Ever feel like everyone around you is grumpy or negative? This often means we ourselves are not being that kind because the world mirrors our own energy back to us. Meditation can helps us look in that mirror to get down to the real cause of our own energy. 

Sit with a journal and set your intention to know how to be more kind. This will help you see where you may be hypercrical and where you can open your heart. 

Healing our perspectives can increase our joy and attract much happier, kinder people!

We know the long term effects of stress can wreak havoc on our bodies, but do you know why? When we're stressed over long periods of time, our body releases cortisol, a hormone which can have some pretty crazy influences on our bodies. It can inhibit our immune system, impair our ability to make and keep memories and even lengthen the time it takes to heal! 

Don't freak out though, adding a few little rituals in your daily life can reduce your cortisol  levels significantly. Having a chuckle, getting a  massage and even dancing has shown to lower cortisol, so while you're trying to fit in yoga class,  work, driving the kids to class and making dinner,  stop for 5 minutes to look at dog shaming pictures or practice your moves while you're showering. More proof that having fun is healthy!

Did you know that daily meditation practice can relieve stress and reset your mental state? Those who practice regular meditation had higher brain activity in the areas that deal with stress and concentration. Healthy ways to manage stress can help ease depression and anxiety. 

Making meditation practices more accessible has even been suggested as part of Canada's mental health strategy. Meditate for 5 minutes each morning to calm your mind. Be kind to yourself. Make your mental health a priority!

Did you know being too stressed can affect your memories? When you've been anxious, worried or even frantic from having too much on your plate for long periods of time, your body responds by releasing cortisol into your system. Too much of this stress hormone can have a blocking effect on the part of your brain that converts new experiences into memories. 

Think about it like this: If your camera was taking blurry family vacation photos, you'd get it fixed or replace it, right? While we can't replace our brains, we can certainly take steps to repair and maintain them. It's easy to get stuck in this cycle of stress, but if you're self-aware enough to see this pattern before it gets out of hand, you can put everything back into balance! The simple act of laughing or losing yourself in music can be a great start to making sure your precious memories are being saved properly!

Feeling more on edge than usual? Some of us feel a weird combination of lethargy, low mood and reduced ability to handle normal stress in certain months of the year. This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, thought to be brought on by lower levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects our moods and higher levels of melatonin, which also affects our mood and sleeping patterns.

Melatonin is produced when we have increased exposure to darkness, as we do when the days shorten in winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder is thought to be a reaction to a combination of both, leaving us with a lowered capacity to handle stress and increased likelihood of mood swings and low periods. There are many ways to treat this, including Himalayan Salt Lamps, phototherapy, increased exercise and vitamin D supplements as a few examples. Once you are aware that you suffer from it, you can work on preventing it in the first place!