Warm Wishes for a Joyous Holiday

Glad you came by for a visit to Colors 4 Health. I appreciate your support, and am grateful for you.

 

How do you plan to celebrate this festive season? Please let me know.

Curious about how the winter holidays are observed in various cultures and places? See Ways the Winter Holidays are Celebrated Around the World.

I'm aiming for a simple, serene holiday. I fractured my back and am taking Tender Loving Care of myself.

Before you go, please check out some of the most popular posts of this year. 

Ways to Supercharge Self-care in the New Year ✌

Easy Vegan Valentine's Day Recipe Roundup 💓

Best Vintage and DIY Fall Color Décor Ideas 🪑

Hanukkah a Mini Guide to the Jewish Holiday ✡

Please comment on this post in the space provided below to share the love.💟

Wishing All a Happy, Healthy New Year!

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Positive Quotes to Inspire Us

I’ve been struggling with pain from a flare up of a rotator cuff injury, and am sad about not being able to met with friends and get and give hugs. 

I'm anxious about the well-being of a family member, and find it difficult to concentrate on the work at hand.

Post updated 7/24/2023

I know from past experience, if I worry or hold on to negative thoughts about a physical, emotional, or even political or planetary situations, it doesn't make me feel optimistic or change anything or anyone else.

When I realize I'm obsessing about things that are beyond my control, I’m able to let go by saying "this too shall pass." 

For those who are curious about this quotation read “3 Origins of "This Too Shall Pass.” 

Even when I’m feeling stressed and filled with self-doubt, I have choices about how to handle myself. I know it's time to increase my focus on self-care. 

I may choose to journal write, do a color energy visualization, and/or converse with my buddies to process troubling emotions and rebuild self-confidence.

One of the most effective ways I use to shift my perspective is to ponder the wise words (quotations) of people I respect, and consider how it applies to my situation. 

The power and truth of each quotation provided below inspires me.

Notice which ones resonate with you. Then feel free to use them to support, motivate, and inspire you! 

Two additional elements that can help us cope better are practicing self-compassion and reciting positive affirmations to validate our efforts.

The world situation is such that many seem stressed about what comes next, but contemplating positive quotes can motivate us to persevere and feel relief.

Which quotations inspire you? Which quotes help sustain you as you take steps to move forward? Which ones encourage you to accept yourself just the way you are? 

Please comment below in the space provided. No links in your comments please, as they won't be published that way. 

If you'd like to see more of what I'm up to, visit my WEBSITE . I offer wellness ideas, health information, and color tips to help you feel more vitally alive. 

While you're there, discover several ways you may enjoy working with me.

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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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Happy Holidays Dear Colors 4 Health Blog Readers

I wish you love, health, abundance, and serenity in the New Year.

Be well and live mindfully.

One way to be more mindful is to Start with Mindful Eating.

Next, use ideas in this post to recognize you are enough and it's wise and healthy to be your own best friend. 




Warm Wishes for the Best Year EVER.

Please comment below and reshare on social media. I appreciate the visit, and hope you'll come back soon. 

Visit Colors 4 Health in the New Year. My blog will offer epic lifestyle tips and  show you awesome ways to  use colors to your advantage in 2020. 

Here's one example from a blog post about rainbow colors now.

Here's my parting gift... a link to a youtube video recording of Celine Dion & Josh Groban Singing "The Prayer."

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How to Create an Inspiring Vision Board

A vision board is a dedicated place to display images, words, pictures, drawings, or symbols that represent whoever or whatever you want to be in your life.

This post shows you several easy ways you can create a vision board. 

Vision boards can be made of cardboard, cork board, paper, or even an online poster you design at your computer or tablet. 

There are no hard and fast rules about what it should look like. Add whatever you want, and make it any shape or size you like.

This post was updated 7/30/2021

What to Include:

Anything that inspires, empowers, and motivates you is an excellent thing to select. Find colors, textures, pictures, drawings, photographs, or magazine clippings of people, places, and things you admire and want in your life.

I joyfully create and maintain healthy habits easily and fluidly

Use those sayings, affirmations, quotes, paintings, songs, or writing from people and books that motivate or encourage you.

Think about those things that help you sense joy, love, health, peace, progress, gratitude, personal fulfillment, self-confidence, fun, plenty, and creativity. Include them. After all, emotions are vibrational energy that activates the  Law of Attraction.

Attach words, drawings, and souvenirs of things you love and enjoyed doing. Also feature representations of things you want to show up in your life more often.

Nan's Vision Board

Ask yourself what dreams, ambitions, or events do I want to manifest in my life? Include symbols of those too.

How to Use a Vision Board to Maximize its Power:

Relax and have fun working on it, as this instills gladness into the project.

Visualize the ideal life. What is your deepest longing? What colors convey that to you? Incorporate them.

Marianne's Vision Board

Once the vision board is complete, position it where you’ll see it every day. Reflect about the items you selected, and notice ways your body, mind, and spirit respond to visual, positive ideas.

Commend yourself for progress, as many times as you observe it.

Share your vision board with a close friend, family member, or mentor. Then, discuss steps you can take to make your dreams materialize. 

When you affirm abundance in your life, you may recognize richness has been there along the way. 

Focus on gratitude for what you have. This step encourages more blessings.

Each time you look or think of your vision board, affirm what you seek is a reality now.

When you envision your ideal next stage of life, it helps you set and achieve new goals.

At times, I lose faith and my spirit feels deflated. After much trial and error, I've discovered how to use my vision board, when I need a "healthy pick me up."

🙍

🙆

Look at your vision board, when you’re having a rough patch, including those periods when you feel irritable, sad, confused, or disheartened.

Bank on the inspiration and motivation you used to create the vision board originally.

Kindle those warm, cozy feelings you had then to carry you through these challenging sensations and move on.

💗

Please comment below. 

Do you have a vision board? How do you use it? 

What suggestions do you think will help you create one of your own?

Want to supply motivational and self-care tips to help my readers or me? I welcome your input and thank you for the visit today.

Feel free to re-share this post on social media, as long as you give me credit and provide a link back to this post.

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