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Anxiety

Stressed? Anxious? Looking for a better balance? All of the above? Life can be hard sometimes, but don't let the tough days get you down. Conquer them with strength and positivity, and when they're through, give one of these healthy ideas to teach you how to relax and treat yourself a go. Because you're worth it!

How to Relax: 6 Healthy Ways to Treat Yourself

Essential oils are amazing when it comes to stress and stress relief, and there are plenty of ways to work them into your routine. You can steam and inhale them, take a bath with them, spray them on your skin or pillows – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Certain essential oils, like lavender and jasmine, are known to relieve stress and send your body into major relaxation. Check out our favorite essential oils for stress, and enjoy some much-needed calm and relaxation!

The Best Essential Oils for Stress

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‘A NEGATIVE MIND WILL NEVER GIVE YOU A POSITIVE

‘A NEGATIVE MIND WILL NEVER GIVE YOU A POSITIVE LIFE.’ —Unknown
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As I was flipping through a magazine a few years ago, I read a study that has been a real game-changer for me.
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It went a little something like this:
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A research group studied feelings of tiredness in 2 groups of people. Both groups got the same amount of sleep and exerted the same amount of energy throughout the study, but the Test Group was led to believe they were more well-rested than they really were.
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The result?
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[Nearly] everyone in the Test Group reported lower levels of fatigue and higher levels of alertness compared to the Control Group, which led the researchers to believe our PERCEPTION of how tired we are plays a huge role in how we actually feel on a daily basis.
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I admit I was skeptical, but I’ve always found that when I stop focusing on the negative and concentrate on the positive instead, I can almost always talk myself out of feeling tired, moody, irritable, impatient, or whatever other negative emotion that’s plaguing me.
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I really believe there is something in the notion that we can change the way we feel simply by changing our perception, and that is more important now than ever.
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So the next time you wake up feeling exhausted and cranky, try changing your mindset. Put the negativity down, choose happiness, and see where it takes you.
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I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

‘DEAL WITH YOUR FEELINGS.’ —Tanisha Herrin .

‘DEAL WITH YOUR FEELINGS.’ —Tanisha Herrin
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I started drafting a post with tips for staying positive when you’re struggling with motivation this morning, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish the post because I have been the exact opposite of positive and motivated the last few days.
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Ontario announced a 3rd stay-at-home order this week, and my sweet girl was a puddle of tears when I picked her up on Tuesday. Teachers were given a 10-minute warning to tell students to pack up their belongings, and while I held my daughter in the school yard as she cried, my heart broke for her.
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This has been hard on all of us, but it’s been especially difficult for kids. I can’t imagine how it must feel to have school, extracurricular activities, playdates, sleepovers, family trips, and holiday celebrations taken away as a child. I feel like all I’ve done over the last year is dish out one disappointment after another, and with no end in sight, it’s hard not to feel the weight of it all.
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If you know me IRL, you know I’m all about finding light in times of darkness. I believe every situation is design to teach us something, and try not to stay stuck in the suck for too long, but this week was different.
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I felt really sad, and for the first time in a long time I realized that what I needed more than anything was to just feel all the feels. So I emailed my daughter’s teacher to let her know we were taking the night off from homework, shut my computer down, left the laundry in the dryer, ate peanut butter out of the jar (highly recommend btw), and polished off a bottle of wine with my husband, and it felt so good.
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We all woke up with renewed positivity on Wednesday, yesterday I wrote out a list of goals I want to tackle over the next 4 weeks, and today I feel more motivated and excited than I have in a long time. I feel blessed, grateful, and ready to handle this lockdown like a boss.
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So instead of writing down all of those tips I planned on sharing with you today, I wanted to remind you that sitting in discomfort and allowing yourself to feel sad isn’t always a bad thing. Just make sure you don’t get stuck there for too long. 😘

‘FILTERS ARE GREAT, BUT GREAT SKIN CARE IS BETTE

‘FILTERS ARE GREAT, BUT GREAT SKIN CARE IS BETTER.’ —Unknown
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#ad
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Do your hands crack in the cold weather?
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Mine do. ⠀
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And this year has been particularly bad. Between my regular cooking and cleaning routine, buying and renovating a new home, and all of the required pandemic-related hand washing and sanitizing, my hands physically hurt at the end of each day. I’ve lost count of how many cracks I’ve dealt with so far this season, and right now I have a doozy on my right thumb that makes simple tasks like buttoning buttons, texting, and typing feel impossible and painful.
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I once read that beautiful skin takes a commitment and not a miracle, and this couldn’t be more true. I have battled with my skin for as long as I can remember, and I know exactly what I need to do to prevent - and treat - dry, cracked hands. But when life gets busy, I simply get lazy, and it doesn’t take long for it show on my skin.
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The good news is that it typically only takes me a few days to get things back under control thanks to my friends at @yoronaturals 🙌🏻
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Their Organic Manuka Skin Soothing Cream does wonders when it comes to healing cracked hands, and their Remedy Wear gloves are my secret to overnight healing! Instead of strategically covering every crack with cream and a bandaid, I just apply a generous amount of Manuka Cream to my hands and pop on a set of gloves before crawling into bed. Works like a dream!
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(And YES, the gloves stay put alllllll night long!)
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If pandemic protocols are leaving your hands dry and cracked, click the link in my bio and use code GWEN for 10% off my favorite YoRo Natural products!

‘A woman with a voice is by definition a strong

‘A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.’ –Melinda Gates

Wishing all the strong, bold, loud, messy, and amazing women in my life a Happy International Women’s Day!
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When we found out we were having a girl, I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to share my love for fashion and beauty with a smaller version of myself, and had such a strong vision of the kind of mom I wanted to be.
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I promised myself I would be present, involved, loving, and empathetic, and that my sweet girl would wake up and go to sleep each night knowing there was at least one person in this world who believed in her 1000%.
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I thought I had everything mapped out, but failed to realize that being a ‘girl mom’ would require so much more from me. It’s not enough that I listen to her, support her, and encourage her to be assertive and to own her truth. I have to model that behavior, too.
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And that’s not easy.
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I was raised at a time when women were encouraged to make themselves as small as possible - both literally and figuratively.
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No one ever encouraged me to speak up when someone did wrong by me or someone else, and when I did start to find my voice as I got older, I was told I was ‘too much’.
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Raising a girl has forced me to challenge everything that was taught to me about being a woman. I want my daughter to grow up believing she can achieve anything and everything she wants in life, and that she never has to make herself small to make others feel more comfortable. She’s bold, brave, assertive, and loud, and she’s doesn’t apologize for ANY of it.
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And I hope she never does.
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My girl keeps me on my toes, but being her mom has already been the ride of a lifetime. I’m so incredibly proud of her and can’t wait to see the mark she makes on the world.
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‘Here’s to strong women: May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.’ –Unknown

‘HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING.’ —Jess Sims
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While some people love reading self-help books or listening to inspiring podcasts, quotes, mantras, and song lyrics are my jam. I spend hours upon hours scrolling through my social media feeds each week searching for motivational quotes and sayings, and I copy the ones I love most to the notes app on my phone so I never forget them.
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I have a quote and lyric for pretty much every feeling and occasion, and if you follow me on stories, you know that I try to share something motivating and inspiring every morning.
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I’ve recently been using short quotes/mantras to help me stay focused. Mantras are typically used in meditation, but they are also a fabulous tool to help you stay grounded. The idea is to pick a word or phrase with meaning to you, and each time your mind starts to wander, you repeat the mantra over and over to bring yourself back to the present moment.
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I use mantras to help me stay productive with work, to keep me motivated when I want to push myself during my workouts, to stay present when I’m overwhelmed and trying to do too many things at once, and to stop me from ruminating about the things that make me stressed and anxious.
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If you’re looking for inspiring quotes and mantras to help you stay focused, present, and calm, here are some of my favorites!
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‘Be present where your feet are.’
—Unknown
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You don’t have to. You get to.
—Jess Sims
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Easy is bullshit.
—Christine D’Ercole
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Feel the burn, step closer to the fire.
—Emma Lovewell
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A setback is an avenue for a comeback.
—Alex Toussaint
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Hold the vision, trust the process.
—Unknown
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No challenge, no change.
—Robin Arzon
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Acknowledge the fear and do it anyway.
—Emma Lovewell
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Impossible is just an opinion.
—Paulo Coelho
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Treat your body like it belongs to someone you love.
—Hannah Marie Corbin
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Fix your ponytail and try again.
—Unknown
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👇🏻 What quotes and mantras keep you focused and present when you’re overwhelmed or anxious?

‘ALL GREAT CHANGES ARE PRECEDED BY CHAOS.’ —

‘ALL GREAT CHANGES ARE PRECEDED BY CHAOS.’ —Unknown
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f you’ve been following me on stories, you know we moved to a new house a couple of weeks ago. I was going to document the whole thing, but moving during a global pandemic in a city that is completely locked down with a child in virtual school is… 🤪
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This was the biggest move I’ve ever undertaken, and my Type A personality really struggled with how little control I had over everything. Lists and schedules are my jam, but it seemed the harder I tried to keep things on track, the quicker they fell apart.
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I eventually decided to just embrace the chaos. I allowed myself to let go and just enjoy the excitement of it all and it ended up being the smoothest, most enjoyable move I’ve ever experienced. We’re still waiting on furniture deliveries and have lots of painting to do, but since no one will be visiting us for months (years?!) on end given the state of the world right now, there is absolutely no pressure.
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And that feels great.
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If you’re struggling, here are 4 things that helped me find order in the chaos that has been our lives for the last several weeks:
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✔️ EXERCISE. I start every single day with a hard workout to get those feel-good endorphins flowing. It makes me feel accomplished, helps me work through whatever is on my mind, and sets the tone for the rest of my day.
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✔️ ENERGY MANAGEMENT. I do all of my most pressing tasks when my energy is high and my mind is clear, and save all of the monotonous, mindless stuff (think: responding to emails, meal prep, folding laundry) for the evening.
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✔️ NEVER TOUCH SOMETHING TWICE. Once I ‘touch’ a task, I deal with it then and there so it’s taken off of my plate, rather than ’touching’ it multiple times and allowing it to take up extra energy and mental space. This is one of the best productivity tips I’ve ever read and it’s been a life-saver for me lately!
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✔️ DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT. I struggle the most with this, but the last few weeks have been a great exercise in challenging a lot of my Type A tendencies.
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👇🏻 How do YOU stay on track when you feel overwhelmed?

‘SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH.’ . If you met me I

‘SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH.’
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If you met me IRL, you’d probably [hopefully?] never know I suffer from anxiety, and would likely assume I’m just a high maintenance, high strung, Type A personality. All of those things are in fact true, LOL, but what you may not realize is that each of those traits of mine are the result of years of feeling anxious and worried and stressed.
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I grew up at a time when we were taught to keep our struggles to ourselves, and when I think back to grades 3 and 4 when my anxiety was at it’s absolute worst, it pains me to remember how much I suffered in silence. I feel proud that I was able to overcome some pretty tough stuff on my own, but I refuse to let history repeat itself.
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I will not raise my daughter in a world that stigmatizes mental illness.
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According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 38% of Canadians say their mental health has declined since the start of the pandemic, and people already struggling with their mental health were 2 times more likely to say their mental health has declined further.
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One of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness is overcoming the stigma. It is the number one reason why people living with mental illness do not seek help.
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Today is #BellLetsTalk day and Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for every applicable text, local or long distance call, tweet or TikTok video using #BellLetsTalk - all at no cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access.
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MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS.
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Let’s end the stigma.

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