Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

This is What I Want you to Know … — Don’t Lose Hope

This is what I want you to know … 1. You deserve to be loved and prized in the same way as the most loved and prized person in this world, is loved and prized. This is 100% true. 2. It is a lie that you are inferior and inadequate, or deserve to be mistreated, […]

This is What I Want you to Know … — Don’t Lose Hope
Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

7 Ways of Dealing with the Winter Blues

1. Stay active – Make sure you build exercise into your life.

2. Stay warm – Wear plenty of clothes, and have hot drinks and meals as feeling cold can make you feel depressed and blue.

3. Go outside – And get all the light you can. The days may be short but you can still grab some fresh air.

4. Eat a healthy diet – As high carbs affect our mood, and a drop in sugar level will cause feelings to slump.

5. Spend time with other people – Don’t isolate yourself … And being with good friends and family can keep your spirits high.

6. Keep busy – Try a new activity or do something you love, as feeling bored and empty will exacerbate the blues.

7. Play your favourite music – The kind that lifts your mood, and blows away the cobwebs, and leaves you feeling good.

Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

Your Trauma Made You Stronger – Right? — Don’t Lose Hope

“Your trauma made you stronger.” No. My trauma left me traumatized. My trauma left me bludgeoned and bleeding. It left me totally destroyed from endless triggers and constant broken sleep. It left empty, and scared, and unable to trust … My partner. The world. Afraid to trust myself. It left me floundering and dealing with […]

Your Trauma Made You Stronger – Right? — Don’t Lose Hope
Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

Why we Can’t Just Forget the Past — Don’t Lose Hope

“I did not ask for the things I’ve been through, and I certainly didn’t ask my mind to paint and repaint the memories in the form of flashbacks.” The majority of people who are living with trauma wish they could simply forget the past. But the fact is we can’t just wipe the slate clean, […]

Why we Can’t Just Forget the Past — Don’t Lose Hope
Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

How to Accept Yourself

1. Focus on your positive qualities. It’s true that we can all improve in some ways – but start by finding your good qualities – and recognise that these are a major part of who you are.

2. Be aware of, and fight against, your negative self-talk. Negative self talk can quickly snowball and become an angry tirade against yourself – so you become your own worst critic and your own worst enemy. Instead, choose to respect yourself, to love, affirm and believe in yourself.

3. Don’t dwell on things you know you cannot change. We all have imperfections, weaknesses and flaws. They’re really not that crucial, and they’re not that big a deal. Try to keep them in perspective – and change what you CAN change.

4. Make your own decisions – don’t always look to others, and think that they know better … But choose to trust yourself.

5. Always try to do your best – as that’s all that is required. You’re a normal human being who’ll sometimes get it wrong. Get up, forgive youself, then just choose to move on.

Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

Quote of the Day — Don’t Lose Hope

“You have no idea how easy it is to fall back into the darkness.” – Unknown Triggers and feelings can be powerful and intense. They immediately transport us to a dark and painful place. With no effort on our part, we are back in the abyss. And it’s so utterly exhausting to keep battling the […]

Quote of the Day — Don’t Lose Hope
Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

Hope in the Midst of Despair — Don’t Lose Hope

“There comes a point when it all becomes too much. When we get too tired to fight anymore, so we give up. That’s when the real work begins. To find hope when there seems to be absolutely none at all.” – Grey’s Anatomy One day it will be different. One day you will be able […]

Hope in the Midst of Despair — Don’t Lose Hope
Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

12 Things Happy People do Differently

Happy people value and choose:

1. Love over Fear: People, who are truly happy, are less fearful and more loving. They perceive every moment, every challenge, and every person as an opportunity to learn more about themselves and the world.

2. Acceptance over Resistance: Happy people know you can’t really change things by denying and resisting them. So when bad things happen, they don’t get angry and complain. Instead, they ask themselves questions like: What can I learn from this? How can I do to make this better?

3. Forgiveness over Unforgiveness: Truly happy individuals understand that it’s destructive to hold on to feelings of anger. Instead, they choose to forgive and let go, understanding that (in the end) forgiveness is a gift they give themselves.

4. Trust over Mistrust: They trust themselves … and they have learned to figure out who is trustworthy – and also those they should avoid.

5. Meaning over Ambition: Happy people do the things they do because it adds meaning and purpose to their lives. They’re not driven by the need to gain acceptance, praise and approval from others.

6. Challenges over Obstacles: Happy people see problems as challenges, and as opportunities to explore new ways of seeing and doing things. That is, challenges are something that help them grow.

7. Selflessness over Selfishness: Happy people seek out ways ways to give to others – of themselves, their time, their gifts, and their money. That is, they’re not self-focused and self-absorbed.

8. Kindness over Harshness: Happy people are gentle and kind with themselves and others. They know the importance and power of self-love, self-forgiveness and self-acceptance – and they freely love, forgive and accept other people.

9. Gratitude over Ingratitude: No matter where they are, or who they are with, happy people have the capacity to see beauty where others would only see ugliness – and they’re quick to express their gratitude.

10. Being Present over Being Disengaged: Happy people know how to live in the moment, appreciating what they have and who they are with. They are not constantly being dragged down by the past, or distracted by what could go wrong in the future.

11. Positivity over Negativity: Regardless of the circumstances of life, happy people are able to adopt and maintain a positive attitude.

12. Taking Responsibility over Blaming: Happy people assume full ownership for their lives. They assume responsibility for their choices, decisions, actions, reactions, beliefs and attitudes.

Posted in Life in the Canadian Rockies

Powerful Steps to a More Positive Life

If you want to live a more positive life:

1. Seek to focus on what you want instead of what you don’t want: A mistake we tend to make when we’re faced with a problem is to think and talk about it all the time – instead of focusing our thinking on what we want instead.

2. Recognise that every problem comes with a lesson: There’s a lesson to be learned from all that happens to us. We can become a better person, even when things have gone wrong.

3. Don’t believe everything you think: Our problems aren’t as big as the mind tries to convince us. Don’t believe all those negative and self-defeating thoughts.

4. Choose to be grateful in everything: Although it’s hard to be grateful when things are going wrong, we can usually find something we can be grateful for – and the more we choose gratitude, the happier we’ll feel.

5. Let go of your need for perfection: If you try to be perfect in everything you do, you will always feel you’re failing, and you’ll live with constant stress.

6. Let go of resistance: Accept some things as they are – you don’t always have to change everything. Life’s shouldn’t to be a fight.

7. Seek to be present in everything you do: When you give yourself completely to living in the moment, you’ll find that life is easier – and you’ll feel much more relaxed.