Category Archives: Travelling Experience

Embark on adventures around the world with a positive and adventurous spirit. Discover the beauty of travel and the joy of exploration!

7 Basic Tips to Enjoy Your First RV Trip Find out more Now

The world of RV and motorhomes is having a great boom in recent years, and more so now in times of pandemic. In this article, together with Zervs, we are going to give you 10 basic tips to enjoy your first camper or motorhome experience. Type of vehicle, destination, where to sleep, applications, loading and unloading of water …

Choose the model that best suits your needs.

For this, it will be essential to know how many you are (family, partner …) and the type of trip you are going to do, especially for mobility. The bigger a camper/motorhome is on the inside, the bigger it is on the outside – watch out for this double-decker motorhome.

This is about sacrificing comfort for agility. If you take a well-equipped small van, you will get where you want; If you take the super motorhome equipped with all the luxuries, you will have to take a good look at where you are because it does not fit in many places.

  • Camper: very agile, perfect for two or a couple with 1-2 children
  • Camper with bathroom: agile, perfect for two or a family of 3-4. Total independence. Let’s say it’s a perfect balance because you sacrifice space, but you have everything.
RV Trip

Motorhomes:

  • Basic (2-4 people): wider than a Camper, more space, greater overhangs, and consumption.
  • Medium (4-6 people): everything fits here, a lot of space, and a lot of exterior volumes to move around. Higher consumption.
  • Comprehensive (2-4-6 seats): authentic mobile chalets, comfortable like a house, but very wide and not very agile.

Choose the destination and enjoy the road

Not everything is to go as far as possible and spend hours and hours behind the wheel while the family dozes or plays at the console. You have to enjoy the road, do days adapted to everyone’s needs. You can plan a route and stop at the places that catch you on the way. The journey is the path itself; the final destination does not matter so much.

Plan (a little) where to sleep and what to see

We are not referring to going with the established itinerary and the immovable stages, because the good thing about traveling in this way is that we can ride without plans, and if we like where we are, stay a few more days, or if we don’t like it, go off whistling.

If not, at least, know each day where we are going to sleep before nightfall. Because it is very cumbersome to find a place to spend the night with the night already over. It has happened to all of us …

I sleep, but where?

This is what usually brings everyone upside down, and more if we are neophytes in this world. There are many variables and no one has the philosopher’s stone:

Camping: there are people who go camping, they bet on a controlled environment, 100% safe and with services. Cons: 100% civilized (sometimes ) and you always have to pay.

Motorhome and camper areas: there are more and more, public and private, some better, others worse. They are a balanced option between spending and services.

In some states, free camping is not allowed, but we are not going to camp, we are going to spend the night. In other words, to spend the night, not to set up the stall in the town square. There is a lot to talk about here because each town has its municipal ordinance and each Local Police has its policy in this regard. That is why something that never usually fails, common sense and respect, and if we consult some of the APPs that we put in the following advice it never hurts. Or we ask the one in the van next door if we are not so “millennials”.

Optimize your luggage

Very easy: half of what you are thinking. We fill the suitcase “just in case” and when we return we realize that we have not used even half of our clothes.

Outside of jokes, in terms of clothing, comfortable and all-weather. We are going to travel and there will be changes in temperature, that is, a jacket is not enough, neither is the swimsuit, you never know where we are going to end up. If it can be a soft suitcase or put the clothes directly in the wardrobes, so as not to be with a hard suitcase from top to bottom the whole trip. Flip flops, sunscreen, an essential cap/hat, and a light front is great idea for the night. Do not forget that you are going to be in the field or on the beach.

Ahhh and most importantly, don’t forget the wet wipes, they can get us out of a hurry and save many liters of water. Traveling by camper many people realize that the shower is overrated

As for food, space is also limited, especially since the refrigerator is not the one at home. A first load is fine, but enjoying the local foods and markets in each place we visit is better. Are you going to leave without trying the cheese or the wine of that town? In this way, we also promote local commerce and sustainable tourism.

Each one has its own way of traveling and its pocket size, but gastronomic tourism is gaining followers among AC and Camper users. Many times a restaurant, a bar, or a sale is the perfect excuse to get to “that place”. Not bad, if you can afford it, go from time to time to a restaurant or a typical place to try such a dish. We get out of the van and pay homage to ourselves. At the end of the day, we are on vacation!

Loading and unloading clean and less clean waters

Motorhomes and campervans are mostly autonomous, that is, they usually have everything we need to be able to travel, eat and sleep with our balls … but of course, the water runs out, the batteries sometimes too … and the water tanks have to be emptied dirty and the toilet if we have it.

Clean water: they can carry between 30 and 150 liters of clean water. They are used to wash and scrub. Its use for drinking is not recommended unless we use water purification tablets and we are sure that we have always recharged water in drinking water networks. They are recharged in a tap by means of a hose that we will have to carry with different nozzles. Available in campsites, AC areas, gas stations, or recharging points.

Gray water: is the dirty water from the shower and the sink. It’s soapy water and some grease from the kitchen. The tank is usually sized to clean. They can be emptied at the filling and emptying points of camping and areas or in a sewer, but controlled, never freely. It is recommended not to leave without emptying for a long time, even if they do not fill because especially in summer they can cause bad odors that go up the drain.

Black water:  these are the waters of the toilet and usually contain a chemical that is poured into the toilet in liquid or tablets and neutralizes the bad smell and leaves everything a “nice” blue color. They are sewage and we cannot get rid of them anywhere. ALWAYS empty in an authorized place, in camping, areas, or unloading points. As the last option, we should empty it into a toilet bowl. It is what tends to give the most “disgusting”, but once we get used to it, it is not so bad, if we want to ‘decompress’ in our own water it is the price to pay/

Respect, if you don’t stay home

We have left the most important for the last. It does not matter if five people go in a C-15, that you do 500m at a stretch, that the night always catches you to find where to sleep, that you take the very trunk of La Piquer for the weekend, or that you eat barnacles or chopped sandwiches the whole trip…. all our advice does not matter if you are enjoying your trip.

The only thing that doesn’t matter is respect. Respect for what this itinerant tourism means, respect for nature, and respect for others. It is arriving at a place and knowing that we are guests there who are going to share that space with others and with the people of the place.

Let’s enjoy that place, let’s not occupy a place that is not ours, let’s not block the passage of other vehicles or people with our Camper or accessories and, above all, that when we leave it is not noticed that we have been. Let’s collect all our trash and don’t empty our deposits anywhere.

Four-day New Orleans Itinerary to Relax and Enjoy Travel

New Orleans. NOLA. The Big Easy. Whatever you choose to call Louisiana’s biggest city, there’s no way to deny that it’s one of the most fascinating cities in the United States, if not the world. Its unique culture combines elements of French, Spanish, Creole, and African populations, leading to a destination unlike any other.

New Orleans deserves its reputation as a great place to party. But the city has more to offer than bars and nightlife — even if it certainly has plenty of those, too. Spending four days in the city gives you long enough to see some different sides to New Orleans and gain a deeper understanding of what makes it so unique.

Day 1 in New Orleans

Where else can you start with New Orleans but the French quarter? This district has been the heart of the city since it was founded in 1718, and its narrow European-style streets are iconic of the city as a whole. 

The French Market is always worth a visit and can provide you with a place to save some money by picking up a picnic lunch. As well as grocery vendors and food stores, you’ll also find a fascinating fleamarket here which is a great place to pick up unique souvenirs.

If you find you buy a little too much, or you’re just tired of lugging heavy bags around with you as you explore this vibrant part of the city on foot, a  luggage storage facility in New Orleans can look after your possessions for you while you enjoy yourself. Be aware that the French Quarter, though generally safe, has its share of pickpockets, so the less you carry with you, the better.

As day turns into night, the character of the French Quarter changes. Bourbon Street has historically been the heart of New Orleans’ nightlife, and it’s still a fascinating place to explore after sundown. Bourbon Street is within the French Quarter, so you can spend the whole day in this part of town. And if you’re up to it, you can go late into the night in the bars and clubs along Bourbon Street.

Day 2 in New Orleans

After your first day in New Orleans — and depending on how late into the night you went — you might feel in need of something a little more relaxing. The Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium could be just the place, especially if you’re visiting New Orleans with the kids.

This unusual museum has an exhibit that will shrink you down to the size of a bug to experience the life of insects. And in the garden where thousands of butterflies swarm, you’ll be able to recharge your batteries and savor a rare oasis of peace and quiet in this otherwise bustling city.

To keep the peaceful vibes going, consider spending the afternoon in City Park. One thousand three hundred acres of parkland once formed the backdrop for Southern gentlemen’s duels, but now offers an excellent place to relax. You can enjoy the botanical garden and the sculpture garden. And if you or the kids are in need of more excitement, the park also contains Carousel Gardens Amusement Park for some exciting rides.

Day 3 in New Orleans

Now that you’ve experienced the madness of Bourbon Street and the serenity of City Park, it’s time to delve a little deeper into the rich cultural life of the city. You can start with a visit to Whitney Plantation.

This restored plantation allows you to explore what life was like in the old antebellum South. Tours show you the slaves’ quarters and the house of the plantation owner to provide a glimpse of the different structures of New Orleans society. It’s a sometimes sobering but fascinating trip back in time.

The history of New Orleans is inexplicably tied to the history of slavery and the African-American community. After seeing the plantation, see the rest of the story of the Backstreet Cultural Museum. This museum is devoted to the cultural life of black people in New Orleans. You’ll get educated on fascinating traditions such as jazz funerals, carnival Indians, and the civil rights movement.

Of course, New Orleans is known around the world as the birthplace of jazz. When night falls, there are a few more iconic places to be in a jazz club. For a taste of the kind of hole-in-the-wall venues where the art form was born, check out Sweet Lorraine’s for music and drinks in an atmospheric location.

Day 4 in New Orleans

On your final day in New Orleans, it’s time to head out of the city and into the swamp. New Orleans swamp tours get you up close and personal with the wildlife that inhabits the sprawling wetlands. Along with snakes, turtles, wild boar, and many different species of birds, you’re almost guaranteed to see some alligators.

Cajun Encounters is one of the many tour companies in New Orleans that can take you on the trip of a lifetime. To make things easy, they can pick you up from your hotel if it’s close to downtown and take you out to the wilderness. The bayous that surround New Orleans are what have inspired the city’s unique culinary scene over the centuries, and they are well worth seeing for yourself.

Once you return from the swamp, consider a visit to Frenchmen Street. Outside of the popular French Quarter, the street has a variety of bars and restaurants without the crowds — or high prices — of Bourbon Street. Spending the evening here will give you more of a taste of the real New Orleans instead of just the tourist version.

Conclusion

No matter what your idea of fun is, you can probably find it in New Orleans. This itinerary is just the starting point. Once you see New Orleans for yourself, chances are you’ll want to visit again and again. And each time you do, you’ll see a different side to this unique and enigmatic city.

References:

Positive Words Research – Four-day New Orleans Itinerary

New Orleans Itinerary

How to Write an Excellent Essay about Travel of your Dream

Travel writing is not easy for everyone. Sometimes, people have the pleasure of a particular place but cannot convert their experience into words. Visiting a country with a different lifestyle invokes misunderstandings. Hence, writing an essay about travel is tough without guidance. Therefore; below are given tips to write an essay about dream travel.

Describe Your Pursuit

Every travel is a pursuit regardless of your understanding of it. Negotiate with yourself about your targets and goals for that journey.

Your quest might be of abstract or colossal nature such as;

  • Abstract: discovering your true self, scuba diving in Atlantic or horse riding in England.
  • Colossal: alter your whole life and meet an old friend and spend time with him.

The pursuit is not wholly dependable for your visit to a place. It can be a partial motivation or get value once you recognize the appeal of a place.

Stating your pursuit, tell your reader about the most remarkable things in the place that everybody is curious to know. For example; Taj Mahal in Agra is a celebrated tourism attraction. Every year, thousands of people from various countries visit to capture its beauty and discover its history. Everybody knows that this beautiful palace is a monument of love of a couple. Thus, when you begin to write about your quest, people will feel curious about what was the motivation behind designing such a beautiful fort. You have to unveil these facts after creating much suspense to make your travel essay engaging and compelling. Still, if you feel unstimulated, there are online sources to help you in custom writing such as essaywritingservice.ca. These online writers are marvellously specialized in every subject, including the travel of your dream. If you assign them, they will deliver you quality work. If you rely upon your skill, creativity and power of writing, read further excellent tips.

2. Grow an Interesting Question in Your Reader’s Thought

A question keeps a reader busy in reading unless he successfully explores the answer. Therefore, try to grow an engaging question in your reader’s mind in the opening part of the essay. However, you should not feel overwhelmed about generating such a query. It can be as simple as given below;

“I should have entered Sinn Eden hill (Oxfordshire) more carefully”.

The reader will grow curiosity about what kind of carefulness you are talking about. Further, why should anybody go to that hill carefully? Moreover, what has happened to the writer after visiting that point in England?

One thing that you must keep in vision is the discrimination between question and confusion. It would help if you planted a question in your reader while saving him from confusions or puzzlements. Moreover, it would help if you answered the question in any paragraph in your travel essay.

Remember, you need to catch your reader’s attention in the opening lines of the essay. If you put such an intriguing question in those lines, he must feel an inclination to know the answer. So, it would be best if you concentrated on the starting of your story at first.

3. Tell the Reader about What Attracted You to That Journey

When somebody plans to go to an attraction, there must be a strong impression behind. Forget those beautiful memories for a while and wrench your mind to extract the motivation behind your visit. For example; you might have played a video game with a replica background of a famous city. You might have a wish from childhood to see a place due to the story-telling of your grandma. Besides, your friends may have visited the place and planted a wish in your heart to plan the journey.

Whatever the motivations were, mentioning them in your essay about travel will keep your reader engaged. Nevertheless, some places need no reason to preplan the visit for being all-the-rage. For example; Singapore is such a beauty that everybody desires to enjoy the climate and landscape at least once in life. Therefore, people will not need a description of your stimulation to decide on Singapore. However, your dream is only yours, and you have to make the world believe that it is based on strong impressions.

4. Communicate a Small Travel Story

When you visit a place, every moment is a history for you. There are many things that you cannot capsulate on a writing page. However, it is not compulsory to go into every minor detail. It is not an essay about summer, but summer vacation.

Of course, your experience is excellent, but the time and words are not that grand. You need to keep the document small, specifying only the illuminating, exciting and educational aspects. If you are writing a book on travel, you still need to comprise in short stories with essential details.  They keep the reader delighted and out of uniformity. On the other hand, if writing, even an essay is a nerve-racking business for you, there are online writing helpers. Ask them to do my essay for me, and they will instantly acknowledge and start working.

5. Provide a Revolutionary Ending

Travelling means changing; changing everything like;

  • Climate
  • Surrounding
  • Lifestyle
  • Your Outer self
  • Your Inner self

Travellers try to change all these things when they plan a journey. In the end, you need to tell the reader whether you succeeded in changing your environment or not.

Answer all the questions your story needs to tell at the end to signify the newness of your travel. If you still feel a fly in the bonnet about travel essay, hire essay or cover letter writing services. They will provide you with a good, well-versed trip of dream essay within time.

Conclusion

Travel essay writing is not a tough job if you keep a few things in mind, as given above. Especially if you are going to relate your experience and its specifications, you can quickly sort out details for writing. Also, apply your creativity and broad-mindedness to complete an appealing essay.

Positive Words Research – How to Write an Excellent Essay about Travel of your Dream

Write Essay Travel of your Dream 2

How Do You Bounce Back From Failure Ideas and Tips

Failure is one life’s toughest teachers and it’s always there to tell us a thing or two about what we did wrong. but how do you bounce back from failure? Often times, it feels harsh, unsolicited and downright hurtful. Other times it feels like it’s there, looking back at us from over our shoulders, always hitting those shame and guilt buttons we have deep inside. 

How Do You Bounce Back From Failure?

Every time failure sets in, there’s also an emotional storm raging inside us – some of us have the ability to weather this storm with more ease, while others go straight through it, leaving no parts of themselves unscathed. But what if there’s a way to look at failure differently and bounce back from it with new-found strength? Here’s how you can achieve this internal shift regarding failure:

1. Reframe the Setback Realistically

When we face failure in our lives we tend to go back to it over and over in our minds and endlessly ruminate everything that happened, without really going anywhere. We place the event in the same light every time we revisit it, without really creating a new context around it. The challenge is to, first of all, be honest with yourself and admit failure in the most objective possible way, without exaggerating the downsides of indulging in your negative feelings

The next step is to release all emotions when you replay the events in your mind and try to implement counterfactual thinking. You can do this by replaying the events back in your mind and think about what you could’ve done differently, so you wouldn’t be facing this outcome now. This kind of exercise will help you become more responsible, instead of playing the victim and submitting to your emotions, while also providing a valuable lesson for your future endeavors.

2. Don’t Stay in Failure for Too Long

Truly resilient people are able to leave this defeatism scenario early on, while also allowing themselves to feel hurt by their failure. Resilience is actually built on failure, by learning the right lessons and keeping your eyes on the prize. There are so many famous inventors and artists that have failed countless times, yet they didn’t surrender to this negative-colored context and kept striving to obtain the desired results.

JK Rowling, the famous Harry Potter novels author, wrote her first manuscript after a failed marriage, with a small baby she needed to care for all by herself, while her living means were meager and insufficient. And as if this wasn’t enough, she sent her manuscript to twelve different publishing houses only to have her mailbox filled with rejection letters before she finally got accepted. There are many such cases of resilience throughout history, just as there are cases of people who quit on their dreams and goals just before they could reach them. It’s important to get back up and connect yourself with your ‘why’ and empowering emotions as often as you can.

3. Reconnect to What Makes You Happy

Dwelling too long on the negatives can dull your senses, your ability to clearly perceive your life’s purpose and your natural tendency to navigate towards what makes you happy. After each failure, it’s important to take the time and reconnect yourself to what really and truly makes you happy at the time being. 

It doesn’t really matter what it is – it may be dancing by yourself in the dark, wandering aimlessly in long walks or singing out from the top of your lungs. It needs to be an activity that solely fulfills you, regardless of what other people say. An activity that heightens your feelings of joy, excitement, satisfaction, and involvement. Whatever it is, engaging in this type of activity after failures will reconnect you with who you truly are and give you the sense of meaningfulness that was perhaps lost in the process. The pursuit of happiness is something we all need to engage in from time to time, regardless of our minor or major setbacks.

Ultimately, failure still remains life’s biggest teachers, regardless of how harsh its teaching style is. By paying enough attention to what new lesson it brings us regarding ourselves and the world, we may be able to bounce back from it sooner, while also finding new and better ways to achieve our goals the second time around.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Positive Words Research – How do you bounce back from failure?

How Do You Bounce Back From Failure

Envision a Better Future and Create a Better Self in New Chapter

Sometimes we are fast approaching the end of a chapter in our lives and headed towards the new one – a chapter that plunges us into the unknown, a chapter in the future that has not yet been written. But how to envision a better future and create a better self in new chapter? Ending the current chapter may prove to be difficult, especially since you may haven’t reached certain goals for yourself or maybe you didn’t make inspired choices all the time.

Or maybe it’s not even acknowledging on a conscious level what could’ve been better, but sometimes it’s even the passage of time that can make us nostalgic for what was and fearful for what’s to come. However, there are ways in which you can bring everything into a healthy perspective and get ready for the new chapter ahead.

Envision a Better Future and Create a Better Self in New Chapter

1. Think About Your Biggest Accomplishments

It’s important that when a chapter draws to an end you take the time to sit in silence, in a comfortable environment and think about everything that occurred during this passing chapter. But most of all, think of the beginning of the chapter and how it started for you. Where were you? What was your emotional state, what were your struggles? What were your accomplishments back then? Then slowly let your mind glide over the following months, one by one, allowing it to remember the memorable events that happened in each of these months. 

Most of all, while doing this exercise, emphasize what you managed to do for yourself and your own wellbeing. Maybe you’ve built a new friendship or developed your professional network. Perhaps you’ve taken more time for self-care, you engaged in a healthier lifestyle or you managed to travel more. Whatever it is, take the time to appreciate yourself for creating these opportunities in your life and notice how you’re slowly pushing towards a more grateful and more positive you.

2. Take Note of What Impact People Had In Your Life

We tend to get so caught up in our lives sometimes that we forget to notice the people we come across day-to-day or even those who came and stayed for good. This is why it’s essential that you gather your thoughts, zoom out and think of your last years in an ensemble. You may even go beyond this and take note of everyone who came into your life and helped you become the person you are today. Who are the people that helped you transform in the amazing version of yourself you are today? Acknowledge their positive impact and take advantage of this opportunity to send them nurturing and empowering thoughts. This will not only bring serenity into your life, but it will also help you consolidate these important relationships if they are still ongoing.

3. Envision a Better Future Without Boundaries

This step is absolutely crucial if you want to move towards a better, more fulfilling you in which you can reach your goals and live the life you’ve always dreamt of. For this you need to get in touch with that side of yourself that is absolutely limitless, that has no worries or doubts, that doesn’t rationalize in any way. The side of yourself where your heart rules over everything and where it gets to decide where you’ve headed the coming future. 

What’s inside your heart? Use creative writing and jot it down on paper, draw it or paint – there is no right or wrong way to this. Take as much time as you need during the exercise and afterward so you can contemplate what came out when you truly let your heart express itself freely. Giving voice to your deepest desires can have tremendous power in helping them shape up into reality.

All in all, the end of a chapter in your life is not meant to be rushed or taken very lightly. It’s rather an opportunity to have the clarity you need to understand what has been and see where you’re headed. It’s also a chance to set intentions both towards what you want to accomplish and towards the person you want to become. It all starts from the core of your being – if you align yourself with your deepest truth, the rest will gradually come into your life as you need it to. 

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Positive Words Research – Envision a better future and create a better self in new chapter.

Envision a Better Future and Create a Better Self in New Chapter

How To Enjoy Easter When You’re Suffering From Depression

As the Easter season is upon us, it’s easy to get caught up in either the merriment or the stress of the pre-holiday shopping stress. How to make the most of Easter Holidays when you’re suffering from depression? What happens when you’re in neither of those places? What happens when your mental and emotional state reflects neither the holiday cheer nor the happiness of having friends and family around?

Depression is often an underestimated affliction of the soul that tends to rear its head even more so during the Easter holidays. So how do you make the most of Easter when you suffer from depression?

1. Relieve Yourself from Pressure when Suffering from Depression

When you’re feeling blue, the last thing you want to do is to put even more pressure on yourself. This is a trap that anyone can easily fall into around the holidays, since seeing other people so cheerful and busy creates this feeling that maybe you should be in it too or that maybe you are missing something. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. There isn’t any right or wrong way of being or feeling. If you aren’t feeling these positive emotions, then that’s something you need to accept during this time of the year. The human spectrum of emotions is very complex and allowing yourself to feel an entire range of them is not only healthy, but it will also feel liberating and soothing.

2. Move Towards Reconciliation

Often times we tend to feel emotionally troubled and burdened without even knowing it and it may have something to do with the relationships we currently have in our lives or with the ones we have nurtured in the past. Since the Easter holidays are mostly about connecting with other people, it’s important that you take the time to think of your relationships and allow yourself to feel, truly feel with your heart, which ones need more attention, closure or reconciliation. Depression is definitely a condition that’s tough to transform for the better, but calling or meeting these important people in your life in order to patch things up will definitely set you one step closer to healing.

3. Strive for a Healthy Lifestyle

Easter depression has a funny way of tricking us into leaning back into our comfort zone and making us stay indoors, rather than go out and explore the world. It may be because of the increasingly shorter days or because of the negative mindset maybe just too overpowering to fight, but many people suffering from depression during the holidays give up altogether and resort to a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle. However, it’s essential to fight the impulse and keep active. Go out for a walk, put your blood into motion, see the world around you unfold even if for only half an hour every day and exercise as much as you can. Stay away from sugar, an excessive amount of carbs and fatty foods, since the satisfaction they provide may be immediate, but the long-term effects are pretty devastating both on your physical and emotional health.

4. Create a Gratitude List when Suffering from Depression

It may sound like a cliche and it may be the last thing you honestly feel like doing when suffering from depression, but the power behind gratitude is tremendous. Find a quiet place in your home where you can focus without any interruptions, play some relaxing music in the background while sipping from your favorite tea and start writing a list of things you are grateful for. Write about things that happened to you throughout the year or things that you’ve made happen for yourself. Also take the time to thank the people that have been there for you the past year or even throughout your entire life and even tell them this personally, if you feel like it. It’s always a good time to focus on what feels right in your life and how certain people left a positive mark on your growth as a human being.

When it comes to it, the holidays are a time to take it easy, put things into perspective and accept life as it comes to you. Regardless of your mental and emotional state, remember this too shall pass, the people you love are still right there for you and there’s always room for a beacon of light amidst a cloudy sky.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

How to Make the Most of Easter Holidays When You’re Suffering From Depression

How to Better Get Prepared for Studying Abroad Today

We truly live amazing times, now more than ever – we can easily notice this even when looking at how accessible it is for young people to relocate from one country to another for their studies. To this end, studying abroad can be one of the most enriching and thrilling experiences of your entire life. It’s an experience that broadens your horizons, facilitates meeting new people and understanding new cultures, while at the same time helping you develop like never before. 

However, if you jump on board this experience without knowing what to expect, you may encounter some struggles that can take away from the blissful feelings brought on by newness. So here’s how you need to prepare and what to expect when traveling abroad.

How to Better Get Prepared for Studying Abroad

1. Choose Wisely, You’re In Charge of Your Future

Since this is so much more than just a weekend getaway and you’ll spend years studying in a completely new country, you’ll need to make an informed decision regarding two aspects. The first one should consider the field of study you’d like to be in for the next years of your life. Would you see yourself continuing a career in that field of work? Is it something you’d actually be passionate about studying? If so, would these classes be acknowledged in your country? The last thing you’d like to go through is to look back and see if you’ve spent your time in vain.

The second aspect you need to do careful research on is the actual country’s culture and how it fits your own personality. Learn about the country’s local traditions, the way its people interact with one another and see if they naturally resonate with your soul‍. By overlooking this aspect, you can easily end up spending your time feeling disconnected, jaded and longing to get home faster.

2. Create a Well-Established Itinerary

If you want to enjoy your new experience from the very first moments, you will need to ensure your itinerary is up-to-date and all your connections are booked from the get-go. Sacrificing a bit of time while you’re still at home means you don’t need to sacrifice time while you’re traveling and you also don’t need to spend the extra cash you could actually put to better use.

Another great way to get around and avoid negative feelings is to actually carry a printed map of the new location with you at all times. This will allow you to not depend on your phone and an internet connection, in case anything doesn’t go according to plan. 

3. You Can’t Avoid Homesickness By Studying Abroad

No matter how well prepared you to travel to your new country, homesickness is a universal phenomenon that without a doubt everyone who’s relocated to a new country eventually experiences. This can happen within two months of your stay there or even after the first six months. And when you think you’ve managed these feelings and are getting better, you can start missing home even more than you did the previous time.

So remember how powerful words can be in regards to your well-being and understand that it’s okay to reach out whenever you’re feeling down. Keep an open mind and let yourself assimilate your new environment as it comes to you since the path of least resistance is always the most rewarding in the end. Practice gratitude every day and remember your reason for having chosen this experience in the first place. This is the only way you can create and consolidate a truly positive study environment.

4. Be Prepared for the Differences in the Financial System when studying abroad

When it comes to the financial and administrative tasks of relocation, everyone faces some hurdles in their process and most of the time they’re pretty exhausting. This is why it’s best to contact your bank before leaving the country in order to ensure you can use your card in the new country. You should also find out what fees there are when withdrawing from foreign ATM’s or when paying by card abroad. These small steps can save you from a whirlwind of negative emotions down the road and not mention, a lot of misspent cash.

5. You’ll Discover Yourself and the World

Perhaps this is the most rewarding aspect of them all when it comes to studying abroad. Each person going through this adventure will have different experiences, but one thing is certain. No one returns from studying abroad the same people they were when they began. This is because the entire experience propels you from your comfort zone straight into the unknown and that is the best foundation for self-development. You’ll learn how to live on your own, how to make connections with people that don’t even speak your language, how to get by in a foreign country and how to live without an immediately accessible emotional support system. 

All in all, the beauty of studying abroad is that you can never really predict the unpredictable, regardless of how well you prepare for it. However, by following these basic tips, you may find yourself adjusting quicker to your environment and truly enjoying what this new chapter of your life has to offer.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

How to Better Get Prepared for Studying Abroad

Becoming Whole And What It Can Do For Your Relationships

Being a part of this whole we call humankind, nature and the world is a magical experience to have and nurture throughout our lives as human beings. And it’s only when we become mindful, aware and present that we realize how connected we all are and how unique every one of us is, each in our own way. We may get a glimpse of this spiritual oneness in life, but do we actually feel whole as individuals? 

Becoming Whole and What It Can Do For Your Relationships

Most of us go through life with feelings of lack, inadequacy or discomfort, not knowing how to restore wholeness and how to have truly meaningful relationships to those around us. So what can we do about it? How can we live our day-to-day lives in such a way that we heal and replenish ourselves and those around us instead of diminishing them or taking something away from them?

1. Learn How to Love Your Own Company

This has to be one of the most underrated actions you can take in order to start becoming whole in your life. But how can you do it? In today’s society, we’re more used than ever to spend alone time, but it’s not really the healing quality time we yearn for. There’s a subtle, but major difference between spending time by yourself and with yourself. Try to get in touch with yourself as if you were a different person. Listen to what they have to say, what they crave and what they really need. Then do your best to nurture yourself and offer yourself these things as if you would a dear friend of yours who you care immensely about and who you’d like to support in life, no matter what. When you love yourself completely and purely, you also share these positive feelings with every person you meet, regardless of the type of relationship you have with them.

2. Discover Your Perfect Centering Practice

Discover the mindfulness practice that works for you and that helps you get in touch with divine love. That type of love that sees everything as one and looks upon nothing and no one with judgment or attachment. You can either discover that half an hour of meditation in the morning centers you this way or that you’re most likely to embrace wholeness by going on a walk through nature. Mindful breathing can also be incredibly powerful as it slows down the mind, clears it of any thoughts and allows you to simply be. You may find that when you live like this, immersed in mindful thinking, there’s no room for anything else but wholeness. 

3. Show Yourself Appreciation and Forgive Your Own Shortcomings

If we don’t come to terms with who we really are, the cracks in our spirit will definitely show in the way we lead our lives. This means we need to get in touch with our deepest, most sincere selves and embrace everything we discover. We’ll most certainly find flaws and shortcomings that we’ve been struggling with, meeting them with resistance more than anything else. But it’s time to show more indulgence and practice forgiveness towards ourselves – only then will we be able to be as generous with the people in our lives as well. Remember, thoughts create reality, so make sure yours are filled with loving-kindness for yourself.

4. Gently Assess Your Life

Take the time each day to acknowledge where you are in your life and how you feel. Ask yourself if there’s a healthy range of emotions in your life right now or if you’re perhaps focused on only one or two. Ask yourself if you’re as spiritually fulfilled as you’d like to be and if it’s accessible to you to reach that inner place of gratitude, hope, and calm. Lastly, ask yourself if your mind is nurtured. Are you in a growth process, are you learning and developing? Is there any area of your life that needs more tending to? Gently asking yourself this list of questions on a regular basis will help you get more and more in touch with your true self and help you become the whole person you would like to be. Wellbeing is not far away and you deserve it.

As soon as you start doing these four things regularly, you may find a surprising and blissful feeling that there was wholeness in you all along. You’re now only holding the right keys that can uncover everything you were looking for. By accepting and being in touch with ourselves, we can begin to have stronger, more meaningful and authentic relationships with the people in our lives and it may come as no surprise to you when you’ll feel you finally have a harmonious and fulfilled life.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Becoming Whole and What It Can Do For Your Relationships

Restore Your Authenticity and Feel Better In Your Skin Again

Ever since we leave childhood behind, we expose ourselves more and more to the world around us. We diversify and increase our interaction with the people we meet through work relationships, study collaborations, romantic interests, friends and family connections. The relationships are more often than not very complex and there’s a fine intertwining of emotions involved. A need for authenticity evolves.

This is why it’s particularly easy to get caught up in games and diversions that we play in order to cover up our intentions or faults, or downright even to mislead. We end up doing these things so often that we end up forgetting what it feels like to be morally upright. Or we even forget who we really are and what we yearn for in life. And without realizing it, guilt, shame, and frustration find a way in before we can realize it, leading to low energy levels and poor emotional connections.  So what is there to do? How can we restore our authenticity and start generating positive feelings about ourselves once again?

How to Restore Your Authenticity and Feel Better In Your Skin Again

1. Start by Cleaning Up Your Life To Fuel Authenticity

The one thing you need to do before you can implement actual change in your future is to identify the situations in which you have been dishonest and incongruent with your thoughts regarding other people. Once you’ve done this – and be certain they exist somewhere in the unconscious, buried down – you need to take action on your findings. You need to get in touch with the people you’ve wronged in the distant past or even recently and make amends with them, so you can stop this internal and ever-present worrying cycle. 

Start by admitting what your real intentions or feelings were, apologize to them and promise to offer a new and better type of behavior with them in your future interactions. The wonderful part about this is that you’ll feel immensely relieved and that you’ll build a different type of relationship with the people involved. In other words, you are creating a foundation for a fresh new start in your life and will start to harbor truly good feelings.

2. Stop Yourself In Your Tracks As Often As You Get The Chance To

After clearing up your past more doubtful interactions, you’ll notice that your vibrational levels will rise. You will no longer be able to keep yourself at a level where you can turn a blind eye to your own actions. This is why you’ll gain this amazing and powerful capacity to identify those old types of intentions as soon as they form in your mind. 

This is where decision-making comes in. You’ll have the possibility to either act based on your previous inner layout or to continue forging this new person you’re becoming. The more you resist the urge to go back to old patterns, the more power and clarity you’ll gain in all aspects of your life. By allowing yourself to grow into a new and better person, you’re also allowing for more positive emotions to enter your life and nourish your soul.

3. Practice Gratitude On a Daily Basis and Power Up Authenticity

There’s a magical aspect of gratitude and practicing it regularly. By acknowledging the goodness in your everyday life and zooming out on it, you attain a sort of powerful humbleness. This, in turn, allows you to become more authentic towards your own self, which will then radiate towards the others as well. You’ll start to feel more at ease with your path in life and, as a result, you’ll become more in tune with who you really are and what your soul longs for. On the outside, this will translate to a higher level of authenticity and alignment with yourself.

The road to authenticity is clear and easy to follow, you just need to practice mindfulness every day in order to clear all the obstacles along the way. By taking the time to center yourself daily, you’ll get a clearer vision of who you are and what your inner voice really longs to speak to you and to the entire world. Transformation always comes from the inside out and it starts manifesting accordingly in the way you relate to your environment and the people around you.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

How to Restore Your Authenticity and Feel Better In Your Skin Again

Best 5 Tips To Revive the Passion for Your Business Again

The passion for your business is an amazing feeling. As many entrepreneurs will tell you, starting your own business and seeing it expand may be one of the most exhilarating and demanding endeavors of your life. There’s such a rewarding feeling in seeing how your very own creation not only made it out there in the world but also brings utility to the people around while paying for your rent and vacations.

How to Revive the Passion for Your Business

Each entrepreneur will, at some point, reach a plateau when the passion starts to fade. It may initially be barely noticeable, but it will turn into a full-blown challenge as soon as your business hits its first major roadblock. Fortunately, not all is lost, since there are ways that can help you get that  spark back and inject your business with vitality:

1. Get Rid of the Guilt and Revive the Passion for your Business

Apart from the technical issues you may be dealing with within your business, guilt is the biggest and most dangerous setback you can actually face. When business isn’t working, many entrepreneurs out there will feel they have failed themselves, the dream they believed in so much, as well as the employees they have working for them. Having said this, these feelings of guilt will often keep you from taking action when you need it the most. So train yourself to become alert and stop this negative thinking loop, so that a new behavior of positive thinking can take its place. As soon as more positive thoughts start coming to mind, you’ll feel more and more inspired to take action for your ailing business.

2. Allow Yourself to be Mentored

Regardless if you’re seeking the help of a professional or the help of a successful industry peer, it’s important to acknowledge that asking for help stems from and nurtures great inner power. On the one hand, a professional mentor or business coach will have all the necessary know-how and techniques that can help you pinpoint your negative thinking patterns and reconfigure your brain. On the other hand, an industry peer you look up to will have specific insights on your type of business and may counsel you according to your particular business needs. All you would need to do is to ask them out for coffee and honestly address your struggles, so they can truly open up to you too.

3. Spice Up Your Mornings

If you’ve been used to doing things the same way every morning, you can’t really expect different results to show up in your business. It’s often underestimated how big an impact morning routine has on an entrepreneur’s entire day. The first hours of the day should be used to create intentionality and vision for what’s ahead. This is why it’s worth starting your day with a walk in the park or by meditating. To the same extent, you can also try journaling – there is a great power of words you’ll experience as soon as this becomes a part of your daily routine.  

4. Befriend Innovation and Revive the Passion in your Business

Innovation, or lack thereof, goes hand in hand with a person’s ability and willingness to remove themselves from their comfort zone and allow for risk to enter their lives. Of course, this goes the same for you as an entrepreneur – you need to start asking distressing and harsh questions that will allow you to see what can be improved in your business. Think if there’s maybe an area of your business that could do with a fresh approach or if there’s perhaps one novel method you’ve always shied away from implementing yourself. Now is the time to be honest and start acting on the answers you’ll give yourself – they hold all the directions you need in order to revitalize your business.

5. Acquire More Knowledge

If there’s one thing an entrepreneur will never be in short supply of is knowledge. There’s always more information you can acquire and bring back into your business to help it stand on its own two feet and even flourish. Sadly, many entrepreneurs come at a loss when it comes to basic financial and marketing information, for example, among other areas their business can benefit from, regardless of the industry it operates in. This is why it’s important that, as an entrepreneur, you take time aside and invest in furthering your education.

When all is said and done, running a business from the ground up is definitely not for the weak of heart. To this end, it’s especially difficult to make it work and then see it flounder. However, the beautiful part is that you have the power to bring its life back and rekindle the passion for your business yourself – all you need to do is focus on yourself, remove limiting beliefs and dare to risk once again.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

How to Revive the Passion for Your Business

Financial Abundance Feel Far Away: Learn What Can You Do

Most of us have an idea of where we would like to be in life and it often includes a desire towards financial abundance. Call it wealth. Call it prosperity. Whatever you choose to call it, it’s probably right there, up on your wishlist. 

Why Does Financial Abundance Feel So Far Away and What Can You Do About It?

But from wishing it to actually attracting it sometimes feels like a road longer than the one we signed up for. So what do we do to get there? Or better yet, what should we stop doing in order to achieve the financial abundance we covet so much? The questions seem pretty straightforward, but the answers can require some careful soul searching and definitely a lot of personal work. This is why we’re going to go through a list of solutions that will hopefully embolden you to change the way you think about money and empower you to attract more:

1. Dig Deep to Uncover What You’re Manifesting as Financial Abundance

If you’ve ever heard about the law of attraction, know that it’s not just another theory flung around by modern pseudo-thinkers, but it’s actually the way things work in life. If you believe and want something for yourself, the universe will make way and get it closer to you. It will remove all obstacles and eventually send you the right opportunities that can help you open the doors you want. 

However, if you know what you want and have a clear vision of how your financial life could look like for you, but your reality still doesn’t reflect that it must be that somewhere in your subconscious you don’t actually believe you can achieve it. In other words, what you actually believe is that you’re unworthy of having financial wealth. This is where you need to start digging deep with the goal of discovering your financial blueprint. We all have blueprints that guide us through every aspect of life and your money-related one was probably developed in your childhood. 

Try to remember what your financial education felt like, how your parents felt about money and what they felt they deserved money-wise. Write every new discovery down and read it again every time you need to stop your negative brain from taking charge. This is a good first step to unlocking the financial abundance you always wanted for yourself.

2. Work On Dismantling Old Beliefs and Replacing Them With New Ones For Financial Freedom

Once you’ve got the answers to all these questions, it’s time to look at your life and see how these beliefs manifested themselves without a shadow of doubt throughout your life. Once you become aware of the power these toxic thoughts had on you, you can start dissociating from them and bid them farewell. 

It’s okay to want more and it’s even healthier to start thinking you deserve it. Of course, this won’t happen overnight, but as long as you start telling yourself empowering words daily, you will manage to rewire your subconscious in a way that’s more financially supportive. This is a process that takes time and progress may not always be straightforward. Old beliefs will sometimes creep into everything you approach financially, so it’s important to take notice of them and stop them in their tracks.

3. Let Abundance Flow Into Other Areas of Your Life As Well For Financial Prosperity

Abundance is abundance, no matter what areas of your life you are manifesting it in. If financial abundance is taking a little longer to attract, know that if you start embodying abundance in other areas too, your overall vibration will rise and will make room for higher financial grounds too. 

What you need to do in order for this to happen is to commit to living your life with an emphasis on adding more value to others. As soon as you start giving recognition, praise, inspiration, and support to others, you’ll start feeling a lot more grateful for what you have and you’ll tap into that inner wealth that will eventually build more positive emotions for you. If you give out of a place of genuine generosity, you will receive just that – generosity a hundred times back.

These tips are only the stepping stones on which you can envision and create a better financial future for yourself. Additionally to this, you also need to stop making excuses for yourself, even for life’s more trivial activities, and to commit to offering yourself the best possible version of life because you truly feel you deserve that and nothing less. Don’t settle, don’t compromise, practice gratitude, empower others and work hard on changing your blueprints. The rest will soon fall into place.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Why Does Financial Abundance Feel So Far Away and What Can You Do About It

How Do You Access Your Endless Supplies of Inner Power

Did you know that your innermost self is gifted with endless supplies of power and energy? Have you ever felt connected to them? If so, it’s probably only been a couple of times and you don’t know how to open those channels again. Not only do you feel great when you manage to tap into your inner power, but you also exude confidence on the outside. You’ll also be more capable of eliminating negativity from your life, as well as more able to fulfill your every single objective. Let’s look at a few ways in which you can give yourself the wonderful gift of limitless inner power:

1. Visualize for More Inner Power

With athletes, it’s a known fact that most of them tend to visualize their results before going into a competition. They actually take the time to envision what it would be like to score those points, to bounce back from brutal attacks from the opponent and to finish the competition as winners. If this works for them, it’s further proof that visualization has tremendous value in accessing inner power. 

So take the time to think about everything that you would like to happen to you. Visualize that loving relationship you yearn for – what kind of person would you need to be daily to be part of such a love connection? What kind of person would your partner be? Visualize your perfect job. What tasks would you need to do? What would be the rewards? What kind of person would you need to be for that job? The key is to be honest with yourself because the more and better you envision everything that’s at stake, the greater are the chances to actually attract those things and wonderful feelings with them.

2. Discard the Scarcity Mindset

One subconscious mindset that a lot of people unknowingly adhere to is one of scarcity and poverty. They feel they can’t attain more in life and that they can’t tap into an abundance mindset. They just feel it’s not for them – regardless if we’re talking about financial abundance or human relationship abundance. One way to create this shift in your mind is to ditch the thought of impending poverty and instead imagine yourself rich. Become generous with the little resources you have and you’ll soon start to attract the type of wealth you actually want. If you act from an expansive mindset and if you’re aiming for growth, you’re already positioning yourself to expand your limits.

3. Be More Authentic and Responsible

Striving to be more authentic and responsible in your day-to-day life is a key to unleashing inner power that’s often overlooked by many. We tend to think that it’s no big deal if we told a white lie once in a while or didn’t make the deadline for a project we had. But the truth is all these failings pile up in the back of our minds, taking away from our power to act on our desires and create new limiting beliefs about ourselves. Instead, you should try to always do what you say you’re going to do or restore this situation with the ones you faulted. Become aware of the immense power of words in your life. Additionally, you should always only do things you’ve opted for, instead of doing them half-heartedly and out of compromise. It’s amazing how much more whole you’ll start feeling as soon as you become more responsible and authentic.

4. Access Spirituality for Inner Power

Taking a step back, zooming out in life and connecting to the higher forces that govern us is sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself. Take some time to meditate each day in absolute silence and let your mind, soul, and body feel that liberating smallness and greatness that define our beings at the same time. Practice becoming more patient, more forgiving and more grateful with yourself and those around you. 

Process and let it seep in that our experiences are not assigned with either bad or good value to them, but it’s in our complete power to choose how we react to them. All our experiences are meant to lead us someplace new, from which we can grow into better, wiser versions of ourselves. Try to remember all the negative experiences you had and strive to integrate the positive lessons they ultimately came attached with.

These are only a few of the ways in which you can draw yourself closer and closer to that endless reservoir of power and energy you’ve always had within. Once you start tapping into that and get a taste of what it feels like to be in charge of your life, you’ll want more of it each day. This will prompt you to renounce cultivating negative emotions and start feeding positive thoughts that are meant to help you thrive.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

How Do You Access Your Endless Supplies of Inner Power

Is Inner Peace So Difficult to Achieve: Best 7 Ideas and Tips

You’ve probably come across a couple of people in your life that seem to have this implacable calm to them. They maintain a healthy distance from whatever is negative, while at the same time accepting themselves, other people and whatever is going on in their lives. How do they do it? Although a beautiful feeling, that inner peace you can sense in them is more than just an abstract concept. It’s a state of being that you reach by working on several little, but important aspects of your life. Let me show you what these are:

1. Clear Up That Waiting List

Whenever we set ourselves tasks that we don’t eventually finish, we add them instead to this invisible, but heavy-weighing waiting list of things-yet-to-be-done. If you are unable to finish certain things, make sure you completely remove them from your life unless you want that emotional burden to get larger and larger. It may seem overwhelming at first, but just start with the smaller tasks and you’ll soon get the ball rolling.

2. Choose to Be Responsible In Your Relationships

Unfortunately, responsibility in regards to other people doesn’t come easy to us nowadays. We tend to think that it’s others making us behave in a certain way and that we cannot always be held accountable for our reactions. This couldn’t be further from the truth – our behavior is up to us entirely. However if at times you feel anger or frustration just beneath the surface, you should just walk away from the situation for a while and come back with a fresher perspective.

3. Slow Down and Process

Adrenaline is key in today’s society and we sometimes can’t help ourselves but get another shot of it to get us through the day. That means we always tend to run on high-energy, moving from one goal to another, even at the expense of our well-being or relationships. Try to slow down and find a different, more relaxed pace in your life. I promise you you’ll lose absolutely nothing. Instead, you will achieve the inner peace you covet so much and simply be happy.

4. Ask Questions Whenever You’re Unsure

Lots of anxiety typically builds up around uncertainty. This is why it’s best to just dive right into fuzzy situations and ask the questions you need to get clarity in your life. This will not only help you but will help other people as well to get a better feeling of what’s expected of them or what they can receive from you. 

5. Clean Your Workspace, Clean Your Mind

If you spend your day in a cluttered environment, you’ll find that your brain also gets foggy pretty quickly. We need space and cleanliness to function properly, so take the time to declutter your workspace or living room. You’ll become more relaxed, more mindful and more productive. Soon enough, you’ll want to have this positive emotion in other aspects of your life as well, so start simplifying and organizing your life.

6. Break Down Your Issues

Life is a beautiful, complex journey that’s often filled with challenges that can feel insurmountable. Whenever you are up against such an issue try to breathe in and zoom out. Will you still feel its impact in five years’ time? Are there people out there that are facing challenges greater than yours? How can I tackle the issue step by step? What’s the first thing I can do about it? What’s the worst thing that could happen if I don’t get the desired effect? By asking these questions, you can rid yourself of anxiety and get a clearer picture of what can be done.

7. Live and Let Be

This is one of the most powerful ways to achieve inner peace and happiness. Buddhists discovered a long time ago that acceptance represents the key to a positive mind and a more fulfilling life. Stop ruminating on what someone did, said or on something that happened to you. Stop feeding that endless loop, accept everything that’s going on and start creating new emotions instead. Allow yourself the opportunity to be more present in your life and more appreciative of it.

If your life so far has been an endless race and you don’t seem to catch a break, this is a clear indicator you need to find a new way of being. Take some time to introspect and ask yourself what’s an ideal version of yourself and what it would take for you to become that person. In the end, nothing else matters but for us to be in perfect alignment with what we need and want from life, while also respecting what our resources and natural gifts are.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Brighten your day with more than 1400 nice words from our list of positive words.

Is Inner Peace So Difficult to Achieve

How a Clean House Creates a Clean Mind: Top 5 Tips

When it comes to happiness, everyone always seems to recommend mindfulness, vacations and quality time spent together with your friends. But what happens when you come back to your home and you feel it’s burdening you, rather than freeing your mind? Or what happens when you want to engage in mindful thinking, but the clutter keeps blurring your mind? What is often disregarded when it comes to mental wellbeing is the positive effect that cleaning your house can have on it. Let’s look at a few ways in which you can benefit from maintaining a clean home:

1. Clean Mind Actually Helps Reduce Anxiety and Depression

Cortisol, the hormone stress, tends to decline naturally throughout the day, fencing off negative feelings and fighting off depression. However, by living every second in a cluttered environment, you can prevent this useful process from occurring in the body. This means you will most likely feel mentally clouded, anxious or maybe even guilty for always postponing cleaning. 

The only way to combat this is to take action and start breaking down chores into smaller chunks that you can immediately take care of. Get rid of the pile of clothes, clean out your desk and finish that laundry list. Trust me, the gratitude and satisfaction you’ll feel will make you want to pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

2. It Can Help You Eat Healthier

Think about it. If you walk into your kitchen and it’s spotless every time, you won’t consider eating something that’s unhealthy or just for comfort – they just don’t go hand in hand. You’ll want to go the extra mile and choose greener foods, maybe even eco-friendly ones and you’ll probably feel the need to cook these groceries in a way that promotes a healthy lifestyle and generates positive thinking. So declutter your counter, get rid of seldom used appliances and clean out your fridge. 

3. Clean Mind Will Help You Become More Productive

By keeping a clean home and integrating a more organized way of being into your lifestyle, you’ll have to do very little every day in order to maintain the cleanliness of your home. By putting your jacket in the coat rack instead of dropping it on the floor or by finding adequate space for a book instead of stacking it in an overcrowded shelf, you can avoid spending tremendous amounts of time restoring your home down the line. Apart from this, living in a spacious, clutter-free space will give your brain the freedom it needs for you to become a happy employee, with lots of vitality and desire to work.

4. Clean Mind Will Help You Sleep Better at Night

It’s already a tale as old as time that people who make their beds in the morning are more productive and happier throughout the day. By transforming this into a habit, those feelings will consolidate in your heart and will get you closer to your goal in the pursuit of happiness. So wash your bed linens and fluff your pillows. In addition to this, stay organized throughout the day, so when the night comes you’ll go to bed feeling rewarded and relaxed, instead of pressed and guilty. This will give you better-quality sleep which in turn will result in a better mood and being more creative. 

5. It Can Help Improve Your Relationships

We all know that a relationship is not a one-way street and oftentimes what we put into it is what we receive right back. So it’s only natural that if we put in our stressed selves in the game, the quality of our relationships will dwindle. So this is why cleaning your home pays off in more than one way. Additionally, if you live together with a spouse, disorganization can cost you a lot of the time you could be spending together with them. It’s all connected and once you start realizing this, your life will change for the better.

As you can see, these are only a few ways in which decluttering your home and maintaining it clean can help you have a fluff-free mind. This will add to your feeling more relaxed, productive and happier in your personal and professional life, as well as in relationship to the important people in your life.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Brighten your day with more than 1400 nice words from our list of positive words.

How a Clean House Creates a Clean Mind

How to Embrace Your Femininity and Exude Confidence

During these past decades, the world has seen a huge shift between the roles women play in society. Due to a lack of positive female role models, women have turned to male figures to inspire them in the way they lead their lives. This raised women that learned to be resilient, fighters and even aggressive in pursuing what they want. Although these traits are not faulty, per se, they started shadowing authentic feminine qualities like grace, gentleness, and empathy. 

Many women now feel like they’re trapped in a rat race where the ultimate goal is for them to come on top of the game. If you’ve felt this too in your life, you’ve probably also felt you can’t get a breather and or even attract the men you’d like in your life. This is why we’ve compiled a list of ways to help you embrace your innate femininity:

1. Get In Touch With Your Femininity For Yourself First

In today’s shaky dating world, lots of women tend to focus exclusively on what would better attract men. The women focus on what we need to change about ourselves to make these masculine figures like us. However, in this pursuit of validation, many of us tend to turn a blind eye to who we really are and what makes up happy. 

So instead of doing this, try thinking about yourself first and investigate what makes you feel feminine. It could be a quiet day all to yourself, a pampering session or an afternoon out with the girls. It can also mean that you get in touch with your emotions and let yourself feel more vulnerable from time to time. Discover what works for you and what ultimately brings you closer to that inner feminine energy you’ll learn to cherish.

2. Create a Space of Grace

Grace is such a vague concept – we don’t always know what it means to be graceful or where to start. If you think about it, all graceful women you’ve ever met have certain qualities that seem to be common for all of them. It can be a certain elegance about their body language or the way they speak. Or it can be an inner calm that exudes from within and fills their proximity with warmth and serenity. 

The key to experiencing these emotions as well is first of all to slow down. In the space that silence creates a lot of positive beliefs and positive vibes can come to life. Try practicing more empathy to the people around you, gratitude and self-love towards your own experience. Your inner landscape will change in no time and people will start to notice you’ve become more feminine and confident.

3. Remember That Femininity Means Strength

When I was growing up, I used to be more of a tomboy than a feminine person. And that’s mostly because the education I received taught me that I needed to be strong and resilient, that I need to face life’s challenges without even flinching. 

By working on my personal development, I gradually realized that it was okay to be vulnerable and that it doesn’t make you weak. It’s okay to understand that feelings are not just black and white, but a complex blend of nuanced emotions that don’t need to be defined. You can be just as strong if you allow yourself to be sad, overwhelmed or defeated. I would even add that by allowing yourself to process these emotions, you start moving away from masculine energy, and embarking on a process that benefits your health both immediately and in the long run.

4. Start Appreciating Your Body

It’s only natural that women have a tight and important relationship with our bodies. But as long as we don’t respect and relish our bodies, we can’t feel confident and grateful for them. With honesty, try looking in your life and see what actions you take that don’t come from a place of love for your body. 

For example, it could be that you’re eating junk food that doesn’t create sustenance for your body or that you have a poor sleeping schedule that doesn’t allow it to regenerate. Additionally, you can also use self-affirmations about your body that could make you start loving it more than you ever did. Remember, thoughts create reality.

If you want to get in touch with your femininity, simply start applying the tips from the list above and you’ll soon notice a difference in the way you perceive yourself. And since we are the ones who train the people around us how to be seen, as soon as you see yourself differently, others will too.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Brighten your day with more than 1400 nice words from our list of positive words.

How to Embrace Your Femininity and Exude Confidence

How Important Is For Mental Well-Being To Practice Sport

You’ve probably always had that one person in your life that keeps pushing you towards practicing sports, praising how well it would make you feel, both inside and outside. The media is also filled with advice such as this one – to the point where you just want to close the tab or shut down the TV. So you may feel like this is an empty cliche that die-hard athletes have come up with and that doesn’t really apply to regular people.

Well, this is one cliche that you shouldn’t ignore. It’s true, practicing some type of sport does not only help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it also help you consolidate positive emotions and cultivate mindful thinking. Let’s break it down and see how you can benefit if you start to regularly practice a sport:

1. Your Mood Improves Considerably

What comes as a surprise to sedentary people when they take up a sport is the immediate mood shift they notice. Sport is magical this way. In fact, any type of physical activity is – the brain starts releasing endorphins which in turn helps you feel more relaxed and happier. Your heart starts beating faster, the circulation improves and before you know it that two-hour basketball or jogging session relieves your mind of any residual anxiety and stress. On top of that, most types of physical activities are really fun, to begin with – you’ll be kept away from depression and you’ll want to pursue positive living

2. Your Sleep Quality Will Go Up

Has it ever happened to you to fall asleep easier after a rewarding workout or a sports game? As long as you don’t engage in physical activities too close to your bedtime, being so tired will only make you enjoy better, deeper sleep until the morning comes. This, in turn, will help your mind function better, will boost your creativity and will generally help you become more mindful and grateful in your day-to-day life.

3. You’ll Benefit From Extra Socialization

By taking up a team sport, you’ll not only get to have fun but also socialize more. You’ll need to come up with strategies together with your teammates, you’ll become more responsible by owning up to your mistakes and will learn to be more forgiving when the others have dropped the ball. Quite literally. A sports team is like a microcosmos that functions by following its own rules have a hierarchy and specific reward systems. Consider taking up soccer, volleyball, basketball or any other team sport and you’ll soon reconfigure your brain to become more confident, altruistic and positive

4. You’ll Become a More Confident Person

Competition is always built on goals and it’s at the core of any sport you can think of. Although it doesn’t require you to shed tears and blood, a sport will encourage you to set goals and motivate you to reach them. By setting these goals and pushing your limits, you become more powerful and confident in your own abilities. The best part about it is that confidence won’t remain on the court waiting for you to come back for another session, but it will follow you in every other aspect of your life as well. It will help you make better choices, reach the financial prosperity you’ve dreamed of and heave healthier relationships.

5. Your Concentration Will Improve

Most sports require you to make split-time decisions, not leaving you any time to ponder and take all factors into consideration. You need to jump quickly to catch that ball, you need to run as fast as you can to win the much-needed point and you need to decide where you’d like your shot to go in the opponent’s field. Your mind will gradually adapt to this fast-paced thinking rhythm and it will automatically become more focused. Ultimately the brain is a muscle and the more you work it, the more you can benefit from its strength throughout all areas of your life. Don’t forget – it’s been proven that sports can prevent the onset of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s or ADHD.

As you can see, there are a myriad of reasons why you should take up a sport if you care about your well-being. Pick one that suits you most in terms of technical experience, effort level and socializing needs and dive right into it. Be confident that things will start changing for the better, there’s no other way but up. You just need to have a bit of dedication and push through the initial discomfort.

About the Author

‘Claudia Spataru is a free spirit located in Bucharest, Romania and always in search of answers to life’s greatest questions. She loves to understand how people work, what makes them tick and find ways to help them reach higher grounds. She adores the sea, traveling and laughing.’

Brighten your day with more than 1400 nice words from our list of positive words.

How Important Is It for Your Mental Well being to Practice a Sport


Positive Words That Start With T – 300 Words To Get Motivated

Every day we need a portion of motivation. So today we are happy to present to you the list of positive words that start with T letter created with the help of our friends from write my essay service.

Longest list of positive words that start with T letter in alphabetical order

TA,   TA TA,   TACT,   TACTFUL,   TACTFULLY,   TA-DA,   TAILOR-MADE,   TAKE PRIDE,   TAKE SOME BEATING,   TAKE THE BISCUIT,   TAKE-CHARGE,   TALENT,   TALENTED,   TALENTS,   TALKATIVE,   TALLYHO,   TAN,   TANGIBLE,   TANGY,   TANTALIZE,   TANTALIZING,   TANTALIZINGLY,   TASTE,   TASTEFUL,   TASTEFULLY ,   TASTY,   TEACH ,   TEACHABLE,   TEACHER,   TEACHING,   TEAM ,   TEAMMATE ,   TEAMWORK,   TEEM ,   TEEMING,   TEMPEAN,   TEMPERATE,   TEMPT,   TEMPTING,   TEMPTINGLY,   TEMUL,   TENABLE,   TENACIOUS,   TENACIOUSLY,   TENACITY,   TENDER ,   TENDER-HEARTED,   TENDERLY,   TERRIFIC,   TERRIFICALLY ,   TESTAMENT,   TESTATOR,   TESTIMONIAL ,   TESTIMONY,   THANK ,   THANKFUL,   THANKFULLY ,   THANKFULNESS,   THANKS,   THANKSGIVING,   THANKWORTHY,   THANK-YOU,   THE BARE NECESSITIES,   THE ONE,   THE ULTIMATE,   THEATRICAL,   THERAPEUTIC,   THERAPEUTICALLY ,   THERAPY,   THERE,   THERE THERE,   THINK AHEAD,   THINKER,   THINNER,   THOROUGH,   THOROUGHBRED,   THOROUGHLY,   THOUGHTFUL,   THOUGHTFULLY,   THOUGHTFULNESS,   THRIFT,   THRIFTY,   THRILL,   THRILLED,   THRILLING,   THRILLINGLY,   THRILLS,   THRIVE,   THRIVING,   THRIVING RELATIONSHIP,   THUMBS-UP,   THUMB-UP,   TICKLE,   TICKLED,   TIDILY,   TIDSOPTIMIST,   TIDY ,   TIGHT ,   TIME,   TIME OPTIMIST,   TIME-HONORED,   TIME-HONOURED,   TIMELESS,   TIMELINESS,   TIMELY ,   TIMESAVER ,   TIME-SAVING,   TINGLE,   TINY,   TIPTOP ,   TIRELESS,   TIRELESSLY ,   TITANIC,   TITILLATE,   TITILLATING,   TITILLATINGLY,   TITLEHOLDER,   TO BE,   TO BE KNOWN,   TO BE SEEN,   TO LET GO,   TO MATTER,   TO THE MAX ,   TODAY,   TOGETHER ,   TOGETHERNESS,   TO-KNOW,   TOLERABLE,   TOLERANCE,   TOLERANT,   TOLERANTLY,   TOLL-FREE,   TO-MATTER,   TOO ,   TOODLES,   TOOTSIE,   TOP ,   TOP DOG,   TOP DRAWER,   TOP OF THE POPS/ CROPS /HOPS,   TOP-NOTCH,   TOP-QUALITY,   TOPS,   TOT,   TOTAL ,   TOTALLY ,   TOTALLY-TUBULAR,   TOUCH,   TOUCHÉ,   TOUCHED,   TOUCHING,   TOUCHINGLY ,   TOUGH,   TOUGHER,   TOUGHEST,   TOUT ,   TRACTION,   TRADITION,   TRADITIONAL,   TRAILBLAZER ,   TRAILBLAZING,   TRAIN ,   TRAINING,   TRANQUIL,   TRANQUILITY,   TRANQUILLITY ,   TRANQUILLY ,   TRANSCEND,   TRANSCENDENT ,   TRANSCENDENTAL,   TRANSCENDENTALLY,   TRANSFORM,   TRANSFORMATION,   TRANSFORMATIVE,   TRANSFORMING,   TRANSIENT ,   TRANSNORMAL,   TRANSPARENT,   TRANSPARENTLY ,   TRANSPICUOUS,   TRAVEL ,   TRAVELED,   TREASURE,   TREAT,   TREMENDOUS,   TREMENDOUSLY ,   TRENDY,   TRETIS,   TRIM ,   TRIUMPH ,   TRIUMPHAL,   TRIUMPHANT,   TRIUMPHANTLY,   TRIVIALLY,   TROPHY,   TROUBLE-FREE,   TRUE ,   TRUE LOVE,   TRUE-BLUE ,   TRULY ,   TRUMP,   TRUMPET,   TRUST ,   TRUSTED,   TRUSTEE,   TRUSTFUL,   TRUSTFULLY ,   TRUSTING,   TRUSTINGLY ,   TRUSTWORTHINESS,   TRUSTWORTHY,   TRUSTY ,   TRUTH ,   TRUTHFUL,   TRUTHFULLY,   TRUTHFULNESS,   TRY ,   TUBULAR,   TUITION ,   TUNE ,   TUNEFUL,   TURGENT,   TUTOR,   TWINKLY,   TYCOON ,   TYMPANIC

Are you also looking for positive words starting with other letters? Check out our amazing list with more than 6000 positive words and phrases: Positive Words That Start With Letters From A to Z

Positive words starting with letter T

Discover How Do Nightmares Make Writers More Creative

The image of a dark shadow following me like Dementors was chasing Harry Potter is still live in my mind. It is a nightmare I started having when I was about 13 and it keeps repeating every now and then. I always manage to run away from that shadow, but it never stops following me. It is a recurrent dream that is chasing me for over 15 years now.

But how do these bad dreams influence creativity? Every human on Earth is having nightmares, but do they have a special effect on writers or on their creativity level? Do these nightmares have a hidden meaning?

Let’s find out more about nightmares and if they make writers more creative.

What Are Nightmares?

Nightmares are those bad dreams which make you wake up during the night. And while the sensation of fear has invalidated your body, you wake up all sweat and disturbed by what you just saw in your dreams.

We experience more nightmares when we are children. Researchers from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine say that from 10 to 50 percent of children aged 5 to 12 years, experience disturbing nightmares that make them wake up their parents.

This means that the severity of their nightmares is high enough to disturb their parents.

As the time passes by, the frequency of the nightmares decreases. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that only two to eight percent of adults experience nightmares.

But, What Triggers Nightmares?

Scientists say that the nightmares experienced during adulthood have the same triggers as the ones from childhood. Such triggers could be:

  • Listening to scary stories
  • The death of a beloved one
  • Watching tv shows or horror movies
  • Having a stressful day at school or work

Whether these triggers are common for childhood and adulthood, there are also some that are specific to adulthood.

As we grow up, we gain more and more control over our behavior and cognitive functions. We have the power to control and keep them under control.

But when something bad happens, our ability to manage our behavior and thinking weakens.

Triggers such:

  • Bad eating habits – like having a midnight snack
  • Conflicts unresolved that we never stop thinking about
  • Unknown allergies
  • Depression
  • Trauma
  • Insomnia

can cause you to experience that night troubles.

What do we know about nightmares?

  1. We know that the nightmares are occurring in the REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep). This phase is unique in our sleep and makes it easy for nightmares to appear because of its characteristics. Our muscles relax, and our eyes move faster, creating the conditions to dream vividly.
  2. Although every one of us has his own opinions, issues and perspective, some themes are common to most adults. Running from someone who is chasing you and not having the power to escape or falling from a very high building are common themes among adults.
  3. If you are on medication, you may experience nightmares, depending on the addictive substances you are taking.

But, how can a writer be inspired by his or her nightmares?

We all know that inspiration does not come if you clap your hands. There are a lot of exercises to boost your creativity. Some of them may work, some not. I tried some and all I can say is that they are helpful.

A lot of writers ask for advice on how to boost their creativity, and all I can say is to dive deeper into your dreams.

I tried to remember all the details of my dreams, some of them being full of feelings and sensations that would make a great story.

My solution to the problem of keeping track of one’s dreams was to write them down on a dream journal. I noticed that after I wake up, I clearly see all the dream details.

And this is the best moment to write down what you have just dreamed.

As the time passes by, more and more details will get lost.

You will boost your creativity and you will have a great start for an awesome story. Your brain is working also during the night, so nightmares are one of the things that he is part of. And why not use your brain at its fullest?

Wait, is this possible? Do I really become more creative?

The answer is, yes. Have you ever wondered where the Frankenstein story came from? Or how was Edgar Allan Poe so inspired to write such horrific, yet awesome stories?

You might think that as a writer you barely have time to sleep because you often enter a writing frenzy state. Stephen King got the idea for his famous masterpiece Misery while flying to London and experiencing a nightmare.

You can also draw what you have just dreamed and get inspired like Robert L. Stevenson did for his The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novel.

There are so many writers who leveled up their creativity just by paying enough attention to what they experienced during the night. So yes, it is possible to become more creative if you listen to your brain during the night.

In fact, there are lots of studies which investigated the relationship between nightmares and creativity. One study conducted by Michelle Carr proved that during a word-association task, those who experienced nightmares scored significantly better than those who do not.

This means that it is a positive relationship between nightmares and creativity.

You might find yourself too troubled to form sentences and all you can do is to write down some ideas and memories. As a writer, you can always use the help of some nerdy writers or you can hire a writer online who can proofread your drafts.

As a writer, you can get lost through ideas. It is always helpful when a fresh and new perspective is used to improve your drafts. This is the moment when you can ask for help from a professional.

How Useful Are Nightmares to Writers?

After I over analyzed all the studies about nightmares and creativity, an idea popped up. How useful are nightmares for writers, actually? How can I, as a writer, maximize the potential my nightmares have?

Well, these are some tricky questions. But studies helped me clarify some aspects.

Empathya study from 2013 showed that people who experience nightmares frequently, also display mirror behaviors. They tend to be more aware of the people and surroundings.

And it is well-known that there is a positive relationship between empathy and creativity, although we do not know the exact relationship. Nightmares might determine you to write more vivid, fuller of life stories.

The recall rate is high – this might be due to the characteristics of nightmares. It is hardwired in our brain to remember more bad things than good things.

This is especially visible when taking into consideration nightmares. They can be a great source of inspiration for your next horror or thriller story.

I talked a lot about nightmares. What are they, what triggers do they have or how are nightmares and creativity linked.

But, how can you take advantage of nightmares, as a writer?

Oh well, nightmares inspire you. They make you more creative in ways you wouldn’t have known were possible. The truth is, our brain is working all the time. And just a few of the things it is noticing reach the consciousness level. You must take advantage of them.

Write down as many details you remember. Or, if you have some hidden talents, you can draw or paint. The thing is, while you will be working on remembering as many details as possible, your creativity level will increase.

Your brain will be exercising, and your imagination will be unleashed. So, what are you waiting for? Start that dream journal and begin creating the most vivid and gripping stories you have ever written.

About the Author

Tiffany Harper is an experienced writer from New York (USA) and an extremely active woman. She began her career as a journalist, now she works as a subject matter expert with university assignment help, best essay writing , custom research paper, makes researches for domywriting reviews, Paper Writing Pro Service, and My-Assignment.Help. Also, Tiffany works as a special mentor with master thesis writing service, best paper writing services, expert writers, Pro Papers review, mostly in wellness and healthy lifestyle area. She gets inspiration for writing from travels and meeting new people, feel free to contact her on Twitter.

Positive Words Research – Do Nightmares Make Writers More Creative?

Do Nightmares Make Writers More Creative

Best 9 Tips On How to Use Journaling for Mental Health

As teenagers, most of us kept diaries. We used to write what we were going through and then hide them somewhere safe. A diary was the only place we could confess our fears and struggles without being judged or punished by anyone.

It really felt good getting all of those thoughts and emotions out of your chest and down on paper. Everything seemed clearer after performing this exercise.

Most of us stopped using diaries when we reached adulthood. As an adult, you are faced with struggles on a daily basis which may result in stress, anxiety and depression. Journaling is as important today as it were during your teenage years.

In fact, it is much more important for you to start doing it now especially if you have children. If you are stressed or depressed, your children will definitely be affected.

Journaling helps you gain control of your emotions. It improves your mental health. Today, we are going to discuss how to journal for mental health. But first, let’s understand effective journaling and its benefits.

1. Effective Journaling Defined

Effective journaling is a practice that helps you achieve your goals or improve the quality of your life. Every person has different perspectives and expectations when it comes to journaling. However, the effects are always positive.

 Journaling helps in clearing the mind and making crucial connections between thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Mental illness is also reduced drastically. You might be asking yourself how a piece of paper and a pen can impact your mental health. It is surprising that such a simple practice does work. Especially for those people struggling with mental illness.

Journaling uses both the left brain and the right brain. It requires an individual to use the logical left side of the brain. While the lefts side is occupied, the right side which is normally the creative and emotional side is given the freedom to play and wonder. Journaling enhances and expands your creativity which makes a huge difference in your life.

2. Benefits of Journaling

Journaling or writing in an expressive way boosts the mood of individuals, enhances a sense of well-being, reduces the symptoms of depression before a crucial event such as an exam or job interview, reduces avoidance and intrusion symptoms and improves memory.

Journaling is really beneficial to those with a history of trauma or PTSD. Creative writing enhances mental health by guiding a person to face his or her inhibited feelings. It helps him or her analyze difficult or painful events and compose a clear narrative about his or her experience.

For those without traumatic experiences, writing is still beneficial to their mental health. Writing can make you aware of sneaky unhealthy thought patterns and behaviors before they take control of you. It helps in putting things in proper perspective. In fact, writing helps in shifting from a negative mindset to a positive one thus improving your self-esteem.

For journaling to impact your mental health positively, you need to have an appropriate method in place. Simply writing words on a page may feel wonderful at the moment but there is little proof that it will enhance your well-being and decrease your depression symptoms.

3. Journaling Effectively for Mental Health

The following tips will ensure your journaling or expressive writing is comprehensive and constructive thus beneficial to your mental health:

  • Write in a personalized space that has no distractions
  • Write at least three times in a day
  • After writing, give yourself enough time to reflect
  • If you are journaling to overcome trauma, you do not have to write about the traumatic event. Write what you are feeling at the moment.
  • Structure your writing the way you want.
  • Your journal is private. It belongs to you – not your therapist, spouse, family or friends. You can always discuss your experience with your therapist.

The Center of Journal Therapy has an effective journaling guideline that can help you improve your mental health. When you are journaling, keep in mind this simple acronym: WRITE

  • W – What are you writing about? Think of your thoughts and feelings and what is going on in your life right now. Think of your goals and what you are trying to avoid. Write it down on paper.
  • R – Reflect or review. Take a moment and be still. Breath calmly and focus. In this step, mindfulness or meditation is important. When writing, focus on the present moment with sentences such as “Today…”, “In this moment…” Start your sentences with “I” statements such as “I think…”, “I feel…”
  • I – Investigate your thoughts and emotions through writing. Just keep writing. If you feel you have written everything or your mind starts wandering, take a moment and reflect. Meditate. Or read what you have written and keep on writing.
  • T – Time yourself. Write for at least five minutes or whatever time your therapist has advised you. Write your start time and the projected end time at the top of your page. Set an alarm or timer.
  • E – Exit in a strategic way with introspection. Go through what you have written and take a moment to review and reflect. Sum up everything in one or two sentences. Start with statements like, “As I read this, I feel…”, “I am aware of…” If you have an action plan or a series of steps to follow, write them down.

4. The Science Behind Journaling or Expressive Writing

The outcomes of journal writing are evident across the world. Journaling is very effective in helping people identify and accept their thoughts and emotions, manage stress and reduce or eliminate the symptoms of mental illness.

It has been revealed that journaling affects physical well-being. Michael Grothaus, an avid writer and journalist notes that journaling strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, improves the quality of your sleep and keeps you healthier in general.

There are other benefits for people struggling with mental issues.

5. Journaling Can Help You Manage Depression

Journaling is an effective tool in helping a person manage his or her depressive symptoms. Keep in mind that journaling is not a substitute for professional help especially when depression is severe. However, it can be used together with various forms of therapy treatment.

Journal writing has proved to manage depression in the following ways:

  • Journal writing reduces depression symptoms in women who are struggling with the effects of intimate partner violence.
  • Writing a journal is as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy when it comes to reducing depression symptoms in adolescents.
  • In some cases, expressive writing may not decrease the frequency of intrusive thoughts in depressed people but it can moderate depressive symptoms hence reduce the symptoms.
  • Journaling can reduce brooding and rumination among college students. Brooding and rumination are the biggest factors of depressive symptoms.
  • Individuals diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder reported lower depression scores after only 3 days of journal writing, twenty minutes every day.

Journal writing gives them an avenue to release negative thoughts and emotions and create a positive state of mind which ultimately leads to a sense of well-being.

6. Journaling and Anxiety

Journaling is well-suited to help you deal with anxiety. It always has positive outcomes. Barbara Markway, a popular psychologist says that there is no better way to understand your thoughts and emotions than to write them down. To address any problem, you have to know what it is first. Journaling is tool that helps in identifying the problem and getting it out.

Expressive writing positively affects your anxiety through:

  • Clearing and calming the mind.
  • Releasing negative feelings and stress.
  • Releasing negative thoughts.
  • Enabling you to explore your experiences with anxiety.
  • Helping you understand your successes and struggles.
  • Enhancing self-awareness and understanding about your triggers.
  • Tracking the progress of your treatment.

Journaling has helped students suffering from anxiety by improving their engagement and enhancing meaning in the classroom.     

7. Journaling and Stress Management

Journaling is great tool for anyone who wants to manage his or her stress to prevent it from pushing him or her to anxiety and depression. Keeping a journal will help you understand your emotions, connect thoughts and experiences and release tension. Additionally, it can help you do away with sources of stress to reach your goals.

Journaling can help you manage stress through:

  • Improving the functions of your mind.
  • Decreasing or eliminating several health conditions.
  • Strengthening the immune system.
  • Proper planning through considering several possible outcomes of a situation.  
  • Decreasing rumination while enhancing action.

8. Journaling and Recovery

Journaling can help you heal fast regardless of the event, disorder or habit you are struggling with.

If you are struggling with the effects of trauma, expressive writing will enable you to see the good side of life. It can change your perspective and help you discover the advantages of the trauma you are experiencing which ultimately reduces severe symptoms that come with trauma.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, journal writing can be a source of your healing and recovery. Keeping a journal will help you stop avoiding issues and instead confront them head on.

If you are grappling with a psychiatric condition, expressive writing can help you understand your thoughts and stop worrying over them. This will ultimately free up your mind to cope with stress and manage your feelings.

One of the most traumatic events is the death of a loved one. Journaling can help you deal with this as well. Expressive writing will give you a chance to think about the loss and reduce severe symptoms that come with grief. This works even for children dealing with the loss of a loved one.

To fully recover, journaling is an important exercise because it allows you to write your thoughts, emotions and emotions. Doing this maintains and solidifies your identity. It gives you a chance to reflect on your experiences and rediscover yourself.

9. When You Have No Idea What to Write About

Some days, you will simply have no idea what to write about. You should not put your journal away if this is the case. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Describe an experience – Sometimes, all you can do to start writing is describing what you worked on today or what you thought about. You will definitely have more to say than you thought.
  • Affirmation – When you have run out of ideas and your self-esteem is low, write affirmations such as, “I like myself” or “I am a great writer.” After this exercise, you will find something to write about and at the same time, boost your confidence and enhance your well-being.
  • Gratitude – Writing with gratitude works like magic. Write about the people and everything in your life that you are grateful for. Gratitude will help you get ideas to write on and enhance your well-being.
  • Self-Analysis – Ask yourself deep questions such as “Who am I?”, “What did I do right today?” and “What will I do differently next time?” Once you answer these questions, ideas will start flowing in your mind.

Conclusion

Journaling has many positive outcomes for everyone. However, it has its negative side such as dragging up memories that you forgot, overwhelming emotions and pushing you into introspectiveness. The good news is that its benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

Journaling can help you manage stress, anxiety and depression. It is a tool that can improve your mental health. And you do not need to be a terrific writer to write down your thoughts and emotions. If you need help to process all your thoughts and emotions that can arise from journaling, try speaking to a licensed therapist.

Remember, your journal is private. Keep it somewhere safe after use. And write every single day.    

About the Author

Tiffany Harper is an experienced writer from New York (USA) and an extremely active woman. She began her career as a journalist, now she works as a consultant with professional essay writers, essay writing service uk, UK Assignment Holic, makes researches for rush essay, Essay Mama writing service, and UK Assignment Holic. Also, Tiffany works as a special mentor with RushMyEssay, BestEssay, boom essays reviews, AustralianWritings, mostly in wellness and healthy lifestyle area. She gets inspiration for writing from travels and meeting new people, feel free to contact her on Twitter.

Positive Words Research – How to Use Journaling for Mental Health

How to Use Journaling for Mental Health

Language Courses Are The Best Option For Your Development

We live in a global village where we can travel to any part of the world in a couple of hours. Being bilingual allows you to break social barriers and makes traveling easy. You can study through a website that provides online language classes. Apart from the obvious value, you get when exploring new destinations, you acquire amazing cognitive abilities and professional advancements. Let us have a look at the advantages of learning a foreign language.

Improves Memory

We all need a good working memory. People who speak more than one language exercise their brains more than monolingual individuals do. To learn something new, you have to practice often to perfect your skill.

You have to speak more and be observant to cues and body language. This eventually enhances your memory. If you are a student, you will be able to perform better in school. For employed individuals, say goodbye to being forgetful at work.

Enhances Creativity

How beautiful would it be to say something in different ways? Everyone regardless of their profession can get a benefit from being able to present their ideas in different languages.

You may try out new phrases, words and expressions. By doing this, you get to improve your problem solving and divergent thinking skills.

Appreciation For Different Cultures

Do you find it hard to interact with people from other cultures? Either you are afraid you might say something offensive or find it hard to communicate. Whatever it is, you can fix it by being bilingual.

Being aware of the practices and customs of other cultures makes interaction easy. It brings about cultural appreciation.

Improve Multitasking

The ability to switch from one tongue to another is one of the reasons why you should learn a second language. It takes practice to be able to speak more than one language with a high level of fluency.

If you are bilingual, then multitasking comes easy for you. You have a better working memory, which directly influences your attention span. In this case, you get to handle multiple tasks at once without losing your focus.

Advance Your Mother Tongue

Everyone has a mother tongue. It can be Spanish, French, English, etc. An interesting fact is that the more you improve your fluency in a new language you boost your mother tongue.

It takes time and practice to perfect your dialect. Set aside time to read and practice with your friends. For your assignment, you can delegate someone to help you. For a legit resource, try write my essay online. While you get assistance, use that time to work on how to write new phrases.

In the end, you have become articulate in multiple in different dialects without neglecting your own.

Expands Career Opportunities

To get a competitive job, it is important to have qualities or skills that make you stand out from the rest. Having a degree or a diploma is great, but you require something extra.

Being multilingual presents new, interesting opportunities. Having the ability to speak different dialects is an expression of your intelligence and communication skills.

You Become Interesting

No one wants to interact with a boring individual. By virtue of being bilingual, you have a huge list of topics to discuss with other people.

It can be something you learn in college or the beauty of other cultures. Whatever it may be, you cannot run out of engaging ideas to share with other people.

Boost your self-confidence

If you have a problem with self-assurance, it is time you register for a language class. You will learn that there is nothing like a “stupid” question. This slowly helps conquer your fear of what other people might think about you.

The more you ask questions, your fear of communication slowly disappears. With time, you will notice how easy it is to do tasks you thought were complicated or difficult. You can get rid of your inhibitions and enjoy taking that essay writing class or poetry.

Enjoy Art

Words get lost in translation. Not only writing material but also any form of art is not the same once it revised for a global market. The beauty of art is enjoying it in its original form.

If you love art, then this is one of the benefits of learning a new dialect. Watching foreign media is enjoyable when you do not have to use subtitles. Some of those subtitles are awful and can make content dull. A wrong translation can make you have a low opinion of a film when in actual sense it is utter brilliance.

Spend Money Wisely

Most tourist sites you visit will require you to pay as local or foreigner. This can be anywhere like Australia or South Africa. If you know how to speak a foreign dialect, you can negotiate for a cheaper rate or service.

You do not have to be a target everywhere you travel be it during the day or at night. If you can speak their local language, you will find it easy to blend in and enjoy your visit. Scammers usually target tourists. By communicating in their dialect, you can avoid such con artists and stay safe.

Conclusion

If you were trying to figure out the advantages of being bilingual, there you have it. Great reasons why you should start dusting off your Spanish or French book right now. 

You can learn any dialect you want. It all starts with believing in yourself. The rest will work out as long as you have the desire and are committed to seeing it through.

Positive Words Research – That’s Why Language Courses Are The Best Option For Your Development

Language Courses