Hello friends! I hope this week is treating you well. I am excited it is finally warm here. The sun is shining! Hello Spring. 🙂

Tonight I wanted to talk to you about one of the most important parts of the wellness journey! Freeing your mind of junk. Yes, your mind. It’s easy to empty the cupboards and force ourselves to go to the gym. The hardest part is changing the way we think. I believe most of us don’t meet our goals because our thoughts get in the way. We say things like, “It will always be this way. I can’t do this. I can’t help myself…..” The list goes on and on.

Here’s some truth: Where the mind goes, the body follows! Negative mind=negative life.

We can buy all the products and still not be healthy. A healthy mind is crucial to wellness.

Here are some tips for clearing the mind of clutter.

1. Change I can’t to I will do my best. I will try. If I am not successful, I will keep going until I am. There are some things we need not to do (i.e destructive things). There are other things we refuse to do  because we stuck with fear of failure or lack of motivation. Say it with me….YES I can! It’s not about perfection. It’s about growth.
2. Forgive. Yes, I said it. Forgive yourself, forgive others….forgive any and everyone you are holding a grudge against. Let it go. Forgiveness is not saying what the other person did was right. Forgiveness does not always mean the person is given access to your life. It does mean you release anger, the desire to avenge, and trust that by letting go you’re helping yourself. Many people are sick because they are holding grudges. I see grudges as heavy stones. They weigh you down and do nothing to the other person. Set yourself free!
3. Give yourself a break. Ditch negative self talk. I have had a high calorie food day today, but I am working out an hour a day. I am counting calories not to be restrictive, but to see what I am eating. I can beat myself up for having more food today, but what will it accomplish? Nothing. I eat to live and fuel this body. Food is not my life. Nor will I talk down to myself. If I don’t love and accept myself, I can’t love anyone else. Give yourself a break! You’re human after all. 🙂
4. Stop the comparison. I have a coworker who is naturally thin. She eats like a football player. She often brags about how much she can eat. While I watch what I eat. I can’t compare myself to her. I have a muscular athletic build. I always have. She is rail thin. We are two different people. I accept who I am. I accept who she is. I don’t compete with anyone but myself.
5. Count those blessings and focus on what’s going right. One of my daily activities is counting blessings. What’s good in my life? What is positive? What is going right? I try to spend the day focusing on those things. I have an acquaintance who complains about everything, and it is draining to everyone around. Life is too short to focus on all the bad.
6. Meditate on good things and feed the mind good things. I purposefully limit exposure to the news. I don’t have my head in the sand, but I won’t listen to negative things for hours on end. I read. I blog. I focus on my faith. I look for good things to feed my mind.
7. Challenge yourself to see yourself succeeding. I truly believe vision is powerful. Are you seeing good things happening in your future? Are you envisioning yourself achieving your goals? Are you picturing a healthy life? I sure hope so. See the vision, write it down.
8. Speak good things about yourself and your future. I don’t know you all personally, but I am sure you are amazing. The goal isn’t to be conceited, but confident. You are a winner. You have plenty to offer the world. You are significant and have qualities unique to you to bless the world. There’s only one you, so make your mark! You can do more than you think! There’s a champion in you.
9. Try to say good things about others. Negative talk is negative talk. It does not help us or anyone else. We live in a culture that is eager to tear people apart. It’s not healthy. As humans we are flawed, none of us perfect. Putting others down never elevates us. It simply shows our insecurity.
10. Rest from social media. Our minds are overstimulated. It’s good to switch off the smart phone, turn off the computer, and have some down time!

I hope these tips are helpful! You can do anything you set your mind to. I believe in you! Keep it up….Warm wishes,~Erin