Tips to a Happer You in 2012~When life gives you lemons, sniff them!

9 June, 2012 by 56 Comments


“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles 
and all the years you have lived.” – Helen Keller





God gave us five senses—hearing, sight, taste, touch, and smell. All of these senses send direct messages to our brains. Consider the information given by the Social Issues Research Center on the subject of fragrance and emotion: 


The association of fragrance and emotion is not an invention of poets or perfume-makers. Our olfactory receptors are directly connected to the limbic system, the most ancient and primitive part of the brain, which is thought to be the seat of emotion. Smell sensations are relayed to the cortex, where ‘cognitive’ recognition occurs, only after the deepest parts of our brains have been stimulated. Thus, by the time we correctly name a particular scent as, for example, ‘vanilla’ , the scent has already activated the limbic system, triggering more deep-seated emotional responses.

There are many references to perfumes and essential oils in the Bible. Events of sacrifice and worship most always involved essential oils. Frankincense and myrrh were two of the three gifts brought to Baby Jesus when he was born. God uses our sense of smell to make connections in our brain. 

The nose knows. Scents take us back in time to our memories that were associated with that scent. We also associate scents with certain events. 

  • Coffee = Morning
  • Fir = Christmas
  • Coconut=The Beach
  • Lemon=Clean

Studies on the effect of scents on mood show the following examples:

  • Natural plant odors make people calmer, more alert, and in better moods than those in an odor-free environment. 
  • Orange, lavender, coffee, and licorice increase attention span.
  • The smell of cleaning supplies makes people more generous. 
Aromatherapy is the practice of using natural oils to enhance psychological and physical well-being. 

We have a very personal relationship with our sniffers. What smells good to me might smell terrible to someone else. Many people love the smell of vanilla. I hate it. I used to battle with migraine headaches pretty frequently and used a heating pad on the back of my neck sometimes for relief. This particular heating pad was one that you microwave and it was vanilla scented. The heating pad never did help with my headaches; now when I smell vanilla, it gives me a headache! 

Now I realize that sticking a great smelling candle in your kitchen won’t cure depression. But it’s a small step. We can use the senses that God gave us—our sense of smell in this case—to make our environment a happier one. The little things add up to big things. 

If you are a regular reader, you know I post regularly on Saturdays and Mondays little tips and ideas to make your life happier and maybe a little easier. No single tip or change you make will be a cure-all. It’s all about small steps. I can’t tell you how many times I have cleaned all of the junk food out of the pantry, determined that my family will eat healthy, only to end up replacing most of it within a few days because everyone is fussing. As humans, we resist change, but change is necessary to grow. We must take one step at a time and repeat, repeat, repeat. We are creatures of habit and must turn these small things into habits before we move on the next one. In a year’s time, these small changes will equal big results. 

So my little {tip to a happier you} today is to think about smells you associate with good things and try to incorporate them into your life. Then go back and check out the other {tips to a happier you} and {make-a-change} Mondays I have give you this year. Have you implemented any of these? Have they stuck? Have they made a difference? I hope so. 

Life certainly isn’t easy; you never know when your coming up to the next big hill. Any small thing we can incorporate into our lives can make a difference. 

So when life gives you lemons, sniff them! 




From my heart, 



Celeste

For more information on how scent affects your mood, check out my delicious stack of article here. 



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

The Secret to a fulfilled life with purpose

7 March, 2012 by Leave a Comment


I had an article published at “Inspire A Fire” this week on the addiction part of my story. If you’ve read my story page on here you know my story is full of gut wrenching moments, but the addiction part seems to gain much attention; maybe because I’m a pharmacist, maybe because I’m a Christian, or maybe just because it’s the juiciest part of the story. It makes no difference to me, as long as someone is brought closer to Christ through it. 
One of the most important statements I wrote in that article is one that has received several comments: 
“Only when my desire to know His plan for my life became greater than my desire to fix myself, He healed me.”
That statement is what I want to focus on today. 
I whole-heartedly believe that this is the secret to a fulfilled life with purpose that has been kept far too secret. I mean, you wouldn’t think it’s a secret because the scripture tells us right there in Matthew 6: 
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
 and all these things will be added to you.
Now I was raised in the church, memorizing scripture along the way, but I’m not sure this verse ever really sunk in. I’d read this verse, but for some reason the verse that I heard in my head was Luke 11:9-10: 
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Ask and it will be given to you.
Who can’t get on board with that? Just ask. 
But both of these scriptures, Matthew 6 and Luke 11, are instructing us in how to pray. In Luke 11, we are told to be persistent in our prayers. Ask, ask, ask. But we are also told to seek. Seek what? 
Back to Matthew’s instruction on prayer: Seek ye first the kingdom of God. 
Maybe this is why we have four Gospels—four accounts of the life of Jesus on earth. God gave them to us to read them all, not just one. But I digress…
When I was fighting seizures, migraines, depression, insomnia, and addiction during my seven years of hell, you better believe I asked. I asked for God to take the seizures, migraines, depression, insomnia and addiction away. I asked to be happy again. When He was silent, I asked for the rapture. I either wanted to be healed, or be gone. I asked and asked and asked. 
But I did not seek first. 
I know God has a plan. I’ve always known he has a big, all-encompassing, life-long plan. But I never once asked him to show me what it was. I never really had the desire to know my part in His plan. 
When I had my last seizure, on August 4, 2010, I was at rock bottom. Any resilience I might have had was gone. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t have the energy to even get dressed. I loved my family, but I had resigned to the fact that I was no good for them. Marlee, my 8-year-old, was baptized on August 8, 2010, and it took every bit of strength I had to make it to her baptism. I envisioned spending the rest of my life in some type of extended care facility. It was really that bad. 
I knew this wasn’t God’s plan for my life. 
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) 
For the first time ever, it was my heart’s desire to know his plan and purpose for me. It was beyond my thoughts, down deep to the core. What my brain thought was overridden by my deepest desires.What I wanted didn’t really matter any more. I didn’t care enough about my life for Him to fix me. I had gotten to the end of myself, and the beginning of Him. 
On September 25, 2010, just over seven weeks after that last seizure, He healed me. Just like that. I woke up that Saturday morning and I was an entirely new person. My mind was clear, I had energy, I felt happy, I wanted to eat, I hugged my kids and called my husband (he was out of town), I called my family and friends, and I knew without a doubt that God had given me a miracle. 
Within three months, I was completely off all medications. It has now been almost eighteen months since I’ve been medication free, and I can honestly say I’ve had no cravings for any narcotics (which I never thought I’d be able to say), I’ve had no seizures or symptoms of seizures, I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and I sleep like a baby. 
I never want to forget how bad I was, because I never want to forget the incredible strength and mercy of my Savior.
He saved me that day.
He saved me because I was finally ready.
I was finally seeking Him first, above everything. 
From my heart,
Celeste

 

Filed Under: Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Miracles Do Happen, The Power of Prayer, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Do you have insomnia? Learn how to sleep!

11 February, 2012 by Leave a Comment
When God created the earth, he rested on the seventh day. Wouldn’t it be nice if we only had to rest once a week? It sure would free up time for my to-do list. But sleep doesn’t work that way. God created us to need sleep, and unfortunately, a little more than once a week. 
When I was in the midst of my seven years of hell, insomnia plagued me frequently. In my depression, all I wanted to do was sleep. But also in my depression, I didn’t want to do anything at all, so my brain never really told my body it needed sleep. So of course the pharmacist in me took the easy way out—a sleeping pill called Ambien. The depression and lack of activity, however, even kept the Ambien from working the way it should. I never slept for more that two to three hours at a time, and once I went twenty-one days straight with not one wink of sleep. I know, I’d tell you it was impossible too if I didn’t experience it myself. 
The sleep-wake cycle is complex. No two ways about it. There are six stages total sleep-wake cycle, and each of the following hormones plays a part: Cortisol, Acetylcholine, Glutamine, Norepinephrine, Dopamine, Serotonin, Adenosine, Galanin, GABA, Melatonin, Progesterone, etc.; are you getting the picture? Did God create a complex brain or what? He knew what he was doing and He gives us instructions on how to take care of it.
…And when they sleep, they will wake refreshed. 
(Jeremiah 31:26 CEV)
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil;
For he gives to his beloved sleep. 
(Psalm 127:2 ESV)
And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” 
For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 
(Mark 6:31 ESV)
On September 25, 2010, when God showed mercy on me and rescued me from the pit I was in, quite a few light bulbs came on. The revelations didn’t come all at once, but over a few months God revealed truths to me that I couldn’t see in the pit. I won’t bore you with too much sciency stuff, but I want to give you some absolutes about sleep. 
•   Some type of exercise early in the day will help you sleep at night. 
When we exercise, our body makes cortisol (our fight or flight hormone), which lasts in our body about eight hours. It also breaks down ATP to give us energy and a hormone called adenosine. Once the cortisol level begins to drop off early in the evening, the adenosine is there and ready to calm us down to get ready to sleep. If we exercise too late in the day, the timing doesn’t allow this process to occur any faster, so we can’t get to sleep. Since I’ve started running in the mornings, I’m typically asleep within a minute…once I stop talking of course. 

•   A sleeping pill is meant for short-term use only. 

As is the case with many drugs, once your body becomes used to them, their effect declines. Ambien, a common one used today, activates GABA receptors in your brain that control the rhythm of sleep cycles. It’s speculated that Ambien does not allow for an adequate amount of REM sleep which is necessary to recall past events. If you’ve ever taken Ambien, you know that it really messes with your memory. I can remember waking up in my bed, having no memory of the night before—no memory of getting the kids to bed, cleaning up the kitchen, or taking my shower, yet apparently I had done them all. 

•   Meditation can be a powerful tool, not medication. 

I used to roll my eyes when people told me that. I always thought meditation was just a new age title for prayer. Now I have been known to recommend prayer at bedtime, because when we pray, the devil will put us right to sleep! But when insomnia is a problem, prayer can sometimes make us dwell on the things in our lives that cause worry. Here’s a little meditation trick that I find very helpful when you can’t go to sleep: 

When you are in the bed completely relaxed, begin breathing in and out slow to the count of four.
Breathe in…1 2 3 4; breathe out…1 2 3 4.
Repeat.
 Each time you breathe out, try to let your body relax a little more by the count of four. 
By counting, your brain doesn’t have time to think about all of the things trying to crowd your brain. The repetitive action of counting and breathing naturally helps our bodies produce calming hormones like melatonin. It works like a charm. 
•   Sleep in a dark, quite room. 

The happy hormone that I’ve talked so much about, serotonin, is actually converted to melatonin to help us get into that deep sleep. However, it is impossible for serotonin to be converted to melatonin in light. Melatonin can only be produced in the dark. That’s why it’s so difficult for people who work third shift to get on a sleep cycle that is effective, and why there is such a high incidence of depression and insomnia in Alaska when the sun shines twenty hours out of the day. It may be “all in our mind,” but it’s the chemicals “all in our mind” that are in control. 
I know this was a lengthy post, but sleep is essential to everything we are. Lack of sleep causes us to be depressed, overweight, fatigued, in pain, short-tempered, stressed, anxious, etc., and insomnia plagues more people than you might think. Please share this with anyone you know who suffers from insomnia. The pharmaceutical world we live in pushes us to take this for that or that for this, when the best answer to insomnia is simple lifestyle changes. 
So put some of these tips into practice and sleep your way to a happier you! 
From my heart, 

Celeste
Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, Making Changes, Managing Prescription Drugs, Physical Wellness, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Acts of Kindness & Altruism

4 February, 2012 by 2 Comments


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.

From my heart,

Celeste


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