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

Best 7 Positive Habits That Will Change Your Life Quality

Every single one of us is and always will be searching for the secret that will reveal to us how to live a healthy, happy and fulfilled life. A life that is worth living. But not many of us will discover this secret in their lifetime, and that is simply because there is not only one universal secret.

Instead, everyone is supposed to find out what is making them happy, healthy and fulfilled on their own. We all are individuals living and working to accomplish different tasks and aims that make us happy with who we are.

Well, although we cannot reveal this secret for you, we can offer you something else. Something that is bound to make you happy, healthy and more fulfilled. In the following article, we will share 7 positive habits that you should adopt if you are interested in improving the quality of your life, which you are going to find here.

The 7 positive habits that will improve the quality of your life

1. Think positive

We are all surrounded by our negative thoughts. We are thinking that we do not have what it takes to change or take on bigger things to surround ourselves in our days to come. Negative thoughts are exactly what has been making us unhappy. We can never live a happy, fulfilled life if we keep on surrounding ourselves with this kind of thoughts.

So go on and change that. Make a habit to surround yourself and your dearest only with positive thoughts. Only positive thinking will give you the strength to change your life quality and make it better. And you have to start by believing in yourself and not making yourself smaller in the eyes of the others around you.

 2. Do not hit the snooze button

Forget that the snooze button even exists and start getting up in the morning at the exact time that you set the night before. Support the decision that you have made the night before and get out of bed as soon as you hear that sound that your alarm clock makes.

Surely you have made the plan to get up at a certain time so that you would have enough time to complete all the tasks that require your attention before you leave for work. So do exactly that. Get up from the bed, stretch your muscles and start your day right.

3. Forget about skipping breakfast

Breakfast might as well be the most important meal of the day. When prepared properly, it gives your body all of the energy that it needs to jump-start the day. Will keep you energized enough to feel great from the beginning to the end of the day. A proper, quality breakfast usually consists of lots of fibers, vitamins, minerals, and proteins.

From easy to prepare for a bit more time consuming, you can find all sorts of recipes online. Use them to give you an opportunity to prepare a delicious meal to start your day. And what should follow after you are done eating breakfast? How about a quick meditation session to gain all of the health benefits of meditation?

4. Meditate in the mornings

Meditation is a powerful technique that will bring a lot of health benefits into your life. It will give the chance to feel happier with who you are. Make a habit for yourself to practice a quick session of 15 minutes of meditation in the morning after you are done having your breakfast.

Meditation has been proven to have far too many beneficial effects. This includes lower stress levels, increased metabolism, increased happiness and self-awareness, improved concentration. It even reduces the speed of the aging process among many other beneficial effects.

5. Drinking enough water

Water is the one drink that you should never skip. Eight glasses of water are what your body craves to go through the day hydrated and healthy. Yet not many people respect this given rule. Create a habit of drinking enough water and keeping your body and mind refreshed and alerted with this delicious and inexpensive drink.

Perhaps you can add a few lemon and cucumber slices to your water or even a cinnamon stick to improve its taste if you are not a fan of the plain taste. The important thing is for you to use the health benefits of drinking water on a daily basis.

6. Take a quality moment for yourself

Remember that, no matter how busy you may be, you have to take some time off for yourself. It might be to take a long, relaxing shower, or to drink a cup of tea alone in some peace. Or it can be to kick back and listen to your favorite songs.

Moreover, it is essential that this activity makes you happy and that will bring a smile to your face. Taking at least 15 minutes out of 24 hours just for yourself is possible. You have to figure out the right schedule that will allow you to do so.

7. Get enough sleep

Yes, sitting in front of the TV, drinking wine and eating your favorite snacks is one of the perfect ways to finish a busy day. However, this is also one of the many things that leave us with not enough sleep night after night.

Taking some of the best sleep aid supplements is welcomed, however, what will help you the most is giving your body and mind a break. Spend at least 7 to 8 hours getting quality sleep. Only that way, you will wake up with a smile on your face and no need to push the snooze button ever again.

Conclusion

You cannot change your life or yourself all at once. But what you can do is take on a new, positive habit every once in a while. Do it until you have successfully gotten rid of all those negative habits that might be the reason why you are feeling unhappy with who you are. That is why, in today’s article, you can find 7 of the best positive habits that you can use to improve the quality of your life.

These habits might seem as pretty simple but do not get fooled. All these habits are quite powerful and able to make a significant change in your life. You have to be willing to adopt them and feel the changes for yourself.

Author ~ Margaux Diaz

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 – 7 Positive Habits That Will Change Your Life Quality

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5 Good Reasons to Start Your Day with Morning Meditation

Meditation is one of the most delightful ways to start our mornings with. Don’t get me wrong, doing this activity anytime during the day can be beneficial for both our mental and physical health, but mornings have a special vibe to them!  Breathing in, breathing out, and letting ourselves go with the flow is just easier in the mornings, right after our good night’s sleep.

There are a lot of people who include meditation in their morning routines, which I personally find it smart to do. You don’t really need more than five to ten minutes to meditate if you really focus on your thinking. Get rid of distractions and just be yourself, alone, with your thoughts.

So why mornings? Whenever we wake up, we feel powerful and determined to begin our day, don’t we? Pressing stop on that ‘strength’ and letting our feelings flow will release the pressure of ‘having to go through the day.’ If we meditate in the morning and truly understand what is that we desire from ourselves during the day, the pressure of ‘being good enough’ will go away. We are going to be thankful for the opportunity to live, and no more. Isn’t this a great way to begin our day? Take a look at the following reasons to start your day meditating and give it a try, will you?

1. No distractions

Mornings are known for their quietness and stillness. When we wake up, the world around us seems to be so static, so motionless. It’s like we stopped time, and we are alone on our little planet. That is why meditation during this time of the day is so beneficial.

Our minds and bodies are going to respond to the stillness, and together they will create the perfect environment for our meditation. That happens neither at lunch nor in the evening. During the day, everything moves so quickly, most of the times leaving no room for us to focus on our own thoughts.

2. Choose spiritual over material

So many people believe that drinking a cup of coffee in the morning and having a good breakfast will keep them going through the day. While it might be true for some, my experience has taught me the opposite. If I do not think about myself in the morning, when will I do it? Coffee, food, TV shows… they are all just material things which lack relevance if our minds are not doing well.

For me, developing spiritually little by little every day brings me lots of benefits, while “developing materialistically” would probably keep me at the same spiritual level. As a writer at writing service, I can’t stop developing spiritually – I need to stay in “spiritual” shape for my clients, who need me all the time. Interacting with people every second of the day can be overwhelming, that is why I need to concentrate on myself in the morning. Help yourself so you can help others, right?

3. Meditation means better focus

As you already know, you will focus as much as possible on your thoughts during the sessions. This creates a very good habit for the future. While the hustle and bustle of the city doesn’t seem to be affecting us, it subconsciously makes us lose concentration and focus on our actions.

If you want to stay focused throughout your day, meditation is your best friend. Practicing it will develop new skills for you, and will teach you many interesting life coping techniques.  Just take a deep breath, and explore your mind.

4. No more useless stress

I am pretty sure I am not the only one in here stressing over life. We have so many things in our mind all the time that sometimes, the glass just becomes full. That is when we know we need to take a break, or quit our job, or just enjoy endless relaxation. Unfortunately, this is not how life works. While some of you are able to leave your offices whenever you want to, for us the best things don’t look so bright. That is why we need to find a balance in our lives in order to fully enjoy it.

Through meditating I found the balance I needed in my life, and I am very happy I chose it. Meditating each morning made me understand that stressing over different matters won’t change anything. Taking a deep breath and finding solutions will. Meditation clears your mind and opens new perspectives. It clarifies the meaning of life and defines problems as easily solvable. Don’t even get me started on how I have no more headaches thanks to this awesome practice!

5. Increasing awareness

I could spend days talking on this subject. There are just so many things out there to discover, and few humans choose to search for them. I know, it’s easier to stay in our comfort zones and relax, but how are we evolving if we are not seeking new answers? Self-awareness increases confidence, motivation, and understanding of the world itself. This makes us aware of all the decisions we take, therefore raising satisfaction.

More awareness means more consciousness about your life, and more consciousness means better decisions!

Wrapping-Up

Try to incorporate meditation into your morning routine. Wake up 10 minutes earlier than usual and start working on your spirituality. Drink a good coffee after, and think about the reasons you are doing this – aren’t they clearer now? Keeping both mentally and physically healthy is going to bring numerous advantages for you. So enjoy this wonderful and unique experience, and lose the overwhelming feeling of stress!

Author’s Bio

Justin is a teacher from Leicester, UK. When not teaching his little students and rooting for Leicester FC, he loves to share his thoughts and opinions about education and self-improvement with other people on different blogs and forums.You could follow Justin on Facebook and Twitter.

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.

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5 Simple Ways to Stop Negative Thinking and Be Happy

Where would you prefer to take your mind to? A beautiful zen garden or the worst-case scenario of your life? Of course, you’d prefer the zen garden. Then why is your mind constantly spinning bad scenarios around?

I’m not skilled enough for this job. I’m too exhausted to try. I’m not flexible enough for a yoga class. I don’t have the skill of making friends. I’m no good.

Did you recognize your thinking patterns somewhere in those statements? If that was the case, then you’re guilty of a serious crime: negative thinking. This habit undermines your chances for success in anything you start. It inhibits personal growth and makes you unhappy. You need to act as soon as possible!

The good news is that you can stop this habit. We’ll list 5 simple ways that will help you change the pattern.

1. Mindfulness: Identify the Negative Thinking

Before you can stop a negative thought, you need to catch it. Becoming conscious about every single thought that crosses your mind is the first part of the remedy.

Brian Redford, a team leader from EssayOnTime, shares his experience: “I thought mindfulness was just a cliché. I kept hearing about it, but no one explained it in depth. I did something I never expected to do: I took an online course on mindfulness and it helped me understand the concept. I realized something interesting: I’d always been a negative thinker and I didn’t even know it. Once I started observing my thoughts and actions, I was able to distinguish right from wrong and navigate my own thoughts in the right direction.”

Negative self-talk, jealousy, anger, resentment, pride… those are the negative thoughts and feelings you need to identify. Then, you can act towards improvement.

2. When You Identify a Negative Thought, Change It With a Positive One

This is a weird trick, but it works. Let’s say you catch this thought crossing your mind: “My hair is a disaster today. It makes me feel so unconfident.” That’s a banal thought, but it can really ruin your day.

You can change it with: “I don’t like how my hair looks. It’s time for a new cut and good products.” With this thought, you’re not lying to yourself. You’re not saying “Oh, my hair looks so beautiful” when it doesn’t. You’re confirming the fact, but you’re shifting it with a positive thought that makes you feel good. Suddenly, you get excited about the hairdresser appointment and the products you’re going to buy.

When you turn this practice into a habit, you’ll change the overall negative thinking patterns of your mind.

3. Don’t Stop Them. Let Them Go!

Suppressing negative thoughts and emotions can lead to a disaster. In fact, you need those negative thoughts because they warn you when something is not going well. You have to stop them from going too far, but it’s not okay to suppress them for good.

For example, let’s say you start thinking negative things about your partner. You’re jealous, unhappy, and overly-criticizing. That tells you something is wrong with the relationship. You need to work on the aspects that don’t work… or put an end on something that’s not working at all. If you keep suppressing those thoughts and convincing yourself that you’re fine and no one else could love you – now that’s real negative thinking.

When you recognize the negative thoughts, observe them without analyzing them. It’s a technique known as detachment. Sit and meditate. Do not cause any thoughts on purpose and do not stop the ones that appear. Don’t get attached to any thought. It’s like observing a river that flows. This technique helps you let go. It leaves you with a sense of understanding. You’ll realize where it’s all coming from and you’ll know how to act. It takes time and practice before you master it, but you’ll get there.

4. Stop Rushing through Life. Start Appreciating Everything!

What’s the best remedy against negative thinking? Positive thinking. The answer is so simple, it’s a wonder how we’re not doing the obvious thing to do. Whenever you’re feeling so bad that you can’t find any positive thought in your mind, it’s time to stop and look around.

Do not rush through your daily responsibilities thinking that’s the way to get your mind out of the bad stuff. Take a deep breath. Look at a tree, a familiar face, a favorite item in your home… appreciate everything! When you build this kind of immunity against negative states of being, you won’t let the bad thoughts drive you through a downward spiral. Stop, breathe, and remind yourself of the good things you have.

5. Stop Imposing Expectations on Yourself

When others expect too much of you, you’re under a huge pressure. If you don’t meet those expectations, you feel you disappointed them. There’s something even worse: imposing your own expectations. When you constantly strive for perfect results, you’re never happy.

These are the thoughts that ruin your mood: “I am so lame. How could I do this? Why can’t I be better? Why can’t I be like him/her? Why do I mess up everything?

Do yourself a favor and stop that! Yes, goals are good. You should always set goals. However, you shouldn’t be a perfectionist. Do not blame yourself for the mistakes you make; learn from them. Every failure is a lesson that can make you a better achiever in future.

Here’s another cliché for you: don’t focus on the destination so much that you lose the joy of the journey. When you appreciate the journey, every single lesson counts. It makes you grow. That’s a positive thought that can push you forward!

Brenda

Brenda Savoie is a life coach, private English tutor, and desperate dreamer. Writing her first romantic novel. Seeking contentment through mindfulness. Check her last article “Who Invented Homework?and Why?

Find her on Twitter and Facebook

Positive Words Research – 5 Simple Ways to Stop Negative Thinking

Best 10 Simple Ways to Improve Cognitive Function Now

Have you ever met a person who was perceived as intelligent at school and later on didn’t excel in life? Have you also met someone who was perceived as stupid or ordinary in school but later on excelled in life and was then perceived as intelligent? That goes to show that intelligence is not a stagnant given. You can be born genetically smart and end up not so smart if you do not nurture this inborn capacity.

Cognition is the process wherein a person acquires knowledge and understanding through experience, sense, or thought. The situation previously mentioned tells how this process can be efficient at a given time and how cognition might slow down later in life. It is imperative for us that if we want to have a long life that equals its good quality, we must continually maintain and improve the way we think. This is also the reason why people from different areas and cultures have different learning abilities, retention, skills, dexterity, attention span, motor skills, language, and comprehension. The way we think differs because of several factors. No matter how incredible you think during your high school years or today, there will come a day when you will struggle a bit and find that your brain does not have the same efficiency. The good news to this problem and cultural difference is that wherever you are and no matter what culture you believe in, there are simple ways for you to improve the quality of your life by improving cognition.

1. Exercise to Improve Cognitive Function

Did you ever think the exercise was for the body and reading was for the mind? There is some truth in that but there is also a missing fact in that statement. We should acknowledge that the brain is part of the body and will benefit from exercise. When you exercise, you allow the body to distribute oxygen to the brain. Each of our cells needs oxygen to function and to defend itself from possible pathogens. In fact, cells with more oxygen are able to defend themselves from pathogens. This becomes possible with regular exercise. We don’t mean the extreme types of exercise. We understand this will sort of make you go crazy especially if you are not a fan of the exercise. Simple aerobics will do. Start stretching during day one. Most people make really huge goals with exercise.

Make your goals short-term and focused within the week or three days. And begin again when the three days end. Start with simple stretching, jogging, or cardio for 5 to 10 minutes. This is a forgiving routine so you have no excuse not to do it. 5 minutes is almost nothing but if you are able to do it for three days, you will feel reinforced to do it for a week, and if you are able to consistently do it at least for 5 minutes per day in a week, it gets easier. This tiny tweak can lead to big changes both in your body and in your mind.

2. Indulge in Fun Games

Whether it is board games, card games or puzzles, or even playing Candy Crush or Monopoly, games help you develop the part of your brain that focuses on strategy. Chess and checkers are also excellent games for it. Games help the brain rewire itself and literally learn something new. Puzzles help the brain learn new patterns, strategies, and tap that part of the brain that even teaches you about manipulation. The game Cry Wolf is an excellent example of a game that teaches you about manipulation. The word manipulation might sound like a negative word but if you think about it, most of the business world requires some sort of manipulative skills to get the best out of a negotiation. So if you are a little bored on the train or on the way home, have a game ready. It will boost the odds in your favor.

3. Ask

Asking is perhaps one of the last things you would consider when trying to develop your cognition. But let’s face it, when your boss gives you a task, most people do not ask for the specifics and even blindly let negotiations or things fall into their place without their full knowledge just because they didn’t ask. One of the main characteristics of an intelligent person is not only glibness and knowledge but curiosity and the extent to which he goes through to answer his curiosity. Children learn because of curiosity.

4. Take mind-enhancing food and supplements

Since your brain is a part of the body, in fact, one of the most vital parts of your body that must be healthy, it is imperative that you pay attention to its nutrition. Eat brain-boosting foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon and take fish oil in case salmon isn’t available. Taking Longjack or Maca Root can also help your brain adapt to stressful situations and function more efficiently since these foods help normalize neurotransmitters, helping you focus more and even have more energy to do so.

5. Learn a language

You’ve probably heard this before but there is a huge reason why learning a language does not only make you sound savvy and sophisticated, it actually makes you more intelligent. Speaking multiple languages helps improve your attention span, memory capabilities, decision-making, and helps the brain get used to multitasking, because why not? A language is a task to learn and being able to speak more than one language is a cerebral way of multitasking. So get that Langenscheidt off that bookstore and start reading it. Who knows? It might land you a job in the city of Paris or make your trip to Germany a fruitful one because you can speak their language.

6. Play an instrument

Have you ever had a crush on someone who played the guitar or violin really well? That someone could have been you if you knew how to play an instrument. Playing a song that you like in an instrument that you find interesting helps you release stress, regulate depression, and lower cortisol levels. Picking up a new skill such as playing a guitar, piano, or flute helps give you both the emotional and intellectual benefit of improving your memory skills and attention span. It also taps into your artistic side making both sides of the brain active.

7. Sleep to Improve Cognitive Function

It is a no-brainer that sleep is a vital thing that you need to do to simply let your brain recharge and ensure that it will continue to work well. That common knowledge isn’t enough for most people and they go on to keep themselves awake for unreasonable hours. Some people try to cheat sleep by taking stimulants that work for a while but damage the body in the long term. Forget the status quo that tells you to sleep less and work more. You can do that but if you want to make sure you have better health, a sound mind, and body, take this advice and get enough sleep. It will allow you to be more efficient at work and have less stress in dealing with people at work and in your family.

8. Meet people

When you were young, you were perhaps told that friendliness is a good thing. It still is. As long as you keep your good judgment in choosing friends and people and the places where you meet them, networking will always be a great way to learn from people and get new ideas. Be guarded but be inquisitive and consider people as gold mines. Of course, you must also have a sense of doubt but learn anyway, and if possible, learn from the role models that you want to become. If you find that there is a gathering of entrepreneurs or writers or a group of people whose careers of expertise are something that you find interesting, go ahead and meet people, make new friends, network. One of them could be a potential client or mentor. Choose them correctly and use your judgment well.

9. Get a pet

Having a pet nurtures the emotional part of our brain. Pets help us nurture our sense of caring and help reduce anxiety levels. Going outside to walk your pets also gives you the benefit of exercise that comes with jogging. Plus, it is known in psychology that people who bring pets with them are perceived to be more attractive than they really are because it makes them appear more nurturing and more attractive. So not only does it give your brain the satisfaction of emotional fulfillment, it actually gives you the benefit of looking more attractive.

10. Meditation and Laughter

Do you ever notice that one of the most prevailing qualities and activities of people who are incredibly happy is meditation and laughter? There is a saying that goes “Laughter is the best medicine.” You cannot go wrong with happiness. Scientifically, laughter stimulates endorphins that make your body feel good and even strengthen your immune system. Laughter, come to think of it, even stimulates blood circulation, which makes it good for the brain, apart from its ability to lower cortisol and stress. Mix it up with meditation, and you get the focus and mindfulness you need for whatever task you have. Try meditating for 5 minutes. The reason why we recommend 5 minutes instead of 30 minutes is because you can always do 30 minutes after you’ve transcended the 5 minute time frame. The key is consistency. So watch that funny movie or joke with friends and meditate for 5 minutes.

Cognition is a mental and sensory process. But if you improve your cognition, not only will you improve your mental process, you will also improve the quality of your life. These tips are not too hard to follow. If you notice, most of these are just times at 5 minutes. So apply these tweaks because these tiny changes can lead to great improvement.

Positive Words Research – 10 Simple Ways to Improve Cognitive Function

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