Tag Archives: health

What’s the 1st word that pops into your head about the holiday season?

For many years mine was, overwhelmed. Followed closely by over burdened and let’s not forget overweight. You get the picture, I was in way OVER my head. Then I hit the “That’s it! button and decided, “This holiday’s going to be different.”

It was time to change and to enlist help. My hubby and I looked around and realized we had a whole team of helpers at our disposal, they were just disguised as family members. So, we decided to organize and mobilize ourself and the troops.

Give the gift of love

1. Have a Plan. Make a plan for your time, your health and your Spiritual growth.

Use the Holiday Help! checklist and stay organized. The Holiday Help! checklist includes all the activities that make the holidays complete and you can tweak it for your family. You post it on the fridge and let each family member or holiday guest “sign up” to help. Then, assign a completion date for every activity on your calendar and who is responsible for its’ completion. The checklist keeps you organized and holds everyone accountable.

If no one signs up for an activity, it doesn’t get done. Oh what fun, it is to get the whole family helping along, Hey! When you’re organized and everyone’s working together cheerfully, everything is better.

If you want the checklist, just e-mail me: info@christinemartinello.com

2. Be still. Pray, meditate and open your heart to the Spirit. Focus on the true reason for the season. Read the Bible, devotional or other spiritual books to slow you down and grow in faith.

3. Simplify the Season. Ask; Why are we doing what you’re doing? Ask your family, “What are the most meaningful traditions? Do those & ditch the rest.

4. Control gift giving. Ask the kids TODAY: “What gifts do you remember from last year?” Then brace yourself. If your loved ones can’t remember, simplify to just 3 gifts. After all, 3 gifts were good enough for Jesus.

5. Focus on Relationships. Focus on growing in love instead of more stuff. Simplify and include others in the Season. Let go of wanting things to be perfect. Life is not a Hallmark show. They’re not going to be. Strive for ‘good enough’ instead. You really do NOT have to do it all alone. When we let others help we teach our kids and hubby how to love by serving.

6. Be grateful and Focus on the Moments – See all the joy in faces of the people you love and the moments.

7. Give the gift of Love. Grow closer together with family and friends as you share your love with the The Christmas Love Box tradition. If you’re not Christian, you can do the Original Love Box tradition. Giving the gift of love is the greatest gift you can give your family and the world.

You can get yours online at: www.originallovebox.com

Wishing you and your heart joyful moments amidst controlled chaos. Keep the faith and by all means, just keep breathing – deeply.

Breathe in: I am at peace.
Breathe out: I share love.

Merry Christmas friend!

We’re all in search of a happy life. What if you knew just what to do, to have a happy and successful life?

Would you focus on it with all your time, money & energy? Probably.

Do you think the secrets are; Having plenty of money, a happy marriage, experience, your dream career, being a philanthropist, having a strong work ethic, or being raised in a happy childhood?

Some fascinating research reveals the secrets to a happy and successful life. The Harvard-Grant study was conducted for 75 years at a cost of over 20 million dollars to conduct.

Dr. George Vaillant, the lead researcher, notes there are two pillars of happiness:
“One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.”

The study directs us to a five-word conclusion:
“Happiness is love. Full stop.” Vaillant says.

Love means everything. A person can have plenty of money and luxuries, but if love is absent, they ultimately feel unfulfilled deep down inside.

“Our relationships with other people matter, and matter more than anything else in the world,” writes Vaillant in a 2009 Positive Psychology News article.

Your earliest relationships impact your long-term happeness, specifically the relationship you have with your mom. Business Insider highlights a connection to the fact that men who had “warm” childhood relationships with their mom we more likely to earn more money, have professional success and were less likely to develop dementia in their later years.

We know healthy relationships set a foundation for overall life contentment but also career satisfaction. Vaillant says that having a meaningful connection to the type of work you’re doing is more important than achieving traditional success.

This research confirms ancient wisdom.
“In as much as love grows in you,
So in you beauty grows.
For love is the beauty of the soul. ~St. Augustine

“Don’t underestimate the power of love, because it’s the key to happiness.” Vaillant writes. LOVE. Yes, we’re talking about loving relationships.

Value & cherish love above all else.
Grow in Love.

So, the next time you have a choice between going shopping for a little ‘retail therapy’ or indulging in other ‘escapism’ activities, take a moment to think of a new way to love. Ultimately, growing loving relationships and forgiving, will make you happier in the long run.

Does this resonate with you?
How do you value & invest in love?

5 Healing Powers of Love

Have you ever felt the healing power of love?

Love heals in many ways; our body, mind and spirit can be healed with the power of Love. Here are some fascinating ways that love heals:

1. Love decreases stress. Did you know that love counteracts the fight or flight response? Yes, it does and mighty effectively. Love regulates the production of cortisol (stress hormone) and elevates the production of Oxytocin, (happy hormone), which can reduce cardiovascular stress and improve the immune system.

2. Love causes the production of norepinephrine and dopamine in your brain, which leads to increased feelings of joy and pleasure.

Love Heals our Body, Mind & Spirit

3. Love has been proven to reduce inflammation, improves your immune system, and can be a potent pain reliever. A recent study from the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State Univ. shows us that people who are lonely develop more reactivation of latent viruses than those that are well connected.

4. Love decreases anxiety and can keep depression at bay. It also reduces the signs and symptoms of heart disease.

5. When you tell another person how much you love them, why and how they are a special gift, you’ll feel ‘love energy’ passing between you both.

Love truly is great medicine. Love is a powerful healer in all its’ many forms.

When someone says, “I’m so in love” they are often referring to romantic love, but there is so much more to it than that. I want to encourage you to think of love in a broader way. We can grow in love with God, with our children and grandchildren. We can grow more in love with our friends, animals, our self and even grow in love with life itself.

When we are united in the Spirit of God’s love and in the service to others we feel an overflowing love. We heal ourself and others when we share the overflowing Spirit of love.

So ‘love large’, connect with others and you’ll feel more happy, whole and healthy. The next time you’re feeling low, rather than becoming isolated, call a friend or reach out to someone else with kindness.

Don’t underestimate the power of love. Acts of love for people, places and others provide healing health benefits.

Try it, I think you’re going to not just like it, you’ll love it!

Question for you: How will you share the healing power of love?

Love Heals!

“The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.” Hubert Humphrey

As Kim says, “I’m finding people are walking around and not feeling very appreciated or loved whether it’s with our kids or in our families or at work.” Like cracked glass, we can feel broken at times. We want to be put back together again and feel whole. We can heal our relationships and Kim shows us the way.

This video highlights Kim’s brave story. She shared words of affirmation and appreciation with not one or two but twelve people in her extended family! Can you imagine?

Kim stepped out in unconditional love because she felt strongly about helping each person in her immediate and extended family ‘find their voice’. Look at how Kim lights up as she describes how everyone reacted to her and everyone become closer.

If you or anyone you know comes from a family that felt broken, you know what a courageous story this is. Here’s to stopping the cycle of chaos and sharing unconditional love. Thank you Kim for your courageous efforts to be the ‘linchpin of love’ in your family.

“Love does a lot of healing good.” ~Kim Smith

Share Love & Heal

What have you done to create healthy and whole relationships?