Daily Inspiration

Category: Mental Health

  • Live in the NOW

    By Leigha Randolph

    Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

    Are we taking time to ENJOY life? I mean, do we really have time to stop and smell the flowers? It seems like we are always in a rush to do the next thing and get it over with so we can do the next thing and so on. Before we know it, we are at the end of our life regretting not taking more time for ourselves to enjoy it.

    I believe that anxiety is a root cause for the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. In addition to anxiety, messages from all avenues leak into our brains saying things such as, “We will sleep when we’re dead.” We have convinced ourselves that we are “lazy” if we aren’t working, cleaning the house compulsively, or taking care of our children’s every need. This mindset leaves us anxious, exhausted, and burnt-out.

    This was my mindset for longest time and something that I had to change for myself. I found myself running ragged trying to juggle all of the things. I put my children in a million different activities. As a result, my face was completely broken out, my kids were overwhelmed, and I felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack at any moment.

    My breaking point was my son. When he was five, he was extremely anxious. I noticed that the more anxious I was, the more anxious he became. When I was calmer, he became calmer. It was like a ripple effect. I knew that this was no way for us to live a joyful and peaceful life. It was up to me to change things.

    During the same time of my breaking point, I was working towards my master’s degree in counseling. Ironically, I discovered the concept of Mindfulness and how it fuels peace. I instantly implemented it into my daily living and it transformed my life.

    Mindfulness is living entirely in the present moment without judgement. It is focusing your complete attention on what is directly in front of you and around you. It gives your brain an opportunity to become calm and completely present.

    Life became more rewarding after I started implementing Mindfulness. I became more peaceful and my son did too. I began to prioritize important tasks and pruned the tasks that didn’t matter. I made time for rest and time to be outside with nature.

    As you can see, Mindfulness is rewarding and something to consider if you want to live a peaceful and meaningful life. Mindfulness is the ultimate anxiety crusher. It is my wish for you to stop and smell the flowers today and every single day after.

    Love and Light,

    Leigha

  • Negative Nelly

    by Leigha Randolph

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    Why are we all Negative Nellies? What happened to make us all negative beings in our culture and world today?

    The truth is, we were born this way.

    When we were born, we were gifted by our parents with an evolutionary trait called, “Negativity Bias.” This gift was essential to our ancestors survival. It was necessary for their brains to be wired to prioritize potential threats and negative information over positive information to prevent them from getting eaten by a tiger in the wild.

    Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about getting eaten by a tiger as we walk around the world today. Today, our tigers come in different forms. These tigers can come in the form of encountering passive aggressive emails and stumbling across rude humans.

    Neuroplasticity grants us the opportunity to transform our brains from thinking like a negative Nelly to a positive Polly. Just the conscious awareness that we are born with a negative bias is beneficial in altering our mindset. After we make the conscious decision for ourselves to think more positively, we must act accordingly when the tigers show up.

    Firstly, take three deep breaths by inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Secondly, list three things in the moment that you are grateful for. Thirdly, reflect upon the tiger and determine if it’s truly dangerous. Lastly, proceed with peace.

    Choosing to be a Positive Polly takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I promise that the joy and peace you will experience by choosing to have a positive mindset will make the challenging work completely worth it!

    From one positive Polly to another, I wish you peace and joy during your walk in the wild.

    Love and Light,

    Leigha

  • Birthday Parties

    by Leigha Randolph

    Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

    Make a WISH! I wish that I could throw the most AMAZING birthday party for my child this year.

    Is it just me or are birthday parties a way bigger deal than they use to be? I mean if I am not dropping tons of cash on a one-of-a-kind birthday party for my child, I am a complete failure as a parent. Why is this trending? What transpired in our culture to make us feel this way?

    I believe that easy access to social media platforms amplifies the stressors for planning a perfect party for our children. The reality is…there is no perfect party! In fact, we can spend tons of cash, have the most over-the-top Pinterest party, and it could still result in a total flop.

    The pressures that place upon ourselves as parents in planning a birthday party is completely unnecessary. We must ask ourselves the following before throwing the party. Is our goal to make our child feel special on their birthday, or is our goal to impress others? If the latter is the answer, I can guarantee that you will feel overwhelmed in planning the party and your child will too.

    As a parent of an eleven and nine-year-old, I learned through rich experience how to make my children feel special while throwing an easy breezy birthday party.

    A month before my child’s birthday, I ask myself the following questions…

    Firstly, what is my goal this year for my child’s birthday?

    Secondly, what brings my child joy at this current age?

    Thirdly, how can I share in the joy with my child on their birthday?

    Lastly, how can I make my child feel truly special opposed to the center of everyone’s universe.

    After I find the answers to these questions, I am able to plan accordingly. This simple act has turned my chaos into peace at my children’s parties, and they have been the greatest birthday parties yet.

    My wish for you is to experience joy and peace at your child’s birthday this year. Best wishes and blessings to another year of life!

    Love and Light,

    Leigha

  • Anxiety in the Body

    by Leigha Randolph

    Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

    Anxiety is trending in children, teenagers, and adults rapidly like wildfire. With the increase in our use of technology and easy access to media, our anxiety continues to increase. As a school counselor, I have noticed that students often visit my office when doctors and nurses are unable to find anything medically wrong with them.

    As someone that has struggled with anxiety myself, I quickly learned these signs and symptoms at a young age. Anxiety can include flu-like symptoms involving stomachache, headache, muscle pain, nausea, and fatigue. I remember feeling these symptoms on test days, peer disputes, family arguments, and various other life events.

    Strategies that I share with my own children and the children that I service are the following. Firstly, breathing techniques including inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. Secondly, movement including walking, running, or dancing. Thirdly, music including Binaural Beats and calming songs such as songs by Bob Marley or other various artists. Lastly, encouraging them to talk to a trusted adult or friend. The simple act of talking about the thing that is making the child anxious can completely release it altogether.

    If anxiety becomes overwhelmingly too much for a child to bear, I highly recommend making an appointment with a mental health professional and your child’s family physician. An additional resource that you might find helpful in reading is, “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt. This book shares the latest research on anxiety pertaining to our youth and healthy neurodevelopment.

    Living with anxiety is like living in a constant state of fight or flight. Thankfully, we have many resources at our fingers that can help us transform our anxiety into peace.

    Love and Light,

    Leigha