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The Importance of Self-Esteem and Ways to Improve It

July 26, 2022 by Wendy S

Self-esteem is a term that is often thrown around, but what does it actually mean? In essence, self-esteem refers to the way you view yourself. It can be broken down into two categories: global and specific. Global self-esteem is your overall opinion of yourself, while specific self-esteem is your opinion of yourself in relation to a particular task or situation. Many people struggle with their self-esteem, and there are several ways to improve it. This blog post will discuss what self-esteem is, why people struggle with it, and ways to improve it!

Photo by Anna Shvets

What is the term Self-Esteem?

Self-Esteem is essential because it impacts everything we do. It is the foundation of our beliefs and opinions about ourselves. It determines how we interact with others and how we see ourselves in relation to the world around us. People with healthy self-esteem tend to be more successful in life, have more beneficial relationships, and are overall happier than those with low self-esteem. So, why do so many people struggle with it?

Why do so many people struggle with low self-esteem?

There are a number of reasons why people might have low self-esteem. One reason is that they might have experienced trauma or abuse in their past. This can leave them feeling worthless and undeserving of good things in their lives. Another reason is that they might have been raised by critical or overbearing parents who made them feel like they were never good enough. They might also have been the victim of bullying or teased by their peers, leading to low self-esteem. In addition, many people have a negative view of themselves, even if they don’t have any specific reason to feel that way. Whatever the reason, it is essential to understand that it is possible to improve your Self esteem.

How to improve your self-esteem

There are many ways to improve your self-esteem. One way is to focus on your positive qualities and accomplishments. For example, write down a list of things you like about yourself, both physically and personality-wise. Remember, everyone has flaws – focus on what makes you unique and special! Another way to improve your self-esteem is to set realistic goals for yourself and strive to accomplish as many as possible. This will help you feel more capable and competent, boosting your self-esteem. Finally, surround yourself with positive people who will support and encourage you. This will help you feel good about yourself and remind you that you are worth caring for and spending time with!

Self-esteem is an integral part of our lives that impacts everything we do. If you struggle with low self-esteem, know that it is possible to improve it! By focusing on your positive qualities, setting realistic goals, and surrounding yourself with positive people, you can boost your self-esteem and feel better about yourself.

Feeling Stressed: When Should You Listen To Your Body?

May 26, 2022 by Wendy S

Stress is a normal human reaction to experiencing something difficult, confusing, and sometimes even a little traumatic. It helps us to keep our heads on straight during those moments when we don’t know what to do, and in the days when we were hunter-gatherers, it would have kept us vigilant and awake during those dangerous moments!

But in the modern world, the stress response isn’t all that useful. Rarely are we in need of adrenaline spikes just to commute in the mornings, and the resulting toil can be very hard on our bodies! Of course, stress can still be helpful in small ways, like ensuring we perform to the best of our abilities, but it’s so easy for that feeling to tip over into nerve-wracking territory.

But when does this tip occur? When should you listen to your body when you’re feeling stressed? Here are a few signs that shouldn’t go ignored.

Photo by Anna Shvets

When a Full 8 Hours Does Nothing for You

Getting plenty of sleep is one thing, but is the quality of your sleep good enough? Are you waking up multiple times a night? Are you tossing and turning? Do you even struggle to fall asleep in the first place, and take hours to get there? These are all signs that you’re stressed and the level is reaching its peak.

Cortisol, a hormone released when stressed, can prevent you from getting good sleep every night. This chemical keeps you from feeling relaxed and like you could fall asleep any moment – it’s there to wake you up and keep you awake, like you would need to be when stressed. So when stress builds up over time, more and more cortisol is released, and you lose sleep because of it, and on and on the cycle goes! Simply put, if you can’t sleep, it’s time to do something about what’s getting you feeling so high strung.

When You’ve Got a Headache You Can’t Shift

Stress can cause us to overload, and nowhere is that more true than in our muscles. We can be tense for hours on end when we’re stressed, without even realizing it, and that can leave us with muscle pains, headaches, and even a bad migraine. And when you’re actually experiencing physical sensations because of stress, it’s time to sit back and relax and try to shake some of that weight!

Indeed, a lot of people will turn to self-medicating in an instance like this; it’s easy to just pour yourself a glass of wine to help dull the ache when you get home from work in the evening. However, always indulging to beat back pain can cause a habit to form, and in the worst-case scenario, it can lead to an addiction.

In turn, your stress levels might lead you to need substance use treatment, which just complicates the matter even further. Above all else, if stress is leading you to feel physical pain on a regular basis, it’s best to see a doctor as soon as possible.

When You’ve Completely Lost Your Appetite

Not feeling like you’re up to cooking dinner happens from time to time; it’s been a long day, and you’d rather just veg out with some snacks in front of the TV. No one can fault you for that! But if you’re regularly skipping meals because you’re just not hungry for them, and this is a recent development, it might be worth it to look into your diet.

Are you not eating just because you need to try something new? Or could it be another sign of stress? Losing your appetite is quite a common sign your stress levels are high, and it’s hard to stop what you’re doing and drag your attention towards making some healthy and filling food. But even if you just order in a few times this week, you’ll at least be eating! And that’s always healthier than not eating at all. You might even notice your appetite coming back in short order.

Your body is very good at telling you what it needs. For example, if you’re under a lot of stress, you may find that certain foods make you feel worse. You may also crave foods that you usually avoid. Pay attention to these cues from your body and try to make changes accordingly. For example, try to satisfy your sweet tooth with fresh fruit if you’re craving sugary snacks. And if you’re constantly tired, make sure to get enough sleep and eat foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Listening to your body can help you recover from stress more quickly and effectively.

When Your Heart Regularly Races

Your heart can race for multiple reasons; you’re watching something adrenaline-inducing, you’re getting involved in exercise, or you’re in a scary situation that you’re not sure how to handle. And all of these reasons don’t tend to be something you need to worry about in the long term – once it’s over and done with, your heartbeat will return to normal.

But if you’re feeling stressed over a long period of time, you might find your heart racing seemingly randomly. You get sweaty and out of breath just being at work, or running an errand around the supermarket, and it can feel like your body is beating in rhythm in various places. And while you can usually pull yourself away to calm down, this can become a serious problem if the stress isn’t dealt with.

When You Find it Hard to Focus

Finding it hard to focus happens from time to time. Maybe you’re bored, maybe your mind is on other things, maybe you’ve been chatting to someone and forgotten what you were supposed to be doing – these are all human things. However, if you walk into work, or you sit down to crunch some numbers and just can’t get on with anything, it’s another way stress can mess with you.

This is usually an obvious problem, and can cause some real panic. Maybe your eyes cross and your mind gets a bit fuzzy? Or you’re taking ages to get something done that usually only takes you 20 minutes? You can even struggle to actually just look at something right in front of you, in the worst-case scenario!

You may need to try a couple of things to help you focus, such as Delta 8 Seltzers, if your stress levels are constantly high and you find that you can’t focus on anything. Meditation, if your mind is constantly racing and you can’t seem to focus on anything. Take a break from work or whatever it is that you’re doing if you find that you’re staring at a screen and not getting anything done. Sometimes, it’s better to return to something later when you’re feeling more relaxed and can focus better.

Stress can be bad for your body in the long term, but when should things really change? It’s always up to you of course, but make sure signs and symptoms like those above don’t go unchallenged for too long. And it’s important to always talk to your doctor about the stress you’re feeling and follow their advice!

The 6 Things To Keep You Focused on Your Fitness Journey

May 23, 2022 by Wendy S

Photo by Annushka Ahuja from Pexels

You have planned your cardio workouts and invested in the clothing or equipment, but you are still struggling with your fitness regime. Sound familiar? If you’re finding it hard to stick to it, you are not alone. The fact is there can be many reasons why we don’t stick to our fitness journey. We can fall off the wagon because it’s too difficult or we hit a bad run in our lives, but there are many things you can do to keep yourself focused, including the following:

Consistency With Your Diet

We all have a focus on getting fit, which means that we think we’ve got to exercise and everything else doesn’t matter. The reality is that nutrition is more important. Have you heard the expression “abs are made in the kitchen?” If you hit a bad patch in your life, ensuring that you stay consistent with your diet, your hydration, and your supplements can help you to feel energized, while also reminding you that you are on this journey which doesn’t happen overnight. When it comes to supplements, there are plenty out there, since 2007, Steel Supplements have been providing supplements for plenty of people looking to achieve their fitness goals, and there are also plenty of supplement websites that provide invaluable exercise support. Even if you’re not able to exercise for whatever reason, keeping your nutrition dialled in means you should still see the benefit!

Work Out With Someone Else

Motivation can be a major factor, so if you go and exercise with someone, you’re more likely to stick to it, so it can become a habit. The benefits of having a buddy can go beyond motivation. For example, you can spot each other so you are both working out with the proper form. And when it gets to the point where it becomes a habit, you can start to mix it up and incorporate that friendly competition! This is another key motivator so many athletes have at the forefront of their minds. Even if your workout buddy can only do 21 push-ups, you aiming for 22 can be a little thing that really ignites your mindset.

Mix Up Your Training

If you hit a plateau, which everybody does at some point, mixing it up can really achieve better results. You don’t have to stick to the same things but you can try any of the following:

Boxing workouts.
Medicine balls.
Using your body weight.
Resistance bands.

And the list goes on! Because when we get into the same old routine, we’re not shocking the body, which means that we’re not stimulating growth or adaptation.

Setting Yourself Clear Goals

Many people decide that a goal is “to get healthy” or “lose X pounds,” but these are very muddy goals. When you set out clear goals, this gives you a better idea of how you need to meet these goals. For example, for anybody that is looking to train to get into the fire service, the criteria are laid out; they have to lift a certain amount of weight over their shoulders, which means that anybody that is looking to go down this career path will focus more on their shoulders, as well as their cardio training. When you start to set yourself clear goals, this will dictate the program, but it also keeps you building towards it.

Remember Your Mindset

There are going to be times when you won’t want to exercise because you’re too tired or you’ve had a long day, but the fact is you just need to shut up and train! Feeling confident about your progress is usually motivation enough on those difficult evenings when you don’t want to hit the gym, but it’s also important to note if you’re feeling demotivated because you are plateauing, because there is such a thing as overtraining! If you are doing too much, think about having a rest for 48 hours and see how you feel after that.

Get a Personal Trainer

If you are keeping an eye on your finances right now, this is not necessarily a worthwhile option, but there’s a lot to be said for having a personal trainer in your life as they will help you stay focused, but they have the qualifications and experience to ensure that you are hitting your goals.

Keeping the focus on your fitness journey is not always easy. One of the biggest things you need to do is to start slow. Exercise is not about doing everything all at once, but giving it time, so while you might be chomping at the bit to lose weight or lift your body weight, the reality is that the route to complete fitness is a gradual one.

4 Tips for Healing your Soul if you have Experienced a Loss

May 16, 2022 by Wendy S

Do you feel as though your soul is in need of some healing? Maybe you have experienced a loss but you do not know how to go about dealing with it, on a personal level. Either way, it is vital to know that there are things that you can do to try and help yourself.

Source: Pexels (CC0 License)

Be Present

It is normal for you to want to escape from the feelings of grief that you have. It is also normal for you to want to turn to things that you feel may numb you. This could include comfort food or even shopping. Instead of doing things like this, you need to try and pour all of your energy into something more positive. This could be your work or your creativity. If you can do this, you will be able to heal yourself.

Raise Awareness

Do not try and push the pain away. Instead, try and bring awareness to it. Try and do what you can to relax in the midst of all the chaos, and also try and use it to your advantage. Now is the time for you to try and build yourself to be a stronger person and prove to yourself that you can work through just about anything. Now may even be the time for you to look into cremation jewelry crosses so that you can begin to heal your spirit as you work through the difficult time you are going through.

Plan for a Special Day

It is an excellent idea for you to look to your calendar. Map out any days that you may feel triggered on, and also take the time to learn how to cope. Nourish and even comfort yourself on days like this and also find healthy ways to cope. It may be that you try and spend more time with your family or that you simply try and reach out more. If you can do this, then you will soon see that people are in fact there to support you, and this can work wonders if you are on a spiritual journey.

Know that Grief is Fluid

Grief is fluid. It can change over time and there is no set path that you can follow to get through it. Sometimes you may move to denial and then acceptance, but shortly after you may find yourself feeling angry again. Either way, you have to know that grief is always changing and that you are never going to experience things in a logical or linear order. The sooner you can accept this, the more leeway you can give yourself when it comes to coping and this can work in your favour in general.

If you want to help yourself, then remember that talking to someone, or a friend is always a good idea. You may find that they can then give you the support that you need and that you can also count on them to pick you up when you are feeling down, so keep that in mind if you can.

The Benefits of a Cardio Workout

April 20, 2022 by Wendy S

When it comes to staying healthy and fit, most people think of lifting weights and doing strength training. While strength training is definitely important, another key element of a well-rounded workout routine is cardio. This blog post will discuss the many benefits of a cardio workout.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

1) Cardio strengthens the heart and lungs

When you do cardio exercise, your heart rate and breathing rate increase, this helps to strengthen the muscles in your heart and lungs, making them more efficient at pumping blood and oxygenating our cells. A strong cardiovascular system reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.

Additionally, regular cardio workouts can help to lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels in the blood. This further reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

2) Cardio helps to burn calories and lose weight

Cardio workouts are great for people who are looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. When you do cardio, you burn calories both during and after the workout. Of course, the number of calories burned depends on the intensity of the workout, but even moderate-intensity cardio can help to boost metabolism and promote weight loss.

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is a type of cardio that alternates between periods of intense activity and periods of rest. HIIT workouts are very effective at burning calories and have been shown to be more effective than traditional aerobic exercise at promoting fat loss.

3) Cardio improves mental health

Regular cardio exercise can help to improve mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects. Cardio also helps to increase energy levels and enhance the quality of sleep. All of these factors can lead to improved mental well-being.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your overall health and fitness, consider going to a premium online bike store and adding some cardio to your workout routine. There are many different types of cardio exercises that you can do, so there’s sure to be something that fits your preferences and needs. And, best of all, you’ll reap the many benefits that come with a regular cardio workout!

4) Cardio increases energy levels

In addition to improving mental health, regular cardio exercise can also lead to increased energy levels. This is due to the improved cardiovascular function and increased endorphin production that comes with exercise. So if you’re feeling sluggish and low on energy, a quick workout may be just what you need to get your energy levels up.

There are many different ways to incorporate cardio into your workout routine. Some people prefer to do steady-state cardio, such as walking or jogging, while others prefer HIIT workouts or other types of interval training. No matter what type of cardio you choose, you’ll be sure to reap the many benefits that come with it!

So next time you’re planning your workout routine, don’t forget to include some cardio. Your body (and mind) will thank you for it!