Check This Out!

Here’s an amazing video of Silbo Gomera, the whistling language of La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain.

 

The Importance of Breathing

In honor of my post yesterday, I decided I HAD to share this article with you guys!!

 

It’s FASCINATING. I mean, we know that breathing is a powerful relaxing tool, but who would have thought it could have such an impact on other aspects of our health, too? Read up!!

 

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/06/131734718/just-breathe-body-has-a-built-in-stress-reliever

 

Breathing my way to a healthier body,

Leah

The Stress Game

Greetings, sun shiners everywhere!

In honor of the end of my first semester at college (yikes!), I want to talk about something called the “stress game”. This is something I became aware of my sophomore year in high school, when the new head of the Judicial Committee gave her first speech to the school. She shared with us some words of wisdom about a phenomenon that I had never really been aware of before, but now I hear it all the time!

 

There’s a game people like to play. It’s called the stress game. The goal of the game is to one-up the person sharing with you how stressed they are. This is an example of how the game would go:

Person A: “Oh man. I’m sooo tired. I had 2 papers due today, and I was up until 2am working on them!”

Person B: “You think that’s bad? I had a test, a quiz, AND 2 papers due today, and I didn’t get to go to bed until 4am!”

Sometimes the game is disguised with an attempt to make the first person feel better, as in “You know what should make you feel better? How much worse my night was!” but no matter what, the stress game has begun, with everyone constantly trying to prove themselves by how stressed they are. It sounds a little ridiculous, I know. But listen for it! It happens all the time. There is nothing wrong with sharing your stress with others, or needing to vent a little frustration, but the problem with the stress game is that it begins breeding negative attitudes. Instead of people being supportive, everyone commiserates with negativity. Misery loves company. Don’t let it overtake you!

It’s so easy to use the amount of work we have, or the hours we stay up at night, to try and prove ourselves or our worth. It can be hard to remember sometimes that how stressed you are is not a measure of how successful or hard-working you are. Stress is destructive; be positive and proud about your accomplishments instead of continuing to live in the struggle it took to get it done!

 

And now, back to my work! The end of the semester is in sight, with a lot of relaxation and good times just around the corner. =)

 

All my love,

Leah

It’s Almost Thanksgiving!

Hi everyone!

 

I’m so sorry it’s been such a long time since my last post, but I haven’t forgotten about you, I promise! =)

 

Happy vacation/Tuesday/soon to be Thanksgiving, everyone! I know not everyone is on vacation, but I just wanted to send a reminder to take some time for yourselves in the next few days!! Treat yourself well, whatever that means for you. Slow down a bit. Breathe. Meditate. Go for a walk! Whatever makes you feel good and relaxed, do it, baby.

I am looking forward to some quality time with my family, and good food and cheer!

And oh my goodness…it’s almost my favorite holiday because of it’s name…Thanksgiving!! Woohoo for appreciation! Now more than EVER we can be gracious for all the blessing, big and small, we have in our lives. Tell everyone you love that you love them! Let your appreciation for the beauty that is life shine through you!

Sending you all my warmest wishes for a happy, relaxing couple of days,

Leah

Adorable.

Hey everyone!

This video has gotten pretty viral lately, so I’m sure a lot of you have seen it, but it’s so great! It’s silly, but is a really great reminder of appreciating even the littlest things we have in life.

I love her enthusiasm and her unabashed love for herself! I think we could all use a little of Jessica’s spirit in our day-to-day lives.

“I can do anything good”,

Leah

Nothing is Written in Stone

Hi everyone!

Here is a picture of my stone garden. It sits on my windowsill right next to my desk. I love it, not just because of the irony, but because of the message it reminds me of every day.

When it comes to life, I truly believe that nothing is written in stone. The world is constantly changing and evolving, and so are we. Everything passes. We have experiences, and then we have new ones. I love having this reminder, because when things aren’t going the way I want them to, it’s easy to feel stuck sometimes, like I’m in this rut and things are never going to be different. When I look at this stone, it reminds me that where I am right now is not where I will be forever. Nothing that I am or that I do right now has to be permanent if I don’t want it to be. If I’m unhappy, it won’t be that way forever. If I’m in any way dissatisfied with what I’m doing in my life…I can change it! Nothing is the way it will be forever. Everything has the ability to change. Nothing is written in stone.

I love my stone garden! A whimsical reminder of an important philosophy.

Forever changing,

Leah

Making Change

Here is a fantastic video that details an approach to end the ongoing conflict in the Congo.

Though we may be separate from it, there some pretty awful stuff going on in the world.

Now when I look at the community around me, I find myself surrounded by thoughtful, compassionate, and rational people. And these people are there to support eachother. Individually we do make mistakes, but as we lean on others, we become driven and inspired to do good in the world. As the optimist that I am, I believe that all people inherently share this quality.

So why, as fellow human beings, aren’t we doing all we can to help those who are locked in war, people who are forced to kill and spread hate? Now I’m not pointing any fingers, I’m just making an observation. I know I’m not doing much for Congo, despite the relatively simple solutions that organizations put forth, solutions that could be put into action quite easily if we pool together the our collective resources.  Part of the answer must be ignorance. Because we are so distant from the damage wars inflict, or can’t feel how a mother feels when she loses her son to a war, we simply don’t care enough to extend a hand to those in need. This must change.

All in the span of decades,  we’ve put men and women into space, built dizzingly immense cities of steel and glass, and have developed a globally encompassing and instantaneous means of communication, buisiness, and  self-expression. Why is this frontier any different? We have the means, why not build the close-knit global community that I know we’re capable of? And it all starts by spreading awareness and eliminating ignorance.

So pass this video on to a couple people, or at the very least think about how lucky we are to live without the immediate threat of oppression or violence. But above all, don’t forget:

the sun shines on.

Much love,

max