How do you spend your days when it seems you have more time in your hands? Perhaps this thought never crossed your mind because you never really had the chance to stop and smell the flowers. With all the things that you need to get done, there isn’t any time to stop and meditate. 

But it isn’t the packed schedule or the long list of things-to-do that hinder you from enjoying your sweet spare time. You have become afraid of having some extra time in your hands because you don’t know what to do with it. 

You have become afraid of the empty space in your life. 

The busy schedule, constant distraction, the lack of focus, and the lack of satisfaction in your life often leaves you with so much more than you can handle. 

You end up running from one task to another. Instead of enjoying the spaces between the tasks, the moments of solitude and stillness, you end up filling the gaps with activities. You think of something useful to do. You have...

There are seven chakras: Muladhara, Svadisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddi, and Ajna. Each chakra correlates to a specific location on your body, starting from your coccyx, to just below your navel, above your navel (your belly), your heart, your throat, and the top of your head (your crown). 

What Is A Chakra?

Many cultures believe that energy travels through the body, similar to how our blood flows. This energy moves much like the wind, or a stream, and is continuously in flux. 

A chakra is an energy center or a point in the body where life-energy tends to form and gather. In Hinduism, this energy is called Prana, and in traditional Chinese culture, Qui. 

Balance vs. Imbalance

Balanced chakras can be a source of some of our most noble feelings, and allow us to express our Higher Self.

Imbalanced chakras can cause excess fear, anger, confusion, chronic pain, and even a loss of self. This happens when a chakra is wounded (your heart, for example). An imbalance can...

A lot of joy can be found if only people lived with a zen state of mind. The philosophy behind this practice is pretty simple: you are looking at old problems with fresh eyes. It is like embracing the concept of a beginner's mind. You always look at things and situations as if it were the first time you encountered them.

What Does It Mean To Have A Beginner's Mind? 

To have a beginner's mind is defined as having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and the lack of preconceived notions about the subject matter at hand. When you already know practically everything about it, a beginner's mind can provide you with fresh eyes to see beyond what you've always been used to. 

Having an attitude of a beginner is healthy and beneficial most of the time. Oftentimes, when people become knowledgeable within a specific field or area, they often overlook things. Because they believe they are already experts, they are blinded, so it becomes challenging to look at...

How much confidence do you have in yourself and your abilities? If you often find that you’re unable to pursue your goals because of self-doubt, then you’re probably missing out on a lot of opportunities. 

Trying new things can be daunting, and they can intimidate you to the point that you’d rather not try at all. It’s most likely because you’re afraid to fail. Sometimes, we become convinced that if we don’t try, we’ll never fail. But all that this kind of thinking does is hinder our growth. 

For us to achieve success, we have to challenge ourselves to take some risks. The importance of believing in yourself is that you become aware of your capabilities and begin to have the courage to pursue whatever it is that you want to do. 

Trust yourself that you can take on new challenges and learn what you need to know so you can successfully accomplish any tasks you may have. You may think that sure, it’s...

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term "flexibility?" Many will immediately think of yoga poses or rubber bands. Others might consider pilates positions or taffy. But very few will actually think about flexibility in terms of thoughts. 

But what if flexible thinking is what you need to achieve good health? What if it's that flexibility in the mind that will help you achieve overall wellness in the body and well-being. With careful practice, you can develop that agile mind. You will be able to elevate your experience. 

Through mental flexibility, you will be able to teach yourself to become more resilient and creative. In the process, you will be able to achieve a happy heart and an even happier life. 

The cognitive flexibility theory talks about how you can bend your thinking to give way to new perspectives. It is grounded in the goal that you are aspiring for balance in your life. Between control and spontaneity, you...

If you often find yourself stressed about your home because it’s so messy, know that there’s something you can do about it. You’ve already probably heard or seen signs that say “clean as you go.” Maybe you can try applying this practice in your own life so that you can minimize the stress you experience whenever you’re confronted with so much clutter. 

The principles of cleaning are simple, and you can apply this system not just in organizing the clutter in your home, but also to have a clutter-free and clean mind. Once you understand the clean-as-you-go principle, you can use it at work, school, managing finances, and other vital areas that need decluttering and organization. 

What Is The Clean-As-You-Go Principle?

The clean-as-you-go principle is very easy to understand and practice. In your home, for example, you don’t wait for the whole house to be a mess before cleaning it. You may think that you...

Do you still remember how you made friends at school when you were young? For some, it may have started by sharing a sandwich during lunch. Others became friends because they offered to help a classmate having a hard time in the assignment. Or perhaps they met and bonded on the basketball court.

Building new friendships are good, but keeping the old ones is just as important. A new friendship always brings about the promise of new hope. It opens doors for discoveries and strengthens faith in one's self. 

How Do You Make New Friends?

While making friends at school and making friends at work differ because of the different social circumstances you find yourself in, making new friends doesn't have to be too difficult. When you meet random people, you sometimes feel the urge to befriend some of them. They give you the kind of feeling that you share something special. 

But then, there are also those people that you meet that make you feel like you...

Happiness, they say, should always come from within. So if you are looking for ways to turn negative into positive, you must seek the answers from within yourself. 

If you were asked what would make you happy, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps you have thought of your kids' milestones and how those moments make you happy. Or maybe it is the simple gesture of getting flowers for your birthday. 

But then again, all these actions and things may make you happy only for a moment. That's when you thought that happiness will always be ever fleeting. 

When you are all alone, and everything is quiet, ask yourself what truly makes you happy. Whether you admit to it or not, it is something that you cannot describe, but you can feel it. It is a sense of inner peace and quiet. 

So whenever it feels like you need to take the good with the bad, remind yourself that you need to live in the moment. Allow yourself to feel every moment in your...

Deadlines. The word itself can sometimes fill you with dread and anxiety. Whether you love deadlines or not, there is one thing true about them—they provide you with a whole lot of motivation. 

There is nothing like a pending project that’s due tomorrow to keep you up and inspired all night. Deadlines help you stay focused on the task that needs to be done. They help you in managing the expectations of others and of yourself.

However, deadlines are not as daunting as people see it. Of course, there will be risks when you don’t meet them. Your boss might just fire you. A disappointed client might tell her friends not to hire you for future projects. Some coworkers may resent you. And so you push yourself to meet the deadline and fulfill everyone’s expectations. 

However, when you set deadlines for yourself, it seems you end up being too lenient. You up your deadline for this week, but you move it next week and then another...

Are you under a lot of stress? Several different factors can cause pressure, or anxiety, in your day to day life. 

You can suffer from different types of stress. For example, it can be wearisome when you have to deal with an increased workload in the office. You can be under a lot of tension when you've just given birth and are transitioning to parenthood. 

Sometimes, you have to deal with multiple stressors that may seem quite impossible to survive. It is during these situations that you might feel the most upset and frustrated. However, your body will respond to it by making you feel various symptoms that include extreme emotions such as depression and anger. 

Stress affects you in several ways, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Sadly, these effects come in varying intensities as well. 

Symptoms Of Stress

No one is exempted from stress or life challenges. Everyone deals with it their own way. However, when it begins to alter your life...