health

How You’re Neglecting Your Health Without Even Knowing

July 17, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Your body has subtle ways of telling you when something is wrong, but if you are caught up with everything that is going on in your life, then you may not even notice them. If you want to help yourself, here are some of the top ways you’re neglecting your health without realizing it.

Toxic Relationships

Toxic relationships and friendships can be draining. They can also significantly impact your physical and mental health. If you’re not sure if you’re in a toxic relationship, then it’s important to look out for some of the tell-tale signs. This can include being blamed for everything, being constantly put down, being gaslighted, or even them being emotionally unavailable.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/backlit-dawn-foggy-friendship-697243/

Not Visiting Your Doctor

Your body is constantly changing, so it helps to get it checked on from time to time. Regular check-ups should always be one of your top priorities. They can help you to uncover any issues that you might not be aware of, too, such as hearing loss. If this is the case, you may be offered some almost invisible hearing aids or another form of treatment.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-using-black-blood-pressure-monitor-905874/

Bottling Up Your Emotions

Bottling up your emotions isn’t good for you because it will cause you to feel even more stressed out in the future. If you know that you are not great at expressing your feelings, then it’s a good idea for you to find someone who you can talk to. This can include a counselor or a friend. Remember that there is always someone out there who is happy to listen.

Not Drinking Enough Water

Too many people are guilty of not drinking enough water. Water is good for your hair, skin, and even your nails. It helps to flush toxins out of your body and it boosts your immune system, too. So if you are not getting enough, then you could be negatively impacting your whole body. If you want to get around this then you should try and drink at least 8 glasses a day, or half your body weight in ounces.

Sitting Down Too Much

If you work in an office, then you’ll understand how uncomfortable it can be to sit down all day. Sure, you might be able to stretch your legs from time to time, but ultimately, you’ll be confined to your chair for 7-8 hours a day. This can really have an impact on your mental and physical health. You may find that your metabolism is much slower and that you have poor posture. This can lead to back injuries and cardiovascular disease. If you want to avoid this then you should try and be as active as possible. You also should try to eat well, too, as this will really help you to negate any effects.

Staying healthy can be difficult, especially when you could be harming yourself without even realizing it! If you want to help yourself, then you need to listen to your body and what it’s trying to tell you.

•What is your biggest obstacle when it comes to being healthy?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

4 Great Activities For Toning Muscle Quickly

July 8, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Weight loss is the initial goal for most people when they start their health journey, but once you reach a healthy weight again, you can start working towards other goals. Some people want to build muscle mass and strength and get big, but that isn’t for everybody. A lot of people find that even though they’ve lost the weight, they’re still not quite happy with their body because they just want to tone up a little bit more. Toning muscles so they look a bit tighter is often harder than losing the weight in the first place, and a lot of people struggle with this final step. That’s usually because they’re doing the wrong kinds of exercise and they continue doing the same things that they were when trying to lose weight, which isn’t going to work. If you want to tone your muscles, you should try some of these great exercises!

Yoga

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Yoga is such a great addition to anybody’s exercise routine for a few reasons. Firstly, it improves flexibility and stretches your muscles to stop them from getting tight and sore, which is very important if you’re working out a lot. Secondly, it’s a great way to reduce stress and improve wellness, so it can massively improve your mental health. Finally, it’s a great way to tone your muscles. People that haven’t tried yoga often underestimate how difficult it can be, and there are a lot of more advanced poses that use your own bodyweight to tone muscles. Doing ten minutes of yoga in the morning or the evening before you go to bed can really help to tone your body and improve your flexibility.

Martial Arts

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Martial arts is another great workout activity that is ideal for sculpting your muscles. It’s a great cardio workout, but a lot of it is about control, which engages your muscles. You’ll be using your entire body, which means you will get a good all-around muscle toning workout with every session. There are some great shaolin kung fu training schools that cater to people of all abilities so don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner. If you want to tone muscles and build a bit of strength, while maintaining your target weight, martial arts is one of the best activities.

Swimming

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Swimming is one of the best sports, regardless of what your fitness goals are, because it’s such a good overall workout. It’s a great cardio activity that is low impact, so it’s ideal for people that are recovering from injury (or also people who hate the gym, like me!). But it’s particularly good if you’re trying to tone muscle because you’re engaging all of your muscles at once, and the resistance from the water is good for toning.

Cycling

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If you are particularly focused on toning your legs, cycling is a great way to do it. You’ll be using your quads and calves a lot, so they’ll tone up very quickly. You also engage your core a lot when you cycle, so you can tone your stomach muscles as well. Cycling is another great low impact option if you’re trying to recover from an injury or you want to take a rest day from more intensive activity.

All in all, if you want to tone your muscles rather than build them, these are some of the best exercises to do!

•How do you tone your muscles? What has worked best for you?

This post is a collaboration.

Health

How to Stop Hating Your Body

July 3, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Photo by Andre Furtado from Pexels

It can be pretty hard to love your body. We’re bombarded with unrealistic images and constant pressure to look a certain way. It’s no wonder that so many women report hating their bodies (including me). If you hate your body right now, it might be a big leap to fall in love with yourself. But perhaps there are ways you can learn to value, like, and respect your body. We can all learn to go beyond the toxic messages in our cultures and find ways to embrace ourselves. Below are some things to consider!

Reframe What You See in the Mirror

Many of us look in the mirror and immediately start listing our [perceived] flaws. This can be tricky, but maybe you can make a conscious habit of naming one thing you like about yourself every time you catch your reflection? [AKA affirmations]. This could be something as simple as having nice teeth, a cute freckle, or that your eyebrows look great today. By training your brain to jump to the positives, you may be less likely to fixate on the things you don’t like.

Note: I understand that body dysmorphic disorder is a very real mental health condition, and often requires professional help. The advice stated above is my opinion and is not meant to diagnose or treat, and does not refer to those with BDD.

Focus on Being Strong and Healthy

So much focus is put on dieting and exercising for weight loss. But what happens when we turn our attention to health, instead? This could mean that you’re less harsh on yourself, and avoid harmful habits like skipping meals or overworking yourself. After all, it’s not healthy to push your body to extremes. [Though some aspiring “health coaches” say pain is good, it’s not true. Pain means there is something wrong!] Approach your diet and exercise with love and positivity, rather than hatred.

Get a New Wardrobe

It can be tempting to keep jeans that don’t fit, because one day we hope to squeeze into them (there was a recent poll in my Facebook group asking how long is acceptable to keep jeans that are too small; some people said forever!). But inevitably, this leaves us feeling ‘less than’. Try to embrace your current body shape and size by getting clothes that fit you beautifully and accentuate your best bits. Nobody needs to know what size you wear, but everyone will see how confident you look in clothes that flatter you. You could even have an in-store stylist pick out some items that would look amazing on you. Personally, I use StitchFix! I also like Amazon Wardrobe. I love having a “personal” stylist to pick flattering clothes for me. The right clothes make all the difference in how we feel!

Switch The Focus

Lots of work towards loving your body involves a lot of focus on your body. But if you struggle with body image, this could be triggering. Could you switch the focus away from your body for a little while? Some people find it helpful to journal about all the positive traits they love about themselves – things like being kind, funny, intelligent, generous. Having an ever-growing list of compliments that have nothing to do with how you look can be a real boost to self-confidence.

Know When You Need Help

Everyone can feel uncomfortable about their body sometimes. But if you have developed excessive worries about your body, or compulsive behaviors and routines, you may have body dysmorphia, which is an anxiety disorder relating to body image. If you think your body image is impacting on your life or you think you may have body dysmorphia, it’s important to seek help. You can speak with your doctor or visit a counseling center to get specialist advice to help you heal. [I shared a note about this above]

•What do you struggle with? How do you build confidence for yourself?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Staying On The Happy Side Of Healthy

June 28, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

You don’t have to be someone who is so obsessed with health all the time, to the point where you can’t even have a slice of pizza without thinking about all of the calories in it. That’s the unhappy side of health. Some people really get into that lifestyle, and it does suit them down to a T. But half of the time, the restriction and the self conscious feeling is what leads us to feel unhappy about our health. We’ve had it drilled into us what the perfect person should be like, and despite people now trying to change that view, it’s still so hard to feel confident when you don’t feel like your body is perfect. Couple your insecurities with a negative attitude towards health, and you’re never going to find that perfect balance on the happy side of health. So, this article is going to give you some great alternatives that will help you to feel amazing, bury those insecurities for good, and actually understand what your body needs.

The Restriction Craze

The first thing that we want to address is that you don’t have to be on a restrictive diet. By restrictive, we mean a diet where you’re cutting out all fats and treats, and only sticking to anything “clean.” People can get really obsessive over this one, when there simply is no need to be. All you have to do is track the calories and the macros they contain. Because even with a healthy diet, you could be filling your body with too many carbs and fats, and not enough protein. Once you find the balance between those, which it is super easy to do, you can start having a treat each day. As long as you eat “clean” all day, there’s no reason why you can’t have a slice of cake at the end, or a doughnut in the middle. You don’t have to fully restrict yourself, and a treat a day will definitely still keep the doctor away.

Hiding Your Insecurities

Some people are struggling with insecurities at the minute. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that most of you reading this will be battling something. One common issue that people really hate, yet it’s so common to suffer with, is sight/our vision. Sight can deteriorate at any age, often from a young one. But some get so self conscious about wearing glasses, even though the simple solution of contacts is out there. Simple Contacts is just one company you could use to order in your prescription, and we promise it will change your life. If the thought of putting them in your eye has put you off up until now, just give it a go two or three times, and we promise it will become the norm for you! There are plenty of other common insecurities that we all have that are easy to hide.

Finding The Happy Balance

As a final note, you really need to find that happy balance. Your mental health and your physical health are really important. So don’t push your body past its limits, and don’t restrict yourself so much so that you’re unhappy. Find that happy balance, and make your body and brain better.

•How do you find your happy, healthy balance?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

4 Jobs That Affect Your Health

June 26, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

There is something wonderful about knowing that you have a stable career on which to rely. The thing is, the more time moves forward, the more we work hard enough to burn ourselves out daily. When this happens, it means that the wonderful career that we think that we have isn’t all that wonderful. There are plenty of jobs out there that will hurt your health, even if you don’t know about it.

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Every profession has its own health risks, but there are some more than others that take a toll on behavior. Some jobs are categorized as being suitable for you; others are known to make you feel more vulnerable and influence your health negatively. Below, we’ve narrowed down a long list into four jobs that are the worst possible ones for your health. If any of these jobs are those that are bad for your health and you are working in them, we’d suggest a career change if possible!

Sales Representative

When you are working as a sales rep, you’re working a role that is both mentally and physically demanding. The hours are long, the work environment is competitive, and you aren’t always paid for the work that you do, which causes the perfect blend of stress and fatigue. You need to feel like you can work and thrive, not work and survive, and sales reps often have the most stressful work out there to do.

Firefighter

All the helmets and hearing protection in the world cannot protect you from the disturbing things seen on the job a firefighter. There is a high risk of injury and illness for obvious reasons, and emergency responders are living a life on the edge. More firefighters die of heart attacks than being on the job, and it’s the stress that leads to this. High blood pressure and cholesterol lead to a harder day at work.

Lawyers

There have been studies that show that lawyers have the highest rate of alcohol abuse and stress than most other office-based careers. Being in front of others and fighting for justice is not a 9-5 position; it’s a cutthroat environment for anyone to be in, and it can correlate strongly with the lack of health overall. Stress begins in law school for a lawyer, and it’s not something that lets up for many years on the job.

Long-Distance Drivers

Being on the road? Not as easy as just sitting and ensuring there isn’t a car crash. The transportation industry covers a lot of careers, but long-distance drivers have it the hardest. They need to keep up a constant level of being awake, and the low salary mixed with an increase in danger is a recipe for stress and poor health.

Finding a job that makes you happy is also about finding a job that won’t make you sick. Find the career that will be right for you, and it will be far easier to live a healthier life.

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

xo lynds

Health

5 Signs You Need To Visit Your Doctor

June 26, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Photo by Jesse Orrico on Unsplash

One of the hardest things to decide as an adult is whether or not you need to see a doctor. With so many warnings and advertisements that tell you not to visit your doctor unless you have an emergency, knowing when you can or cannot visit can be hard. While there are no strict rules in place, it’s important you’re not visiting for something that can be treated over the counter. To help you get a better of idea of when you should visit, here are 4 signs you need to see your doctor:

You Have Been Feeling Under The Weather For Longer Than Two Weeks

If you have had an illness that has lasted longer than two weeks, you need to go and get it checked out. If you have already visited a pharmacist and the medication they gave you wasn’t effective, going to your doctor is the next best option. They will be able to tell you whether or not it’s a cause for concern, and they’ll prescribe you something you wouldn’t be able to get without their signature. For more information about getting prescriptions, you can visit this site!

You’re Experiencing Problems With Your Eyes Or Your Ears

If you are experiencing problems with your eyes or ears, such as loss of hearing or loss of sight, you should book an appointment at your doctors right away. Experiencing issues like this can be incredibly serious, especially if they’re an underlying issue to something else. You may find that you end up having to go for further testing to decide whether or not you need any assistance, such as hearing aids. To find out more about what to expect from a hearing aid fitting, you can visit this site!

You Have Sustained An Injury That Does Not Require Urgent Care

If you have an injury that you don’t think requires immediate medical attention, visiting your doctor should still be on your list. Whether it’s a sprain or a wound, they will be able to advise you of the best possible treatment. If you find your symptoms get worse while you’re waiting for an available appointment, you may need to consider going to the ER.

You’ve Been Feeling Depressed And Anxious For A Long Period Of Time

When it comes to your mental health, you need to do what is best for you. If you have been feeling depressed, or experiencing anxiety for a long period of time, it’s best you speak to your doctor. They will be able to carry out tests to find out whether or not you need further assistance, something you should always consider if you’re struggling. To find out more about seeing a doctor in regards to your mental health, you can visit this site!

Do you struggle to know when you can and can’t visit your doctor? Did we miss anything off the list? Let me know in the comments section below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

Choosing The Best Health Insurance

June 25, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

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There are plenty of good reasons you might want to have health insurance. You might live somewhere where it is basically a necessity, or even the law. You might just want to know that you are always covered for your health, no matter what. You might be keen to ensure that you are going to get some of the best healthcare there is, which can often be more likely with private health insurance. When you decide to get some health insurance for yourself or your family, you need to make sure that you are going about it in the right way. You want to know that you have managed to find the best one, and that you are paying a fair price for it. Let’s look now at how to choose the best health insurance.

Comparing Types Of Plans

The first thing to be aware of is that there are many different kinds of insurance plan. You need to know what they are as fully as possible, and to be able to distinguish between them, if you are to find one that works for you. You’ll also need to make sure that you are aware of what your needs are, and what you can probably do without. Some plans are much pricier than other ones, and many will not provide the same kind of thing that you might need. You need to make sure that you always look closely at the table of benefits, so you know that you are being provided for in every way that is necessary for you. Some issues are very rarely covered by insurance: hearing aids and insurance, for instance, do not generally go hand-in-hand. Be sure that you know what you are getting with your plan, as fully as possible.

The Issue Of Pricing

Obviously, pricing is going to be an important part of all this too, as you don’t want to have to pay more than is necessary. You’ll also need to be sure that you are not overpaying for a less than adequate plan, which can happen a lot and often results in you merely feeling scammed in some way or another. By paying attention to the pricing – which means that you need to focus on the small print as much as the large – you can ensure that you are actually going to be satisfied with what you are getting. You don’t want to pay for something that won’t work for you.

Check With Your Employer

It’s also worth noting that many kinds of employer offer health insurance, and that you should therefore check with yours to see whether they do. If they do, you will certainly want to make use of it – as long as it seems suitable for you. Even if they just offer dental, say, or something else specific, you might want to make use of that and then find a health insurance policy which covers the rest. By looking at your options in this kind of way, you can hope to really end up with the best insurance for you.

This post was a collaboration.

Health

3 Kinds Of Health Check You Should Have Done

June 25, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

If you are serious about taking proper care of your health, there are many things that you might want to focus on. The fact is that looking after your own body is something that requires many diverse and distinct acts all at once, and the more that you are able to engage in those, the more likely it is that your health will be where you want it to be. An important part of all this is to ensure that you are carrying out regular health checks of a kind which might prove important for your future health. Some health checks are things which we all know we need to keep on top of, and others are a little less obvious. Either way, they are all important, so let’s look at just three which you should think about getting done soon.

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Eye Test

You should ideally get an eye test at least once every two years, even if you don’t think you have experienced any loss of vision. That’s because your current vision is not actually the only thing that the optometrist will check; they will also scan your eyes for any signs of lesions, tumours, and other problems that eyes can have. Something like glaucoma can take your sight extremely quickly, so finding it early is bound to be a good idea, and you can only do that if you make sure that you get your eyes checked frequently. Plus, if you do need glasses, then it is best to get them early so that you are not allowing your eyesight to get even worse over time. Of course, especially go to an eye test if you know your vision has become worse recently.

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Hearing Test

As with vision, you might not know that your hearing has got much worse if it happens gradually. But if it has happened quite suddenly, then you will probably be a little concerned, and eager to sort it out. That means that you are going to need to have a hearing test – and while less is generally made of these compared to eye tests, they are just as important, and you should make sure that you have them fairly regularly too. Make sure that you know all about the proper kinds of hearing test preparation so that you can absolutely make the most of it, and be sure to focus on doing whatever you can to keep your ears in check the rest of the time too. Hearing is hugely important, so look after it.

Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure indicates many things, and is related to your general overall health in a number of important ways. You want your blood pressure to be neither too high nor too low – too low, and it might mean that you need to eat more, too high and you could have to deal with the stress in your life or otherwise find a way to reduce it again. Make sure that you check your blood pressure at least once a year, and then make any necessary changes you might need to make to return it to normal if necessary.

What steps do you take to ensure your health?

This post was a collaboration.

Fitness

Finding The Perfect Gym For You: 4 Helpful Tips

June 12, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Pixabay (CC0 Licence)

While it is possible to work on your fitness at home, a gym membership undeniably has its advantages. A gym is a dedicated workout space, so your home can be reserved for relaxation; the equipment is more likely to be high-end. There’s a range of different classes available for when you feel you need to shake things up, and help will be on hand if you run into any difficulties.

However, it’s fair to say that the experience of visiting a gym can vary. Some gyms are excellent, offering a wealth of benefits to their members that more than justifies their fees. Others… aren’t so excellent, and in the worst cases, could actually harm your ability to meet your fitness goals.

If you’re on the lookout for a new gym, here are four tips that can help to make sure you find the perfect gym for your needs.

#1 – Time Your Visit Carefully

Touring a gym before joining is highly recommended. Make sure you plan your visit around the same time as you would usually be working out. Doing so allows you to get a rough idea of how busy the gym is, and allows you to assess the atmosphere and conditions based on what you are most likely to experience if you sign-up.

#2 – Check the Machines Thoroughly

During your visit to a gym you are considering, take the time to check the machines in detail. First and foremost, look at safety aspects; do the machines look modern and well-maintained, or are they in the kind of disrepair that suggests using them may result in needing to call a personal injury attorney in future? In addition, assess the cleanliness; good gyms tend to ensure that their equipment is thoroughly cleaned regularly, so any sign of accumulated dirt will make that gym a no-go.

#3 – Examine the Existing List of Classes and Ask How Popular They Are

If you are considering a gym because they offer a range of classes you are particularly excited to try, it’s important to ask a member of staff how popular each class actually is. Gyms often cancel classes that have relatively few attendees, so you’ll need to make sure that the class you want to try will actually be available. On the flip side, if the classes you are interested in are bordering on too popular, you may find yourself having to join a waiting list before each class – so it may be worth trying a different gym to see if they have better availability.

#4 – Read the Fine Print

It would be impossible to discuss finding a great gym without a discussion of the contract you will be asked to sign, especially given that gym membership contracts have a tendency for being difficult to break.

*Just ask my boyfriend: Planet Fitness will only allow him to cancel his membership by GOING TO THE GYM HE SIGNED UP AT, which mind you, is in California! We live in Nevada now. Ugh, it is so frustrating. Don’t fall into that trap.

Always ask for time to read through your contract in full before signing, paying particular attention to the clauses related to canceling the contract. Hopefully you won’t need to cancel anytime soon, but it’s always important to make sure you know exactly where you stand before you sign on the dotted line.

The four tips above should help you to find the best gym for your needs. Once you find one, come back here and share which gym you chose! I’d love to hear more about it.

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Health

In Our Right Mind: Getting Free From Addiction Using The Right Tools

June 11, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

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Suffering from any addiction is crippling in the mind and body. When we suffer a problem that we can’t appear to overcome, is it about mind over matter? Our mindset has a lot to do with overcoming any obstacle in life, but can we use this to break free from addiction? When we have numerous bad habits in life, from biting our nails to smoking cigarettes, it’s mostly about the power our brain has. So does this mean we’ve got to put our brain into gear to get over some sort of addiction? It appears so, right? How can we use our mindset, or acquire one to ensure that we put a stop to an addiction that is harming us?

Assessing Our Current Mindset

The big problem that we have in terms of addiction is that we stand in our own way. Maybe we don’t have the ability to admit that we’ve got a problem. As is the usual procedure, when we need help, it has to be us that instigates the fact that we need some sort of support. By assessing our current mindset, it could very well be done independently. When it comes to quitting something, we have to look at which mindset we currently have. Tolerance is one of those mindsets that are connected with addiction. It’s a physical and psychological process. But what happens is, when a behavior is repeated, you become less sensitive to something. You develop a physical or mental tolerance. And on the flip side, we experience withdrawal, either in physical or mental symptoms. And it’s these two things that can get in the way of truly addressing our addiction.

Looking At Our Fixed Mindset

If we have a fixed mindset, this provides a major obstacle to overcoming any addiction. It’s about being immovable on a subject. We may embody a fixed mindset in a very black and white way. For example, if we fall off the wagon, we consider ourselves to be a failure. We may feel our abilities right now determine that they cannot be moved. This is something that provides a major barrier to overcoming any form of problem in our minds, not just addiction. Once we start to establish that we have a fixed mindset and that these things can be moved, this is when we can start to make progress.

Establishing A Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is all about progression. In a simple way, it’s about positivity, but having a growth mindset allows you to progress forward. In a biochemical sense, it can help to create extra neural pathways. It’s all about this idea of habit. We’ve learned new habits throughout our life, but it’s about breaking the ones that don’t help us. Sometimes it’s by assimilation; we could go to a group therapy practice, or involve ourselves in a sober living community so we are influenced by others that are going through the same issues. Because we stand in our own way of success, when we see others undergoing the same problems, or are just far along in the recovery process as us, it’s humbling, but it’s also a perfect way to provide stimulation and motivation. A growth mindset is vital for recovery, and it’s something that can be harnessed. Counseling is one approach; especially with counselors who provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Developing New Thoughts

Because we have specific thought patterns that we may think are fixed, this is what will lead to a more negative mindset. Issues like a self-fulfilling prophecy, negative opinions of oneself will begin to cloud our judgment. A growth mindset is not just about training yourself in terms of new thought processes; it’s about undertaking the right practices that will help you on the road to recovery. This could very well be about getting rid of certain pressures in life. It could be through social situations, or friends that are a bad influence on you. Once we start to liberate ourselves of our old thought patterns, we can begin new thoughts, and grow to become a completely different person.

Making It Work Together

Naturally, all of these things are fantastic in theory, but can be difficult in practice. The most important piece of information that we can all learn in life is that it takes as long as it takes. When we are learning a new skill, or overcoming a dependency on something, we’ve got to break free of the antiquated notion that we are “limited.” That there’s only so much we can accomplish. Time and time again, it’s been shown that the mind and body are more than able to overcome obstacles, either by highlighting the effect that neuroplasticity has on our brains, or the fact that our body is a machine, and was built for physically demanding situations. When it comes to making all of this work together, it is mind and body, but also spirit. Whether you are religious or not is beside the point; once we equip ourselves with the tools, it’s about making it all work together according to what we want.

Like they say in rehab facilities, “we provide the tools, but it’s down to you to make sense of them.” Nobody can hold our hand through a unique problem like addiction, because we are suffering from it in our own heads. We can ask for help and guidance, and we can be given the tools, but it’s down to us to make it all work. Learning as much information as possible about overcoming something, disregarding the irrelevant tools, and making the most of the relevant ones can be a lengthy practice; but it’s all about ensuring that you are going in the right direction.

Is It Mind Over Matter?

It’s such an antiquated expression, but it is mind over matter when we have the tools at our disposal. Getting “over” an addiction isn’t about taking a magic pill. Addiction is something that can stay with us long after the physical symptoms have gone. This means that we have to develop a sense of inner strength, but also equip ourselves with all the necessary information and tactics. In this respect, it is mind over matter.

•Have you struggled with an addiction? How were you able to overcome it?

•If you’re still struggling with addiction, what are some tools that would help you be successful in breaking that addiction?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!