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Your body is the only one you’ll ever have
By: Rob Arthur
Tags: Body Image, Self Care, Self-awareness, Self Worth, Self Love

We beat ourselves up over a number on the scale.

We avoid looking in the mirror.

We’re never satisfied with our performance in the gym.

We see our health decline slowly over the years.

Our bodies can be major sources of discontent.

Perhaps even disappointment.

We don’t look, feel, or weigh how we think we should.

So we feel shame, guilt, and embarrassment.

Some of us work hard to change our bodies.

Some of us resign out of frustration and hopelessness.

Either way, most of us do so in an effort to “fix” a body we hate.

Failing to recognize that our bodies are our most precious gifts.

Your body may not weigh what you want it to.

You might hate how you think it looks.

It may not be as strong as you’d like.

Perhaps it’s even failing you.

Treat it with love anyway.

Loving thoughts, words, and actions.

Your body is the only one you’ll ever have.

This doesn’t mean you have to accept it “as is”.

It’s okay to want to improve.

To be healthier, stronger, and more capable.

But guide those efforts from a place of self-love.

You are worthy of a body that you love.

You’ve got that body right now.

You’ve always had it.

You always will have it.

You are worthy.

You’ve got this.
It’s a Holiday, and I’m Not Okay
By: Kristin Sky
Tags: Self Care, Depression, Mental Health, Pandemic, Wellness

Each year, the holidays can be tinged with sorrow. In my case, this time of year brings up intense grief for my sister, who died when I was 25. Sometimes when I sit with that emotion, I start myself toward a spiral of other regrets and negativity. As a therapist, I know that it is not unusual for holidays to bring up all sorts of pain. The idea that they are focused on family time, celebrating the year, being grateful, or being joyful, can seem like a facade.

The pressure to feel this sort of holiday joy and positivity can be unbearable for many, and the overdoses of holiday cheer may give way to an existential crisis. Around the holidays, and particularly on the actual day of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, many of us place a spotlight on how our life has been, how it could have been, or what (or who) is missing.

The act of pretending that our holidays are nothing but joyous can further damage our spirit. Many of my clients are particularly struggling this year.

This year, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented angst to everyone around us. We are all feeling the collective anxiety of our communities, our countries, and the world. There have been tragic financial crises, overturned intimate relationships, career loss, and restructuring, unsafe job conditions, the burden of homeschooling, loss of loved ones to Covid-19, funerals we are not allowed to have, the fear of getting sick, the fear of dying and leaving our children alone, the list is never-ending…

To add these stressors to the holiday season means bringing many of us to our breaking point. What are we to do?

Today I gave myself permission to NOT be okay. In our culture, we are asked to put on a happy face for the holidays. We have so much to be grateful for, they say. And it is true, where I live in the United States, I feel we have a lot to be grateful for. I would offer that this doesn’t mean that we must deny our suffering.

Many of us have been through difficult lives, and the path to healing starts with learning to nurture ourselves. Acknowledging our pain is a step that needs to happen here.

Part of my life’s mission is to teach others to speak gently and kindly to themselves. And for some reason I can’t yet figure out, for most of us, this is not our default setting. If we are going to survive these holidays, we must learn to comfort ourselves.

Today, let’s acknowledge our own suffering. Let’s give ourselves some compassion and kind words. Let’s give ourselves permission to NOT be okay. And let that be okay.
The Best Beauty Products Off Amazon (2020)
Tags: Beauty, Self Care, 2020, Influencer Marketing, Amazon

As 2020 comes to an end, I’ve realized how many purchases I’ve made off Amazon — some amazing and others were full of regret.

Here are my top 3 finds I’d repurchase again

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Face Wash Cleanser, Purifying Foaming Cleanser for Normal Oily & Sensitive Skin ($15)

This face cleanser is great for normal, oily, and sensitive skin! I cannot tell you how much this cleanser has saved my skin. A pea size amount mixed with a drop of water, it foams up like a cloud, providing a luxurious feeling on the skin. Simply wash away with warm water and quickly apply toner after! The cleanser leaves the skin feeling soft, glowy, and hydrated. I’ve introduced this product to all my friends and they all rave about it.

2. Moroccanoil Treatment ($44)

This hair oil is simply amazing and makes my hair feel brand new. As someone who often dyes her hair, this oil hydrates and replenishes damaged hair. It does not leave the hair feeling oily or weigh down it down. I use it about twice a week depending on how often I shampoo my hair. 1 pump goes a long way. I recommend starting at the ends and working my way up. It’s best used on damp to almost dried hair. If you apply the oil while the hair is too wet, it’ll slip right off. 1 bottle has lasted me 6 months and I can see what a difference it’s making. My hair feels stronger, softer, and grows longer. Great stocking stuffer idea!

3. CURE Simply Smoothing Shampoo — Coconut Water & Marula Oil ($10)

Along with the hair oil mentioned above, this shampoo is the perfect pair for it. This shampoo cleans the hair without drying it. It smooths, softens and reduces frizz, increases manageability and boosts shine. Additionally, it is vegan and certified cruelty-free. Also Paraben free, Sulfate free, Mineral oil free, Petrolatum free and Formaldehyde free! This shampoo doesn’t leave the hair greasy. A quarter size amount is needed and then gently massage into the scalp. It doesn’t lather as much as a regular shampoo but still cleanses.

2020 was a chaotic year and self care is important! Let me know if you try out these products in the comments below.
A happy feeling
Tags: Sky, Happy, Selfcare, Ski, Snow

A short story that reminds of the magical winter trip I had last year!

I can’t even describe the wonderful feeling, to ride down the track, to feel the snow under your ski and the cold air while looking at the sky colors blending together in a sunrise, behind the trees sprinkled with snow. There are no worries or tasks, only the feeling of freedom. You don’t have to worry about what’s coming next, because the only important thing is what is now and now you are feeling real happiness.
My Wintertime Skincare Routine
By: Moji Igun
Tags: Lifestyle, Routine, Skincare, Self Care, Skin Care Products

Skincare is a very new part of my self-care toolkit. I had never been too interested in the topic because it felt so complicated to me. All the steps and products and ingredients to learn about felt so overwhelming for so long. It wasn’t until quarantine began that I really started playing around with the idea of building a routine for myself.

Starting with the basics, it’s important to always protect your skin from UV rays. (Yes, even in the winter!) Before heading outside, I always apply a a layer of sunscreen.

Nowadays, especially if I have no reason to be on a Zoom call, you’ll likely find me creating a moment of calm and applying a face mask. I love that this Pumpkin Delight Face Mask by Blendily comes in powder form because it lets me play pretend and mix up a witchy little potion for my face.

Especially in the wintertime, it’s been important to shift my routine with the season. Hydrating both internally and externally has been key in keeping my skin healthy in the cold weather. Speaking of hydration… when was the last time you drank some water? Stop reading to a moment and come back when you’ve taken a couple sips. I’ll wait…
The Most Efficient Way To Lose Weight
By: Ivan Choy
Tags: Health, Self Care, Weight Loss

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Will Resurge work for me?

In a word ..YES! There has never been anything else like Resurge in history of health. Resurge is the world’s first and only anti-aging nutritional protocol that targets the true cause of unexplained weight gain, stubborn belly fat and metabolic slowdown. Resurge is the only product in the world to contain 8 special nutrients in the exact amounts scientifically proven to improve deep-sleep and enhance natural metabolic regeneration in both women and men. Burning fat, restoring your health, and turning back the clock simply could not be easier or more automatic.

What is the best way to take Resurge?

Simply take Resurge with a glass of water 1 hour before bed.

Thank You !

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The Life-Changing Magic of Being Honest with Strangers
By: Courtney Mcilvoy
Tags: Addiction, Self Care, Twelve Steps, Mental Health, Recovery

I was introduced to twelve-step programs five years ago.

A loved one had a budding addiction and I was nudged into Al-Anon, an anonymous program for friends and family of alcoholics. I stayed long enough to purchase a daily reader of inspirational and helpful musings, but it wasn’t until three years ago that I went back and started attending regularly.

In Al-Anon (and Alateen, a similar program for teenagers), members share their experience, strength, and hope. Attendees learn how the tools of the program can help them navigate relationships with both alcoholics and non-alcoholics, which looks different for every person — this is why we don’t give each other advice on specific actions to take. Who am I to know what someone else should do in their life?

Even though I originally joined Al-Anon because of a loved one’s substance abuse problem, I now know I would continue coming back even without an addict in my life after three years. In fact, more often than not, I don’t even mention addiction when I share at a meeting. This is because the program focuses not on the alcoholic, but on the person attending. I have found that the tools available in twelve-step recovery can be applied to all relationships and circumstances in my life. Attending meetings is one of the most enriching and fulfilling ways I spend my time, and although I also attend therapy frequently, I find Al-Anon more helpful.

That said, most people will never need to attend a twelve-step meeting — so, I’d like to share the five principles I’ve learned from the program that can apply to anyone.
MAKE YOURSELF HAPPY
By: Kasandra The Writer
Tags: Moms, Momlife, Self Care, Self Love, Motherhood

Women are often the multitaskers of the family. We have to take care of kids, house, food, and husband. We have to remember everybody’s games and appointments. Women keep track of all the little, but oh-so-important things, it takes to make our individual worlds move. However, often we forget to take care of ourselves.

Unfortunately, a think a lot of women feel that it is wrong or selfish to take care of our needs, to make ourselves happy.

I had to do a lot of growing up to understand that if I don’t take care of myself, I really cannot take care of my family.

We have to be in a good place in order to bring those who we care about to their good place in life.

I hope that you, my reader, find that special something (or a lot of something) that restores your mental peace. Whether it is (don’t laugh) diffusing essential oils, or taking a break when there still 100 of unread work emails, or watching kids’ silly cartoons with them, find it, love it, and embrace it!

Let’s not delay our own happiness to make sure every other chore or thing gets done! Life is short (sometimes too short), and we will be remembered not by the chores we did, but by the moments when we are happy or goofy, or whatever it is that lets our true self show. We will be remembered by the connections we make and relationships we forge, not by number of emails we answer, or by other chores we completed.

Make every moment count and don’t delay your happiness!

Love,

KaSandra
A Daily Tarot Card Helps Rachel True Stay Centered
By: Zora Editors
Tags: Self Care, Self, Tarot, Rachel True, Spirituality

A Daily Tarot Card Helps Rachel True Stay Centered

“I pull one card out of a deck [every day], and I’ll put it up so that I can look at that card throughout the day… ” — Rachel True

Everybody talks about self-care, but really, what is it? For Viola Davis, it means loving on her family and hopping in the jacuzzi with the hubs. For Janelle Monae, it means therapy. For Holly Robinson Peete, it means saying “no” more consistently. For Rachel True, it means tarot.

However you define it, they say, it is imperative that you make time to do it. If you need some ideas, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s the rest of what Rachel True, the star of cult classics Half & Half and The Craft and author of a new book, True Heart Intuitive Tarot, had to say:
12 ways to stay active
By: Steph Mandeville
Tags: Health, Challenge Accepted, Self Care, Active, 2021

Active people aren’t just runners. Staying active is for everyone no matter your fitness level. RED January starts next month which encourages people to stay active every day of January to support their mental health with the option to fundraise for Sport in Mind charity. There are numerous benefits to regular physical activity, with a key mental health gain being the reduction in the risk of depression by up to 30%.

To help we’ve listed some non-traditional ways of staying active whether you are joining in for RED January 2021 or just looking for new ideas to try out:

Play catch, just try not to fall into the Friends episode ‘The one with the ball’ trap! Try Yoga with Adriene, there's a new 30 day Yoga Journey starting 1 Jan Dance, there are thousands of dance lessons on YouTube to try Practice free throws (basketball) Kick a ball about in the park with a friend Dig out a skipping rope and try to skip along to an upbeat song Clean! Cleaning a room head to toe is a big job and a big workout Create your own at home Olympics Go for a bike ride Practice keepie-uppies Try a gradual 30-day challenge such as squats or press-ups, just start on the first level and work your way up. Go on a walk to discover something new, some history in your town or head out to the countryside

There are loads more ideas on the Challenge Accepted app, free to download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

RED January returns next month with its annual month-long fundraising campaign challenging people across the UK to get active every day in January to support their own mental health and raise funds to help others.

Signing up for RED January 2021 is free and easy, people can register at joinredjan.co.uk and download the Challenge Accepted app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to tick off each day they’ve been active.
5 Ways to Thrive During the Pandemic
By: Mukha Yoga
Tags: Self Care, Pandemic Diaries, Guided Meditation, Intentional Living, Meditation

So, life is just rolling along and then all of a sudden, everything changes in ways we couldn’t have dreamed of. We are in the midst of a pandemic, a fight for social justice, an upcoming and life changing election, wildfires, hurricanes and financial collapse. Everyone is being tested. How do we cope while navigating these challenges? What practices can we infuse into our daily lives to have less reaction, less frequency of reaction, less intensity of reaction and quicker recovery time?

Life keeps coming, exactly as it may, in its own strange and upside-down ways.

We don’t have to fight against what is happening. We don’t have to resent what is happening. We can even choose to receive what is happening, just as it is, and trust that it is showing us a different path.

There are strategies we can choose. The following have helped me navigate these times and open up to new ways of living life to the fullest.

1) Become willing to see things in a new light

Being asked to stop everything as we knew it is, can be used as an opportunity to evaluate our lives. We can notice where we have been in the “trance” of mindlessness — doing one thing after another without taking time to come up for air. We have been asked to slow down. Even the Earth showed us how it could heal when we paused. Maybe that’s what we need, to shed toxic layers of things that don’t serve us.

2) Allow yourself to feel what you feel

Don’t try to push your feelings away. What we resist, persists. We can always compare our situation to someone else’s and find gratitude for what we do have, but if we don’t acknowledge our own pain and fear, stand in it and process it, it will eat away at us from the inside out, resulting in anxiety and physical manifestation. Buddha says, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” We have to feel it to heal it. And this, too, shall pass. Period.

3) Practice self-care

This is the time to get to know ourselves in a whole new way. We have to retreat sometimes to move forward. Everything is changing, and this situation has blown up our comfort zones. It is so easy to want to numb out, but our bodies and spirits are begging for restoration.

Set up your day by creating your own mantra. Who do you want to be in this moment for yourself? Practices, such as yoga and meditation, ground us and decompress the fight-flight-freeze reaction of our nervous systems.

Here is a guided Meditation to Create Ease. Go inward to let your deeper wisdom guide you. Set your intention of what you want your life to look like on the other side of all of this. Commit to being stronger and more expanded, with a healthier body and soul.

4) Be of Service

Find ways to support others and reach out. Our consciousness will expand when…

To continue reading this article, visit https://www.mukhayoga.com/blogs/the-community-hub/5-ways-to-thrive-during-a-pandemic
The Last Sense
By: Lucy Dan 蛋小姐, She Her 她
Tags: Scent, Poetry Prompt, Self Care, Candles, Poetry

#DecemberSelfCare

The Last Sense

Photo by Marta Filipczyk on Unsplash

in building my self-care

scent was the last sense

I learned to take care of.

on the visual front

you learn quickly to declutter

choose visually appealing arrangements

even if you don’t quite have the budget

for visual art.

in tastes,

you can find the most exciting, adventurous experiences

with a simple dash of budget soy sauce

or a simple 3-ingredient recipe.

in touch,

I’ve always had my favourite sweaters

the ones that just felt better

than all the other clothes

and in sound

music has always been

an integral part

but only recently

did I give myself permission

to use those expensive gifted soaps, shampoos

to splurge on budget wax melts

to make my hair smell nice

to make my surroundings smell like a dessert.

the combo is complete.
Losing Motivation
By: Mckendra Leigh
Tags: Self Care, Mental Health Awareness, Mental Health, Motivation

Everyone knows 2020 has not been a kind year to anyone. There have been new surprises every month that no one was expecting. But with every downfall there have been some positives. It gave individuals time for themselves.

Quarantine for me started March 12th, when my university sent all of their students home. This was only supposed to last 3 weeks, and now its 9 months and counting. As many others, I decided to try to work on myself during these months. I started doing home workouts, took the time to organize my room and donate a lot of old things, began painting again, and even did surprising well in school because I had more time to focus.

However, recently I lost that motivation as it seems a lot of others did too. Growing up I have always been very hard on myself mentally. In certain ways I am a perfectionist and I never think I did the best work I could have. This has been hitting a lot harder lately. School got tougher and I began to lose focus, I stopped working out, and I had no more ideas for paintings. Even when I do have ideas, the motivation seems to be lost quicker than it would take me to get out of bed.

Over these last few weeks I have been trying to work more on my mental health. I am trying to convince myself that it’s okay to not do something all the time, but being a semi-perfectionist that doesn’t sit well with my brain. It makes me feel lazy, and like I should be doing more. Recently though, there has been another voice in my head telling me that it’s okay. Our brains and our bodies need rest and not just at night when we sleep. Everyone cares for themselves in different ways. There are times that I paint, or I have other creative projects that help me relax, but sometimes I even need a break from something “relaxing.”

And that’s okay.

Taking breaks and doing things that make your brain happy is the only way you are going to truly get that motivation back. It does not make you weak or lazy. If anything, it makes you strong and smart. You have the ability to know when you cannot handle anymore and you take the time to recharge and provide yourself and others with the best version of you.

So, I encourage anyone reading this to love and care for yourself. Take mental breaks and care for your brain because your brain is an organ just like anything else in your body and that needs to be taken care of. Just like you would not purposely destroy your kidneys or your liver or any other organ, do not destroy your brain by neglecting its needs.

Care for yourself and love yourself or else your brain will not love and care for you.
Welcome Back Darkness
By: Kathryn Dickel
Tags: Relationships, Self Care, Self, Depression, Mental Health

SPIRITUALITY

We’re old friends now.

Photo by Alexander McFeron on Unsplash

Darkness… my beloved friend. Most, if not all things, begin their life in darkness; seeds, humans, mushroom, animals and on. My life often chooses to be reborn within and along side Darkness. The great tragedy is not that Darkness comes, it is that we are never taught how to make it our friend. How to welcome it, honor it and even nurture it.

I think of Darkness now as a soul friend, my Anam Cara, that shows up at my house every once and a while for a visit. When she comes I drop everything for her. We stay up all night talking and then nap during the day. We eat lots of food together. We indulge in memories of laughter and tears. I get out my best china, linens and whiskey for her. I draw her long, hot baths and we take walks. We listen to music and I share my writing with her. I ask others to welcome her too, and give us time. I also leave her be now and again. We both need our space.

Sometimes I’m pissed at her because she shows up unannounced, with a bunch of bags, and I have to make room quickly. It’s rude, but she inevitably reminds me that I was the one who extended an open invitation. I ultimately forgive her no matter how demanding she was because she brings me such beautiful, one of a kind gifts. She never leaves me unchanged. She always leaves me stronger; more focused on myself, reacquainted with the value of rest, contemplation and solitude. When she leaves I shed some tears, wish her well, shower her with thank you kisses and say, ‘come back anytime.’

© Kathryn A. Dickel
The Most Efficient Way To Lose Weight
By: Ivan Choy
Tags: Health, Self Care, Weight Loss, Guides And Tutorials

Let’s Get Started !! You’re going to be more confidence , beautiful/handsome , and also more happy than before !! Let’s get through this together !!
You Are Already Perfect
By: Needs More Lemon
Tags: Self Care, Empowerment, Wellness, Food

You know best. What a revelation!

It is amazing to me (well, maybe not amazing …) how many “whole and healthy” people still treat the rest of us like gremlins.

I have friends (virtual and real life, thankyouverymuch…) who are so open-minded and helpful and compassionate. And yet, I’ve heard from more than one of them that I shouldn’t eat bananas, because of…. carbs??? LEAVE. ME. ALONE.

Listen folks. Bananas are good for you. Especially when baked into a luscious bread mix. Life is not complicated.

Should you be healthy? Of course! I wish great healthiness for you!

Should you try to be healthy? A little.

But listen… it is not a punishment. It is not a competition. And it should never, ever, be a comparison.

My body is different from yours in probably 1,000 ways. Therefore, it is impossible to say that what feels good to me will also feel good to you.

If your sleep is disrupted, or your mood is constantly in the garbage, then maybe you should change something or other. But what you change and how you cope is up to you. You know best. What a revelation!

We should all have constant reminders that Facebook ads, TikTok celebrities, and “health gurus”:

don’t actually know us, probably don’t care about us, therefore… cannot POSSIBLY decide what is right for us.

What is it that they say?…

You do you, honey.

xoxo

www.twitter.com/needsmorelemon

www.instagram.com/needslemon

www.facebook.com/needsmorelemon
Day 5 of Self Love Challenge
By: Secret Wealth Creators
Tags: Mindset, Love, Self Care, Mindset Shift, Mindfulness

Day 5 Love Yourself More challenge

… alright so y’all know I’m diving in deep on this healing your inner child journey and it’s been quite a magic carpet ride!

I found this photo of me … mmmm I must be around 4–5 yrs old here.

I saved it on my Phone as my screen saver. When I fall out of flow state its a reminder that the trigger is simply my younger inner child calling to be loved. So I pause go inside n give her that love.

Nothing external can fill the void only you can fill yourself. No partner no amount of money no car or jewelry can love you but you.

So I’ve been enjoying my time giving me what I need and want first. Not looking outside myself for another to complete me or nourish me or protect me or love me.

It’s a magic carpet ride of synchronicity, deep peace, relief, dancing, singing … presence grounding, beauty and abundance.

So my challenge for you today if you find yourself complaining or projecting out there on the external for what’s missing in your life find a picture of yourself as a kid put it on your screen saver and anything you fall out of flow go inside, take the time to give yourself what you’re looking for outside.

Then watch your life reflect back your wholeness.

#MagicCarpetRideForLife

Comment here below, post your pic
Swimming
By: Eric Maus
Tags: Self Care, Music, Personal Development, Personal Growth, Mac Miller

Swimming an album by Mac Miller

Swimming with Eric Maus.

According to Spotify Stats, Swimming by the late Mac Miller was my album of the year. Cocky and laidback, assured, but self-conscience, this album has the right tone for my writing sessions. Mix in lyrics about ambition and party favors and it’s fuel for a head-nodding listening session. Make sure to check out: Ladders, Jet Fuel and Self-care.

This idea of self-care was never something I paid attention to until recently. In the last couple years, I’ve taken more salt baths and rolled out my legs more than all the previous decade combined. Why?

Dog walking, especially in the way I was doing it, gets grueling day to day on the knees, hips, and back. Since every dog is a different size and temperament, I have to adjust to their being. That means every walk is different as well as the muscles worked and reworked strain in different ways. Hence the salt baths and the stretching.

This new daily, methodical preservation of my body gives me a different mindset. I drink more water and I stretch more. There are degrees of difference in my day when I make sure I drank a large glass of water when I first wake up (which I learned from this book) and stretch the night before. I creak less. I’m more limber. I’m lighter on my feet. The only way I know this is through my own experimentation. Trying to identify those points in my day where I could feel better led me to this routine.

Self-care isn’t a grandiose treat yourself day, though that can be it. It’s a daily routine and it’s a little different every day. A way to stay healthy in face of demands. It’s finding those spaces in your day where you can focus on yourself and only yourself. It can be a walk, a bath, a stretch, cooking, etc. Whatever it is, make sure your self-care is free from tech, tv, and time. By allowing yourself to feel your self again, your body and mind heal while you continue to grow.
4 Tips to Have Great Holidays…Even During COVID
By: Kathy Mccabe
Tags: Self Care, Holiday Tips, Intentionality, Intentional Living

If you are like many of us, you may be experiencing “indoor” fatigue, feeling frustrated by your physical limitations and just simply tired of COVID.

This time of year is particularly hard given that December is typically filled with holiday celebrations and connections with loved ones. We are biologically hardwired to socialize, so not spending time with friends, family or other loved ones is difficult.

Here are simple tips for making this holiday season a bit more enjoyable, despite the pandemic:

1. Name and feel your “yuck.” Sometimes when we feel blue, we don’t know which emotion we are feeling. Remember what Mr. Rogers said, “Anything mentionable is manageable.” Identifying whether you are sad, scared, exhausted or frustrated is powerful. Then, simply allowing yourself to feel that feeling can be a way to expedite moving through the “yuck.” Once you figure out what your “yuck” is, see if you can determine why you feel that way. Is it because you can’t see family or friends? Or is it because your spouse is in a funk? Once you identify why you feel lousy, that will help you figure out ways in which to make it better, so you can truly enjoy the holidays.

2. Decide what is important to you about the holidays. Most December holiday celebrations involve lights, peace, family and/or connecting to God. What is most important to you about the holidays? Is it connecting with family, creating celebrations, or enjoying good food? Decide what is most important and see how you can still create a focus around it. Can you throw a fun virtual party, or can you make your favorite dish, then share the recipe with friends and family?

3. Create an intention. An intention is “deciding how you want to be in the moment.” Creating an intention for your holidays is the difference between having a “blah” experience or an enjoyable one. How do you want to experience your holidays? Do you want to be peaceful and connected? Or do you want to be thankful and present? Whatever you decide, practice repeating your intention. Once you practice it, you will start to experience it!

4. Schedule your day — and take lots of breaks. We are all living on top of each other, and the days are blending together. Whether it is Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day or Kwanza, make a schedule. Before your holiday dinner, can you take a special walk, Zoom call with family, or enjoy an outdoor meet-up with a friend? Also, don’t forget to take breaks for yourself! We all need space from one another — no matter how much we love each other. Your environment shapes you. The more you can leave your home, and get a different perspective, the better you will show up!

Let me know if these tips are helpful!

P.S. — And if you want more Calm, Joy, Clarity & Connection, sign up for my mini retreat HERE: https://programs.kathymccabelifecoach.com/mini-retreat.
Infertility: The Heroine’s Journey
By: Barbara Holbert
Tags: Self Care, Personal Development, Self Love, Infertility, Personal Growth

I had married into a large Greek family where having babies was the norm, as in normal. It was normal to have babies and abnormal not to have babies. Not being able to get pregnant was the most horrifying Greek tragedy imaginable. Basically, It would be better to have a brain tumor than be infertile.

And there I was with three of my sisters-n-law beautifully pregnant, all at the same time. Standing beside them with their gorgeous swollen bellies, I was The Barren One. No one asked, “How are you,” because everyone knew and yet didn’t want to know. There is a subtle shunning of The Infertile. Infertility is not supposed to happen, and it makes happy people uncomfortable.

Photo by Pashminu Mansuk at Unsplash

It was the first of many upcoming baby showers, and every fiber, every cell, every ghost of the unborn howled in my belly; “I don’t want to go. Please don’t make me go.” But I went. I didn’t realize I had dressed like a Greek widow until I arrived in a sea of pastel. My husband was an artist, and wearing black was considered appropriate attire for any occasion, just maybe not a baby shower. I had just washed my hair and pulled it back into a too-tight bun, completing my dark aura of total misery.

Being there was as horrible as I imagined, complete with a baby that cried every time I picked him up. There was happiness, delight, laughter, and immense joy of the expected child. A baby, a family, an everyday life. But not for me.

I was also estrogen dominant and spent a fair share of the time weeping in the bathroom. I’m sure everyone was relieved when I left early.

I went home and unpinned the tight bun that had given me a migraine and realized; Good Lord, this was only the first one. There would be more, many more baby showers in my future.
Thanks a lot fo the article.
By: Kamal Imam
Tags: Fiction, Fiction Writing, Short Stories And Poems

Thanks a lot fo the article. I have been a short story writer for more than five years, but I had not been able to find a good platform for my short stories. I hope people on medium will like it.
Short Stories
By: Maryam Sidrah
Tags: Fiction Writing, Short Story

December 16, 2020

Yesterday afternoon I took a bus from Linton Street (post office) to make my journey straight to Philips or somewhere near. Although bus was not very crowded, it was halfway filled with passengers. My friend, and I easily managed to get a seat for ourselves. I was seating on the third row from front and she was seating on the first row just next to the door. The bus started moving once we settled down. I looked outside the window and felt little disappointment as today it’s not going to rain. But nature never disappoint us, it is full of surprises. Gradually my disappointment turn into a pleasure as I was lost in the beauty of the lovely day, the sky was white and clear, there was fresh and cool breeze, it was very soothing that took me into some other world, maybe the world of dreams. I was so much lost in the beauty of the day that I barely noticed people passing by.



Suddenly, I was hit by the reality, the bus conductor — somebody cried from the behind, and I came back to the place where I lost myself from. It was me seating on the seat, a lady beside me and there was bus moving. The bus conductor comes forth, he was an old man with moderate height; he had mixed black-grey hair, big sparkling eyes, bushy eyebrows and had weak jawlines due to rising old age. His clothes were ragged & worn out, and he was carrying a brown leather conductor bag by one of his shoulder.



He came forth on the call of the passenger to exchange tickets for money, and again I looked back to the window, trying to catch some more glimpse of the beautiful nature, but this time I was captured by something else, and I looked back at him again. His whole presence was living, it was conveying message that was very heartbreaking. He looked distressed as he kept exchanging tickets, getting calls from other passengers was making him anxious. It isn’t easy for this poor fellow, I thought to myself. This old man’s eyes were depicting pain, and his face was covered with sorrow and sadness. He was completely fatigue, and a bit agitated too. It seemed, he was sobbing from inside but with utmost silence. He had no complain, but relentlessly asking for help.



By this time the bus conductor came to me in a very detached manner, gave me the tickets for money and went on his way. Leaving me astonished. I blew a deep breath out in sigh, looking back to the window with heedless sight and wondering there are so many souls around us who seems insignificant, but they teach us the most significant lessons of our lives. Life is meant to be hard and some are living the hardest of all. Only by witnessing them if it makes our lives easier, then I think we should keep our hearts and eyes open everywhere.



I kept looking outside, but with lost mind.
Saturdays
Tags: Fiction, Short Read, Fiction Writing, Short Story

She didn’t set the alarm for this morning. It is Saturday. She never sets the alarm on Saturdays. This makes Saturdays more attractive. They are the days of no alarm set. If there is a kingdom of the days, these are the cool ones. She was already debating the role of the rest of the week days when she realized that her brain was already in full speed. “Too early in the morning, Anna. Save it for midday.”

The white bed linen were looking bright as the light was coming through the window. She had bought them two years ago when she first moved to this flat. She had spent a good amount of time in that store deciding on the number of cotton threads. She slid her hands to test their softness and checked the web for the reviews. Decisions are difficult for her and her mother always comments on her indecisiveness. But for Anna, their impact extends beyond the time they are made. A rushed decision might affect the future in the most well hidden ways. What if she had gone for the wrong number of cotton threads? She would have to wake up then in bed linen that are not soft enough. Her mood will be spoiled and her day thereafter would be affected. She remembers reading how important it is to set the right mood in the morning. There it is, decisions should be given all the time needed.

Feeling content at this thought, she checked her phone. It was 9.34 am. She could stay in bed a bit more but the thought of making coffee won her over. As she was leaving the bedroom, she stepped on mail thrown through the letterbox and on the corridor floor. She picked it up. “Pfff”. Advertising flyers and some bills. There is a sense of surprise in receiving mail and thrills Anna every time. Your name written on the envelope. The excitement while you are opening it. The time it takes until you reveal its content. It’s a process. A rare one, almost vintage now. She chooses to have theater or gig tickets delivered by post. Like small injections of surprise. “I will get some Christmas cards to send this year. I will. People deserve surprises.”, she said out loud and put the Bialetti on the stove.
Sunbathing
By: Jaymie Wood
Tags: Fiction, Scary, Gore, Fiction Writing, Horror Fiction

I heard laughter and yelling, it was a little hazy. Then, I heard my name. I woke up, but something was wrong. My eyes… I couldn’t open them. The were stuck? I tried to open them, but a terrible pain erupted over my face. I let out a scream. I stuttered as I explained to my friends that I could not see. They attempted to help, but they just couldn’t. My eyelids had melted on to my eyeballs. I tried one last time to open them. This time, I did. But, it hurt like hell and my eyelids stretched like melted cheese. They had been completely melted. Half of my eyelids were still stuck to my eyes. I screamed in fear and agony.

We rushed to the hospital. But, the damage was already done. The doctors removed the stringy eyelids, cleaned me up, put on some bandages and gave me some glasses to wear. When my mum arrived, she shrieked. How could any of this be real? It all felt like a fever dream, some kind of sick nightmare or horror movie. When I arrived home, my mum guided me to my room.

I didn’t sleep that night.

I cried. And I couldn’t stop crying. I cried because I will never see my beauty again, and now, no one else will. I know I am hideous. And no one will ever think I am pretty or love me.

All because I wanted to be beautiful.
What is fiction?
By: Aditya B
Tags: Fiction Series, Fiction, Fiction Friday, Fictional, Fiction Writing

Fiction is all about characters. Writing — trying to find and create characters — can be full of surprises; a person’s imagination is a powerful force.

Start writing fiction will help you to make the best use of what you already have … and what you know.

You’ll be able to draw on your own experiences, and what you’ve read — your observations and imagination, your language and ideas.

You’ll come to discover — as you start to create stories — the best rules and lessons for you, the best ways for you to create characters — the best way for you to write.

Fiction is all about characters. Make the best of everything you already have and know — your unique ‘material’ and ‘equipment’ for creating characters:

your experiences (including your reading experiences)

your memories and personal history

your feelings and desires

your language, imagination, observations and ideas.

Fiction thrives on elements that are factual or seem factual; it traditionally contains much information which appears real and normal.

What did you find from writing the fact and fiction paragraphs, and from reading any others?

You may have seen or heard game shows with a similar premise — panel members talk imaginatively and often comically about themselves, or an object or a moment from history, trying to smuggle through facts that the other panellists don’t notice. The fun thing is that the truthful things are often the elements that sound most invented. But common factual details are of use in stories too.

Writing what you know is all important to the would-be fiction writer. Your source material doesn’t have to be exotic, or fantastical. The most mundane details from everyday lives can provide the most fruitful source for stories. And sometimes the mundane mixed with the fantastical can be amusing too.

Fiction thrives on elements that are factual or seem factual; it traditionally contains much information which appears real and normal.
About Me — Atika Shubert
By: Atika Shubert
Tags: Writer, Fiction Writing, About Me

About Me — Atika Shubert

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I was 8, I had a list:

Archaeologist / Detective / Astronaut / Poet / Mom

1 out of 5 isn’t too bad, right?

Now, I write. And I travel. A lot.

Jakarta and Bangkok are the places of my childhood. New York and Boston are the cities of my youth. Then, I became a journalist and hit the road in earnest: Tokyo, Jerusalem, London and Berlin.

Today, I live in Valencia, Spain. I write fiction. Or I’m starting to. This is where I’ll be posting some of my short stories.

If you want to find out more about my writing, as well as my work as a journalist, I have a website: atikashubert.com

Thanks for reading.
Schengen And Shenzhen
By: Kovuuri G. Reddy
Tags: Wordsmith Library, Fiction Writing, Covid 19, Short Story, Creative Writing

Beppe Bjarnefors, 33, architect, uncontested member of Liberal Party, starts to google for ‘Shenzhen visa’. He has never thought of the importance of the Schengen visa to visit the countries of the European Union for non-Europeans. He is searches for a suitable link, which he wants to send it to his counterpart in Colombia. He spends more than three hours in Shenzhen, online.

Shenzhen, the world’s best-performing stock market in the year of the coronavirus pandemic, has all the attractions for a politically- and architecturally-minded Beppe. He is beguiled with unexpected offers and exploratory attractions.

The comfort of the living room with the MacBook, and the warmth of the radiator banishing the wintry world, propel Beppe to go on, be beguiled. He is relieved. Something is happening amid the coronavirus pandemic. He is relaxed: he eases back on his chair with his arms stretching out.

Nike Stensmyren, 34, studying music for a change of career -a euphemism for unemployment-, steps into the living room from the bedroom. “What about dinner? Ah?”

“Got an invitation to Shenzhen”

“For you?”

Beppe struggles with what to say to her query for he is not sure. Not saying anything prevents lying. He says nothing.

“Both of us?”

If silence prevents one from lying, not to say the truth is timidity. “I’m confused. Probably…”

“Probably what?” Nike wants to know. She suggests, “Schengen, we can take a train from Gothenburg.” Her politician-father from another political party, Moderates, had taken her to Shenzhen and Schengen. Shenzhen in China was far more interesting to her than Schengen in Luxembourg, the country that shares a border with the erstwhile rivals of Belgium, Germany and France.

“Train?”

“Why not? No one goes there except for wine. Probably online, to apply for visa that is in its name. Schengen visa.”

How did I land in Shenzhen? Beppe asks himself as the Oriental faces flash on his mind with whom he has chatted. Where did I end up? “Let’s go. Get a few drinks, as well.”

“Huawei is considering our art project.” Nike reveals,

“What?”

“A sponsor.”

Beppe thinks: What a coincidence!

Drizzly wintry night. Gothenburg is calm, deserted due to the coronavirus pandemic, but many windows showcase Christmas.

Beppe’s mind buzzes: Shenzhen. The Consular Office of China in Gothenburg plays on his mind. He is part of a firm that has been selected to build a chic building in the city, but it has been postponed due to the pandemic.

Nike’s mind reminds: Schengen and Shenzhen. A visit to the wine-making village, the super shopping city will be ideal in the post-coronavirus year.

What to eat, where to eat?

Arm in arm, they walk.

Husmanskost, the traditional Swedish food, or Sushi, or Chinese?

Chinese!
Hiraeth -PROLOGUE
By: Yanaal Madani
Tags: Fiction, Storytelling, Hiraeth, Fiction Writing, Soulmates

PROLOGUE

This is it. Every year, on the fourth of July, we celebrate a special day. Even more, we experience that special day. Because every year, when the third of July turns into the fourth of July, we get the chance to find each other. We get the chance to find our soulmate.

Every year at exactly midnight, following our eighteenth birthday, we possess the body of our soulmate for twenty-four hours. We get only one chance in life to find them. Once we have found them, our new life begins. We see life in a new way. We see ‘colours’, as the elders call it. We see the world as it was meant to be seen.

There are only a few weeks left for me. For everyone born in the year 2002. This is our chance to find love.
Psalms of Ninasar, the Watcher
By: Jr Verwey
Tags: Flash Fiction, Fiction, Storytelling, Fiction Writing, Poetry

Psalms of Ninasar, the Watcher

I am immortal.

I am an orphan, an unknown father’s son whose mother, since labor, lay long interred. I have known neither.

I believe when we are born, our bodies first inhale to trap our divine souls in a mortal coil.

Every breath from birth to death is a struggle to keep our divinity captive until that last exhale when the divine prospers and escapes its prison of flesh.

I am immortal.

My soul’s prison is eternity. My solitude is my dungeon, and my failings my scourge.

In quiet hours, I speak in whispers of names and faces I have long forgotten.

They are there just beyond grasping, like the tail end of a wood splinter, they are buried deep in my flesh.

I fear to touch them that, like the splinter, they break, shedding the part touched and delving deeper where only pain and blood can find them again.

I am immortal.

My daughters and my sons refuse my forgetting them, for they have had children, and those children have had their own, and so on, and so on.

Like the splinter — now a part of myself and left to fester for eternity in a forgotten wound — they rise to the surface, and I know them.

Children are a lesson for those who have nothing left to learn.

I am better having known them.

The world is greater for their passing through it.

The pleasure and pain of their coming and the pleasure and pain of their going is my sole rapture, for the joy of a splinter removed is far greater than the apathy of never having one at all.