Happiness Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Happiness Is a Journey Today

Happiness is empowered. And it’s a journey…

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. – Alfred D. Souza

Happiness can start with whole wheat beignets. — Dreamy healthy baked whole wheat beignets. ☁️ Recipe below.

On this Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French), I’m remembering my past visit to New Orleans around Mardi Gras celebrations. And these days I’m celebrating how I live life so differently. And in one big way, is how I view happiness. You too?

And one smaller way is how I eat and bake healthy… as proof, here are some healthy whole wheat beignets with a light dusting of powdered sugar compared to those heavy-handed sugar days.

But since those trying earlier years, I’ve come to know that happiness comes from a different deeper lens in the thoughts today. And happiness is in your ability to control, changing arising and spinning dysfunctional ego mind thoughts from the past.

In the daily moments, happiness is searching for and magnifying past happy experiences. For me, that’s recalling birthday parties and cakes. And I have even more photos as evidence (but I’ll spare you those this time). 😉

And the happy, good memories are not usually what the mind actually serve up in the messy thoughts that a busy day can bring. That’s anything but happiness. So for happiness, it’s good to be mindful of these specific thoughts:

Past thoughts. Consciously be aware of re-framing the bad memories and negative repeated tapes that interruptingly come up in the day. And these thoughts crowd out the happy ones. So it’s often necessary to rewrite your present thoughts of the past so you can keep them in the past…

Because your today’s happiness depends on that…

And your happiness depends on what version of thoughts you want to magnify today.

The mind often likes to serve up what we didn’t get that others got. And in those past dysfunctional areas dwelling in the present, keeps us playing small in our lives. Even decades later.

Like, I remember a few daily childhood situations where I wasn’t put first by others. Because that’s what the brain does in the present moment. The brain doesn’t pull up memories like all the years of having celebrational cake for birthdays and throwing fun birthday parties.

So to better get out of that fast (think fast!), we can either think of better past memories. Or we can focus on the present… And in this moment…well, I’m writing but you’re doing what you’re doing. So having a good standby conscious thought ready to replace the bad thoughts is what you want.

And that’s why as a reminder, gratitude is so important. Because you can always be thankful and replace negative thoughts with appreciation, and that can be the maze out of the fuzzy mind on any given day.

Or putting love on yourself: “I am loved.” That’s a post-it note worth keeping around! 💌

Remember to focus on what helps you out completely, not what soothes the same hurts time and time again like a band-aid.

Heal the hurt and then rewrite what is served up. Healing is found in the re-write thoughts and not the re-living of the same past storyline that happened many decades ago. You already suffered once from the situation, which was more than enough.

And today, it’s not physically hurting you unless you allow your thoughts to keep going there in the same way.

Present thoughts. In this moment and today, you can apply wisdom knowing what’s up vs. what’s down (right or wrong as best you know). And every day there’s an opportunity for wrong to creep in.

So it’s good to be objective. See the what-is truth behind your thoughts and operate from that perspective… Not what it could be or what you think it could be. And you’re NOT the bad person for saying “no!” Think the opposite. You’re the foolish person saying “yes” to something you don’t agree with out of guilt or feeling selfish. The ego brain loves that beating up yourself-stuff.

And always saying yes or letting guilty feelings take over are costing happiness, unproductive time, and emotional energy.

If you think you’re being selfish, that’s all twisted information anyway because when you’re *really* acting selfish, you don’t give another thought to it!

And there are other areas that go under the radar where we did act selfish without us having a conscience. So then we know our brains aren’t always helping us!

…So don’t buy into every thought you have.

…Stop the madness! Go with your gut-feeling thoughts and check in with your heart that guides in whispers. Is what you’re thinking and feeling, loving? … and to you?

And that again takes knowing what your right and wrongs are, so you do have to noodle them out some.

Sometimes noodling takes up mind space or sleep, but they’re worth the short time because you don’t want to be caught deer in the headlights without knowing your thoughts and how to respond in certain life situations. So you save time in the long-run.

You do want your boundaries honored, especially with others.

Others will try to cross over your boundaries. And don’t let that bother you. We’re all imperfect (and some of us try more than others). All you can count on is yourself.

For others who cause ripples, love the person but hate the action that they’re responsible for. And give tougher love more often when needed. If someone in your daily life today is not carrying their weight or responsibility, then let their actions catch up with their words.

And more importantly, don’t be part of their actions and antics. That would just be okay-ing their dysfunctions and now yours. 🤨

And for the future thoughts… Uncertainty is certain for everyone, so be happy today.

Worry is optional. Use worry to prepare and write out potential answers and solutions. Noodle out. And then forget about it.

Other than that, worry produces nothing.

And anxiety is the same. …I get it. I’m a Vata. The anxious symptoms are not something you can control the onset of. And you try to manage best each time in life’s sticky situations and triggers. But use those opportunities to rewrite how you handle your anxious symptoms.

We first developed anxiety and panic in our childhood pasts where we first felt anxieties about out of our control situations (like 90% of the time). And if not careful they become wound thoughts.

And if you’re primarily a Pitta, you’re not off the hook either 😊…maybe you deal with anger issues still; and Kaphas, hang onto clinging issues.

And since we have earth, wind, and fire in us (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), we can express any of those counterproductive ways at any time.

So don’t let your ego think you have it better or worse than anyone else. Rewrite those “better than others” thoughts as practice. That’s another sour ego mind trick.

Our happiness is in our wisdom (and maybe knowledge applied from above). It’s in what we do today in our thoughts and redesign how we want to think and be.

And if you want to operate in more daily wisdom, I can’t think of a better source than seeking Biblical wisdom (like that in Psalms/Proverbs and in the New Testament). If you weren’t taught along the way like so many of us, you have this resource that is reliable and relevant.

And even better, develop the fruits of the spirit that include kindness, goodness, patience, self-control, peace, joy, and love. And love yourself first. That could be your guiding mantra this week 💚💛💜

Did you know you could listen to these snack blog posts in usually under 10 minutes?

Easy Healthy Baked Beignets

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, new orleans

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

whole wheat flour
milk of choice
neutral oil
instant yeast
pinch of salt
powdered sugar

Instructions

Mix ingredients.
Form baking dough (more like bread than cake)
Bake until golden to deep brown.
Let cool and dust a little powdered sugar on tops.

Grow Self-Awareness For Your Happiness (Part 2 of 2)

Grow self-awareness to “believe in yourself” never grows old. That mantra can change your entire day and how you feel about yourself… and still be you, but better!

Be you and believe in yourself are good daily self-awareness mantras. — Be You and Believe in Yourself! 🪞And love yourself with chocolate heart cookies. A health conscious sweet cookie recipe below… 🧡

A few weeks ago, I published Part 1 (of this 2-part series) on using yoga meditation as a way to develop and grow self-awareness for your happiness. And the one thing yoga and your happiness have in common is self-love.

Think about this, you are loving on yourself when you’re focused inward (and in yoga pretzel bends 🥨).

…So first and foremost, love yourself first.

And if that’s what you’re doing, then that love energy radiates and carries over to the (and your) world that needs more light.

And know that the opposite of love is fear. (It’s not hate that can be usually what we’re constantly upset about).

And by knowing this, we can do something about it as we grow self-awareness.

Our ego is built-into our brain construction that serves up internal obscure thought messages to us every day in a “lizard brain” protection way. Triggers turn into threats in the subconscious ego mind and thrives in our dark area where self-love is missing.

So to grow, we want to bring back love to restore.

Ego fear shows up first in our thoughts, so we have a chance then to shut it down, walk away, change our thoughts, and replace with loving thoughts that grow self-awareness and our happiness.

And if anyone you know thinks they’re not affected, then their ego is definitely playing them every day.

As silly as it can sound to our ego minds, telling yourself and believing “I am loved” (or substitute with your fave loving mantra to build yourself up) will eventually kick out the ugly ego imposter ways.

And then you have a concrete go-to way that helps the next time. And you count on that there will be a next time whether it’s later in the day, week, or a few weeks away.

And if this ego idea is newer to you, think of ego as fear and how you feel when you’re scared in some way. Similarly, an unhealthy amount of ego shows up from time to time from some situational trigger, memory, or enemy forces (where ego stands for Edging God Out if you’re spiritual).

And know that ego fear is disguised on a platter to you in your subconscious thoughts, behaviors, and decisions. More serious is when it shows up in you, and that affects others in your actions if the thought is allowed to grow.

So, do yourself good…

Healthy Love yourself more… and stop the ego fear madness!

When you bring out the accumulated baggage in self-awareness that you’ve been carrying around already too long, let it go, and magnify self-love, then you’re on your merry way to personal happiness.

I wrote a special Valentine’s Day personal happiness article on self-love (the most important love relationship you can have, and that’s no hype!)… so, enjoy and I’ll leave you here with some tasty chocolate biscuits 🍪 for your own sweet inspo.

chocolate almond heart cookies recipe. Print Recipe

Chocolate Almond Hearts

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 egg, room temperature
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup substitute)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder (use 70% or higher dark cocoa for added antioxidants and nutrients)
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Mix dry and wet ingredients together.
Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
Roll out cookie dough. Add bench flour as needed.
Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes.
Let cool and then dip in melted chocolate. Refrigerate.

Pursuit of Happiness In You

Pursuit of happiness is inside you.

Are you in the pursuit of happiness? Chickpea pie (like the one baked in love above) makes me hap-pea. And happiness is for a moment that’s different than meaningful joy.

This is a life area I think many people these days are redefining as their expectations for happiness fell short at least in the past few years.

And they don’t know what to do to change that as an undercurrent running in their minds as external situations are getting tougher.

If that’s you, be encouraged you’re in good company. We’ve all had to change situations that we didn’t choose.

And I’m gonna share some nuggets on how to help change the tide (and how I changed my ways).

First of all, I can totally relate to a chain of disappointments. And that’s how I got to see them as God’s appointments.

I was dealt some lemons… and I don’t know anyone who hasn’t who has lived this life for at least a quarter of a century.

Losses, unhappy situations, and failures are hard to swallow (and doesn’t help the pursuit of happiness). But going through is the fastest way to get to the other side. We often slow our progress by having pity parties. I know I did until I finally caught on.

By being aware you focus on the positives so you can thrive and not dwell on the same stuck feelings and thoughts that come back like a boomerang.

Your mind-body remembers, and so every February when nothing was going on… I was reminded of what wasn’t going on that I could’ve buried earlier if I knew what to do.

But waiting seasons are needed, and that’s how I gradually learned how to flip the switch in not getting what I wanted. And trade that in for contentment and deeper joy, which produces feeling good.

And that’s what those who seem to have it all on the outside, don’t have…

I started out my young adult life wanting the same desires and dreams that most people have: a corporate job they are successful and feel good about (or at least aren’t feeling miserable in), a family of their own, good relationships, nice stuff, a college degree or two, and financial freedom.

These were the same sort of accomplishments many in the Washington DC metro area I grew up in, had.

But being in a high-pressure cooker environment that feeds into high-achieving egos didn’t help. That encouraged more of a self-absorbed life that turns into unfulfilling boredom and unhappiness.

After a while, I snapped out thinking, “there’s got to be more to life than just this.”

And while I had scattered bits and pieces of that old life description that carried me through my earlier years, that’s not the life I have now.

But what I do have today is a different proud lens to look out from, that’s everyday contentment. It’s not the same happiness lens that I used to aspire to that became a never-ending, up-and-down roller coaster ride.

…I hated that lifestyle based on external situations because the down was always a hard fall and a huge contrast from the going up feelings that felt good for the moment.

The problem with that is that you’re always chasing the next thing and high that seems better. It’s a bottomless pit because the feeling can never be satiated.

In this life, we always grow weary or tired of anything after a while. A good thing never stays good the same way for us. Everything is temporary, as are feelings.

But if you’re feeling deeper joy (that comes from the spirit) inside you every day, that’s sustaining for the soul (mind, body, free-will, and emotions). We can’t change the way we’re wired as humans.

And you’re not your mind-body that drives your thoughts and feelings, even though you make the decisions.

So what helps to feel good every day is to be productive, just like you need good sleep every day so you have energy.

And joy energy is needed to get more out of this life so you can show up creative, and have enough to give out to others.

Here are a couple of good idea reminders:

1. Tune into the better daily channels for inner peace.

So if you’re like most in the pursuit of happiness, pay attention to the channels brought in, both external in what to listen to and watch, and internal thoughts aligned with the spirit (the whispers that bring out the joy).

Since I’m not in pursuit of the happiness that I started my life with, I listen to my inner desires.

Sometimes I’m a tired Vata because I don’t stick to an exact sleep routine (…good to get to bed early and get your proper ZZZ’s I tell my Night Owl self). But that’s all fixable with a cuppa joe and the next night’s sleep.

…What’s not fixable is waking up and focusing on the wrong desires (or strategy of life if you want to be more concrete).

And so when I get going, I have purpose and joy inside me that I get to make progress and impact in the day, and have meaningful work. I do life my way with freedom and space… and without pressures that sink in that create stress. I set a schedule that works for me, and when I get paid I can do more of the things I love. 🧡

That’s not how it was when I settled in as an employee. Or when I was starting out on my own.

If this or your dream life is more what you want and it’s not what you have today, start by figuring out how you can build that life by taking one baby step at a time. And then you’ll get more clarity from that step and in the next step.

See how you can get a few extra hours of time and freedom to do what you want.

…And then you won’t have regrets about your work life when you look back at the years that went by.

That was a big driver for me.

And looking back, none of the past work situations are relevant to the actual work I do today, even though they propelled me forward to keep growing and use some of the experiences gained for my next moves.

And not even the budding small business blog I had back in 2009 that took me back into a new corporate working life. And guess what?… yours truly here is still blogging today on more meaningful topics. ✍️

Your life doesn’t have to stay in the same lines it started in. No one says a straight-line work path to retirement is the best life except for culture and critics. If you take a life-changing sabbatical at 35 you get to take all that gained information you gathered and use it for the rest of your life.

And eventually, every situation and everyone’s situation changes.

And that’s more evidence that situations good or bad, happy or sad, are fleeting. What’s lasting is YOU who has come out with more knowledge and experiences. And maybe good memories too.

In the process of tough circumstances, trials, and setbacks, you become more resilient, patient, content, and learn what this life is more about so you can lean into what is good for your life that produces happiness.

And that brings me to a deeper #2…

2. Find out what God wants from you

…And as my life unraveled I realized I was chasing the wrong dreams, and some led to problems and that helped me find my new life dreams.

And then even some healthy dreams that I was successful at and growing didn’t pan out because the timing wasn’t right (which means God wanted me somewhere else).

So, I’m actually writing a new book about finding this newer life (that everyone can)… and how to more easily co-create and get to fulfill bigger plans and heart dreams that were promised in your design before you were born.

…And in my old life, I always had healthy achieving desires. But they weren’t the exact ones that were designed for me by the Creator who created it all. His plan takes faith, belief, and patience. There’s a process.

That’s what I’ve come to know. And that’s the opposite of the “if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me” mindset and lifestyle I grew up in.

He has a unique plan and bigger dreams for each of us that needs a different higher internal lens to discern. And being in the pursuit of happiness and following what culture defines as success doesn’t help. But having daily wisdom, joy, and peace does.

The book is one of my new year’s goals. We need a revolution of good change (that’s the new resolution) to be able to thrive in our exciting, new world emerging in today’s happiness.

And in your new year pursuits and heart’s desires, maybe you decide to rewrite your pursuit of happiness goals and align them to the written stars for you and who you’re becoming. 🌟

OH, OH, OH… and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! 🎄

Healthy Christmas chocolate peppermint heart cookie inspiration made from warm ginger spices and coconut oil (used for better heart-healthy cholesterol than butter).

Reminder of my past hotel catering life. Hotels always get decked out with Christmas trees and holiday poinsettia plants.

Baked Chick Peas or Garbanzo Beans (or Chic beans) Pie

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

Chickpeas, drained
Olive oil
Salt

Instructions

Bake to liking.

Healthy Gingerbread Cookie + Balancing Kapha Mind

I planted a healthy gingerbread cookie tree on this Silpat baking sheet. Recipe below ⤵️

Healthy gingerbread cookie trees are rare, and even this time of year when everyone is talking about lighting the Christmas trees.🌲

Easy Chai Oat Gingerbread Cookie

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour (with oats)
1 ¹⁄₂ tsp baking powder
³⁄₄ tsp teaspoon baking soda
¹⁄₄ tsp teaspoon salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 ³⁄₄ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground cloves (or 1/2 tsp of allspice if that's what you have on hand)
6 tbsp unsalted butter (or substitute with 1 TBSP coconut oil)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (reduce to 1/3 cup for less sugar and still have a delicious and nice cookie!)
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup oats

Instructions

In a large bowl, add dry and wet ingredients.
Melt coconut oil add to bowl.
Roll out cookie dough to about 1/8" to 1/4" cookies.
Bake on 350°F for about 10-12 minutes.

I share the traditional old-fashioned recipe (below) that I’ve been using FOR-ever and that I spiced up even more this year! XOXO

Every year is a ‘lil different, and as a creator, I like to challenge myself to make new creations and not stick with the same cookie cutter ones over and over again… haha. As a healthy recipe developer, that means evolving into even healthier bakes.

And this helps me so that I keep outta Kapha imbalances in the kitchen. Btw, the level of Kapha dosha is relative to each of our bodies, but eating healthy, balanced meals always helps to prevent trouble down the road…

Which is part of the natural order that this life is… it’s not a matter of if… it’s a matter of when. And you can stay on the healthy side starting with body-mind awareness.

One of the symptom intersections is your feelings that constantly shift. They help guide you, and other times steer you down a rabbit hole.

And if you want to stay feeling peaceful, joyful, and happy (and be productive) all the time (…like when I’m relaxed baking healthy gingerbread cookies), then keeping the Kapha mind balanced is important.

Some examples of what will make the difference are your steadfastness to boundaries. And your commitment to yourself and to others involved. And finally, plowing through and making it easy on yourself in everyday situations that come up.

And that all starts in the mind.

So… when negative thoughts enter, dismiss them by replacing them.

The problem for many people is they don’t even know when they’re getting pulled down by negative information and thoughts…well, because that’s their mind.

And we don’t naturally challenge our own thoughts. That’s not something we’re born knowing how to do.

What most of do learn is how to challenge other people’s thoughts and opinions. Sound familiar?

Especially this time of year when it’s easy for stress to settle in trying to get end-of-year goals accomplished and fit into holiday-hoopla 🎉 that can be overwhelming for the mind-body. And not always bring out the best in us.

Our mind-body is connected in such a way that if you have a Kapha mind where you’re stuck in negative strongholds, feeling lazy, or find yourself accumulating clutter, that can easily turn into a couch potato Kapha body imbalance.

One easier way to know if a Kapha imbalance is causing our negative moods is if we’re feeling depressed or withdrawing from certain activities we’re usually drawn to or have been in the past.

And as we know, the ego tries to fool us, so to outwit we have to be doubly smart, pausing before reacting and making wise choices that influence our day.

Those stubborn Kapha mind mood tendencies can linger. But if you know what to do, you can get out of excessive Kapha faster and into feeling good. And erase hovering dark clouds that can easily become your weekend. Or gradually settle in for a season if you’re not careful.

But we can change this pretty easily one choice at a time…

We can turn off the external negative messages and listen to more uplifting ones. And that includes shutting off the news after getting the accumulated hour-or-so daily scoop.

This subtle shift helps for subtle situations…

For example, you could be having a bad morning where everything seems to go wrong and deciding in your mind that it’s going to be a bad day since the start was rough.

But by allowing uplifting thoughts to enter in to influence the rest of your day or lean into gratitude for what you DO have, that will help brighten your perspective that becomes self-fulfilling.

I know that can sound pollyanna-ish, and is not always easy if you’re in a miserable situation like a job you hate, or a living situation or relationship that isn’t working out.

BUT, you can better program your mind to work for you. If we can walk and chew gum and think thoughts at the same time, then we can do this! We are capable.💪

One way we can help ourselves is having a consistent activity where we’re learning and improving. That takes the focus off of our thoughts. You may already do this.

In the activity that calls you, you don’t want to miss a moment in what you’re doing. This improves your skills and helps your head game. You then look forward to the activity in your day that helps your entire day.

And something else you can easily do…

Change your environment. Maybe you start doing your activity in a warm, sunny spot. That can be outside. These days, there are no limits to where you can work or catch a break as we’re a virtually remote society that can access anything anywhere.

As a Vata, I like to mix up where I work. I use a desk, a closet, outdoors… it just depends on my mood. And that’s how I get things done productively: I change my scenery options.

And maybe that’s you… or you like the same zone you always are in as that’s your designated spot. And if that’s you, then maybe having a photo or a reminder of something to look forward to in the future like some R&R or an adventurous trip, will also help.

And if holiday overwhelm is taking over these days, let the reason for the season keep you grounded. Let Scripture verses provide comfort and wisdom, and help guide you.

And stay cozy warm uplifted and listen to cheery Christmas music 🎼and jingles… and better yet find your creative outlet. Get into your groove.

For me, this last weekend was partially about creating healthy gingerbread cookie dough.

And a Chai Oat healthy gingerbread cookie was on tall order to provide more holiday baking inspiration that’s both healthy and happy.

I wasn’t the only one as the Cookie Wars marathon was all over the media networks. And gingerbread was one of the themes like every year… it’s nice to be able to count on some things!

healthy gingerbread cookie

And I’ve been using the same base recipe that’s more happy than healthy.

This original recipe has been with me since 2004 when I printed it out. It was adapted from a Joy of Cooking recipe.

And I’ve been tweaking it up every year.

And backing up, decades ago, it was common to use shortening for cookies and Southern sweets, so finding a butter recipe with 3 grams of fat per cookie was a big deal because that’s what people cared about (the fat in calories). These days, we know there are healthier fats we can use to bake with…

So, I’ve evolved this once-a-year December recipe using coconut oil to give a nice consistency and dough to work with.

Ahh… an early winter healthy gingerbread cookie tree!

I added my notes in ( ) and below to my enhancements to this collaborative recipe. 😊

Easy Chai Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour (add oats)

1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons baking powder

³⁄₄ teaspoon baking soda

¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 ³⁄₄ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup oats (optional)

¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground cloves (or 1/2 tsp of allspice if that’s what you have on hand)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (substitute with 1 TBSP coconut oil)

³⁄₄ cup dark brown sugar (reduce to 1/3 cup for less sugar and still have a delicious and nice cookie!)

1 large egg

¹⁄₂ cup molasses

You can mix this all in one bowl. I like to bake on 325°F because cookies bake quickly. This’ll be about 15 minutes but it’s good to watch the oven.

Mental Health Matters For Your Happiness

Mental health matters. We are learning this slowly when it has been there all along.

Gluten-free energy oatmeal raisin cookie bites are a sweet one-bowl bake: oats, raisins, applesauce, baking soda, and egg. Printable recipe below 🍪

We can see proof in our culture. A wake up call and mental health revolution is needed.

Because those who need serious help, hide their depression and sadness. And especially at work where we wear a mask.

They’re not likely to call a support helpline even if it’s just 3 numbers because their mind is not telling them to do so.

It starts in the mind. And that’s why animals never have that issue, because they don’t have that mind feature.

Prayer is needed for these people, situations, and any disorders. 🙏

The less we make mental health a stigma opens up the conversations. We can be compassionate, allow vulnerability, and acknowledge depression within a safe space.

And it’s critical to get and keep our own sanity in check because we are not robot machinery. We have a built-in subconscious ego feature that is on 24×7 and influences our thoughts daily.

The feature can go awry if we don’t stay aware as a first step.

In #MentalIllnessAwarenessWeek, this is a good time to do a mental health check to recognize regrets or sadness held onto from the past and into the present.

You don’t have to live in trauma. So many of us have undetected PTSD.

And you can bring that out by being less busy, finding more quiet time, journaling, shadow work, and praying.

Below, I share some of my lessons learned and how I applied them to life.

But first, let me set the big picture stage of what will make the biggest happiness shift and difference in your life…

It’s your fighting for your most healthy mental self because it drives the bus to everything you do and think to be the best version of you.

It’s your empowered happiness that I’m passionate about and why I even wrote a published book on the topic with that exact title Empowered Happiness.

The first chapter is Love Yourself First.

That’s why mental health matters most. Because if you don’t love yourself, then you’re hurting yourself.

Regularly checking in on your daily mental health habits and looking at reasons why you’re spending time doing something specific and taking proactive action matters toward your life matters.

Because often objects are closer than they appear. You can’t see the invisible air in front of you.

We don’t always see ourselves close up even when looking at a mirror. We can be myopic and then become blindsided looking in the rearview mirror.

It’s much easier to make changes before they become our way, mindset, and habits.

We want to find daily inspiration, enjoyment, and activities that light us up. That helps us keep our mental health in-check.

So often we operate from insecurities and fears, instead of flipping the script to love and abundance.

It’s no one’s fault. We set off innocent as babies and then the world shows up that we need to protect ourselves from hurt, pain, and threats.

So then our subconscious mind spins what we need to do to survive in the environment reality.

We aren’t chased by tigers but a triggering message is the modern equivalent to our brains. And to keep us “safe,” our brains replay the message over and over again until the mind threat disappears from brain view or is replaced.

Managing our minds is critical for our healthy lives and regularly replacing thoughts that don’t serve us.

Think of a factory line where the items come down the line (and those are your thoughts) and your job is to evaluate and eliminate the faulty items (non-serving or negative thoughts), leaving the good items (healthy serving and loving thoughts) to pass through the line.

And those thoughts pass better results for your productivity, relationships, and daily health.

Those are just a few areas why mental health matters most. It starts with our thoughts.

Some changing thought benefits:

For one, you can stop yourself from making a knee-jerk reaction to something your ego feels is right to do at the moment, but isn’t the wisest move.

*Lean on lessons learned from your past is the best way for your present.

💡Did you get the results you wanted in situations that you wished turned out differently? If not, what part did you play in the outcome.

Learn from those and try not to repeat them. Life is forgiving. It will keep serving you situations and each time you have a chance to change your outcome.

The misalignment is often ego-led choices. We see this in disconnects in our world and in our own lives.

If we turn to loving sources and thoughts, we move closer to our abundant potential (and not further away).

Unhealthy ego pride (that goes hand in hand) can be a source that blinds any of us.

Humility is the love call fix every time in those cases. It’s much easier when you have a simple protocol to follow and can re-direct the complex mind.

💡You can ask yourself: am I being humble in this situation?

We all call out what’s happening as observers of our thoughts. Because under the radar, our ego loves to remind us about remnants of the past that were take away from us.

It likes to hide and block out healthy information. When its unhealthy, it stronghold binds and show us unhealthy information that we can choose to walk away from and ignore.

By catching your ego self from taking action, you have the ability and the opportunity right then and there to practice changing the thought channel to a healthy one, and re-writing an unhealthy automatic thought pattern…

Mental health matters and check-ins help daily peace and joy.

An example is I had memories pop up about choices I made in the past that affect me today. And that’s pretty natural for most of us.

But instead of letting those thoughts go on and on like I used to, I chose to rewrite the ending to a good factual truth. And I voiced it aloud so it was louder than my ego.

Eventually it got the hint and left. That’s what’s needed.

Applying lessons learned wisdom from your past is a great start.

[This wiser than ego ability is in your wheelhouse. You were built with higher intellect. You go from ego to eagle 🦅 that soars higher than any other bird out there 😉].

You can also find a healthy motivation. Mine was I didn’t want the negative energy to spill over into the next week. And that’s a good one!

I know it sounds easier said than done especially when you have every right to be hurt, upset, or irritated.

But if you keep practicing finding ways to be aware of your thoughts and actions, and your why is to not create more strife in your life, it will also be palatable and simpler to do.

You won’t be debating with yourself so much with what to do. Your wise decisions become more clear and you are more aligned with yourself and your mind.

This creates better outcomes than protecting ego… that remember, likes to scream thoughts in your head.

Mental health matters as depicted in this scream painting by Edward Munch.

Using mantras help.

Finding catchy clichés that we can use as a positive trigger like ”two wrongs don’t make a right” or a loving Bible verse may be all that’s needed to find a better way… at least for the moment.

And each time you’re teaching yourself to do better.

And when you tune into the higher love channel, you can see past another’s offense and get their perspectives when they communicate… that translated is their lack or hurts that never got healed (and still show up today).

And if you don’t know why you can’t do the above steps or rise above a situation, then often it’s something in the past keeping you. So start there.

Otherwise, you can unknowingly stay in a victim mentality and not be a victor in your life. That was one of my lessons learned in discovering abundance.

The game changer is getting to the other side. The air is lighter and more clear. It’s not rainbows and sunshine, but you have a new perspective that gives you better outcomes.

You have new ways to handle and process situations that arise. Life is meant to be an adventure to gain experience, grow, and enjoy. And when you can embrace what you have gained (vs. losses), then you no longer are a victim to yourself.

That’s what healthy thoughts can do and why optimizing mental health matters.

Take it easy and have a happy week! 😊 Enjoy a healthy bite and I’ll see you next week! 🧡

Easy One-Bowl Oatmeal Raisin Energy Cookie Bites

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1-1/2 cup oats, dry
1/2 cup raisins
2 oz applesauce
1 tsp total baking soda and baking powder
1 egg

Instructions

Mix ingredients and scoop or roll into balls.
Bake on 350°F/180°C for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown edges.

Notes

oats, raisins, applesauce, baking soda, and egg