10 Simple Tips to Live Happy, Wild, and Free

“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine.” -Morris West

Here are 10 stupidly simple tips to live happy, wild, and free:

1. Write out a short-list of the simple things that give you pleasure.

Keep them in the front of your consciousness and make sure you engage with them at least a few times a week. As you do these things, stay present and mindful of the joy they bring you.
For example, I love eating a fresh juicy nectarine on a summer’s afternoon, and meditating in the morning after a fresh brewed cup of tea, and taking a walk with my husband and window-shopping. What are some of your simple things?

2. Get moving.

Maybe you like the openness and relaxation you feel after a yoga class or the sweat and wild release of spinning. You may enjoy seeing your dog run happily in circles as you throw balls at the park.
Whatever movement inspires you, do it and observe the happiness and freedom it brings. Also, take a short walk after having a meal. This not only helps with digestion, but also instantly relieves any heavy feelings.

3. Eat light.

  Support your body/mind/spirit with simple meals three times a day. On retreat, we eat out of three small bowls, usually a grain, a soup and a vegetable. Eating light helps us to feel lighter and also increases concentration, digestion, energy levels, and productivity.
As a practice of mindfulness, I put my eating utensil down between each bite and wait to pick it up again until the food is completely swallowed. It takes 20 minutes for our meal to be digested, so I know if I eat slowly for 20 minutes, I will feel completely satisfied without having to eat large portions.

 

4. Take a cold shower.

  Waking up in the morning and taking a cold shower revives and wildly awakens the senses. Here are some benefits of cold showers:

• Improves circulation
• Relieves depression
• Keeps skin and hair healthy
• Increases testosterone and fertility
• Increases energy and well-being

 

5. Talk less, and when you do talk have noble conversation.

When you hang out with your friends and loved ones, learn to love the spaces in the conversation. Listen more to their tone as they share rather than thinking about how you are going to respond.
Pay attention to what happens to your energy when you talk less, and how much happier you feel as you conserve more energy. Plus, you will love the simple intimacy of your relationships as you increase presence and heart-centered listening, freeing yourself of complications and unwanted dramas.

 

6. Get 10 minutes of sun a day.

With sunscreen, there are benefits to getting sun. Well-documented research shows there is a relationship between low vitamin D levels and poor health, such as frail bones, multiple sclerosis, and prostate cancer. We need vitamin D!
Also, light hitting your skin, not just your eyes, helps reverse seasonal affective disorder. Here comes the sun! Let the sunshine in!

 

7. Turn off the TV.

Rather than watch TV, use your time more mindfully. Read, walk, meet friends, or join an evening group or class. Use your time to connect to others and yourself. Or jump in and do something different, spontaneous, and wild!

 

8. Create.

Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist there are so many ways to express creatively. Cook with a loved one, dance in your living room, sing in the car, journal without editing or crossing out, learn a new joke.
Be happy, wild, and free as you express yourself more creatively!

 

9. Enjoy nature.

Find the nature that surrounds you—really see it. Observe yourself as you witness nature and appreciate its growth and timing.
If you feel like things are going too slow, too fast, or you aren’t really sure of where you are going, remember there is a natural timing for everything, and all the roads are taking you to the right place at the right time.
Ask yourself, “How can I compare nature’s experience to my life? How am I just like the wild flower that is growing on the path?”

 

10. Know the simple truth.

With enthusiasm and confidence, state what you know to be true about your authentic self. Ask yourself, “What is true about myself right now in this moment?”
For example, I am enough, I am worthy, I am good, I am loved, I have what I need, or I am a success.
State this affirmation out loud a few times to embody the essence of who you really are in this very moment. Take it in! Believe this and you are free!

Keeping your focus on the simplest things offers an immediate experience of abundant joy. May you embrace simplicity in your daily life filled with lightness, movement, and sunshine!

18 Ways to Create a Relaxing Home Office Experience

Most graphic and web designers spend long, long periods of time in the home office, so why not make working less stressful and more relaxing? Creating a relaxing home office can help you produce better work, reduce stress, make working more enjoyable and improve your mental and physical health. Below I have put together some interesting tips you can follow to create a more zen-like home office and working experience. Feel free to share any relaxation tips below or photos of your own zen-like home office.

Tips Towards a more Zen-Like Home Office

 1. Your Desktop Wallpaper

It sounds simple, but think of how many hours your eyes are locked on your desktop screen! Try adding a nice relaxing image as your desktop background. Personally, I like to use nature landscapes, because to me nothing is more relaxing than an ocean view or a gorgeous forest. For you it might be a photo of loved ones, something cute or even something you really want such as an exotic car, which can work as relaxing or motivational imagery.

2. Find a Room With a View

In the corporate world people always dream of an office with a view. Why? Because its much more relaxing to look at trees outside and birds flying around than a cubical wall with papers stuck on it. So don’t be afraid to relocate your office in your house so that you have a nice view. Believe me, I’ve spent many years working out of a basement with no windows or natural light and it is NOT fun or relaxing.

3. Get Some Green

Just because you are indoors doesn’t mean you can’t do some gardening. Adding oxygen-generating plants to your room can make the air better, make the place look great and keep you more relaxed. How many plants you get it up to you, just don’t get fake ones!!! Plants just need a little water and sunlight to thrive and can help you do the same.

3. Fresh Air

Nothing is worse than working in a hot stuffy office. Try opening your windows to bring in some fresh cool on windy days and save some energy by turning off your fan or air conditioner. Fall is the perfect time to take advantage of a relaxing and fresh breeze courtesy of mother nature.

4. Burn Some Incense

Humans have been blessed with many senses, many of which can make you feel more relaxed. Different smells work for different people so you need to do a little experimenting, but a popular choice is Incense. Incense has been used for many years as a way to enhance relaxation and mediation via smell.

5. Fresh Coat of Paint

Many studies and articles have been written on how certain colors make people feel more relaxed. Repainting a room can be done in a day for very cheap, which is def worth years of increased relaxation. Your eyes will thank you!
6. Redecorate

If you are going to repaint your office you might as well redecorate! Try replacing old dark and bulky or outdated furniture with, eco friendly furniture or some more wallet friendly, but still light and modern looking furniture from IKEA. A few pieces of new furniture and decorations can go a long way in making your office suitable for Buddhist monk meditation!

7. Let There be Light

Working in bad lighting can really strain your eyes, especially if you are working in bad lighting for many hours at a time and this eye strain can lead to eyesight problems and headaches, which is NOT good when you are trying to relax. Hopefully your office gets some good natural light during the day, but if it doesn’t make sure your room is well lit and don’t forget to use those Energy Saving Bulbs!

8. Turn on the Spa Channel

One of the greatest things ever invented was the Spa Channel on Sirius/XM satellite radio. Satellite radio costs under $15 a month and has TONSSS of music stations including the Spa Channel, which plays relaxing music all day long with no commercial interruptions. The music is very soothing and can work wonders for anyone looking to make their office more zen-like. They play soothing music of all types from a variety of cultures and they have a huge selection of music so they don’t replay the same songs over and over again.

9. Quiet Time

Similar to the mediation tip recommend below, I highly recommend getting some Noise Canceling Headphones. They are great for when you really need to focus on work and not be disturbed by a noisy environment. Silence is golden as they say.

10. Meditation Breaks

This might sound a little odd to some of you, but meditation really works and can help you clear your busy mind and make you feel very, very relaxed. One of the most popular forms of mediation is Transcendental Meditation, introduced in India in 1955 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Supposedly you need to be taught it by a certified teacher, but I have heard many people talk about its amazing benefits so I am sure its worth it and look forward to learning it myself.

11. Embrace the Outdoors

If you are ever feeling stuffed up, stressed or find yourself having a mental block, try stepping outside for a few minutes. Hopefully you are lucky enough to be around nature, but even if you are in the city you could walk around the park during a phone conference or to think of creative ideas. You could even try holding meetings outside if several people work in your office. This can create a more relaxing work environment and can help boost office morale.

12. Organize Your Belongings

This one always shows up on relaxation lists and and it is the tip I will stress the most. Nothing creates more stress than being unorganized and your stress levels can spiral out of control from a simple thing such as not being able to find your keys. Even if it is not spring, you should clean house right now! Trash, recycle and giveaway everything you can so that your office is neat and organized. Everything should have its place and you need to get into the habit of cleaning on a regular basis and be sure to place things where they belong.

13. Get an Ergonomic Office Chair

The most important piece of furniture in your home office is your CHAIR, because that is what your butt is planted in for most of the day. A bad chair can be very uncomfortable and even cause back issues and pain over an extended period of time. So if you are going to spend any money on furniture, get an ergonomically designed chair, that provides good back support and is very comfortable. This can improve your home work experience tremendously!

14. Get Your Eyes Checked

If you spend massive amounts of time on the computer your eyes could be suffering and this can happen pretty quickly. I used to have perfect vision and now my eyes are in much worse shape, which I am sure can be blamed on me spending too much time in front of the computer. So be sure to get your eyes checked by an eye doctor and get your glasses prescription filled if needed. This can reduce eye strain, help stop headaches and can make reading on the computer much easier.

15. Extend Estimated Project Timelines

We all want to get projects done quickly so we can send out invoices, but sometimes its better to give yourself some more time to complete them. Try extending the estimated project timelines for a few of your projects that way if anything goes wrong you will have more time to get things done. Rushing to meet deadlines is always a nightmare, so by adding a week or even a few days onto timelines you can save yourself tons of stress.

16. Quench Your Thirst

It only takes a loss of about 1% – 2% of your body’s ideal water content to put you into a state of dehydration. When you are dehydrated you can feel fatigue, weakness, dry mouth and lots more and it only gets worse as you become more dehydrated. This doesn’t sound very relaxing to me, but the fact is many people are dehydrated so you should drink about 6-10 glasses a day. The benefits of staying hydrated or truly endless so be sure to get one of those sweet Poland Spring Coolers in your home office.

17. Cut the Sugar
 
Everyone knows drinking sodas is bad and one fo the worst parts its the sugar crash. The sugar crash happens when you intake a large amount of sugar and can make you feel very sleepy, which makes you not want to work! Not working will make you miss deadlines and can add stress to your daily regiment. So replace the sodas with water or something healthier, so you can continue to run like a well oiled machine all day long!

18. Get a Massage on Your Lunch Break

Let me tell you…almost nothing is better than a relaxing deep tissue massage. They can be pretty expensive, so most of us can’t get one every day, but they can work wonders on those extra stressful days. So save the spare change up from lunch for a professional massage on one of those hellish work days.

Hope you enjoyed these tips!

15 Great Ways to Relax at Work

 Let me guess, you’re stressed out at work. Too much to do, too little time, yada, yada, yada. You already know the one million reasons for all that anxiety, so let’s get to the point.

Stress isn’t a cancer with no cure. A few simple steps can reduce anxiety and promote tranquility. 

Here are 15 tips to help you relax at work:

1.   Eat breakfast
Relaxation begins before you even step into the office. Start the day off with breakfast. Aside from being nutritious, eating breakfast forces you to slow down in the morning. Eat, pace yourself, and you’ll get into work without rush-hour anxiety in your system.

2.   Go to work earlier
After a delicious meal, avoid the morning stampede and go to work earlier than others. You’ll get fewer traffic jams, phone calls, and interruptions. All this lets you get more done in a calmer environment. With this increased productivity in the morning, you can go home earlier.

3.   Meditate
Countless researchers in fancy white lab coats have shown how meditation relaxes both your mind and body. Luckily, you don’t have to be dressed in an ugly leotard and sitting at a yoga studio to reap the benefits of meditation. Try mini-meditations. Short little deep breathing exercises that take you temporarily out of your work angst. Here’s a technique to try now. 

4.   Breathe deeply
Deep breathing shouldn’t be confined to meditation breaks. Every breath you take should be deep. Sadly, many of us, myself included, are unconscious shallow breathers. To kill this habit, practice deep breathing exercises often to train your body to take full breaths. 

5.   Invest in an ergonomic chair
You sit in front of a computer 8 hours a day. Isn’t it worth investing in a comfortable chair to ease your body? My two favorites are the Aeron and Freedom Chair. Don’t like these? Here are alternatives. 

6.   Eliminate clutter
A cluttered desk distracts, creates visual pollution, and adds to your existing stress level. Each item on your desk, however small, is something you have to think about when you look at it. Don’t make excuses, clear your desk (and virtual desktop) now. Tomorrow, it’ll feel good to come to a clean desk.

7.   Wear headphones
In noisy work environments, headphones are vital to sanity. Even if you’re not listening to music, put them on to block ambient noise. It’ll also let others know not to bother you.

8.   Play music
Of course, listening to music with your headphones on also helps you to relax. Pick something you know will put you at ease. As much as I like postmodern electronic noise, cheesy ABBA songs work like a charm.

9.   Take your full lunch hour
Make lunch sacred. This means not munching at your desk. Take your lunch outside and don’t end your lunch hour early. Here are more ways to maximize your lunch hour.

10. Take a nap
Finish eating lunch a little early? Use the rest of your lunch hour to take a nap. While the dotcom days of nap rooms at the office are extinct, you’ve still got options: your car and, if you have a closed office, your chair. Pop in a pzizz track, set an alarm on your phone, and recharge your body.

11. Play
If you have a hard time napping in the middle day, use the rest of your lunch hour to play. Take a walk, sketch, write in your journal, twirl, play hopscotch. Anything pleasurable as long as it’s not working and in front of the computer.

12. Turn off IM
Chatting is not working. It only distracts, divides your attention, and increases anxiety because of the strain of “multi-tasking.” Fewer interruptions during the day means makes it easier to maximize flow, the state of being totally focused in what you’re doing. Cut out IM and bring calmness back into your work life.

13. Turn off automatic email checking
Another culprit of stress is email. Instead of setting your email to check for new messages automatically, set it to manual. Check email only twice a day, and never ever when you first get into work.

14. Laugh
Comic relief is a well known technique for relieving dramatic tension in movies, plays, and novels. It’s also handy during those high-anxiety moments at work. When you’re taking yourself too seriously, pop-up your favorite silly YouTube video and have a laugh. My favorite is Shoes.

15. Get a new job
If none of the above works, maybe its time to simply quit your job.

Relax at the Office? It's Easier Than You Think

If you're looking for an easy solution to the beginning, middle or end-of-the-week blahs, look no further.

We have enlisted the help of relaxation consultant Darrin Zeer to get you out of the doldrums and on your way to a stress-free existence!

The first step, according to Zeer, is to know the Five Golden Rules of the Office Spa:

1. Breathe deeply and slowly, relaxing your body
2. Keep things simple, moving forward one step at a time
3. Focus on each step, calmly
4. Do not stress out about the little things
5. Treat yourself to an "office spa" break whenever the need arises

OK! Now we are ready to tackle the workweek. Starting with the most difficult day to get in gear — Monday — let's see what Zeer has in store for us:

Monday: Inner Order

"Your workweek will go much more smoothly if you take some time on Monday morning to write your anxieties away. Appointments, to-do lists, deadlines — get these out of your head and onto paper and you'll feel the stress fade away. Check items off throughout the week and see how much you accomplish."

Tuesday: Meeting Mist

"Let lavender set the mood! The scent of lavender alleviates stress-related symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, anxiety and fatigue:"

1. Fill a clean spray bottle with 6 to 8 tablespoons of cool water.
2. Add 2 to 4 drops of lavender essential oil and shake.
3. Take a nice, deep breath.
4. Organize your thoughts and spend a moment focusing on your agenda.
5. Keep the bottle tightly closed and treat yourself — and your desk area — to spritzes throughout the day.

Wednesday: Acupressure in the Afternoon

"Taking your shoes off when walking around the office, or when sitting at your desk can be very rejuvenating and helpful for sore feet. For extra relief for backaches and headaches, try this easy, under the desk technique:"

1. Place a golf ball or rolling pin on the floor under your feet.
2. While sitting, roll the sole of each foot over the ball or rolling pin.

Thursday: Car Comfort

"Why not turn your vehicle into a sanctuary? Make an altar by placing a flower or your favorite picture on the dashboard. Create scents and sounds that are personal and peaceful.

"Challenge yourself to remain calm and enjoy the moment as you drive through rush-hour traffic ... keep a small carry bag handy with a nice change of clothes and a toiletry kit in it. Relaxation is being prepared for the unexpected.

"Your car is also a great place to escape to during the day when you need peace, quiet and privacy."

Friday: Ginseng Zing

"Is your aching body keeping you pinned to your seat? For centuries ginseng has been recognized for its energizing properties. It provides a great boost when you need to bench-press your tired body out of your chair:"

1. Prepare a hot cup of ginseng tea.
2. Try putting in a few drops of pure ginseng extract for an extra kick.
3. Add some honey or maple syrup.
4. Take a deep breath and wait for the power surge.