Merry December!
According to a Canadian public opinion survey taken in 2022 it’s fine to say, ‘Merry Christmas’: most Canadians prefer it to ‘Happy Holidays.' 92% of respondents who grew up in a non-Christian household said they are not offended by someone giving Christmas greetings. The common denominator is wanting to wish someone well during the festive season! 

The Christmas Tree
Trying to find a parking spot made me notice that December ‘energy’ is amping up! Which is a good reminder before getting swept away in the excitement to make sure we set our intention of how we want to feel during December.  Here’s a fun way.
Take out your ‘imaginary Christmas tree’ and place it where you will always see it in your mind’s eye. Then choose a few words as ‘ornaments’ to guide you through the month. Here is a sample of some words.

Peace  Calm     Restful     Tranquility     Kindness   Quiet     

or

Noise    Irritation    Rushing   FOMO  Expectations   Tired

What words do you want to put on your tree as 'ornaments'? Imagine letting these words guide your upcoming holiday season. Every time you are pulled from your chosen state of being simply take a breath, picture your tree, and remind yourself of your words. 

And how about your gift list?

Spoiler Alert: The most important thing in life is not presents but peace of mind! 

What will your gift to yourself be this December…………?

What will your gift to the world be……..?

Ask this Question if a Loved One is Upset

Do you want to be helped, heard, or hugged?

Wellness Practice

1. Notice the Good. 

We are wired to focus on the negative, and now more than ever it is important to notice how much good there is in the world! Make it a habit of finding at least three ‘goods’ a day, and either share them with a loved one or write them down. 

Take a few moments before you go to sleep, reflecting on what you’re grateful for. In other words, “Count Blessings, not Sheep.” 

2. 20 Seconds Rule: 

You need to savour the good things you notice and let them sink in for at least 20 seconds to be effective. For example, you’ve enjoyed a nice walk, pause, and breathe. Notice how good it feels to take the time to notice. 

Continually during the day, “Pause and Appreciate.”

3. Three-to-One Positivity Ratio: 

We need at least three positive thoughts to counter one negative thought! By doing this, we intentionally seek out and focus on positive thoughts and experiences. “Seek and Focus on the Positive.” 

Wellness Quick Tip 

Here's a very quick tip perfect for the upcoming month. A study about the benefits of listening to music found that music takes 13 minutes to release sadness, and just 9 minutes to make you happy. So what are you waiting for? Turn on your favourite song! 

Time to Laugh

With a pile of 300 resumes on his desk, my boss told me to make calls on 50 and toss the rest. 

“Throw away 250 resumes? What if the best candidates are in there?” I asked, shocked.

“You have a point,” he said. “But then again, I don’t need people with bad luck around here.”

“Let your light shine as an inspiration to humanity and BE THE REASON someone believes in the goodness of people.” 
~Germany Kent

Am I Rushing or Savouring?

It was getting late, and I was rushing through my book to finish it before I went to bed. I turned the page and read the words, ‘Why are you rushing?’ That made me pause, and ask myself, why wasn’t I taking the time to savour the book? The faster, I rushed to the end the sooner the book would be over. Truth be told I have noted the same sensation when I have set my timer for twenty minutes for meditation and waited impatiently for the timer to go off. Rather than savouring how nice it is to sit quietly, and rest, I was impatient to do the next task on my list. It occurred to me life can be like that; you rush to get something done and before you know it, you’re off rushing for the next thing.

 I’ve decided an important question to ask myself from now on is, “Am I rushing or savouring this experience?” Think about how many times you could ask yourself that question.  For example, am I rushing or savouring my breakfast?  Am I rushing to my end goal or savouring the experiences that come with moving towards the goal? Am I rushing onto the next thing in life, or am I savouring what I currently have?  

Savouring life could be a game changer!  ~ Marnie

If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in? ~ Nanette Mathews

Life Wisdom from Japan

Here are some very interesting words in the Japanese language, that have striking meanings. Take a moment to try saying them out loud, and contemplate their meanings. Where could you apply these ideas in your own life? 

#1: Oubaitori

• Never compare yourself.

• Everyone blossoms in their own time in different ways.

• Don't judge yourself by someone else's path.

#2: Kaizen

• Continuously improve.

• Constantly strive to improve across all areas of your life.

• Small changes accumulate and make all the difference.

#3: Wabi-sabi

• Embrace imperfection.

• Nothing lasts, nothing is complete.

• Accept your own flaws and those of others.

• Find beauty in imperfection.

#4: Gaman

• Have dignity during duress.

• Hard times need to be met with emotional maturity and self-control. 

• We need patience, perseverance, and tolerance.

#5: Ikigai

• Know your reason for being.

• Define the reason you get up in the morning.

• Make it something you are good at, passionate about, and that the world needs.

Summer Book Recommendation: Modern Wisdom, Ancient Roots: The Movers and Shakers' Guide to Unstoppable Success by Srikumar Rao.

This book is to contemplate and savour rather than rush through. I really enjoyed it - the perfect book for inspiration all summer long!  

Wellness Quick Tip – Variation on Alternate Nostril Breathing

This helps with pain, stress/anxiety to feel calmer. Good to do if you can’t sleep and you tire of counting sheep!

• Palms open face up on your lap. 

• With your next inhale, imagine you are only inhaling through that left nostril, as you close your left hand into a gentle fist.

• Bring your focus to the right nostril and imagine you are only exhaling out the right nostril as you open your right hand.

• Close your right palm into a fist as you inhale through your right nostril.

• Open your left fist as you exhale out your left nostril.

• Continue with that pattern of breathing at your own pace for a few more rounds.

Time to Laugh

A man and a woman were sitting beside each other on a plane.

Woman: Every time you smile, I feel like inviting you to my place.

Man: Really?……. Are you single?

Woman: No, I’m a dentist.

Life is not a race. It is a gift.  Enjoy it, don’t rush through it.  
~Danella Kessler

Wishing everyone a happy summer! See you in the Fall! 

Happy May!

Did you know the international distress call, ‘Mayday, Mayday, Mayday’ replaced SOS because it was often misheard when said aloud?

Worry Free Day

Walking down the sidewalk, I noticed how relaxed everyone looked. Contrary to me, my shoulders were tight, and my forehead felt furrowed. I wanted to know their secret, so I asked a woman. She smiled, and asked, “When is the last time you had a worry-free day?” After observing my worried face, she said, “You never have! I thought so.” She explained, "The key to good health is less worry, which means less stress. Therefore, occasionally taking a day to rest from your personal worries and concerns about the world is beneficial, both physically and mentally. And yes, there is a lot of worry out there, but you needn’t be involved in every worry. Stay with the ones that need to be attended to and remind yourself that you're only one person with superpowers, but not superpowers galore!" 

Choose a day to not worry. I'm going to choose tomorrow for my worry-free day – will you join me? Put a sign beside your bed to remind you when you wake up, ‘This is an official worry-free day.’ You can even put something like an elastic on your wrist to remind you. Every time a worry comes up tell it, “Oh didn't you hear, today is a worry-free day? Come back tomorrow if you must.” And remind your shoulders and face they don’t need to sneak in and do the worrying for you. Enjoy your day, and who knows some of your worries may disappear and you’ll be relaxed! 

~ Marnie

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.  ~Leo Buscaglia

Tap Into Your Senses: Try the 5-4-3-2-1 Method when feeling anxious.

By tapping into your senses, you bring yourself back to the present moment and anchor yourself there. Feel free to walk around. And take your time which helps you to relax.

• Look around and locate five individual things.

• Touch four things near you.

• Listen for three things you can hear.

• Smell two things.'

• Taste one thing’

Wellness Quick Tip – Chew Gum

A way of staying calm that most people are unaware of is to chew gum.

The act of gum chewing has convincing health benefits. 

One of the oldest pieces of gum ever found is almost 6,000 years old. It was made of Birch Tar and found off the southern coast of Denmark.

• A study presented at the International Congress of Behavioral Medicine found chewing gum helped “relieve anxiety, improve alertness and reduce stress” among participants. 

• Combats dry mouth.

• Heartburn – neutralizes acid.

• Slows your brain down in a moment of panic.

• Can stimulate bowel movement.

• Stimulates saliva flow which helps neutralize acids in dental plaque that cause cavities.

• Higher productivity and fewer cognitive problems during the workday.

• *Gum that is Sugar free and high quality.

Time to Laugh

A teenager brings her new older boyfriend home to meet her parents. They’re appalled by his haircut, tattoos, and piercings. Later the girl’s mom says, “Dear he doesn’t seem to be a very nice boy.”

“Oh, please Mom!” says the daughter. “If he wasn’t nice, would he be doing 500 hours of community service?”

Yesterday is gone and it's tale told. Today new seeds are growing. ~ Rumi

Happy March! Did you know that each year March and June end on the same day of the week? Have a great month! 

The Tranquility Shop
The sign on the door said, "Welcome to the Tranquility Shop". Wow I could use some of that I thought as I stepped into the room. At first it took me a couple of moments to adjust to the subdued light and hear the gentle soothing music playing. Walking around the shop I chose a lovely candle, my favourite relaxing oil, and a soft blanket. My attention was then drawn to a beautiful comfortable looking chair. Was it my imagination? Or did I just hear the chair say “Marnie, come sit on me!” That's crazy I thought as I looked around. The shopkeeper smiled and gestured for me to sit.

I wrapped myself in the soft blanket, smelled the beautiful oil filling the air, and enjoyed the most comfortable chair. Magically my candle lit sending out a soft glow. I felt tension releasing and it felt so good. I could feel my eyes soften, my jaw loosen, and my shoulders release down, and my mind slow down.

The fun part is this room is created in my imagination, and it works because the brain often can’t tell the difference between what is real and what isn’t real. Any time you feel stress building up, pause for a moment, and imagine your own tranquility shop. Step in, slow your breathing, and rest in the chair for a couple of minutes. Your "shopkeeper" will thank you. And the more you do that, the more tranquil your day will be! 
 
Try it now! Here is a two-minute tranquility shop recording to get you started. Enjoy!

-Marnie
 

Disempowering Stories 
Do you find yourself sometimes telling yourself a negative "story" about yourself that plays havoc with your confidence? And even worse once you start you continue to embellish it until you feel awful? What can you do to stop this? 

The first step is as soon as you know the story is not in any way going to help you, interrupt it! Imagine if someone came up to talk to you and you constantly interrupted them whenever they tried to get a word out. What do you think they would do? Likely they would give up and walk away. This is exactly what you want your disempowering stories to do. Don’t give them a chance to take you down the rabbit hole. 

Need some ideas for interrupting the stories? Jump around, shake your hands and body, you could even hum loudly! Listen to a nice song, get outside for a walk, find a joke to read. These all fire electrical impulses to your brain to interrupt the negative story.  If you can think of another way to interrupt the story that would work better for you, do that. Have fun interrupting and enjoy how effective this is when done consistently. 

 Check the Ingredients of Your Dental Floss 
 Dental flossing is not only good for oral health it also helps to reduce oral bacteria which travel throughout your bloodstream. According to Harvard School of Public Health, some dental floss exposes people to harmful chemicals such as PFAS (polyfluoroalkyls) and PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). These man-made chemicals are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. It is a good idea to throw your old floss away, and try to find a safer all natural floss, here are two I have found: Dessert Essence Tea Tree Oil Floss and Tom’s of Maine Nylon Floss.

Wellness Quick Tip - Smell Garlic! 
Did you know that smelling garlic can calm your nerves? At Chicago’s Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, they found that the aroma and flavour of garlic can reduce your stress level as much as 39%! Garlic contains compounds that signal your nervous system to reduce production of stress hormones. Slicing into garlic and inhaling can help, but for best results, cut the garlic and simmer over medium heat. 
 
The next thing we know there will be garlic bubble bath! 

Time to Laugh
At a party, a woman admonished her husband, “That’s the fourth time you’ve gone back for ice cream and cake. Doesn’t that embarrass you?” 
“Why should it?” he asked. “I keep telling them it’s for you.”

“Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.” – Jim Carrey

Happy February! And Happy Groundhog Day! It is hard to believe Spring is around the corner and Spring Flowers too. Wishing you a wonderful, love filled month ahead! 

The Powerful Pencil
It occurred to me one day when I was writing how powerful my pencil is. You see my pencil is capable of writing something spiteful, funny, wise, dramatic, or sad. In each case the words it writes can change my mood. And at the same time, my mood can be changed by the words I write!

For example, if I am writing something depressive, if I began to change the words to a more cheerful topic, that could be quite magical. I could even elaborate and write what I would do now that I was feeling uplifted. If I was stressed, I could write how it would be for me to handle the stressful situation in a state of calmness. If I was berating myself and I wrote how I was being kind to myself instead, wouldn’t that make me feel better? 

I always have a choice; I can use my pencil to make myself feel bad or use it in an empowering way to guide my emotions towards a helpful direction.

I could liken my pencil to my thoughts. If my thoughts are unhelpful for the situation and causing me to feel bad, I could stop that train of thoughts and imagine picking up my pencil and what words do I need to write to make the situation better? And how will I do that? And then how will I feel?  I could have several coloured pencils and choose the colour I want, such as right now I would like to feel peaceful, so I’ll use my green pencil, yellow for brightness, orange for joy!  Let your pencil flow with goodness……
~ Marnie

Fade Away Anxiety Symptoms
An anxiety response kicks in when your nervous system senses a threat, even though the perceived threat may not be real. 
What can you do about this false alarm? 
As soon as you know it is not a real threat to your safety act the opposite of how you would act if it was a real emergency, and it will help to reduce anxiety. Start off with saying something like, “thanks anxiety for coming, but you’re not needed now, off you go, I’m actually having fun.”

• Breathe slowly and deeply, ensuring your exhales are longer than your inhales.

• Smile.

• Have an open body posture.

• Slowly take a couple sips of water (to have moisture in your mouth).

• Talk softly and calmly.

• Eat something slowly or chew gum.

• Hum.

By consistently doing at least one or two of these behaviours when you begin to feel stressed you interrupt the fear response. If it was a real threat, such as a bear chasing you, you wouldn’t be doing any of these behaviours that I have listed!  Therefore, you are sending the message to your nervous system everything is okay, look I’m eating, I’m smiling which adjusts your fear response. 
*Remember: act ‘normal’ during stressful times to quickly change the feedback loop and switch off anxiety fast.

Wellness Quick Tip - Walk to be Creative!
Walking increases brain blood flow which leads to increased brain oxygen levels and energy production which stimulates generalized creativity. Research from Stanford University revealed that creativity was bolstered by 60 percent by simply walking rather than sitting while brainstorming!

 "The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."  ~ Victor Hugo

Did you know less than 5% of people follow through with their New Year's resolutions? 
Why not let go of resolutions, and instead set an intention for your year ahead.
Do you want it to be a peaceful year? A learning year? A traveling year? A creative year? A year full of vitality? Focus on an intention that makes you feel good! Wishing you a wonderful New Year!

"Life's not about expecting, hoping and wishing, it's about doing, being and becoming."      ~Mike Dooley
 

The Book of Wisdom
 Walking into an imaginary room I see it filled with books.  I am drawn to a green book titled ‘Wisdom'. I read the first page and it says ‘This Book Is for You.’ The second page is blank. The third page the print is so small I can’t read it. Perplexed I flip to the middle of the book, and on that page, there is a beautiful glowing heart. I laugh because now I understand the 'Book of Wisdom.' 

This book is a reminder that our life is an incredible set of blank pages, and it is up to us, not others to write the pages of our life. We get to decide how large of print we want to go through life with, knowing that if we continue to grow and expand, so will the print of our life grow, for all our loved ones to joyfully celebrate with us, and leaving beautiful stories to re-read and enjoy. Our book won’t be the most perfect book, because no one is perfect, and the pages will have ups and downs because that is part of being a human. However, the most important message is to let our hearts guide us with kindness and empathy towards others and ourselves. 
 
So my question for you is: What will be on your 2023 pages? 
 
When I find my heart is kind
To all I meet and greet
I am filled with Light to my delight
When my heart glows within I win

Breathing to Regulate
Think of your breath as a key barometer for stress. By choosing to ensure your breath is regulated you are purposely responding from a harmonious state rather than reacting out of anger, fear, or any type of discomfort. By consciously regulating your breathing, you can switch from a state of stress to a more harmonious state. 

HOW: Any time you feel conflicted STOP and wait until you can regulate your breath before continuing. Feel your feet on the floor, soften your shoulders and jaw, ‘I choose to make my body comfortable and respond better.’

MAKE IT A HABIT: Check your breath hourly – has it sped up and got shallow? If so, gently nudge your exhale to be a little bit longer than your inhale and take slow deeper inhales. You could even close your eyes and take yourself on a mini vacation in your mind to a beach or forest for a couple of minutes as you consciously breathe to regulate your breath. 
 
If you do this practice for two minutes x 15 times per day that equals 30 minutes a day of stress relief!
 
Warning: You may notice side effects like sleeping better, feeling more relaxed and peaceful!

Wellness Quick Tip - Try Something New! 
Our brains love novelty. January is a great month to try something you haven’t done before. It could be a game, a new walking route, wearing a different colour, using your fork in your non dominate hand???? 

Podcast I Recommend: Sounds True - Insights at the Edge 
Lynne Twist: Finding Fulfillment in a Purpose Larger than You
This uplifting episode features Lynne Twist - Lynn talks about strengthening your ‘possibility muscle’, choosing to tell a new story; the relationship between pain and joy; the origins of the Pachamama (Mother Earth) Alliance; and why everyone has a role to play in the healing of our world.

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Act of Kindness
There was a knock on my door, and upon opening the door to my disbelief I saw a little angel with the sweetest smile and demeanour holding a heart. In the loveliest voice the angel said “Hello, as you know Christmas is fast approaching for those who celebrate it, and perhaps you have already noticed people are getting excited for the holiday and their get togethers with family and friends which is so wonderful. However, there is a favour I would like to ask of you, because not everyone is looking forward to the holidays. Some people have family that live far away, some are grieving, some ill, depressed, some lonely, others have lost their jobs, perhaps a breakup of a relationship, or the family is experiencing turmoil. And Christmas can be a very difficult time for them. If you know of someone that fits into any of these categories, or one I haven’t mentioned, could you remember to show them a kindness? It doesn’t have to be anything much, some baked cookies, a card, sharing a coffee, a smile.”
Then she reached for my palm and placed some small cards in it and gently closed my fingers and with a twinkle in her eyes she was gone.
Here's what the cards said:

Every act of kindness,
Reminds us
That our heart
Can Impart
The Sharing
Of Caring

And now dear reader I’d like to ask you to turn on your imagination, close your eyes, hold out your hand, and now I’m placing one of her cards in your hand. ~Marnie

Christmas is most truly celebrated when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most. ~ Ruth Carter Stapleton

Shredder Technique Game for Negative Thoughts
Next time you catch yourself with unhelpful thoughts towards yourself, such as “I’m not smart enough, I’ll never lose weight, they didn’t like me, etc.” play the shredder game and stop the negative story you tell yourself. This is what is known as a ‘pattern interrupt’ to break the power and repetitive cycle of negative thoughts.
Here’s how you play:
When a negative thought comes up, imagine yourself putting the thought into a shredder to be shredded into tiny little pieces. Have fun with it, and even make a sound, bzzzzzzzzz! And finish by taking a slow breath in and a long releasing exhale and a smile.
Keep running this pattern interrupter until you break the repetitive cycle of the reoccurring unhelpful negative thought.
I wouldn’t be surprised if your ‘paper shredder’ is one of the best investments you ever made!

Wellness Quick Tip
Spencer Kelly Co-Director of the Center for Language and Brain at Colgate University said, “Gestures are not merely add-ons to language-they may actually be a fundamental part of it.”

Gesturing helps you access memories.  Using hand gestures while you speak not only helps others remember what you say, it also helps you speak more quickly and effectively!

Book I'm Reading
According to the author even though Jin Shin is ancient, we use it every day. It is the art of bringing life energy into harmony. Examples are:

• Resting your head in your hands – harmonizes points on your head to help you to remember things.

• Cross your arms – activating points in the crook of your elbows helps you stand in your power.

• Sitting on your hands – strengthens your concentration.

• Hand on shoulder-releases tension and stress.

The book demonstrates how to hold certain points to release blockages of energy in the body, so that health and vitality can flow harmoniously.

Joke of the Month
A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. “But why?” they asked, as they moved off. “Because” he said, “I can’t stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.”

The Teeter Totter
Remember the last time you had an argument with someone that you found difficult to let go? Likely because you were so upset, no matter how hard you tried, you kept reliving the argument in your mind, even though the argument was over. By continuing to let the argument take center stage in your mind, you actually elevated the argument to the top thought in your mind. Here are some ideas for next time you find yourself in an argument, as we all know they are part of being human!

After an argument, you could ask yourself, is being angry how I want to spend my precious time? To help you let the argument go, visualize the two of you, on a teeter totter. The more you relive the argument, the higher you put the person on the teeter totter, and the lower you go because that is all that you are focusing on.

Next visualize straightening your legs, so you rise higher on the teeter totter which causes the other person to come down. Of course this doesn’t change what happened, but you are changing your reaction to the argument. Now that you are higher on the teeter totter your perspective changes by seeing the argument as small in the big scheme of things. You can now choose a mindset of peace rather than contributing to anger. This lets you choose healthy, more interesting and more inspiring thoughts to focus on.

Lastly, bring out the kid out that’s inside of you, and run over to the slide and climb high! See the view from up there, more expanded, more full of potential. Your life is more than than focusing on your argument. Enjoy the slide, and get on with your next adventure!

~Marnie

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." ~ Cynthia Ozick

Take A Worry-Free Day for Your Health!
What about taking a worry-free day? Have you ever done that?
Here’s how it works, pick a day, any day, today could be the perfect day to do it.

Upon awakening, tell yourself today is an official ‘do not worry day’, a complete rest from all worry! Remind yourself it is a day to take a breather from all the worries of the world and your personal worries. It is a day to enjoy, to give thanks, to play, and take a break from the news.

Every time a worry comes up tell the worry “Oh, didn’t you hear, today is a worry-free day, come back tomorrow.” Intentionally let your shoulders and face soften, they don’t need to sneak in and do the worrying for you. Check in with yourself at the end of the day and notice how you feel.

A worry-free day is so good for your mental health you just might make it a habit once a week!

When dramas are unfolding around you or negativity becomes too much, just whisper, “Raise your vibration,” to keep yourself aligned with the highest and best. ~ Kyle Gray

Wellness Quick Tip - Dissipate Anger

Dr. Ron Siegel, Assistant Professor of Psychology, at Harvard Medical School, suggests that when you think of something that makes you mad, squeeze your hands really hard, like Dr. Siegel is demonstrating and feel the anger. And get really mad and squeeze harder. For almost all of us, the anger really does seem to dissipate when you shift your hands!

Joy Suggestion - Global Joy Summit November 13 – 16

The free online summit includes a screening of Mission: JOY ~ A funny documentary about the last meeting of Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama that I am really looking forward to watching! Copy this link to sign up: http://globaljoysummit.org/

Joke of the Month

A couple gets into an argument while on a drive through the countryside. It gets quite heated and neither of the two wanted to concede, so they sit in silence for several kilometers.

As they passed a farm full of pigs bathing in the mud, the wife spoke up and says: “relatives of yours?” 

The man nodded and replies: “In laws.”

Your peace belongs to you alone, only you can give it to yourself, and only you can take it away. ~Cleo Wade

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” ~ Rumi

We All Have Our Wipers On

Imagine that you are driving your car at night on the freeway and suddenly it starts to pour torrential rain - you can’t see the road ahead of you. Instinctively you do one of two things, you slam your foot on the brake and come to an abrupt stop or you slow down so that you can put your windshield wipers on high. You choose to slow down.

The wipers clear the window enough for you to be able to see where you are going, not perfectly but enough to continue driving. Because it is uncomfortable driving in such nerve-wracking weather you feel yourself tensing up and the feeling of unease causes your neck to tighten even more. As you continue to drive you become completely absorbed with driving in the storm you are amid. Interestingly the driver coming in the opposite direction as you or the driver following behind you are also going through the same storm. You don’t know them and probably will never lay eyes on them, yet you’re all going through the same storm.

And isn’t that true about most of the ‘storms’ we go through in life, likely others are experiencing the same storm. Perhaps they react differently from how we do, maybe they slam on the brakes, but when you stop and think about it everyone is trying to get through the storm the best way they know how. We might not agree on how they do it, but by understanding that they have their wipers on too perhaps we can be more compassionate towards each other.

-Marnie

Sing for Fun and for Health!

Last Spring I joined a choir to try something new. Why did I join? For the amazing health and wellness benefits that singing offers. Singing activates the vagus nerves, which are the main nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system and are connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. You can activate these nerves by singing, humming, chanting, and even gargling! So what are all the benefits of singing?

• Boosts the immune system - Lungs get a workout strengthening your diaphragm and stimulating overall circulation.

• Improves your posture - Your chest cavity expands and your shoulders and back align, improving overall posture.

• Helps with sleep - Experts believe singing can help strengthen throat and palate muscles, which helps snoring and sleep apnea.

• A natural anti-depressant - Known to release endorphins (feel-good brain chemical that makes you feel uplifted. There is a tiny organ in the ear called the sacculus, which responds to frequencies created by singing. The response creates an immediate sense of pleasure.

• Lowers stress levels - Releases stored muscle tension and decreases the levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) that are in your blood stream.

• Improved blood circulation and oxygenated blood stream allowing more oxygen to reach the brain. The Alzheimer’s society has established a ‘singing for the brain’ service to help people with dementia and Alzheimer’s maintain their memories.

Wellness Quick Tip - Turn on a Calming Switch!
Any time you begin to feel stressed reset by:

• Choosing to Sing, Hum, or Chant for a few minutes.

• Practice prosody, the act of speaking slowly, rhythmically, and melodically as if you’re soothing a young child or pet.

Notice what happens. You are putting a stop to stress and go towards staying relaxed.
These actions all stimulate your vocal cords to activate your vagus nerve which turns on your parasympathetic nervous system, which calms you.

App Suggestion
The Red Cross has a very helpful app that you can download and open on your phone if you find yourself in a situation where someone needs first aid and you’re not exactly sure what to do. Also, you can update your first aid knowledge with current recommendations.
First Aid tips, on-the-go:
https://www.redcross.ca/training-and-certification/first-aid-tips-and-resources/first-aid-app

Joke of the Month
Singing in the shower is all fun and games until you get shampoo in your mouth.
Then it becomes a soap opera.

The only thing better than singing is more singing. ~ Ella Fitzgerald

If you know of someone who would benefit from my monthly newsletter, please forward it to them to have them sign up via my website: www.turningpointtowellbeing.com

Happy September!

Do you remember your first time on a Ferris wheel? It was probably quite thrilling for you. As you slowly went higher and higher the view of your world expanded, while at the same time the familiar things you could see started to shrink.

As the Ferris Wheel paused and rocked gently back and forth it gave you more time to observe what you could see from your new vantage point. The view behind you was not easily accessible, so you focused on what was in front of you.

Slowly your car would rise until you were at the very top – the top of the world! Occasionally the Ferris Wheel would stop to let people get off and get on. Then you’d start coming down. Doesn't this sound a little bit like life? Start, stop, up, down, people coming into, and leaving your life.

Now what would happen if the line-up grew bigger and to accommodate everyone, they sped the Ferris wheel up and suddenly you were racing around it – stop, start - everything becomes a blur, physically and mentally most unpleasant. Doesn't this also sound like life?

So I invite you this month to think about where you are at on your Ferris Wheel. Do you need to pause and slow down the ride, and to enjoy the view? Maybe you need to go up higher for an expanded view? Or are you craning your neck to look behind you, and missing the beauty of the ride?

Wishing you a wonderful September,

~Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - Start Your Morning Out Right

Shauna Shapiro, PhD, a clinical psychologist suggests starting your morning out saying, “I wonder what surprising and beautiful thing will happen today.” Doing so, she says, activates the RAS (reticular activating system) of the brain, which serves as a filter, alerting your mind to look out for what you expect. It’s telling your brain, “Pay attention, look for the good.”

Taking it one step further I suggest before falling asleep remind yourself of something surprising and beautiful that happened during your day. Allow yourself to linger with what was enjoyable so the brain will continue to create new neural pathways of positivity.

4000 Weeks - Oliver Burkeman
Did you know most people only have 4000 weeks in their lives? I'm really enjoying this book by Oliver Burkeman. Unlike most time management books, Burkeman turns the idea of managing time well on its head. Instead of encouraging the reader to constantly achieve and achieve through smart tips, he instead encourages you to accept the fact that you will never get everything done that you wish to - and accepting this is what leads to a life well spent.

Wellness Quick Tip - Complete Exhale
When stressed we tend to hold our breath. By exhaling and completely releasing your breath in moments of tension it lets your mind and body know you’re okay, you’re safe. Try an exhale right now and see how good it feels!

Joke of the Month
An FBI agent came up to an old rancher “We got a tip that you are growing illegal drugs. Mind if I look around?” That’s fine, replied the rancher, just don’t go over there, as he pointed into one of his fields.The FBI agent snapped at him, "I'm a federal agent! I can go wherever I want!" With that he pulled out his badge and shoved it into the rancher’s face. The rancher heard a loud scream from the field he had pointed to and he could see the FBI agent sprinting towards him with a large bull on his heels. The rancher rushed to the fence and yelled, “Your badge! Show your badge to the bull!” .

The best way to get along with people is not to expect them to be like you.
-Joyce Meyer

Did you know that July 1 is International Joke Day? The perfect way to begin July! Humour helps with stress, enriches relationships, and brings cheerfulness to us all. Scientific evidence shows that laughing gives the immune system a boost by decreasing stress hormones, improves heart health by increasing blood flow, and can even burn calories! Let’s set the intention to make July a month that we laugh lots.

Gumball Feelings

Do you notice how your feelings are constantly in flux? No matter how hard we cling onto a feeling it eventually disappears. Sometimes we wake up and feel in a bad mood for no reason. Then someone can visit us who is in good cheer and before we know it, we're laughing with them. Some feelings are strong emotions like anger and physically make us feel tense. Others like love can make us feel wonderful. It's like a gumball machine inside of us with all these feelings waiting to come out.

We could see a dark blue gumball as a feeling of depression, an orange gumball as a feeling of joy, a red one as anger and a green one as peaceful. If we were to put our five cents in the machine and a blue gumball came out and we chewed it, we could recognize and acknowledge that we were feeling a bit down and therefore our behavior would likely reflect that, we wouldn't really feel like doing anything. After acknowledging that we were feeling a little blue we might think of putting our five cents in the machine and taking out an orange one. We could do that by perhaps listening to music; thinking about things you have gratitude for, watching a funny show, going for a walk-in nature.

Think of the colour of your gumball and what behaviour(s) contribute to that colour. What gumball do you want to chew?

Wellness Practice of the Month - What Voice To Listen To?

Many of us have very loud critical voices that run through our heads. Have you ever asked yourself what you gain from criticizing yourself? You might think, "Well, if I criticize myself then I’ll do better, it will motivate me to succeed." If that was true, then why does it make you feel so bad?

Think about getting a tennis lesson for your birthday. Excitedly you arrive at your lesson and the instructor scowls at you and hits a ball to you. You completely miss the ball. The instructor yells “You idiot, watch the ball”, and then they hit another ball to you a little way away from where you are standing and they yell at you “What do you have in those legs? Cement? Move your lazy legs!” How do you think you are going to do with the next ball that is hit to you? Likely, after that lesson you will dejectedly go home feeling like a loser.

Now picture yourself excitedly going to the tennis court and the instructor gives you a big smile, and hits the ball gently over to you and you miss, and they say “That’s alright, what will help is keeping your eye on the ball as it comes to you, and that definitely takes practice so be patient with yourself”, and they hit another ball and you don’t get to it in time, and they smile, and say “Great effort, it takes a while to get the footwork down.” Does it matter how you do on the next ball? It does not because you are learning and you understand it takes practice which you will happily do, and most importantly you are enjoying yourself. You will go home feeling good and looking forward to more tennis.

Sometimes it is hard to realize that you do not have to listen to that inner critical voice! It is 100% your choice to listen to the bully or not. Simply come up with a system “off you go”, or “not interested” to the bully, and engage with your cheerleader instead. You do have 100% control!

A growing Research base shows that learning to be kind to ourselves is one of, if not the, single most powerful antidote to suffering with anxiety, fear, and other forms of emotional pain.

I repeat being kind to ourselves is what we need to do to help ourselves!

If we don’t want to live in a world where people are cruel and unhelpful to others - why would we allow ourselves to listen to a voice that makes us miserable? Don’t we want our world to be a kinder, more empathetic world? If we are kind to ourselves then we are contributing to a kinder, more empathetic world. That is reason enough to be kind to yourself!

Wellness Quick Tip
Squeeze your hands into tight fists and notice how tension spreads up your arms, into your shoulders and jaw and neck. *Good awareness when feeling stressed/anxious relax your hands. You could shake them, massage your fingers, let them relax.

Joke of the Month
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where’s the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

If you know of someone who would benefit from my monthly newsletter, please forward it to them or have them sign up via my website: www.turningpointtowellbeing.com

“There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice in the mind you are the one who hears it." - Michael A. Singer

Plug In Or Plug Out

What if you carried around an imaginary plug with you? Any time you need a boost of confidence you could take your plug and plug it into a wall full of confidence. Immediately you would feel an inner smile, stand taller with softened shoulders, and feel like 'you got this!' Or if you need some courage, you could plug into your wall of courage, and envision feeling a surge of courage flowing through you, 'you can do it!' The walls are limitless - why not try humour, compassion, kindness?

Alternately you could do the reverse. When someone is causing you to feel upset, you could imagine unplugging from their wall, feeling the disconnected plug in your hand, disengaged from the negative energy. They may continue but you feel peaceful, wisely having chosen to unplug. Perhaps you find you need some quiet and rest from all the negative news. Imagine unplugging from the noise. As you breathe in feel the difference, let the quiet bringing you back to balance.

Your plug is very portable and always with you. Practice unplugging from the lower vibrations such as anger, gossip, complaining, unhelpful comments, and plug into the higher vibrations of life that make you and others feel good, gratitude, empathy, joy, love, and peace. Let those vibrations flow! Everyone including you benefits when you do.

Imagery is Powerful! The more you use your plug the more powerful it is. Have fun with your plug and notice how it works.

~ Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - Tell A Tree Your Troubles

If your mind feels troubled and you don’t want to share it, go find a tree and ask if it’s okay to tell your tree your worries. And then tell the tree all that’s on your mind. Really tell the tree everything. And after you are finished maybe even give the tree a hug and thank it for listening to you. Look around - does everything seem a little more manageable?

Benefits:

• Often vocalizing is a way of releasing thoughts, rather than letting them continue to swirl around in your head

• When you hug a tree, you release a hormone called oxytocin – known as the hormone of all the warm & fuzzy feelings and has been shown to lower stress and anxiety.

There is always a tree willing to listen to you, who knows you may even get an answer…

Wellness Quick Tip
Trying to quell the jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing, says Ben Abo, an emergency medical-services specialist at the University of Pittsburgh. It will get your heart rate back to normal.

Podcast Of the Month: Ted Talk: The future will be shaped by Optimists (10 minutes)

There are reasons why we should be optimistic. Every great and difficult thing that has been accomplished, every breakthrough, has required a very strong sense of optimism. It becomes important that we imagine a world that we want, we imagine solutions we want and believe that we can make them happen.

No problems, no progress. So even bad things that happen are basically possibilities that yield new solutions and better opportunities. With optimism, we can use it as a power to create the future that we want.

Joke of the Month

A person tells their doctor, “Doc, help me. I’m addicted to Twitter!”
The doctor replies “Sorry, I don’t follow you……”

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” - Henry David Thoreau

Authors of our Life Story

We are all authors of our own Life Story. We are storytellers who have our own personal narrator talking non-stop to us. Some stories we keep to ourselves, others we share. Some we embellish, some we ignore.

If we visualize ourselves, with a pen in our hand about to write the next paragraph of our life, we can decide how we would like it to be. We can recognize that sometimes we have absolutely no control of certain situations, and yet the next paragraph still needs to be written.

If we look at ourselves as being authors of our own life, it gives us a lot of control. We can edit, we can change, we can introduce new characters, have some characters leave, learn a new skill, or drop a habit that doesn’t serve us. By knowing that we are the lead character and author of our Life Story, we cannot rely on or blame someone else for our story, but realize it is up to us.

Take a moment and ask yourself "How do I want the main character of my Life Story portrayed?" "How do I want this Story to play out?" "What am I going to do in the next paragraph, that next page, next chapter of my life?"

And lastly, don't forget to enjoy the act of writing!

~ Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - Read

Did you know May is "GET CAUGHT READING MONTH"?
This dedicated month began in 1999 to raise awareness around the advantages of indulging in literature.

Benefits:

• Reading has meditative qualities by keeping the brain fully focused on a single task, which is proven to reduce stress and enhance relaxation.

• Reading strengthens connections in our brain, consider it an 'exercise' for the brain.

• Reading gives you new knowledge and ideas, integral for keeping up in an ever changing world.

• Reading improves memory and concentration.

• Reading helps us to relax by lowering or heart rate and easing muscle tension.

• Reading is an opportunity to change the scenery, go an adventure from the comfort of your own home, and recharge your batteries.

Recommended Time to Read to Get Benefits:
Read 15 – 30 minutes daily. Don't make it another ‘have to do’ on your list, make it a ‘get to do’ that is beneficial and pleasurable. Remember, it is no big deal if you miss a day!

Reading Tips:
*Try a paper book for 20 minutes before bed rather than reading on your kindle or phone (too much light before bed throws off our biological clock)
*20 minutes with meaningful pieces is much more effective than 2 hours of gossip columns.
*By cutting out three 10-minute social media checks a day means you could read as many as 30 more books a year!

Wellness Quick Tip
Next time you are starting to feel stressed, take a moment to relax your jaw as much as you can. Loosen it even more, and imagine it dropping to the floor. When you drop your jaw you are encouraging the lungs to take a deep breath, creating a flood of the bio-chemicals associated with the relaxation response. Notice what happens, you’ll be amazed.

Book I'm Reading: The Science of Storytelling
Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better (for writers).

In The Science of Storytelling, writer and acclaimed teacher of creative writing Will Storr applies psychological research and neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can write better stories, revealing how storytellers—and also our brains—create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change.

• “There’s simply no way to understand the human world without stories.”

• Story is what the brain does. It is a ‘story processor’.

• “The brain creates a world for us to live in and populates it with allies and villains…and at the centre it places its star – wonderful precious me.”

Wellness Challenge of the Month
Ask yourself when making a decision or engaging with someone ‘how do I want this paragraph to go?’ And notice if having this intention helps guide you towards the direction you want to go.

“I love the way that each book — any book — is its own journey.
You open it, and off you go…”
– Sharon Creech

Walking barefoot along the beach, the waves flow in and out at a slow rhythm. The waves encourage me to slow down my walking and breathing, and I notice my shoulders soften, and my face relaxes. Before, I was just walking quickly, my mind spinning thoughts around. I realize I'm now aware of so much more of the beauty surrounding me! I feel wonderful! I am now where my feet are.

"I'm onto something!" I think to myself. "Could it really be that simple?" "Shouldn't it be more complicated?" "Maybe there is a book that will explain it in depth?" Suddenly I realize I'm no longer present. I've gone back into spinning my thoughts!

Looking back down to my feet, I realize I have just discovered a simple key to life - slow down, walk slowly, breathe slowly, don't overthink it, and most importantly be where your feet are!

-Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - Penpals

Years ago, it was quite popular to have a pen pal who you exchanged letters with, telling each other about your life, and your news. A kind of fun confidante who you may never meet in person.

An exercise to try: Imagine a fictional pen pal, and write a letter to them. You could talk about your accomplishments recently, your happy moments, and also include your worries and experiences that haven’t gone so well. The only requirement is you must be honest, because that is what pen pal relationships are all about.

If you were to take it one step further, write a letter every day for two weeks to your pen pal. What do you think you would notice? Would there be a theme? Would the letters be interesting? Would there be a lot of repetition? Would there be laughter? Would there be a lot of being hard on yourself?

These two weeks of letters would give you true insight on how you live your life. After reading them, you might notice simple changes in your life you can implement. You could list them, and then decide on the actions you need to take for your new behaviours. Give having a 'penpal' a try and see what you might learn!

Wellness Quick Tip
As a practice whenever getting up out of a chair or bed, use your legs only – no hands. (As one ages this is a great tip for ensuring strength in the core and legs!)

Podcast of the Month - : Insights at the Edge What is Wanting to Find Expression Through You?
James Hollis, an 81 year old Psychoanalyst recently developed a new series: A Life of Meaning: Exploring our Deepest

Questions and Motivations

• Meaning is not something outside of ourselves, it’s an internal experience.

• Your psyche is forever moving on, and often we outgrow what was once meaningful.

• We need to keep reinventing ourselves.

• It’s all right to be scared, it’s not all right to live a scared life.

• We can’t cut our history out of us; our task is to outgrow its influence.

Wellness Challenge of the Month
Continually ask yourself “Am I where my feet are?” and if you notice you are someplace else bring yourself back to your present experience. Simple way to Mindfulness!

Joke of the Month
This very short video is well worth the watch :-)

“The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment, or love. What seeds will you plant there?” ~ Jack Kornfield

This is a pivotal moment for all of us. To set new intentions, extend kinder ways of living to others, and to our planet. It is up to each and every one of us to create a new world, starting now.

Take a moment to sit back, and imagine a new normal of peaceful co-existence, with no tolerance for hate or violence. Instead, a commitment of uniting together, and embracing our differences.

Feel the excitement of thinking about a world filled with love and peace. The leaders we choose have a forward vision, realizing that greed, anger and old grudges no longer serve us. We collectively realize we do not need as much as we thought we did, and enjoy living a simpler, less competitive, less consumer-based lives. We cherish our time together with family, friends, coworkers and community as our new priority becomes a sustainable earth. Society works together for future generations to come.

What a privilege it will be to look back and know that we were part of the movement to begin this new kind world. This new vision is what our hearts are needing, and our hearts will lead the way. It's your choice - how can you contribute to this new vision? How can you be a helper?

-Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - Breathe and Reset

"Breathe", we are told so often, "Just breathe." And yet we forget to do it all the time, especially when we most need to! A great tip is to create a 'reset button'. Make a simple gesture with your hand, such as pushing on one palm or a fingertip, and let that be your signal. Then, whenever you feel yourself tensing up, press it, and remind yourself to breathe, and reset your nervous system.

While you are inhaling you can imagine breathing in the most amazing scent ever, perhaps that of a flower, or maybe of freshly mowed grass - whatever brings you a sense of calmness - nature is very powerful. Whenever we breathe in nature, it takes us out of 'tense mode' and instead opens us up to a much greater source within ourselves. When you exhale, imagine exhaling very slowly as if you are gently blowing out a candle.

So, pause, hit the reset button, breathe in the scent, feel your shoulders and belly soften, and let yourself have that moment of calmness. This gives you some time to decide if it's worth derailing or is there an easier way to stay on the rails.

Simple and powerful and the more we do it the easier and more habitual it becomes!

Wellness Quick Tip - Using Acupressure
The Shen Men (HT7) is a point located on the inside of your wrist, in the crease, on the side where your pinky finger is. Massaging this point is helpful if you have trouble falling asleep, or if you wake up in the middle of the night feeling anxious. Massage for one minute and it will calm the heart and ease anxiety.

Book of the Month - The Book of Hope, Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams

Jane Goodall is the world’s most famous living naturalist. She is 87 years old and still working tirelessly to encourage us to do what we all need to do to help build a better world. Some quotes from Jane that I love:

“Hope does not deny all the difficulty and all the danger that exists, but it is not stopped by them. There is a lot of darkness, but our actions create the light.”

“It is important to take action and realize that we can make a difference, and this will encourage others to take action…that is how we spread the light.”

Jane Goodall recently did an interview I really enjoyed with Piya Chattopadhyay from The Sunday Magazine. Listen HERE.

Wellness Challenge of the Month
Create your own ‘reset’ button and practice using it whenever you find yourself tensing up. You’ll be amazed by taking that moment to pause and reset how it can help shift your state to feeling calmer. Your body and mind will thank you!

Smile of the Day
Probably the worst thing you can hear when you’re wearing a bikini is “Good for you!”

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
~ Margaret Mead

Hope is having the idea that whatever is troubling us will get better. Perhaps not always in the way we want, but somehow it will alleviate our suffering. By having hope, it gives us the strength to cope with whatever adversity that is happening in our life.

Hope can be like a very good friend who is only a phone call away. And when you phone hope you can tell hope all your troubles, concerns and heart sadness and ask hope to help you be strong and able to face the trials you are currently going through. And know that just because you cannot see hope, simply knowing hope is with you is just as powerful. And you can call hope anytime the phone is available 24/7. Ask hope to bring you a way of finding peace with this situation, to bring you comfort. And breathe in the energy of hope, let hope become part of every cell within you and from here on in let hope be part of your life. Look for ways hope is helping you, imagine hope always available to give you a loving hug of hope, and as long as hope comes along for the ride you will have comfort ~ Marnie

Upcoming Classes with Marnie
Reset Nervous System to CALM
Thursdays, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PM January 20 – March 03, 2022
More Details HERE

Feel Good Wednesdays with Marnie!
Wednesdays, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM January 11 – March 09, 2022
More Details HERE

Wellness Practice of the Month - Resting Breath
Sitting and looking at a screen for long periods of time is detriment towards our health. When our field of vision is small, our breath tends to go small too, and that is exactly what happens to us when we’re at the computer or on our phone. You end up not breathing well because you are not using your full range of breathing muscles. And mistakenly sometimes we may take a break from our computer and look at our phone, but we haven’t changed our breathing because we are still in the same position looking at our device. That is why it is so important to get up at least once every hour to walk around and look at a wide field of vision. Often when you look out at the horizon you sigh, it is a resting breath. Be sure to take several deep resting breaths as you look around at a wide field of vision. Hopefully this becomes a habit!

“Hope is a match in a dark tunnel, a moment of light, just enough to reveal the path ahead and ultimately the way out.”
~ Dr. Judith Rich

Film of the Month - A Celtic Pilgrimage with John O'Donohue
Instead of a book this month, I wanted to recommend a wonderful film that I watched recently, featuring John O'Donohue, Irish poet and philosopher. With A Celtic Pilgrimage, you have the opportunity to walk through the breathtaking landscape of western Ireland. The film weaves ancient wisdom with personal history and stunning imagery, and reveals the Ireland that gave rise to the spiritual wisdom of the Celts. You will feel wonderful after watching!

A Celtic Pilgrimage Film

“May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference. ” - John O'Donohue

Wellness Quick Tip to Calm Down Quickly
Sitting or lying down put one hand on your upper chest and other hand on your belly. Soften your shoulders and let out a long exhale, gradually slowing and deepening your breath, continuing to make the exhales longer than the inhales.
This comfort pose is thought to mimic the feelings of an infant being comforted as they are held to an adult’s chest, signaling to you you’re okay.

I am ending the newsletter with a quote from Desmond Tutu who passed away December 26, 2021. He was known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist and was inspirational as a brave global icon – he never gave up hope!

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” - Desmond Tutu

Here is some fun Holiday trivia!

• Santa previously wore blue, green, and white until 1931 when Coca Cola used the image of Santa wearing a red outfit to sell coke products. Ever since then red has become the traditional colour he wears.

• The country that sends the most letters to Santa is France.

• 'Jingle Bells' was the first song to ever be played in space!

Changes
There are so many changes in life. It seems you just get used to a change and it changes again. One can’t help but feel a little resistance to change because it is comforting to have familiarity. However, every time we have that resistance to an inevitable change, we create a tug of war within.

One side of us wants everything to stay the same, and the other side knows it must accept change and pulls us in that new direction. Often the resistant side might appear to be stronger, louder, and often more negative. However, if you imagine yourself holding on to the resistant side of a rope, how long can you hang on for before you drop from exhaustion? It takes a lot of effort to resist.

Therefore, the next time an inevitable change comes along that you have absolutely no power over, think about the tug of war rope. The acceptance side is eventually going to win, so why cause yourself all the unnecessary stress and mental discomfort? Instead, you can say to yourself 'Here comes change again!' Simply go with it rather than resisting. Who knows it might be the best change ever! ~ Marnie

Accept What Is, Let Go of What Was And Have Faith in What Will Be ~ Rumi

Wellness Practice of the Month - Procrastination
According to Dr. Fuschia Sirois, a professor of psychology, procrastination is essentially irrational. We know we are avoiding a task that needs to be done and that makes us feel rotten - and yet we avoid it anyhow! It has nothing to do with our ability to focus or manage our time, instead it is a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods, often induced by anxiety, insecurity, and self-doubt. Dr. Sirois says “Put simply, procrastination is about being more focused on the immediate urgency of managing negative moods than getting on with the task.” In other words procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem.

Putting off the task provides temporary relief, however only for a short time because we know the task needs to be completed and therefore weighs heavily on our minds. Unfortunately, we can’t just tell ourselves to stop procrastinating. The solution is to manage our emotions in a new way. Once we recognize that we are procrastinating, we need to find a better reward than the temporary relief of avoiding the task. One helpful way is to reframe the task by identifying a positive aspect of it. And then engage in self-compassion. For e.g. “That’s okay and understandable that I don’t want to do it, however, once I have done it, I will feel a great relief, and how will I feel about myself after I have done it?”

Why not make the decision for the month of December to clear up any of your 2021 ‘procrastinations?’ See yourself starting 2022 with a clean slate. What a positive way to start the New Year!

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.”
~Vern McLellan

Book of the Month - You Get To Make It Up by Kathy Gottberg
I have benefited from and enjoyed reading Kathy Gottbergs’ blog SMART Living 365 that she has written for several years. Kathy has also written several books that are packed with helpful ideas and suggestions. For those who prefer an auditory book she has one of those too!
Kathy has a chapter in ‘You Get to Make It Up’ titled “What are you nexting? The Power of Positive Anticipation." "Nexting" is the act of planning things in the future to look forward to, in a positive way.’ She suggests we spend some time nexting the positive events we hope to experience in the coming months. How about spending some time nexting for 2022?

I hope you realize that every day is a fresh start for you. That every sunrise is a new chapter in your life waiting to be written. ~Juansen Dizon, Poet

Wellness Quick Tip to Calm Down Quickly
If you haven’t tried box breathing also known as "Navy Seal Breathing" this is a good way to see how it helps you and only takes a couple of minutes! You can also do it with someone to help calm them. Try it here at this link: Navy Seal Breathing

December Wellness Challenge
Don’t let people pull you into their storm, pull them into your peace!

"Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts." -Leo Tolstoy

May you all have a peaceful holiday season!

Daylight saving time Sunday, November 7 – Did you Know:

• The correct term is ‘Daylight Saving Time’ and not ‘Daylight Savings Time’

• Changing the clocks does not create extra daylight but instead shifts the time of sunrise and sunsets.

• On the Monday after the DST transition in the Fall, heart attack rates decrease and the number of car accidents in Canada decrease slightly. That extra hour of sleep helps!

UPCOMING CLASS ON ZOOM:
Reset Your Nervous System
Thursdays, November 18, 25, December 2 -2021, 7:30PM – 8:30PM
For more information and registration: www.TurningPointToWellbeing.com

The Milkshake Decision
The sign said Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry milkshakes. I thought I’d love a Strawberry milkshake and my mouth began to water just thinking about it as I stood in the lineup. Then someone walked by me with a Chocolate shake, and it looked so good I changed my mind. Next, I saw a Vanilla one and realized that is what I wanted. The lineup was moving slowly, and I kept waffling between what flavor of shake I would order. I couldn't believe it I was actually getting stressed out about what milkshake flavour to order the longer I tossed it around in my mind. It occurred to me how often a very simple decision can get blown out of proportion and take up way too much mental energy. After all, will I even remember this milkshake decision a week from now? Is this milkshake decision life changing? Of course not! Strawberry it is!
Memo to self: I will now become aware of the magnitude of a decision and categorize accordingly so I do not get mental overload over a simple decision! I’ll ask myself is this a milkshake decision?
~Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - November 13 is World Kindness Day - a Win, Win day!
Did you know that acts of kindness release hormones and chemicals into our bodies that help us feel better physically and improves our mood? Which in turn can help reduce inflammation and blood pressure, which eases pain and increases energy.
Helping others lets you get outside of yourself and take a break from the stressors in your own life, which eases anxiety, and this behavior can also make you better equipped to handle stressful situations.

What is the most beneficial act of kindness?
The Journal of Social Psychology conducted a study of 683 adults from different countries and had them either direct kindness towards family and friends, or help strangers, or practice self-kindness and compared them to a control group who lived their lives as usual.
Which form of kindness do you think would be the most beneficial?
There was no change in the control group and surprisingly kindness in any of the forms made people feel equally good! An inspiring study to incorporate kindness into your life in whatever way, shape, or form you can on a daily basis.

Book of the Month - How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body by David Hamilton (Published 2008, 2018)
Countless scientific studies have proven the way we think affects our bodies. We use our mind all the time to make us feel good or to make us feel stressed. Therefore why not use our mind in addition to whatever medical advice or interventions we might be undergoing to help our body and mind. Dr. Hamilton explains techniques using imagery to stimulate the immune system, using the mind to speed up rehabilitation from stroke, and powerful visualization strategies to help facilitate recovery from injury and illness. ‘Cells dance to the tune of the mind.’

‘I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. ’Albert Einstein

Wellness Quick Tip - Be sure to have a laugh every day!

Wellness Challenge for the Month
How about making a point of waking up with the intention of being kind to yourself, and to everyone you interact with during the day? Perhaps you will feel so good on November 13 that if it’s not a daily practice already it will become one!

Here is some interesting trivia for your Thanksgiving dinner table conversation. It is good to make time for fun!

• We've celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada for 142 years, starting on November 6, 1879.

• Did you know the first ever T.V. dinner came from Thanksgiving leftovers? In 1953 a company salesperson for Swanson came up with the idea.

• Jingle Bells was originally written in 1857 by James Pierpont to be sung on Thanksgiving not Christmas.

• It’s a myth that the amino acid tryptophan from turkey makes us sleepy, it’s likely that we have overeaten. Is that really a surprise?

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Marnie

The Case of the Bright Red Shoes
One morning I woke up and after I got dressed, I was left with the choice of what shoes to wear. My bright sparkly red shoes, or my practical black round toed shoes. Of course, my red sparkly shoes weren't as comfy as my sensible black shoes, but they were definitely more fun to wear. So, the dilemma was comfort and practical, or fun and uncomfortable? And there lies the paradox of life. Sometimes to bring more fun into our lives we must feel a little uncomfortable, until we've stretched ourselves a little. If we always wear the practical black comfortable shoes, they will serve their purpose, but they aren't actually fun and there's never a change with them. So, I could think of the next decision I have to make as ‘shall I make the comfy familiar easier black shoe choice, or could I make the sparkly red fun shoe choice, and be OK with a little discomfort until I get used to the new experience’? Seems like the red shoes win!

Wellness Practice of the Month - GRATITUDE PRACTICE
What am I grateful for today? Imagine going out and buying a Piggy Bank for yourself. Imagine placing it where you easily see it when you go to bed and when you wake up. (You could even put a physical reminder there). You can look at this magical Piggy Bank as your ‘health boost savings account’ - the fuller your Piggy Bank is the richer you are. You make deposits by waking up in the morning and thinking of something you are grateful for, and when you go to bed at night thinking of something you are grateful for. You can even add to your ‘health boost’ during the day by taking time to pause and acknowledge something you're grateful for.

The catch is if you think of it and then quickly think of something else, the ‘gratitude’ will disappear like in a gust of wind. Instead, to get the physiological benefits you need to really take the time to feel gratitude and absorb it. You could do this by putting your hands gently over your heart centre and then breathing the gratitude into your heart for a few moments. If it helps you can visualize a colour, warmth or softness flowing into your heart and then imagining every cell absorbing the wonderful feeling. Really enjoy a couple of leisurely moments of breathing slowly, and drawing in the gratitude into your heart. End with a nice inner smile to yourself!

Tips

• Ask yourself why do I have gratitude for this?

• See if you can continually have different and new gratitudes.

• Gratitudes can be as simple as appreciating your cup of tea

Interesting Tidbit about Gratitude
Studies have shown you can overdo it – gratitude can become a routine chore, so it is important not to put it into that category! Perhaps it works better for you only a couple of days a week. Experiment with it.

Book of the Month - Staying Sharp by Henry Emmons
The authors 9 keys for 'Staying Sharp' are:
Movement, Rest, Nourishment, Curiosity, Flexibility, Optimism, Empathy, Connection, Authenticity
I love the opening paragraph:
“Living a long life, a full and joyful life, requires making friends with the passing of time. It also requires a willingness to see that there is always more to discover and more to experience along the way. There is always more to learn.”

Wellness Quick Tip - Destress at Red lights or Traffic Jams

• Shrug shoulders, hold for five seconds, relax them, and repeat five times.

• Pull shoulder blades back, hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat five times.

• Tuck chin in, hold for five seconds, relax, and repeat five times.

Wellness Challenge for the Month Commit to doing a gratitude practice that works for you for the month of October. Reap the benefits of filling your piggybank with deposits to your health boost savings account. Notice how you feel at the end of the month.

“Gratitude for the turning of the seasons. May we attune our hearts to their enduring message of renewal.” — Kristin Granger

Hello September, Hello Beautiful Fall colours!

THE MESSAGE FROM THE DOLPHIN
Imagine being on an air mattress bobbing gently on the waves. It feels so nice to be away from all the day-to-day activities and noise as you contentedly bob along. The warmth of the sun and the rocking motion has the effect of making you sleepy. And suddenly you see a dolphin swimming around you in circles. Are you dreaming or is this for real? Why is the dolphin circling you? Does it want to play or is it simply curious who you are? It appears to be smiling and you smile back at it. And then you ask, “hey dolphin do you have a message for me?”
To your dismay the dolphin dives down deep and disappears and it occurs to you what the message from the dolphin is - you can ask everyone outside of you for their opinions, and advice but to get the true message you need to dive deep inside of yourself to get your answer.
You know it, you always have, you've just let others answer for you. And now you know the message of the dolphin.

Wellness Practice of the Month - Colour Wellness Practice
Colours are important to our wellbeing! Experts have found that colour can influence our moods and how we act. For example, if there is lots of red around, you’re more likely to remember negative words, and red tends to make negative emotions more intense.
While green seems to make positive emotions stronger and negative emotions weaker, and helps you hold on to more positive words.

Colour can also affect our eating patterns. The more different the color of the plate from the color of the food that’s on it, the less you’ll serve yourself. In one study, people served themselves about 30% more fettuccini alfredo if they were given white plates instead of red.

Colour can even influence the effectiveness of pills! Studies have found that the colours green and blue are best for sedatives, yellow for anti-depressants, and white for general pain.

Colours meanings vary for us, however in general orange is thought to be the colour of joy and optimism, yellow cheerfulness, red energizing, and green harmonizing.

Fun Fact:
Scientists have found that the colour pink is a comforting and soothing colour that helps supress anger and aggression and that some sports teams paint the visiting team’s locker room pink!

“If you’re to choose to paint your life today... What will it be? Remember, you’re the artist, not the canvas.”
― Val Uchendu

Book of the Month - Cured by Dr. Jeffrey Rediger
Dr. Jeffrey Rediger, has spent the last fifteen years studying spontaneous healing. It is an interesting read at what he discovers over the years and realizes there isn’t once commonality. Instead, he found that often what we truly need are not medications or even talk therapy (though that can be helpful), “but to throw off the chains of whatever is oppressing us so that we can make a life where we can be the best, highest, and most authentic version of ourselves.” And to create a life of respect and dignity, where our true unique potential can be realized.

Wellness Quick Tip
Touch can be incredibly soothing for your nervous system. Either lying or sitting down, rub your hands briskly together warming them. Then place them on your heart area. Imagine inhaling a soothing, healing colour of calmness into your heart and exhaling this nurturing colour all throughout your body. You can say anything you would find helpful, for example, “I breathe in this soothing colour into my heart and the calm healing flows throughout my body as I exhale.”

*This helps you reconnect to your body and gives a busy mind a rest.
Think of these few moments as ‘calming moments’ to be done throughout your day.

Wellness Challenge for the Month
Feeling a little down? Instead of reaching for a dark top put on a bright one, even a bright scarf or hat. Experiment with different colours and see if you observe anything. Also notice if you always wear the same colours, could you introduce a new colour to your wardrobe? Enjoy ‘soaking’ up the vibrant colours!

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
~F. Scott Fitzgerald

Hello August, Hello Smiles! Did you know that August 5 – 11 is National Smile Week?

And isn’t it wonderful to see everyone’s smiles again!

Fun fact: Did you know true smiles are brief - between two-thirds of a second and four seconds. A true smile is one expression that we cannot fake because a genuine, spontaneous smile involves the contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle in each eye, and we have no independent control over those muscles.

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Wishing you an August full of smiles!

~Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - I Don’t Have a Care in the World
Look up to the sky and see the two birds soaring in the wind. Not a care in the world for the birds. Look at the kids in the park laughing and running around, not a care in the world. How can we give ourselves time to not have a care in the world? For everyone it would be different. However, all of us can stop and step off the treadmill of life for five minutes and tell ourselves ‘For five minutes I’m going to give myself the gift of not having a care in the world.’ And then use our unique imagination to take ourself to a beach, a hike, a flight in the sky.
Schedule in five minutes a day for ‘I don’t have a care in the world.’
Your brain and nervous system will thank you! Perfect for any time you need a ‘reset.'

Is It Helpful to Multitask?
It seems natural to do more than one task at a time, however the brain does not like to do that. The brain handles tasks sequentially and can switch attention between tasks so quickly that we are given the illusion that we can perform multiple tasks together. Therefore, if you want to get more done using less effort, aim to work on what is called your attentional ability: focus and concentrate on one sequence - one task - at a time and avoid distractions. When you try to mentally multitask, you slow down your thinking and everything takes longer to accomplish. The brain loves the rhythm of sequences!

Book of the Month - The Body by Bill Bryson is very informative as it leads you through all the parts of your body and is full of fascinating facts. For example, how many times a day do you think you blink? You blink fourteen thousand times a day! Which means your eyes are shut for twenty-three minutes of every waking day! And yet you don’t even have to think about it. Ever wondered how much information our brains hold? It is estimated two hundred exabytes of information, which roughly equals “the entire digital content of today’s world.” Our bodies are truly miraculous!!

Wellness Quick Tip
Humming: The vibration of humming is a wonderful easy way to calm your nervous system and encourage deeper breathing. If you find yourself tensing up simply pick your favorite tune, start humming and you are on your way to soothing your nervous system. Notice and enjoy the sensations in your chest, throat, and head.

Wellness Challenge for the Month
Every time you go to multitask – pause and focus on one task at a time. Notice if your focus becomes stronger!

"Smile, it’s the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart." ~ Anthony J. D’Angelo

Hello July, Hello Summer!

Do you know what July is known for? Both for being "Picnic Month" and "Ice Cream Month"! So I hope you will indulge yourself in both, and have a wonderful month!

“And so, with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

One Grumble A Day

What if we were only allotted one grumble per day? You would need to be sure not to use up your one grumble on something that didn't really require it, in case a bigger need for a grumble came later on in the day. Every time you felt yourself starting to grumble you would need to ask yourself “Is this my one grumble today or could I let this one go?”

So if we went with this idea, during the day our question becomes - Does this situation need a grumble, YES or NO ? And you may end up noticing a lot of the NO grumbles really are meaningless. Instead of indulging them with your time and energy, you would likely find you have a lot more time and energy to put towards more meaningful actions.

From there, you could ask yourself, what if I go the whole day and I'm about to go to sleep and I haven't used my one grumble? Do I get to add it to tomorrow? And the answer would be NO, because the less grumbles we carry forward with us the more peaceful our lives become, because now we spend our time focusing on the delights of our day! ~ Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - Ball Pass

This exercise called the 'Ball Pass' is a wonderfully effective exercise to lower anxiety in the moment. It is based on a neuro plastic technique to give the brain a more difficult task to focus on instead of the anxiety. Whenever you begin to feel anxious grab a small ball, or any small object you have handy.

• Standing comfortably, take the time to soften your shoulders and take a few slow breaths.

• Open your hands wide with the ball in one hand. Keep the hand without the ball open to the side.

• Next take your hand with the ball across the center of your body to the other side and place it into your opposite hand.

• Open your hands wide again and then move the ball to the opposite side.

• Repeat for 15 – 45 seconds until you notice shifting to a calmer state.

* In order to be effective in the reduction of your anxiety you must be sure to cross the midline to the other side!

To increase the effect of the Ball Pass, try one or all:

• Close your eyes while passing the ball side to side.

• Widen your stance.

• Count (either silently or out loud) the number of passes across the midline. You could maximize this effect by alternating between counting silently and out loud.

Book of the Month - Clearer, Closer, Better by Emily Balcetis
I've really enjoyed this book by Emily Balcetis. One part that I found particularly interesting is about public speaking. Many people are nervous talking in front of a group, and researchers have found that the way the speaker scans a crowd can be partly responsible for this. When the speaker looks at the group they may think the group is not enjoying their talk, thus adding to their nervousness. As part of our biological wiring as humans to keep us safe, as we scan faces our eyes naturally land on frowning faces faster than happy ones. Therefore, make it a point of looking for pleasant faces to focus on when speaking in a group, and your nerves will evaporate. Interestingly this technique is taught to people doing Ted talks, as well as to kids who experience social anxiety. When they learn to look for smiles rather than frowns, they reap the benefits well into their adult years!

Wellness Quick Tip
Relax your jaw, and imagine it gently dropping to the floor. Wiggle it around. You might notice this causes you to have a big yawn or sigh which automatically will encourage the intake of a deep breath, as this move stimulates the relaxation response in the nervous system.

Wellness Challenge for the Month
Only one grumble a day for all of July! And notice how your day changes - and who knows after a few days you may find yourself having a day without any grumbles.

The Complainer An elderly couple are shopping in the grocery store and his wife is continuously nagging at him about the cost of everything he puts in the cart. She picks up a can of peaches and exclaims “that’s ridiculous!” when she looks at the price. Looking both ways, she slips it into her purse. The security sees her on video, and she is arrested. At court the judge says, “this kind of petty theft is unacceptable, I need to make a lesson of you.” He looks at her carefully. “How many peaches are in the can you stole?’ “Seven” she replies. “Very well, I am sentencing you to seven days in jail.” Right then the husband pipes up “Your Honour, I should probably tell you she also stole a can of peas.”

Hello June, Hello Sunshine! And hello first day of summer June 20th! For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is at its maximum tilt towards the sun, resulting in the longest day of sunlight hours and shortest night of the calendar year.

“Then followed that beautiful season….Summer….Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Magical Beauty

I saw some magical earrings glittering on my dresser and put them on my ears. Suddenly I could hear birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, and children laughing.

Then, I saw a pair of magical sparkling glasses and put them on. As I looked around, I noticed all the little things I hadn't noticed before, like the beautiful colour of the bark on the trees, the vibrant green colour of the grass, the blue sky with every cloud so different and yet so soft.

And then, I saw the loveliest colour of magical lipstick and put that on my lips and such peaceful, kind words flowed from my mouth.

I decided to keep my magical earrings, glasses and lipstick on all day and what a day I had; all I saw was beauty!

And now I know I can put on my magical earrings, glasses and lipstick anytime, and what beauty there is to see!

Wishing you a magical month,

-Marnie

Wellness Practice of the Month - Quick Stress Release For Your Brain

As you have probably noticed our mind doesn’t come with a pause button when it starts spinning off… think how helpful it would be if we did pause when we began to feel tension, and took a moment to pause and reset our nervous system. Below is the perfect 'pause button exercise' for a quick reset - it feels wonderful!

• Take a couple of long slow exhales, or sighs

• Tap lightly all over your forehead with your fingers

• Next, place your elbows on a table with your fingers above your eyebrows (about a finger width). Rest your forehead into your fingers and feel a mild pressure. This brings circulation to the front of our brain and helps us think more clearly.

• Resting your forehead on your fingertips, take a few slow deep breaths, letting the exhales be longer than the inhales.

• Lastly take all of your fingers and comb through your scalp from your hairline to the base of your neck, keeping a comfortable pressure 5 – 10 times. This invigorates the nerves and stimulates relaxation in the brain. (trust me it’s worth messing up your hair!)

• Finish off with a couple more slow breathes and notice how much calmer you feel – your brain and nervous system will thank you!

Book of the Month - Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta, MD

Dr. Gupta cites a new study in 2018 published in the journal of GENETICS, that found that genes accounted for well under 7% of people’s life span – which means 90% of our health and longevity is in our own hands. The key message: Focus on your lifestyle!

Dr. Gupta uses one word to emphasis the single most important thing a person can do to enhance their brain’s function and resiliency to disease and that is exercise. Move more and keep a regular physical fitness routine that you enjoy.

**Exercise is the only behavioral activity scientifically proven to trigger biological effects that can help the brain. You can start today! Even if you’ve never maintained a consistent workout in the past, it can have quick and significant effects on your brain’s health and your whole body.

Wellness Quick Tip - Remember To Drink Water All Day

Start your morning with a glass of water.

• As we age, our ability to perceive thirst diminishes.

• Often a person can mistake hunger for thirst, because the brain is not good at distinguishing between thirst and hunger.

• Researchers have found that even moderate dehydration can affect your thinking.

Wellness Challenge for the Month

At least once a day practice the quick release for the brain and then enjoy a glass of water!

The Village Blacksmith

The village blacksmith finally found an apprentice willing to work hard for long hours.
The blacksmith instructed the boy, “When I take the shoe out of the fire, I’ll lay it on the anvil; and when I nod my head, you hit it with this hammer.”
The apprentice did just as he was told. Now he’s the village blacksmith.  

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is the power to choose your response. And in that response, lies your growth and freedom.”

~ Viktor Frankl

Happy May Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying all the Spring Flowers, longer days and the sunshine!

A metaphor I think might be helpful at this time is that a lot of us may be feeling like beach balls being tossed around in every way depending on the direction the wind is blowing and when we feel like that it is a good time to take a pause, check in with our breathing and perhaps slow it down and think of this quote from Mr. Rogers “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” and remind ourselves to focus on all the positives that are happening thanks to all of the helpers!

If you know anyone else who may benefit from my monthly wellness newsletter, please forward, and invite them to subscribe via my website!

Have a lovely month,
~Marnie

The Orange

Imagine a beautiful orange in your hand, glistening in the sun. It smells wonderful, and you can almost taste the refreshing fruit inside. As you start to peel it, you become aware of the protection the hard peel offers, holding the beauty of what is inside.

Interestingly, isn't that what we do in order to protect our ourselves? We hide the brightness and beauty of who we are underneath a ‘peel’ that we build around us. Instead of allowing others to truly know us and all of our vulnerabilities, we only show them the bright colourful parts of ourselves that we think they will approve of.

Don't we all want to connect with others that we care about in a deeper, more meaningful way? Perhaps it is time to let our hard outer shells soften, and let the 'juice', the true essence of ourselves shine.

Next time you hold back from doing or saying something that reflects the truth of who you are, picture that orange and the delicious juice being shared, as the hard exterior is peeled back. Be you juice and all!

Wellness Practice of the Month - Resting Your Eyes Can Help Relax Your Entire Body

Did you know that stress can affect your eyes? The stress response causes your pupils to dilate, allowing more light into your eyes, so you can see ‘potential threats’ better. This constant dilation can make you sensitive to light, cause eye strain, and tighten the muscles in and around your eyes. Because our eyes are composed of muscles, it is important to let them rest throughout the day, and especially important to give your eyes periodic breaks from looking at screens.

Here are two easy ways to help relax your eyes, and in turn the rest of your body!

Palming
Let go of tension in your shoulders, arms and hands. Warm the palms of your hands by rubbing them vigorously together for a few seconds. Once they are warm, cup your hands over your closed eyes while resting your elbows on a table. Enjoy 10 slow relaxed breaths, letting the heat in your hands relax all the eyes and their surrounding muscles.

Because the light is reduced, the eyes don’t have to focus on anything, and therefore there is nothing for them to do but relax!

Eye Massage
Similar to palming, eye massaging can relieve eye strain. With clean fingers gently make small circles massaging your eyelids, the muscles above your eyebrows, your under-eyes, and temples.
By doing so, you are increasing the blood circulation to your eyes and relaxing all of the muscles in the area.

Try these two exercises a few times throughout the day, and notice how much better your eyes and body feel!

Podcast of the Month
I really enjoying listening to ’The Happiness Lab’ with Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos. This podcast explains the latest scientific research on happiness and shares interesting stories which might surprise your beliefs about happiness!

Wellness Quick Tip - Jaw Release
Did you know the jaw and the pelvis are physiologically connected and the alignment and relaxation of each deeply affects the other?

Clasp your hands loosely together and hold them around chest level, teeth very loosely touching and pretend you are putting a pair of lucky dice in your palms. Start to shake your ‘imaginary dice.’ While you are shaking the dice vocally let out a sound such as aaaggghhhhhh and let the sound release your jaw. Try to bring the vibration to your upper back and neck to release jaw and neck tension. You can think about it as clearing the jaw of stressors and reminding yourself to keep your jaw relaxed.

Wellness Challenge for the Month

Practice the jaw release daily. Having a set time, like before you brush your teeth at night is a good way to stick to a new wellness routine!


Follow The Light

A man walks into a dentist’s office and says, “I think I’m a moth.”

The dentist replies “You shouldn’t be here. You should be seeing a psychiatrist…”

The guy replies, “I am seeing a psychiatrist.”

The dentist says, “Well then what are you doing here?”

And the guy says, “Your light was on.”

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you. ~Lao Tzu

Happy Easter!

April is the month when daffodils come out, and there truly isn't anything more cheerful than bright yellow daffodils waving in the breeze! I hope you've had a chance to enjoy the spring blossoms, and more warmth from the sun.

This month I’m sharing a practice that helps you calm down quickly in moments of tension or stress, a writing of mine called 'Blue Glass' and a few other fun tidbits. If you know anyone else who may enjoy my monthly wellness newsletter, please feel free to forward it to them, and invite them to subscribe via my website!

Have a peaceful month,
~Marnie

The Blue Glass
Imagine you are walking along a beautiful beach all by yourself. The sun is shining, the scent of sea salt is in the air and the waves are gently flowing up the beach and back out. You become lost in thought as you begin to feel more and more relaxed and more tuned into nature. Then suddenly there is a glint of blue light amongst the small pebbles that catches your eye. You walk over and see it as a piece of blue glass. A beautiful deep blue shaped like a heart. And you wonder what the piece of glass was before it was shattered? And how the pieces were tumbled around in the ocean until they became such as this piece, smooth and still showing the beautiful colour. Who owned this piece of glass? Or did different people have it in their possession? As you continue to let it roll around amongst your palm and fingers the blue occasionally reflects the sun. And it occurs to you that this piece of glass is a lot like life. It starts as a whole piece and then becomes many pieces, all chapters of life. So, you shake the little piece and ask the glass what chapter is opening to me now? And you softly hear amongst the waves, you get to write the chapter, what are you going to write? Sure, you may get tumbled a bit but that makes you wiser and more resilient and more
beautiful because your blue light shines brighter.

Wellness Practice of the Month - How to Calm Down Quickly
Feeling stressed? Telling yourself to calm down rarely works, as your nervous system is already highly aroused and it is hard for the brain to quickly switch from a high arousal state to a low arousal state of calm. By using a simple ‘sighing’ breathing practice known as physiological sighs, you can directly affect your nervous system in times of stress, and help return to a state of calmness quickly. Try it right now!

1. Take a deep inhale through your nose.

2. Top that inhale with a little more air by taking another shorter inhale through your nose.

3. Then have a complete extended long exhale out your mouth

4. Repeat three times. Pause and notice how you feel.

Practice doing the psychological sighs occasionally throughout your day to provide calmness over time. Set a cue such as before every meal for the month, even doing one sigh is helpful!

Book of the Month
'Limitless' by Jim Kwik - Jim talks about how your memory is trainable and if we respond to the occasional lapse of memory by reprimanding ourselves as “I have a bad memory” or “I’m not smart enough to remember this,” then we negatively affect our ability to learn and grow. Jim says “There is no such thing as a good memory or a bad memory; there is only a trained memory and an untrained memory. This is a good reminder how just like a muscle, if we do not train our memory and rely too much on google, we weaken our memory.

Wellness Quick Tip
Rather than upsetting ourselves if we occasionally forget something, how about making it a habit when our mind reminds us of something to think to ourselves, “wow, great thanks memory, you’re awesome!” It would be interesting for me to know how this works for you.

An Exercise For People Who Are Out Of Shape
Begin with a five-pound potato bag in each hand. Extend your arms straight out from your sides, hold them there for a full minute, and then relax. After a few weeks, move up to ten-pound potato bags. Then try 50-pound potato bags, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-pound potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. Once you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag. —Beverly Gross
*laughter truly is the best medicine!

Happy March!

It’s hard to believe it has been a year since life was ‘normal’. I have good news for you – you’ve made it this far, and from what I’m hearing it’s not much longer to go…we can do it!

One thing I’ve reflected on over the year is how wonderful it is to connect with community, and this has motivated me to share my accumulation of knowledge to those who are interested. I’m therefore committing to sending a monthly Blog to share my favorite tips, practices, reflections, writings, and offerings with you. I hope you’ll enjoy this drop of sunshine in your inbox once per month!
(Or if it feels more like a raincloud, feel free to unsubscribe at any point!)

Personally, I’ve had a year to re-focus my priorities, and spend more time on the things that really matter to me. I am passionate about wellness, health, and my work as a hypnotherapist and anxiety expert. I’ve been grateful to have some more time to work on these passions, take new courses (virtually of course!) and have a chance to look back at so much information that I’ve compiled over the last few years of teaching, leading groups, and working with private clients.

This month I’m sharing a short heart centered practice that I hope you enjoy.

Have a wonderful and healthy month!
~Marnie

Heart Coherence Practice

It is interesting to notice that when people are referring to themselves, they usually point to their heart and not their brain.

 And did you know that the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart? Because of this, the heart has a significant influence on our body right down to our cellular level. Emotions such as anger and frustration produce an irregular erratic rhythm between heart beats, while feelings of joy and peace produce a coherent rhythm. 

Ideally, we want to have a coherent rhythm as much as possible so that the message to the brain is all is well, release the good hormones. By purposely generating upbeat emotions we are able to cause a harmonious rhythm in our heart which enhances our wellbeing and emotional regulation. 

Next time you feel worried, stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, stuck, judgemental, impatient, or any emotion that is making you feel unsettled, take five minutes to settle yourself. These five minutes are like deposits of gold into your health bank!

1)   Connect with your breathing.  Let a heartfelt sigh out. Now pretend that you are actually breathing in and out of your heart. If it’s comfortable, rest your hand on your heart while you do this. 

2)   Inhale and exhale slowly and comfortably. Have your exhale extend longer than your inhale. Silently say to yourself “Inhaling I breathe calmness into my heart centre, exhaling calmness flows all around me.”

3)   After a couple of minutes of relaxed breathing like this, start to generate a feeling of gratitude for something you have in your life. It can be literally anything that when you think about it, you feel good.  Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is the easiest. 

As you think about it, really feel the emotion and imagine gratitude flowing to every cell in your body. Do this for another minute or two.

Check in with how you feel – better? More connected? How does your heart feel? 

By practicing this technique often, you will build resilience as well as shift yourself into a more peaceful state of mind by choice. The more you do it the more your heart will stay in coherence and you will reap the benefits of feeling calmer, more at peace with yourself and the world.

Breathing in and out through my heart centre not only centres me, it reminds me of the power I have to connect with myself in a profound way to keep me moving towards the light of peace.  ~Marnie

Book of the Month

Breath by James Nestor

Wellness Tip of the Month

Put a picture that brings you great gratitude or joy such as a pet, family member, a place you have been, or a happy time, and put the picture on your iPhone home screen, or print out to put in your wallet. Anytime you need a ‘pick me up’ or to ‘relax’, feel your feet on the floor and then take the time to gaze at the picture and take a few breaths. This shifts your state - it’s wonderful! 

Wellness Challenge of the Month

One of the number one recommendations to improve your mood and health is so simple – 30 minutes of walking outside every day! 

Here is the important part, commit to it, and even if you don’t ‘feel’ like it walk anyhow, rain or shine.

Moderate exercise like walking has been shown to boost lung size by up to 15 percent according to James Nestor = more energy!

Do it this month and see for yourself if you notice any changes!  I’m sure you will benefit and feel good!