Seven Important “P” Words That Can Make or Break You

1 April, 2013 by 6 Comments

 april12013

1. Peace~Claim it; God has already given it to us.

I have said these things to you, than in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 ESV)

2. Procrastination~Stop it; We always regret it when we procrastinate. Why do we do it even though we know better?

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (Proverbs 13:4 ESV)

3. Perseverance~stand strong through the struggle, and you will be rewarded.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12 ESV)

4. Priorities~God first. Always. If you seek Him first, everything else will fall into place.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

5. Peculiar~God chose us. He wants us to be different, to stand out. So that our peculiar manner will reveal his light.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9 KJV)

6. Phobia~When God is for us, who can be against us? If we believe in a holy and righteous God who is the creator of the world, then we should know he’s got it all under control. Nothing to fear.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9 ESV)

7. Pupik~ It’s yiddish for “bellybutton.” If you didn’t have one you’d be an alien! Wink

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Filed Under: Handling Stress, How to be Happy, Living with Purpose

Thought #10: Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

10 January, 2013 by 2 Comments

Okay. So I set up this series of posts before Christmas, and of course these last few I’ve written at the last minute (It’s just after midnight on the 10th).  And right now, I don’t feel very qualified to write a post about being overwhelmed, because I am so overwhelmed right now!

Not really about important things, just things that seem urgent—like taking down my real Christmas tree that is still standing (well, actually kind of falling apart at this point).

And my house is a wreck. How is it that just two weeks ago, everything was clean and decorated and uncluttered and pretty, and now it looks like a tornado hit it? My word for 2013 is SIMPLIFY. If it’s clutter, or even closely resembles clutter, it’s out the door. (I say that so easily now, but I agonize over every little thing I get rid of. What’s the deal with that? I always feel better when it’s gone.)

And the laundry. UUGGHHHH! If Adam and Even hadn’t eaten that stupid fruit and realized they were naked, there would be no such thing as laundry!

And as we speak my hubby is in the kitchen/office tearing it apart even more looking for a piece of notebook paper he wrote some very important financial information on, and now it’s nowhere to be found. 

And Miranda is going through some relationship stuff…normal for an 18-year-old but I tend to go through it with her emotionally.

And Trevor has bronchitis and has missed two days of school and has two projects due plus a paper not to mention the homework and classwork he’s missed.

And Marlee got her cast off but is anxious about using her arm and is sad about having to miss her gymnastics meet this weekend.

Have I whined enough yet? Do all of my run-on sentences reveal my stress? And yet most of this stuff really doesn’t matter. A week from now I won’t be worried about any of it.

What  a way to end this New Years series, huh?

I know worrying doesn’t do any good. Lots of energy would serve me well right now, but worrying won’t help any of this a bit.

I’m so beyond blessed with my family and my life I have no reason to whine, so please forgive me for the pity party and thank you for actually reading this far! The thing is, God has it all under control. None of this stuff on my mind right now matters one bit in eternity. Sometimes I  just need reminding. I’m almost to ashamed to voice my trivial little issues here when there are so many people with real problems. But if I’m being honest, this is it right now.

Now that I’ve “voiced” all of my issues, I’m going to attempt to let them all go when I hit the “publish” button on this post. Tomorrow I”ll get up and take them one step at a time.

“Don’t worry, be happy,” right? God’s got this! 

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Filed Under: Handling Stress, How to be Happy, Ten Thoughts for a Happy, God-centered Life Tagged With: , ,

Thought #9: Leave the Past Behind You

9 January, 2013 by 6 Comments

pastquote

Everyone has a past. That past, good or bad, can shape you into the person you are to become—good or bad. Sometimes bad experiences from the past could cause us to make poor choices in our future, and then sometimes just the opposite is true. Sometimes it’s the bad events of the past that cause us to make good decisions for our future. The point is, you either learn from your past or you don’t.

How many times have you seen a family with a history of abuse that produces children who grow up to be abusive? And there are abused children who grow up and become advocates for other abused children to help stop the cycle.

When we receive Christ as our Savior, the Bible says we become “new.” The old us disappears. But does this mean we will never sin again? Unfortunately not. We live in a fallen world, and we face temptations and struggles every day. But the gift of Salvation allows those sins to be redeemed. Sometimes it takes a mistake to help understand exactly what the will of God is…

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV)

The last thing in the world I want to dwell on is the mistakes I made when I ended up addicted to Lortab. I can replay the series of events with the migraines, seizures, and sinus surgery in my head over and over.  I can go back and think, “If only I’d done _____,” but that does no good. It happened, and praise God that time in my life is over.  I certainly don’t believe that God caused me to go through all of the things I did for seven years, but I do believe he allowed me to gain a new perspective so I can understand him better—so I could have a close relationship with him.

The past often brings shame, fear, resentment…all of those emotions you want to bury. Admitting addiction was the most shameful thing I’ve ever had to do. It was also the most  freeing thing I’ve ever done. Much to my surprise, other people were not shocked that I wasn’t perfect! (Imagine that!) And it was okay! It’s so much easier being exactly who you are… not some “made up” version of who you think people think you should be. (Did that make any sense?)

So learn from your past, but don’t let it define who you are…let it define who you are becoming. 

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Filed Under: How to be Happy, Ten Thoughts for a Happy, God-centered Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Thought #8: Live for today in gratitude and thanks

8 January, 2013 by 2 Comments

 

When Ann Voskamp wrote her book, One Thousand Gifts, she obviously awakened a place we’ve needed to get back to. A place where we can “live fully right where we are.”

As part of the human {rat}race, we are always “movin’ on up” as George Jefferson would say. We are constantly trying to be better—richer, thinner, more talented, etc. We search for blessings in our future as things we must earn. If we spend out entire lives striving to be more, when do we ever reach enough? When can we stop and see what blessing God has for us in the here and now?

thankful

My daddy used to love to say, “Live like you will die tomorrow, but plan like you will live forever.” He said it, but honestly, I believe he did a bit more planning than living. But he lived exactly the way he wanted to, and died with no regrets. He planned for the future financially, but he didn’t put all of his blessings on a shelf to be enjoyed at a later date “when there was more time,” or “when we could afford it.”

James 1:17 tells us whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father. We have so many things around us to enjoy and be thankful for.

Today was an especially busy day for me, and I admit to being frustrated about one thing or another most of the day. And I regret it. Getting caught up in the chaos is such a habit for us, it happens before we realize it. We must learn to intentionally slow down, take a deep breath, and look around us at the things we can be thankful for. (You can tweet that here if you’d like Wink)

Okay, here I go with my post-it notes again…

Try putting little post-it notes scattered throughout your house and car, and every time you see one stop, take a deep breath, and say a little prayer of thanks for something or someone around you. I’ll be doing this myself so I don’t have more days like today! If you can use the post-it notes for 21 days—and actually say a prayer or thanks every time you see one—it should be a habit by the time your 21 days is complete.

If you haven’t read One Thousand Gifts, it’s a must. The way we process thoughts is partially a habit. This is one way to change your thinking that can actually change your world. 

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Filed Under: How to be Happy, Ten Thoughts for a Happy, God-centered Life Tagged With: , ,

Thought #7: Helping others is key to leading a happy life

7 January, 2013 by 2 Comments

Well, here it is 11:17 pm on Jan 6th. My goal for the first 10 days of the year was to post once daily about how certain thoughts can actually change our world. And I believe 100% in these ten “thoughts” I’m writing about. My goal of posting daily for the first ten days of the year, however, might have been a bit ambitious. Because now it’s 11:23 pm, and I’m ending up worrying about myself after all because I don’t think I can stay awake to write this post! So…in an attempt to still elaborate on the thought for the day and give you information other than my dreams, I’ve pulled from the archives (I’m not sure, but I think that makes me sound old!)

Today’s particular thought on helping others was one of the posts in my series, “Tips to a happier  you in 2012,” so I’m reposting and getting to cheat a little. And get to sleep before midnight. Smile Enjoy!

Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
 (Romans 15:1-2 Msg)
The definition of altruism in the New American Oxford Dictionary reads as follows:
altruism |ˈaltroōˌizəm|
noun
the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others
One of the foundational truths repeated time and time again throughout the Bible is that we should practice altruism:
You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.
(Mark 12:31 ESV)
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law of the Prophets.
(Matthew 7:12 ESV)
We are to care for and have compassion for our fellow man.
Much scientific research has been done on the effects of altruism, and it has been proven time and time again it benefits both the giver and the receiver. Acts of kindness and altruism have shown to actually increase serotonin production in both parties involved.
When we are depressed, we tend to maintain the “poor, pitiful me” status. You can only remain miserable by continuing to look inward. When we begin to help someone else, we take our focus off ourselves and begin looking outward.
In doing some research on altruism, I did find a few studies that support findings that altruism can contribute to depression. The giver can get wrapped up in the problems of the receiver and become depressed. I do understand that way of thinking, and that’s where our faith must come into play. There will always be sad situations that are ultimately out of our control. But that’s where God comes in. We are only commanded to help others, not to solve all of their problems. God has a plan and as Christians, we must trust him to carry out that plan. We are only to carry out the part of that plan as he presents it to us.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28 ESV)
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
(Ephesians 1:11 ESV)
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 19:26 ESV)
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
(Proverbs 19:21 ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)
Serving others is always an adventure. To begin an act of service is to open yourself up to blessings you never know existed.
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’(Matthew 25:40 ESV)
Matthew 6:19-21 tells us not to collect treasures here on earth, but to lay up our treasures in Heaven. Have you ever wondered what that really means? Every single person on the earth has eternal significance—they all have souls worth saving—and will be our treasures in Heaven. 
I challenge you this week to look outward into the world around you and see what you can do for someone else.
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Filed Under: How to be Happy, Ten Thoughts for a Happy, God-centered Life Tagged With: , , , ,

“Change your thoughts and you change your world”~Norman Vincent Peale

31 December, 2012 by 22 Comments

 

One of the first non-fiction books I ever read was The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. I was in my first year of college at Clemson University, and I was hopelessly homesick. My mom put everything into my hands she could to help me through that first semester at Clemson, and that book was part of the package.

It’s a shame wisdom comes with age, but I’m sure it’s all part of God’s plan. That’s one of those questions I’ll ask Him someday.  From that first year at Clemson, through pharmacy school at USC, marriage, three children, too many funerals to count, seven years of grand-mal seizures and migraine headaches and addiction to narcotics, God has instilled much wisdom. My hubby has always said, “Hindsight is 20/20” and he is so right. Even after all of the struggles of life I’ve survived, I still need reminders to help remember what’s important in life.

I’ve always said I wish I could write on the inside of my eyelids, so I’d get a subliminal message every time I blink. So for the first ten days of the new year, I thought I’d share some of those “eyelid reminders” with you and remind myself in the process.

So join me for the next ten days for some “celestial” wisdom (celestial meaning “heavenly,” of course)…thoughts to renew your mind and so that you might be transformed to live a happy, God-centered life.

P.S. Sign up for your prescriptions to come right to your email so you don’t miss any 😉

As a bonus start to a blessed new year, here’s a free printable for your fridge, mirror, or wherever you might need a little reminder and join along with me as we go through these thought for the first ten days of 2013. SmileI’m thinking my bathroom mirror…enjoy!

Click here to download the free PDF printable: Click here to download your “Ten Thoughts” Printable 🙂

Ten LIfe-Changing Thoughts for a Happy 2013

 

Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, Freedom in Christ, Handling Stress, Have an Eternal Perspective, How to be Happy, Living with Purpose, Marriage Menders, Parenting Tips, Real Relationships, Simplify Your Life, Ten Thoughts for a Happy, God-centered Life, Your Relationship with God

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Laughter really is the best medicine

20 October, 2012 by 6 Comments
 
With winter approaching, many people are affected by seasonal affective disorder and fight the wintertime blues. Since my busy life has made it difficult for me to post lately, I thought I’d repost my series of practical tips to get those happy hormones in your brain working to create a happier you this winter. Enjoy!
As a pharmacist, a patient, and a child of God who’s had to be “parented” quite a lot over the last eight years, I have learned many practical solutions to insomnia, depression, anxiety, and addiction. I’ve also learned that these four issues often go hand in hand, and are directly related to the chemicals in our brain. The pharmacist in me sought a medical solution–pills. And as most of you know, pills just made things worse.
Throughout this year, I’m going to share small, easy changes you can make in your life that will make for a happier you. All of these tidbits of information are based in both scientific fact and scripture. Medicine and faith really can walk hand in hand when God is your first and foremost physician. I’ll try to keep it simple as far as the “sciency” stuff goes, but a little knowledge about the brain really helps understand why these solutions work.
Most of you have probably heard about the hormone we have called serotonin, right? It’s that almighty chemical the media flooded us with information about when Prozac was first introduced. There is another hormone in your brain called cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone that really kicks in we we are under high stress, afraid, in a hurry, etc. It’s the one that helps us with our “fight or flight” mechanism. Remember that term from high school biology? Well, these two hormones do not coexist well. When Cortisol is high, like when you are worried or stressed, Serotonin is low. And vice versa. 
I’m here to tell you that you don’t need Prozac or one of it’s relatives to help. There are numerous small changes you can make in your lifestyle that have been clinically proven to increase the serotonin levels in your brain. 
Today I want to tell you about laughter aerobics. “What?” Yes, laughter aerobics. This has got to be one of the silliest things I’d ever heard of, but it really exists. Laughter aerobics is a class where people basically sit in a circle and one person is appointed to begin laughing. Fake, real, goofy…it doesn’t matter. They just have to laugh. In turn, everyone else starts laughing too. The great thing is, you don’t have to go to an aerobics class! In the evening, after your work day is complete, do some laughter aerobics with your family. Your kids will think you’re nuts, but that’s all part of the fun! I promise you will end your day with a happy note, your cortisol levels will decrease, your serotonin levels will increase, and as a bonus, you will sleep better.
To top it off, science is not the only confirmation that laughter will make you happier. Read the prescription verse for today. From this verse comes the quote we’ve all heard, “laughter is the best medicine.” 
So tonight, begin your new year by making this small change. Spend just five minutes with your family playing laugh aerobics. I promise you won’t regret it and what do you have to lose?
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, God's Pharmacy, Handling Stress, How to be Happy, Making Changes, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , , , , ,

VACATION!!!

23 July, 2012 by 1 Comment


Don’t you just love this verse? Current application for me: V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

We are immersing ourselves in white sugary beaches and tantalizing blue water.

(View from our balcony)


Rest for a while, he says.

Vacations of my past were filled with the stress and anxiety of addiction, migraine headaches and seizures. Especially at the beach. The glaring sun and blistering heat set up perfect conditions. Those vacations were anything but restful—only stressful and guilt-ridden. My family suffered the consequences of my depression.

But no more.

I’m enjoying every little bit of this vacation, thankful for every minute of freedom, good health, and happiness.

So as I take a little time away from my blog, I pray that you will be enjoying a little rest as well as this summer comes to an end.

I’m sure I won’t be able to stay away for too long though. I’ll see you soon!

From my heart, 
Celeste
Filed Under: How to be Happy, Simplify Your Life Tagged With:

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Be careful little ears what you hear

21 July, 2012 by 1 Comment




Summer months are lazy months. Kids are home from school and all they want to do is sleep late and then when they finally do get out of bed, they plop down on the sofa to television. And I fall right into the trap with them! Especially if there’s housework to be done. Procrastination is often my adversary. 

When I start feeling like a sloth…
                                                                                                         …I get my iTunes going. 


At least it does these days. 

During my years of depression, you would never find me listening to music. Why? It made me think. I didn’t want to think, I didn’t want to hear anything that might make me feel something. I didn’t want to hear any of the voices inside my head (an upcoming blog post you don’t want to miss.) So television was my go-to. I could sit numbly on the sofa absorbed in someone else’s made up life. Actually kind of like the One Tree Hill marathon I watched with Miranda last week…but that’s a different story. 

I’ve been blogging about the five senses God gave us and today we will talk about hearing. 

What we hear has a direct route to our brains and has a direct effect on the way we think. In the elderly population, depression is often triggered by a loss of hearing. This sparked the idea that sound therapy could be a solution for depression in the hearing population…they just need to be listening to the right stuff. 

This is where my research got really technical…and actually really boring…reading about difference in frequency and sound waves. I’ll just depend on those providing sound therapy to handle that part. I’m much more interested in what it does to the brain. Here’s what a found (it’s bit technical too, but much more interesting—if the sciency stuff loses you, skip down til you see the ***):

Sound Therapy is a non-pharmacological option in the treatment of depression and a tool that could make counseling more effective by supporting it with a physiological impact on brain activation. Creative, focused work or meditation also stimulates the left hemisphere. Research showed that the stronger is the left orientation, the happier the person is likely to be. Sound Therapy directly stimulates the left-brain, so long term Sound Therapy listening is likely to increase levels of happiness. Someone who had had a tendency to depression may need a significant period of time to reshape the brain’s responses. Sound therapy has also side effects, but they are all good: better sleep, more energy, better audition, memory, concentration and learning abilities improved… Don’t you think it is better for you or your child than the drugs with all these terrible side effects?


Okay, so it works on the left hemisphere of the brain. Here’s a little more of my research: 



***
Remember that brain diagram I gave you the other day to illustrate the awe of God’s creation? It’s a diagram of the limbic system—right where our emotional responses come from and right where sound therapy works. The left pre-frontal cortex mentioned above is the first responder in our brains to any type of emotional event. If it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, we don’t know how to recover from very sad events. That’s often when depression occurs. So anything that can keep these parts of our brain functioning like God planned, and in a manner pleasing to God, is a good thing. 

Do I think sound therapy is a cure all? No. But I do believe God gave us what we need. He made us in his image. He gave us a brain that is unbelievable and five senses that have a direct effect on that brain. We need to lean on him, not on our own understanding and the trends our world has conformed to. 

I hope I didn’t lose you with all the sciency stuff. All five senses can be used to fight depression. We just have to know how to use them correctly. 

 


Remember the song we sang in Sunday School? 

God tells us in today’s prescription verse above we should not conform to this world, and our society is all about the quick fix. I’ll be the first to tell you that antidepressants are very helpful for some people. But not this many: 

latimes.com




October 19, 2011

 

Antidepressants apparently keep a lot of people functional, according to new data from the federal government.

 

The most recent statistics about antidepressant use in the United States, released Wednesday, show 11% of Americans ages 12 and older take the medication. Antidepressants are the most common prescription drug used by people ages 18 to 44. Almost one-quarter of all women ages 40 to 59 take antidepressants. 

Click here to read the entire article. You will be stunned.

What if some disaster happened and drugs were suddenly unavailable? Where would that leave us? Our need for medication keeps us imprisoned. Sometimes this is unavoidable, and we deal with it.

But are 11% of all Americans over 12 years of age really clinically depressed?

I don’t think that’s part of God’s plan. Do you?

From my heart, 

Celeste


P.S. Click here to go to my delicious stack with more articles on sound therapy and depression. 

          P.S.S. In case you’re really interested in Sound Therapy specifically, Here are some links for    sound therapy providers, but I think the right music on iTunes can be pretty effective 😉


Antidepressants apparently keep a lot of people functional, according to new data from the federal government.The most recent statistics about antidepressant use in the United States, released Wednesday, show 11% of Americans ages 12 and older take the medication. Antidepressants are the most common prescription drug used by people ages 18 to 44. Almost one-quarter of all women ages 40 to 59 take antidepressants.


Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, How to be Happy, Making Changes, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , , , ,

Tip to a Happier You in 2012~I’ve been kidnapped!

15 July, 2012 by Leave a Comment


Well, here it is Saturday evening, and I haven’t posted my {tip to a happier you} for today yet. But I have a good excuse:


I’ve been kidnapped and taken to Tree Hill, North Carolina! 

I’ve been shot in the chest, almost drowned, gotten arrested for beating up an abusive father, given birth early to twins that I wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant with only to have my husband forget and leave one of them in the car, been admitted to a mental health facility for blackout episodes because I forgot I had a son six years ago, and almost had a breakdown when my husband disappeared for a week and we didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Luckily, everything ended happily.
Miranda, my 18-year-old, had her wisdom teeth taken out this week. So I have played the roll of caregiver—which for Miranda means making her jello and spaghetti, escorting her plethora of friends in and out to see her, and sitting beside her to keep her company while watching the show of her choice—One Tree Hill.  

Miranda is one of those girls that loves for her friends to spend the night. I have always loved it that she wants them to come here, so we frequently allow them to.

This week, however, held one obstacle: our air conditioner upstairs is broken and must be replaced, so everyone is sleeping downstairs. Did this deter her friends from wanting to spend the night? Nope. So downstairs this week, I’ve had all three sofas made into beds, an extra twin mattress beside one of them, and a double air mattress beside another. Between kids coming and going, fixing meals for Miranda, for my family, and for any extras that may be here, and being kidnapped into the world of One Tree Hill I’m exhausted! I don’t think I’ve loaded and emptied the dishwasher this many times in years—all in the midst of giving birth early to the twins and escaping from the drug dealer kidnapper of course.


When I was depressed, I often found myself watching television and getting wrapped up in others lives so I didn’t have to think about my own. But I would DVR them and only get to watch them when they aired on television. Now we have Netflix. You can sit and literally watch 84 episodes back to back—pausing for potty breaks of course. I suppose it’s a good thing we didn’t have Netflix when I was going through depression. Sitting absorbed in someone else’s life for hours at a time would have been just fine with me, but I think my family would have thrown me to the curb. 


After the hours of One Tree Hill this week, I prefer my life any day of the week, thank you very much. But only because God has blessed me with the ability to be happy again, and in the process, has taught me much about what’s important in life. 

So where’s the tip this week? I’ll let you figure it out. This week has left me with a disaster of a house, too much washing to be done, and sleep deprived from the One Tree Hill marathon. I sat down to write a few times only to hear, “MOM! Can you__________?” But I got to spend the week beside my soon-to-be-grown-up-and-gone Miranda. We made a memory.

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Even if it is watch a One Tree Hill marathon 😉
From my heart, 
Celeste
Filed Under: How to be Happy, Parenting Tips, Simplify Your Life, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , , ,

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~The Power of Touch

30 June, 2012 by 1 Comment

I’m back to my posts on how we can use the five senses God gave us to fight depression and made us happier. Today it’s the power of touch. 

The touch of Jesus is illustrated through story after story in the Bible. 

  • The story from the prescriptions verse above where he touched the leper and healed him.
  • The story of Peter when he stepped out of the boat to walk on water. When he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. But when Jesus took his hand, they walked across together. 
  • The story illustrated in Matthew 28 where Jesus touches the eyes of the blind man and restores his sight.
  • The story in Mark chapter 7 where Jesus healed the man who was deaf and dumb through touching his ears and his tongue. 
  • The story in Luke chapter 8 where the woman touched the hem of Jesus’s garment and was healed. 
Jesus healed all of these people through his touch. But was it really his touch that did the healing? God sent Jesus to earth in human form. He was not an angel or a spirit or a deity when he was on earth. He was human. So how did his touch heal so many? 

I believe it was the faith behind his touch. Because Jesus was the Son of God, people had faith in his touch. It was really a no-brainer if you ask me. But now let me tell you another story…

I have a friend, Patty Mason, who suffered severe depression—nearly to the point of suicide, back in mid-1990. She has suffered a difficult childhood and put all of her happiness in her own husband and children. But something was always missing. She could never fully leave her past behind and depression overcame her. In the shower one morning—the morning that she told God she’d had it…she was going to end her life—God impressed upon her to go to her MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) group that day. So she went. 

After listening to a speaker who just happened to be speaking on depression, she stayed a little late to chat with the speaker. Before she knew it, she was pouring out her heart to this woman she didn’t even know, sobbing uncontrollably in front of other women, who were no doubt staring in disbelief. 

After intently listening, this woman reached out to console Patty, touching her left arm. In that exact instant, the depression disappeared. 

And never had the guts to return. 

Did this woman heal her? No. Did Jesus heal in the Bible? I don’t think so. God worked through them—through the power and faith of their touch—to heal. 

Now I realize the trinity puts a whole other spin on the situation, but Jesus was in human form when he lived here on earth. I don’t presently recall any stories in the Bible that Jesus’s touch did not heal, but I bet there were some people touched by Jesus who were not healed, because they did not believe. 

Researchers have spent much time, effort, and money learning how human touch affects human emotion. You can see some of the articles in my research in my delicious stack, but I can tell you all the literature show a direct proportion between hugs and happiness.

Have you ever seen someone on the street with a sign that says “Free Hugs?” In most cases it’s not some nutcase trying to get close to you. There is a movement going on to increase happiness and love through the power of hugs. 


Besides just observation, Dr. Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute (you know it must be important if it has it’s own institute) says the following: 

The benefits of touch seem to stem largely from its ability to reduce levels of cortisol, a stress hormone manufactured by the adrenal glands. This was measured in two dozen studies. She said that touching with moderate-pressure (a firm handshake) stimulates activity in the vagus nerve, one of the 12 cranial nerves in the brain, which in turn slows the heart and decreases the production of stress hormones including cortisol (remember, that’s the fight or flight hormone I’ve discussed in other {tips to a happier you} posts).  

Other studies published from the Touch Research Institute, published in peer-reviewed journals, demonstrate that touch contributes to…


  • Decreased pain. Children with mild to moderate juvenile rheumatoid arthritis who were given messages by their parents 15 minutes per day for one month experienced less anxiety and lower cortisol levels. Over a 30-day period, parents, kids, and their physicians reported less pain overall in the children.  
  • Enhanced immune function. In studies, women with breast cancer and HIV patients showed a measurable increase in natural killer cells—part of a line of defense in the immune system against virus-infected cells and cancer cells—after massage. They also experienced less anxiety and depression. 
  • Happier, healthier babies. Preemies who were touched more while in the NICU gained more weight.
  • Less labor pain. Women in labor who received a backrub the first 15 minutes of every hour of labor reported less pain and made fewer requests for pain medications. Their labor was also shorter, on average.
  • Enhanced alertness and performance. Following massage, adults completed math problems in significantly less time and with fewer errors.   


Okay, enough of the sciency stuff. I think you’re getting my point.  

When we were in Chicago last week meeting the head honchos of the home health franchise we are looking into, there was a very unique impression made on me by Shelley, the president/CEO of the company. After our initial dinner meeting—which consisted of ten couples and a few executives—she bid us good-bye with a hug…each and every one of us. I’m guessing that as a CEO of a successful company, she knows the value of a hug. 

If God worked through the touch of his son Jesus, he can work through our touch. After all, we are his children too! 

From my heart, 
Celeste
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, How to be Happy, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Miracles Do Happen, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Make-a-change Monday~Count Your Blessings

25 June, 2012 by Leave a Comment


I’m beginning to think I’ve never placed enough value on actually counting my blessings. I know I’m blessed. I’ve had a very comfortable life overall—yes I struggled for those awful seven years, but I now see that as a blessing too! It’s the small blessings in the every day that I take for granted. 

The prescription verse today tells us whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father. I’ve had some gentle reminders lately that counting blessings is important—not something we should neglect or take for granted. 

  • A few months ago I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It immediately became a best seller.
  • Our church recently sang a remake of the old hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” Haven’t heard that song in years. 
  • In my research for my {Tips to a Happier You} Saturday posts, I’ve seen over and over again how important it is to actually write down your blessings—the exercise of writing down things you’re thankful for has been proven to actually help with depression.

I created a “One Thousand Blessings in 2012” page here on my blog that I’ve added to throughout the year, but I’m just on number 200. Not because I’m not thankful, but when you go to write down those little blessings, it’s really hard to think of them…without repeating the same ones over and over that is.


So my {make-a-change} Monday challenge for you—and me—is to write down three blessings every day. Just three things, big or small, that you were thankful for that day. 

Sounds easy, right?

If you’d like, hop on over to my One Thousand Blessings page, scroll all the way to the bottom, and put your blessings in the comment section each day. We can help each other realize the God-given blessings all around us!

I believe there’s more to recognizing our blessings that meets the eye 😉

From my heart,
Celeste
Filed Under: Beating Depression, How to be Happy, Make-a-change Mondays, Making Changes Tagged With: , , ,

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Happiness by Choice

23 June, 2012 by Leave a Comment


David and I have been in Chicago this week at a training seminar for a home health care franchise we are purchasing in South Carolina. My brain is drained and we’ve had very little sleep. As I was in the seminar this morning, I was thinking, “When am I going to get my blog post done for tomorrow?” (You know the perfectionist in me can’t leave you without a {tips to a happier you} post for Saturday). 
As we were looking at their websites and blogs, I ran across this slideshow they posted and decided it would be perfect for your happy tip this week. 

If you read the prescription verse above and think, “What does that verse have to do with happiness?”, let me tell you: People who have suffered and overcome struggles in life have gained wisdom. Whether it’s addiction, depression, bankruptcy, loss, whatever…they have learned from the experience. 

When I was battling with depression and addiction, I wish I had been more willing to seek advice from others who had overcome. Instead, I stayed home in my pajamas and shut myself off from anyone and everyone. I didn’t want the difficulty of relationships and I certainly didn’t want to deal with the masks and pleasantries required for social     interaction. 

Maybe that’s why I had to suffer as long as I did. 

Maybe I’d have been ready for God to use me sooner if I’d been willing to learn from others. 

Maybe everything had to happen exactly as it did for me to learn how God wanted to use me to teach what I had to learn the hard way. 

Anyway, enjoy the slideshow below. Many of my Saturday tips I’ve shared thus far are included in the slideshow, so hopefully it will give you an overview of what happy looks like. 

I realize that depression is not a choice, but I believe happiness can be. Remember, it’s all about small steps—changing your thoughts a little at a time. 
Happiness by choice

View more presentations from hosanna



From my heart, 


Celeste
Filed Under: How to be Happy, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With:

Make-a-Change Monday~A Time for Bubbles

14 May, 2012 by Leave a Comment


Well, if you read my post on Saturday, you know I stayed off the computer for the weekend so not too much thought went into the {make-a-change} for today. 
I will share with you what I did instead of writing a post for today, which might just be a {make-a-change} we all need to make sometimes 😉




 
Who say’s you can’t put bubbles in a
Jacuzzi?!? 
Hope you had a wonderful mother’s day! 
From my heart, 
Celeste
Filed Under: How to be Happy, Just for Fun, Life Through the Lens, Make-a-change Mondays Tagged With: