5 Warning Signs Your Energy Level Is Sending You About Your Health

January 22, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Ideally, we’d all like to have endless amounts of energy all the time in our daily lives. However, many times, our image of how we would like to feel comes crashing down just after our lunch breaks at work. While being tired occasionally shouldn’t raise any red flags, consistently feeling exhausted after sleeping for 7-8 hours a night might signal something more serious. Low energy levels can make us feel lethargic, uninterested in our environment, and downright crabby if we don’t have the stamina to make it through our day without a nap, caffeine, or some sort of stimulant to stay awake.

If you continually have low energy levels, read on to find out what it might mean regarding your health.

Here are warning signs your energy level is sending you about your health:

1. You could have an under or overactive thyroid gland.

Your thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that secretes hormones determining how your body will use energy. If you have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), your body will produce too many vital hormones. The opposite will occur if you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

According to WebMD, both of these conditions can cause serious problems if not treated, so schedule a doctor’s visit if you believe you might have a thyroid disorder. Both an under and overactive thyroid can disrupt sleep, making you feel groggy the next day and contributing to low energy levels.

2. You might be overly stressed.

Stress can easily make you feel exhausted. Your mind races, your heart pounds, you have all this adrenaline that you can’t seem to get rid of. Stress requires copious amounts of energy, so it drains you after just a short period. Every emotion we feel is energy, but negative ones deplete our energy stores, while positive ones add to them. If you feel stressed the majority of the time, try deep breathing exercises, moving your body, meditating, and eating well. Usually, we can heal our stress naturally by making a few small changes in our daily routines.

3. You might have a sleep disorder.

If you feel exhausted after getting a full night’s rest, this could point to a sleep disorder. According to Stanford Medicine, there are over 100 different sleep disorders, ranging from trouble falling asleep at night to difficulty staying awake during the day. The most common sleep disorder is insomnia, with 1 in 10 U.S. adults suffering from it each year.

If you believe you have a sleep disorder, talk with your doctor to discuss possible remedies.

4. You could suffer from anxiety or depression.

Just like stress, anxiety and depression can zap your energy levels, making you feel lifeless and exhausted. While anxiety makes you feel intense amounts of energy, it doesn’t serve a purpose unless you find yourself in a survival situation. Our bodies naturally produce a “fight or flight” response when in danger, but feeling this way most of the time can wreak havoc on the immune system and cause low energy levels after the cortisol and adrenaline have died down. On the other hand, depression makes you unable to feel much of anything at all, decreasing energy levels.

If you’d like to read about natural remedies for anxiety and depression so that you can keep your energy levels high, please consult our article here.

5. Low energy levels can indicate a nutrient deficiency.

Feeling low energy levels regularly might mean you have a nutrient deficiency. Our bodies require many different vitamins and minerals to function optimally. Thus, deficiencies mean you won’t have the necessary energy to live your life to the fullest. Generally, eating whole foods, plant-based diet will give you the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive. But if you’d like, you can also take supplements to ensure you get the proper nutrients. If you are vegetarian or vegan, especially, make sure you get your B12 from some source, either from a supplement, a shot, or fortified foods.

Low energy levels can take away from living a happy, healthy life, so if you feel low on energy, try going to the source first. Examine your diet, exercise regimen, self-care routine, and other habits to see if you can adjust your lifestyle to provide you with more energy. Your body, mind, and soul deserve only the best, so give them what they need to thrive!

Here’s How Salt Lamps Are Helping People With Anxiety

January 22, 2016 by Power of Positivity

In our world overrun with technology, it seems that anxiety and stress continue to rise despite technological advances. We often talk about many natural remedies for anxiety. But we’d like to mention the Himalayan salt lamp as a viable solution for anxiety today.

Wireless technology emits positive ions into the environment, which causes our systems to become imbalanced and increase stress and anxiety. Negative ions found in nature help to keep anxiety and stress at bay, which explains why many of us feel more energized and alert while outside.

According to WebMD, “negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.”

Also, negative ions can help protect us from bacteria and germs in the air, effectively cleaning the air and removing harmful irritants. Himalayan salt lamps can work wonders for a variety of ailments, but we’ll talk about how they help with anxiety more below.

Here’s how salt lamps might help reduce anxiety:

Himalayan salt lamps release negative ions into the air, which reduce anxiety and promote a relaxing, peaceful environment for sleep. Because Himalayan salt occurs naturally in the Earth, it automatically emits negative ions, just as you can find in waterfalls, oceans, and other natural features on our planet.

Himalayan salt lamps are simply a large chunk of pure Himalayan salt carved out into a lamp with a small bulb on the inside. They come in a variety of sizes, and you can place them all around your house in whatever rooms you desire. However, make sure to at least put them in the bedrooms, as they will help create a relaxing environment for sleep.

Himalayan rock salt itself can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and contains 84 trace minerals essential to your health. Also, Himalayan salt regulates the water content in your body, promotes a healthy pH, regulates sleep, helps to keep your bones strong, and much more. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Himalayan salt lamps also have numerous health benefits.

In our world today, we have become inundated with “electronic smog” from all of the radioactive waves from technology. Our smartphones, laptops, routers, TVs, and other electronics that sit in our rooms emit these harmful waves anytime we have them on, and can disrupt sleep, cause mental health problems, and even cancer in some cases.

Therefore, it’s vital that we do all we can to neutralize these damaging positive ions by bringing as much nature as possible into our homes. In addition to Himalayan salt lamps, you can buy small plants to place around your room to increase oxygen levels and negative ions.

The bigger lamp you buy, the more negative ions it will release into the room, so keep this in mind when shopping for your salt lamp!

5 Things That Are Making You Lose Sleep

January 22, 2016 by Power of Positivity

In our world inundated with technology, packed to the brim with responsibility, and overflowing with stress, it’s no wonder that so many millions of us can’t get to sleep. Even if we do get to sleep, staying asleep presents a whole new set of problems altogether. Some of us toss and turn, wake up in the middle of the night, and no matter how many sheep we count, just can’t seem to drift off into Neverland.

According to WebMD, 1 in 4 U.S. workers suffers from insomnia, and this is just one type of sleep disorder. According to an article from Stanford Medicine, there are over 100 different types of sleep disorders. This means that you likely know someone that suffers from a sleep problem, or you might have one and not even know about it.

We live in times where having a sound sleep is as rare as seeing someone talking on a flip phone, to put it into perspective. With so many distractions around us that prevent us from dozing off to sleep peacefully, how in the world can we actually get a good night’s rest? Well, it all starts by eliminating things that can steal our sleep before we even hit the sheets.

Here are 5 things that are making you lose sleep:

1. You play on your phone or computer before bed.

Countless studies have shown that the bright lights emitted from phones and computers can delay sleep for hours past your bedtime. The bright blue lights from tablets, phones and computers basically tell our brains that we need to stay awake, not go to sleep. Think about it: out in nature, the sun would tell our bodies to wake up and get our day started. So, with all these artificial lights today, we stay awake longer and longer because our brains don’t know the difference between natural and unnatural light. However, you can make things easier on yourself by turning off electronics a few hours before bed, and keeping them off during the night so they don’t awaken you with notifications.

2. You drink caffeine late in the day.

Caffeine sends a jolt of energy through our bodies that helps us to stay awake and feel refreshed. Drinking a few cups in the morning to help us get our day started won’t really do much harm; however, downing a cup or two close to bedtime will keep you awake well into the night. If you do drink caffeine, make sure to avoid drinking it five or six hours before bed, as it will stay in the bloodstream for hours after consumption, forcing sleep to evade you once again.

3. You think about all the chores you didn’t get done while laying in bed.

Another thing that causes insomnia is lying in bed contemplating all the things you didn’t get done, the meaning of life, and all sorts of other things that keep your mind active and awake. We have a sleep deprived world, largely because many of us don’t know how to shut off our brains. Before bed, try doing something relaxing that will tell your brain to slow down for the day, such as meditating, yoga, taking a hot bath, or doing deep breathing exercises. Watch how quickly you fall asleep after getting your mind in the zone; then, watch how effortlessly a bedtime relaxation routine develops.

4. You think so much about losing sleep, that it actually happens.

This can truly become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because when we lose sleep, we tend to fear it happening again and again. So, guess what happens? Since we begin to obsess over our lack of sleep, our minds create this scenario over and over again without us even doing much to make it happen. Remember, your thoughts have immense power, so instead of focusing your attention on what you don’t want to happen, try to turn your awareness toward what you do want to occur. However, don’t obsess too much about getting to sleep, either, because then it will seem like a chore to fall asleep at night.

Simply ease your way into it, and do whatever feels most relaxing to you before bed.

5. You don’t exercise.

Exercise releases endorphins that promote relaxation and overall well-being, and many studies have found a link between a good night’s sleep and physical activity. Our bodies were made to move, so if you live a sedentary lifestyle, all that energy is just sitting in your body, unable to be released. Could it be that so many people have sleep problems because they have pent up energy in their bodies? Possibly so. If you find that you have trouble getting to sleep, it might be as simple as going for a 30-minute brisk walk a few times a week in order to get your beauty rest.

3 Things That Will Make Your Next Relationship Last

January 22, 2016 by Power of Positivity

Once you’ve had the experience of a failed relationship, you want the next one to last, especially if you’ve found the right person. In this day of casual throwaway relationships, finding one with staying power can be a challenge.

There is a common expression that in order to have a successful relationship, each person only needs one thing; the man always needs to know that he is respected, and the woman needs to know that she is loved. Although this certainly sounds true, there is much more to sustaining a lasting relationship than just love and respect.

When we talk about whether your next relationship will last or not, there will need to be some self-reflection on what caused the previous relationships to fail. What responsibility did you have in the breakup of your previous relationships? What have you learned and how will you use it in your next relationship to make it last?

Infidelity does happen in relationships, but if you are the one who is likely to stray, you won’t be likely to maintain a lasting relationship. Being committed, loyal and devoted to your partner is something that you can do to help make your next relationship last. You can read more about commitment and other important traits in our article here.

Other than remaining committed to your partner, let’s look at 3 things that you can do to help make your next relationship last.

3 Things That Will Make Your Next Relationship Last

Being together forever is the ideal, romantic view of relationships that we see so often portrayed in movies. You can read more about that in our article here.

What those romantic movies don’t show us is that the couples who do stay together go through ups and downs and really have to work on being excellent at communication if they hope to have a lasting partnership.

1. Honest and open communication

It’s unlikely that you are going to date someone who can read your mind. The skill of expressing your feelings in a respectful way is important to making a relationship last. If you are angry at your partner, say ‘What you just said/did made me angry.’ If you are sad, say that too. You can’t expect your partner to know what you aren’t able to communicate.

Being able to express your feelings to your partner means that your partner will be able to help meet your needs and you will be happier in return. Being able to do the same for your partner means learning effective listening skills so that you can learn and meet all of your partner’s needs and keep them in a happy, long-term relationship.

2. Be equal partners

No relationship is one-sided. Having it your way all the time is a dictatorship, not a partnership. There will be times that you can’t have things your way and there will be times that you partner can’t either. Making sure that your basic emotional and physical needs are met while being able to compromise on other areas is a skill that is very important to help your next relationship last.

Communication is so important that some couples choose to go to Marital Relationship Education courses so that they can learn how to handle disagreements effectively. Couples who can handle conflict effectively are more likely to have happy long-term relationships.

You can read more about how to fight fairly in our article here.

You are not the same people and you will have disagreements over your differences. A successful couple will be able to balance togetherness while also respecting each person’s own separate identity. The relationship should be a safe place partners to work through conflict with a respectful discussion.

3. Keep it interesting

When you are just getting to know each other, things are exciting and new.

Boredom in long-term relationships can happen. When you both feel like there is nothing new to discover about each other, introducing newness will help keep things feeling fresh.

There is a phenomenon in long-term relationships known as ‘The 7 Year Itch.’ At this point in a marriage or close, committed relationship, people start to wonder if there isn’t something more interesting elsewhere. Cheating can happen as a result of a longing for newness.

This tendency toward boredom doesn’t have to be the case. You can use challenging new experiences to reignite passion in the relationship. In a study of marriages at the 7 year and 16 year mark, those who had experienced changes in the closeness of their relationship had less boredom and greater marital satisfaction over time.

To avoid boredom, use humor and laughter to keep things fun. The more you can laugh with your partner, the better. Make time for intimacy and don’t allow work stress or family life to interfere with your close, quiet, alone time with your partner. A happy sex life is definitely important to a lasting relationship.

5 Things Positive People Do Differently

January 21, 2016 by Power of Positivity

“A negative mind will never give you a positive life.” – Unknown

Having a positive mindset in a seemingly negative world can be challenging, but you can learn techniques and tricks so that keeping positive becomes second-nature. We stress positivity so much because a healthy mindset is the building block of everything else that happens in your life. Remember, you attract what you are, so by filling your mind and body with as much positivity as you can muster, you will start coming across more uplifting, fulfilling people and experiences.

Some people seem to just ooze positivity no matter what, and maybe we could learn a thing or two from these people.

Here are 5 things positive people do differently:

1. They avoid a victim mentality.

Positive people don’t blame anything outside themselves for the events that happen to them; they realize that they have full control over their own lives and emotions. Anytime you place blame on someone or something else, you relinquish your own power. Positive people take full responsibility for their thoughts and actions, and don’t allow negative thinking to slow them down. While mastering the mind can take a lot of time and dedication, breaking past old barriers and leaving behind toxic ways of thinking can totally transform your life.

If you’d like to read more about positive thinking tips, read our article here.

2. They treat themselves well.

Simply put, positive people love themselves. Because they truly have become their own best friend, they treat themselves like a million bucks. They eat things that will nourish them and give them energy, move their bodies daily, make some time for self-care, and hold a job that truly makes them happy. Positive people live a life that feels like home to them, that makes them feel whole. They know happiness begins within, so they have worked tirelessly to transform any blockages within into openings for more light and positivity to shine through.

They don’t put their health on the back burner; they make time each day for eating well, exercising, meditating, and whatever else makes them feel energized and alive.

3. They don’t look for happiness, they create it.

More than anything else, perhaps, positive people don’t search for happiness. They actively create it each day based on their thoughts, actions, and relationships with others. They have filled themselves with so much positivity, that it naturally spills over and spreads to others. Thus, they don’t need anything outside themselves for happiness, because they have created it from within their own hearts. While other people and events can bring them happiness, of course, they don’t depend on these things to feel good. They’ve cultivated this feeling so that they don’t have to rely on anyone or anything else to provide it for them.

This type of freedom seems elusive, but can be achieved through deep meditation, time for self-care, and truly developing a relationship with yourself.

4. They try new things often.

Positive people don’t stay stuck in a bubbly of safety and security; while the comfort zone might feel cozy and familiar, they realize that nothing much happens there. Growth can’t occur in a stagnant environment, so they make sure to put themselves out there often and have new experiences. Positive people feel fear just like everyone else, but the difference is, they push past that insecurity and doubt despite these feelings. They don’t allow their minds to dictate their lives, instead choosing to defy their thoughts and tell themselves that they have every ounce of strength and ability necessary to achieve new things.

5. They don’t sweat the small stuff.

Positive people don’t let trivial matters get in the way of living a happy life. While life might throw them difficult situations from time to time, they take them in stride and work through them as they come. They don’t let those situations throw them off kilter and destroy their inner peace. They ask themselves, “Is this really worth losing my peace over?”

This allows them to keep things in perspective and remember what really matters in life. One late car payment or a blown tire won’t put a huge dent in their happiness levels, because they understand that life requires negatives to appreciate the positives. They see the silver lining in each situation, and allow the difficult times to teach them important lessons about their journey.

5 Things People With Panic Attacks Want You To Know

January 21, 2016 by Power of Positivity

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 6 million Americans, or 2.7% of the population, suffer from panic attacks. Women have twice the likelihood of developing panic disorder compared to men. People who have panic disorder experience panic attacks seemingly for no reason at all, and have a fear of recurring attacks.

Some sufferers also develop agoraphobia, or a fear of a specific place or situation. People who have these episodes avoid these places or events due to experiencing an attack before, and associate the place or situation with fear. Approximately one in three people with panic disorder develops agoraphobia.

People who have panic attacks usually feel misunderstood by those who have never experienced one before, so we have compiled this short list of some major points that people with panic attacks want you to know.

Here are 5 things people with panic attacks want you to know:

1. There are no warning signs.

This situation happens spontaneously, with no time to prepare at all. One minute you might feel fine, and the next, it feels like you’re in a war zone and have no idea how you got there. Your heart starts racing, palms start sweating, the room begins to spin, your whole body feels weak, and your breathing gets rapid and uneven. More often than not, it an attack happens in a noisy, crowded place, so the sufferer will want to escape for fresh air and to avoid the stressful situation.

Panic attacks occur because of an excess amount of anxiety, and in nature, the fight or flight response would kick in to help protect us from imminent danger. However, in modern society, sometimes the way we perceive a situation can trigger this same response, and even cause a panic attack if the sufferer has extremely heightened levels of anxiety.

2. They can happen anywhere, for no reason at all.

Panic attacks don’t always happen in large, bustling places; they can happen during sleep, while sitting at home in your room, and might not have a precursor. This condition can run in families, but not always. The scariest part for a person with panic attacks is that they can’t predict when another one will come along. This leads many people to avoid places and situations that they feel might trigger an attack, or a place or situation where they’ve experienced an attack before.

3. It feels like your body is fighting against you.

If you haven’t ever experienced a panic attack, then it’s difficult to understand just how terrifying one feels. People who have panic attacks have described it as feeling like a heart attack, dying, a stroke, and other serious complications. While a panic attack can’t really do long-term damage to the brain or heart, but prolonged stress can certainly lead to other problems down the road. feels like you can’t control your body, like it does whatever it wants and you just have to watch, horrified and scared for five or ten minutes. Panic attacks might not be life-threatening, but they sure feel like it to those who suffer from them.

4. Controlling them is not easy.

People respond differently to healing techniques, but some might not respond to any of them positively, unfortunately. Natural remedies such as meditation, eating a clean, plant-based diet, herbs, essential oils, and other “alternative” medicines can do wonders, but even these remedies might not totally cure someone of panic attacks. Coping techniques can certainly help the sufferer learn how to manage their panic attacks, but that doesn’t magically take them away.

5. They can lead to other issues.

If they don’t find a cure for their panic attacks, many people become drawn to substances such as alcohol or drugs in order to calm their nerves. While this is understandable, it can lead to addiction as the person requires more and more of the substance in order to feel calm. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol only mask the deeper problem. These episodes can also lead to avoiding society altogether in an attempt to protect themselves from further attacks.

More than anything, people with panic attacks just want you to know that they suffer from something real, even if you can’t see it with your own eyes.

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5 Warning Signs Your Energy Level Is Sending You About Your Health

Here are warning signs your energy level is sending you about your health:

1. You could have an under or overactive thyroid gland.

2. You might be overly stressed.

3. You might have a sleep disorder.

4. You could suffer from anxiety or depression.

5. Low energy levels can indicate a nutrient deficiency.

Here’s how salt lamps might help reduce anxiety:

Here are 5 things that are making you lose sleep:

1. You play on your phone or computer before bed.

2. You drink caffeine late in the day.

3. You think about all the chores you didn’t get done while laying in bed.

4. You think so much about losing sleep, that it actually happens.

5. You don’t exercise.

3 Things That Will Make Your Next Relationship Last

1. Honest and open communication

2. Be equal partners

3. Keep it interesting

Here are 5 things positive people do differently:

1. They avoid a victim mentality.

2. They treat themselves well.

3. They don’t look for happiness, they create it.

4. They try new things often.

5. They don’t sweat the small stuff.

Here are 5 things people with panic attacks want you to know:

1. There are no warning signs.

2. They can happen anywhere, for no reason at all.

3. It feels like your body is fighting against you.

4. Controlling them is not easy.

5. They can lead to other issues.

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Rise and Shine On! Master Your Day with the Ultimate Positive Morning Guide + Checklist

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