Life: La Dee Da Dee Da…

Do you ever wonder what this life is all about?  I certainly do.  Everyday I wake up and participate in this, let’s call it, “game” of living. Some days I feel exceptionally positive about it, and other days I think to myself, “This is a whole lot of nothing.”  I’m not a religious person—never have been—so I don’t have that hope for an afterlife that a majority of my human companions do.  I believe that I am solely responsible for all of my successes, failures,and choices.  If you’re a religious person, that’s completely fine—we are all entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, right?  *nod yes*

So, here I am—drinking my coffee, listening to music, and looking outside my window—I believe that this life is it.  Bam!  That’s right—this is it, my friends.  What do I do now?  Do I panic?  Well…no, even though sometimes (ok…often times) I do.  Do I live every single day like it’s my last?  I can’t do this because if I did, I would be broke the next day.   Do I accept that life is what it is and I can’t control everything that happens?  Ideally, yes.  Do I drink another cup of coffee and continue to be completely confused by this discussion?  Most definitely.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is this:

Life is what you make of it.  If you have a negative attitude towards it, believe it or not, your life is going to flat out suck.  If you approach every day with a positive attitude and try your best to deal with what’s thrown at you—then you rock.  I’m still trying to be one of those so-called optimists.  It’s not an easy task, but what’s important is that I’m TRYING.

My task for you is to approach today with a better attitude than what you woke up with.  As much as it sucks to hear, you are ultimately in control  of how awesome or crappy your life is. Say it to yourself: “I am in control of my life. I am in control of my feelings.  I am in control of my behaviors.  I am in control of my reactions.”  You already feel better, don’t ya?

Until next time…

Ayriel

Oh, Sleep—I Miss You

Lately I’ve been having difficulty falling asleep…and I’ve certainly had an easy time of waking up. I guess you could say that I’m suffering from sleep deprivation—which occasionally hits me from time to time. So, here I am writing at five in the morning. I’ve already had my cup of coffee, checked my e-mail multiple times, and stared at the wall wondering what in the world is going on (?!!).

In other words: my sleep schedule is driving me mad. As if our lives aren’t stressful enough…now we aren’t getting enough sleep. Oh, and by the way, you can NEVER get those lost hours of rest back.

Anyway…I thought that if I was having trouble sleeping, others are as well. Let me give you some tips on how you can help to make sure you get those critical eight hours of shut-eye each night.

1. Stay active—this can be as easy as taking a stroll outside, stretching while watching your fav show on the television, or cleaning your office. Come on, I know you have papers stacked to the ceiling in there. Of course, if you can take a fitness class at your local gym or spend 30 minutes at the gym—more power to ya.

2. Watch the caffeine intake—WHAT?! I love my caffeine and I’m guilty of consuming way too much of it. I make a conscious effort of cutting off my coffee/diet soda drinking by at least 5 P.M. I know, I know…ideally it should be earlier, but come on, be REALISTIC with your goals. Baby steps, my dears—baby steps.

3. Take a hot bath—better yet, read while taking a hot bath. This never fails to put me out in under 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I don’t have a bath tub at the moment, but if you have one, use it as a place of relaxation—not only for your mind, but also for those tense muscles that you’ve been holding your stress in all day long.

4. Speaking of tense muscles—Get a massage. That’s right. I know they’re expensive, but YOU’RE WORTH IT. Take a moment and focus on that area around your neck and shoulders. Can you feel the tension? I thought so. Get that taken care of! If money is the issue, think of how much you spend on Starbucks.

Well, my friends, I’m going to have a bit more coffee and head out to the gym. I hope you have a day filled with happiness and of course, don’t ever hesitate to contact me with questions about your health.

Smiles,
Ayriel

A NEW You

It’s easy for us to stay in a comfortable pattern of behaviors, isn’t it?  Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.  Your procrastination?  Stress?  Laziness?

Let’s say, for example, that you don’t normally exercise regularly.  For a moment you think, “I should start going to the gym.”  But then all of the excuses start to roll in: it costs money, you’ll be sore, it takes too much time, you don’t enjoy it… well, so what?  Do you want to make a change or do you want to continue to stay in your comfort zone (which by the way is NOT healthy)?

I know it’s hard to change.  Over the past few years, I have been making tiny steps to improve my overall wellness.  Sure, it’s sucked at times, but I feel great now.  If you can get past the self-doubt and the fears that you have about healthy change, you can and will become a better version of yourself.

Don’t mistake a certain behavior you want to change for who you are as an individual.  Behaviors are patterns or habits that you have been conditioned to include as a part of your everyday lives.  Stress and anxiety are learned behaviors; sadness and laziness are learned behaviors.  YOU are ultimately responsible for how you REACT to certain situations in your life.  That’s right.  I said it.  Accept it for what it is and decide who you want to be.

The next time you begin to feel angry, lazy, anxious, depressed, or bored, evaluate the situation and decide in that moment, that you aren’t going to respond in a negative way.  Nobody is forcing you to REACT in that way—except for YOURSELF.

Today is a new day.  Use it to become a NEW YOU.

Making Ourselves Happy—By Making Others Happy

If you’re anything like me, you “love” to make yourself miserable to make others happy—to ultimately avoid conflict—to eventually be happy.  It’s not healthy—it’s not fun—it’s a serious problem.  I’ve come to the realization that I am what is commonly known as a “people-pleaser.”  In simple terms, it means I’m unable to say “no” if my life depended on it.   It’s a serious problem for my overall health and it gives others the opportunity to take advantage of my life.

For the past three months, I’ve been making small steps in order to take control of my own life and not worrying about everyone’s feelings or whether they’ll be pleased with my choice(s) or not.  I never thought it would be so emotionally challenging, but it’s OKAY—nobody ever said it was gonna be easy.

I encourage you to pick up the book titled “The Disease to Please.”  Even if you’re not a people-pleaser, it will help you to deal with them more appropriately and guide them in the right direction.  It’s important to be supportive and encourage them to do what’s right for THEMSELVES.

If indeed you are a people-pleaser, now’s the time to make a change.  Stop trying to make others happy at the expense of your own happiness.  Begin your new life today and start taking care of YOURSELF.

Smiles,

Ayriel

A New Era Begins…

So…I’m back in Minnesota after my 3 month internship at The Oaks at Ojai and now, I’m officially done with college!   That’s right—I have a degree and a new era has begun.  I’m one of the educated ones on this crazy planet. I thought that I would know what to do with my life when I became a college graduate, but I can honestly say that I probably know what I want to do LESS than when I started.  Why should we have to choose a path in life?  Why can’t we just live, be a part of a happy community, and enjoy our lives?  Oh wait—cause we’re supposed to be miserable, right?  Who decided our fate as human beings to be so structured and sure of ourselves.  It doesn’t seem natural, does it?

On the road trip back to Minnesota, my friend and I stopped in Reno, Nevada.  While we were staying at the casino (it was cheap), we had an interesting conversation with the bartender.  She said something that intrigued me: “Humans are never fulfilled.  They’re always wanting more.”  Isn’t that the truth, though?  No matter how much money we have, how much we eat, how many pairs of shoes we have—we ALWAYS want more.  Why is this?  What are we missing in our genes that tells us to never, ever be satisfied with life.

Think about it and get back to me.

Until then,

Ayriel

Quicks Tips for Staying Health for the Holiday Season

Some quick tips for your holiday celebrations this season:

1. Be aware of how much alcohol you consume.  Alcohol is packed with carbohydrates and when it’s combined with excessive snacking and delicious meals, results in fat storage.  So, if you decide to enjoy the drinks, lay off the sugar-packed ones at the least.

2. Watch out for the cookies and candies!  Be conscious of how many treats you are munching on.  Again, too much sugar equals more fat storage and tighter pants…

3. Get your workout done in the early hours!  By doing this you’ll be able to relax and enjoy the rest of your day.  Additionally, exercise will help ease some of that stress of family gatherings…

4.Smile!  That always makes a person feel better.

That’s all for now, folks.  I’m off to teach my Christmas Eve cardio class.  My students will be working extra hard today.

Take care and enjoy your day!  Be thankful for what you have… 

A bit o’ Christmas wisdom…

It’s that time of the year again, right?  Family gatherings, engagement ring commercials, too many overly anxious and/or angry drivers at shopping malls…*rolls eyes and sighs*  Yay!  It’s Christmas!

It’s my first year away from family and I thought I had dodged any weird or sad feelings until…TODAY! It’s true.  While I’m completing my internship in California, members of my family are enjoying themselves with their friends and family.  I think I should keep the television off, unless of course Christmas Vacation or Elf is on.  I just can’t seem to get over the fact that I will not be having Christmas Eve with my parents…but then again…I’m not stressed about what could go wrong either (so that’s definitely a positive thing).

Anyway, my point is, there’s no point feeling sorry for yourself.  I did for about, well, two hours and let me say this…it sucked.  The best thing to do is to enjoy who you’re with and make the best of it.  Christmas is more about who bought the most expensive gift anyway, right?  So maybe, if you’re in the same position as me, you could treat yourself to a warm bath and a good exercise session.  Call your loved ones and be thankful that you don’t have to spend time dealing with the less pleasant moments of the holiday season and of course, be happy that you don’t have to burn off all of those calories from tasty treats.

Cheers to a happier and healthier you…

Merry Christmas!

Quit Worrying What Everyone Else Thinks!

My new goal in life is to stop worrying so much about what other people think about me.  I need to begin focusing on my self-worth and confidence level.  If I just focus on how everyone else views me, then I am never really growing as a person.

Do not spend the one life you have worrying about what everyone else thinks about you.  Believe me…it is a waste of energy and time.  Focus on yourself.  Focus on your good qualities.  Focus on believing in YOU.

Your goal: The next time you do something that makes you proud, smile and say to yourself, “You rock.”

Stress: You Can Change the Way You Feel…TODAY!

         As I stay up typing into the late hours of the night writing my first blog entry, I can’t help but ask myself, “Why am I awake?”   Is it:

1. Homework? 
2. Physical pain? 
3. Family issues?
4. People issues?
5. A mind that won’t stop worrying about things I have no way of solving at this hour?
6. My bank account?
7. All of the above? 

                If you are like me, you probably chose #7.  Allow me point something out in our lives that we can all change: STRESS LEVELS.

                As much as you may not like to hear it, stress is manifested in our own minds.  Now you may be saying, “Now Ayriel, there is no way I can’t feel this way in my life right now.  I am in debt, my family is driving me crazy, blah, blah, blah.”  My response?  YES, THERE IS!  Sure, there are outside influences that make us lean more towards one emotion than the other, but in the end, our level of stress and how we deal with it is up to us.

                What can you do to help change this aspect of your life?  My first plan of action is to hit stress right where it hurts.  Punch it!  Be brave…look into your mind and ask, “Am I acting in a rational way?  Can I actually change what I am feeling right now?  Is this my inner child reacting?”  Everyone has their own way of reacting to stress: drinking, eating, exercising, meditation, going shoe shopping (my method…hehe) talking, and on and on the list goes.  Yes, all of these can aid in making you feel better, but do they really solve the root of the problem?

                Do yourself a favor today, okay?  The next time you feel stressed out, take a step back, breathe, and focus.  You may realize that what you perceived to be “ stress beyond the point of functioning,” is actually just your mind reacting in ways that are normal for yourself.   Yes folks, these are reactions that you have learned in your lives, and you know what?  You can undo these learned responses.

                Let me offer some tips, okay?  Take em’ or use em’…

1. Never feel that you are alone!  Everyone on this planet has emotional stress!
2. You can ALWAYS change your attitude toward stress.  You can laugh it off instead of getting angry (Hint: Use this on the road during rush hour).
3. Have you taken a deep breath lately?
4. Exercise!  Even if it’s for 10 minutes.  Every little bit helps you physically and emotionally.
5. Get enough sleep!  At least 7 hours.  No cheating, you workaholics and college students!  It will catch up to you eventually even if you feel invincible.

                On that note, it’s time for a good night’s rest.   Tomorrow is a new day.  Face it with a new attitude.

Hello world!

I would like to welcome you to my new blog!  Soon I will begin to post more ideas, stories, and life lessons.  I started a blog because I want to help people to lead healthy and happy lives!