7 Tips to Build New Habits

Habit building is a journey; it doesn’t happen over night.

It has been said that “Motivation is what gets you started, and Habit is what keeps you going.” So I wanted to do a quick check-in after my 30 Day Challenge back in April, to let you know that my habits are still going strong. The challenge was a personal development series to re-establish some habits of mine that had slipped. My personal journey was successful, as 60 days later:

  • I am still writing in my daily gratitude journal
  • I am still practicing yoga daily
  • I am still logging my food daily
  • I am sleeping better

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” ~Mike Murdock

The results of all of this?

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My Skin Cancer Scare

I always thought it was unfair to still be experiencing wrinkles AND acne into my 40s and 50s.

As May comes to a close and we celebrate Memorial Day here in the United States, it is the unofficial start of summer. With BBQs and trips to the lake or beach upon us, I wanted to write about something other than fibromyalgia, but still something near and dear to my heart. May is Skin Cancer Awareness month. I became aware of this disease as a little girl, since it has plagued my mom’s side of the family. She grew up in a beach town back in the days when they used baby oil on their skin in the summer. Fair skin + no protection + summers in the sun = Disaster.

My first recollection of skin cancer was when I was about 8 years old at one of my ballet recitals. My mom had to wear a big floppy hat to protect her face. She had just had surgery to remove skin cancer, which took part of an eyebrow and had she waited any longer for treatment, she was told she would have lost her eye. Since then she’s had multiple surgeries – nose, scalp, ear. And she is facing two more surgeries in the next few weeks. My aunt, grandmother, and my oldest brother have all had a few removed. We are the fair-skinned ones in the family. Because of this my mother instilled in me at that very early age to take care of my skin. I think of using sunscreen as one of those things that everyone knows they should do, but often don’t take the time. SPF is your friend!

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Tech Tools for Life with a Chronic Illness

Technology is a tool people use to improve their lives.

Let’s face it. We’re lucky to get out of bed, get our hair done, and make it to work on time with the same color socks some days. Life with a chronic condition is challenging every single day. I fight fibromyalgia, what’s your superpower? So anything I can do to make my day/week more productive is alright by me.

“There was a time when a nail was high tech. There was a time when people had to be told how to use a telephone. Technology is just a tool. People use tools to improve their lives.” ~Tom Clancy

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Why We Need Dirt Therapy

“I grow plants for many reasons…but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.”

There’s something to be said for getting outside and having your face in the sunshine, and your feet and hands touch the grass and the earth. It grounds us to Mother Earth and connects us to all of her energies. Tending to our flower gardens or vegetable gardens also has so many benefits that will enrich our mental and physical health.

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.”

— Alfred Austin

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