1. Spend time outdoors on a regular basis. This can be as simple as taking a walk in a nearby park or spending time in your own backyard. Being in nature has been shown to have numerous benefits for both your physical and mental health, such as reducing stress and improving your mood.
2. Incorporate nature into your life by bringing elements of the outdoors inside. This could include incorporating plants into your home or office space, as they can help to improve air quality and provide a sense of calm. You could also try incorporating natural materials, such as wood or stone, into your home decor to create a more earthy and serene atmosphere.
3. In addition to spending time in nature and bringing it into your home, you can also support efforts to protect and conserve natural spaces. This could include things like supporting conservation organizations, volunteering for local clean-up efforts, or reducing your own environmental footprint by reducing your use of single-use plastics and choosing products that are sustainably sourced.
4. Incorporate nature into your life by eating healthy, whole foods that come from nature into your diet. This could include things like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Eating a diet that is rich in these types of foods can not only improve your physical health, but it can also help you feel more connected to the natural world.
5. You can incorporate nature into your life by simply taking the time to appreciate and notice the natural world around you. This could be as simple as taking a moment to stop and watch the clouds passing overhead, or to listen to the birds singing in the trees. By taking the time to notice and appreciate the beauty of the natural world, you can help to foster a deeper connection to the earth and its inhabitants.
https://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/robert-collins-tvc5imO5pXk-unsplash-scaled.jpg17722560Jamal Ahmelichhttps://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/01_p-1-300x97.pngJamal Ahmelich2023-04-01 11:52:242022-12-20 05:09:53Need More Nature in Your Life? Try Some of These Ideas.
1. Attend all of your classes and arrive on time. This will ensure that you don’t miss any important information or instruction from your teachers.
2. Take detailed notes during class. This will help you retain the information that is presented, and it will also give you something to study from later on.
3. Participate in class discussions and ask questions. This will not only help you understand the material better, but it will also show your teacher that you are engaged and interested in the subject.
4. Make sure to complete all of your homework assignments on time. This will help you practice the material and reinforce what you have learned in class.
5. Create a study schedule and stick to it. This will help you manage your time effectively and ensure that you have enough time to study for all of your classes.
7. Use study aids such as flashcards, diagrams, and summaries to help you review the material. These tools can be especially helpful when studying for exams.
8. Seek help from your teachers or classmates if you are struggling with a particular concept or topic. It is better to ask for help sooner rather than later, as this can prevent you from falling behind.
9. Stay organized and keep track of important dates and deadlines. This will help you avoid missing any important assignments or tests.
10. Take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating well, and staying physically active. This will help you stay focused and energized, which are both essential for success in school.
https://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/steinar-engeland-GwVmBgpP-PQ-unsplash.jpg00Jamal Ahmelichhttps://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/01_p-1-300x97.pngJamal Ahmelich2023-03-01 11:43:562022-12-20 05:11:53What are 10 ways you can improve your marks at school
Here are ten ways to try and make your anxiety better:
Try to identify the cause of your anxiety and address it directly, if possible. For example, if you’re feeling anxious about a specific situation, such as a job interview or a difficult conversation, try to come up with a plan to tackle it head-on.
Practice deep breathing exercises. Taking slow, deep breaths can help calm your mind and body, and can be especially helpful when you’re feeling anxious.
Engage in regular physical activity. Exercise can help reduce stress and improve your overall mood, which can be helpful for managing anxiety.
Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can increase anxiety, so make sure to get enough rest each night.
Try relaxation techniques, such as meditation or yoga. These practices can help you calm your mind and reduce stress.
Talk to someone about your anxiety. Sharing your feelings with a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional can be a great way to get support and work through your anxiety.
Avoid caffeine and other stimulants. Caffeine and other substances can make anxiety worse, so it’s best to avoid them or limit your intake.
Practice mindfulness. Being present in the moment and paying attention to your thoughts and feelings can help you better manage anxiety.
Try to challenge negative thoughts. When you’re feeling anxious, it’s common to have negative thoughts. Try to challenge these thoughts and reframe them in a more positive light.
Take care of yourself. Make sure to eat well, stay hydrated, and engage in activities that you enjoy. Taking care of your physical and emotional needs can be helpful for managing anxiety.
In our technological world, more and more children are spending time inside on devices and less time playing outside. Spending time outdoors isn’t just enjoyable but it’s also necessary. Many researchers agree that kids who play outside are happier, better at paying attention and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors.
Spending time in nature can build their confidence. There’s a lot less structure than most types of indoor play and they can choose how they interact with the nature around them. This gives them practice managing their own actions and encourages creativity and imagination.
Being outdoors can also teach them responsibility. For example, if they are in charge of watering a plant, they can learn that they must take care of living things to keep them alive.
Being outside gets kids moving, too. Regardless of what they’re doing, there’s usually more exercise involved than if they were sitting on the couch. Not only is exercise good for kids’ bodies, but it seems to make them more focused. This is especially helpful for kids with ADHD. Being outside also helps kids feel less stressed.
In the spirit of getting kids outside, here is an outdoor challenge for engaging boys in the natural setting. These tasks can simply be done in a backyard or at a park if needed. Fire starting and foraging are omissions from this list for safety reasons. Good luck!
Learn to Tie the Bowline Knot
Knots come in handy for a slew of survival scenarios. Tying snares, securing shelters, lowering equipment or yourself down a cliff face. Ideally, you should have an arsenal of knots, from hitches to bends to loops, in your repertoire. But if you learn only one, learn the bowline.
Build a Shelter
A shelter should be your top priority in a prolonged survival situation. To make a simple lean-to, find a downed tree/fence/rock resting at an angle, or set a large branch securely against a standing tree, and stack smaller branches close together on one side. Layer debris, like leaves and moss, across the angled wall. Lastly, insulate yourself from the cold ground–which will draw heat from your warm body–by layering four to six inches of debris to lie on. If branches aren’t available, get creative and improvise from stuff around your home.
Make a Solar Sill
Collecting water is imperative in survival situations. Try this method for getting water with the help of the sun. For an idea of how to do this, see here for an example.
Navigating by stars
This one needs to be done at night in an area with minimal city lights. To find the North Star (Polaris), which is the end of the Little Dipper’s handle. If you can find the Big Dipper, draw a line between the two stars at the outer edge of the constellation’s dipper portion. Extend this line toward the Little Dipper, and it will line up with Polaris. Face Polaris, and you’re facing true north. If there is a crescent moon in the sky, connect the horns of the crescent with an imaginary line. Extend this line to the horizon to indicate a southerly bearing.
Build a Bed
Find a dry area. Frame your bed with rocks or logs (make this a bit bigger than you are). Plug cracks with moss, leaves, or bark. Gather dry leaves and other dry materials. Pile them into the bed until it bulges. Nestle into the leaves and keep a thick layer on the ground.
Mindfulness may be fundamentally understood as the state in which one becomes more aware of one’s physical, mental, and emotional condition in the present moment, without becoming judgmental. Individuals may be able to pay attention to a variety of experiences, such as bodily sensations, cognitions, and feelings, and accept them without being influenced by them. Mindfulness practices are believed to be able to help people better control their thoughts, rather than be controlled by them. Try a couple of these strategies and see what they can do for you.
Focus on your breathing.
When you have negative thoughts, try to sit down, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Focus on your breath as it moves in and out of your body. Sitting and breathing for even just a minute can help.
Wake up Early
Choosing to awaken a little earlier in the morning not only allows you to begin your day with mindfulness but also extends the amount of time you have to enjoy life. Give it a try for a week or so. You may be surprised at how much more you enjoy your mornings with just a few extra minutes.
Pay attention.
It’s hard to slow down and notice things in a busy world. Try to take the time to experience your environment with all of your senses — touch, sound, sight, smell and taste. For example, when you eat a favorite food, take the time to smell, taste and truly enjoy it.
Live in the moment.
Try to intentionally bring an open, accepting and discerning attention to everything you do. Find joy in simple pleasures.
Accept yourself.
Treat yourself the way you would treat a good friend.
Awaken with Gratitude
When we begin the day with gratitude, we train our minds to look for the positive rather than focusing on the challenges, frustrations, and slights we have encountered throughout the week. The key to making this habit effective is not the number of things you feel grateful for or even the amount of time you spend in gratitude, but rather the intensity of focus and feeling you have around the effort. A mindful gratitude practice means immersing yourself in the emotion so that you feel deeply and profoundly blessed.
Do a Mindful Body Scan
The simplest way to get in touch with how you’re feeling is to do a mindful body scan. A body scan is a meditative practice in which you focus on each part of every area, often beginning at the toes and moving to the head. The key here is to train your attention on each specific part for a moment and pay close attention to how you feel.
Practice a Morning Breathing Exercise
Do you pay much attention to your breathing? Practicing mindful, focused breathing, even for ten minutes a day reduces stress and promotes relaxation. Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing causes a reflex stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which results in a reduction in the heart rate and relaxation of the muscles.
Notice Your Thoughts
If you allow negative thoughts to run rampant first thing in the morning, you lose the best time for creativity and productivity. Many people wake up feeling anxious and filled with dread, as the cycle of rumination and negative thinking begins the minute their feet hit the floor.
Practice Morning Meditation
Meditation is the centerpiece of practicing mindfulness exercises. It does not take a genius to understand that practicing mediation at some time during your day is going to be an important part of your mindfulness routine. Taking time to meditate for just ten minutes a day will support all of your other daily mindfulness habits, as meditation is a form of strength training for your mind. The purpose of meditation is to observe the patterns and habits of your mind and learn to tame the incessant chattering of your thoughts. With practice, you’ll gain more and more control over your thoughts, rather than your thoughts controlling you and your emotions.
Write in a Journal
Working through a journal for ten minutes is an excellent mindfulness habit because you completely focus on putting your thoughts onto paper. It’s a way to liberate your mind from the mental chatter that can set your morning off to a negative or anxious start.
Be Present with others around you
How many people around the world begin their days with little to no interaction with the people they hold most dear? What are we working so hard for anyway, if not to spend quality time with our loved ones? The best place to start is be being present with those around you, even for just a few minutes before you begin your work or school day.
Eat Breakfast Mindfully
If you eat breakfast, even if it is something simple like a piece of toast or a cup of yogurt, then consider making breakfast a mindful activity. Mindful eating involves both what you eat and how you eat it. Being mindful about your breakfast is a great way to reevaluate your food choices while slowing down enough to appreciate what you are eating. Eating healthy foods at breakfast can set the stage for smart food choices throughout your day.
Recite Positive Affirmations
As a mindfulness habit, affirmations are positive phrases that you repeat to yourself, describing who and how you want to be, using the present tense, as though the outcome has already occurred. Establishing a positive affirmation habit first thing in the morning can impact the outcome of your entire day. Positive affirmations, when practiced deliberately and repeatedly, can reinforce chemical pathways in the brain, making the connection between two neurons stronger, and therefore more likely to conduct the same message again.
https://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/zac-durant-_6HzPU9Hyfg-unsplash.jpg16672500Jamal Ahmelichhttps://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/01_p-1-300x97.pngJamal Ahmelich2021-08-02 08:38:592022-10-25 02:37:0214 Ways to Include Mindfulness in your Day
The term “mindfulness” was defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. This free challenge is for anyone who’s looking to add a little more calm into their daily life. Mindfulness can help you to help you break down old thought patterns, tap into the present moment, and find your inner calm. It’s all about getting down to the basics of mindfulness in a fun and practical way. Think of it as a self-development tool that helps you deal with things more mindfully on a daily basis. If you are new to mindfulness, this is a great way to see what it’s about.
How to get started?
Simple! Just read each day’s challenge activity and spend the 5-10 mins needed to complete the challenge. Each day, try to do the next item listed. It’s that easy.
Day 1 Gratitude Challenge
Welcome to day 1! To start out the mindfulness challenge, we are going to simply try to focus our attention on things that you are thankful for in your life. Research has linked gratitude with a wide range of benefits, including improving sleep patterns, feeling more optimistic, strengthening your immune system and feeling less lonely and isolated.
To start, find a comfortable place to sit and take 10 big deep breaths. Your task today is to simple close your eyes and think of 5 things that you are thankful for. Think about people in your life, experiences you’ve had, good fortune that’s come your way, etc. Or it could be as simple as a new shirt you bought. Just think to yourself “I’m grateful for….” and come up with 5 items. An alternative is that you can write your 5 things down in a journal. Finish off this challenge with 10 deep breaths.
Day 2 Eating Mindfully Challenge
Today you are going to take some time to mindfully eat a single item of food. Find a small food such as a grape, peanut, raisin, etc. The objective of today is to spend the next few minutes paying attention to everything about that small bit of food. Notice the texture. What does it feel like? Hold the item under your nose, and inhale naturally. With each in-breath, notice any aroma or smell that arises. Bring awareness also to any effect in your mouth or stomach. Now bring the slowly up to your mouth, noticing how your hand and arm know exactly how and where to position it. Place the item gently into your mouth, without yet chewing. Hold the item in your mouth for at a few seconds, exploring it with your tongue, feeling the sensations of having it there. Notice this pause and how it feels to take some time before eating the raisin. Next and with each small bite, feel your teeth going into the food and slowly chewing each bit of the food. This exercise should take you 5 to 10 minutes to get through that small piece of food.
Day 3 The 54321 Grounding Challenge
Today’s mindfulness challenge involves using your senses to ground yourself. Find a comfortable place to position yourself then go through each number and calmly identify each of the items listed.
Take a deep breath to begin.
5 – See: Where ever you happen to be, look around for 5 things that you can see, and say them out loud. For example, you could say, I see the computer, I see the cup, I see the picture frame.
4 – Touch: Pay attention to your body and think of 4 things that you can feel, and say them out loud. For example, you could say, I feel my feet warm in my socks, I feel the hair on the back of my neck, or I feel the shirt against my shoulders.
3 – Hear: Listen for 3 sounds. It could be the sound of traffic outside, the sound of typing or the sound of your tummy rumbling. Say the three things out loud.
2 – Smell: Say two things you can smell. If you’re allowed to, it’s okay to move to another spot and sniff something. If you can’t smell anything at the moment or you can’t move, then name your 2 favorite smells.
1 – Taste: Say one thing you can taste. It may be the toothpaste from brushing your teeth, or a mint from after lunch. If you can’t taste anything, then say your favorite thing to taste.
Take another deep breath to end.
Day 4 Mindful Seeing Challenge
This simple exercise requires a window with some kind of view to the outside world and a couple minutes to complete. Your task is simply to comfortably position yourself looking out that window and observing and noticing everything that you see. Paying attention to any trees or leaves that are moving. Notice the colours of the stop sign or street lights. Items moving in the wind. What shapes and patterns can you see in your view? Try to see the world outside the window from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with these sights. The intention is to be aware and observant on the world around you.
Day 5 Box Breathing Challenge
How much attention do you bring to your breathing? Practicing mindful, focused breathing, even for a few minutes a day reduces stress and promotes relaxation. Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing causes a reflex stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which results in a reduction in the heart rate and relaxation of the muscles.
Today’s mindfulness challenge is a simple 4 count hold breathing challenge. You begin by expelling all the air from your chest and then keep empty for a four count hold. Then, perform your inhalation through the nose for four counts. Hold the air in your lungs for a four-count hold. Maintain an expansive, open feeling even though you are not inhaling. When ready, release the hold and exhale smoothly through your nose for four counts. This is one circuit of the box-breathing practice. Try to continue this breathing for 5 minutes.
Interested in going more in depth into mindfulness? Learn more:
To clarify, I assume you mean overeating or eating unhealthily because remember eating good food is helpful.
There are lots of better ways to handle stress! It’s great that you are asking this question because it shows that you want to make some changes in how you are coping. Overeating would be considered negative coping strategy. It works but it’s not a very good long term solution for handling stress. Finding some positive coping strategies is important so that you have some lifelong coping methods to deal with stress. This is usually dependent on the person and what makes someone feel better. Does talking to friends help? Taking a bath? Doing some art? We all need to find those things that we can do to make us feel better when we are stressed. Here’s a list of a few general things you can do. Try different things and add things as you find things work. Most importantly, do those things when you are feeling stressed to help you out! Wishing you all the best on your journey.
Keep a positive attitude.
Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
Be assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.
Learn and practice relaxation techniques; try meditation, yoga, or tai-chi for stress management.
Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.
Eat healthy, well-balanced meals.
Learn to manage your time more effectively.
Set limits appropriately and learn to say no to requests that would create excessive stress in your life.
Make time for hobbies, interests, and relaxation.
Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
Don’t rely on alcohol, drugs, or compulsive behaviors to reduce stress.
Seek out social support. Spend enough time with those you enjoy.
Seek treatment with a counselor or other mental health professional
https://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/town-sign-1148092_1280.jpg8471280Jamal Ahmelichhttps://tenacitycounselling.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/01_p-1-300x97.pngJamal Ahmelich2020-09-03 02:57:472020-09-25 18:05:55Ask a Counsellor: What are some better ways to handle stress than eating?
