Every city and town has them. Those abandoned lots that sit there doing nothing but look sad. What if every one of those spaces was transformed into a guerilla garden? Perhaps May 21st, the first ever National Kids to Parks Day is a good day to start your own create your own mini-park! So, where do you begin?
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Courtesy of Ozarks Red Cross (via Flickr)
The Red Cross has been making a difference around the world for 130 years. These folks respond to disasters, provide services and support, and offer help when and where help is needed.
Remember, these are ordinary people making extraordinary changes in other people’s lives. Because of this, March has been proclaimed Red Cross Month by the President for the last 100 years. Which means March is an opportunity for each of us to help others in need.
How you can make a difference in your community and beyond during Red Cross Month:
There are 650 Red Cross chapters in the U.S., you can find your local Red Cross here.
Red Cross Month is also a great time for you and your family to discuss emergency plans and make or restock emergency kits. Find out what you need to be prepared for any disaster.
Courtesy of suez92 (via Flickr)
Many self-help books say that discipline and willpower are the keys to wellness. But a new area of psychological research suggests that going easy on yourself is really the way to better health.
It’s about self-compassion and treating yourself as well as you treat everyone else. Imagine that!
The studies have found that people who are supportive and understanding of others often score shockingly low on self-compassion tests. But people who are high in self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic.
One reason people who are not self-compassionate are the way they are is that they worry about becoming self-indulgent and believe that self-criticism is what keeps them in line. But remember, self-compassion definitely doesn’t equal self-indulgence.
A major difference is that with self-compassion you only eat or do things that you know will be good for you, and the studies suggest that self-compassion can help you eat less and lose weight. For anyone who’s eaten a carton of ice cream in an insecure moment, the difference is clear.
But really, the weight loss is just a happy side effect of greater compassion and happiness in your life.
To be more self-compassionate try:
It’s hard to change lifelong habits, and you have to actively develop self-compassion. If you’d like to learn more, keep your eyes peeled for Dr. Kristin Neff’s book Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind, due out next month.
Courtesy of Hygiene Matters (via Flickr)
When you hear domestic violence you may not immediately think about teens. But domestic violence occurs in young dating relationships too. In fact, one in three teens experience abuse in their relationships. It’s time to end this cycle.
February is Teen Dating Violence (DV) and Prevention Awareness Month. Teen DV Month is an opportunity to raise awareness and help prevent abuse in our communities. And there are many ways to help.
Here are just a few ways that you can get involved and raise awareness:
If you or someone you know is in an unhealthy or abusive relationship, there is help available.
Along with these hotlines, there are several online resources that provide support and strategies to prevent teen dating violence:
Parents: need help talking to your teen about dating violence and abuse? Take a look at these 5 ways to open the lines of communication with your teen.
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Valentine’s Day is all about showing your love – whether it’s the cute girl in 2nd period, your BFF, yourself or the love of your life for the past 65 years.
But we all tend to get wrapped up in the heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and empty calories in those addicting little candy hearts. Don’t get me wrong, chocolates every so often aren’t the worst thing you could do. There are just a lot of other treats out there that are just as good and healthy too.
Instead of sending your loved one’s to the dentist, try some of these tasty recipes that are low in fat, good for the heart and full of love.
Here are just a few healthy, heart-friendly recipes:
While you’re at it, keep the romance alive without ditching your healthy habits, check out Valentine’s Day the Right Way: How Not to Bust Your Diet for Romance.
I’ve been married for three years, and I have two children. My oldest daughter is almost two, and the baby is two months! Needless to say, I haven’t had too much time for myself. I’ve been dedicated to my family and to building a home.
At the beginning of 2011 I realized it’s time to give myself a LOVE ME MAKEOVER. In order for me to continue being a great wife and mother, I have to stop neglecting myself and start doing the things that make me happy. If you’ve found yourself in a rut, take a few minutes to focus on yourself and determine what you need for your own LOVE ME MAKEOVER.
Step 1: Determine your career goals and develop a plan to achieve them. If you’re a working woman, take charge of your career! Take your commitment to your job to the next level and show that you’re ready for more responsibility and a promotion. If this means a few more hours away from the home, work with your spouse on a new schedule.
Step 2: Set financial goals (independent of the household finances) and create a budget that will get you to that goal at the end of the year. In today’s economy every woman needs a “rainy day” stash. Determine what your contribution to the household is and then set aside a few pennies for your own personal stash. This can be shopping money, emergency money or even money for a future girl’s vacation!
Step 3: Out with the old and in with the new. Clean out your closet and get rid of the clothes you haven’t worn in years. Not only does this get rid of unnecessary clutter it also gives you more room for new clothes, which means shopping!
Step 4: Start dating. If you’re in a committed relationship, make time for date nights. This night is especially for you and your spouse. No children allowed. Get dressed up and go back to when you first met and still had butterflies in your stomach.
Step 5: Get healthy. Exercise is therapeutic and it will allow you to relieve some stress. You don’t have to commit to an expensive gym membership, but you can sign up for one class per week. Maybe it’s kick boxing, jazz aerobics, or swimming. Whatever you decide, do something that you’ll enjoy.
These are all steps that I’m including in my LOVE ME MAKEOVER. Do you have some other ideas? If so, I’d love to hear from you.
In a new relationship, putting on extra weight is fairly common. Here are just a few ways to get in shape and feel healthy.
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Courtesy of Joe Wilcox (via Flickr)
What makes a marriage or relationship last? Is it putting your partner’s needs first? Keeping the love alive? Well, one study suggests that it’s finding a partner who makes life interesting – they call it a Sustainable Marriage or the “Me” Marriage.
While this doesn’t mean the relationship is all about you, it does mean that you and your partner add something new to one another’s life. A sustainable marriage is built on a meaningful and satisfying relationship.
This means you each bring something to the table and contribute to each other’s self-expansion. Self-expansion is exactly what it sounds like. Your “self” expands – your identity, what you think about yourself, the traits you possess, your goals, etc. grow because of the other person. The research done by professor’s at Monmouth University showed that the more self-expansion you experience from your partner the more satisfied you are in the relationship.
This isn’t to say that you lose yourself in the relationship, but who you are and how you define yourself changes.
So, how does self-expansion happen? According to the study, your partner can take you on trips, introduce you to new people, take you to a new restaurant, even talk about an interesting news story. Based on this study, big or small, expanding your knowledge, interests, etc. can lead to a happy, fulfilling relationship.
The professor’s created a quiz to determine self-expansion, it’s based on questions like “how much does your partner expand your knowledge?”. Take the quiz and see how sustainable your relationship is.
Courtesy of Press-Register
Monday marks the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day – a celebration of his life and his role in the civil rights movement. Now, it’s your turn to make a difference.
There are several things you can do to honor the MLK holiday and get involved in your community.
Here are just a few:
