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10 Questions About STRESS Answered – Gaining More PEACE In Your Life Gives More PEACE To Others

August 15, 2024 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

First of all I want to acknowledge this awesome photo who I wish I knew who to give the credit to. I love how it depicts stress. We can appear calm but be fuming on the inside where it feels like our heads are actually on fire and we are covered in dark, heavy smoke.

We may be so use to the smoke that it’s just become apart of our day to day life. With this blog I want to extinguish some of that fire and help you to see through the smoke.

Your heads still going to catch on fire from time to time let’s be honest but maybe we can make a fire extinguisher more accessible for you and for others.

10 Questions About STRESS Answered – Gaining More PEACE In Your Life Gives More PEACE To Others

1. First of all what is stress? How is it defined?

Stress is a feeling of emotional strain and pressure. Stress is feeling out of control. Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. It’s feelings of tension.

Stress is your body’s reaction to a change or challenge. Stressors can be positive and negative.

2. How do we react when we are stressed?

There are mental, physical, and behavioral ways of reacting to stress.

Examples of mental could include feeling overwhelmed, loosing your temper, feelings of irritability, thoughts of self harm, racing thoughts, etc.

Examples of physical could include headaches, digestive problems, muscle tension, even your breathing can change.

Examples of behavioral could include jaw clenching, biting your nails, even becoming verbally or physically aggressive.

3. Who gets stressed?

EVERYONE experiences stress. Even babies and children.

4. What are things that cause stress?

An overall answer to which causes stress could be lack of control over a situation.

Common examples could include; life changes, work, family, financial problems, health.

Not so common examples could include; unrealistic expectations and even procrastination.

Most things that cause stress fall under one of those categories above.

5. When do you feel stressed?

When you are under lots of pressure.
When you face big changes in your life.
When you are worried about something.
When you don’t have much or any control over the outcome of a situation.
When you have responsibilities that you find overwhelming.
When you don’t have enough work, activities or change in your life.

6. Does our stress affect the people around you?

The short answer is ABSOLUTELY. There is such a thing called ‘secondhand stress or stress contagion’ if you can believe it!

Stress from others can affect your own stress levels even if there is no direct interaction.

Stress contagion can happen through social and biological mechanisms, such as pheromones, social cues, and emotional expression. For example, people are four times more likely to catch stress from someone they know, such as family, friends, or coworkers.

People that are stressed release a chemical that can be inhaled by those around them, causing these people to become more anxious, as well.

When Is The Right Time?

August 8, 2024 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

When is the right time?

I don’t know what you’re going through, but maybe this blog can resonate in some way.

In some cases there is no “right time”. You just go, and trust it will work out or that you will figure it out.

However in some cases there is such thing as a right time. But it takes work to identify. There are cues and signs, you have to pay attention.

Have you ever gardened before? Or maybe grown a fruit tree? Let’s take a lemon tree for example, before they turn yellow and are ready to pick they are small, hard, and green. Picking a premature lemon robs it of its process. It cannot grow anymore once it’s picked from its tree.

You have to be patience and wait until the right time. When they are brightly yellow, they are ready and it’s time.

So some things do have a right time and trying to fasten things up is impossible. This lesson of a lemon tree can apply to many things. Learning to trust yourself is being able to identify the cues if something is ready or not.

Trusting your timing is so important in whatever your journey is. Deep down you can feel when something is right or not.

Understand that some things can be a go for it now type thing. But if there’s something you’re waiting for, well, you may have to wait a little bit longer. But that is okay, it’s more than okay.

Life is on your side always, no matter what. It will all work out as it always does.

I don’t even feel like I have green lemons yet on my tree. Right now my tree is barely sprouting. 😉

Lots of love,

Marie

Summer Bucket List – 2024 edition

May 7, 2024May 8, 2024 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Plan a staycation somewhere with a good pool and beautiful scenery – better with some friends!
Catch a movie at your local cinema – indulge in the buttery popcorn (snacks are so expensive at the movie theater, we like to visit the store beforehand and sneak in some goodies into mamas purse. Shhh! )
Have a day at the water park
Visit the beach, get in the water, and enjoy a pina colada – Mexico is calling our name
Spend a weekend at the lake with friends
Watch fireworks
Have an ice cream date
Enjoy an outdoor concert
Have a picnic at your favorite park
Make a time capsule and bury it deep into the ground open it in 10 years!
Make friendship bracelets
Camp in the backyard on a Friday or Saturday night and watch a movie on the projector
Go bowling
Dance in the rain
Host a movie/game night
Participate in a water balloon fight
Visit the library and visit more than once
Create your own tie dye shirts with some friends
Make ice cream sundaes
Go on a boat
Swim in lots of pools
Make homemade pizza
Do a science experiment
Have a total lazy day with no obligations
Complete a puzzle
Visit Grandma
Have an all day girls day – brunch, pedicures, shopping, Starbucks!
Start and finish a new book
Go for a morning hike
Go for an evening walk
Learn a new recipe
Play in the sprinkler
Make a clothing/toy donation to your local thrift shop
Have an electronic free day
Spend more than one morning doing yoga
Paint a canvas to display in your home
Watch a sunset
Make a recipe book
Have a family dance party

What will you add? 🙂

It Was In A Health Class….

April 11, 2024April 11, 2024 The Wild Gems1 Comment

Describe something you learned in high school.

I took this health related class my junior year of high school with Mr. Paul Johnson. He was such a cool teacher.

I loved this class btw, I had a group of friends in here and I looked forward to this class everyday. We would laugh uncontrollably, tell secrets, notice things that others didn’t and honestly it was more of a giggle class than anything.

Anyways, we were taking a test and my friend was letting me cheat off her test. One of the questions was a fill in the blank.

It said,

“When in doubt, (fill in the blank)”

I could have sworn my friend wrote, “pull it out”.

So on my test I wrote, “when in doubt pull it out.”

I finished the rest of the test and my teacher begins grading our tests while he let us do whatever.

As my teachers grading at his desk he calls my name.

Mr Johnson: “Marie, come up here…..”

Me: “Yes….”

Mr. Johnson: “What does this say?”

Me: “Ummm……When in doubt pull it out?…..”

*we just stare at each other for a moment and I realize how inappropriate that sounded and that it definitely was not the answer*

Mr. Johnson: “It’s THROW IT OUT.”

Me. “That’s what Kristina wrote though!”

We all started laughing immediately! Me, the teacher, and my classmates! It was hilarious. I’m laughing now just reminiscing on this memory.

But guess what, I’ve never forgotten this saying because of this moment in a high school class.

I especially say it whenever I’m cleaning my fridge.

And I literally said this yesterday to my husband last night because he was asking if it was okay to take Benadryl that’s been expired for two years.

“I don’t know honey, I’ve always known, “when in doubt throw it out.”“

That is something I have learned in high school.

You Can’t Point The Finger Forever

January 24, 2024January 25, 2024 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

At one point or another we’ve all done it. We have avoided responsibility and placed the blame on something. Our parents, our childhood, our lack of not knowing better, our friends, God, that door for being in the way that just stubbed our toe, etc.

It alleviates the guilt or negative feelings that we fill inside….but deep down we all know that choices, decisions, and reactions are our own.

Many of us prefer to play the victim rather than scatter the broken pieces and discover a new creation.

What good does blaming do? Truthfully, is there a positive outcome to making that choice?

Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean
Bob Marley

He who has not sinned can cast the first stone
Jesus

I love these quotes, both of these shout LOOK AT YOURSELF. And reminds us that we are flawed just like the rest.

You’re not alone.

My kids are at that delightful age where there’s a fair amount of tattling and a great deal of blaming one another.

“Mom, she made me do it!”

“It’s not my fault, it’s theirs.”

“I only did it because she told me to do that.”

*something doesn’t go their way* – “This is YOUR fault!”

And so forth.

This kind of stuff is expected right now. They are kids!

Although,

I do believe there is importance in teaching children accountability, acknowledgement, and acceptance. As we know, you can’t point the finger forever.

There comes a time when each of us have to look at ourselves, reflect on our own choices and decisions and take accountability for our part. Whatever that may be.

I would say a majority of people don’t enjoy doing this. It isn’t a pleasant process. It’s like holding hands with guilt and shame while walking down an empty road. You don’t want to hold their hands but they know where they are going and you don’t.

This is necessary for our own personal growth. Especially if we have a goal to be our very best selves and want to move forward and make improvements in our life.

There are many grown ups out there who still behave like children and are saying exactly what my kids are saying.

“This is all YOUR Fault!”

And guess what the other grown up is saying,

“No, this is your fault!”

Neither grown up wants to take accountability for their part. How will the issue get resolved if someone doesn’t step up?

Again, because it’s hard. Who wants to admit when they are wrong? Be honest.

Let me share something,

when you begin to take accountability for the directions and outcomes in your life, your life changes. Someone may argue, “but I got dealt a bad hand of cards.”

Maybe that person did. There are many lives out there who have truly been dealt a shitty hand of cards. But there are also lives out there that even with their bad cards they played a heck of a game.

Even in poker you can win a game with a bad hand.

Learning to take accountability and learning to acknowledge what is changes your life, and it changes for the better. In doing so you learn to give yourself grace which leads to giving others grace. You learn to forgive yourself which leads to you forgiving others.

Everyone needs grace and forgiveness. If you can learn to give it to yourself, you can learn to give it to others.

We cling to too many pains and aches from the past. They are like anchors that hold us down from exploring.

And then we blame those pains and aches for the outcome of our lives. When all we have to do is release the anchor so we may set sail. We get frustrated at the knot that we tied.

Living a life of pointing the finger will do nothing but poison you. It poisons you to the core.

And if you keep letting your pointer finger poison you, eventually it paralyzes you.

That is not how you want to live your life. Beautiful things await when we acknowledge ourselves, our situations, our reactions, and recognize that we hold in ourselves more power than we know.

You are powerful. You are strong. You have strength inside of you to get you through what you are going through. It’s nobody’s fault.

Pain in our hearts can lead to bad choices. Think about that, and ponder it.

Let’s practice not pointing the finger together.

peace and love

Kids Will Teach You

January 3, 2024 The Wild Gems1 Comment

Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?

All the time.

Staying playful is feeling young and nostalgic in so many ways.

There’s a time and place to be a grown up. But I think most days should be filled with “playtime”.

It’s all about being silly, laughing, doing something random where you even make yourself laugh.

If you still don’t know how to bring playtime into your life just watch kids. Watch them intently and observe how they act.

Have you ever done a riddle?

Usually when you find out the answer it’s so completely obvious. You think, “how in the world did I not figure that out”

Incorporating playtime in your life is that simple.

Seems complex, but it’s as simple as an answer to a funny little riddle.

15 Super Cute Celestial iPhone Wallpapers – WITCHY VIBES

October 22, 2023October 22, 2023 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

Feng Shui Tip – When You Feel Stuck In Life Move 27 Things

October 19, 2023October 19, 2023 The Wild GemsLeave a comment

simple shui tip: move 27 things!

Full Original Article

Ways To Switch It Up

turn your vertically lined books to horizontal stacks

swap around drawers – linens, silverware, files in the desk

rearrange the kitchen cupboards

switch up the refrigerator shelves

push furniture an inch to the left or right (or completely into another room!)

switch lamps out to different rooms

move the chairs around your table

put everything dropped by the door back in its space

color-code your closet (or bookshelves!)

fold your towels a new way

organize the spice drawer / shelf

hang the dog leash somewhere that reminds you to take her for a walk

shake out the front door mat

edit the book pile by your bed

move your phone charger out of the bedroom

change the bulbs in a light to a brighter watt

flip a table arrangement so everything on the left is now on the right, and the right is now a lefty

move art on the walls around

turn all the shoes in your closet so they face one direction — with the toes facing out

dress the table with a linen-cloth and make mealtime a little more fancy

bring a few candles that normally sit somewhere unlit into a room where you’ll light them

take everything off your desk, wipe it down, and put everything back (ahhh!)

switch out your bed linens or add a different quilt to the foot of the bed

move an entire room around and try it out for a week

move the fridge magnets around

put something different in front of a mirror so that it doubles something new in your life

sharpen your pencils

give the dog bed a hearty shake and fluff / rotate the cat condo

turn the plants around so the other side soaks up the sun

flip the rugs, mattress, or couch cushions!

why 27 items, you ask? the short answer—it’s a shui thing. twenty-seven is [a multiple of] the number 9, the number representing power, manifestation, and completion. bonus: you don’t need to add or buy anything.

@simpleshui

Hey YOU, You’re Beautiful

October 10, 2023 The Wild Gems2 Comments

I don’t need to know you or see you to know that you reading this, dear reader, are beautiful.

Sometimes we need to be reminded how special and unique we are. Allow me to remind you.

You are a once in a lifetime. Shaped and molded in a way that cannot be duplicated. A rare commodity.

You aren’t perfect my friend, and guess what, nobody is. Each of us is flawed in our own way. But isn’t is wonderful?

How boring it would be if we were all the same and shared all the same experiences. It’s our differences that bring color and vibrancy to this world and universe. It’s the differences that help us to grow and grant us permission to see through the many different filters of life.

Celebrate those “imperfections”. Learn to love yourself. Learn to see yourself. You are worthy of your own love. Love yourself. You are loved.

There is no need to seek approval from the outside. When unkindness greets in those unexpected moments you shake it off immediately and most definitely don’t take it personally.

But again, I don’t need to know you or see to know that you are beautiful. You are. You are a miracle. You are here, you are alive. You’re doing it.

You’re a gift, you know that right? You truly are. You have purpose. You have value. You have magic flowing in you. There is so much light in you, even if right now the clouds are blocking the view. It’s there glowing brightly.

You are beautiful.