Top 14 Physical and Psychological Benefits of Meditation

Hi Happsters!

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately! I hope you’ve been as happy as ever!

Today I wanted to share some fascinating meditation facts with you. If you’ve never tried before, I highly suggest giving it a shot. I used the free app “Headspace“, which was created for beginners, and I can’t say enough good things about it. I love it because it starts you out with meditating 10 minutes a day for 10 days. They talk you through the whole thing and make it very easy to get started.

I’ve found that meditation helped me significantly reduce my stress levels. Meditation actually “activates the ‘rest and digest’ part of our nervous system, helping with stress management. Our heart rate slows, our respiration slows and our blood pressure drops. This is often called the ‘relaxation response.'” (Source)

I’ve compiled some of the physical benefits, as well as the psychological benefits of meditation below:

Physical Benefits of Meditation(Source) Photo by Jack Bates Photography

Psychological Benefits of Meditation(Source) Photo by Jack Bates Photography

Do you meditate? If not, are you up for giving it a go?

P.S. Get daily inspiration at http://www.instagram.com/happsters.

15 Random Acts of Kindness That Take Less Than 5 Minutes

I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2014 so far! I wanted to share with you some simple random acts of kindness that everyone has time for. All of the suggestions below take less than 5 minutes! I hope to knock these all out in less than a week. Are you with me?

15 Random acts of kindness

Are you going to do any of these random acts of kindness? Do you have another random act of kindness that isn’t on the list? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. Receive an email each Friday featuring something to make you smile as you go into the weekend here: http://tinyurl.com/heyheyfriday

Happy Quotes to Live by in 2014

Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions this year? One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to live in the moment and just be happy. If your goals are similar to mine, I think you’ll relate to these 10 happy quotes. They keep me motivated and make me stop and think about what’s really important in life. I hope you like them too!

Happy Quote #1: If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.

If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Continue reading “Happy Quotes to Live by in 2014”

5 Ways to Win the Holidays & say no to Stress

5 ways to win the holidays & say no to stressPhotography via Jack Bates

The holidays are the most magical time of the year and I don’t know about you, but December is my favorite month :). But with all of the holiday parties and present buying, sometimes stress creeps up on us unexpectedly. Here are 5 ways to win the holidays and beat holiday stress: Continue reading “5 Ways to Win the Holidays & say no to Stress”

Let’s Not Try to Figure Out Everything at Once

Lately I feel like I’ve been rushing from one thing to the next. I have a tendency to try to multi-task and get everything done as fast as I can. That’s why I love the quote:


 “Let’s not try to figure out everything at once.”

Here’s my mantra for today. Hopefully it will remind you to be more present as well.

Today I will:

Go with the flow
Breathe deeply
Live in the moment
Focus on the task at hand
Take my time
Notice the little things
Accept what is
Relax♥

Do you multi-task a lot or are you good at focusing on one thing at a time? Let me know in the comments!

5 Ways to Give Off Positive Energy

5 Ways to Give off Positive Energy

Have you ever walked into a room and felt negativity in the air? Feeling another person’s energy is actually very common. If you give off positive energy, other people will feel better around you. In contrast, if you give off negative energy others are likely to feel tense and likely want to leave. Positive beliefs, thoughts and feelings turn into positive energy that you put into the universe. YOU control your energy. Whether it be positive or negative, your energy affects everyone you come in contact with.  Continue reading “5 Ways to Give Off Positive Energy”

Why a Road Trip Might be Exactly What You Need

Why a Road Trip Might Be Exactly What You Need

When I first started dating my boyfriend, he insisted upon going on a road trip together. But road trips didn’t make much sense to me; “What’s the point of a road trip when you can get there faster on a plane?”, I asked. Finally, he convinced me to take a road trip with him to Big Sur, California. I didn’t see it then, but the road trip was exactly what I needed. Now I understand the power of road trips and their ability to boost happiness and strengthen relationships. Continue reading “Why a Road Trip Might be Exactly What You Need”

A Beautiful Life Begins with a Beautiful Mind

 Today, challenge yourself to:

Encourage rather than discourage
Be open rather than closed
Live in the moment rather than live in the past
Be peaceful rather than right
Grow flowers rather than cut flowers
Support others’ success rather than resent it
Be courageous rather than fearful
Make your life a beautiful one ♥

6 Morning Mantras You’ll Love

What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Look at your phone? Think about everything you have to do that day? Why not start your day off on the right foot by centering yourself with a morning mantra.  Just a few moments of thinking positively can transform your day.

A mantra, according to the dictionary is:

“Any sacred word or syllable used as an object of concentration and embodying some aspect of spiritual power.”

Below are 6 positive morning mantras. If any of these resonate with you,  print them out, write them down, or pin them on your Pinterest board so you can easily remember them.  Continue reading “6 Morning Mantras You’ll Love”