8 Ways to Stay Sane in a Crazy World

 

There are times when this crazy world can get the best of us. There’s COVID and unemployment, business shut-downs and shelters-in-place, political clashes and divisiveness, wars and poverty. If you need a break from it all, read on for 8 great tips on how to stay sane in a crazy world!

8 Ways to Stay Sane in a Crazy World

1. Carve Out “You” Time—Taking as little as 15 to 30 minutes a day for yourself is a game changer! Use this time to take a contemplative walk, meditate, pray, exercise…to do whatever brings you peace and joy. If possible, take this “you time” first thing in the morning to start your day in a calm, grounded, and peaceful manner.
2. Practice Gratitude—Throughout the day, focus on the positives in your life. Include everything that is going well and anything that brings you joy. Your gratitudes can be big, like a job promotion or a bucket list vacation, or as small as a warm cup of tea. Studies have shown when you’re feeling genuinely grateful, it’s impossible to at the same time experience any negative emotion (including fear!) As an added bonus, researchers have found that gratitude is strongly associated with greater happiness.
3. Do Something Fun—Most of us don’t take enough time for play. Our days are filled with things we ‘have’ to do—go to work, attend a workshop, cook dinner, clean the house, help the kids with homework—the list goes on and on. Those things may be important, but taking time to disconnect and do something that makes you happy is equally important. Having fun brings joy into your life and can help carry you through stressful times.
4.  Perform a Random Act of Kindness—This is a time when many people need help. There’s opportunity for kindness in every encounter, and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive to make a difference. Sometime a smile, a kind word, a kind deed is exactly what’s needed. You could also bake cookies for a friend in need, pick up groceries for someone who is unable to get out, and support your colleague’s new idea. Your act of kindness could make all the difference in someone’s life…and it will make you feel good to boot!
5.  Stay Positive—Yes, it’s possible, even in today’s crazy world! How do you achieve this positive mindset? By looking for the positives in every situation. Sometimes they are easy to find; other times it takes some digging. When you encounter a negative situation, turn it into a game to look for a positive. For example, if you are feeling restless from too many months spent inside, think about the positives the situation created. Have you completed home projects, accomplished more goals, and/or connected with family and friends on Zoom?
6.  Indulge in a Hobby—Research indicates hobbies are beneficial to your mental health. So indulge in a current hobby or find something new that appeals to you. Read a novel or learn how to cook an exotic food. Go hiking, biking, or kayaking. Learn to knit, bake bread, or make wine. Finding an activity you enjoy will boost your mood, increase your contentment, and lower your stress levels.
7.  Turn Off the News—There’s nothing new to hear! These days the news is an incessant repeat of fear-based information. Everyone knows the media sells based on fear, however, nothing good comes from a steady dose of distress. As the beloved Star Wars character Yoda said, “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” So turn off the TV, put down your phone, and use your newly found time to complete one or more items from this list.
8.  Make Wellness a Priority—When things get crazy, it’s easy to push wellness aside. Who has the time for yoga, cooking nutritious meals, and getting extra sleep? It’s a Catch-22 because crazy times are when you most need to prioritize wellness. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise of virtually any kind can help relieve stress. If you don’t have time to cook, try a super-food smoothie. And don’t forget about sleep. Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep to function effectively. Sleep impacts mood, immune function, metabolism, memory, and other vital functions. Making time for wellness will help you feel your best—mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Finally, be sure to check in with yourself every morning. Ask what it is that you need to feed your soul…and make sure you listen to your inner voice!

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

Restart in Bristol, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? Kindle: https://amzn.to/37cCw1b. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/3hgKZpF.

The Perfect Lap, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—2019 Reader’s Favorite Contemporary Romance Finalist: His job is to drive fast. Hers is to put the brakes on him. When sparks fly, will love cross the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/2VkXIkv. Audiobook: https://adbl.co/2WAsOnp.

Nora’s Promise, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance— Reader's Favorite 2019 Contemporary Romance Bronze winner and 2019 NIEA Bronze winner: She trusts animals more than men. He races through women like checkered flags. Can one orphaned boy bring them both to the finish line? Kindle: https://amzn.to/384lB1f . Audiobook: https://amzn.to/2OktquX.

To sign up for my Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/. I blog once a month, and I never send spam!

 

Recommended Reading:

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: https://amzn.to/39SgKSt

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: https://amzn.to/2GwSGJc

The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra: https://amzn.to/2C9BF5k

Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.

Photo by Gian Cescon on Unsplash

It's Time to Shift our Focus & Energy

With our country focused 24/7 on the coronavirus, let’s take pause to think about all of the good in our world. Even though it’s not covered by the media, peace, love, joy, and goodness is all around us.

Last night’s news showed an actual fight over a pack of toilet paper. Yet today in my grocery store, I watched a young couple offer the last pack of Charmin to an elderly woman. On my car radio, I heard an endless list of cancellations—schools, sporting events, concerts, committee meetings, community gatherings—even church. At home, I scanned through Facebook and found an equally long list of people offering support—daycare for those impacted by school closures, people swapping groceries and supplies, others extending an empathetic ear.

Even though we’re bombarded by constant doom and gloom, yesterday someone paid for my drink at Starbucks. My daughter sent a video of my 3-year-old grandson ‘calling’ me on his baby monitor, and a friend I haven’t talked with in months gave me a call.

People can use a lift now more than ever, so consider what you can do to spread a little kindness and cheer. Bake cookies for your neighbor. Offer to babysit or host a small gathering for friends who are itching to get out. Call your mom. Send your niece a care package.

While we should absolutely take preventative measures and use an abundance of caution to stay healthy, it’s time to shift some of our focus and energy away from the virus. Otherwise, as country superstar Luke Bryan states in his smash hit, “Most People Are Good,” “I believe if you just go by the nightly news, your faith in all mankind would be the first thing you lose.”

Instead of focusing on what’s going wrong, let’s shift our attention to the generosity and goodness that abounds in our communities and our world. And let’s show our appreciation by passing it on!

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality. 

***New Release!***Restart in Bristol, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—He’s a hot mess. She wants stability. Will these childhood sweethearts risk another pass at love? https://amzn.to/37cCw1b.

Cloud Whispers—2019 IPPY Bronze winner for Visionary Fiction. The daughter she gave away. The family she always wanted. The journey to redefine her fate: https://amzn.to/2IZ6DRc.

To sign up for Sedona’s Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/ (No spam—ever!)

Recommended Reading:

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield: https://amzn.to/39SgKSt

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: https://amzn.to/2GwSGJc

The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra: https://amzn.to/2C9BF5k

Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Kindness is a Choice (Nora's Promise FREE on Kindle thru 9/5)

**Special note: Nora’s Promise is available for FREE on Kindle, now through 9/5/19!**

In my contemporary romance, Nora’s Promise, Steph tells Nora “Kindness is a Choice.”

Like Steph, I believe kindness is a choice that we make in each moment. Sometimes it’s easy to be kind; other times, not so much! When people around you aren’t kind and/or when you ingest a steady stream of negativity, it can be a real challenge.

If you focus on the news, the world is all doom and gloom. We’re a country divided and a people full of anger and hatred. But if you look beyond the television to your friends, neighbors, and community, you’ll find a growing trend of kindness and compassion.

Choosing kindness requires presence, intention, and a connection with your true self, but it’s worth the effort. Your act of kindness, however big or small, has wide-reaching impacts. It can make the difference in another person’s day, week....or even in their life. “Constant kindness can accomplish so much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”—Albert Schweitzer.

Today, I invite you to join me in choosing kindness—Offer a smile, a hug, a kind word, forgiveness, an unexpected visit, a small gift—the list of opportunities is endless. Your single act of compassion can make all the difference!

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to cause many ripples.”—Mother Teresa.

This blog was written by Sedona Hutton, author of romance and women’s fiction blended with new age spirituality.

Nora’s Promise, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—She trusts animals more than men. He races through women like checkered flags. Can one orphaned boy bring them both to the finish line? https://amzn.to/2OktquX

The Perfect Lap, A Racing Hearts in Serenity Romance—His job is to drive fast. Hers is to put the brakes on him. When sparks fly, will love cross the finish line? https://amzn.to/2VkXIkv

Cloud Whispers, A Women’s Fiction Novel of Family and Forgiveness—The daughter she gave away. The family she always wanted. The journey to redefine her fate…A mind-expanding, award-winning novel: https://goo.gl/N9aC38

To sign up for Sedona Hutton’s Peace, Love, & Joy blog newsletter, please click here: https://www.sedonahutton.com/

Recommended Reading:

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: https://amzn.to/2GwSGJc

The Ten Commitments by Dr. David Simon: https://amzn.to/2UEH0J2

The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra: https://amzn.to/2C9BF5k

Disclosure: The above links to recommended books are affiliate links. If you buy the book through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale. I’ve recommended these books because they’ve been meaningful to me personally and not because of the affiliate program. However, from a legal perspective, I need to identify these as affiliate links.