit you.

6.   Laugh. There’s no way that you can laugh and stay in a bad mood. It’s proven that your emotions follow your actions, which is why many therapists recommend taking action to cure things like anxiety and stress. Next time you’re in a bad mood, try laughing.

7.    Treat yourself. Do something just for you. You deserve it anyway. The key is to just go a little overboard and do something you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Have fun with it and make it memorable.

8.     Light a candle. Sandalwood scented candles are said to have relaxing and calming properties and can help soothe irritation and lift depression.

While there are many other ways to shake yourself out of a bad mood, the tips provided here are a great start. Try some of them next time you’re feeling down. Better yet, see how many of them you can make it through before your bad mood has completely vanished.

To Your Life..In Full Color!

When I redecorated my room early last year I had no clue about the effects of color on mood…all I knew is that I wanted blue to be the central color in the room with brown as the accent color for one wall…I never knew why because green has always been my favorite color(my nickname in my neighborhood was Ms.Green)! After the room was completed and I settled into my newly painted surroundings I begun to feel a difference in the feeling of the room…(or was it in me?) I decided to do some research on colors as they affect mood and this what I found:

Pacifying Colors – blue, green, and purple — stay reservedly in the background, cooling, calming, and re-energizing weary spirits. Put them in rooms for resting and refueling.

Pale, serene greens slip quietly into a living room, bedroom, or reading room, hushing it with a whisper. Medium greens connect to nature, grounding and freshening the spirits of a home office, family room, or spa. Deep greens comfort a library, bedroom, or sitting room. But lime and parrot greens tend to waken and activate.

Blues and Neutrals Blues and purples work meditative wonders. Pale azure and glacier blues wash a room in coolness and unstructured serenity. Proud, strong blues work responsibility and contentment into the mood. Pale purple-blues prompt reflection and dreaming.

Neutralizers are the “noncolors”: browns, beiges, grays, and white. Perfect for neutral territories of the house, such as kitchens or baths, these colors bridge together rooms, other colors, and moods. They neither activate nor pacify; they blend, combine, and cooperate.

White, another neutral hue, brings out openness, airiness, and an expansive spirit. It generously welcomes other colors into a room, framing them and showing them off to their best advantage.

Activating colors , such as yellow, orange, and red, move forward, warming and cheering, and inspiring conversation in varying degrees. Red, the intense one of this group, sparks emotions forcefully. Orange applies less pressure, and yellow merely suggests. If these extroverted colors please you, put them to work in the activity rooms of your house. Ruby, raspberry, or brick reds pack a punch in entries or halls. Even people who can’t relax amid strong colors find a short spurt of red’s exhilaration comfortable as they pass through a brilliant hall.

Notice what they say about brown? It’s a neutral color that blends, combines and cooperates. The accent wall in my bedroom is brown! So without realizing I had created an oasis for myself where I can go to rest and refuel; emerging re-energized and filled with a spirit of serenity, contentment and cooperation!

What hue are you?

To Your Life…In Full Color

This is one of many self care rituals that I practice. I sit quietly before the boys awaken, sipping from my cup of tea and writing in my journal while surrounded not only by calming quiet but the wonderful aroma of Lavender Chamomile, an Infusion Aromatherapy candle.

This is the time of the day when I do my best thinking…when I create the masterpiece that is to be my day! There’s a special feeling in the air that is unexplainable…all I can say is that there is so much peace and calm just before the sun rises. This is both literally and figuratively because as the sun peeks over the horizon I am bound to hear my two younger sons getting up and wondering aloud; “I wonder what’s for breakfast!” After that I can barely hear myself think!

Here are some health benefits of tea that I found on the internet:

• Fights Cancer & Heart Disease

Tea contains antioxidant compounds of polyphenols that help the body fight harmful free radicals. It is believed that harmful free radical can lead to cancer and heart disease. Tea also contains flavonoids that restricts the build up of cholesterols and help with blood vessel functionality.

• Protects Teeth & Strengthens Bones

Polyphenols found in tea may reduce plaque, which lowers your chance of cavity and gum disease. Tea also contains fluoride that helps protect against tooth decay. Fluoride is extracted from the soil by the tea plant. This identified mineral also strengthens bones and prevents osteoporosis.

• Improves Digestion The polyphenols in tea help with digestion of fatty food by increasing the flow of digestive juices.
• Prevents Food Poisoning The catechins in tea are a powerful sterilizing agent, which kills germs and bacteria. Tea prevents food poisoning by fighting against stomach diseases caused by harmful bacterias.
• Look and Feel Younger Studies suggested that the high concentration of antioxidants in tea have an anti-aging effect.
• Strengthens the Immune System Vitamin C in green tea helps to treat the flu and the common cold. Moreover, the polyphenols in tea have shown to increase the number of white blood cells in our immune system.
• Prevents Dehydration Tea is a good source of fluid intake that replenishes lost body liquid. Doctors recommend that it is vital to drink at least 1.5 liters of fluid a day. Tea is low in calorie and it is a great thirst quencher.

Do you enjoy tea? Share with me what kind you like.

To Your Life…In Full Color

As a busy Mom of four school aged sons, I find it essential to have a daily self-care ritual which includes meditation and journaling as well as a sensitive attending to how I need to grow and develop. As life moves faster and with greater complexity, it becomes more important, but increasingly difficult, to take good care of ourselves. I encourage others to give themselves the gift of a self-care ritual.

What kind of self-care rituals do you practice? Do you think that self care only means taking care of your body? If you do you’re not alone…for years I felt that when I took a trip to the spa for a facial and a massage that I was practicing the ultimate in self care.

I have come to realize and appreciate that we need not only to take care of ourselves physically; but spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and financially…yes financially.

Over the last few years I have been fascinated by self care and self care rituals. Over the next few months I am going to invite you to explore with me the different ways we need to take care of ourselves.

I recently came across an excerpt from a book called “20-Minute Retreats” that I’m going to share with you.

“Supported by Water”

This retreat is for those of us who spend a considerable amount of time and energy taking care of other people. So often we’re warm and supportive to others, while we’re barely holding ourselves together. We can create an opportunity to take care of ourselves whenever we need it, simply by withdrawing into our bath. Candles, aromatherapy oil and bath salts, or music can all be added, but the essence of this retreat only requires a bath tub full of water and a lock on the bathroom door for privacy.

Step 1: Entering into Retreat -In a comfortably warm, very full bathtub, allow yourself to just stretch out for three minutes. Arrange a pillow or facecloth behind your neck for comfort.
Step 2: For a full fifteen minutes, allow yourself to be softened, cleansed, and held by the warm water. With every breath, imagine allowing the water to support you. Allow your arms to float on the surface of the water. Feel how their floating allows you to let go of them from deep inside your shoulder girdle. With every exhale imagine that your arms can float away. Use your exhale to similarly let go of your legs from deep within your hip joint. Even though your legs won’t literally float on the surface of the water, imagine that they can just drift off.. Allow the water to surround and support you.

Step 3: Returning to the World: In the final two minutes, gently begin to shift position in the tub, stretching and preparing to get out. Please move slowly and treat yourself gently as you dry yourself off and get dressed.

This is one of my favorite self care rituals that I practice every morning before my kids get up. It really relaxes me and gets me ready for the day. I want to leave you with the following questions:

1. What sort of self care rituals do you have in place?
2. How often do you practice your self care rituals?
3. Which self care rituals do you need to revive?

To Your Life….In Full Color

Here are four quick and easy ways to find inspiration:

• Use motivational quotes and affirmations. It seems that no matter how many times you read or hear your favorite quote, it resonates with you almost as much as the very first time you heard it. Adding to your collection will bring you an ever-flowing well of new inspiration.

• Find inspirational imagery. Sometimes you come across inspiration by spotting something in nature, like a beautiful sunset or freshly fallen snow. Other times you may be inspired by a photograph, an image in a book, or a painting at an art gallery. Sometimes the beauty of an image will inspire you to create something beautiful of your own. In the process, you’ll find new excitement and motivation to carry over into the other areas of your life. Once you find an image that inspires you, rely upon it during stressful or difficult times as a visual reminder to keep moving forward.

• Talk to strangers. A method you may find surprising as a source of inspiration is to talk to strangers when out and about. Because of the anonymity factor, people may actually become comfortable with someone they may never see again. Someone you meet by chance can bring you a new perspective on old challenges.

• Be inspired by the stories of others. When you hear someone’s story of personal triumph or hardship while standing in line at the neighborhood post office or sitting in the waiting room at your local doctor’s office, you just may be able to relate to this person. Because you’re neighbors or friends, it’s as if you have an instant connection. Their story could very well be yours, with a few different details. Seek out their stories and let them inspire you!

The next time you feel like you need some extra inspiration, try these sources. You may be surprised at how well they work to get you happily working toward fulfilling your goals and living the life you desire.

To Your Life…In Full Color!