The holidays can be exhilarating, stressful, depressing, and overwhelming. Just take your pick. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions which may result in emotional eating. That’s why this week we’re going to learn about practices that will create the right mindset for the holidays. Here’s an article from Psychology Today that talks about these practices and how we can put them in place.

The winter holidays are often an emotional time. Looking ahead to months of colder weather can bring about a more somber mood. Lack of sleep and too much rich food or alcohol can make us feel grumpy or guilty. We may face internal or external pressures to have a picture postcard perfect holiday, complete with sparkling snow, glittery ornaments, and brightly wrapped presents. We may be reminded of loved ones who are no longer with us, kids who are now grown, or we may feel more aware of our loneliness and long for a partner to share this special time. On the positive side, holidays...

Practicing gratitude is certainly beneficial to our health. It improves our physical and mental health, our self esteem, and creates better relationships. On the flip side, focusing on gratitude can be harmful if not done the right way. Here’s an article from Psychology Today that shows some of the practices that can cause negative effects instead of positive as well as steps to make sure we don’t fall into making these mistakes. 

Invalidating Your Emotional Experiences
You shouldn’t feel this way. Remember, many people have it worse than you.

Does this sound familiar? If you’ve had this thought, heard it, or said it yourself, you may have experienced a negative impact of gratitude. When you compare yourself to the circumstances of others, you risk minimizing and/or invalidating your emotional experiences.

Connie L. Habash, LMFT, states that “gratitude shouldn’t be practiced in a way that compares ourselves to others. It’s not about who...

When we journal we might not immediately know what we want to write about. This is why in our RISE coaching programs we provide a guided journal to our members. It contains prompts and ideas for writing and makes journaling easy and effective.

If you’re looking to get started with journaling or need some ideas to refresh your journaling habit, here are some tips and topics from the Berkeley Wellbeing Institute to get you going.

Daily Journaling Ideas

Freewrite
Perhaps the most common journaling technique is called freewriting. When you freewrite, you just write about whatever comes to your mind. Try to keep writing even when your mind wanders off, and don't worry about grammar, spelling, or a storyline. Freewriting may be a good technique to use when doing a daily journal, at least to get the thoughts flowing and overcome the inertia of the blank page.

Write down affirmations
More relatively easy things to write in your journal are daily affirmations. Affirmations are positive...

The American Psychological Association defines mindfulness as awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings. Mindfulness can help people avoid destructive or automatic habits and responses by learning to observe their thoughts, emotions, and other present-moment experiences without judging or reacting to them.

One of the ways to practice mindfulness is by journaling. Aside from being easy to implement, it has many benefits to our health. Positivepsychology.com cites the following reasons:

1. Journaling for Anxiety
Journaling has proven popular and effective for treating clients experiencing anxiety, possibly because of an improved acceptance of negative emotions and a more helpful emotional response to stress.

2. Journaling for Depression
Research suggests that expressive writing and gratitude journaling can reduce symptoms of depression, providing an effective intervention for clients receiving treatment in therapy.

3. Journaling for Stress Management
Journaling can...

When overwhelming stress hits us it’s important to manage how our bodies react to it and how we can redirect our minds. One of the ways to do that is cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT which, according to Mayo Clinic, helps us become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so we can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.

Seth Gillihan, a licensed psychologist, adds mindfulness to this type of therapy. He calls this Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MCBT) and uses 3 components to help his patients: Think, Act, Be. According to Dr. Gillihan, Think is the cognitive part of MCBT which helps us challenge the thoughts that drive stress. With the Act component, the “behavioral” in MCBT, we lower stress by doing (or not doing) certain activities. And through Be, the mindfulness part of mindful CBT, we practice being in the moment and letting go of resistance to our circumstances.

Here are seven techniques that Dr....

Desmond Tutu said, “ Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” It whispers “You’ll overcome this hardship.” It reassures us, soothing our minds by reminding us, “life will improve.” Our lives are infused with pain and suffering. Some people experience more of these regrettable symptoms of the human condition than others. Our Monday Motivation article by Dr. Caroline Leaf sets the stage in reminding us we can overcome hardship with hope. Hope provides us with strength to conquer misery and despair, caused by misfortune.

“I am going to talk about how hope is a thought “insurance policy” that can help you move through challenges and deal with hard times.

During my 30 plus years as a clinical practitioner and researcher, I have seen my share of tragedies. From traumas to toxic thinking habits, I have come face-to-face with numerous forms of hopelessness. In many cases, for many of my...

What if you could hit every nutritional need in your morning smoothie? You can! And studies show you are 30% more likely to eat healthy throughout your day if you start it right. A well-balanced smoothie is a simple and satisfying way to achieve this goal. This Daily 5 Smoothie Guide offers an easy-to-follow approach to building your perfect 16 oz smoothie in five steps! This breakfast nutrition hack ensures you have the opportunity to pack all the key nutrients as you start your day.  Blender ready? Let's begin...

1. Mineral Rich Base: Your base should be functional, create a great texture, and provide additional nutrients for your optimal meal. I recommend 1 banana, ½ an avocado, or 1 cup of frozen fruit. You may wish to freeze your banana in advance for a creamier smoothie.

2. Antioxidants: Immune system boosters, antioxidants add another layer of flavor to your smoothie. Fruits that are high in antioxidants include berries, acai, pitaya, cherries, and pomegranate...