The Journey to Happiness

Reflection is a necessary component of the journey to happiness, and without it we can't be clear where we have been or where we are going. Yet many of us feel uncomfortable sitting down and really absorbing reality or assessing where our feelings lie. We tend to see moving onto the next thing (and then the next thing) as the normal process of going through life. But we can all benefit from taking more time to reflect on what we have before we focus on being or gaining "more" - especially around the holiday season.

Recognizing the amazing things that already fill your life tends to suggest two false ideas: that you are finished with your work or you're gloating about your success. We all know that these aren't necessarily true, but they can keep us from acknowledging the hard work we've done or accepting the ample positivity that already exists in our lives. 

A gratitude practice has the power to shift negative thought patterns and it only takes a moment to jot something down. The idea behind practicing gratitude is that it stops you from chasing happiness and lets you see that it's right in front of you. Once you get writing, you'll instantly realize the bounty of good things that exist for you already. Building a more positive outlook will in turn improve the project, relationship etc. that feels like it isn't going too well. 

Signs you could benefit from a gratitude practice:

• more times than not, you feel things don’t go your way
• you struggle to stay happy in your relationships
• you find it hard to be positive
• you know that you should be grateful, but you don’t know how to get out of your funk

Use the following gratitude prompts to get the juices flowing. Tell yourself you will start with answering the question with one or two sentences or bullet points, allowing yourself to write more if you feel inclined. You can do this practice in the morning with just 2-3 minutes, or use it as a way to reflect on your day and wind down for the night.

If you're worried about making this habit stick, you can choose to put the prompts into your phone so that you can answer them no matter where you are. In place of checking social media (which causes feelings of isolation and anxiety) while in line, you could jot down a quick response to that day's prompt. As with many things, this challenge will be much more enjoyable if you do it with a friend, partner, coworker or family member. You can agree to do one prompt each day for 30 days, or just take the prompts that resonate with you. 

1. What about my surroundings (home/neighborhood/city/etc.) am I thankful for?
2. What happened this month that I am grateful for?
3. What is the best thing that has happened this year?
4. What have others done that I am benefiting from in my life (even if I don’t know who those people are)?
5. What am I able to offer others that I am grateful for?
6. What is different today than it was a year ago that I’m thankful for?
7. What interaction(s) have I had lately that I’m grateful for? (the funny barista? the gentle smile from the person you walked past in the grocery store? the compliment from a co-worker?)
8. What have I learned lately that I’m grateful for?
9. What do I find fascinating? Can I be grateful for that fascination?
10. What physical sensations am I grateful for right now?
11. What tool or technological innovation makes your life better?
12. What is the best gift you ever received?
13. Who was your most inspiring teacher?
14. Where do you feel most safe?
15. What song(s) fill you up with joy, make your feet move, or your voice sing?
16. What do you love about the city you live in?
17. Name one thing in your life that may be hard to recognize with gratitude.
18. What traditions do you enjoy most?
19. What have you accomplished that made you most proud?
20. What makes you laugh out loud?
21. Have you stopped to take note of nature today?
22. How has your most difficult challenge strengthened you?
23. What or who is the biggest gift in your life right now?
24. Remember the last time you had an amazing meal
25. What are you looking forward to most in the next year?
26. What piece of art are you grateful for?
27. What friend or family member are you grateful for today?
28. What made you smile today?
29. Who is your best friend?
30. What are you grateful for when it comes to your coworkers?

On days you're struggling to stay positive, go back and read this journal. It can be eye-opening to see your own words describing what you have going for you, and be enough to pull you out of negative thinking. Once you get started with this practice you’ll have a deep picture of the gratitude in your life and have more clarity going into your day, week and even year. So grab a friend and use the next 30 days to shift your perspective and start seeing the good. 

Cravings: Finding the Root

Cravings are a behavior that's commonly talked about as something to be feel ashamed of - but cravings are one way that your body indicates it's not getting what it needs. The main categories of cravings are hunger, nutritional deficiencies, and emotion-based such as stress, loneliness and boredom.

The simplest way to tackle the root of your cravings is to eat when you're hungry. This may seem obvious to some, but many people have been trapped in a vicious cycle of dieting and restriction. Once we form this behavior of not allowing ourselves what it is we want, it can be difficult to listen to your body's cues and grant that permission. Switching this response can be a simple - though not easy - way to lessen your chance of overindulging and to relearn what is means to feel satisfied with food. 

Nutritional deficiencies play a part in determining what types of foods you crave. For instance, if you crave healthy fats such as avocados and nuts, it may indicate that your body is reaching for more calories and needs more energy. If the quality of your sleep has suffered, a craving for fats can mean it needs help normalizing hormonal imbalances as sleep deprivation messes with your appetite hormones. If your cravings fall more in line with salty foods like chips or popcorn, hydrating the body with water and electrolytes can alleviate this imbalance. 

Craving sugary foods have a wider range of causes such as low chromium, blood sugar or hormonal imbalances; or a need for increased calories since sugar is easy and quick for our bodies to utilize. Carbohydrates are a macronutrient many people struggle with. Many know that we need carbohydrates for energy, but a constant craving for them might mean a lack of the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is needed to make serotonin so a lack of these carbohydrates can lead to low mood and anxiety. Lastly, a craving for animal proteins can mean you're consuming too little protein or the key minerals that are in meat. 

Emotion-based cravings are some of the hardest to pinpoint but can be incredibly eye-opening and powerful to discover. When you find yourself wanting a "treat" after lunch - let's say a pumpkin spice latte or a cookie - is it because you're hungry? Or did your presentation or conversation with a client not go too hot? No one likes to feel not good enough, so we tend to cover up those feelings rather than express them to a friend or admit that something upset us. Getting a sugar high from a cookie or "treating" ourselves can mask these not-so-great feelings. However, confronting this pattern and identifying the "why" empowers you to make better decisions. Many things can act as triggers - uncomfortable situations, stress and wanting to feel included. If a coworker asks you to grab a frappuccino with them, you can still join them but maybe chose tea or regular coffee instead. 

Besides identifying different types of cravings and their meanings, it's helpful to have some simple tips for getting on the other side of your cravings. Try out one of these tips the next time you want to reach for an afternoon candy bar or pick up ice cream on your way home from work:

1. Work It Out

Promise yourself that you don't have to make a decision about whether or not you're going to eat this food right now - you'll decide when you get back from the gym. Don't worry about swearing off this food forever, just make a deal that you'll put it off for an hour or so while you work out. Another benefit to trying this technique? You're releasing endorphins. These feel good chemicals give you the same mental buzz that you were looking for from the junk food. For many people this benefit kicks in after just 10 minutes of exercise, so in no time you'll be feeling good even without that chocolate. The best long-term return on this practice is that you're acting the way you want to feel: energized, satisfied and powerful over your cravings. 

2.  Distract Yourself

The idea here is to interrupt the craving and get the mood boost you're seeking from somewhere else. These distractions don't have to be meaningless, either. Use it as an opportunity to write down your health goals, organize a room you've been putting off or catch up with a good friend. You could also stretch or do some gentle yoga, look through old photos that make you smile or pencil in an hour of guilt-free "me" time to do whatever you feel like no matter how "unproductive" it is. 

3. Visualize

Visualization techniques are used by many athletes and entrepreneurs - but you don't have to be either to see the benefit. If cravings are sabotaging your health goals, it might be worth finding a practice that can kick in when you're presented with temptation. Play a video in your head of yourself the way you want like to be in the face of this craving i.e. strong and committed, completely capable of resisting and concentrate on what that version of you would do.

If you can learn to identify cravings as cues from your body, you can better tune into how your diet is affecting your health and finally make headway towards your weight loss goals. Not sure where to start? Journaling your cravings for at least three days can offer insight into the cravings that individual to you as well as your triggers. Remember that it takes time to move past old habits and you may need to experiment with one or more of the tips above until you find a rhythm that works for you.

The Power of B Vitamins

B vitamins have been toted as the cure all for low energy - but today we'll talk about how exactly they can help with fatigue and how important they are for your body. One misunderstanding is that they in and of themselves provide the body with energy. How it really works is the body used nutrients from carbohydrates, protein and fat for fuel, but B vitamins help your body utilize those nutrients as fuel. We need them for energy production, supporting our nervous system, maintaining healthy skin and hair and making red blood cells amongst other functions.

Maintaining necessary levels of all 9 B vitamins can easily happen through a whole foods diet or in addition to a high quality B Complex supplement taken daily. Most of these vitamins can't be stored by the body so they must be consumed on a daily basis to properly be utilized. 

The most commonly discussed B vitamin deficiency is for B12 - especially amongst the vegetarian and vegan community. The reason for this is B12 can only be found in animal sources such as dairy, organ meats, eggs, meat and in nutritional yeast. Many non-dairy milks, meat substitutes and breakfast cereals have been fortified with B12, but it's still debated whether these are absorbed as efficiently as from animal sources. Also, fortified foods tend to be highly processed so it's better to choose whole food options first, or rely on a whole foods based supplement.

Those with celiac or Crohn's Disease may also struggle to retain B vitamins as their conditions interfere with food absorption. A B12 deficiency can show up gradually over time, and have a range of symptoms such as fatigue, anemia, light sensitivity, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet and difficulty thinking or memory loss. Drugs such as antibiotics, oral contraceptives, heavy alcohol or caffeine consumption can inhibit absorption of certain B vitamins as well. 

The B vitamin group consists of the following:

B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Panthothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (Biotin), B9 (Folate) and B12.

To cover all of your bases, it's recommended you aim to eat food sources of these vitamins throughout your day. Try to choose organic beef or chicken for the best sources of these vitamins. Here are foods recommended to increase your B vitamin levels and start having more energy:

• Vegetables such as asparagus, peas, dark leafy greens and Brussel sprouts
• Fermented foods such as tempeh, mushrooms and miso 
• Sea vegetables such as dulse, kombu and nori
• Fruits - especially citrus, currants, bananas
• Whole grains such as millet, wild rice, brown rice, wheat germ, brewer's yeast and quinoa
• Nuts and Seeds - unsalted and raw
• Legumes such as lentils, black beans and navy beans 

If you're seeing the signs of B vitamin deficiency, be sure that you are covering your grounds with nutrition first. Many times we believe we are consuming more of a variety than we really are, and the key to improving these symptoms could be in our very own kitchen. If you know you need the added insurance of a supplement, we carry three options from both Standard Process and Innate Response Formulas can help you get on the track to feeling better.