Easy homemade facial recipes

With the high cost of drugstore and department store cosmetics, have you ever wondered whether you could achieve the same results with natural products? Amazingly, economical and effective cleansers, masks, and moisturizers can be mixed from ingredients straight from your kitchen. Treat your skin to wholesome, chemical-free products by learning simple homemade tips for face.
I have curled a few quick home made ingredients to use, a cleanser and a scrub recipe for your face, two homemade masks using honey and avocado and one excellent homemade moisturizer from cocoa butter and egg.

Ingredients You Can Use

The following natural products can be used alone or in combination for their varied skin care properties:

• Honey: Honey has been used for centuries for its astringent and moisturizing properties.
• Citrus Juices: Lemon, orange, and tomato juices are naturally astringent and useful for cleansing oily skin.
• Oils: Olive, almond, and grape seed oils possess deep moisturizing and softening properties.
• Fruits and Vegetables: Many fruits and vegetables are beneficial to the skin, whether eaten or applied directly to the face. Avocados, cucumbers, lemons, tomatoes, and even potatoes all have their place in a skin care regimen.
• Egg: Egg is a wonderful skin conditioner. The white is an excellent addition to masks and is beneficial to oily skin, while the yolk enriches dry skin.
• Yogurt: Plain, preferably organic, yogurt is a mild skin cleanser.
• Oatmeal: Gently abrasive oatmeal exfoliates naturally, rejuvenating skin without harming sensitive tissues. It also has astringent properties.
• Milk and Cream: soothing and mild, milk and cream are excellent choices for homemade cleansers.
• Papaya: Papaya contains the enzyme papain, which exfoliates naturally. Papaya also serves as an astringent.
• Almonds: Whether crushed or in oil form, almonds are known for their deeply moisturizing properties. Almond oil is a time-honored remedy for dark under eye circles.

SIMPLE RECIPES

HOME MADE SCRUB AND CLEANSER

Milk and Honey Cleanser

Proper cleansing is the foundation of beautiful skin. The following is a classic milk-based recipe. Make it fresh every time.

• Warm one tablespoon dark honey in the microwave
• Add one tablespoon cream or whole milk
• Apply immediately

Papaya Face Scrub

Exfoliating is vitally important for rejuvenation of the skin. The following recipe will leave skin feeling soft and renewed.

• Mash the meat of a ripe papaya with a fork
• Add 2-3 teaspoons ground oatmeal and one teaspoon sugar
• Mix into a thick paste
• Massage into skin for several minutes; allow to dry

                    HOME MADE MASKS

Simple Avocado Mask

• • Using a ripe avocado, scoop and mash the meat
  • If desired, combine with one tablespoon each of honey and/or plain yogurt
  • Smooth on face, avoiding eyes

  Basic Honey Mask

  • Combine one tablespoon each of honey and olive oil
  • Add two teaspoons lemon juice
  • Beat in one egg yolk
  • Smooth on face and allow to dry before rinsing

           HOMEMADE MOISTURIZERS

Daily moisturizing is essential, and natural ingredients are easy to find in your kitchen. Many homemade moisturizers are made from perishable food items, and mixtures should be refrigerated and used within three days to a week.

Cocoa Butter and Egg Moisturizer for Normal Skin

• Melt two tablespoons cocoa butter over low heat
• Separate one egg yolk and add to butter
• Add two tablespoons lemon juice

By using natural oils, fruits, juices, and sugars, you can create cleansers, moisturizers, and masks in your own kitchen. Experiment and create mixtures custom-made for your own skin.

Benefits of a face massage

Tired? Then its worth rewarding yourself.... GET A GOOD FACE

MAsSAGE. You are more than capable of doing it yourself. It

might be useful to understand that the facial muscles all work

together in a web-like manner and thus, massaging the face

regularly has been proven to relieve muscle tension, increase blood

 and oxygen flow to the skin, as well as having noticeable and

proven anti-aging benefits. Generally when the facial muscles are

tense, wrinkles tend to settle on the tense spots leading to

premature aging and dullness in one's complexion. Doing it

regularly about 1-2minutes everyday is enough to do the magic.

You could simply do this by gently rubbing around face (using

finger tips) in circular and upward motions using your favorite oil

( we recommend argan, jojoba or olive oil). Gently rub it into the

skin. Another option is -doing a simple facial massage

therapy/exercise during facial cleansing using a cream cleanser.

However, the key here is never to overdo it. Try this beauty

technique people. You'd be surprised how helpful it could be in

enhancing your skin's appearance and contributing to the outcome

of your regular skin care regime ... Have a lovely week ahead.

Drink Calories away

Many of us watch what we eat but not what we drink when on a diet. That’s a mistake. Choosing the right drinks can tweak your metabolism, curb your appetite, and help cut calories. Which drinks are slow-fat and which are helpers on the path to weight loss?

Spoiler: Soda

Every time you chug a bottle of soda, you get hundreds of empty calories. Switching to diet soft drinks is an obvious way to cut calories. But if you're eating more calories than you are burning, this switch might just not do the trick.

Helper: Water

Replacing carbonated soft drinks with water will cut hundreds of calories per day. Drinking two glasses of water before a meal may also help you feel full faster, so you don’t eat as much. And drinking enough water may have a positive effect on your metabolism.

Jury's out: Fruit Juice

Juice can have as many calories as soda, but it has more nutrients. This presents a dilemma: You want the vitamins and antioxidants without all the extra sugar. Look for 100% fruit juice. Steer clear of juice drinks that have added sweeteners. Check the nutrition label for the percentage of real juice. You can also slash calories by drinking water with a tiny bit of juice added.

Helper: Vegetable Juice

Vegetable juice is as nutritious as fruit juice, with about half the calories but a lot more sodium. One cup of tomato juice has 41 calories, compared to 122 calories for orange juice. Choosing juice with pulp provides some fiber, too, which may help control hunger.

Helper: Smoothies

Blend a banana, strawberries, and blueberries into a frothy smoothie, and you’ve got a delicious drink. Make your own, so you can control the ingredients: skim milk (or an alternative, like almond milk) and fresh or frozen fruit are all you need. Restaurant smoothies may include ice cream, honey, or other sweeteners that boost the calorie count sky-high.

Helper:Skim\Low-Fat Milk

Eating calcium-rich foods may do a body good, and it may help you lose weight. Some research shows that drinking higher amounts of milk or eating other dairy foods can help with weight loss. For the best all-around benefits, stick to skim or low-fat.

Spoiler: Cocktails

A shot of hard liquor has fewer calories than wine or wine coolers, but once you mix in soda or cream, watch out. An 8-ounce white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories. A less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with diet soda.

Be beautiful and alluring but dont compromise your health

Are your cosmetic products highly fragranced? Contain Strong smelling synthetic fragrances? OR are they more subtle soft smelling fragranced products? ... If you are using the strong smelling fragranced beauty type products? Chances are your products contain more synthetic fragrances. Research has found quite a number of strong synthetic fragrances to contain substances called PHTHALATES. Could be very nice smelling but sure does come with a lot of internal side effects: - Hormonal imbalance - Dull Skin - Uneven skin tone - Poor oxygen supply to the skin -Frequent breakouts. How could fragrances cause this you may ask?... Here it is, research has shown phthalates( in synthetic fragrances) to be a potent endocrine disruptor which affects a host of body processes when they get absorbed through the skin. Dermatological Research is still ongoing as to whether or not these substances cause skin cancer.
So watch out guys! The key is to use more soft smelling or naturally based fragranced cosmetic products. Be beautiful and alluring but don't compromise your health while at it. We care! Have a lovely night y'all

This two ingredients will never let you wake up tired

This simple, two-ingredient recipe is your key to getting a great night's sleep. It will help your body relax and regroup from the day, and prepare itself for the next morning.

All you need is:

• 5 teaspoons of organic raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of pink Himalayan sea salt

Mix these two ingredients together and store it in a glass jar. You can make as much or as little as you want, but a 5:1 ratio works the best. Just put a little bit of this mixture under your tongue every night before you go to sleep and let it dissolve naturally.

Salt & Honey

Himalayan sea salt contains more than 80 minerals and elements that your body needs for different processes, aiding your body in recovering from the day. Honey contains glucose which aids in supplying our body's cells with energy.

The combination of honey and salt increases serotonin, serotonin inhibits RAS- Reticular Activating System, so it helps us to de-stress naturally and get the best sleep possible. Try this natural sleep aid and rest easy knowing your body will be ready to face the next day.

Like I said earliier... Avocados are sent from Heaven

Did you know that Avocado seeds are packed full of nutrients that can provide several health benefits to the body? In fact, the seeds contain more antioxidants than the avocado fruity fleshes and most fruits, vegetables and healing teas do.

The seeds, even have the ability to provide the body with more soluble fiber than any other food available to you at a whole food market, but the benefits do not stop there.

Top Benefits Of Eating Avocado Seeds

• Avocado seeds contain nourishing oil that is rich in antioxidants. In fact, 70% of the antioxidants are found in the seed alone and the other 30% are actually in the flesh and skin. These potent antioxidants have the ability to lower high cholesterol levels and prevent several kinds of heart conditions such as heart disease and strokes.
• The super fruit's seeds are also a great alternative for reducing inflammatory disease within the body, but works particularly well with easing swelling in the gastrointestinal tract.
• You can even use it to help ease diarrhea away and to prevent and relieve constipation naturally.
• Some find it soothing to gastric ulcers because the seed contains antioxidants in it known as phenolic compounds. These compounds contain antibacterial and anti-viral properties, which makes the seeds effective at preventing ulcers within the lining of the digestive system.

If you need another reason to add avocado seeds to your diet, this one may surprise you too.

• The seeds contain flavonol, which is an antioxidant that helps prevent and reduce tumor growths. If you suspect, you have a tumor growth, it is best to seek a doctor for proper medical treatment, but it is also important to add more flavonol rich food to your diet such as the seeds of the avocados.
• When you need to strengthen your immune system and protect yourself from the cold and flu season avocado seeds can help.
• The seeds have the ability to fight away free radical cells too, that causes illness and aging. In fact, if you want to slow down the aging process and reduce the appearance of age spots and wrinkles avocados have the ability to rebuild collagen underneath the skin so it stays firm and youthful.

The health benefits of these seeds do not stop there.

• These seeds of youthfulness can help you feel younger too, since they can help reduce bone diseases, joint discomforts and body aches and pains naturally, which helps keep you energetic and living life.
• The healing seeds are also useful for lowering blood glucose levels and for helping a person maintain a healthy weight. Some find them useful for encouraging weight loss and for reducing exercise-induced asthma. The seeds even help curve food cravings and make you feel fuller so you are not munching on snacks constantly.

How You Can Get The Avocado Seeds

All you have to do to get these seeds into your diet is slice open an avocado, carefully remove the seed, place it into a plastic bag, and crush it with a meat mallet or hammer. After, place the crushed seed into a blender and grind it into a fine powder. Then sprinkle the seed mixture onto meals and eat up to receive the health benefits from this amazing super food.

Nigerian food that affects your weight loss

                                        

Carbohydrate is the number one enemy of weight loss or belly fat, but good news is that not all carbohydrate are bad. There are plenty of good carbohydrate options that can fit into your fat burning meal plans.

I have listed a few and some alternative options you can make…

 Have a nice read!

1.  Pounded yam:  I explained earlier in a previous post that a typical slice of yam contains about  120 calories, sounds fair if you take about 2 slices for a meal. Personally I prefer a slice with what ever sauce I intend to have , rather than have rice, because yam naturally contain dietary fiber and it's not factory  processed. But when you eat a large plate of pounded yam with a delicious plate of  egusi soup with assorted meat and a huge beef… You are basically eating a meal that is very high in bad carbs and fats, and all those combined in one meal could be repping almost 1000 calories.  Just for one meal? Oh my! How much calories we are meant to consume daily as an individual will be handled in my next post, so please look out.

 2.  Fufu, Garri, Starch:  If you are told to eliminate this foods from your meals, most of you my fellow country people will ask what will I then eat. Well, unless you are not looking out  to lose those flabby arms, love handles and youe very famous 1 Pack, but if you are, then when making your swallow choices, you will embrace whole grain wheat meals, because instead of  ingesting food with  high content of bad carbohydrate , wheat are rather  rich in fiber and protein, Fiber helps your food digestion and also makes you full faster hence reducing bloating.

3.   White Rice & White Pasta:  White rice & Pasta are the number one monster of belly fat, this is because during factory processing, the healthy bran layer and germ that contains fiber  are damaged, matter of fact this is what happens to all factory processed carbohydrates, so you lose the fiber during this process and are left with just the starch(bad carb). You have a choice to make here to keep the fiber in your rice source intake intact, Choose Brown Rice or Basmati Rice instead, and even more preferably , brown basmati rice. Same goes for pasta.

 4.   White Bread:  This is monster number 2.  The havoc the piece does to your belly cannot be overemphasized. Choose whole grain wheat bread every time, moreover, whole grain provides more vitamins, minerals and fiber in addition.

 5.      Pastries and Biscuits:  What  you should know is that this food are made from highly refined  flour and sugar, they barely contain fiber, They also lose all vitamins during processing, the lack of fiber  can cause many digestive problems and constipation. In Nigeria when we choose to snack, this are the snack choices that come to mind readily and the fact remains that there is no way this highly processed snacks can be low on calorie,  because most of the ingredients are  extremely calorific with little or no nutritional  benefits.

 6.  Sugary drinks:  Just like the title, this drinks are just plain sugar. They're not just bad for your weight but your health as well as your general well being. You can make smoothies, fresh juices or better still take water as alternative.

I will address foods that can help your weight loss or stabilize your weight and how to understand calorie count/ how each food influences your calorie level later.

What I call handling competition like a BOSS

We are all wired in very brilliant, uniquely different ways, we all came in different, we all came in with certain intentions that through life experience we have continued to strive and  hone. In fact the only masterpiece creation we have to work with is ourselves…
So why defame it by constantly judging and rating your self by somebody else's life journey.
Take, for example, an introvert who feels energized after periods of solitude. what does she get by comparing herself to a gregarious, outgoing personality who gets bored by an hour alone with herself? what kind of illogical conclusions can she come to by this comparison? Why compare your self with
others  when no one in the entire world can do a better job of
being you than you, you do not have to gauge where you are
by another persons life journey. If this was simply an observation, that would be one thing. But in comparing
ourselves to others, we often end up judging ourselves.
There's no one worse to judge? Cut your self some slack and be nice to you sometimes, be nice to the woman you have made out of a girl and have faith in the vision that she carries.
If you have ever noticed, it doesn't matter how many people are on your side, cheering you on if you can't get on your own side.
The thing about comparison  is that there is never a win. How often do we compare ourselves with someone less fortunate than us and consider ourselves blessed? Nahhh! More often, we compare ourselves with someone who we perceive as being, having, or doing  more. And this just leaves us coming up short. I know our minds do always want to quantify, our minds want to rank, to know where and how we fit into the current scope of things , so we get busy comparing.
I believe we can train it to stop. It's like having babies, just because we can doesn't mean we should. Or better still, instead of training it to stop comparing altogether , why not redirect the comparison to a past and present self, at least that way we can keep the comparison within, since in truth, we are always becoming more, always in a state of creation, the direction is always toward expansion. How you have continued to become a new and improved version or yourself, that's the stuff that counts. Comparing ourselves with someone else is an inaccurate, unhealthy and an irrelevant measuring stick as this could even lead to wrong practices to outwit someone which in the process we kill our self value.

Define yourself largely only in terms of being better than the person you were yesterday.
 Thank you for doing you always.
  Bless.  

Fresh fruit/vegetable Smoothie

Hey guys. Whenever you consider substituting your regular sugar drinks for fresh fruit/vegetable

smoothies, which by the way this will not only help cleanse your gut lining but also strengthens your

immune system, balances the body's electrolytes and ultimately make your skin radiant due to its high

 vitamin and mineral content.

So here's a quick green vegetable smoothie for wellness and radiance. Simply blend fresh kale leaves

and banana as seen in the picture above (avocado is optional). Add a little water and honey to taste.

Drink to the delight of your skin..  Incorporate green smoothies into your daily diet for great

consistent results. You'd be glad you did.

Weight loss --- best time to eat carbs

 

Consult the chart below to find out when to eat each of the three main types of carb foods.

Carb type	Examples	When to eat
Fiber-rich	Vegetables (e.g., broccoli, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, lettuce, green pepper, pumpkin, Spring Onins, onion, cabbage, etc.) Peas Beans Legumes Most fruits	Eat often, and any time of day (especially for veggies)
Starchy	Sprouted whole grain breads Corn Sprouted grain pasta Yams/sweet potatoes Oats Long grain rices	During the 3 hours or so after exercise
Refined sugary	Desserts Fruit juice Processed foods Soda Sports drinks Most commercial nutrition bars Dates, figs, raisins, dried fruits	Eat rarely, and during the 3 hours after exercise.

 

Ultimately when making your carb choices, it advisable to always replace "WHITE" with "BROWN": this is the first time in a world of racial discrimination that it is

generally accepted that "Brown" is better than "white". Here, most of our food is

 full of carbs hence our large and proud bellys. White bread, white rice, flour spaghetti,

 garri, e.t.c are all major culprit in belly fat. While it is almost difficult to eliminate

entirely the consumption of these food type, i advice you reduce it, replace it with the

healthier version and sometimes alternate. Thankfully we now have brown rice, whole

grain spaghetti, whole grain bread, and wheat swallow in Nigeria

'Staying in any type of abusive relationship/marriage doesn't make you a strong girl'- Ify Jones

Nigerian international model, Ify Yolanda Jones, shared these on twitter handle this morning. 

These foods can help your high blood pressure

When it comes to blood pressure, your diet can either be your biggest enemy or your greatest ally. If you suffer from hypertension, you’ve likely been told to avoid salty foods to keep your blood pressure in check.

You might be missing out on all the crunchy fries and meat, but don’t despair. There are still plenty of foods that are not only delicious and satisfying, but that also have been shown to lower your blood pressure.


1. Egg Whites



You can start your day off with a blood-pressure easing breakfast. Have some eggs, but go easy on the yolk. Not only are egg whites high in filling protein, they contain a peptide which lowers blood pressure. A study revealed that egg whites can lower your blood pressure as much as a low dose of a prescription drug.

2. Bananas



The filling fruit is loaded with potassium, which is known to help with lowering blood pressure. The mineral helps balance the effects of salt on the body, and helps the kidneys function properly. Studies have shown that daily banana consumption, can help lower blood pressure. One study in particular said just two bananas a day can reduce your blood pressure by 10 percent! Other potassium-rich foods include potatoes, dates, and avocados.

3. Tomatoes



Consider swapping out your lunchtime soft drink with a cup of tomato juice (low sodium, of course). Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which has been shown to help reduce blood pressure. Study found that by getting at least 25 mg of lycopene in your diet every day, you can lower your LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

4. Dark Chocolate

We could seriously enjoy this delicious treat all day long, with its age-busting antioxidants and mood-enhancing powers. A study of older adults with hypertension or pre-hypertension found that after just 18 weeks of eating a small amount of dark chocolate everyday (30 calories worth), participants saw a nearly 20 percent reduction in hypertension. So go ahead, and treat yourself.

5. Watermelon



Summer is just around the corner and there’s sure to be plenty of this hot-weather favorite to go around. Researchers say the fruit is one of the richest natural sources of L-citrulline, which helps regulate blood flow and blood pressure. The researchers concluded that natural sources of the amino acid can actually have a protective effect, preventing pre-hypertension from developing into full-blown hypertension.

Pretty amazing--- Baby born in amniotic sac

By now, you might have seen the incredible video circulating online of a baby boy being born in his amniotic sac. —it’s insane.

The video, which was uploaded to Facebook, shows the baby being born fully encased in his amniotic sac, a condition known as “en caul.”

In the video, the baby moves around inside his sac after he was born. A doctor gently wipes the sac and then uses scissors to open it. Then, voila! The baby shoots out and starts crying.

It's kind of amazing, and clearly has fascinated a lot of people—the video has been shared on Facebook more than 66,600 times. You can check it out, it was shared by Jasmine Perez,  (warning: the video is pretty graphic)

But…what is an en caul birth, exactly? While the amniotic sac usually breaks when a woman is in labor (also known as your water breaking), sometimes it stays intact, explains Katherine Pocius, M.D., medical director of family planning.

However, it’s pretty rare. “I’ve seen it once,” says Pocius.

And, while it looks unusual, ob-gyn Pari Ghodsi, M.D., who has also seen this before, says there’s nothing dangerous about it for the baby or mother. But, since the baby can't live in there forever, it needs to be removed.

Worth noting: The amniotic sac is the baby’s home for nine months, it contains the amniotic fluid, which helps protect the baby, strengthens his bones, and helps his lungs grow, while in the womb your baby practices breathing by breathing in and out the water in the amniotic sac. The baby swallows and inhales the amniotic fluid and replaces the volume in the amniotic sac by urinating and exhaling the liquid. So it’s a pretty cozy place for the newborn to be.

The doctor in the video used scissors to remove the sac, but Pocius says you can usually just gently peel it off. “It’s a very flimsy sac,” she says.

En caul births are considered good luck in some cultures and babies born this way are thought to have a lifelong affinity for water. So…congrats!

Ways to Wear Sneakers With Your Everyday Outfit

Make it bold












Dress it up



Pencil it down


Embrace athleisure


Make it glamourous and girly


Rock 'em with denim

Avocados are sent from heaven

Hey guys. Did you know  that eating one to one-and-a-half avocados a day significantly
reduces total cholesterol, I didn’t too, and since I found out this has become the current apple of my eye and I've been unapologetically gorgging my self  with this deliciousness. 

In a survey, when avocados were subbed in for solid fat (I think butter), it significantly reduced "bad" low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides.

Research found that when swapped in for foods high in saturated fat, avocados lowered all the kinds of lipids you want lowered for max cardiovascular health.

Avocados is there anything they can't do?

 Scientists aren't sure exactly how or why avocados could lower cholesterol so dramatically, but I do know the fruit is rich in fiber and heart-healthy fat. 

And thankfully in this process (Avocado consumption doesn't affect level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol—"good" cholesterol). Sounds like a miracle right?

Research hasn't actually been concluded on what the optimum daily avocado intake should be.
 It's important to remember they only found these health benefits when people were substituting avocados for less-healthy fats...simply adding three medium-size avocados (1,000 calories) to your diet may be ill-advised, 1 or 1/2 will do just fine.

 Some easy swaps for bringing more avocado into your life:
 *Spread mashed avocado instead of mayonnaise on your sandwich, wrap or bread, (whole grain wheat bread.)

*Replace bacon and bleu cheese with sliced avocados on salads.

*Pair skinless chicken breasts with avocado instead of leaving on the (admittedly tasty) skin.

Sounds every bit of yummy. So yes, please pass me another oblong orb of smooth deliciousness 🥑 

Mask up

Hey guys! Never underestimate the effects of a good face mask! -If your skin still lacks luster, a face

 mask might just be what you're missing out on (and/or exfoliation of course! ). No kidding!!! -Face

 masks are generally designed to deeply cleanse out your pores and help rid your skin of excess

sebum( skin's natural oil) for effective oil regulation. -Use 2x weekly and consistently for radiant skin

 that beautifully reflects natural light.

So, quick beauty tip:

Normal to Dry skin: use fruit based face masks like mashed banana, honey or milk based fruit masks.

Oily/Acne prone skin: use Besan masks, clay masks, powdered masks, Dead Sea mud etc

Sensitive skin: Use Skin conditioning masks like oat mask, yoghurt mask etc

There u go! Know your skin type and get a natural mask that'll leave your skin feeling thankful and

looking its best!  No worries!  You're got you covered.

Maintain your regular fitness routine while on mommy duty

It is possible to maintain a regular exercise program with babies and young children at home. And the good news is that developing an exercise program now will not only benefit your physical and mental health; it will benefit your children, as well. Here are a few suggestions for how to make exercise work for you:

• Involve your child in your exercise program. Put the baby in the sling and do squats or lunges. Place him in the bouncer and do a yoga video, making faces and interacting with him while you do. Use a stroller or sling and go for a walk. Research shows that stroller, or pram, walking is an excellent way to improve mental health with your baby.

• Exercise during naptime. Babies typically enjoy a ride in their stroller or sling while they sleep, and you can benefit by getting out in the sun and moving your body, too.

• Create a home exercise “studio.” This can help you cut your exercise time. During naps, head to your exercise area do a home video, lift free weights, or stretch.

• Join a gym with babysitting included.  Kids love it!

• Exercise together, as a family. Put the kids in the stroller or sling and go for a family walk at the end of a busy day. Great bonding time, and you’re modeling self-care, too.

• Trade off. Couples can take turns watching the kids while the other exercises.

• Involve friends. Meet at the park and take turns watching the kids while the other goes for a jog, or start a babysitting co-op, where each person takes a turn watching all the children, and rotate.

• Little kids can workout “with” you. They can stretch and do yoga alongside, or follow along with the exercise video, or they’d ride their Big Wheel up and down the street, while I ran alongside. It’s a great way to instill in kids a love of exercise, too.

Emerging from overwhelm

Everyone has a limited capacity for stress, and we all face challenges that temporarily put us over that limit. Overwhelm is like a wave crashing into you. Repeatedly!
Psychologist Marla W. Deibler, PsyD, described overwhelm as “feeling completely overcome in mind or emotion.” When we think a stressor is too great for us to manage, we feel overwhelmed, she said.
 Personally once the overwhelm hit, all signs of intelligence and resourcefulness appears to instantly vanish from my brain. I just go blank. Well,  sometimes we can't control what life shoves at us though our faith tells us we can, that's if you can function on that level altogether, and often we do hear our preacher preach quite readily about learning to say thank you in the midst of a difficult moment,  well, I decided to follow that lead, that has constantly remained my disposition, I stopped fighting the situation, and tried consciously  welcoming it ----- offering gratitude for the unknown teachings and blessing it carries.  Fighting overwhelm has never helped anyone erase them, it's normal to experience some degree of anxiety when stressors are unfamiliar or unpredictable. So as we begin to work with the challenge rather than against it, we realize our nervous system starts to calm down.

Here are a few  strategies that might come in handy when feeling overwhelmed

       Don’t try to solve the problem while you are in a highly charged, emotional state. This will just keep you stuck in overwhelm.

• Focus on calming your nervous system down. Temporarily shift your focus away from the problem. Bring your attention back to something that feels calming and manageable, like making some tea or going for a walk. Take some deep breaths and give yourself permission to relax.

• Don’t judge yourself for getting overwhelmed. It’s already painful enough. Don’t compound the issue by criticizing yourself on top of it.

• Focus on right now. When you're consumed with what may or may not happen in several minutes or months, you can’t appreciate the here and now, Deibler said. Instead, schedule time to plan for the future, so you can breathe in the present moment, she said.

•  Change your multitasking mindset.

  “’Multitasking’ by definition implies that we are doing too many things at once,” Chapman said. He suggested readers shift their perspective. “We have to change our expectation that everything has to be completed right now ‘or else.’”
• Tend to your immediate needs. Make self-care your first priority. Listen to what your body needs and lovingly tend to your own wellbeing. You might want to step away from the situation, take a nap, do some yoga or talk with a good friend.

• Give yourself permission to move slowly. Bring your attention back to the present moment and do one thing at a time, with as much mindfulness as possible.

                                 Hope this comes handy, have a great day!