What is your purpose in life? Have you figured it out yet? Sometimes it takes a while to know what it is and it may change over time depending on your circumstances. You may face some challenges in life that lead you to your purpose like I did. Having sustained a back injury in my twenties led me through the medical community with no results and landed me in the alternative medicine world. And this is where I discovered my purpose of wanting to help others who are suffering in pain live a better quality of life.
Long story, very short…overcoming struggles are how I figured out my purpose. This is not to say you have to go through a hard time first but it definitely humbles you and makes you appreciate your life and health a lot more. Having a purpose helps you survive this crazy world and keeps you going.
First and foremost — do not put a great amount of stress on yourself to figure this out quickly. The journey to realizing your purpose is a beautiful one, so soak up every moment of it! You may already have an idea, or know, what this is — and in that case, great for you! There are probably many different things you are passionate about in life. What topics get your emotions flowing? Anger, happiness, excitement — all of the emotions. What brings these up in you? You will learn much about yourself when you consider what topics cause an emotional response in you.
Finding Your Purpose
1. What are you passionate about?
Continue asking yourself why this is important to you to get to the true answer. List 3 things you are passionate about.
2. How can you make an impact?
Consider your purpose not being about you, but about the difference, it will make in the world.
3. What are your skills, abilities, and gifts?
Think about how can you use them to better your life and others around you.
4. Who do I want to be and what result would I like to have?
Think about your values, goals, and where you want to be in the future. Write a mission statement for your life.
Take Your Time
Remember that taking care of yourself is imperative so that you may accomplish the great things life has in store for you. So take some time to find your passion and your purpose will be more clear. Having a purpose will help you forget about your own challenges and is a key to experiencing consistent joy. Please comment and let me know what your passions are and if you have found your purpose in life!
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage Stress, Chronic Pain, and Anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
Stress management is an essential part of any wellness program. Stress can be extremely harmful to our health. Also, lack of self-care, unhealthy habits, poor mindset, unresolved anger, and chronic stress can lead to so many problems in our bodies and minds. The powerful mind/body connection cannot be ignored. If you feel out of control and overwhelmed take a minute to read this. I shared some of my stress management techniques that will help to jump-start your journey to a healthier and happier life.
Natural Stress Management
Spring is a perfect time for renewal and to perform a detox for yourself. Therefore, it’s a great time of year to think about “spring cleaning” in every area of your life. There are many ways to refresh your life and help you feel like you have some control. Moreover, when you feel in control, you tend to be able to better cope with the stress that comes along in daily life.
Over the last couple of months, I shared 7 stress management tips from my premium Stress Solution Coaching program. In case you missed it, below is a review and the links to the 7 Ways To Detox Your Life.
It is good to evaluate where you are at. Could you be doing better at managing stress? Take some time to evaluate these stress management steps. I recommend spending time on one tip per week.
What small steps can you take to move closer to a less stressful existence?
Ask yourself… what can I do today to make tomorrow better for myself, my loved ones, and the rest of the world.
Comment and feel free to share with me if you have taken any action and what some of your struggles are.
Also, I offer a complimentary Discovery call to explore coaching options. Check it out and take some action today. You are worth it!
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage Stress, Chronic Pain, and Anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
We all have a choice in life who to let into our worlds. How do you feel about the relationships in your life and who you surround yourself with? It does get easier with age to recognize who just isn’t going to be genuine or good to be around. What is the saying.. You can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family.
Sometimes we choose people as friends or partners that are not the best for us. Sure, at first they may seem great and provide some kind of entertainment or meet a need for us in that season of life. People show their true colors once you get to know them and some you can trust and some you can’t.
Trim the Tree
I have loved and lost many times including relationships with friends. My closest friends and I have a saying to “trim the tree” if a person is a drag emotionally and just not making an effort in the relationship. Sometimes this is true even if it is family as well.
However, you are better served to make more of an effort to work it out with a family member if possible as long as it isn’t abusive. In that case, do what is best and safe for you. It makes me sad to hear about family members who don’t speak to each other because it is truly heartbreaking and not good for your health to hold onto hate or resentment.
It is a stressor on our emotions and affects our physical health and just plain does not feel good. We all deserve better than that. Yes, you do too!
Surround yourself with positive and supportive people. Your health depends on it!
Detox Your Relationships
The last tip of this series from my Stress Solution Coaching program is to Detox Your Relationships. Unless you’re incredibly lucky, there is most likely at least one negative relationship in your life. This can be a really difficult subject, but an incredibly important one to consider.
When you read the words “negative relationship” — who comes to mind? Does anyone pop into your mind right off the bat? It could be a coworker, nosey neighbor, friend, or even a family member.
Although we can’t always “detox” these relationships completely, there are ways to readjust and evaluate what is not serving you in your relationships. Luckily, there are plenty of people out there that you can have a healthy relationship with! One of love, understanding, honesty, laughter, and learning.
Healing and detoxing the relationships that are not serving you is empowering and rewarding — clearing space for new and impactful relationships in your life.
This week is a time of renewal, what relationships in your life need a reconnection or reevaluation?
Take some time and think about it and write a list of energy-draining people in your life. This is a powerful exercise and will open up new and exciting possibilities as well as close those doors that are not healthy for you.
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
Do you ever try to disconnect and be totally present? These days it is hard to feel present in this technological age. You have to make a concerted effort to not be on some kind of device. So how many different electronic devices do you own? It is safe to say that most of us have a smartphone, an iPhone, iPad, or Kindle. We are constantly connected whether we like it or not.
What kind of impact do you think this has on our health– mentally and physically? There has been a lot of research on the effects of electronics and our brains. Many studies have shown the harmful effects this constant connection has on young adults.
While it is nice that we have the ability to be connected to the entire world and all the knowledge we want with the click of a button — it can become a habit and take our focus off real life and also destroy personal connections.
Do you find yourself perusing your social media accounts when you’re bored? Have you ever jumped online to look up one thing, and an hour later, you’ve found yourself still scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed? We have all fallen victim to this. A digital detox, however small it is, can serve you tremendously. Try going offline and disconnect for a few days.
Some Steps to Disconnect
Clean out your e-mail account.
Do you have a ton of subscriptions cluttering your inbox daily? Take time to unsubscribe from unwanted emails, clearing out old ones that are unnecessary for you now, and even making folders and putting an organization system in place in your email account.
Cut down on your time online.
Yes, this means taking a little break from Facebook and Instagram! I promise you really won’t miss anything too important that will affect your life in any way. In fact, you may just find that you are even more mentally clear and positive without those distractions.
Make a plan to only check your phone at certain times of the day.
Just because someone texts you doesn’t mean you have to get back to them in the next few minutes. I know there are some exceptions but really most messages can wait until later. Figure out your most productive time of the day and plan to answer texts and emails then.
Use this downtime to do the things you truly enjoy. For instance, exercise, pick up a new hobby or spend more quality time with your loved ones. This will quickly become way more enjoyable than scrolling through your Instagram account! Less time with your head buried in your phone will increase your mood, quality of life, and health.
Now put your phone down, go outside and CONNECT with others and nature. I promise you will feel so much better 🙂
What is one way you can slow down and become more present in your daily life?
xoxo
Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
Anxiety and Depression are both widespread problems in our society and something I have experience with. My work as a Massage Therapist and Wellness Coach has been therapeutic for me and allows me to share my journey to help others. To be honest, it is still sometimes a struggle to get the motivation to do things especially when it comes to working. However, once I do get going, it fuels my passion for helping others, which is what I thrive on.
My Mental Health Story
If you have read some of my earlier posts, I shared that I have Anxiety. To be exact, I have what is called Generalized Anxiety Disorder which goes hand in hand with Depression also. I have had it at least half of my life and I didn’t do anything about it for a long time for a few reasons. One is that I didn’t even know I had mental health issues.
All along, I thought I was just a more sensitive, introverted person who couldn’t handle too much stress at once, had obsessive thoughts, and felt sad at times. Once I realized what was going on, I felt ashamed and embarrassed to admit it. For a few years, I tried anti-depressants and anxiety meds and they did help but I never really felt my best on them.
Discovering alternative methods for treating anxiety and depression has been extremely helpful for me. With a lot of trial and error, I found that a mix of traditional medicine and holistic supplementation works best for me along with living a healthier lifestyle.
I would like to share some of the things that continue to help me battle both anxiety and depression. These work for me but I understand that some people do need to be on some kind of prescription medication. I would never recommend someone going off medication but would only suggest other adjunctive methods to assist in the fight.
My 5 Top Ways to Fight Anxiety & Depression
1. Reach Out for Help
Battling the fight alone is never an option. You simply can’t do it on your own so my first tip is to ASK FOR HELP from a trusted loved one, friend, or mental health professional. Having seen my share of therapists, I learned a lot about myself what triggers me, and also how to cope with my emotions. I admit way back that I used alcohol and smoking to relieve my stress and although it seemed to help at the time it didn’t and just caused more health issues.
Sometimes just talking to someone and sharing your struggles will help lift you out of a funk. One phone call can do the trick for a friend who gets it and lovingly supports you.
2. Feed Your Spirit
Another extremely helpful practice in this battle for me is to consistently feed my SPIRITUAL life so I pray and read positive devotionals daily like Jesus Calling. Filling up on positive messages helps tremendously when I am feeling low. My favorite uplifting preacher to watch is Joyce Meyer. She is funny and real and her messages always hit home.
Having a spiritual practice may be the most important to me. I believe in the power of prayer and that God is an anchor and loves me no matter what is going on in my life. It is truly comforting and I honestly don’t know how I would survive in this world without my faith and knowing that I am never alone!
3. Get Enough Sleep
Hands down getting enough REST is another important way to battle anxiety. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body will secrete more stress hormones and this is not good for anyone especially those with mental health issues.
What works for me is getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night. I usually need a little extra especially when I am under a lot of stress. For those of us battling with mental health, sleep is high on the list of self-care remedies. Read about some research about sleep and anxiety here.
4. Make Time for Physical Activity
As I have shared before, making time for physical activity is crucial in battle and will boost those happy hormones when feeling blah. It can be as simple as a walk in the park or cleaning your house that can help tame those anxious feelings.
I can’t say enough about how important movement is so find what works for you and try to do something each day. Although I don’t need more evidence that exercise helps me feel better, here’s a good article about how good it is for mental health.
5. Lend a Hand to Others in Need
Lastly and probably my favorite way to battle anxiety is to help others. Hey, I get it… sometimes you just don’t feel like even talking to other people. It is easy to be a hermit and not interact with the world. Getting out of your comfort zone is part of the healing process. I can think of hundreds of times I did not want to go out with friends, and family or even go to work.
After forcing myself to get out, I usually end up having a great time and doing so breaks me out of a dark place. We do need that alone time as long as it doesn’t take over our days and nights. Believe me, it is no coincidence that I have ended up in a helping profession. When I help others in pain or suffering, I get a boost of positivity and it always lifts my spirits tremendously. In addition, focusing on someone else makes me forget about anything I was worried about.
Self-Care Products we all need!
Help is Available!
We can all help people who suffer from mental illness. Please have patience with your loved ones who deal with mental health issues. Our brains are wired differently and it is not our fault when we don’t deal with stress like others. My experience is that the most authentic and loving people are the ones who suffer most and may not even realize it. There’s nothing wrong with you!
If you or someone you know ever feels hopeless and needs help immediately, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.1-800-273-8255.
You are always stronger than you think. Keep fighting and be a WARRIOR!
xoxo
Jill Ciampi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.
