Take optimism, for example. When you see the glass as half full, life tends to be a little less overwhelming. That’s because when you have a problem, you know you’re already halfway to the solution. With that attitude, you feel energized and hopeful that you can do almost anything. Positive energy attracts positive people, who give you more energy and can lighten the load even more. As your stress levels are reduced, your health and happiness improve.

Don’t discount how important energy is to your wellbeing – and, remember, you only have so much of it. You can choose to use it wisely or to fritter it away on wasted time, worry, regret and resentment. Once it’s used up, something has to give — usually your immune system or your patience.

Think about the last time you were burning the candle at both ends—working a full time job, trying to keep up a house, be a good spouse and chasing your kids and pets around. Were you pleasant to be around, or did you lack the energy to be patient and forgiving? Were you well rested and feeling healthy, or sick and tired of being sick ad tired? Did have time to attend to good personal habits, or did you use spray deodorant instead of shower, dress in those not-too-dirty clothes from the laundry hamper and eat leftover pizza for breakfast on the way to work?

Personal Strategy
So what does that all mean to you?
It means you’re responsible for/in control of your own destiny. You’re the only one who can prioritize your life, so it’s your responsibility to figure out what you need to be happy and what you need to do to make that happen. …

Just because something works for your partner/significant other or neighbor doesn’t mean it will work for you. Some people would rather die than exercise. Others would rather do anything than go to counseling and talk about the “F” word (Feelings). You have the ability to choose the solution you are most comfortable with. As you start to have less “stress” in one area, everything else will start to improve.

It also means that your energy is precious. Use it wisely and life will seem effortless; waste it and you’ll spend each day swimming up stream. If you have read this far, you believe that you have room to improve, so choose one or two of the suggestions below and see what happens.

Emotionally: Do one thing every day that makes you truly happy. A good belly laugh does wonders. Play with your kids. Get a comedy video. Watch the birds and squirrels in your yard.

Mentally: Try being more optimistic in the way you interpret things. If it’s raining, don’t focus on it being a gloomy day. Think about the good things: It’s cooler it is because of the clouds, or you don’t have to water your lawn today! Find something that challenges your mind or your creativity such as crosswords, puzzles, restoring an old car or redecorating a room in your house.

Physically: Go outside for 20 minutes each day to breathe the fresh air and get sunshine. Go on a 10-minute walk. Let yourself go to bed whenever you get tired for a week.

Socially: Make a list of people you enjoy. Call one of them each day. Send an e-card for no reason, or just take stock of how many wonderful people you have in your life.

Spiritually: Engage in random acts of kindness (See Resources below)

Environmentally: Clean up. You don’t have to be June Cleaver, but a tidy house or work space can make you more productive and generally happier. Get Feng Shui for Dummies and try out a few of its suggestions. Put flowers on your table to brighten up a room. Get some cookie dough from the store and bake your way into a sweet smelling house and very happy children.

Each week pick one area of wellness and experience how small (relatively painless) changes can help you feel happier and healthier in every aspect of your life.

Resources
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People series by Stephen R. Covey
Please Understand Me by David Keirsey
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff series and website by Richard Carlson Ph.D.
The Book of Lists series by Sandra Choron
Books by SARK http://www.campsark.com

http://www.actsofkindness.org/

Application of aromatherapy involves either the use of a humidifier, atomizer or combining “essential” oils with a base oil or lotion and applying it to the skin. (You can also put essential oil in melted candle wax, re-solidify the wax around a new wick and have an aromatherapy candle). There are many contraindications, especially when applying essential oils to the body, so make sure you do your research. There are many websites and books that can help you discover fragrance combinations and mixing instructions.

Purchasing and mixing essential oils is often cost-prohibitive, messy and time consuming. A cheaper, less messy way is to try pre-mixed combinations of the essential oils (such as Healing Garden), or, for the more common fragrances like ginger, cedar and pine find them in their natural form, smell it and see what you think. When I was pregnant, the smell of a little ginger or lemon in heated ginger ale was the only thing that (besides eating jalepenos) that would stop my nausea. A friend of mine swears by the Sleepytime spray they sell at Target for relaxation. Smell is tightly linked to memory. Even if the smell is not here, think of a smell that reminds you of happier times (the cologne of your first love, your Grandma’s house…whatever). Recreate it for yourself.

Scents
Many spices can be found in most grocery stores. Add about a tablespoon to 8 oz. of boiling water and inhale the steam and/or wait until the water cools to a tolerable temperature and dampen a towel to apply to your chest or face. Some, like rosemary, become very aromatic when combined with lotion or hair conditioners and used as an exfoliant/circulation stimulant. When dealing with fragrances other than essential oils which are often 400 times more powerful than the natural source, experiment. Place fresh rose petals in a zipped, mesh sack in the dryer with your darks (just in case there is any color bleed). You will dry the flowers and freshen your laundry at the same time. Use pine cones to absorb essential oils and place them in a decorative basket on your counter (Make sure to cover it with lace, or mesh if you have animals or children, because ingesting essential oils can be deadly). Add cloves and ginger to salt dough before you play with it and bake it. Some scents are only easily available in “essential oil” form, other scents can be easily found in gardening departments, dry-oils sprays in the perfume department or ordinary foods.

Angelica Root: relieves fatigue, migraines, anxiety,
Sweet Basil: brighten mood, strengthen nervous system, improve mental clarity and memory, relieve headache and sinusitis
Bay Leaf: relieve depression and burnout/exhaustion
Bergamot: balances nervous system, relieves anxiety, improves quality of sleep, relieves hopelessness/helplessness
Black Pepper: increases circulation, relieves stiffness
Cardamon: relieves mental strain and fatigue, aphrodisiac, mood elevator
Carrot Seed: eases anxiety and stress
Cedar: calm emotions (try smelling cedar chips in the gardening department)
Chamomile: sedative, relieves anxiety, improves quality of sleep (tea)
Clary Sage: relieves stress and tension, improves quality of sleep, aphrodisiac
Clove: aphrodisiac, relieve tension, worry, guilt and hostility
Coriander: helps improve sleep, helps remove feelings of self-doubt, weariness and irritability
Cypress: immune stimulant, increases circulation, relieves grief, jealousy
Fennel: deals with mental, creative and emotional blocks as well as resistance to change and fear of failure.
Fir (Balsam): relieves anxiety and stress through helping ground one mentally (especially common at Christmas as this is one kind of pine tree)
Frankincense: elevates mind and spirit, helps with reconnection with repressed feelings
Geranium: relieves fatigue, nervous tension, discontentment, heartache, fear. Can be found in most gardening departments, smell the flower. (P.S. They are not that easy to grow)
Ginger: stimulates appetite, helps relieve confusion and lonliness (and nausea) Try heating 6oz of ginger ale and adding 1/4 teaspoon of ginger. Drink while warm. Also investigate ginger lillies and pinecone lillies…They are amazing–and easy to grow.
Helichrysum: helps people with addictions, grief, panic, burnout and emotional sensitivity find a sense of calm
Jasmine: relieves depression, labor pains, and provides a sense of calm when dealing with bitterness, guilt and repressed feelings. (common in dry oil sprays in perfume department)
Juniper Berry: improves mental clarity, and improves empathy
Lavender: promotes restful sleep, calming influence (common in dry oil sprays in perfume department)
Lemon: uplifting, helps energize and relieve apathy
Lemongrass: helps releive stress related exhaustion
Lime: uplifting and cheering
Marjoram: promote restful sleep, help ease migraines, calms and helps relieve anger. Use as the moisture on a moist-heat heating pad.
Myrrh: helps relieve lack of spiritual connection and emotional blocks.
Neroli: good for anxiety relief
Nutmeg: invigorates and stimulates the mind and helps regain focus.
Sweet Orange: brightens mood, relieves apathy and bunout
Oregano: energizes mind and body and helps relieve headaches
Peppermint: improves energy, mood and relieves exhaustion (mints)
Pine: increases energy and repels fleas
Rosemary: improves mental clarity and memory, relieves headache
Sanadalwood: relieves apathy and melancholy
Spearmint: eases nausea and headaches; energizes and relieves fatigue (gum)
Thyme: relieves fatigue and may help with bronchitis
Ylang-Ylang: aphrodisiac, mood brightener, promotes restful sleep, relieves anxiety. Very “flowery” sweet smell

1. Use applesauce, pureed bananas or sweet juices, instead of oil, when baking (When my son was little I used prune juice—for obvious reasons—instead of oil when I made brownies)
2. Use cooking spray instead of oil for frying
3. Limit meals eaten out to 1 per week and/or order lower-fat options such as grilled or broiled meats, especially chicken and fish
4. Eat meats which are low in fat–Top round instead of chuck roast
5. Try to eat at least once every three to four hours. This helps keep your metabolism up and reduce sugar munching.
6. Before snacking, ask yourself if you are hungry, or just bored, stressed, sleepy etceteras. This is one of the biggest traps of students and shift workers, because the cues for stress and hunger are so similar, often their body is too tired to accurately differentiate.
7. Be aware that fat-free substitutions often have just as many calories as their whole-fat counterparts, the calories just come from carbohydrates
8. Rinse and blot the fat from meats before adding to recipes
9. Cut excess fat off of meat before cooking
10. When cooking a turkey, skin it, cut off all excess fat (especially from the back) then cook in a baking bag
11. Combine meat with cooked lentils in a ratio of 3 parts meat to 1 part lentils. This increases fiber as well as helping your budget.
12. Use oatmeal, potato flakes, cornmeal for fillers in ground meat
13. Ground turkey is often higher in fat than lean ground beef, so read the label
14. Use 1% buttermilk instead of heavy cream in recipes
15.  Use butter substitute or chicken broth in vegetable dishes instead of real butter
16.  Blot pizza and other high fat meals with a napkin
17.  Use skim milk instead of water in low-fat brownie recipes
18. Keep fresh fruit in the house
19. Keep chocolate, cookies etc. out of the house or in a locked cabinet
20. Do not use food to reward good behavior or comfort yourself when stressed or depressed
21. Add only half of your normal amount of butter or fats to your food
22. Use cooking spray instead of oil to sauté your food
23. Instead of oil in baking recipes, use the same amount of unsweetened applesauce
24. Keep water extra cold and try to drink from a larger cup or bottle
25. Add oats, dehydrated potato flakes, chopped onions or tomato paste to beef for a filler
26. Mix 1/4 c. Soy flour with regular flour
27. Make casseroles with vegetables in them
28. Make italian dishes “primavera” with carrots, zucchini and green peppers
29. Constantly have a water bottle with you
30. Limit fried food to only one meal per week
31. Find out exactly what your meals are made from (1/4 c. Oil is used to coat the pan for every small pizza + oil in the dough) EEEW! That will stop you dead in your tracks much of the time.
32. Try and eat at least one balanced meal each day with every food group represented
33. Don’t get in a rut eating the same thing every day
34. Get a dinner group together. One person cooks a healthy meal for everyone each night and everyone takes a turn.
35. Learn about a new food and three recipes for it: lentils for instance
36. Challenge yourself to eat as many different colors each day as you can (yellow, orange, brown, white, green, blue, red, purple )
37. Try eating vegetarian for a day–and getting all of your food groups represented.
38. Pack snacks like trail mix, dried fruit, 1/2 peanut butter & jelly, cereal bars etc.
39. Don’t buy in bulk if you tend to eat the whole package of whatever it is.
40. Get a microwave popcorn popper and make your own popcorn so you can control the salt and fat
41. Try and drink a 32 oz. glass of water with lunch and dinner, more if you tend to consume caffeine or alcohol
42. Drinking 1 gallon of ice-cold water burns 200 calories …just do not do it right after exercising
43. If you want to eat junk-food, split it with a friend
44. Keep fresh vegetable salads in the refrigerator: cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, sliced bell peppers in fat free dressing or red wine vinegar and a few packets of sweetener.
45. List your favorite foods and find healthier alternatives: either reduced in fat or sugar
46. Dress-up vegetables with melted low-fat cheese, lemon juice or 2 tablespoons of a “sauce” made from fat free or reduced fat cream soups heated with only 1/4 the required water
47. Use plain yogurt instead of sour cream
48. Watch condiment use, they are high in salt
49. When cooking meat, rinse the fat off of it half-way through the cooking process
50. Read the labels to find out how much sugar and fat is in your food
51. Do not cook vegetables until they are limp and dull in color. Vitamins are gone then.
52. When you are served food with butter patches in the “juice” you know it is high in fat
53. Red sauces are much lower in fat than white or cream sauces
54. Avoid breaded, fried or sautéed foods. Opt for boiled, broiled or baked in own juice.
55. Be careful how much butter and sour cream you use on baked potatoes–it adds up fast
56. If you can set a muffin, role, piece of pizza or brownie on a napkin for 20 seconds and it forms a grease stain, it is probably extremely fat laden–approach modestly.
57. Too much protein actually prevents bones from absorbing calcium. The average person needs roughtly 1/2gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. The average American eats 1 1/2grams per pound per day…overkill
58. Caffeine inhibits the absorption of iron
59. Make foods you like–if that is limited, find creative ways to prepare them–add soy protein powder in a ratio of 1:4 to baking mix, use egg whites only and use apple sauce instead of oil to make healthy muffins or pancakes.
60. Vegetarian does not mean low fat., Low fat means less than 5 grams of fat per serving
61. Take a cooking class to improve your culinary skills
62. Take a multi-vitamin
63. Keep a food diary to see exactly what you eat
64. Make index cards representing each one serving for all servings from every food group (i.e. 11 grain cards, 4 vegetable cards, 4 fruit cards etc.) Each time you eat a food group, take a card from the pile. This is also a good way to help kids learn to eat balanced meals.
65. Use colored cards representing different foods, select one of every color for each meal
66. Green = vegetables, brown = grains, white = dairy etc.. For meals with multiple types of foods, like lasagna, the card should be multiply coded.
67. Vitamins and antioxidants in foods work synergistically, so they need to be eaten in combination. Eating all of your vegetables for the week in one day just won’t cut it.
68. Excessive amounts of protein can prevent the proper absorption of calcium
69. Eat in color! The darker the food, the more nutrient dense. Try to have at least 3 different colors on your plate at each meal.
70. Too much simple sugar on one day can leave you feeling sluggish throughout the next day, so try to satisfy that sweet tooth with a piece of fruit. It is higher in fiber so you will feel full and you will not “crash” as hard.