Do you experience seasonal depression (also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD)? If so, you may have extra trouble getting out of bed during periods of SAD. 

Recently, I began to wonder if my medication is an emotional crutch. An emotional crutch is something that one relies on during a period of difficulty. But is using medication as an emotional crutch really that bad? 

People who love to spend time outdoors can tell you plenty about the positive impact it has on their mood. Personally, I experience a noticeable decrease in stress and anxiety when I am hiking, camping, sitting near a body of water, or even walking my dogs around the neighborhood. When the weather is nice, I often eat meals in my backyard just to get a little extra outside time. For many, the calming effects of being outdoors is intuitive.

Your mental health and sleep are closely linked. When you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to be irritable or depressed. These qualities don’t make for pretty personalities. However, a little attention to sleep hygiene (habits to increase your quality of and time spent sleeping) can make a large difference in your happiness and overall health. Studies show that lack of sleep can raise the likelihood of developing depression, trigger a bipolar episode, and contribute to anxiety, according to a Harvard Mental Health letter that synthesizes multiple studies.1 How, then, can we improve our sleep in order to experience more of life? Turns out there’s an entire industry around sleep hygiene we can turn to for guidance because improving your mental health through sleep is entirely possible.

If you want to improve your mental health, you should improve your physical health. You'll be pleased to know there is a direct association between sleep, exercise, nutrition, and emotional health. Individually, chronic sleep loss, lack of physical activity, or eating poorly can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression. So if you want to improve your mental health, you should improve your physical health, too.

You can work on your emotional wellbeing by meditating, journaling, and reciting affirmations. But, there is also a physical component to your emotional health, and it often goes ignored. If you want to enhance your emotional wellbeing, include exercise in your self-care routine.

Getting better sleep is an important part of living a blissful life (Develop Good Sleep Habits). Today I’m going to share three ways to help you get better sleep.

You can manufacture an attitude of gratitude even if you don't normally feel thankful. Focus on what you're grateful for now--name something you're grateful to know or have. Gratitude is an expression or feeling of appreciation, and it matters. It is recognizing the source of "goodness" in your life rather than "badness." Do you have good days, trustworthy friends, a supportive family, a respectable job, decent pay, etc.? Could the list of goodness in your life continue? Think about it. An attitude of gratitude can go a long way to uplifting your heart, mind, and soul.

Here's what I tell anybody and this is what I believe. The greatest gift we have is the gift of life. We understand that. That comes from our Creator. We're given a body. Now you may not like it, but you can maximize that body the best it can be maximized. ~ Mike Ditka Visualize the Body You Want Is exercise part of your daily life? What are your eating habits? Have you seen someone who has the body or fitness level you want? My sister Tiffany has been a fitness enthusiast for years. She is in excellent shape and looks fantastic. I have been in the gym with her when she is training and I can’t count the number times someone has come over to her and said: "I want a body like that” (motioning towards her). The wonderful thing about observing this over the years is that these people have been motivated by looking at her and have created a vision for what they want. What my sister has taught me and her clients is physicality is more than just an exercise regimen; physical fitness is manifested through healthy eating, an active lifestyle and fostering mental, spiritual and social well-being.

The list of people associated with the word beauty or beautiful is long and distinguished. As human beings we tend to be enamored with physical beauty. The popular media floods us with endless images of men and women who fit the sociocultural essence of beauty. Every year, People Magazine even dedicates an entire issue to the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.” Sensationalism of beauty simply intensifies stress rather than deepens satisfaction with self.