Noteworthy Benefits of Being Mindful Each Day

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing our attention on the present moment, and accepting what we discover without judgment. 

Research shows mindfulness is an excellent way to reduce stress and increase happiness. Mindfulness meditation changes our brain and biology in positive ways, improving mental and physical health.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, scientist, author, meditation teacher and father of the mindfulness movement, is known for bringing mindfulness into the mainstream of medicine and society.

Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”

Mindfulness helps us observe our body, mind, and spirit and our surroundings just as they are, moment to moment. 

Scientific studies indicate this life skill technique can induce a relaxation response and ease pain, both physical and emotional. Continue Reading to see

Noteworthy Benefits of 

Being Mindful Each Day

When we are mindful it

1. Allows us to get off to a fresh start each day, viewing experiences with open-mindedness. Mindfulness training helps us observe ourselves, others, and happenings in a more objective way.

2. Helps us check in with ourselves and act with intention. When we do, we have the option of detaching from dramas and knee-jerk reactions, and pause to respond in a calmer, clear-headed way. 

3. Alerts us to times we feel depleted or vulnerable and need to be kind to ourselves. Restorative self-care practices including taking a nap, doing physical exercise, writing in a journal, reciting affirmations, or eating a nourishing meal mindfully, helps us feel refreshed and better able to take on the rest of our day. 

See more about Self-care Activities to Encourage Optimal Health here.

4. Enables us to notice whatever we’re feeling physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A fun way to help us become more self-aware is to use a color visualization, Colors of the Chakras, to create greater balance and ease.

5. Supports long-term mindfulness meditators, as we experience and overcome setbacks. Mindfulness helps us cope with challenges and focus on those thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that will help us move forward. This is an effective element of flexibility and personal growth. 

Learn more about Staying Resilient during COVID and Beyond by looking at this free resiliency booklet from the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). Click here.

6. Shows us how much time and energy we spend on distractions and observe how often we let our mind wander from our goals, priorities, and plans. 

Mindfulness also helps us have insights about our choices and observe how much time we reserve for people, places, and things that bring us pleasure, joy, and inspiration.

7. Empowers us to observe outmoded habits and work on replacing them with healthier ones. 

8. Can be practiced for free and as simply as taking 5 minutes to sit quietly and follow our breath. This economical self-care practice needs no special equipment or facility. Mindfulness activities are available in books, online, YOUTUBE or as apps for little or no charge. 

9. Helps us find compassion for ourselves and others. Studies show when we treat ourselves and others with lovingkindness, it increases our overall sense of wellbeing.

Perhaps by now you realize making a conscious effort to be more mindful has many benefits. They include the ability to sense the richness in life as it occurs, engage in activities wholeheartedly, have a greater capacity to recover from adversity, reduces stress, and enables us to fully awaken to ourselves.

Want to reap the benefits of adopting a mindfulness practice? It's as simple as setting the intention to take small steps each day to make mindful living a priority for 2021 and then following through. 💖

Before you go, please comment below. I'd love to know how many of these mindfulness benefits inspire you.

Do you already practice yoga, meditation, and/or use color visualizations to help you feel vitally alive? Please share about that too.

No links in your comments please, as they won't be published that way.

If you like what you see, please share and like on social media. For additional color energy resources and wellness information, please visit my Website. 

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Creative Ideas to Help Us Open Our Hearts to Self-love

For those of us who strive to excel in our careers and/or ace relationships, we may drive ourselves too hard, and feel depleted. Then, If we don't reach our goals, we focus on how bad we messed up, and get down on ourselves. 

Updated 7/27/2023

Putting undue pressure on ourselves makes us feel frustrated, cranky, and sets off negative self-talk that can get loud and insulting. This doesn't have to happen. 

Holding on to unrealistic expectations of ourselves is destructive to our self-esteem.
  
If you can relate, know that the self-care tips I share below have helped me in innumerable ways. 

Try them on for size, and let me know in the comments section under this post how it went.

Each helps reverse a self-defeating attitude, lightens things up, and opens our hearts to self-love.

But first, ask yourself the following:

Do I think self-love is a selfish characteristic? 

Read the wise words of Andrea Brandt PhD, MFT, who was a therapist in private practice in CA. Her insights about self-love are right on. The quote below is shared with her permission.

“Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. 
Self-love means not settling for less than you deserve.”

She continues, "Self-love means giving 

yourself what your body, brain, and soul 

needs for the marathon that is life. 

It isn’t hedonism and it isn’t chasing a 

physical or emotional high. The practice of 

self-love is the practice of nourishing 

yourself."

💖

Since February is often thought of as the LOVE month, this post features tips and reminders to help us navigate and celebrate our love relationship with ourselves.

Now on to

Creative Ideas to Help Us Open Our Hearts to Self-Love!

Harness Color Energy. 💖

When we are mindful of the colors we choose to look at, wear, or surround ourselves with, we can absorb their color energy for our good. 

Colors bypass thinking and interact with us at the cellular level.  Envisioning certain colors is an easy way to convert negative thoughts to positive ones, balance or inspire passion, and influence us to act kinder and more compassionately with ourselves. 

Most of us are aware that Valentine colors are usually RED, PINK, and WHITE. There are several reasons this is so.

RED is the color of heart health, passion, excitement, enthusiasm, love, courage, fire, and Valentine's Day. 

Red speeds up metabolism and energizes us. Women may enjoy accessorizing with bright red shoes and purse, and men can don a red cap or tie to get pep and pizazz with red.

Here's what I mean. Debbie Ross from Debbie Styles Life shows us Subtle Ways to Incorporate Valentine Colors into Wardrobes.

PINK is a nurturing, supportive color, one that instinctively reminds us of warm feelings, unconditional love, and gentleness. 

Pink is red and white combined. This mix provides a helpful balance of male and female energies. Pink can reduce stress and exudes a gentle healing energy. 

We can use this sweet color to nurture ourselves, calm us, and decrease loneliness. More about the color pink in Ways to Use Colors to Improve Work Life Balance.

Perhaps WHITE resonates with us. It is an empowering color, one we can use to visualize white light around us. 

Its energy is cleansing, healing, protecting, and raises consciousness by helping support a spiritual connection.

Envision white for a sense of security, or buy white roses to represent self-love that is pure and steadfast.

When we wear white or lounge on white pillows or a blanket, think devotion.

We can use a white crystal called selenite in our homes or hold a selenite wand in front of our bodies. White has many rejuvenating and mystical properties.


Be Good to Ourselves. 💖

Wholesome self-care includes eating meals that consist of nourishing whole food, and getting regular exercise. 

It includes pursuing interests and work that makes us feel enthusiastic about life, getting adequate rest and sleep, and making time for people and things we love. 

Many of us find that contributing to a greater good, and creating a place of stillness inside ourselves (with prayer, meditation, yoga, or other healing practices) are lifestyle choices that help nurture us.

Each self-care practice prepares us to be more flexible and resilient, especially in adverse conditions and a sometimes harsh world. 

Look in the mirror each day and affirm  I love my mind, body, and spirit exactly as it is.

Make a list of your strong points/assets and shortcomings/ vulnerabilities. Accept them all just for today.

Note personality traits with lovingkindness. These characteristics have gotten you this far and deserve a thank you.

Ponder this “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. When you are born a lotus flower, be a beautiful lotus flower, don't try to be a magnolia flower. If you crave acceptance and recognition and try to change yourself to fit what other people want you to be, you will suffer all your life. True happiness and true power lie in understanding yourself, accepting yourself, having confidence in yourself.” ―Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power

If your self-confidence level is low, be proactive and do things to help change your beliefs about self-worth. 

Be willing to increase skills by enrolling in courses, apprenticing, and trying out new things. 

It's never too late to increase knowledge about topics you know little about, and it's an excellent way to find new passions. 

Make it a priority to cherish yourself. Admit and affirm everyone has qualities that make them unique and special. 

Remember we are all part of the human race, 

and are ALL GOOD ENOUGH. 

A word of caution. Maintain personal values, 

ethics, and morals. Refrain from people 

pleasing to get ahead or be "liked." We need 

to get validation by being honest, honoring 

our truths, and loving ourselves. Being true 

to ourselves is the best policy for self-love 

and life satisfaction. 

When we need motivation to be more self-compassionate, say affirmations, get support from people who recognize our goodness. and hang out with people who bring out the best in us. 

If it seems as though we don't like who we are, imagine we are a beloved child, grandchild, or dear friend. How would we treat them? Then just treat ourselves that way. 

Take a moment to applaud and appreciate even the smallest forward motion. 

Use additional moments scattered 

throughout the day to observe whether you 

are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. These are 

times to HALT.

Forgive yourself for past mistakes. Learn from slips-ups and use them as stepping stones for personal growth. 

Journal to open your heart more fully to self-love. Write, draw, or color in a journal to discover simple ways to take tender loving care of yourself. 💓

Thank you for the visit. Wishing friends, family, and blog readers a wonderful February. Before you go, please comment below. 

If you like what you see, please re-share on social media and provide a link back to this post.

Here are some possible things to comment about:

What ideas do you like or use to improve self-care?

Where do you still need work?

Do you know low self-esteem is a learned habit and can be unlearned? What do you think about that?

What steps have you taken to help improve your opinion of yourself?

No links in comments please, as they won't be published that way.

This post was written for information and entertainment purposes only. If you need or want medical or psychological advice, consult with a professional provider.

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5 Self-care Skills You Need to Know

Are you on mental overload, and have worries or fear? When you feel overwhelmed, it can prevent you from enjoying each day, diminishes creativity, and saps the energy out of what you do. 

Updated 8/16/2025

I know from past experience, some days it's hard for me to maintain optimism, when I don’t even want to roll out of bed.

That's why I suggest to restore a positive outlook in a world that may seem to be filled with problems and negative hype, challenge yourself.

The 5 self-care skills I describe—have proven to be emotional/mental health lifesavers, and are well worth the effort to implement.

Establishing a daily routine helps reduce anxiety, improves self-confidence, and helps us get back on track.

Take it from me, just as a workout routine helps our physical health, daily self-care helps calm chaotic thoughts, reminds us of daily goals, and creates compassionate feelings for ourselves and others. 

5  Self-care Skills You Need to Know

💗

1. Start the morning in a meditative way, because it sets the tone for the day. Make it a priority to start off easily and fluidly.

For example, my biological clock wakes me without an alarm, so I’m not jolted out of bed. I take a few moments to stretch my body through yoga and get my blood moving. Then I spend quiet time in prayer, meditation, or journal writing. 

I may read a spiritual book, say affirmations, or explore a color-visualization as well. Each inspires and encourages me. 

Note: I choose to use no electronic equipment for prayer, meditation, asanas (yoga poses), and journal writing. I prefer to connect with my higher wisdom and check in with myself in a minimalist way. 

If you like an app for yoga, meditation, prayer or other meditative routine, go for it. For me electronic equipment early in the day (5 am) just stirs me up and makes me tempted to text, look at email, or get sidetracked and go on a social media frenzy.

After I eat a nourishing breakfast, wash and brush, and spend a few moments to straighten up my home (make the bed, and chop up a salad for lunch, etc.), I get to work.

When I keep self-care routines simple, I feel more grounded in my body, mind, and spirit. 

Then, I set an intention for my day to be mindful and loving. This allows me to be responsible for my own happiness, and releases my "ego's need" to strive for results. 


2. Understand a Positive Attitude is Key. Be kind, present, self-caring, and nonjudgmental with yourself and others as you go through your daily activities. 

Full consciousness tends to reduce negativity, fear, and confusion. In addition, a no-attachment view of how people, things, and places need to be, reduces anxiety, worry, uncertainty, and creates greater compassion.

3. Eat more fruits and veggies. Reserve time to prepare and eat healthy food. It’s a great way to practice self-care throughout the day. 

Top nutrition minds advise us to eat a variety of at least 5 to 9 servings of color-rich vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruit a day. 

Brightly colored low-fat plant-based whole foods aren't just visually appealing. Fruits and veggies are nature's way of highlighting a broad range of nutrients that boost health. 

In its original state, each vegetable or fruit is low in saturated fat, pleasing to the palette, filling, and doesn't make us feel overstuffed or sluggish. Research indicates eating whole food plant-based foods elevates mood and productivity. 

4. Include fun activities or periods of non-doing into your routine. Try this. Wear pink to brighten your complexion, warm your heart, feel love, or when you sense a need to nurture yourself. 

Ask yourself… what things make me feel happy and part of the human race? Partake of those sports, clubs, religious or spiritual groups, social activities, or hobbies you  enjoy as often as you can. 

Nap time, real rest, and little breaks from work breathes space into your life. Pausing to kick back and relax, makes you feel more motivated and industrious, when you get back to tasks. 

Relaxation also elevates overall well-being. See How to Use Flowers and Plants to Increase Wellness for additional fun ideas.

5. Strengthen your self-care routine by connecting to your inner life. What you say, think, or feel about yourself, has an impact on how well you treat yourself. 

Journal writing raises self-awareness, and helps you understand your reasoning, vulnerabilities, and strengths. 

Journal Write for Self-care

Focusing on your talents and skills increases feelings of self-worth. Read Tips to Help You Keep a Success Journal and Soar at Business and Life!

The work you do on yourself has a ripple effect. It influences how smoothly you interact with others. Come into your power by owning your worthiness to be happy.

💖 

Use affirmations, mantras, or other positive outlets like combining shower power with affirmations. Putting these skills into practice is a simple way to shift energy from negative to positive. 

"When you develop healthy self-care habits, you put money in the upbeat bank. That pays off in feel-good vibes." Nancy Andres💗

Sometimes self-care is not enough. If you're experiencing life burnout, check out this article that lists symptoms, and seek professional help.

Get treatment if you're dealing with addictions, financial problems, or other serious behavioral/health issues. Elizabeth Hartney, PhD states, “Most addictions have a serious impact on finances. In fact, financial problems are cited as a possible symptom of addiction for substance dependence and compulsive gambling.”

Most of us haven’t totally thrown self-care out the window. My experience and most probably yours too, shows that we function best when we take good care of ourselves. 

I wish you abundance and joy each day, and encourage you to use self-care skills to make your health and happiness a lifestyle priority.

Please comment below and/or answer one of the questions that follows:

What self-care techniques work best for you and why? 

When you feel in a rut, how do you restore optimism? 

One way I do this is to walk in nature or meet a friend for lunch. 

What self-care practices are you willing to try? 

Any I haven’t mentioned that work for you?

I welcome comments, questions, and feedback in the comments section below. 

Please don't put links in your comments, as they won't be published that way.

Thanks for understanding.

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