Stories to remind you attitude is everything

Olaf’s optimism comes to mind when I think of characters who inspire me to see the bright side of a situation.

There is a relationship between perception and reality. Through this connection, we can assume that being optimistic is of much importance.

When I think of remarkably optimistic characters, I think of Olaf because he remains his brilliant, bubbly, light-hearted, happy and friendly self even when faced with his own obstacle, a fireplace.

He responds to this dilemma as his face melts and slides to one side, “Some people are worth melting for.”

Yes, he’s a TV character, but the lessons one can learn from such optimism is universal. In theory, we all would want Olaf as our friend right? This proves how much attitudes make or break a person.

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Study shows importance of making stress “a friend” for a healthy life

We are often told that stress is the enemy. But to think of it that way isn’t good for you. In a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin that tracked 30,000 adults over 8 years, researchers found that those who think of stress as harmful to their health had a 43 percent increased risk of dying. Those who experienced stress but didn’t view it as harmful were least likely to die.

Identify your personality

Stress is not a simple, stimulus-response reaction. Rather, it is an interaction between an individual and the environment. In other words, it’s a highly personal process.

According to a journal article called “Stress and Personality” published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health personality types are deeply rooted.

“Specific inherited characteristics, early experience in life, and particular, learned cognitive predispositions make individuals more or less susceptible to the effects of stressors.”

In this blog post, I will identify personality characteristics of those prone to stress and those that are resistant to stress to better help aid in your self-discovery and possibly to correct some harmful perceptions you may currently have that you are unaware is damaging your well-being.

Getting to know stress and knowing you’re not alone

Screencap by me from Youtube.

According to Garfield, in a perfect world you’d love your job and it will love you back, you would always be first in line, sleeping would be an Olympic event, everyone in your graduating class would age except you, and TV would actually make you smart. Like Garfield, we all have fantasies of a perfect world. These fantasies motivate us to escape the real world we are in.

In the real world, we will face bumps on the road no matter how smart we are. The good news is that these struggles aren’t uncommon and should therefore not make us feel isolated from each other; we all go through hardships.

Make that Chicken Tortilla soup!

When life throws you lemons, I make chicken soup. When I think of the words “chicken soup”, I think of the inspirational and empowering Chicken Soup for the Soul books I read as an adolescent. Those books I could count on to cure my sadness and empower me to conquer my fears and weaknesses. This week, I made chicken soup and I’ll share with you the recipe inspired by an amazing cooking blog, Tastes Better from Scratch.

New year, new accomplishments.

Around this time of year, we often make resolutions for self-improvement. Sadly, although more than 40 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, only about 8 percent follow through, according to a study by the University of Scranton.

Making resolutions is good, but it’s just the first step. You still need to form a game plan if you want to succeed. Habits and behaviors like trying to lose weight, quit smoking, exercise and reduce alcohol consumption are very difficult to change, and without a carefully thought-out plan on how you hope to accomplish these changes into your lifestyle, it can lead to failure. In other words, what you need to accomplish such tasks is a blueprint: a map to show how to reach these goals. Here are some essential  tools you’ll need for your blueprint:

Go on a nature walk

Today my family and I went on a hike at Schabarum Regional Park. Aside from the photography opportunities and the chance to get away from city life, one of hiking’s greatest perks is the positive impact it has on your health.

Hiking lowers risk of heart disease, improves blood pressure and blood sugar levels, boosts bone density (as walking is a weight-bearing exercise), strengthens core and improves balance, helps control weight, improves the antioxidative capacity (which helps fight off disease in the blood of oncological patients), helps those with severe depression and improves mood.