Tips For A Super September!

September to me has always been a time to reflect and reorganize as it always feels like a new beginning. It is a great time to create inspiration and efficiency in our lives.  I take advantage of this time of the year by reminding myself to take these steps:

Share smiles

A smile can immediately relax the facial muscles and lift a bad mood. Scientists have found that smiling on purpose can help people feel better. Certain neurotransmitters are released as the smile forms and sends feedback from our face to the front of our head. Just the simple act of putting a smile on your face can lead you to feel actual happiness, joy, or amusement as it changes the brain chemistry. In addition, when a smile flashes across your face; dopamine, endorphins and serotonin are all released into your bloodstream, making not only your body relax but also work to lower your heart rate and blood pressure. Smile in front of your family, kids, co workers, students and they will have faith in your ideas of a good time.

Write down goals

I encourage all my clients this time of the year to create lists that involve goals with respect to nutrition, fitness and mindfulness. These can pertain to all different environments in our lives; family, workplace, travel, school etc. There is also scientific evidence here that when we make a list, write it down, and even go the further step by telling someone what is on our list, those goals are more likely to be attained successfully. When we write it down we start to visualize and this always helps to remember whatever it is we want to do. The focus is clear and we become more efficient. Goals give us new energies and hopes with very specific directions!

Declutter houses especially desks

Clutter blasts our minds with unnecessary stimuli triggering our senses to work on unnecessary things.  It is distracting and can make it more difficult to relax our bodies and our mind. When we have messes in our lives it feels like nothing can get done and this can cause unnecessary anxiety and negative thoughts. Get rid of whatever is clouding your space and replace the irritation with simple delights by creating new spaces. Clean out cupboards, garages, kitchens and those famous junk drawers we all seem to refill every year. Buy happy books, scented natural candles, joyful little artifacts to generate a positive energy. Our minds love organization and peaceful surroundings.

Reinvent wardrobes

If you haven’t worn it this summer perhaps it is time to pass it on. There are so many fun and inexpensive ways nowadays to create a new fresh September wardrobe. Add fun accent items and update the basic items. Donate items to charities or friends; this always makes us feel good. Its always nice to have space in the closet so buy a storage bin for under the bed and start to rotate your cloths so as to make more room in the closet. If it doesn’t fit put it away or get rid of it. Open your drawers and open your minds. If you look good you feel good!

Have positive affirmations

These are statements that are articulated and frequently repeated by saying or thinking a certain positive belief in our mind.  Affirmations are used to help train the subconscious to see things in a better and more positive light. They boost and uplift the individual who is speaking them. Try it! Wake up and tell yourself  every single day something like : “today is going to be a great day”, ” I am strong”. Perhaps on more stressful day of a tests or a meeting/presentation you remind yourself “I am doing the best that I can”. Be proud of yourself. Let go of the negative and doubtful thoughts in the morning! Start to improve your quality of life by consciously shifting your mindset!

Be present

The days are still long and bright in September and we need on focus on those moments. Breath and stop worrying about the future. Accept things and let them be, and yes, even the unpleasant people and circumstances around you. Don’t avoid them but rather move towards them and challenge yourself and ask what are you learning from them. Notice how you feel and react everyday. Notice all the news things around you that you may have missed before; how exciting it is to meet new people, watching the light shine through the trees or simply taking a new route to work. The more you notice the more you feel and see what awesome energy lies right in front of every moment.

Introduce mini meditations

Download any of the Apps out there and crawl into bed every night and do a 5-minute mini meditation.  Pick a specific topic you may want to work on; stress, aches and pains, sleep, positivity etc. Your choices can vary every night. Going to bed with more pleasant thoughts and purposefully getting rid of some of the negative ones we have experienced that day, helps us close our eyes and have a healthier, improved sleep.

Let me remind you of one my favourite quotes by A R Bernard;

“The quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life.”

Start some of these new habits and tips and feel excited about September. Challenge yourself with something you have not done before. Learn something new, take on a new activity. Work on yourself.

Nothing else is happening today. This is it, September is here.