Nassau, The Bahamas (Part 3)

B – Breathe. While breathing may sound simple,a strategic focus on breathing is essential. Most people shallow breathe throughout the day. Learning to slow our breathing down, inhale, and exhale intentionally relaxes the body im-mediately.

A – Attitude. Have you checked your mental attitude lately? What thoughts have you captive? Are they negative or positive? Taking a quick attitude check can make a world of difference. One way to do this is to journal your thoughts. Reread your words, and determine if you need to turn some things over to God. A robust and positive attitude goes a long way for overall emotional wellness

L – Love. Not to be sappy, but love truly is thesalve of the heart. Focusing on the people we love, the things we love, and the actions of love do change not only the world but also the person who shares this love. Jesus not only demonstrated perfect love to us, but He also commanded us to love one another. When we focus on love and on serving others, it is hard to stay focused on negativity or sadness.

A – Acceptance. Learning to accept our currentcircumstances is critical. We have been conditioned to be very hard on ourselves. While many quickly show grace to others, self-grace proves to be difficult. Letting go of disappointments and failures while focusing on lessons you’ve learned goes a long way to ease up on yourself.

N – Nurture. By far, taking the time to nurtureyour soul is not easy. Taking care of yourself means spending the time you need to provide times of silence, stillness, and rest. Go on that long walk. Stay in your pj’s all day. Do nothing, or take a nice bubble bath. Whatever it is that soothes your soul, make sure you are making time to seek out these nuggets of time.

C – Calm. We’ve all seen the memes aboutdoing this or that while remaining calm. Well, there is some brilliance to these statements. Maintaining a calmness within your spirit is important. When the world is anything but quiet, the one thing you can control is your inner soul. Feed this vital part of yourself by recognizing how you feel when you are stressed. Once you understand the signs of chaos, being able to bring a calmness into your well-being will quickly enable you to withstand the rigors of an unpredictable world.

E – Energy. Like a finely tuned engine, our bodies are designed to perform beautifully. When the imbalances in our lives wreak havoc on our physiological selves, our energy levels drop significantly. We must maintain the proper energy within our bodies. Adequate rest, the right fuel from wholesome foods, along with exercise, will provide us with the balance and energy needs we must have.