Simple yet effective relaxation tips!

We've all heard how important and beneficial meditation is. But it doesn't matter how many times we're told or how many statistics are thrown at us, we are still a stressed nation! Why don't we ever just take the time out to chill and De-stress? I know what you're thinking; "I don't have time to meditate, I have other things to do". I totally agree! Now that I'm at uni I sometimes feel that I don't even have the time and we live in a society now where EVERYTHING is go, go, go. Whether it's because you have children, a full-time or full-on job or even some mental health issues, it sometimes feels impossible to find any time.What if I told you that meditation doesn't need to last for more than half an hour? Here are a few of my favourite and a couple of personal tips to help you if you live very full-on lives.

Who here can instantly feel relaxed or fall asleep at the drop of a hat when they hear the sound of a thunderstorm? If you said yes, you will absolutely love this. If you're lying in bed listening to the sound of crickets and can visual tumbleweed tossing about in your mind, or you might have a million thoughts racing through your head, driving you insane. You know, those thoughts you have about something embarrassing  you did in the second grade and your brain thinks it's a fantastic time to rehash all of that? Well give this a listen and I can guarantee you'll instantly feel calm and relaxed. Just put your headphones in, press play and just zone out for a while. 

If you're stressing about a deadline or whatever stresses you have at work, simply take yourself away that environment for 10 minutes. Get a glass of water and soak up the rays and clear you mind. Studies have shown that taking yourself away from a stressful situation for 10 minutes can put you in a better frame of mind and make you work a lot better when you return. 

Breathe! I know, I'm either crazy or a genius, right?? It's weird when people say this but there is a right and wrong way when it comes to breathing.  If you breathe and your chest expands, you're doing it wrong. When you breathe, you need to use your diaphragm. When breathing in, your stomach should slowly expand and as you breathe out your stomach should do the complete opposite. It takes a bit of practice, but once you get it, it's the easiest thing in the world. If you suffer from panic attacks, you probably already know this technique but it's good for everyone, in fact, it's how we are supposed to breathe. When doing this, you will feel more relaxed!

You don't have to meditate on a beach in order to De-stress, even though the idea sounds incredible. Unfortunately for some of us, we don't have that luxury. Simply sitting down and listening to calming music is all it takes and bonus, when you're eyes are closed and doing your diaphragm breaths, when exhaling say the words "I am calm" does all sorts of wonders. Giving yourself reassurance in a relaxed environment, will make you feel so incredibly calm.  

Remember that stress isn't all that bad, it helps us excel and do a lot better in certain situations. But when it gets to a point where you feel like you can't even get through the day or you're taking it out on loved ones, it becomes a problem. You know yourself better than anyone and you only know what works for you and you only know when you will get to a breaking point. That's where these tips come in handy. I understand that you may not have the time to go to a meditation class because you have children or you don't have the money. I also know that some people only need a couple minutes to De-stress and they are fine and can not stand just sitting there for an hour. You do what's best for you! They work for me and have helped me get through the day without tearing my hair out. I hope they help you and I hope you at least give them a try!

See you next time!


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The best documentaries to watch about fast food and the obesity epidemic.

We all know about the obese epidemic, it effects some of us but if you're lucky, not all of us. Unfortunately, the people who don't face the difficulties of fast food and obesity are a minority. I've done a lot of research as to why this is happening, mainly watching a lot documentaries on youtube. It is so shocking to see people so overweight that they can't even walk a few steps without wearing themselves out. We shouldn't be living a world like this!

If you're at all interested in this topic, regardless of whether you are obese or you just want to know more; here are my favourite short documentaries on the subject I think you should watch.

The first one is Fast Food Baby. It is absolutely shocking! If you have children and feed them fast food regularly, you need to watch this. The documentary follows 3 families who feed their children A LOT of fast food. One family has take away 5 nights a week! They feed their 16 month old this stuff on a daily basis, the one thing that shocked me the most was how much coca cola they were giving him. It's around 6 cans, a day! I don't know about you, but I can't even imagine drinking 1, let alone 6 cans a day. When they're not giving their children fast food, they have a cabinet full of sweets that their children can just grab as they please. You can only imagine what all this food is doing to them. Their calorie intake is bigger than mine! It is so mind boggling how some parents can do this, but then again, I'm not a parent. I can only imagine how hard it must be to figure out what to cook your kids for dinner and having to do that every night. I struggle to do that for myself! The important message in this documentary is that regardless of whether you can't cook, or you hate cleaning up the mess after cooking a meal, you need to look after your child's health. In the long run, that is the most important thing.


My second pick is Too Fat to Toddle. This documentary is very short and sweet and straight to the point. And again, it's about obesity in children. I only just finished watching it and it is truly inspirational. Again, it follows a few families on their journey to getting their children healthy. It's so sad to watch a little girl running and getting so puffed out. When I was kid, I had so much energy and would run around like a mad thing until it was time for bed, I'm sure a lot of you reading were the same. I really hope that obesity in children is not a new thing and we can nip this in the bud, as soon as possible.



My last pick is a documentary show called Big Meets Bigger. It's very interesting and so eye opening. The show consists of 2 people, usually female who have had trouble with their weight, they live with a family who eat like they breathe. There are some very heart breaking moments, that make you so thankful for the amazing, healthy lives we live. It's worth a watch. There are quite a few episodes and they all shot in different countries. The one I have linked you to, is based in Mississippi. To those of you who don't know, Mississippi has claimed the title of the fattest state in America!!


So there you have it, my picks of the lot. I hope you check these out. They don't go for very long, which I think is great. But there is so much you can take from them all.


See you next time!

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