Do What You Can With All You Have, Wherever You Are – Theodore Roosevelt
Making changes in life is not always easy, however it is the way we grow, learn and challenge ourselves to develop as human beings. Change is an ongoing process and will always be a part of being human. When you embark on changing anything in your life you have to start from where you are. Until you know where that is it will be difficult to effectively make the change. You have to start with a baseline to measure your progress. Starting with a baseline is about determining where you are and what you are currently doing so that you will be able to know exactly what needs to be changed. It may sound weird, but many of us are unaware of what we do.
Whenever I need to make a change, the first thing I do is start a journal for a week just to get a baseline. Whether it’s losing weight, being grateful or being more active. The next week I review my notes to see how many times I repeated the habit or did not follow through. Many of us go through life on autopilot and we just are not aware of what we are doing on a daily basis. When you keep track of it – and this works with anything – you have a better picture of where you are and what needs to change.
X marks the spot!
The first step in change is awareness. You have to become aware of what you are doing and exactly where you are before you can proceed forward. Keeping track for a week or two will provide you with valuable information that will support your change effort. Before you launch yourself into any type of change effort, you have to know where you are. Figuring out where you are is like a travel map that have an X saying “You are here” and you get to decide where your next stop on the map will be.
So now you just need to pick the destination:
Sleep
Weight (Gain or Loss)
Gratitude
Exercise
Water or Alcohol Consumption
Meditation
Money/Spending/Budget
Self Care (“me Time”)
What will you be tracking in 2020et inspired by some great motivational quotes and share your Goal on Instagram using #VBTribeGoals
I have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don’t work out, that’s when I’ve really learned. – Carol Burnett
Stress invades our lives all the time, even on a daily basis for most people. Life gets hard and it can be challenging to juggle all the things that the universe seems to be throwing our way. It’s important that we get our stress levels under control because constant high levels of stress are actually toxic to our body and can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. Stress also has a negative effect on our mental health and can appear as memory problems, confusion, brain fog or as an inability to concentrate.
Thankfully, it’s easier than you think to implement some strategies to help yourself decrease rising stress levels.
Just follow these simple steps:
Reduce Alcohol, Caffeine, and Nicotine
Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and do not decrease your levels of stress; they actually increase them. Alcohol is a depressant when consumed in large amounts and a stimulant in small amounts, making it bad for you to take as an option to relieve stress. Instead of reaching towards alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, grab some water or herbal tea. These are hydrating and will provide you with stress relief.
Physical Activity is your Friend
Try taking part in physical activity every day – a simple walk around the block on your lunch hour or 30 minutes at the gym will release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Releasing these hormones throughout the day can help your stress levels to go down.
Get your ZZZ’s
Get more sleep to allow your body and mind to recharge. Lack of sleep has a direct correlation to high-stress levels. However, stress sometimes prevents us from relaxing enough to fall asleep. Below are my go to activities to set myself up for sleep – pick one or two to try 30 minutes before your target bedtime.
Take a warm bath with Epsom salts, bubbles or essentials oils
Read a magazine or chapter of your favorite book
Go to bed at roughly the same time every night
Sound Bath with Tibetan bowls
Guided sleep meditations
Find Time to Relax
Try relaxation techniques. Every day, try a different stress-reducing technique. You can try self-hypnosis as this is very simple and easy to do anywhere. You could also attempt saying one word repeatedly to yourself that holds meaning for you. Don’t worry if these relaxation tips don’t work right off the bat. Relaxation is a skill that takes time to master.
Reach out to your Tribe
Talk to someone you trust and who can help. Letting someone know how you feel is a great way to reduce your stress. Many people have said that it’s like a weight being lifted off their shoulders. Stress can cloud our minds and prevent us from thinking clearly. Talking through your situation with someone can help you figure out a solution to what you’re stressing about.
Keep a Journal or Diary
Keeping a diary and writing down your thoughts and emotions will help you become more aware of what you’re feeling. Write down the date and place the stressful event occurred. Also include what you were doing and how you felt, both emotionally and physically. Writing everything down will enable you to avoid another stressful situation and you’ll discover some new coping mechanisms.
Time Management is Key
Manage your time. Many people experience stress when they run out of time to do important things. With a schedule to follow you can ensure that you get all of your important tasks done in a timely manner. Having all your work done on time will help to decrease some stress.
Two-Letter Word – No!
Learn to say “No”. It’s easy to believe that you have all the time in the world and can juggle one more thing in your life. But sometimes you need to remember that you have so many other important things that need to be juggled. There’s only a certain amount of hours in a day, making it hard to get multiple things done.
Take care of yourself. Stress invades everyone’s lives but dealing with stress is manageable. Know that everything will get better and the thing that’s causing you so much stress won’t be a worry to you down the road.
Violet Buddha Blog 
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