“January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons.  Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell:  cold, crisp, woolen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys.  Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly.  All of nature is at peace.  We should be, too.  Draw hearthside.  This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

As I read the above quote over and over sitting inside Panera Breads watching the sunset on a very cold winter’s day with remnants of yesterday’s snow, I am experiencing such a filled cup of joy, love, and gratitude.

Sometimes just being in the moment noticing the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells is all the self-nurturing I need for the day to fill my cup with joy, love, and gratitude … putting me in place of peace.

Oh I am filled to the brim with what I see, hear, and smell.  I wish that I could share it with all of you.  In this moment winter has such a romantic feel to it that I am spellbound and I don’t want the spell to be broken.

Yesterday was not quite as cold so I went for a walk in the snow, which is something I rarely do.  It, too, filled my cup to overflow with all of its winter beauty caressing my cold cheeks.

January gives us a fresh start to our journey.  Winter gives us a time to slow down, to hibernate, and to go within and nurture our hungry souls in warm, snuggly ways.

Allow this time of the year to lay the foundation for your 2011 journey.  It is a fresh start.  It is a time to dream.  It is a time to fully embrace your self-nurture practice in peace and warmth.

Related Posts:  Winter Storm Beauty

As beautiful as the Christmas season is, it can be stressful.  No matter how organized you are, no matter how many lists you are checking off twice, Christmas stress can still creep up on you and bite you in the behind.

For that reason I highly recommend that you create a sacred space to de-stress.  If you have created a sacred space to heal as Georgie Holbrook and I shared about in a teleconference call, then creating a sacred space to de-stress should not be foreign to you.

It is very simple.  Choose a place in your home that brings you peace and joy.  It can be an entire room or it can be a corner nook.  You don’t want to create more work for yourself so if your home is a bit overwhelming right now, please choose a little nook that you can clean up quickly.  Be sure to add candles and whatever else that will bring you peace and tranquility.  You will also want it to have holiday cheer so add some simple decorations.

I am sharing with you one of my favorite spots in my home.  My guest room is what I call the happy room.  It is bright and cheery and always feels calming and safe.  I added a simple little lit Christmas tree, a poinsettia, and window candles, which all gives the room a beautiful peaceful glow.

Yesterday I was feeling the holiday stress so I grabbed my holiday novel (“The Christmas Letters”) and a cup of coffee and spent an hour reading in my happy room. =)  Oh my gosh!  It felt heavenly!  It is such a simple thing but I kid you not, the beautiful atmosphere and the time out for reading filled my cup with so much Christmas joy and peace.

And as a result I have had a much better day today feeling under control once again.

Don’t let your checklist of things to do steal your Christmas joy. Yes, you do have time to de-stress.  You don’t have time NOT to de-stress!  Why?  The more rested and well balanced you are the more you get done.  It is that simple.

Do yourself and your family a favor and stop right now for 15 minutes to create a sacred space to de-stress special for the holidays.  You and your family will be so thankful that you did!

Do you like to do holiday reading?

Some of you may be thinking, “Right! Like I have time!”  Well if that is you and you are wishing that you had time to read during the holiday season, I want to encourage you to make the time. 

Join me in The Wonder Woman Challenge Christmas Read.

But how, right?

Many women complain about not being able to enjoy the holidays because it is so much work.  Yes, it is a lot of work.  That is why in my last post and in a recent article at 21st Century Apothecary Holistic Magazine I have written about knowing what you are celebrating, simplifying, and practicing being in the moment.

Today I want to suggest to you that just because it is the holiday season, it does not mean we put ourselves on the bottom of list.  You are to still work on your self-nurture practice.  Busy times of high stress makes it even that much more important.

For example, today I committed to continuing my exercise routine throughout the holidays.   It is important to me.  My eating habits may not be perfect now, which by the way is ok, but I can still exercise.  It will help me  keep everything in check and help my body deal with the extra stress.  It’s a way to give myself the gift of love.

With that, I really do love to read holiday novels.  I rarely do, but this year I want it to be different.  I can sneak in 15 minutes here and there (and more when I can) to read a special heart warming Christmas story.

Picture it … the house is decorated for Christmas, candles are lit, fire in the fireplace (sometimes), and my homemade hot chocolate or mocha in a super fun holiday mug while reading a beautiful story.  Can it get any better than that!!  Even if it is only for 15 minutes a day it is worth it.  And if you have young kids at home simply time it when they are taking a nap.

Ok, this week I want to buy a holiday novel to do just what I described above.  You are going to join me, right?

So what shall we read? Please share your favorite Christmas novel below in the comment section to help give me and others some ideas.

And, let me know if you plan to participate in The Wonder Woman Christmas Read.

Happy reading & here’s to a more joy-filled Christmas celebration! =)

Related Posts & Articles:  Christmas: Less Stress, More Joy, Avoid the Holiday Meltdowns, Finding the Joy In Christmas

*Photo provided by: http://www.freechristmaswallpapers.net/wallpaper/Christmas-Tree-and-Fireplace/

The holidays are upon us … ready or not the beautiful Christmas season is here. My question to you is this. What do you want?

No, I am not asking you what you want “for” Christmas. I am asking you what do you want your Christmas celebration to be.

If you have your celebration defined, it helps take a lot of the stress away. As I wrote in an article for 21st Century Apothecary Holistic Magazine, we cannot do it all. We must wisely pick and choose being realistic as the holiday plays out.

With that, I suggest that you practice being in the moment, especially now. If you don’t, you will be ruled by your to-do list and miss out on all the beauty, joy, and peace this holiday season can offer if you allow it to.

Take moments out to notice things. Notice how beautiful the Christmas lights are when you are out and about and even in your own home. Notice the lovely aromas that we often only get to experience this time of year. Literally stop what you are doing to notice these things taking it all in for that moment. Allow the sites, sounds, and smells of the season to give you moments of joy, peace, and might I add miracles.

Truly, with this simple practice of noticing, you will be surprised in the difference it will make in your personal Christmas celebration.

This month I will be giving you hints and ideas on how to fill your Christmas celebration with more joy rather than stress. In other words, I will be giving you holiday self-nurture hints and ideas.

Merry Christmas!

Share with us below in the comment section how “being in the moment” is impacting your holidays season.

To read my full article at 21st Century Apothecary Holistic Magazine click here … “Finding The Joy In Christmas”

Holiday photo provided by http://www.williamshouse.com/christmas.html

This month we celebrate Thanksgiving and here at The Wonder Woman Challenge we are actively cultivating an attitude of gratitude.  Gratitude certainly comes easier to some than others, but regardless, when we are under high levels of stress it is harder to focus on gratitude.  Whatever we are stressing over becomes our focus and I know for me I can go into an obsession mode in my thoughts.

Having said that I believe, though, that we can control our thoughts.  It may not always be easy but, yes, we do have the ability to take control over our minds and our thoughts.

Today I am feeling stressed and I am having a hard time focusing on anything but my stress.  I decided to take my mind captive and in doing say I needed to set the atmosphere for my mind to make the change so that I could work.

I immediately tidied up my work space, made a cup of tea using a pretty tea cup, lit candles, and put on soft music.  Why?

First of all the candles and soft music relax me inside and out.  Secondly, this type of atmosphere is beautiful to me and beauty is a core value that touches my spirit.  It is like a sweet balm to my spirit.  And third, I pulled out Rescue Remedy, a flower essence that I take internally to calm me down.

Just as I have challenged the followers here at The Wonder Woman Challenge to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in a fun creative way,  I am cultivating my own attitude of gratitude by keeping a journal, at least at this point. I do have some other ideas floating in my mind that are not fully developed yet, but for now journaling is what I need.

So after setting the scene, I then got out my gratitude journal and began to jot down things that I am thankful for.  Do you remember the quote by Joe Vitale about gratitude in the last post,” Add Gratitude & Stir”?  Take a look if you don’t remember, but know that gratitude can be a very powerful tool in our lives!

Are you feeling stressed out today?  Are you having trouble focusing on the tasks at hand?  Take a few minutes to bring calmness to your spirit and enter an attitude of gratitude.  It doesn’t have to be anything grand … just something simple.  And, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Remember, 15 minutes a day in a self-nurture activity is all it takes to begin to fill your cup with joy, which is exactly what I did today.

Today we enter a new month … November.  As with each new day, new week, new month, and new year we are greeted with a fresh start that is full of new and great possibilities.

November is the month that symbolizes gratitude for Americans because we celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday.  As a result my theme for the month is gratitude.  Let’s kick it off by cultivating an attitude of gratitude that will hopefully carry on past November.

“One of the most powerful energies you can ever experience is gratitude.  Feel gratefulness for anything, and you shift the way you feel.  Feel thankful for your life, your lungs, your home, this book; it doesn’t matter.  Once you feel grateful, you are in an energy that can create miracles.” ~ Joe Vitale from The Attractor Factor

So to begin cultivating my own attitude of gratitude towards creating miracles I want to share with you what I am thankful for today.

Yesterday my son and his gang dressed up as Star Wars characters for Halloween.  I just love these kids and I am so thankful for them and the joy they all bring into my life.  As a little way of expressing my love and gratitude, I decided to make them all special treat bags filled with all kinds of snacks and goodies. They were all very grateful, which is nice,  but it filled my cup with love and joy to be able to do that for them.

Remember, that self-nurture isn’t all about the self.  Yes, it is about taking care of “self”, but in a way that allows us to give to others from the point of joy and gratitude.  Cultivating an attitude of gratitude with a self-nurture practice offers you a powerful recipe for miracles!

Photo provided by Tom Curtis

Do you feel like a sitting duck in terms of your health?

In Part 1 of Breast Health vs. Breast Cancer I shared about how at one point in my life I was scared and felt like a sitting duck in terms of my health until I determined to become proactive.  That’s when my holistic health and wellness journey began.

With October being breast cancer awareness month I am focusing on breast health rather than breast cancer.  Let’s move away from what I call the sitting duck syndrome and be proactive no matter what your health is like at this moment.

So what can we do to be proactive in terms of healthy breasts?

1. Breast Lymph Massage: discussed in part 1 … click here => Breast Health vs. Breast Cancer

2. Maintaining a healthy weight & exercise

Please don’t brush off number 2 with a defeated yea yea I know.  The research that I found on how this proactive activity can impact our breast health is pretty amazing and I hope to offer you encouragement in this area.  Please keep reading!

“Dr. Walter Willet, Head of the Nutrition Department at the Harvard School of Public Health, concludes, “Probably the single most important thing women can do to reduce their risk of breast cancer is to avoid weight gain in adult life.”

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute state that women who are overweight are two to three times more likely to develop breast cancer. And don’t think this only applies to women that are obese. The risk increases at a BMI of 27, which is just slightly overweight. BMI is a function of height and weight, so for example woman who is 5’6″ and weighs 170 pounds has a BMI of 27.

Getting to and maintaining a healthy body weight is key to the prevention of many diseases, so make this a top health priority.” By Nadia Rodman, RD

Did you catch that last statement?  “Getting to and maintaining a healthy body weight is key to the prevention of many diseases …”.  So, if we want to be proactive in achieving and maintaining healthy breasts ladies, then we need to include being at a healthy weight as part of our plan.

That takes work doesn’t it?!  Sometimes it just seems easier if we can pop a pill whether it’s medicine or even supplements, but we are cheating ourselves with that kind of attitude.  The truth is there is so much that we can do for ourselves in terms of being proactive that doesn’t cost us a thing AND that will ultimately make our hearts sing with joy, but it does take a little effort.

You CAN do it!!  I know that you can!!

It’s the same thing with exercise.  Exercise is so healthy … we all know that.  And it makes us feel so much better.  (Side note: dieting without strength training leads to muscle loss which makes it harder to lose weight!)

Let’s tie this to breast health.

“According to a five-year study of more than 70,000 women conducted bythe American Cancer Society, the most active women had a 29% lower breast cancer risk compared to those that exercised the least.

Several studies have also validated the importance of exercise after diagnosis. One study of 900 women diagnosed with breast cancer found that those who did two to three hours of physical activity each week were 70% less likely to die over the next six years compared to those who were inactive” ~ Nadia Rodman, RD

Do you see that we don’t have to be sitting ducks?  We can be proactive in the area of breast health and, of course, these things impact more than our breasts. These things impact everything about our health!

What do you need to do right now to become proactive with your health?  What do you need to do right now to begin loving you!

Yes, when we take care of our health we are loving ourselves!

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight along with exercise is a beautiful way to self-nurture.  And when you begin to look at it that way your attitude changes making it more of a pleasure rather than a chore.

Do you need help getting started?

Do you need help changing your mindset around weight loss & fitness?  Do you need a jumpstart?

There is so much emotional “stuff” in our physical conditions.  Just watch Biggest Loser and you’ll see all the “stuff”.

I am just an email away if you need help and support.

Here’s to healthy breasts!!

Love to all!!

Related Posts:  Breast Health vs. Breast Cancer

Weight Loss – “Weigh” More Than A Diet

[Audio] Insane Amount of Free Diet Information

I don’t remember if it was Saturday night or Sunday morning or a combination of both. I was busy online as usual exploring, tweeting, facebooking, researching, etc. while my mind was sort of doing a free association thing.

The next thing I knew I was all abuzz about doing a Wonder Woman Challenge Give Away that entailed making something that thrills the living daylights out of me. I mean it gives me the biggest charge!!

What might that be??

Making potions!! What? Yes! Making what my son, at the time a little boy, tagged as potion making.

I love to make bath and body products. As some hobbies can go, it is something that I can be crazy about for a while and then it can go dormant. Well, potion making has been dormant for quite sometime until Sunday.

Let me just interject right here that anything that gives you a charge like potion making does to me is something that feeds the spirit. Oh my goodness, potion making blesses me and brings me so much joy in so many ways. It a major win/win especially when I get to give what I make away!!

I put together a Lavender-Mint Foot Soak. Oh, oh, oh! It is soooo lovely!! It smells heavenly, is packaged oh so cute, and feels great to soak those tired, achy tootsie in.

I couldn’t stop there! I couldn’t rest until I came up with an entire Pampering Foot Soak Kit to use as The Wonder Woman Challenge’s first Give Away … and so here it is!!

Our Pampering Foot Soak Kit comes with my lovely made by me =) Lavender-Mint Foot Soak, Mint Bliss Foot Lotion by Mary Kay, and a pair of slipper socks all in a cute little bucket. And it comes with instructions on how to use it, of course.

Oh my! I love this so much that you can bet I am thinking Christmas presents with this sweet gift idea!!

Ok, so … let’s get down to business! I know you want this kit … heck!… I want the kit!! Lol What do you need to do, right, to enter the contest?

Contest Rules

Mandatory Entry:

You MUST be a registered participant of The Wonder Woman Challenge. If you already are, great! Just leave a comment saying so with your email address. If you are not, take a quick minute to do so. It only requires your name & email address … you will receive a free report on “5 Traps To Avoid If You Are Depressed or Down” as my gift to you. Then come back and leave a comment to let me know including your email address. (5 entries)

Additional Points:

1. Follow me on twitter @shileennixon then leave a comment here with your twitter screen name. I will follow you back. (1 entry)

2. Mention the give away on Twitter with the following message:

“I am entered to win a Pampering Foot Soak Kit from @shileennixon at The Wonder Woman Challenge http://shileennixon.com/give-away-foot-soak-kit”

Leave a comment here each time you tweet this message. (1 entry per tweet)

3. “Like” The Wonder Woman Challenge facebook page … Comment here to say that you are or did and include your facebook name. (1 entry)

4. Post on facebook the following message:

“I am entered to win a Pampering Foot Soak Kit from @The Wonder Woman Challenge http://shileennixon.com/give-away-foot-soak-kit.”

Leave a comment here telling me each time you post this message – include your facebook username. (1 entry each time you post)

~~~~~

Be sure you leave a separate comment for each entry and make sure you do the mandatory entry first, or the others won’t count! Sorry!

Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.

Contest will close Sunday, October 3rd at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be chosen randomly and I will contact you via email.

Have fun and good luck!! Hope you are the winner of the Pampering Foot Soak Kit … another great tool for your self-nurture toolbox!

The afternoon sun was hot but I found a bit of shade to play under. I had left the house early. Normally I would hit Starbucks before going into work especially when I had about 30 minutes to kill but for whatever the reason I didn’t feel like doing that.

Wanting to stay close by I ended up driving around in back neighborhoods, you know, just driving around exploring. I saw the town park one that I had never been to so I quickly began to scan the place until my eyes landed on a place to play … on something I had not done in eons.

Do I dare? I mean, I am by myself and more than that I have no kids with me. Well, of course! I certainly don’t care what people think particularly about this kind of play even though it is intended for children.

Oh my gosh! My heart began to pump as I wound my way around to the parking lot. There was no one around which made it better only because I wanted to be alone with my thoughts with no distractions from others.

And so there I was … playing! At first it felt weird like the feeling you get in your stomach when you are falling (think roller coaster but not nearly that bad). I don’t ever recall as a child getting that feeling but it *has* been a few years to say the least. Ha ha!

I continued and as I did that stomach feeling went away. What a beautiful day! Hot, but beautiful. As I connected with nature allowing the universe to support me while feeling the warm breeze all over, the stress of the day began to melt away. I could feel my muscles relax especially in my face. The longer I played the l more I released.

About ten minutes into my play when I was really feeling free, an elderly gentleman drove by very slowly as he took in the site of a middle-aged woman swinging in the park by herself.  Yes, I was swinging!  I looked back at him and for a split second I was looking through the eyes of a child as I thought, “What are you looking at, mister? I’m just a kid ya know!” What a sweet moment.  I chuckled at myself and then I really did wonder what he thought, again, not that it mattered at all.

What fun I was having. Talk about therapeutic! Yeah! I have another really cool tool for my self-nurture tool box! Swinging!

I was only there for 15 minutes but I walked away feeling all giddy inside like a schoolgirl. Well wait, that is not entirely true.  Towards the end I noticed that I was beginning to feel a bit nauseous. What?! Motion sickness … really? <snicker>

I have convinced myself that I am just not used to swinging and that in time I will not be bothered with funky feelings in my stomach at the beginning and/or end of my swing times.

Yes, I plan to go swinging more. I can’t wait for fall when the air is cool and the leaves are turning beautiful colors. It will be a gorgeous sight to behold while I am spending time with one of my best friends on the swing.

That would be me! =)

Remember that the universe is our playground. Girlfriends, let’s get out there and play … play like a child! You will be amazed at what it will do for you … like fill your spirit with joy! Don’t get caught up in thinking that you don’t have time. Hogwash! We make time for the things that are important to us. Fifteen minutes is all it takes!! Fifteen minutes!

If you don’t know what I’m talking about then you must not be registered for The Wonder Woman Challenge. Go right now to the homepage and sign up. Then you will know and you will be taking a stand with many other women around the world who have chosen to love themselves enough to say, Yes! I AM IMPORTANT!

YES! … You ARE important!

Luv & hugs, girlfriends! … Go ahead! Go play! I dare you!

Shileen

The following was my facebook status update from this morning:

Sometimes our brains can run amok with too many thoughts & ideas that end up paralyzing us … especially during a time when we really need to be moving forward. Go do something different to change your energy like going for a walk. Let it all go for the time being and allow God, who is a God of order, to bring peace & clarity to you.

I posted that because I was so very stuck!  My brain was in a loop that was not allowing me to move forward and be productive… at all!  My stress level kept rising and fear was setting in … fear about all kinds of stuff.  You know how that goes.

I knew that I needed to do something to change things up … to change my energy as I say.  I needed to let go of everything so that I could not only feel at peace but also have clarity on what I needed to do next.

In other words, I needed to create a positive flow of energy once again.

Do you ever find yourself in a state like that?

My cat, Isabelle, often joins me on the porch. Today she watched me bounce. Do you see her in the corner on the table?

This is what I did:

1. EFT – Emotional Freedom Technique.  This is such an easy thing to do.  I have never taken a class nor have I gone to a practitioner.  What I know I learned from personal research.  I become very open as I tap and allow “whatever” to bubble up and then tap it away.  For more information about EFT you can go to:  http://www.eftuniverse.com/

1. Rebound – A rebounder is a mini trampoline that is fabulous!  It is important to purchase a quality rebounder as to not cause injury to yourself.  I bounced the day away!  Well, not really … I bounced for about 25 minutes.  The health benefits both physically and emotionally is enormous.

For that 25 minutes I worked every singe cell in my body and        made my lymph system very happy because it needs to be stimulated to keep it from becoming stagnant.  Rebounding is perfect for that!

I also rebounded out on my side porch as you can see from the picture so I was also able to be out in nature … an added bonus.

Between the EFT and Rebounding, my stress level has dropped significantly.  I am feeling a positive flow of energy that has opened me up to both giving and receiving in a way that has been playing out all day.

Whether it is rebounding, taking a walk, riding your bike, dancing, etc there are plenty of things that you can do that will help you bounce through your day.

What activities do you do that help you move forward when you are feeling stuck?  Please take a minute and share with us in the comment section below.

Here’s to bouncing!!

Shileen