Clutter is defined as a collection of things lying about in an untidy mass. Aside from the obvious physical effect, clutter can also negatively affect mental health. One study found that women who reported more clutter in their homes had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day compared to women who had less clutter.

Clutter affects your focus, makes you procrastinate, and strains relationships. It can trigger unhealthy eating behaviors as shown by a study where people ate more cookies and snacks when the environment in which they’re offered a choice of foods is chaotic which leads to stress. Clutter can also lead to an overall decreased satisfaction in life.

Cleaning up clutter can be overwhelming which is why it’s also important to understand the emotions you experience when reducing clutter. Here are some tips from Verywell Mind on how to remove clutter from your life and improve your mental health:

Dedicate the Time
No doubt, decluttering your...

If you’ve had too much merrymaking during the holidays and would like to unload some of the after effects of lots of feasting, here are some ways to do that safely. Holistic nutritionist JJ Virgin recommends you do this when you’re feeling ready to give your goals that extra push and accelerate fat loss. It’ll also help give you that reboot you need at the beginning of the year.

1. Double Up on Loaded Smoothies
Eating by the plate, sans the plate? With a loaded smoothie, you get the magic trifecta in a fast, portable meal replacement. I want you to break your overnight fast with a loaded smoothie by 9 or 10 a.m. But to really increase your fat-burning results, have a second loaded smoothie in place of lunch or dinner. If you really want to go that extra mile, eliminate fruit in loaded smoothies (except for lemon and lime). This minimizes fructose intake to really accelerate fat loss.

2. Swap (or Minimize) Starchy Carbs With Non-Starchy Veggies
Eating by the plate...

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces coconut or grass-fed dairy yogurt, full fat and unsweetened
• 2 scoops collagen powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• cup raw pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons goji berries
• 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
• ¼ cup coconut flakes, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the coconut yogurt, collagen, and cinnamon.

3. Spread the coconut yogurt out evenly on the parchment paper, making it about ¼ to ½-inch thick.

4. Top with the remaining ingredients and gently press using your hands or a spatula to set everything in the yogurt.

5. Freeze for 25 minutes or until firm. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and peel the parchment paper from yogurt. Break or cut into small pieces. Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

For more of Dr. Hyman's recipes click here.

In our coaching programs, one of the things we recommend is to do a week in review where you write down your wins for the week, the areas where you did well, areas where you need to see more growth, and what you need to focus on the next week. Well what about a year in review? We are still a week into the new year so it would be good to take time to answer these questions from https://www.theartofsimple.net/ and write them down in your journal. As you write down your answers, feel free to expand your thoughts, turn them into prayers and write them down with a spirit of gratitude.

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

5. Pick three words to describe this past year.

6. Pick three words your partner or close friend would use to describe your year.

7. Pick three words your partner or close friend would use to describe...

Happy New Year! Just like you, we too are excited about facing a brand new year! January is also the time when people start thinking about new year resolutions. But how important is it really to come up with new goals or promises when, as we know, sometimes promises get broken. Dr. Caroline Leaf tells us that it’s okay to not keep a resolution. She says it’s actually quite difficult to build a new mental habit, which is the foundation of any lifestyle change, and it requires time and good mind management. Here are some of Dr. Leaf’s wisdom nuggets regarding new year resolutions:

• As you start your new year’s journey, you may find that your resolution needs to be changed, because your needs have changed, or you find that your resolution was too big. This is why it is always important to be open-minded to changing your direction. If something doesn’t work for you, analyze why and try something different. Have what I call a “possibilities...

How are you, friend? We hope your Christmas is wonderful and blessed. We thought it would be good to sit back and maybe enjoy a Christmas story to remind us why we celebrate and the significance of it. This story is called The Parable of the Birds by Louis Cassels. We hope this narrative will rekindle your faith, renew your hope and create the right mindset for the coming new year. Let's read...

Once upon a time there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug. He wasn’t a Scrooge. He was a kind and decent person, generous to his family, upright in all his dealings with other men. But he didn’t believe all that stuff about Incarnation which churches proclaim at Christmas. And he was too honest to pretend that he did. “I am truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, who was a faithful churchgoer. “But I simply cannot understand this claim that God becomes man. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

On Christmas Eve...

Ingredients

• 6 ounces 70% bittersweet chocolate
• 2 large eggs
• 10 drops vanilla cream or plain liquid stevia extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) coconut milk

Instructions

1. Chop chocolate into small pieces. Using a long serrated bread knife or a heavy chef’s knife makes it easy. Place chopped chocolate into the bowl of a food processor. Process until very fine. Add the eggs, stevia, vanilla, and salt. Process for a few more seconds.
2. In a small pan over medium heat, bring the coconut milk to a boil. When it boils, remove from the heat.
3. Start the food processor, and slowly pour the hot milk through the feed tube. Process pudding until smooth.
4. Pour the hot liquid chocolate equally into six 2-ounce ramekins, dishes, or cups. Refrigerate until chilled and set, about 2 hours.

This recipe and more can be found in The Daniel Plan Cookbook.

All that hustling and bustling can sometimes turn us into a grinch. In fact holidays can be triggering for some and cause old emotional wounds to come up. According to Dr. Amen, some individuals who have anxiety or depression may find that their symptoms increase when the holiday season approaches. People who struggle with eating disorders or addiction also experience difficulties when the focus is on holiday meals and/or cocktails. Dr. Amen tells us that despite triggers, with a little planning, we can overcome holiday hazards and make the season more peaceful.

1. ’Tis the Season to be Stressed
Buying gifts, hosting lavish feasts, decorating—there’s a lot that goes into making the holiday season perfect. All of this added stress can take a toll on brain health and lead to increased vulnerability to mental health symptoms.

Holiday Helper: Stay grounded with a few minutes of daily meditation or prayer and don’t take on more projects than you can handle.

2. No...