Thought some men would appreciate this... ;)
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![]() No sweetheart? No problem! You don’t need a sweetheart to express love on Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day was one of my favorite holidays in elementary school. Our teachers said if we wanted to give Valentine’s to our friends in class, we needed to make sure we gave one to EVERYONE. From a child's point of view, I thought it was the coolest thing to get notes and candy from my classmates. From that experience I viewed Valentine’s Day from a different perspective. I thought of the different types of Greek love whether it’s philia-love for your fellow being, agape-love in the spiritual sense, or eros-romantic love. Let’s not forget self-love! So if there’s no eros in your life, why not focus on the other types of love? Here are 3 ways to do that! 1. Do an act of kindness. This can be as simple as pushing an abandoned grocery cart in the parking lot back to the cart return. Trust me, the store clerk will appreciate that. While driving, let someone over in your lane when they turn on their blinker rather than speed up. Say hello to someone and give them a genuine compliment. Look for an opportunity to serve someone and do it! It will light up your life. 2. Express gratitude to someone. In a world where we hear so much negativity in the news, it’s nice to hear some positivity! Think of a relative, friend, co-worker, or neighbor and tell them what you appreciate about them verbally or in a note with a goodie. When people feel appreciated they tend to be in a better mood and want to pay it forward. This can start a positive ripple effect. 3. Show love to yourself. One day a dear friend of mine, Sarah Kent, noticed I was feeling a little down. She and I love to say positive affirmations to boost our moods. She told me I needed to put my fingers on my heart and say out loud, “I’m AWESOME!” So, I did. I said it about 5 times and burst into laughter. Sarah responded and said, “Well at least it made you laugh!” Mission accomplished! Showing self-love can also include doing something nice for yourself such as getting a massage, a pedicure, or watch your favorite action movie. Remember, “To thine own self be true…”-Shakespeare If you have other ways to make Valentine’s Day great, please share it in the comments! Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Heather Severn Callister, LMFT & Coach www.skylightcounseling.com "Family/Friend Bonding With Your Own Winter Olympics!" By Heather Severn Callister, LMFT & Coach2/5/2014 ![]() The Winter Olympic Games start this week in Sochi! It’s a great time to not only watch it but also create your own Olympic fun at home or at parties. So to kick things off, my friends and I came up with a list of ideas you can do with your family or friends. Bring international foods to a party! People love trying a variety of foods from all over the globe and it adds zest to a party! Since the Olympics will be held in Russia, why not include Russian dishes. For a list of Russian recipes visit http://allrecipes.com/recipes/world-cuisine/european/eastern-european/russian/ Olympic Food Decorating. Decorate sugar cookies with a patriotic theme for Team USA. Another idea is to decorate Ding Dongs as Olympic Medals for everyone. Sockies for Sochi. Wear festive socks to work, school or a party. Festive socks always make for an easy conversation piece. CREATE YOUR OWN WINTER OLYMPIC EVENTS Down below is a list of Winter Olympic Event ideas we modified to have fun with. · Bobsled. You can convert this event by using a simple sled or tube. Have 2-3 people on each sled or tube to ride down the hill. · Luge. 1 person is on a sled while sledding down the hill. · Curling. This can be done on the living room floor, the kitchen floor, or on a kitchen table. In the living room, set up zone markers with allotted points. For pictures of the point zone, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling Then, take a tennis ball and roll it onto the point zone without overshooting. The one who scores the most points wins! If it is done on the kitchen floor, set up zone markers for the point zone. Then roll the tennis ball while another teammate sweeps with a broom in front of the ball to help it land in the point zone. If nothing else, you get your floor swept over several times! If it is done on a kitchen table, set up zone markers on the table. Then take a peanut m&m and roll it onto the point zone with the most points without over shooting it. · Olympic Bingo. Jeremy Holm, American bobsled pilot and coach, has created fun Olympic bingo cards. To download the bingo cards, visit http://jeremycholm.com/blog/item/110-2014-sochi-russia-winter-games-bingo · The Judger Competition. When people are watching the events, everyone has a card. After the athletes finish their event, each person writes down on the card what they think the Judges will give as the final score. Everyone holds up their cards. Whoever guesses the final score most accurately earns points wins a prize! · Speed Skating/Walk Like A Speed Skater. For this event, you walk like a speed skater. You’re rated on form and speed. Try walking like a speed skater from one end to the other while racing someone else. · Hockey. You can do either broom hockey on a big floor or do table air hockey. · Biathlon. Run around the house or a park then shoot a ball at a target. This can also be done with snowballs. · Gold Medal Celebration. Put on a gold medal and then demonstrate your celebration dance as if you won! Most importantly, have fun with it! It’s a wonderful time for the world to come together and celebrate. If you have any creative ideas, please share them in the comments below! Thanks for reading and feel free to share! Heather Severn, LMFT & Coach www.skylightcounseling.com Here's the TV Clip of some of the demonstrations on KUTV Fresh Living... ![]() Let’s face it; many reports state that most people do not accomplish their New Year’s Resolutions. So, if that’s really the case, why do we even bother? Some possible hang-ups include the following: making too many goals without a realistic plan, an all or nothing approach, or having a disbelief that we will actually follow through with it. Does this sound familiar? Here’s a personal experience from years ago. I used to be a perfectionist with unrealistic expectations. I had set about ten New Year’s resolutions in the areas of mind, body, and spirit. When June rolled around, I pulled out the list and realized I had not accomplished one of those items! With my all or nothing approach I thought, “Well, better luck next year!” and then tossed the list aside. I wanted everything on that list to happen but I wanted it to happen yesterday. No dice. Roughly in the year 2000, I decided to write down a wish list. I wrote down things in all aspects of my life. I thought if it happens, great. If it doesn’t, then not a huge deal—it’s a wish! Two years later, I pulled out the wish list and noticed that more than half of those items on my list occurred. I was surprised to see once I had made it a wish, let it go, and didn’t get in the way of it, more things got accomplished. So, what does this mean? Do we just make wishes and hope they just happen magically? I wish! The answer is no. There is more to this. Just choose one? Focus on just one New Year’s Resolution and check to see if your desire and belief match up. For instance, if I scale my desire from 1-100, 100 being high and 1 being low, where do I rate my desire on that scale? If my desire is a 99 and my belief that it will actually happen is a 20, the chances of it happening are slim. If my desire is a 99 and my belief is at an 88, the chances of it happening are most likely. If you’re belief is low for it happening this year, add it to the wish list. Here’s one reason why my wish list worked. When I wrote the wish list, my belief of when those items would occur did not have a time frame. If I didn’t believe something could happen in 1 year, it could very well happen in 5 years. Therefore, my belief of it happening increased. Just because you have one New Year’s Resolution, doesn’t mean you can’t set other short/long term goals throughout the year. Categorize those goals separately rather than as THE New Year’s Resolution. This helps to break it down and compartmentalize it so it is attainable. 4 Tips to Make Your New Year’s Resolution a Success:
Happy New Year! Thanks for reading and feel free to share! Heather Severn, LMFT & Coach www.skylightcounseling.com I thought this was an interesting article, especially coming from GQ. I wanted to share it. I recently gave a presentation on pornography addiction. There's a reason why it's called the new drug of the Millennium.
Enjoy! "10 Reasons Why Should Quit Watching Porn" http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2013/11/10-reasons-why-you-should-quit-watching-porn.html I really liked this article and wanted to share. Enjoy!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/11/18/mentally-strong-people-the-13-things-they-avoid/ Can Physical Symptoms be Connected to Psychological Roots? By Heather Severn, LMFT & Coach10/7/2013 ![]() Did you know up to 80-90% of physical symptoms may have psychological roots? Our minds, bodies, and spirits are so interconnected. Our thoughts influence how we feel. How we feel affects the stress levels in our bodies. When we’re stressed, our immune systems can weaken. When I see clients in my practice I’ll ask them about their physical symptoms. Often times there is stress and emotional turmoil that causes them to have emotional imbalances in their bodies. A book I often refer to is You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. In the back of her book, she has a list of symptoms and the probable emotional causes behind those symptoms. When I look up the symptoms my clients report to me, 8 of out 10 times they will say they have had those particular negative thought patterns. Louise Hay also recommends the new thought pattern to promote more emotional balance within the body. For example, in her book under the problem with “insomnia” she states the “probable cause” [note it says “probable” not “absolute” cause] is, “Fear. Not trusting the process of life. Guilt.” She said the new thought pattern is, “I lovingly release the day and slip into peaceful sleep, knowing tomorrow will take care of itself.” I also find it interesting on what she has to say on “menstrual problems” and “overweight”. Our thoughts and feelings create our reality. If you’d like to check out her book, click here. It’s also available in the Kindle edition. Stress can be caused from work, personal, and family life, etc. Counseling can help alleviate stress that weakens the immune system and promote healthier living and healthier relationships. This is one big reason why I decided to become a therapist!
Thanks for reading and feel free to share this with friends! Heather Severn, LMFT & Coach ![]() Sometimes it’s hard to say good-bye to longer days, fun in the sun, and summer BBQ’s. However, it doesn’t have to be doom and gloom with summer ending. The best way to beat the end of summer blues is to dive in headfirst. Embrace activities that are unique to fall and winter and set goals to try something new! Some friends and I came up with the following list: 1. How about a cruise?! Plan to go someplace sunny during the winter. This will break up the monotony of the cold and you will have something new to look forward to. Cruise lines offer really good deals if you purchase tickets early. 2. Visit the canyons with the fall leaves. Be sure to bring your camera! There are some breath-taking sights up the canyons that are worth checking out. Snowbird has Oktoberfest with a myriad of activities and a new mountain coaster open on the weekends. A hike around Silver Lake is beautiful with the colorful fall leaves, followed up by an inexpensive lunch at the Brighton Café. 3. Keep physically active. Just because the weather changes, doesn’t mean you cannot stay active. Being physically active helps to increase the endorphins in your body—which can improve your mood. Sign up for a dance class, aerial yoga, indoor rock climbing, or zumba. Races are available year round. Sign up for a race so you have something to train for. 4. Take up winter hobbies. There is always snow skiing and snowboarding. You can get season passes at either Brighton or Snowbird for less if you buy them now. If you are not a skier or a snowboarder, snowshoeing is a great way to go and you don’t have to pay for lift tickets. Snowshoeing offers a beautiful hike or walk in nature. You can definitely rent snowshoes. If you use snowshoes frequently, it’s worth it to purchase them at either Costco.com or Sports Authority. If your hands and feet get cold like mine do, disposable hand and foot warmers can really help you last longer in chilly weather. 5. Embrace seasonal produce. With fall approaching, it’s harvest time! Try a new pumpkin recipe or a healthy apple dessert. Eating raw foods can make a difference in your mental/physical health, weight loss, and overall well-being. One of my absolute favorites is having fresh produce with RAW Almond Hummus. I learned how to make this at the “Discover Scratch” cooking class and was given permission to post this. See an older blog http://www.skylightcounseling.com/1/post/2013/03/can-organic-raw-foods-improve-your-mood.html on why I refer to this recipe as “Mother Nature’s Crack”! Discover Scratch’s RAW Almond Hummus (Serves about 3) 2/3 Cup Pre-soaked raw almonds (soak the almonds at least 12 hours) 1 Tablespoon Raw sesame seeds 1/4 Cup Water ½ teaspoon Ground cumin ½ teaspoon Real Salt or sea salt ¼ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper Pinch Cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Fresh, raw garlic 1 Dried, raw date 1 Tablespoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon Fresh chopped Italian parsley ¼ Cup Chopped Kalmata olives Soak raw almonds for at least 12 hours. Put almonds, sesame seeds, water, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic, date, and lemon juice into a VitaMix or BlendTec. You can use a food processor but it will not come out as smooth. Find out what setting works best on your blender for nut butters. Start the blender. Drizzle about ¾ of the olive oil in while using the wand to help shift things around. Stop the blender. Take the lid off and scrape the sides down. Make sure all the chunks get into the middle. Pour in the rest of the olive oil. Start the blender again and continue to take breaks in between to scrape the sides as needed until the texture is smooth or as desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour before eating. To serve, stir parsley in, add olives, and drizzle with olive oil. Eat with any freshly chopped vegetables in season. **Please note: I usually double the recipe because it gets eaten up quickly! Cooking Class Information: In addition to trying new recipes, you might consider taking a cooking class to enhance those culinary skills. Discover Scratch offers weekly classes. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/discoverscratch/ and add yourself to the group to get the invites. In the Discover Scratch class, you will watch a demonstration on how to make the dishes with an in-depth knowledge of the ingredients, eat everything that is made, and take home detailed recipes with helpful tips. Harmons Neighborhood Grocer also offers a variety of classes. For more information, visit http://www.harmonsgrocery.com/cooking-school/ If you would like to try more RAW food recipes, please visit http://www.livingmom.net/search?q=recipe Omar's Rawtopia is a RAW food restaurant located in Sugar House. http://www.omarsrawtopia.com/ Great for those who are unable to have gluten or dairy! Thanks for reading and feel free to share this with friends! Heather Severn, LMFT & Coach P.S. Here is the Channel 2 KUTV news clip where I talk about the recipe and beating the end of summer blues! Many of us dislike feeling vulnerable. In order for us to have the promotion we want, the connection with others we want, Brene Brown says,"we have to be really seen." Brene has done extensive research on shame and vulnerability. I'm a huge TED talk fan. This is a powerful video clip on how vulnerability can help us to obtain our goals. It is well worth the time to watch these two TED Talks on "The Power of Vulnerability" and "Listening to Shame"! (Both talks are below.) Enjoy! Heather Severn, LMFT & Coach |
AuthorHeather Severn Callister is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Archives
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