​This is one of my favorite times of the year, because it’s all about reflecting on what we are grateful for in our lives.

Although, for the last four weeks I've been writing out five things I'm grateful for every single morning as part of my journaling routine.  It definitely gets more press on this one day of the year!
 
Taking the time to really FEEL gratitude is actually good for your health.

It’s here. We’re officially heading into one of the busiest times of the year!
 
Before everything ramps up … let’s take some time to get prepared NOW. 
 
A little bit of effort now will help you cruise through the holidays without the stress.
 
It all starts with taking care of YOU. 
 
When life gets hectic, one of the first things to drop off our to-do lists is our self-care routine. Which is ironic, since taking a little time for yourself each day will help you do everything else better.

Do you get enough sleep every night?

Some surveys are showing that people are sleeping less than ever, with some only getting five to six hours of sleep per night.

"Powering through" on too little sleep is not a good idea for the long-term health of your body.

There are two major hormone "pathways" that take a big hit when you don't get enough sleep -- including hormones that handle things like your sex drive, stress, hunger, and blood sugar ... and (ironically enough) your ability to fall asleep.

​And...it only takes a night or two for them to get out of balance.

One pathway is governed by your pituitary gland and the other is your autonomic nervous system.  But they are intertwined, and they have a hand in virtually every function of your body.  Keeping your hormones in balance is a huge part of feeling strong, focused, and vital.

Before I start work with a client, whether it's one-on-one or in an online program, the very first thing we do is figure out is "why do you want to do this program or work on yourself?" 

Without Clarity,  you'll likely find yourself lacking energy, productivity, courage, and influence.  These five were shown to be key traits of the most successful people in the world and maybe you don't aim to be among the most successful people in the world, but you probably have your own success you'd like to achieve.

We're midway through the year, and you may have lost track of your goals completely, or they've shifted through the year.

Did you know that research shows that people who feel loved are more likely to enjoy healthier hearts than those who feel unloved?  Love is the healthiest of all emotions, yet it takes effort to stay in love once the infatuation stage ends.

In fact studies in positive psychology show that the quality of your relationships can make you happier, perform better, and feel better.

So how do you make that a reality in both your intimate relationships, friendships, and family relationships?

When you interact with others are you intentional?  The most successful people make a conscious choice on who they're going to be and how they are going to interact with people.

Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple of days here in the United States.  

It's one of my favorite holidays because it's purpose is spending time with friends and family, eating a nice meal, and ideally expressing gratitude what we have in our lives.  It's an innately positive experience, even when we factor in the family dynamics we might be dealing with.  (-;

While it's nice to have a day focused on expressing our gratitude, practicing gratitude on a daily basis has many positive effects, some of which you may surprise you.

First, though, I'd like to give a little explanation about practicing gratitude, while understanding that it can take many different forms.

I just spent an hour making dinner.  It's one of my favorite new recipes, chipotle butternut squash and black bean tostadas.  I've also made my favorite kale and strawberry salad.  The meal checks all the boxes for me.  It has plenty of vegetables, it's flavorful, and it's filling.  Not only that, for my lunch the next day, I'll reheat a tostada and plop a fried egg on top.  Delicious!

I set the table, since everyone's been in other parts of the house doing their thing.  I'm fine with that, since I go into a meditative state when I cook, or sometimes I listen to podcasts or my music.  I'll add one more thing:  I'm sort of messy when I cook and my husband almost always cleans up after dinner.  And we both want the kids to help more with the clen up.  We agree on that point.

I call everyone to dinner and the first thing that happens is my husband states adamantly, "You kids are cleaning up tonight."  Chaos ensues.  My daughter has homework, my son already took out the garbage, plus he "always helps," and I get irritated because I just want everyone to enjoy the meal, especially me.  Figure out the clean up later, after all, even if it's a mess, it doesn't take nearly as much time as making the meal.

And the worst part is that I know stress and conflict isn't good for digestion!

I'm sure most of you remember falling deeply in love.  Especially  in the beginning, your whole outlook changes, you look at life through rose colored glasses, and the little things don't bother you so much.

If you have children, you may remember the all-encompassing love when they were first born.  How else would we be able to put up with having a being so completely dependent on you and being woken up or taken away from what you’re doing at any moment.

When you feel love, you just feel good.  You have more energy, you're happier.

I don't normally focus a lot on the heart aspect of health.  It's probably just personal.  The only heart disease in my family is probably more related to smoking or drinking, not genetic traits.  So I just don't think of it much.

Here in the US, we are coming up on Thanksgiving.  It's a nice holiday because we get to share food with family and friends, without the extra burden of giving gifts and other more materialistic pastimes. We are able to give thanks for what we have in our lives, in other words, we express our gratitude.

A gratitude practice is simply taking time every day to express gratitude for the blessings in your life.  These blessings are often overlooked if we don't consciously take the time to count them.

Before I move on to intimate and romantic relationships, I'd like to write more about our social needs, both in our friendships and in our intimate lives.

Communication of our needs is an important skill and our needs with regard to the quantity and quality of time we spend with others can differ quite a bit.

There are many common misconceptions about introverts and extroverts.  The first definition that popped up in my search for the definition of an introvert was that an introvert was a shy, reticent person.