Clouds

Apply 9 Secret Techniques To Improve Mindfulness Now

20222020 by Positive Words Research

One of the things you should master in your life is a couple of techniques to improve mindfulness. These techniques need to be personalized on your body and lifestyle. This is why at first you need to practice what others are doing to be more mindful and practice these techniques to improve mindfulness. In this way, you will check what best suits you. We all have different bodies, different minds.

We live in different countries and stay in various weather conditions. Also, each of us is of different age, some are young and others are a little bit elder. Therefore practicing various techniques to improve mindfulness will eventually help you discover your own secrets.

Techniques to improve mindfulness have become almost a need these days. Psychologists divide your desires into wants and needs. And they say needs are just survival necessities like food, shelter, sleep, air, water, etc.

But now there are more and more psychologists who consider also a need the level of balance of the mind and the emotional state. There are so many scientific studies that prove the significant impact that the mind and emotions have on the health of the body. A mind and an emotional state that is balanced not only make us feel good but also improves our health.

Getting Started With Mindfulness

The technique to improve mindfulness is a state of being attentive and heedful. It is related to be careful. Being careful of yourself, of others, and of life in general. It is a state of gentleness towards your own mind. Mindfulness is the practice of giving complete and non-judgmental attention to one’s present experience and it is used as a stress-reduction technique.

Apply the bellow 9 techniques to improve mindfulness and see which one best suits you. Also make sure to personalize for your own lifestyle each technique.

9 Secret Techniques To Improve Mindfulness

1. Practice Self-Love

Self-love is a form of being kind to yourself. For this technique to work you need to discover how to be kind to yourself but also how to harm your mind as little as possible. We think that harming is relating only to the body but with the technological advancements another behavior has sprung up: harming of the mind. Even when you meditate (and you will see at point 4 below) gentleness is essential in meditating correctly.

2. Nature Time

Nature time is such bliss. We think we need to climb mountains and go to the sea or in a deep forest to have time with nature. But in fact, the constant little moments that we spend connecting with nature matter the most. When you pass near a blossomed tree do you stop to touch the flowers of the tree branches? When you go in a park do you ever touch the trunks of the trees? Do you stop and look at the sky every day?

Do you do all these small opportunities to connect with nature on the run? Meaning you look very fast at the blossomed tree but don’t touch it because you do not have time. You only walk on cement when you go in the park, never go near a tree trunk to connect with it. You look down most of the time as you walk on the street, never stopping to look up at the sky for 2-3 minutes.

All these small missed opportunities of connecting with nature leave marks on your mind. Try to include such small nature time moments in your daily routine.

3. Breathe Deeply

Breathing deeply is such a hack for decreasing anxiety. Many times we breathe as if we are afraid to breathe. I remember reading somewhere that you have to breathe as if life was breathing you, not as if you were breathing life. That is, when you take the air out of your lungs, think that life is actually putting air into its lungs. And when you breathe air in the lungs, in fact, life takes the air out of her lungs. It is the other way around.

When you breathe air out, try to think you are generous because you give air to the lungs of life. When you breathe air in, try to think life is generous with you because it gives you air out from its lungs.

4. Meditate to Improve Mindfulenss

There are different forms of meditation. Find one that best suits you. I remember reading that in Bali, I think, there is a meditation called the simplest meditation. I think I read it in the book Eat, Pray, Love. The simplest meditation is to sit down (it doesn’t say in what position, it doesn’t matter), smile, and be silent. And it also says to mentally scan every organ in your body with that smile. It is said that if you practice this meditation constantly, it is the only form of meditation you need.

In any way, you do meditation “gentleness” is the keyword. I overheard a monk talk one day. This monk, who I believe is recognized as the happiest monk in the world, said that there is a significant difference in the practice of meditation when the word “gentleness” is used or not by the master who teaches the disciple.

That is the disciples to whom the master showed them how to meditate if he did not use the word “gentle” do not have good results no matter how much they meditate. On the contrary, the disciples whose master showed them how to meditate and used the word “gentle” – that is, whatever they would do in meditation to do it in a gentle way, with gentleness – have the best results.

The Dalai Lama also says that the best form of meditation is sleep. And he’s not kidding. That’s right. Make sure your sleep is restful every night.

5. Mindful Eating

We eat in a rush. We eat food just to eat and not to be hungry anymore. At lunch, we eat in a hurry because we need to get back fast to our job routines. Then we gain weight and our stomach hurts. This is not the way to eat.

Eating is something that we do so many times and for such a long period of time, all our life. If you are not mindful relating to eating then it will have a huge impact on every aspect of your life. Even in our sleep. You know it and we all know it. Eating impacts sleep quality. Therefore you need to develop some mindful eating skills. Not perfect. But efficient.

6. Do Journaling Every Day

Six lines of journaling every day. This is all it takes to significantly improve your life. You can journal about anything that is happening in your life right now. Any thought you have just put them down.

Make an agreement with your mind that when you write in the journal you have the freedom to write any type of thought, positive or negative. Any thought, even one that scares you. Give yourself the freedom to write it on paper. In this way, you will increase your creativity and your mind will feel free.

Free to think whatever it wants, without fear of punishment. Many times we punish our mind because it thinks of a certain negative thought. But the mind is just a receiving device that receives thoughts. All you have to do is change the channel, change your vibration, and your mind will simply receive other thoughts. This will for sure improve mindfulness.

7. Practice Presence

Presence is noticing. Noticing is related to the art of appreciation. In the art of appreciation, one looks at what is presented in front of him and starts noticing details. Then he verbalizes what he sees as a small list, appreciating details. Verbalising what you see, either with your voice or in your mind gives you presence.

I remember reading in a book about Buddhism that a master is testing you to see if you noticed details from the reality in which you are walking. This is done randomly during the day. The master approaches you, taking you by surprise, and asks you: Did you see the umbrella at the door when you entered? In what position was she seated? There may not have been an umbrella at the door.

Or maybe it was. Did you saw it? Why weren’t you careful? Such a master in Buddhism helps you practice your attention, your ability to be present. So can you do with yourself, be your own master. And you can do that even on the positive side of life. Did you see the beautiful sky that was outside when you went shopping? What was the shape of the clouds?

9. Relax and Let Go

This is such a huge challenge at present. We find ourselves unable to relax, unable to let go. I have a rule, after 10 o’clock I put out … my mind … and my efforts. I think that if the sun went down then the day is over and even though I still have so much to do, today is over. Tomorrow will be a new day. I do not prolong the day more than it is extended by the system of day and night. If night came, the day passed, whether I wanted to or not. This is one of the important techniques to improve mindfulness.

Same on Friday. On Friday I shut down, I stop my mind taking care of my job. I had Mondays when I actually couldn’t remember where I remained with the work on Friday. That’s why I take notes. I make lists and write down my thoughts. To read them on Monday morning and to realize clearly where I stayed.

I write down my thoughts on paper. Why? To get them out of my mind. To give space for my mind to relax. It’s an incredible technique to focus on. Take out the thought, the brilliant idea, your new project, the shopping items, those things that you must remember and not forget. Take them out of your mind and put them on paper. This is a very good mind relaxation technique while working during the entire day.

These were the 9 techniques to improve mindfulness. If you know more, please include a comment below. Thanks.

Looking Through Rose Colored Glasses Can Change Your Life

20222019 by Positive Words Research

Did you ever wake up in the morning and everything seemed black, gray, and sad? It was pouring rain and your head was throbbing. On the way out to work, you spilled your coffee on the scrubs you had prepared for a change and perfectly ironed the night before. You got stuck in a massive traffic jam, and your boss was quite upset at the time you showed up to work… It was one of those mornings.

Don’t let this all affect your mood! Remember the small trick of digging into your pocket, pulling out your rose-tinted glasses, putting them on, and suddenly the world will be sunny, your brain will be clear, and the stain on your shirt will not matter. Can this really be?

What are Rose-Tinted Glasses?

Rose-tinted glasses are not a physical tangible thing; rather, they are a symbol of a state of mind. It is a change in the outlook of how you view the world. You always have the power to view things in two ways; positive or negative. Rose-tinted glasses mean only looking at the positive side of things.

How Do They Work?

The psychological path of your brain is one of the strongest paths in a human. It can even dominate physical feelings! So all you have to do it put yourself into this positive thinking mode. Which literally means looking at every situation and finding the positive. Once your brain views and thinks of the positive, you will start believing the positivity of your situation, and then feel positive – which will turn your day from black to yellow.

Note: You can still feel pain and sadness wearing rose-colored glasses, but it will be from a different perspective, and you won’t feel that you’re suffering as much. Look at this simple math:

Pain + rose-colored glasses = Less pain

Pain – rose-colored glasses = More Pain, more stress, more anxiety, etc.

Putting This Into Practice

Let us start with the following scenario:

You woke up and everything seems black and dreary. How can you make this day more positive?

How about realizing it’s just a few clouds blocking the sunshine. Imagine – beyond the clouds is a whole beautiful sky that you will be able to view as soon as the clouds pass! Doesn’t that make the gray morning sky better?

How do you turn a rainy day awesome, you ask? Think positive. What will the world be without rain? If you go down that road you will realize quite fast how you want it to pour!

Coffee spills are no big deal once you put on the glasses! Think about the blessings of being able to hold and drink a coffee. There are many people out there who lost their arms and are on feeding tubes!

Did the boss yell at you? Think “this too shall pass” while your boss lets out all his steam. Keep quiet and keep on repeating in your mind that “this will pass…this will pass.” It will calm you down as he lets out his frustration on you. Later that day, once he calmed down, you can explain to your boss the reason you came late. I have no doubt that he will assure you it was ok you came late and understand.

An Exercise on How to Acquire Rose Colored Glasses:

Since this is a mindset, you will have to practice installing this “program” into your brain.

Take paper and divide it into two. On the left side write down 10 “bad” things that happened to you in the past week. On the left side think of how you can look at the “bad” in a positive light. Do this often at first. You will see that the first time will be tough. You will have to use your imagination, or you might even need an unbiased outsider to help you find the positive – but I can assure you that as time goes on, things will get simpler.

I would suggest you wear a “be positive” reminder for the beginning. Put on a pink bracelet or watch to serve as a cue to start being positive. You can also put some motivational sticky notes near your work desk, bed, and on the fridge.

To conclude, changing a mindset is tough work, but doing so will change your life from dark black and gray to bright pink and yellow! And always remember: Whether you think you can or you think you can’t; either way, you will be right!

Bio:

Paul Priceman is a passionate male nurse advocate both in his personal life and professionally. Priceman works tirelessly works to promote male nurses in the US and worldwide. He is also involved in researching and writing about various different fascinating and intriguing healthcare-related topics. In his spare time, he enjoys skiing in the winter, swimming in the summer, and daydreaming all year round.

Positive Words Research – How Looking At The World Through Rose-Colored Glasses Can Change Your Life

Best 5 Ways To Ease Depression With Writing And Relax

20222018 by Positive Words Research

According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression and anxiety disorders are included in the list of most common mental illness affecting about 40 million adults aging 18 years old and above in the US alone.

This condition is highly treatable but only 36.9% of sufferers receive treatment. Not just in the US but also in many countries all over the world, millions are suffering from depression. There might be countless medications and techniques to cope up but writing is still considered one ideal way to ease depression without resorting to costly pills and techniques.

Even professional writers have their own stories to tell. Carrie Fisher, F. Scott Fitzgerald, JK Rowling, Winston Churchill and Sylvia Path they actually have one trait they all share and that is a severe mental issue. They are sufferers of depression but despite their black clouds and demons, they become successful authors. Writing has become one of the ways they used to ease depression.

If these professional writers can battle depression, you can too. Writing helps ease depression in many ways.

The following are 5 helpful ways to ease depression with writing.

1. Writing Makes Positive Feelings Come to Life

Writing can creatively help you externalize your own feelings and as a result, making it more real. Whether writing fictional stories or writing a journal, parts of your emotions or feelings somehow come out in the forms of contents.

If you got the chance to look back on all those words you have written, you may better understand your feelings. Writing, therefore, sparks insights for better understanding. Another good thing about writing is that along the process, the emotions or feelings that you have been bottling up can be released and this would make you feel lighter and better.

2. Writing Gives You an Escape

When you are writing, you are able to obtain a temporary escape from problems and pressures that depress you. You also enjoy the freedom to write whatever you want to say or express. Through writing, you are also able to create a bridge between your emotions and thoughts.

If you feel like you start to lose control in your life, the fact that your writing is all yours and no one can tell how you should do it can help you feel good. Escape from problems is helpful for depression sufferers and this provides an oasis in times of stress or times that a person is toggling between anxiety and sadness.

3. Writing Reduce Pain and Improves Health

According to some research, writing does not only help ease depression but it also helps reduce pain and improve health. As you write, your blood pressure lowers and this actually has added benefit to keep you calm.

Your depression and physical manifestations are somehow related. During your free time, you can write or read articles on how depression can impact the body. If writing is really your passion, you can get inspiration from professional writers who have become famous despite depression.

4. Writing Provides Sense of Order

It can be therapeutic and this provides a sense of order on ways you perform or do things every day. Also, writing ease depression because this allows you to find patterns in your reactions, thoughts, and feelings. This is also an excellent way of uncovering distortions in your thought patterns. Writing and keeping a journal can also assist you in identifying the flow of your depression.

5. Writing Also Acts as a Tool for Therapy

If you write regularly, you can find out somehow that you are no longer the only one who wants to read your words. The moment you wanted to share your words or writing to others, you’re definitely on your way to healing. Many individuals who attend therapy for anxiety and depression realize that by sharing stories with their therapist, they are able to share their emotions while having silent witnesses as parts of their special journey.

If you find it hard to deal with depression, realize that there are lots of possible things that you can do to cope. Writing is one of them. It can bring your feelings and emotions to the surface. If your worries and thoughts start swirling around, put your pen on the paper. This can ease your depression, cut down the chaos and help make things more manageable for you.

Writing also empowers you since this is something that can help you feel better and help you recognize the good things around. Therefore, you can take advantage and help yourself heal and feel better. Depression is highly treatable and writing can be one of the best parts of your treatment. Take time to think of good things to write and allow yourself to free your emotions while writing. This can help you feel a lot better.

Author’s Bio

Julia Sanderson is creative writer and blogger from New York. She loves traveling and discovering new things every day. Julia has 2 kids.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

Positive Words Research – 5 Ways To Ease Depression With Writing

Harnessing the Power of Words: 8 Inspiring Affirmations

20222017 by Positive Words Research

I love words! I love reading words. I love writing words. I love studying words. I love words by themselves when they make funny sounds like, “plop,” “sizzle,” or “catamaran.” But what I love about words the most is that they can describe ideas that are bigger than what I am able to perceive in my 3-dimensional reality – harnessing the power of words.

I can read words to describe the things I CAN see, but can’t explain, like gravity or photosynthesis. And there are the words that describe things I CAN’T see like quantum physics, God, and the meaning of life. Words can also describe something I may never see in this 3D reality. I may never see a flying unicorn pooping rainbows in the clouds, but there are words to create that image, as I just did. Therefore, in my mind, the unicorn exists.

And there lies my fascination with words: endless possibilities

In the world of words, anything can happen. From the tiniest who in Whoville to the ever-expanding infinite source of all-that-is, and everything in between, all can be explained with words. (Except for the “ineffable.”) And so for the last few years, I was absorbed in a world of words.

Reading, writing, and listening to words all day, I got lost in the world of ideas and stories. Some stories were so inspiring that I beat myself up for not being “that hero” myself. Other stories were just so fun to imagine, I lost touch with reality. Either way, I lived in my head, and neglected the “real world.” I forgot there is life outside of words. I forgot I had a body, and I gained a novel’s worth of weight. I finally realized it was time to reclaim my life in “reality”.

So, I dragged my sedentary butt to a yoga studio

I didn’t realize how far I had let my body fall off the radar, but I was stiff and creaky. I begrudged all the things my body couldn’t do in class. Then one day I had a teacher who spoke my language. She instructed us on how to do the “tree” pose. We faced a window that overlooked a pond, and we were guided to pick a tree to gaze at.

“Be the tree,” she said, as we stood on one foot. There was something romantic about the idea of becoming the tree, and I felt like I had made a long-lost connection with an old friend. I was a tree, and the tree was me. And like photosynthesis, I transformed that idea into energy.

In another session, the instructor was trying to get us to pull our shoulders back, but instead of saying pull your “shoulders back,” she said, “squeeze your wing-blades.” My heart instantly took flight. Shoulder blades are shoulder blades, but unicorn wings, (or angel wings) are magical! I had never thought of my body as magical before.

Suddenly, being aware of my body was fun!

I imagined myself flying over hill and vale suspended by my “wing” blades. There was something heroic in that image. It instantly reminded me of riding my bike as a kid, when I pretended I was riding a horse through a sun-kissed savannah. And here I was as an adult on my hands and knees envisioning myself as a unicorn. Eventually, I learned to play with other ideas inspired by poses, such as warrior and happy baby.

What I learned is that the thing about words, is they are just the “carrier of meaning.” They are not the thing itself. As Alan Watts said, “the menu is not the meal.” You can’t drink the word, “coffee.” But you can use the word “coffee” to order a cup of coffee that you CAN drink. And if you are at certain coffee shops, you can even order a unicorn coffee drink.

And then I remembered reading various spiritual texts that talked about speaking words to create things into existence. Both the Bible and Vedic texts have phrases that say, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God (Brahman), and the word was God (Brahman).” And of course, Genesis states, “God SAID let there be light.”

Through speech, the word became flesh

And that is how I realized a fun way to use words to embody a magical life. So here is a way that I’ve been playing with words to speak the reality I want to live in my existence.

Pick some powerful words that you want to feel, and speak them. Let your body be the bookmark. Overlay the sparkly feeling of the word you want to embody in everything you do. Speak the words, and feel the meaning in your body. Here are some examples:

“Shake it off.” shake off feelings of resentment, self-doubt, or any other bugger. Literally, shake your body and envision yourself sloughing off that old skin.

“Jump for joy!”

Literally, jump, and feel the joy. Speak the word, jump, and feel the joy!

“Reach for the stars”

This reminds me of the closing statement of Casey Kasem, but stretch your arms to the sky and imagine reaching for the stars. What star do you want to pull from the sky? Put a power word in the star, and put it in your pocket. It will always be there.

“Grow / Expand”

Take a deep breath and envision your lungs as well as your awareness growing and expanding. Let your awareness expand beyond your body as you fill your lungs with everything around you, including the breath of trees and the gas of stars.

“Leap to new heights”

Take the leap… take some leaps in your house, and envision the thing you want in life that you are leaping towards.

“Love” Love yourself

How do you love yourself? Treat yourself to a sensory experience. Love the tea you drink. Love the bath. The power of touch has been proven to release oxytocin and create a sense of calm. Try gently brushing your fingers on the inside of your forearms, and send love to yourself. Feel the tingly sensations. It is love.

“Tall and Light (and light)”

These are the words I use to correct my posture. I imagine myself tall like a tree grounded in the earth, and light like a feather suspended from heaven. The point is to sense the “space” — that quantum airiness— between the vertebra and stand tall. Do not be weighted by gravity, but light on feet. Be confident and also be a light in the darkness. Be a beacon of light.

“Be a pineapple”

I had to throw this in for my daughter who loves pineapples: The saying goes, “Stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside.” All that metaphorical goodness contained in a tropical fruit!

And my favorite: “Sparkle!”

In everything I do, I try to imagine “sparkle.” Sometimes I incorporate into my breathing exercise envisioning sparkly light filling up my body with glitter. Sometimes I look for “sparkle” when I wash dishes and the sunlight catches the suds and sparkles. Be the sparkle, or find the sparkle. But if you focus on sparkle, find a way to embody or discover sparkliness in your life.

The opportunities to link fun words and images into your day-to-day living will give you a fresh new way to live in your world. (And help keep your mind from wandering into the bad neighborhoods of self-doubt and negativity.) You can use the words to imbue magic with everything you do. What other fun words can you speak into existence?

Author’s Bio

Kari Erkkila is a recovering perfectionist who loves to play with words and art. Positive Words have become a favorite tool for exploring how language can be used to create a joyful life and a better world. Follow her journey on Instagram (Stink Big and Skurlfriend), or join the Facebook group, Stink Big!, a community for people who THINK big thoughts about being creative, but have been too afraid of “stinking.”

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

Milestone Of Positive Words Research After 4 Years of Age

20222017 by Positive Words Research

Dear Readers,

It’s been a wonderful journey so far, but I couldn’t have done it without you, my loyal readers.

Happy Magic Blissful Wonderful Lovely Joyful Awesome Easter to everybody!

Let me share with you the story of…

Positive Words Research After 4 Years

I am Elena Daniela Calin, 34 years old currently. I started to research positive words in 2012. A lot of things in my life led me to do this. Like Steve Jobs said: You can not connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect the dots looking backward.

So in 2012 I was researching the words GRATITUDE and APPRECIATE, not appreciation… appreciate! I was writing the family of words for these 2 words.. on paper. I got bored eventually 🙂 I realized it was a lot of work to research all these positive words. In 2013 I decided to make a blog in WordPress and call it Positive Words Research because this is what I thought I was doing… I was researching positive words.

After posting some things about positive words, I decided to make a list. I was adding one by one the words in the list because I wanted to include them in my vocabulary first. Then something truly MAGIC happened. People all around the planet started commenting on the list and sharing more positive words to add to the list.

In time the list becomes the best list of positive words in the world. Since 2013 until now the website PositiveWordsResearch.com had more than 14 million views. In December 2016 plus January 2017 had more than 2,5 million views.

In time I translated the list of positive words in more languages, including Spanish, Italian, German etc.

I also made the first and single list of positive words in Romanian, my native language. The people from my country are so happy about this and they finally can embrace positive thinking because positive words are the secret to “easily crack” positive thinking and now they have it.

Two days ago I held the first course of positive words in my country and most probably in the entire world. 14 people came to that course. Everyone liked it, they were phenomenally amazed.

I have so many wonderful plans for positive words in the next years to come. When I started this project in 2013 the positive words on the internet were approximately none. Now, after more than 4 years, when you put positive words or beautiful words in google there are so many pictures with words and their explanation, lots of clouds with positive words, lots of articles written by so many websites about the extraordinary power of positive words. I am happy, I am grateful. I see my dream, in reality, it has come to fruition.