Healthy Happy Life Secrets

5 Dreaming Ways for Your New Year ✨

Make the New Year a year to awaken dreams!

In 2024, dreaming can be our New Year’s resolutions. For you and me, habits may have replaced resolutions and are healthy good, but they too only get us so far in our daily routines.

This article is all about re-awakening your dreams so they can come alive sooner.

Let’s start with the tradition many of us grew up with…

New Year’s Resolutions

It was the conversation starter for the last week of the year. And for traditionalists, still is. I started that way but then stopped cold turkey one year after I caught on like many others… that resolutions are nothing more than a Fun Wish List.

I became aware that it’s self-defeating to come up with a list of arbitrary projects and meeting lofty self-improvement challenges before the end of January when life went back to usual… and to come up with dreaming visions that aren’t ours and don’t work on annual timelines.

That all sets us up for disappointment.

Mid-February is when most of us have stopped our well-intended new year crusades if not sooner.

Often, our ideas are not aligned with what’s actually in our lives, and we don’t know what’s ahead in life’s uncertainty and opportunities.

And that doesn’t just ring true for resolutions, it’s also for our daily planning and future aspirations we have.

I found one of my life’s work one year by accident during a transition. And that’s how it is in most of our lives.

Creating an arbitrary list doesn’t enlist our higher thinking into our plans. Or what the future holds for the world.

What we really want to know is: what’s best for us in this season?

We’re not the ones best to answer that. The Universe knows before we do and can align us if we pay attention to the signs.

We only have a limited view of what we know today and our past experiences. Our job is to connect-the-dots in our lives.

New Year’s Habits

A better way to set us up for success (where we’re better off by year end) is creating better lasting habits as a productive way. It’s less about meeting goals and more about the process and progress we make.

“Progress over perfection” became the mantra circa 2020, that I think is here to stay.

And habits are at the core of making progress even though habit making is not a new concept.

We’ve been making habits since we were kids, getting up, brushing our teeth, and going to school.

And if we were lucky, we had caretakers who helped us make and form good habits. Or we had a chance to start fresh as adults.

This is when we learned habits can turn into manifesting what we want into our lives as labors of love down the road. They’re the keepsake dreams we hold deep down inside us and that are meant for us.

Manifesting Our Dreams

Because manifesting is not something that happens overnight or when you snap your fingers with a calendar date in mind. It doesn’t work like that as much as we want it to. Darn!

…It’s years in the making. But then it turns out better than expected. Because in the slow cook dreaming process, you’ve become the person ready for the dream.

…And in perfect timing like a warm stew with balanced flavors.

When you look at it like that, then you’re less discouraged today. You keep on dreaming! You have a newfound purpose.

Dreams can take seasons and sometimes decades to manifest. And while waiting, we wisely stay productive developing skills, traits, and experiences we will need.

That’s always in our control until the timing is right for the dream again to reappear.

…When I was a kid, we threw birthday parties and I always got great gifts. One happy memory I barely remember was a tea set that I enjoyed with my stuffed animal friends. I dreamed of my sophisticated adult life when I was a toddler. 🧸

And that was part of manifesting today’s life where I still enjoy a fine cup of tea (while interestingly no one else in my immediate family ever got the tea bug!).

But, we do share the travel bug and shared a family vacation to Europe. After that, I no longer saw my neighborhood, town, and school as the only places I could live or be.

And that set the wheels in motion to manifesting travel dreams in my adult life. I saw the possibilities of adventure and excitement of visiting new places from my younger vantage point.

But I had to connect-the-dots from my younger past experiences, because I wasn’t taught to dream.

So here’s some of the things you can do in your new year that will ring out the old resolutions and bring in the new dreams (back again) that haven’t manifested.

1.Create space for dream ideas to come in. Space needs headspace. So if you start today, you can have better answers tomorrow when you sleep on your dreams and gain new ideas throughout the day.

If you never start with new ideas, then you can stay stuck. But if they’re in you, they can come alive. Like the travel bug I developed.

That’s why it’s good to feed the good bugs (gut ones too, but that’s for another healthy article 😉). Give the good ideas energy and let the bad ones pass through.

2.Dream like a kid. When we were kids, we had aspirational dreams from touch points in our lives even if we weren’t taught to dream.

I couldn’t wait to grow up because most my young life wasn’t on my terms. But knowing there was more out there, helped me to get through those years. Because then maybe in possibilities, I would have the resources and way to make potential happen even if I didn’t know what my dreams were.

And if we were taught to dream, we know how to take those ideas further to the moon 🌙 and give them daily life even if they haven’t panned out.

All we need is the belief that there’s a grander life out there for us than the one we’re currently in. Then there’s a good chance to turn our dreams into motion picture reality. 🎥

3. Night dream with intent. I used to think sleeping dreams were useless. But they can be a part of our thought life that can be used to our benefit.

If you look at night dreams as unique to you (just like thoughts), then you can pull out the good ones and come up with new ideas. And some of them are meant to be yours as most have you featured in them as the star. 🌟

Take the good ones and manifest a good morning. Let them inspire you to keep dreaming and believe for your real life dreams.

4.Dream with inspiration. When you see new places and ideas, your thought horizon expands. You get glimpses of how others live and what others have come up with as their dreams.

America’s Got Talent is one show that showcases dreams do come true and can become reality.

And sometimes inspiration from others is our dream play land and fairytale life that we can aspire to and sets our dreaming in motion.

5. Dreaming with your eyes closed. Bring out a scent that reminds you of a happy childhood memory to help bring alive your imagination.

Maybe hot cocoa, a candle, or something nostalgic from your hood. 👧🏻

Think of the details of that memory. Bring out what childhood or younger self dream can be fulfilled from the memory and still ring true in your life today.

Keep dreaming in the New Year! ✨I’m writing a book on the big dreams that were specifically meant for you and can be manifested for you as you develop YOU. If you want to know when the FREE book is available, signup to be on my list.

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7 Stress Eating Habits + Easy Fatayer Appetizer Recipe

Stress eating habits are made better by celebrating occasionally, practicing moderation, and developing the habit of eating healthy foods daily.

Party planning is fun, and good to come up with a sweet and savory spread to enjoy in moderation and share the table joy!

Last time I shared some healthy de-stress tips… so it’s fitting to add the healthy relationship we have with food as a way to stay healthy.

I know that sounds like “easier said than done” advice considering all the tempting stuffing and holiday sweets that deck the holidays. 🎄

Plus, winter season is a natural time to bring out our Kapha body and mind tendencies that welcome in accumulating and comfort foods (stored in our comfort pants 😉). That’s what we don’t want or wish for, but happens unless we make alternative healthy, daily plans.

I thought I’d never get to a savory breakfast as sweet was my go-to all my life. But with healthy desires, one breakfast led to another and these days, it’s almost always savory. So don’t sell yourself short. Your tastes will change with your habits. And you never have to go back to old habits.

This article is meant to inspire your delicious healthy, anti-inflammatory eating habits to kick the holiday stress eating habits to the curb and inspire a healthy eating new year.

Ready?

…Here we go!

1.Lean into the seasonal produce foods that interest you. Like squashes, citrus, apples, and winter berries. You can find so many new fruit varieties like jackfruit and dragon fruit on the grocery shelves (and so many others haven’t even made it from our tropical climate lands to our markets).

2.Reinvent sides. The stuffing sides can be what gets some of us in trouble, and if the carbs is what you’re worried about, you can reinvent the starchier side carbs to work for your body.

Stick with veggies carbs that are the opposite and with very few calories, and some have great flavors such as mushrooms, asparagus, and onions that you can turn into a Provencal herby-forward experience with a little tarragon, white pepper, vinegar or sherry.

Carrots (raw and cooked) are so versatile for sweet and savory dishes where you can substitute the fun marshmallows with a divine anti-inflammatory diet pairing like ginger and textures like nuts or seeds. You can also learn to appreciate food textures as a no-calorie add.

3.Make healthy desserts. This is my specialty area and weakness turned into a positive. It’s no baking secret that butter and refined sugar add to weight gain. And ingredients like white flour and white sugar are inflammatory foods. Moderation is still the modern way. Plus incorporating healthy foods.

Keeping a balance between tasty and healthy is the dynamic pairing duo. And the sweet spot is they are usually easy bakes in minutes like a healthy pear or apple pie with cinnamon sweetness.

You can make a pumpkin pie from pumpkin puree that’s loaded with antioxidant Vitamin A and beta carotene. Mix in some plant-based almond milk. And add allspice that’s all anti-inflammatory goodness as the sweet five-spice version! Think creative sweet potato and green veggie dishes.

For holiday stress eating prep dish habits, you can start with those whole food ingredients, a ‘lil milk, and holiday spices… and then zhugh up with the celebrational peppermint sticks and marshmallows… you don’t have to give up the party sides 😉 (I personally wouldn’t want to because I breathed hospitality party planning for years. Some of the sweet celebratory joy sides are worth a few calories).

Still, it’s all about balance and moderation.

Easy Fatayer Appetizer Recipe. — These hot water pastry fatayer appetizers were inspired by my party planning days. 🥟

Easy Fatayer Holiday Appetizers

Course Appetizer

Cuisine lebanese, Mediterranean, middle eastern

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

Knife or pizza roller for classic pyramid empanada shapes
Drinking glass for empanada half moon pie shapes
Rolling Pin

Ingredients

Flour
Olive oil or butter
Water

Instructions

Slice and dice up your fillings. spinach and feta or ground meat is traditional for fatayer. Or use what you have in your freezer likeI brussels sprouts (good bitter ingredient like spinach) and fresh red onions. And soft green beans from a can that worked great for blending textures!
Make your hot water pastry. No planning or prep time! Just add warm-hot water to flour and a ‘lil butter or olive oil to form a soft ball that holds together. Flatten and roll out with a rolling pin. Fold in half moons like empanadas. and for 3-D triangle shapes you’ll want to cut out squares (at least two inch squares so you can hold enough filling).
For classic 3-D pyramid triangles, it’s like origami. You just fold so the corners meet. and then the third side closes it all up into a pyramid-type shape that doesn’t have to look perfect. You don’t need egg water to close like wontons, but you may want to brush with egg for a glossy look.
Bake on 350°F for about 25-35 minutes

…Compared to sugar, cream, and butter that was used for daily Grandma southern cooking that didn’t prioritize healthy or wearing our best sized clothing.

And maybe a few pats of butter instead of a stick will do?

Those less healthy daily cooking styles grow on us Vatas, Pittas, and Kaphas alike.

And, sometimes we’re not the ones in charge of doin’ the cookin’, so the better way would be to be choosy and show some love to the host cook by adding a dollop on your plate to try. That doesn’t have to be your main meal leaving leftover regrets.

4.Get inspired by longevity as a goal. We can all learn a thing or two from the Blue Zones that have the largest pocket of Centenarians in the world. They’ve changed our concepts of health. As an example, instead of growing their waist sizes, they’re lowering Earth waste and preparing fresh meals from their natural land.

They’re daily climbing hills while we’re sitting in front of our devices. They’re gathering naturally grown ingredients while we’re foraging in the weekly store. Even though our modern lifestyles are so different, we can still do our healthy bit…

We can be healthy selective.

We can use a list like this rainbow variety 200 Anti-Inflammatory food list to be our angel side guide into the store. And we use our healthy awareness as our cart checkout guide instead of robotically picking up the boxed processed versions.

We can also select the fresh, healthy ingredients that are usually 2-step dish easy.

Such as, abundant whole potatoes can be our purple imo like in Okinawa Blue Zones where they have a high number of living 100 year olds.

Like them, you can peel and boil simple potatoes. Compare that to a processed spud packet loaded with preservatives and sodium. The open packet instead of peel effort is a minimal difference. The extra minutes in cooking is worth it for your body… don’t ya think?

Sometimes what’s needed most for better stress eating habits is a ‘lil freshened up education between our daily eyes. Then when you have a healthy way or recipe in mind, you beeline to those healthy ingredients in the stores… 🐝

You can usually find the unsexy whole potato bags along the sides of the grocery stores in bins.

5.Eat fiber. When I professionally planned parties, I almost always recommended a starter platter called Crudite which is the fancy French word for a raw veggie platter. When you start with celery or carrots every day, you add fiber roughage that helps move along the heavier foods. It’s a good way to prep and rev up your stomach engines.

6.Eat spicy foods. If you can’t do cayenne pepper or hot peppers because of the spice, try red hot chili pepper flakes that are mild and still have capsaicin that’s anti-inflammatory and known to burn calories (and not tongues).

Fresh wasabi and horseradish are other hot sauces you can use if you can tolerate. They not only help clear out sinuses and toxins, but if you’re eating those foods, then you lose your hankering for the sweet and buttery.

7.Skip the high beverage calories. You can skip the loaded coffee beverages and eggnog calories and go for the plant-based milk latte drink that will be even better with a strong flavor pairing.

If you like licorice, you can lean on anise and fennel spices. And if you like peppermint, go for the mint leaves. And for a brighter drink, zhugh with some citrus zest. These are all calorie saving ideas that are pleasing to the gut, mind, and body.

Add some warming spice with your daily beverage habit when you want something comforting to drink or taste. Now that’s a great stress eating habit you can toast to! And you can make it fun and easy if you keep the spices by your beverage making station. You’ll always have a decked out drink.

Cheers! Cin cin! Salut! ☕️

Holiday peppermint tea is actually good for your aches and the zhughing with candy cane is a sweet way to deck the holidays! ❤️

This site is all about happy and healthy living and eating ways and inspiration. If this is your first time here, I encourage you to find out more about me and this healthy lifestyle blog.

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De-Stress Holiday Habits (Part 1)

De-stress is highly called for come holiday season. Below are 5 good mental habits to keep in mind for a less stressful holiday. Plus a bonus habit to make “dummy proof” white rice or your favorite rice for your holiday (and everyday cooking) like my mom served every weeknight dinner meal when I was growing up. Rice cooking steps below.🍛

total fluffy rice method.

De-stress is a good wellness move year-round and especially during holidays when stress, irritations, and anxiety can creep in around our work, travel, family, and loss situations. Your mind-body is put to the test. And that can send us to needing some body balance therapy and mood restoration.

But,first things first, hiking therapy steps are a good mind-body way to de-stress. 👣

Last-minute changes are never fun. And not to mention, the uncertain feelings of setting yourself up for a new year can bring nervous sensations. You can have looming internal questions like: will it be a good new year?

The answer can always be yes! if we choose. Because what’s happening to us is all relative to our lives. And there’s always something good that comes out if we fix our eyes on our perspectives.

Instead of magnifying and putting energy into what didn’t go right and the hardships we endured, focus on what did go right. And that will change your outlook in your life.

Moments become blurs in your life as you distance yourself over time from specific situations.

Through those times, you grow as a person. And when you’ve had enough time to process, you become stronger and wiser if you focus on the better perspectives and attitudes.

And over time, you can realize avoiding stress isn’t a measure of your life success… it’s how you process your stressful situations and what you learn about yourself in the process. Staying cool, calm, and collected always pays off for your mind-body balance.

Recently in my processes, I was hit with a travel planning situation to face where I had to work with loved ones who did the planning. And then a day later, faced a work situation that needed repair. There, I was put in a position to fix the issues between an employee and boss.

I had to create some stress to get to the bottom of what the messy middle was. I also had to bring up heavy conversations and discuss touchy areas, so I could help temporarily restore what was broken.

Testing the waters, that delivered better results the next day than if I hadn’t stirred up the conversations. Had I decided to sugar coat or dance around topics, both would have led to long and drawn out unease. Being direct, I knew the outcome I needed for everyone’s happy sake.

I thought with the end in mind. I wanted both situations to end well in happy endings.

Fortunately, both stressful situations were fixed by end of week. But, I needed de-stress therapy from the heavy moments.

And I realized those stressful moments were setups for what my mind-body would have to face for another stressful situation closer to the holidays.

So, fresh on my mind, these are some helpful tips you can also use to de-stress in your holiday situations.

How to De-Stress Around Holidays

1.Look for loving happy endings, first.

Consider the alternatives. Usually there is miscommunication in play whenever there are sour grape situations with people involved. And instead of trying to attack through ego walls, it’s better to put the loving hat on. Putting fleshly feelings aside, we think of what will be best for the situation. And sometimes that can be as simple as we just agree to disagree (and leave in peace) or figure out how to fix what’s broken. And then with those attitudes, inadvertently the language of what “we” can do slips out instead of just “me” and my agenda that never wins.

2.Be fearless.

Fear is the opposite of love. Proceed with your plan if you know what to do. Your gut instinct is usually always right for higher, and more loving ways. But if you react in doubt and fear, then you create more negative energy for yourself that adds more stress. When you trust the best outcomes, then you can eliminate fear. The worst that can happen is you’re no longer in those stressful situations because of a loss. And when you have loss, that’s the opportunity for growth and a new door.

3.Look for how to correct a wrong way quickly.

Fix quickly and then get past quicker. Resentment only results in your unhappiness. You don’t want to have sour feelings lingering and then that turns into a stressful season. In both my situations I mentioned, they could have lasted for a month longer and hung around like gray clouds. But with swift and fearless action, all that was mitigated instead of trying to sugar coat or dance around topics that could’ve been easily misunderstood. You can’t always predict what others will do, but you can predict your actions so you can more quickly de-stress.

4.Get rid of baggage and replace with happy ways.

Assume no trauma. Work out your frustrations same day as you experience them. If it’s sadness, then cry. And if it’s anger, then work off your anger at the gym or on your yoga mat.

But don’t act like nothing is wrong. And don’t assume unhappy traditions such as a guilty mourning ritual every time you see a sign that reminds you of a sad situation. Because those are self-imposed obligations to hold onto stress and what doesn’t have to be. It’s an unnecessary burden and for those around you who have to dance around the day or situation. Life is too short to hold onto past sad memories, and not create new happy ones instead. My book Empowered Happiness is all about that.

5.De-stress routine.

To de-stress, get out of the daily routine. Purposefully decide not to engage with those people in your daily stressful situations for a few days so you can gain new perspectives. Start your detox as you’re going through.

In my case, I didn’t lose additional sleep. I planned self-care. And I took healing steamy showers, spritzed lovely bergamot scents, and enjoyed calming tea. I didn’t wait until the dust settled. There’s no need to withhold daily joy from your life.

The goal doesn’t have to be to get through the sufferings, avoid the stress, or only seek happy moments. When you learn how to be content, that’s when life gets easier.

And that can help you get back to present moment awareness faster where the calm is.

In my situations, I sang along with calming music that’s therapy to the soul. And to get out of routine, I listened to a little Aretha Franklin that brought me to a mood that helped bring me back to present moment awareness. I also did 4-7-8 breathing: inhaling in the gratitude and exhaling stressful negative energy.

So even when I felt the weight of my situations, I made sure to re-center myself with yoga and think about what I would be looking forward to later in the week and at nights. I had a focused reminder of what I’m grateful for. We all have something to be appreciative of in any of our situations.

And basically I did all the activities that bring my mindfulness back (that destroys the unhealthy ego from growing). Mindfulness revived me. It’s one of the secrets to mind-body balance.

And I believe we all have this in us so we can de-stress our negative energy away and turn into healthy, growth, productivity, joy, and creativity that lasts through the holidays and into the new year.

Have a Merry Christmas! 🎄

holiday de-stress moments enjoying the views. — Where my young story began growing up near this village center.

My mom never wrote down any recipes or cooking methods, but she also never worked on a computer 🖥️.

She passed down her white rice method in my memory and I added a few healthy ingredient steps. Rice makes a good side, is a good filler, and has many healthy nutrients (vit-mins).

The Perfect Mom Fluffy Rice Method

Cooking rice directly in a cooking pot can leave you with inedible scorched, overcooked rice, or sticky rice if you're not watching closely. This consistent "dummy-proof" Fluffy Rice Method will actually free you up so you do not have to watch your rice every few minutes and worry about if it will come out edible for your meals. This method is inspired by my mom's white rice that always turned out perfect. She never measured amounts or wrote down recipes. 🙂

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Chinese

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

microwave/oven-safe soup size mug
cooking pot with lid larger than mug

Ingredients

white rice or rice of choice (brown or wild rice for whole grain healthy)
water
olive oil, drizzle (healthy fat)

Instructions

Add tap water to the pot that goes up half way up the outside of the mug.
After rinsing rice, add rice to the mug. Add up to 2/3 to the top of the mug (leaving 1/3 of the mug unfilled).
Then, add filtered water to the rice-mug leaving about 1/2" from the brim top so it doesn't boil over.
Cook on medium (or medium-low) heat with covered lid for about 30 minutes or until rice is soft, almost cooked done to liking, and water is almost absorbed. Add a little filtered water as needed to the rice to finish off cooking (usually a few additional minutes) and an olive oil drizzle if desired for perfectly moist rice.

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Christmas Songs Therapy – List of 30

Christmas songs therapy is real. See a balancing list below good for your Ayurvedic moods. Plus a healthy Christmas tree cardamom recipe to balance out the holiday eating celebration. 🌲

christmas songs therapy can come with warm lights and festive concert colors.

You can get in holiday merry cheer with music that brings you back to the warm-and-fuzzy under-the-mistletoe feelings. 🎶 Ed Sheeran & Elton John have a “Merry Christmas” special duet and happy video to watch along to give you just that…

Peppy Christmas music can wake you up and help restore your mind and body’s anxious moods. If you have anxiety, brain fog, or need some joy, you can year-round get instant healing through the power of sounds, to calm and balance.

Below are 30 selected soothing Christmas songs therapy savers to help you relax your worried Vata, soothe Pitta, and wake up your Kapha sides. 🧘🏻‍♀️👯‍♂️

So often we think listening to music is nice entertainment, but it’s so much more as it’s used to heal the mind, body, and soul.

Music will do that faster through the ears to the mind, than food that can take the long route from the digestive body to mind.

And if you have setbacks, looming worry, or stress, know that it starts in your mind and shows up on your body in the mind-body connections.

If you have stress, the first warning signs can be a stress pimple, wrinkles, early gray hair, or other visible signs. And if you’re feeling depressed or the blues, you could hold onto extra pounds.

This is common around the holidays and winter months when seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can kick in.

You hear many stories of heart-related diseases around the holidays. The body usually gives earlier warning signs, but the holidays present a stressful time to many hearts.

So, using Christmas songs therapy and instrumental sounds is one totally healthy and often overlooked preventative way to keep your holidays happy and bright (from the start of the Advent to the end of the year).

Just a few minutes listening can be all you need to restoratively calm an anxious mind or soothe an irritated soul that needs rest and peaceful healing. And on then on the mend you can restore all your anxious, irritated and tired symptoms this season. Take the quick body balance quiz to see what you can do about these sour moods.

Christmas Songs Therapy For Calming Relaxation

Christmas songs therapy includes soothing songs, instrumental, classical music, and calm sounds.

1. Choral Classics (ethereal music) has a way of bringing peace-filled feelings, like the deep sound of a bell ringing that resonates.

When you hear classic Christmas songs in general, like “Noel,” sung by a melodic chorus in synchrony, they provide harmony to your mind. Even in a world of chaos, they can bring a feeling of peace and order, especially when feelings of uncertainty permeate.

2. “Noel” – Lauren Daigle has a modern twist to this classic Christmas song

3. “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” – Sarah Mclachlan (Wintersong Album)

Soothing Pitta From Irritation/Angry Feelings

4. Christmas Canon – Trans-Siberian Orchestra

5. Christmas Jazz – Kenny G Winter Wonderland

6. Dr. SaxLove – Snazzy instrumental saxophone

7. Kenny G saxophone – if you’re irritated, his instrumental music is known to hold the high notes longer that reach and impact your mind in a healing/soothing way

8. Ocean sounds – in real life, ocean waves are moving year-round (something for us to be grateful for as they affect the world climate). I have fond memories of going to the local beach in the winter when it’s off-season (and maybe you do also where you are). The waves are calm, and the beach uninhabited when everyone is indoors in hibernation

9. Tibetan Singing Bowls – these are used to start and end meditation sessions. Yoga instructors use these bowls for intentional yoga sessions. You can feel like you’re in a place of solitude (like monks).

Christmas Songs Therapy For Anxiety

Find indie music and off-beat music and chants.

Get out of the common everyday music and go into worldly music… in America, it’s easy to stick with the popular music bands that are advertised and played over and over again on television, radio, and half-time shows. You’ll get better mind-body satisfaction if you step out and explore other music. For a Vata especially, discovering fresh variety is going to be a breath of fresh air that awakens the mind if there’s a little Kapha going on.

10. “One Toy Solider” song And Winter Came Album – Enya

11. Amaratine Album (Special Christmas Edition)- Enya

12. The Reindeer Room – A Christmas Chillout Album – Most of the artists you won’t recognize but the instrument twists are not your usual beats. They have a futuristic vibe that you may detect. They are remakes of classic songs such as Sleigh Ride, White Christmas, and Little Drummer Boy

13. Gregorian chants that can make you feel like you’ve been whisked back in time

14. Chamber music (Saint-Saens Chamber music) – You feel like you’re listening from inside a music chamber

15. Crystal singing bowls. These sounds are so light and airy and can make you feel enlightened. They’re good to use while meditating or journaling and can be restorative for panic attacks

16. Waterfall or rain instrumental sounds that have varying tempos. Those light background sounds (including fire crackling) can restore stubborn moods

17. Christmas blues songs – unlike jazz, there are greater varied ranges and moods

18. Dee Yan Key – snazzy, upbeat instrumental that you can find in Music Archives to help you create or compose your own music

Waking Up the Tired Kapha or Depressed Mind

Find inspiration and music with heavier beats.

19. “Little Drummer Boy” – Pentatonix

20. “Do They Know It’s Christmas” (1984) – this is an oldie but goodie with a couple of George’s… Boy George, George Michael, Duran Duran, and a bunch of the famous rock singers of the past. So nostalgic (when the Brat Pack on film were popular…I digress), but you just can’t recreate the same 80’s happy music and the time period it represented

…if you start singing along to your favorite songs, you’re doing double good. You can’t be depressed and joyful at the same time. Singing no matter what you sound like, off-key or not, will make you feel better and open up your throat.

Another one…

21. “So This Is Christmas” – John Lennon (if you’re a Beatles fan)

22. Andrea Bocelli – “The Prayer” duet will wake up your heart and soul with the opera-esque components. Andrea’s amazing singing quality holds onto long high notes. Return to Love is a beautiful video where Andrea Bocelli serenades with a chorus, to his wife, that can remind you of fleeting moments. As a blind musician, Bocelli started his young career as an attorney. But he could sense the happiness and smiles that his singing brought to crowds and that’s what tipped his decision to become a professional musician

23. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is a classical classic, that’s good for balance. The violin in the spring concerto is going to be light and help wake up your senses. Summer is going to be fast and dramatic. Fall is light. Winter is best for Kapha imbalances, as it’s a faster tempo.

24. Another classic is listening to the music from The Nutcracker. You’ve probably seen the dreamy fairy tale performance before and can watch it online. The varying instruments piped into the drama is good for getting your mind out of routine.

25. Bret Eldridge – a cross between a big band, country, and Harry Connick, Jr.-esque. His fresh, modern take on class Christmas songs can awaken your senses

26. “Amazing Grace” – The Il Divo tenors are captivating to watch as they sing their parts of the same song

27. “Hallelujah” – Pentatonix has a chorus that’s refreshing to listen to especially if you’re in a mood funk. It’s like throwing a splash of warm water on your face as the singers echo melodies and imitate sounds

28. “Christmas Tree Farm” – Taylor Swift jingles can be a reminder of a jolly and hopeful time that Christmas is.

29. “Christmas Valentine” – Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Mraz (maybe he can add a Dancing with the Stars dance to his video?)

30. “Please Come Home For Christmas” – The John Mayer modern version with high guitar riffs, Jon Bon Jovi sultry version, or original Charles Brown oldie blues version can bring different moods. See if you can find the version that makes your day a couple minutes happier.

Just remember if you’re fatigued in any way, Christmas-y songs lift up your spirit. They will stay classic, as long as you want to remember them that way. We all grew up hearing the classic songs sung by different artists and repurposing an old song to a new version. Or are sung in collaboration with other artists. New re-made versions and meditative healing music are good for restoring different imbalances that your body is quietly thanking you for.

May your Advent season be happy and bright! 🌲

Print Recipe

Healthy Christmas Tree Cardamom Cookies

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

1 cup flour (coconut flour or almond flour and AP blend recommended for healthy)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cardamom
1/2 cup softened butter or coconut oil
cinnamon and orange zest (optional for sweetness)

Instructions

Mix ingredients together to prepare cookie dough.
Form a disc and wrap in plastic. Let rest in refrigerator.
Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut out tree shape or desired cookie shape.
Bake on cookie sheet on 350°F for about 12 minutes.

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Turn Holiday Blues Lazy Ways Into Productivity

making waffle trees can bring holiday cheer instead of holiday blues — Bring some holiday cheer to holiday blues with an activity like making waffle trees 🧇

Holiday blues is common during the last two months of the year.

It’s the time of year where it’s easy to get lazy….

And, it’s a time where we can start to coast… crave more winter hibernation sleep and rest… and sometimes with a difficult year, get into our “let’s just get through the year” mantra.

It’s so easy to get caught up in holiday blues and sad emotions for what we don’t have and any losses we faced. Those situational feelings can turn into emotional unrest, where we end up blaming or hurting others or beating ourselves up.

And all this can be bittersweet because it’s also a seasonal time of renewal. And a time of holiday celebration. So we can oscillate between mixed emotions that we’re still processing…

BUT so, for your healthy breakthrough and escape from the stressors, do something productive instead.

Start with patting yourself on the back for something small and good you just did earlier today. Get that little stretch in to ease up the mood.

And if you just woke up… Congratulations, you are a new day wiser with possibilities.

While rest and relaxation is healthy to do and natural to catch up on, what if we did just a hair more with our lazy bones side where we want to lay around and do nothing or watch Neflix all day in our jammies (…we all have some Kapha in us afterall)?

What if instead to recharge the mind-body and get out of any funks, you re-channeled your energy into a NEW holiday purpose that becomes a new tradition?

That’s what creativity is. Creative energy comes from within. It’s tapping into the loving energy you have and not what you don’t have. Our ego love to focus on the negative. And the undesired behaviors show up as pity parties, Impostor Syndrome, or hurting others.

And if negative is how you deeply feel because your thoughts have been feeding you negatively, then that’s when it’s good to refocus on self-awareness in this moment. Get a handle on picking yourself back up. You can start with focusing on your inhale/exhale breath.

But another good way to get out of holiday blues is to bring back fond happy memories!…

Remember in your recent joy moments or past fun years when you came up with all kinds of resourceful activities? You baked cookies, danced around, and played games and outside in the snow. 🤸🏻

The younger-you was inventive with the resources you had. And that probably didn’t cost money or much as you used your creativity.

And today as an adult, you can remind yourself of those memories, and in that spirit do so much more with yourself because you’re not as limited.

At the least, you can make decisions you couldn’t as a kid.

And you’re years wiser than you once were. In wisdom, you want to grow. And that can mean being more than a life watcher. You can be an active participant in your activities.

You can participate in your interests in a meaningful way in your life. You can create more impact and find your purpose in this life that’s inside you.

So – what do you have interest in learning more about?

And if you can’t come up with anything if you’re feeling uninspired…

Do something outside to change up your surroundings.

Too cold outside? Perfect time to have a peppermint marshmallow fun hot cocoa beverage. Stick a peppermint stick in your drink and dress up the rim.

You could also sign up to be a holiday volunteer. Holidays have so many great once-a-year happenings that are healthy to do.

And if you’re wanderlust for snowy effects, watch a Christmas movie to get into the snow globe holiday cheer. And let that be a happy recent memory for you. ⛄️

Play Christmas songs or festive music. String up lights or some popcorn and cranberries (left over from Thanksgiving that’s a fun treat). All so you can get your holly-jolly on without a lot of effort.

And then after you get in your better joyful mood, you can start doing the activity that makes your heart sing. …Maybe it’s singing? …Maybe it’s working with your hands with something arts and crafts? 🎤🧶

Start a creative project and let that swallow up the anxious or lazy moods.

Just know that whatever you enjoy, not everyone else does. So that makes you a different snowflake. ❄️ You can show off your creativity and skills to your friends and fam and let them have some enjoyment of your talent.

Creativity could be what you’re missing in life… it’s a form of purpose. And it’s a gift that can get lost if you haven’t used it in a while. I know this too well because I didn’t know I had hidden talents until I started participating after holding onto lesser work-created moods.

And that can be just what you need…

Purpose and creativity brings passion (the opposite of boredom) to life!

When you start giving more of yourself in a way that makes you giddy, by default you’re fully feeling less moody blues. You have a purpose to get up beyond the daily hum-drum have-to-do’s.

And when your heart sings, you’re free from the rocky roller coaster wheel of emotions you once were feeling because then you substitute fleshly feelings for deeper content feelings.

Contentment is on another wave frequency than situational happiness. And if you’re not content watching or hanging out on the sidelines, at some point your ego will point out to you loudly that you’re not in your game. And most likely then you feel off in a funk mood or not aligned in what you’re doing and how you feel.

And that can often lead to unhealthy ways such as staying on the never-ending emotional roller coaster.

This is where excitement is high through the build up to the peak, and then it’s downhill toward rock bottom which is where boredom is. 🎢 You want to escape and dodge that way.

Because to pick up the lows, often costs something high… resulting in sadness, overeating, or our self-control when we’ve been trying to improve our discipline. And then that’s a point where our dangerous ego can attack us if we feel self-defeated taking two steps forward and one step back.

So my friendly advice and encouragement if you feel holiday blues this season is to get back to your healthy self first… maybe detox from what’s not aligned. And that will set you up for a much better end of year to springboard you into next year! 📈

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