Laughing Baby

Just yesterday I was talking about stress and needing to reduce mine, so my baby and I played a little extra today.  In an effort to bring joy to the lives of my dedicated readers (and myself) I found the cutest laughing baby video on Youtube!  This way everyone can enjoy the stress reduction benefits of a laughing baby.  I admit it was hard work watching all of the laughing baby videos to bring you the best one, but I’m dedicated.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Does watching a laughing baby make you happy?  What other easy ways have you found to cheer yourself up and reduce your stress?

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I found a great article on how stress is effecting the health of people across the nation on Gather today.  It is written by one of the doctors from the Harvard Medical School, if you would like to look at the full report you can find it here.

On of the things mentioned is:

"People are now feeling stress because of the difficult economic picture in this country. Home foreclosures and unemployment, higher gasoline and food prices, and disappearing job security can all make us feel stressed."

I have definitely felt the stress associated with higher gas and food prices.  I recently stopped teaching full time to stay at home with our new baby and the reduced income along with the rising costs can lead to a lot of stress.  I’ve been coping by finding work from home but the article has a few other ideas on how to reduce stress, some of which I’ve heard before.  I figure you can never get good advice often enough so I’ll share some of my favorites from the article.

"Find time to exercise regularly.

Eat a balanced, healthy diet. Avoid reaching for sugary snacks or fatty fast food.

Limit your alcohol use, and don’t take illicit drugs. Drugs and alcohol can prevent you from dealing with stressful problems directly.

Get a good night’s sleep.

Consider learning some relaxation techniques. There are many of these, and most are easy to learn. Take breaks when you are at work.

Seek professional help if you feel overwhelmed by the stresses in your life. Stress-management counseling is often very helpful."

Exercising regularly is a great idea and I was doing pretty well with it till everything got hectic again.  Guess that’s when I need it most but am getting it least. Probably about the same for everyone out there.  Eating well…not so much.  Another thing for me to stress about!  Yay! one I actually manage to accomplish.  I don’t drink or do drugs so that isn’t making my stress worse.  I’m sure I will feel less stressed when the baby is sleeping through the night instead of through the day ;)  Relaxation techniques I’ve been trying to do.  I’ve started putting in a weekly meditation inspiring video and using it throughout the week.  Must say, those nature sounds and rainstorms do relax me.  Professional help.  This is actually something I’ve done before and it is very effective.  Unfortunately, I don’t really have the time to go anymore.

Writing this post has made me realize that I must start to make myself a priority.  All of the things that are good for reducing stress I say I don’t have time for which leads to more stress.  My motto for this blog is "relax so you can focus" by relaxing I partially meant reducing daily stress.  Looks like I need to take my own advice! 

How do you reduce your daily stress to help you lead a more enjoyable and productive life?

Rainbow Photo Credit:  Nicholas T. from Flickr, Creative Commons License

One of my favorite things to do when I need to zone out to think over a problem is to color a mandala.  If you aren’t sure what a mandala is….let’s just say it’s a repetitive pattern that you can color.  Historically there are all kinds of meanings associated with them but for my purpose it is just something that helps me to relax and focus. As such I’ve decided I should share it with you!  The picture I’ve added is an example of a mandala that I thought was pretty.   

Usually I color the mandalas with colored pencils, pens, or crayons but I got to thinking…wouldn’t it be nice if I could color one online?  Then I thought…well if I want to do it I probably can find a site somewhere that will let me!  Wouldn’t you know it, I was right :)  

Here is a link to a mandala you can color online.  I hope you enjoy!

Mandala Photo Credit:  Peter Kaminski from Flickr, Creative Commons License

This Meditation video has some striking images of lightning and rain.  The background music is of rain and thunder.  It is a shorter video and great when you need a quick pick-me-up to help you become more focused.  Take a little meditation break for yourself today, you deserve it!

Well that title must have you wondering, right?  Well apparently your personality can be described by what kind of tree you are assigned by your birthday.  Confused yet?  It is like a horoscope except with a much smaller time window.  Mine was actually dead on, oddly enough!  So what is my personality tree?  I’m so glad you asked!

If you want to find out what kind of tree you are, you can go here.  I am a Walnut Tree.  I’m a nut..gotta love it.  Here is more about my personality according to my tree. 

"Unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egoistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromises." 

My Analysis:

• Unrelenting- Oh yeah.
• Strange and full of contrasts. - So much so I won’t go into it all or you might not read my blog anymore.
• Often egoistic - sadly, yes.
• Aggressive - most people just say pushy, but yes.
• Noble - Wasn’t sure about this one so I looked up the definition of noble.  Still couldn’t decide so I guess it is a matter of opinion.
• Broad horizon - Well now are they calling me fat or saying I get the big picture?  Probably right on both.
• Unexpected reactions - I’ve been called explosive before.
• Spontaneous - Mmmm not so much.  I’m a planner.
• Unlimited Ambition - Oh yeah.  My goal is to understand everything…so that’s pretty ambitious.
• No flexibility - I’ll admit I’ve been accused of that.  BUT that’s only because I’m usually right and everyone else is usually wrong ;)  Seriously though.  I’m inflexible when I believe I’m right but I’m fine with someone trying to prove their point and if they aren’t a complete twit and present information in a new and compelling way my mind can be changed so there is some flexibility there.
• Difficult and uncommon partner - Yeah…my poor husband.
• Not always liked but often admired - I’d say that is probably true.
• Ingenious strategist - Not to toot my own horn but….toot toot.  I should’ve been a military strategist I’m so good.
• Very jealous and passionate.  - Yes.  Mine.
• No Compromises - Why compromise?  Right is right and wrong is wrong.

Overall I really thought this little personality description was bang on.  What did you think of your tree?

Walnut Tree Photo Credit:  Rhian vK from Flickr, Creative Commons License

May is mental health month.  The focus this year is how connections can help your mental health.  Mental Health America gives us more information on this.

"Mental Health Month was created more than 50 years ago to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all.  This year’s theme is focused on an essential component of maintaining and protecting mental health and wellness: social connectedness. The tagline for this year’s observance is “Get Connected.” There are many ways of creating connections that support mental health…"

The first suggestions they have is to get connected with friends and family, and get connected to your community.  There are several ways you can create a closer connection between family and friends that can help you maintain good mental health.  Finding ways to make connections in your community can be more difficult, but ultimately very rewarding.

Connect with Family and Friends.

• Have a family game night.
• Spend one night a week, or a month, turning of the electronics in the house and playing board games.  This allows you to have face to face interaction with your family without any of the usual distractions.
• Eat dinner with your family.
• Too often families sit down to dinner separately or while watching TV or in a vehicle.  By taking time to sit down and enjoy a meal together you can reconnect with one another
• Write a family chain letter.
• Write a letter that is sent to each family member one at a time with each person adding a little to the letter.  By the time the letter gets back to you you will have news from all members of the family.
• Go out for a friends night.
• Leave the family at home and go out to eat or to a movie or over to a friends house and reconnect.  Hanging out is not just for the kiddies

Connect with your Community

• Use mom and pop shops.
• Don’t always go to the big box stores where it is impossible to make a personal connection.  Check out the locally owned restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, and other businesses.  Many times these can be found in the ‘historic’ district.  They might be a little more expensive (but not always) but you will usually get great customer service with a friendly personal touch.  The local businesses in my hometown get to know their customers and make an effort to let me know if something comes in they think I’ll be interested in.
• Go to the park.
• Most communities have parks.  You can go there and meet people from the area.  If there is a children’s area you can take your child and meet parents with children of the same age.
• Visit local churches.
• If you don’t have a church family this is a great way to meet and become involved in the community.  You could try a different church each week. 
• Get involved in helping others.
• If there is a local soup kitchen, shelter, food bank, or other community outreach program you could opt to volunteer your time.  You could help your neighbors and get to know others who are interested in giving back to the community at the same time. 

Personal connections can make the difference between a mild bump in your emotional well being and a full on wreck.  I believe this is why the focus for mental health month this year is on making and keeping those connections. 

What ways have you found to make connections with friends, family, and community?  Have you found these types of connections to be useful during a difficult period of your life?

I have a bit of an addiction when it comes to all forms of illusions, magic tricks and the like.  One of the best ways to get your daily dose of mental stimulation is to try to figure out how some of those magicians or illusionist create their illusion. 

So is it an illusion or is it reality?  It certainly looked real to me, but then I wonder, how could it be real?  What do you think?  If you think it is an illusion, please, give me your ideas on how he pulled it off!

This video has the sound of rain and running water and images of the same.  It is very relaxing and a great way to focus your meditation.  You can close your eyes and meditate while listening to the water or you can let your mind drift as you listen and watch the video.  During a busy day it is important to take time and let your mind drift.  The short time you take for your meditation will make the rest of your day more productive.

This is one of my all time favorites.  Probably because I’m routinely referred to as a female dog (keeping it G rated for the kiddies on the net).  So I’ve often wondered, just what kind of dog AM I?  I to this personality test here, give it a try!  It is a lot of fun.  Everything in italics is my opinion of the results.  So here we go!

No bones about it, you’re an adventurous Scottish Terrier. Woof, Woof, baby…I’m cute and tenacious…I like it so far.  Fearless, yup feisty, yup and always up for a challenge, all kinds of a yup you like having things your way. These people have been spying on me!  seriously though, I have to have my way. Some people might even label you stubborn or headstrong.They might think it…no, I know I’m stubborn and headstrong..but usually it is because I’m right.  If someone proves to me that I’m wrong I’m willing to change my opinion. But we know you’re just ambitious and motivated. This is it exactly, I do wish everyone could see that. (Being misinterpreted is such a trial, isn’t it?) It really is a trial, I mentioned that I’m frequently referred to as a female dog but I really am a teddy bear.  I just speak my mind and am firm in my convictions and tend to not take it well when people try to take advantage of me.  Besides, your can-do attitude serves you well when facing challenges at work or in your personal life. Absolutely true. No job is too big, and absolutely no obstacle is going to stand in your way. Also true.  Once I make up my mind you’d have an easier time turning a hurricane around or stopping an earthquake.  Call it a God complex if you will *yes, I’ve been told I have a God complex* but I call it determination You’re always ready, willing, and able to rise to the challenge. A loyal, caring friend, you choose your pals very carefully,  I am a picky girl. then stick by them through thick and thin. I’d do anything for my friends, of course there aren’t that many of them so it’s easy to say that Woof!

I loved this little personality test.  Lots of fun!  Go take the test then tell me what kind of dog you are and what you thought about your results!

Terrier Photo Credit: Narujen from Flickr, Creative Commons License

Geography Trivia Answers

Welcome to this edition of Mental Stimulation Trivia. Today I will give you the answers to the Geography Trivia questions I asked last week. If you have questions about any of the answers or if you would like to submit a topic for the next edition of Mental Stimulation Trivia please let me know in the comments section. I would also love to hear if you are enjoying the trivia questions and answers.

The Earth Photo Credit: Woodleywonderworks from Flickr, Creative Commons License