Are you embarrassed to start talking about anxiety with friends and family? Maybe they know, but they brush it off like it’s not a big deal. Maybe you’ve been told one too many times that you’re being a bit ridiculous, or you’ve been called a hypochondriac or a conspiracy theorist or my favorite one – dramatic? Or something else that was a little hurtful (even if it was maybe a little truthful)?
I often (really – I do mean often) gather a box of stuff that I have decided I can part with and I feel so much lighter and happier when it’s out of the house. Seriously!
Why? Because once I was drowning in clutter. Too much stuff. And I will not ever go back to that.
How often do we spend money on frivolous things without even considering that they are frivolous? Writing 10 Things I Quit Buying (to Save Money) really made me think hard about that. It didn’t take me long to come up with ten things I STILL spend money on that are “wants” and not “needs”.
It struck me today that we are nearly half way through 2016. HALF WAY. I know we all say this all the time, but wasn’t New Years like, 2 weeks ago? And now I’ve planted flowers already? O my. And how have I done with my resolution to improve my general health? Well.
Claiming that anything is “life changing” is pretty cliche, I know. It’s the sort of statement we throw around, but it doesn’t really mean anything…
So I should really call this post something else, but I’m struggling to come up with anything less cliche that could actually convey just HOW MUCH this simple change in my habits has improved my life at home.
When I lived in Australia (which was quiet a few years ago now, so maybe things have changed…) the most popular bar snack you could order was potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili sauce.
You’ll see exercise recommended OFTEN as a first course of treatment for depression. There is absolutely no question in anyone’s mind that exercise = endorphins = happy feeling. (Ok, there’s also no question that it’s not that easy, or depression wouldn’t exist, but there’s lots of evidence to suggest that it can move you in the right direction.)
I never, ever, thought of Hawaii as a budget destination. Especially with the current weak Canadian dollar. But we chose Hawaii last year as our budget vacation spot, and for the same reason we chose it again this year! Hawaii did NOT disappoint. We spent under $3000 Canadian dollars total each time we went, for 10 days. That’s less $1500 per person!
Perhaps some people would call me a fence sitter, when it comes to the whole natural health vs modern medicine debate. Wait, don’t leave! If you are firmly in one camp or another, I’d say we can probably find common ground.
That’s the nice thing about fence sitting. I lean toward the natural, but I understand the place for medical intervention. If the only way you’re making it through the day is with your Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro or maybe Ativan, then who am I to tell you it’s not the right way?! It wasn’t the right way for me but that doesn’t mean it’s not working for you. (I do have a prescription for Ativan… but I only take it when it’s absolutely necessary. 50 pills can last me a year and a half or so.)
So I’ve written about travel hacking, and about why I’m not afraid of credit cards. By now you know that I actually love my credit cards. And you know that I think you should probably learn to love credit cards for their rewards value as well.