Back to School: Monday Blues
Most of us have felt the Monday blues or stress of returning to school or work after the weekend of rest and play. It has been proven that we are more likely to have a heart attack on Monday mornings than any other day.
According to WebMD, at the same time, levels of a stress hormone called cortisol peak early in the day and when it happens, cholesterol plague that has built up in the arteries can rupture and block the flow of blood to the heart.
Going back to a new school year or going back to school after the weekend can bring unsettling and uneasy feelings for our kids. They may show signs of irritation, nervousness, quietness or having a bad attitude. Our kids may be suffering from stress just like adults.
Some parents may have the same feelings and may show their stress and irritation to their children. Instead of listening to their fears, we may have transferred some of our own stress to our children.
How do you cope and help ease children from Monday blues or stress?
Don’t live just for the weekend
Heard of “TGIF” (thank God it’s Friday)? The weekend is the time when most of us feel free to do whatever we like and it is really hard not to live for the weekend. What if we schedule some fun time for the kids during the week to break off the mundane school schedule and work?
Prepare on Sunday nights
Getting our kids ready on Sunday nights by picking out their outfits, making sure all homework, books and essentials are in the backpack, talking about what is in the lunchbox and breakfast menu may excite kids.
Preparing the night before will eliminate morning rush and set everybody off with a good start.
Have a good night’s rest
A healthy sleep routine is important for our body and mind. Just like adults, some kids may have difficulty going to bed. It could be due to a disturbing book they read like about ghosts or thrillers, or a violent or action packed movie or TV series or online games right before bedtime.
Winding down at least 30 minutes before bedtime can calm the body and mind and help promote sleep. To find out more on the secrets of a good night’s sleep, please download our free booklet here.
One quick tip, apply Lavender essential oil topically on feet and spray it on your child’s pillow. It will relax and calm their mind and body.
Music and motivational CDs
Music can transform attitudes, and boost our emotions. Listening to motivational CDs and songs in the morning can help startup our day with a positive impression.
These are some of the ways to defeat Monday blues. Talking and spending time with kids could be the best remedies for back to school Monday blues. They may just need someone to listen to them to calm their nerves.
What are your strategies to help your kids with Back to School Monday Blues? Let us know by commenting below.
Disclaimer: This information is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat or cure any illness or disease. It’s strictly for informational, educational, or entertainment purposes ONLY. The products I talk about are not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat or cure any illness or disease. Any information I give you about them is for informational or entertainment purposes only. They have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. Please seek the qualified health professional of your choice when making health decisions for yourself, your family and your pets.
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2012 Olympics: A Reminder to Be Our Best
Watching the 2012 Olympics is amazing and inspiring. These athletes really embody the word EXCELLENCE. But they also set an example of what every human being is capable of…maybe not in athletics but in LIFE. Here are 5 things I keep seeing in these Olympic athletes that we can take in to improve our own lives.
I don’t think any Olympic athlete just got there by accident. Most have had a Dream to be an Olympic athlete since they were a young child. They had that dream and set goals. They also knew that to be an Olympic athlete, they would have to accomplish a lot of smaller goals first.
1) Dreams & Goals:
Do you have a dream? Is there something you want for yourself, family or career? Maybe it is to be a best-selling author, or maybe it’s to be a great speaker or trainer. Maybe you want to have an Equestrian rehab center or be an Opera Singer.
Your dreams are those burning desires inside of you and in my opinion, what God has made you for. BUT dreams will remain dreams without goals. A goal is a more specific AIM, direction, and focus. It guides you and if broken down into smaller goals, it helps you work step by step towards accomplishing your dreams.
But goals are just goals without a specific plan and action to achieve them. Actions towards your goals are your investment to achieve them.
2) Investment:
These Olympic athletes have made huge investments in their goal. They have invested their Time, Energy and Money. They practice many hours a day, which requires huge levels of energy from their bodies. And all that training is not free. Some families invest in moving to a different city or state to train in some of the best facilities in the world.
Whatever goal we want to achieve we must also invest our time, energy and money. Depending on your goal, you will have to spend your energy, time and money to learn new skills, develop techniques, change your old habits to new ones, change your mindset and the list goes on. Without an investment of all 3 TIME, ENERGY and MONEY, dreams rarely come true.
Feel free to argue with me here but I have yet to see a person who has not invested in themselves this way and still gotten their dream.
3) Willingness to be Different:
I wasn’t even a teenager yet but I was on my way to being a very accomplished pianist. Ranked in the top 12 for my age group throughout Central NY as a kid, I definitely was different than most of my friends. I would practice sometimes 3 hours a day. I didn’t get to play sports or do as many school activities as everyone else because my life was piano.
The same is true (on a much grander scale) for many of the young people at the Olympics. They have sacrificed many things for their dream. Most have made that personal commitment to not only eat and live healthy but not to do certain normal things kids their ages do. It might include dating, going to a regular school, or watching hours of television.
What are you willing to sacrifice or do differently to accomplish your goal?
As for my piano dream well, right around 13 years old I realized I wanted to be a normal kid and that piano was more of my parents’ dream for me than my own.
4) Coaching & Consistency:
There isn’t one Olympic athlete in the 2012 London Olympic Games that doesn’t have a coach or several coaches. In fact, in their career they have usually worked with a coach up to a certain level in their performance and then may have moved on to find a different coach that could help them go even further.
This could be true in your own goals. You may work with an initial coach who helps you set your mindset straight, then you might also have a strategic marketing and business development coach. See what I mean?
But the top Olympic athletes are CONSISTENTLY training with their coaches year after year. It’s not a one- time thing and then they are done. You can work with coaches through books, online resources, and coaching programs. Don’t let your budget stop you from learning. You can start to learn and grow from using resources at your public library.
Envision Yourself as the Best
"I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself in the top." -Serena Williams, Tennis Player
5) Faith & Belief
Serena Williams has it and this is what led to her amazing successful career. Believing that you can do something and having the FAITH are driving forces in success. When I work with my business team members, if they don’t have BELIEF in their product or the business that they are doing, they usually will struggle a whole lot and get very little results. You must BELIEVE. What is that saying? BELIEVE IT, SEE IT, ACHIEVE IT, well I think those words say it all.
Having trouble believing in your dreams or yourself? Here’s a little tip: With God all things are possible so and He can accomplish all things. So the next time you are having doubt in your dreams, take out your beautiful Believe Essential Oil (a combination of Frankincense, Rosewood, and Idaho Balsam Fir), take a few drops in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and inhale. Then rub it on your shoulders and chest and maybe even your feet. This will help you relax and encourage your mind to believe.
Now add a prayer asking the God of the Universe who can do all things to help supernaturally impart UNSHAKABLE FAITH into all parts of you. Repeat whenever you doubt or just daily for the awesomeness of it.
I hope this was helpful. Pop over to my Facebook page and let me know what part of the Olympics you are enjoying.
We publish newsletters and blogposts twice a week for our readers for general education purposes only. We cover topics that are related to achieving and maintaining total wellness which includes our emotional, physical, spiritual and financial health.
Photo credit: http://www.olympic.org/
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Are You In Prison?
I woke up from a really disturbing dream and was about to go journal it when I heard my inner voice say you need to share it. I had a dream that woke me up sobbing. At first I thought, “Well it's just a dream” but when you look a little deeper maybe it's wasn’t…
I had a dream that this really mean person who didn't like me and tried to do mean stuff got me arrested and put in jail. This jail was secret and no one knew I was in it, not my husband, not my family, no one really but me. There were other people in the jail even little kids. Some tried to escape but most of the time would end up back in the jail.
Then in the dream I realized that I could escape but was too scared to do it. I had gotten comfortable in prison. Sounds weird I know… Then I also realized that the person who put me in jail had changed over time from that mean person to my mom. But how would I escape? Then I heard a voice say forgiveness; you need to forgive the people who put you in this prison. So I started saying and praying “I forgive them” and saw the reflections of the people I needed to forgive. As I did this I just started weeping and weeping.
Lastly I saw all the ways I had kept myself in bondage and was mad at all the bunny trails I went down just so I wouldn’t have to break out and be free. I heard a voice again say, “Forgiveness, you need to forgive yourself.”
WOW what a dream huh? I woke up sobbing I was so affected by it. But it doesn’t surprise me since this past week I was working with my Mindset coach, PJ McClure, on patterns of self sabotage and where they come from. I had just had 3 conversations over the weekend with friends and we were talking about how people instill a spirit of fear in kids and if that bondage is not broken, they grow up to be adults with anxiety, worry, and usually stay stuck in situations or jobs that are much less than their true calling.
What does this mean for you? Well ask yourself what kind of prisons you are in. Are you afraid to do something more with your life? Are you afraid to go back to school, chase that dream of fill in the blank, do what you have always wanted to, or go live in a foreign country? Whatever it is I am here to tell you and pray with you that you don’t have to live in bondage anymore. Get at the roots of your bondage.
Now this may seem a little deep and weird but hear me out.
Here is a Bondage Breaking Formula:
1) Identify the prison you are in. (WARNING you may have many)
2) Recognize what put you in there. Beth Moore in her book “Get Out of the Pit” shares that we can be pushed in a pit (our prison) by other people, we can fall in a pit maybe by circumstances or a few poor choices compiled on top of each other, or we can just jump right in by our own choice.
3) Understand you were not made to live there. It can be easier and too comfortable to stay prison versus living free. (Sadly I see really talented young people who seem to feel more at home in the system then outside it.) Most people were never raised with life.
What do I mean by that? I mean that words of encouragement, positive role models, or praise are good but my belief is if we read our Bibles we would read God’s true calling on our lives. We would read words of life. If we really read, understood and believed the words GOD gave us, we would know how to avoid the prison and how to get out when we are there.
4) Ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness of your captors (no need to do this in person if you can do it in your heart), forgiveness of yourself, and forgiveness from God. If you have trouble with the first two, ask God to help you forgive.
I would like to tell you that this is a one time thing but it is not. It will usually take many times because of all the layers of junk. Occasionally, God will give you instant deliverance but in both methods it feels like losing a whole lot of weight. You just start feeling lighter. You feel like this burden is just off of you. Some lose weight or forgive slowly, some can do it quickly but we all can do it.
5) Release the spirit of bondage and fear. Again this might sound weird but my belief or thinking is there are yucky little demonic forces that can get attached to us and speak junk about ourselves right into our minds. It’s kind of like the angel on one shoulder and the devil on another. These attachments can be heavy, “you’re stupid, you’re as dumb as a box of rocks, you can’t do that you are a girl”. They definitely want to keep you for being all you were made to be.
So how do you release these bondages? Well again my belief is we pray to bind them and cast them back to the pit of Hell where they belong…. But always use the name of Jesus Christ. Even if you are not a Christian, you will see the power of using the name of Jesus Christ far surpasses anything you can do.
6) Now this exercise is not complete because we finally have to fill that space or void (cover the pit) or we will find ourselves possibly in a worse pit than before. I recommend filling that void and covering that old wound with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Blood of Jesus.
As Christians, Jesus left us the power of the Holy Spirit that is WAY underused. The Holy Spirit can give us patience, self control and peace, when our lives seem like a mess and out of control. The Blood of Jesus, your belief that Christ died for our sins and for the people who put us in prison, can cover your wounds and hurt no matter how old. This is a really important step and if you don’t have Christ and the Holy Spirit in your life you really may want to ask him into your life. Just give Him your heart, your mind, body and soul and you will see HUGE changes in your life.
Lastly I want to share with you one more secret weapon in breaking free of bondage and breaking out of prison. The Bible gives over 188 references to anointing, essential oils, and plant medicinal used to empower, heal, and increase your spiritual connection. God made these plants and essential oils but why are we not using them today? When you do the entire Prison Breaking free exercise I am going to recommend you anoint the whole process with pure essential oils.
Specifically, I recommend to start with the oil of Valor, a beautiful blend of Frankincense, Spruce, Blue Tansy and more oils which when inhaled, helps tell your brain to calm, your body to be at peace, and it tells your spirit to be courageous and strong.
Take 2-4 drops of Valor in your hand and rub your hands together, inhale the oil, apply to your shoulders, heart and feet holding your hands for 10 or more seconds in each area as you relax and feel the oils going in.
Valor is important to use every morning before you start your day as well as before you start a Bondage Breaking exercise.
Next is another Bondage Breaking oil called Transformation. This oil has a whole bunch of single essential oils blended together like Sandalwood and Frankincense. These oils were used during biblical times and can be just as beneficial today especially when you are using pure oils like in Transformation.
Take 2 to 4 drops of Transformation in your hand and rub your hands together, inhale the oil, apply to your shoulders, belly, feet and anywhere else you feel you need it. Keep inhaling the oil as you go through the exercise in Steps 1 to 6.
Finally I would say don’t be afraid. Give yourself grace because God has given it to you.
I love and appreciate your courage and determination to be the best you can be. If you feel like sharing your breakthroughs, I would love to hear them. To share publically, comment below but if you would like to privately message me email at info@starrhealth.com. Put in the subject line BREAK FREE.
Remember all of this is for your Total Wellness! God Bless your success,
Dr. Mary Starr Carter
Starr Health Ministries
We publish newsletters and blogposts twice a week for our readers for general education purposes only. We cover topics that are related to achieving and maintaining total wellness which includes our emotional, physical, spiritual and financial health.