5 Ways to Stop Your Mental and Emotional Set-Backs From Keeping You Stuck

Image Source: Alessandra

Whether it's anxiety, depression, a phobia, or all of the above, most people feel dealing with them feel like they're running into a brick wall. Sometimes repeatedly. Depression and anxiety commonly cause us to feel stuck. But do you know why?

Fear. 

Photo credit: ASweeneyPhoto

This little 5-letter word is behind practically every case of depression and anxiety? The saying, "we're driven by fear" is so true, right? For most people, every action they take is out of fear. And they don't even realize it.

People overwork themselves out of fear of not having enough money. (Understandable, but a fear-based action nonetheless.)

People spend their money out of fear. Just take, for example, how many people spend thousands on insurance and home security systems. (That's not to say that it isn't a proactive and very smart thing to do, it does paint a picture of just how much our society lives in fear.)

  Like with most things, our mental and emotional set-back are also fueled or "driven" by fear. Even our own unhappiness is often based on fears when we look deeper into it.

 Nobody deserves to live in fear and nobody deserves to live a life that makes them feel stuck. Yet thousands of my readers feel both stuck and fearful. You've probably arrived here because you feel that way, too. And you want the mental and emotional set-backs to stop controlling your life. 

That's exactly why I've laid out 5 simple, but effective ways you can get more control over the emotional and mental set-backs instead of them controlling you.

1. Stop Owning Your Problems (and Fears)
Three words: Law. of. Attraction. 

What you think about and what you tell yourself and others will become your actual reality. If you continuously thinking about what scares you, your fears start manifesting quicker than you can burn your morning toast.

When you constantly claim an illness, it's almost like you invite it to become part of you. Slowly, this illness (or other problem) grows until it become your reality. Just take a gander at the years of posts and articles I've written on how I spent most of my adult life being severely ill from my anxieties and thoughts i.e. fears.

Ponder on this:
if you can easily create a lasting problem or illness for yourself just by claiming it or giving continuous thought to it, you can do the very same by giving thought to the opposite.

In other words, stop claiming your illness/problem/set-back and start claiming your joy, great health, and stability.

It works. I've been on the journey myself.


2. Stop Being Worthless

I know, that's harsh if not downright mean, but what I mean is stop letting yourself continue with a life routine that keeps you feeling worthless day in and day out.

P.S. This has been a big area of struggle for me, which is why I feel comfortable saying what I have. There were times that I felt so worthless that I found it difficult not to believe that I was nothing more than a burden to those who love me. I thought I was unworthy of even the smallest favor. 

Do yourself (and me, please?) a favor and change this now. 

Do not wallow in or even entertain the thoughts that bring up feelings of worthlessness. It will never help you to become any more worthy and it's completely counter-active to what you want to achieve. 

Stop counting all the ways you must be worthless. You aren't. I promise.

What you can do to combat feelings of worthlessness:
 I've taken the advice of some experts in this field and have been able to transform those useless thoughts and feelings of being worthless.
 

Get out of your head and get into the world, in any way that you can manage.
 I started making a deliberate and conscious effort to get out of my head space and be with my loved ones. Even if it's just sitting with my nieces and nephews for a few minutes -- it's all about building yourself up with small things, and there's nothing that makes you feel as worthy of life as being around those who make you feel needed. 

Or pets. If you're an animal lover, spend some time reveling in the love vibration you feel when petting your animals. This is thought to be very healing.

At the very least, being around the pets or kids always means I'll be put to good use. The turtles need feeding, the cats need petting, the dog needs a bath. Kids help with their homework, the TV channel changed, something to eat, or someone to read them a book.

 At least doing homework, changing the channel, bathing, or feeding the pets is a distraction from the paralyzing feeling of depression. These little creatures force me to get up and do something, and a lot of times, that's what we need.

If the feelings of low self-worth comes from your circumstances, (like in my own case: feeling like I haven't been doing much with my life or for others) simply reaching out to an old friend, have a get-together, or spending time with a family members will do wonders. When I've hit a low place, I like to make a promise that I'll show up at a friend's place. The key is to show up, and to keep doing it. Even if it doesn't cure anything, it always works to distract you from the negative thoughts that are keeping you stuck.

I've learned that the best thing I can do is take up any opportunity that provides distraction. 

Another helpful activity for anyone who's suffering with the feeling of worthlessness:
Before you go to bed tonight (or as you wake in the morning), don't do anything until you've listed at least a few things that make you feel worthy. For example, did you accomplish something that wasn't easy to tackle?

P.S. Make your results even more powerful by taking time to write (or type) the list. 

This activity helps you move forward because it inspires the urge to do things in your day that allow you to feel worthy. Or better put, things that remind you that you are worthy.

3. Hold Yourself Accountable
Whether it's completing one small project or task on your to-do list or just making yourself get up, make that effort. Beforehand, remind yourself that you don't have to follow through to the end (yes, even if it's just a shower), you just have to start.


Now is the best time to do those things because you will feel insanely proud for having overcame part of the difficulty and completed something that you've wanted to ignore so badly. 

Making the smallest attempts to do whatever it is you need to do but don't feel like doing will empower you. It's kind of like proving to yourself you can do something that once felt impossible. Then, you'll want to see how many more "things" you've dreaded that you can get done.

I use this technique so often that it's become almost a ritual. It never fails to uplift me as it's a way to prove to myself that I can do the things that I never thought I could manage.


4. Free The Emotions That Keep You Down
 For the emotionally-driven set-backs many people swear by EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), but if you aren't into that, you need to at least work on your belief system.

You can start by instilling a brand new belief within yourself: The belief that you can change anything easily. Your circumstances, your situations, anything. It might take you a month to really believe it, but don't slack on reminding yourself everyday that you can change this situation.

Without the hope of knowing you can change things, you won't be as motivated towards the life you want. 

Remember, you are not your "problem." 

Oh, and while we're at it, let's stop referring to things as "our problems."


5. It Won't Last Forever, Not Even Your Circumstances

Just breathe. Whatever feels like it could ruin your life in one minute, it won't. You can change your mind any time you want to and same goes for your circumstances. The second you've decided that you want change (whether it's regarding your mental/emotional state or your financial state), it's already on its way to you. It really does happen as quickly as the time it takes you to think the thought "I want a change."

Think about it, our circumstances always change, even when we aren't trying to change them. 

Stop focusing so hard on how badly a change needs to occur and start breathing and knowing it's already occurring. It's on its way.
 

Let's pause while you tell your mind "it's all fine and good."

Did you do it? Good... 

The change will occur. You need to take it slowly, stop the hurried thoughts that scream "it must change now or else!" and know that the change is occurring, just in a comfortable, gentle manner.

Okay, I'll give you one more than what I promised...

There's also psychotherapy, which is a scary word, but in this new age world, we have options that rely less on drugs and more on healing on deep levels.  

Take Daniela Maltauro at http://danielamaltauro.com/ for example, -- she's a psychotherapist who I admire for her unique approach to therapy in areas such as couples therapy. 

Her approach -- which involves focusing on honesty, trust, caring, and best of all, hope --  takes psychotherapy to a new level, something that has been an inspiration to me, as someone who has struggled with personal issues such as anxiety, feelings of unworthiness, and anxiety. 

I have never actually gone through therapy or counseling, but I try to keep up to date with new approaches in the industry. It's also worth noting that certain "psychotherapy services" (a simple couple's retreat, for example) can be useful for anyone, not just someone with a diagnosed mental health "illness."

 Do you have anything you could add to this list of ways to stop letting setbacks get in the way of your everyday, joyful life? If so, please share them with everyone in the comments section.

Remember to have fun. 
And have a safe, joyful Labor Day weekend!

5 Signs You're Suffering from A Red #40 Allergy

What a stressful week it has been! 

I rarely go into detail about stressful period in my life, but in today's case, it's a bit relevant, so bear with me...

Image Source: Wikimedia.org

Simple Ways You Can Improve Your Air Quality for Better Health

Image source: Allabouthealth.org

Being a pet owner, and someone who suffers from allergies like crazy, I've been learning how to tackle and combat allergens in the home for the last several months now. Some of you may recall when I posted my experience trying an air purifier that plugs into the wall a few months ago. 

Maintaining quality air inside your house is complicated enough what with things like nature throwing pollen at you every once and a while, and that pesky dust that floats around in the air. 

Add a few pets to those typical air quality-reducing factors and it gets even harder. 

It just so happens that having a house full of pets (a wiener dog, 2 lovely cats, and a turtle that smells like pure sewage every 3-5 days) takes a lot of work if you want to keep the smells, allergens, dander, dust, and other cruddy air problems under control. 

So on my journey to try and get my air quality (and allergies) back under control, I've been experimenting with several easy and simple things you can do that's supposed to improve the air. Below are a few things I've found helpful. 

Helpful enough that I'm not sneezing my head off everyday when I wake up, if that tells you anything. 
 


Use HEPA

From HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresting) air purifiers -- something on my to-buy-soon list right now -- to HEPA vacuum filters, using HEPA technology can help cut down on everyday allergens and asthma symptoms. HEPA filters are able to catch the tiniest of particles that cause us to suffer so much. That's why they're so popular today. 


Add Activated Carbon to Your Air Purifiers
Combine activated carbon with HEPA and you get a filter that'll not only remove those tiny, allergy-causing particles, but also reduce the chemicals, gases and even odors that are harmful to breathe.

Vacuum The Bed
Vacuuming is something you already know to do,  and something that's likely not necessary to put on a list like this one (I do not want to insult your intelligence, dear reader,) but I have noticed a fairly drastic improvement in my sneezing and sinus issues when I began vacuuming my entire bedroom every single day, and that includes vacuuming my bed! 

Pillows, sheets, covers. I take the vacuum and run it over all of that, right after running it over my hard flooring. 

If you do not have pets who sleep in your bed, you may not require such an extensive daily vacuuming, but if you've not tried vacuuming your bedding on a very regular basis (like I do, daily), then this added tip might be useful to you to try.

Adopt House Plants
Many common house plants are effective in renewing air, and they're nature's natural toxin and pollutant filters. 

I know, I talk about aloe vera here at Healthy, Happy, Wholesome like it's the panacea, the cure-all to all of life's difficulties and problems and stresses... 

Well, it basically is.

When I discuss aloe vera (which is frequent, I know), I always make sure to mention the plant's awesome air-cleansing properties. However, there are a few more plants worthy of mentioning in this department.

• Aside from aloe, Philodendrons, Spider Plant and Devil's Ivy are all also capable of removing formaldehyde from the air indoors, although according to NASA, Philodendrons are best at removing high concentrations of it from indoor air, while aloe is best for removing it in lower concentrations.

• Chrysanthemum and Gerbera Daisies remove the carcinogen benzene from air.

Reduce Your Usage of Smell-Goods!
I know, it's one of the toughest things to cut for many folks. 

Putting a stop to using your chemical-laden perfumes and cleaners that work so well sounds like a life of hell, right?

I mean that Scrubbin' Bubbles (or Foamtastic) stuff works like magic, right? 

I know, but if you're suffering from migraines and allergies and you're using these chemical-filled products often, then you might  want to at least try cutting some of it out.

I love my easy cleaners as much as the next gal. I mean, nothing cleans the shower/tub out like Scrubbin' Bubbles! 

But, these migraines won't tolerate it. 

So, use the products you can't go without, but try to replace a few (especially the rip-off air "re-fresheners" that are basically just a bottle of synthetic fragrances (chemicals) that are sprayed into the air. They're useless. 

Instead, try essential oils, which are safe, natural and allergy-friendly. Peppermint will leave a truly lasting, clean scent. Vinegar will too, and it'll remove and prevent mold! 

Even lemon is a natural cleaner. Tea tree oil is an anti-microbial and anti-bacterial that has one heck of a strong, clean smell. 

Prevent and Remove Mildew
...Speaking of vinegar, use it to prevent and remove mildew, too. Mildew is a cause of wheezing and allergy symptoms. 

Add a de-humidifier into the mix (which will also reduce dust mites), and you should be just dandy. 

Clean it Like You Mean it
Don't forget to clean out small, odd spaces like the inside of your air conditioners, air purifiers, vacuums, heater vents, etc. These places are notorious for harboring dust and crud without you noticing it. Vacuum them up, wipe them down, and you'll be taking your allergy fight one step further. 

Give Your Duct-work a cleaning
While it's not something I've personally gotten around to doing at this point in my life, as an allergy sufferer, if you've already tried most of the solutions available to you like those listed in this article, you can take it one step further and have your duct-work cleaned. The accumulated debris within duct-work can unfortunately wreak havoc on your air quality, and allergies.

There are companies out there that do this cleaning for you, using their own duct-work cleaning tools like what AeroSeal Solutions offers, which has a camera attached to the tool to see everything within the duct-work (and make sure that all the built up debris and fuzz and nasties are cleaned out.)

So what do you do to keep your air quality up and allergies down?

Review of Sari Foods' Nutritional Yeast Flakes + Personal Experience

 Sari Foods Natural, Non-Fortified Nutritional Yeast flakes are
a low-sodium, ancient Egyptian superfood with so much to be said about them! These are 100% natural, they are non-GMO and contain no MSG. Nutritional Yeast Flakes are full of vitamins, minerals and protein that vegans, paleo, halal, and virtually everybody can indulge in guilt-lessly.

Being a low-calorie food with so many versatile ways to add it into your everyday diet, it's very easy to get plenty of the yeast flakes each day.  These flakes can be added to many different dishes or simply eaten out of the bag, if you wanted to. I find that they go pretty well with several of my favorite dishes, and I have been looking forward to trying these on as many foods as possible. What an exciting, intriguing and unique superfood these yeast flakes are! I'm very new to them, and actually hadn't ever heard of such a thing until a couple of weeks ago. So please stick around while I give you the low-down on this awesome stuff!

 

         Note to IBS, candidiasis sufferers:

    Deactivated, dried yeast flakes that are free of candida albicans, which is actually a very important aspect that I feel compelled to expand on since a lot of my blog here has discussed digestive issues including candidiasis and IBS, and since I know many of my readers also struggle with these and other digestive issues, I feel it very important to note that as many of you know, I too have suffered severely with IBS/Candidiasis, so for those of you interested in a superfood like the yeast flakes from Sari Foods, you may find it useful to be notified that this, while it is a yeast product, should not upset candidiasis or IBS issues.

                 I will thoroughly document my journey of adding   this awesome, unique superfood into my diet, so you will all have something to go on. If any side effects or problems occur at any time during my use of a product, that information is always noted, often as an "update" at the bottom of a review if anything note-worthy arises after I've published a review of a product.

Important Product Specs:
Gluten free
Vegan
Non-toxic
Dairy free
Non-GMO
MSG free
Kosher
Halal
Naturally occurring
A Non-synthetic whole-food
Low Sodium
Re-sealable bag contains 14 servings
- Packaged in a GMP Facility (stands for Good Manufacturing Process.)

 Where does it come from? 

The answer might surprise you as much as it did me, but Sari Foods' Nutritional Yeast flakes come from molasses! 

Nutritional Yeast grows on sugar cane and on beet molasses. Heat treatment is used to deactivate the yeast, meaning once it's gone through the treatment, there's no longer the concern of it being able to grow inside of your stomach -- deactivated yeast.

Vitamins, Minerals
Sari Foods' Nutritional Yeast is "comprised of 50% protein (a complete, bio-available and vegan source,) over 20% fiber, contains all 18 amino acids, 15 minerals, and natural Vitamin-B complex and Beta-glucans, which are known for their extreme immune enhancing properties."

Contains loads of B-vitamins including, B-5, B-6, B-2, Niacin, Folate, and thiamine. Other Vitamins and minerals included are Biotin (which is beneficial for skin, hair and nails), selenium, zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorous, Molybdenum.

8.32 grams of protein in each serving. 4.8 milligrams of sodium.
Nutritional Yeast Flakes are a complete protein, meaning they contain 18 amino acids, including the ones our bodies cannot create itself.

One serving contains around 4 grams of fiber.

And one thing I was totally stoked to learn: The Nutritional Yeast Flakes contain Beta-glucans! I love those guys because they have amazing health properties, and are good for the immune system, and may help some people avoid illness like colds and flu! I once took a supplement that contained beta-glucan and I'm telling you, I would feel so fantastic when I took that supplement!  These Beta-glucans not only give your immune system a nice boost, but they protect against cancer and lower cholesterol.

Close-up of the flakes, which are soft and dissolve easily in warm liquids, including your mouth!

Another Close-Up. Sorry, I'm picture crazy!

 Taste:
These Yeast Flakes have a flavor all of their own. Sari Foods hit the nail on the head pretty nicely when they described the flavor as "cheesy, salty, creamy, and nutty." That really sums up the bold flavors that your tongue detects with each taste of their Nutritional Yeast Flakes.

The pungent flavor is certainly reminiscent of an aged cheese, and somewhat like that of Parmesan only stronger, more sharp. The aftertaste is just as bold as the first taste, but it has something like an odd, yet super clean taste, if that makes any sense at all. It feels a lot like the taste I have right after I've given my mouth a thorough cleansing with peroxide! Nothing unpleasant, but oddly... clean, especially considering I just had a very strong cheese-y like taste in my mouth seconds before.

The nutty flavor is there, but not as powerful as the chees-y and saltiness of the Nutritional Yeast flakes. The nuttiness would best be compared to that of a mixture between cashew and almonds, to me anyways. In fact, it's also somewhat similar to raw hemp seeds.

As a cheese lover, these Nutritional Yeast flakes are absolutely delectable in any soup, chili or other dish that is well complimented by the added flavor of a sharp cheese. Spaghetti, even cheese dips like queso. They kind of melt in your mouth, and dissolve well in a warm dish.

You know the creaminess sour cream gives a soup or to chili? Imagine that times about 3, that's what adding a couple teaspoons of the Nutritional Yeast Flakes to a bowl of soup of chili will do. Plus, the addition of an even stronger cheese flavor is total heaven for me, especially in chili. I like adding a little shredded cheddar and a teaspoon or two of the Nutritional Yeast Flakes. Talk about bold flavor, then!

Taste Updates:
1/8/2015
Tonight I sprinkled a small amount of Nutritional Yeast Flakes on a gordita, cheese-y taco I was eating and holy cheese-alternative! The little bit of yeast flakes I added to my gordita really enhanced the cheesy flavor already within it. I'm one of those folks who hasn't ever said "that's too much cheese." There is no such thing! I love that these flakes really do the trick for a cheesy craving. 

I am an extreme, huge, fanatic for cheese, which is why I have never attempted to cut dairy out of my diet. I absolutely adore cheese. 

And yet I could see the Nutritional Yeast Flakes actually being just enough to work as the perfect cheese alternative, if one were trying to quit dairy all together! 

I've been trying the Nutritional Yeast Flakes on a new food every night since I got the awesome stuff and have yet to find a food that wasn't super with it sprinkled on top!

I even had a saltine cracker snack, with the yeast flakes sprinkled on top and they were delicious! I couldn't get enough of them!

I'm looking forward to trying the flakes on many, many more foods, so I will happily update on this if ya'll are interested. I'm almost tempted to even sprinkle some onto my PB&J sandwich!

Kidding. Kidding. I'm not *that* bad of a cheese lover.

Informative back-side of package.

 

How to Use Sari Foods Nutritional Yeast Flakes:
The label on the re-sealable bag recommends 2 full tablespoons (16 grams) daily.

As I stated previously, the cheesy-like flavor of these flakes allows you to really get creative in the kitchen. Simply sprinkle them on any dish you like from raw smoothies to salads and popcorn or even create vegan nacho dips or macaroni and cheese. Sari Foods also mentions, on their website http://sarifoods.co/nutritional-yeast.htmlthat it goes great on tacos, baked potatoes, vegetables and salads. I didn't even think about using the flakes on those, but the tacos and baked potatoes are two I'll definitely have to try!

So far, I've been extremely fond of using the Yeast Flakes on chili, chicken chili (my mom makes some seriously bad-a** chicken chili, and I highly recommend the Yeast Flakes in chicken chili), soups, spaghetti and virtually any other dish that uses cheese, including parmasean cheese.

 To me, the flavor of the yeast flakes does somewhat resemble Parmesan, yet I find spaghetti even better when I substitute the parm for these Yeast Flakes. It's more pungent, to me, so I like that. I will go into more detail about flavor in a previous section titled "taste."

Close-up of text on back-side of package.

Health Benefits:
 "15-40% of Americans are deficient in B vitamins which can lead to deep and ongoing fatigue, brain fog, irritability, depression, and even insomnia (as they play a crucial role in melatonin production). The body depends on B6 to make the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which affect both mood and feelings of happiness. With improved Vitamin B intake, we can sleep well, balance our hormones. increase our energy levels, clarity & overall mental function. " - Sari Foods.

"Fight Aging and Free Radicals. With highly absorbable amounts of nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA & RNA), Sari Foods Nutritional Yeast promotes cellular repair and regeneration. Then, by combining the two antioxidants glutathione and selenium, our Nutritional Yeast Flakes create a special enzyme called glutathione peroxidase that is known to neutralize free radicals and protect us from their damage." - Sari Foods

Summary:
I could definitely see myself using the Nutritional Yeast Flakes for the long term. I am still quite shocked at how much I like them. I can't say I have ever tasted a superfood that was this good. I can even enjoy a small bite straight, without mixing with food. 

Me, proudly clutching the Nutritional Yeast Flakes

I feel like most people will be able to tolerate this well, if not love it like I do, especially cheese lovers. I can't imagine any cheese lover not adoring the flavor the Nutritional Yeast Flakes offer. And if anyone did have an issue with their flavor, mixing into a favorite dish that's complimented well by cheese will absolutely make them tolerable. I'd even go so far as to say that most kids will handle them fine, too, especially when mixed into another dish.

With the health benefits found in this ancient Egyptian superfood, I can't think of anyone who I wouldn't recommend the Nutritional Yeast Flakes to. I am totally ecstatic at the nutrition properties, and the many great aspects I've laid out in the "product specs" section such as being vegan, non-GMO, non-MSG and more.

To sum this up briefly enough for it to still be considered a summary, I will say that these are an incredible and tasty way to add nutrition and I would love to have them in my life for the long term, if not forever!

*Special thanks to Sari Foods for not only introducing me to a new, amazing and tasty superfood, but for also allowing me an opportunity to experience them for myself!

Sari Foods can be found (and purchased from) on their Amazon page or their company website.

Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.