It feels odd to use the word “balance” when talking about life.  The picture that comes to mind is a balanced scale, or teeter-totter, but the reality is that life events, activities, and responsibilities aren’t always going to be balanced evenly as a teeter-totter would be.  Creating life balance is about being present, and feeling fulfilled in all areas of life.  When you’re able to achieve fulfillment, you’ll feel emotionally and physically balanced and live life in a positive, passionate way.

The key to creating fulfillment in life is to follow some very simple rules:

1. Breathe

Breathing is free, portable and life-changing.  Stop what you’re doing.  Place both feet flat on the floor, relax your shoulders, close your eyes and place one hand on your belly while the other rests on your lap.  Now use your nose to inhale, filling every area of your belly full of air.  Pause at the top of the inhalation and then exhale through the mouth.  Repeat often.

2. Be Present

When we take things one step at a time, and focus on the task at hand we are more productive and less stressed overall.  Break the multi-tasking cycle and begin accomplishing one “to-do” at a time.  This provides us space to think clearly, be direct about our goals for the day, and structure accordingly to achieve them.

3. Positive Affirmation

Researchers believe we have 60,000 thoughts a day and 80% of them are negative!  We’re filling our brains with self-limiting beliefs when we allow negative thoughts and self-talk to exist in life.  This is a sure-fire way to feel unfulfilled and out of balance in life.

Start replacing the negative chatter with a positive affirmation.  When you hear the negative chatter, silently say “there’s no space in my life for this to exist” and replace the negative thoughts with a positive affirmation.  An affirmation is an “I AM” statement such as “I AM CAPABLE” or “I AM CONFIDENT” or “I AM WORTHY” to support you in health and happiness.  Use powerful words that speak to you and carry meaning in your life.

4. Release Control

There’s no need to fret about the decisions another person makes; nor the reaction a person may have to the choices you make in life.  You can only control the choices you make and the responses you have in this life.

Begin to release control of other’s decisions and responses by giving them permission to respond however they need to respond.  This can be done silently, or communicated directly to the person in a caring, loving way.    This will free you up to experience more fulfillment and joy in your own life.

5. Live a life of Gratitude

The practice of gratitude sheds new light on a situation, affirms the positive in your life, and helps you celebrate all that is good.  Take time every day to express gratitude for the big and small things in your life.  Write down 5-10 things you’re grateful for each morning upon waking, and again at night before going to sleep.

We invite you to access additional resources and connect with us at www.AngelaGaffney.com .

It’s always an honor and joy to serve and support you in health and happiness.  I’d love to hear from you; feel free to connect with me at connect@angelagaffney.com.

Believe it can be!

xo,

Clients are contacting me, friends and family as well, saying, what should we do, because the overwhelm is real and our stress levels are higher than they’ve ever been? PLUS, we’re managing more than our typical daily tasks. I’m here to share some tips and tools and strategies with you because I know life looks different right now.

You might have kids at home that you’re trying to manage the homeschooling for as well as your own full time job. The demands of work look a little different working through this shift and change. Maybe you’re working excess hours. And on top of that you have a spouse potentially working from home who thinks it’s wonderful to just pop into your office at any given time. And your furry friends at home, dogs, cats. Well, they just think it’s fantastic that the whole family is here just to love on them 24/7.

There are a lot of demands. There are a lot of different activities and needs pulling at our attention from different places and it’s time to get sound in your decision making and stay healthy through it all by following these simple strategies:

1. Build Awareness:  Demands are great, time is limited, and competition is fierce.  As a result, we run at a fast pace and rarely stop to consider the needs of the body.  The body speaks to us every day and the beautiful thing is that never over-exaggerates or lies; it just tells us like it is.  One morning you might have the sniffles, another a sore neck, and maybe in the afternoon you feel like you could use a nap.  These are all situations where the body is speaking.  If we take time to stop and listen to the body, we’ll be more aware of its needs and be able to respond accordingly.  This however takes practice!  Pause in the morning and do a little scan of the body, check in to see how it’s feeling, and decide how you’d like to navigate to best support it’s needs.  We call on the body to care for us every day and perform at it’s best; we need to care for it in return.
2. Create supportive, healthy boundaries: We must create a supportive environment in order to achieve health and fulfillment.  Take inventory of your daily activities and decide if adjustments are needed to alleviate stress in your life and achieve your goals.  Create buffers in the day so you can move in a fluid way without the anxiousness and stress of being overscheduled.  Carve out blocks of time to focus solely on a project and to answer emails and voicemails.  In the evening allow space for the activities you enjoy such as light exercise, connection with friends, and quiet time to read.
3. Say no.  This can be a challenging but necessary assignment if you want to increase health and happiness.  Before making any decision, ask yourself “What will this provide me?”.  This one simple question will help you decide whether your participation will cause you angst or move you in a supportive, healthy direction.  By pausing and asking yourself this question, you will be able to make a conscious choice instead of one out of convenience, haste, or guilt.  Kindly express thanks and gratitude for the opportunity and say no.  It really is as easy as that.
4. Focus on Fulfillment:  Instead of trying to achieve work/life balance, focus on fulfillment.  Balance is difficult to achieve and leaves us feeling unsettled and dissatisfied. It’s simply not possible to work 8 to 10 hours a day, and then spend the same amount of time with your loved ones.  However, when we are present in our communication with others and focus on the people, activities, and the things we’re most passionate about in life, we will experience fulfillment which then creates a feeling of balance.  Fulfillment can be defined as a feeling of satisfaction at having achieved your desires.  This is very different from success, which is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.  A young child will feel fulfilled by having your sole attention for 10 minutes versus having an hour of your time while you multitask, answ

It’s always an honor and joy to serve and support you in health and happiness.  I’d love to hear from you; feel free to connect with me: connect@angelagaffney.com

Believe it can be!

XO,

Stress is viewed as a bad thing, something that feels uneasy, unwelcome and difficult .  It fosters hardship in the body and in the long run can cause a lot of health complications.  While all of this may ring true, I’d like to shift your perspective and shed new light on this subject of stress.  I’m guessing with all the shifts that have taken place in the past couple of weeks you may be feeling overwhelmed and desire a little calm in your life.

Here’s the thing we need to remember; stress is a very healthy and necessary response in the body.  It helps us address difficult situations and can aid the body in healing.  Stressful situations will always be present in life.  It is our responsibility to manage them in a healthy manner.  That, my friend, is the real challenge; its our inability to respond appropriately to the multitude of stressful situations, big and small, that we encounter on a daily basis that causes hardship in the body.  If we can choose to participate in a new way and provide the body adequate time to rest, repair and rejuvenate we can stay healthy through times of change.

Here are 5 things you can do today to create calm in the midst of it all:

1.  Do your best.  And know that your best is going to look different every day.
Life is full of expectations.  The expectations that others have of us, and those we have of ourselves.  Especially in times of change, it is easy to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders.  We tend to want to control the outcome, and worry when we can’t.  This cycle leads us right into sleeplessness, fatigue and irritability.  Make a commitment every day to show up in your best manner possible and offer others permission to do the same.  Celebrate small success and big moments and when someone’s “best” isn’t as solid as it usually is, offer grace.  Learn from it.  Have conversations about it.  Provide space for “best” to look different day to day, and be a positive guide and support to yourself and others.

2.  Create structure.
Working from home, managing the needs of the kids and getting used to life during a quarantine is a new experience for all of us.  Sit down with the family and together, create a daily schedule for everyone to follow.  Set healthy boundaries for work and play time by sharing your needs and inviting your family to do the same.  This will create ease throughout the day and provide a foundation for healthy communication.  Take time over dinner to discuss what’s working well and explore any shifts you may need to make.  We’ll all need to be a little flexible and open in the days ahead.

3.   Practice gratitude.
Many miracles have happened because of the power of positive thinking.  Even in the most challenging situations there is something to be grateful for.  It may take a little time to see the positive, but it’s there.  Strive every day to give thanks for 5-10 things in the morning upon waking, and again in the evening before going to sleep.  You may express all your grateful for by writing your thoughts down in a journal, or reciting them silently or aloud.  Do what works best for you, the most important part of practicing gratitude is making it a practice.  I promise, you’ll feel amazing!

4.  Anything that is mentionable is manageable.
This is a quote from Mr. Fred Rogers and it is a favorite of mine.  We cannot keep our worry, concern and overwhelm to ourselves or we’ll find that we continue to feed the worrisome thoughts.  Please talk to someone.  Share with your spouse, call a friend, reach out to a colleague or ask your boss for a few minutes of time.  When we can voice our worry, needs, expectations, and concerns it provides space for solution-based ideas.  The only caution I would provide is that your confidant must be willing and able to shed a positive light on the situation, share a laugh or two and be supportive.  There is no room for others to fuel your worrisome thoughts either, it’s all about forward motion.

5.  Please breathe.
If you’ve followed my work, you know I mention this a LOT.  But it’s for good reason; breathing can reduce cortisol (stress hormone), provide calm to the body, refresh your mindset, and provide new perspective.  Please take slow, deep belly breaths often.  At a minimum, set your timer for 10 slow abdominal breaths every hour, on the hour.  By the time you leave your work space you will have taken 80 deep breaths.  While breathing, close your eyes and focus only on your breath.  Practice this daily, and observe the change you feel take place in your body and mind.  Your worries will lessen and the stress your body feels will subside.  It’s powerful.  It’s free, portable and accessible anytime, anywhere.  Use it well.

It’s always an honor and joy to serve and support you in health and happiness.  I’d love to hear from you; feel free to connect with me: connect@angelagaffney.com

Believe it can be!

XO,

With each new day, the sun rises.

I’ve not shared this story yet, but I feel it on my heart to do so today. Crisis can happen at any moment, in moments of great joy, in challenging times, in the quiet of the night. It’s not often we have the opportunity to prepare for it.

On December 28th, my family was enjoying all the wonders of Maui; it’s one of our favorite places on earth. At exactly 4 p.m. crisis hit our family. We were playing in the ocean when my son was picked up by a 4-ft swell. The swell carried him up, and then curled under itself, crashing him to the ocean floor. He landed on his chin and neck and his legs and back were carried over his body like a scorpion. He was immediately transported to the hospital and then airlifted to Oahu for care. He broke two vertebrae and had fluid and edema on two more. The surgeon shared it is one of the most painful injuries to endure.

The blessing in all of it is that he isn’t paralyzed. We were told by every paramedic and every medical professional that they “never see this happy ending.” This accident usually results in paralysis or death due to drowning.

We are grateful for the blessing in all of this.

Our son is 13 years old, he’s healing up beautifully and will be fantastic.

The reason I share this with you today is because of an experience I had in the grocery store this morning. With my cart overflowing with everything needed for a possible quarantine (except for toilet paper of course, we’re down to 7 roles and the shelves are still empty) I sat in the check out line with everyone else for about 30 minutes. During that time, a woman was talking with me and asking if I was worried about the virus. I responded that I wasn’t. She then asked if I was worried about supply problems with food, toilet paper, wipes, etc. I responded again that I wasn’t worried about any of it. I shared that I really love to focus on the positive. She said “well all these people are buying up shelves and shelves of food, what’s going to happen when we need more?” I responded that I guess that is good for us, because when ours runs out, they’ll still have plenty which means there will be supply for our families. She paused and said, “that is so true!” She seemed more calm after our conversation. And in the end, she smiled.

I am hopeful and I pray that COVID-19 dies off soon, that no more lives are taken as a result of it’s attack and that you, your loved ones and friends remain safe and healthy.

Worry does not take away the troubles of tomorrow, it takes away the joy of today.

We all must navigate a bit differently, life will be interesting, business may struggle, and my family can either enjoy the days to come of all being in our home together 24/7 for two weeks, or we can choose not to.

It’s all a choice.

This life is all a privilege.

The way we choose to interact with others can include joy, love and respect.

We can honor our differences and offer support.

Crisis is going to happen, it’s not often we get to prepare for what might come.

Take deep breaths, do everything you can to support your body in health and happiness. Know that we have a choice in every single matter, and that the quality of every choice we make, matters!

I will not worry. I will enjoy people and life, I’ll spread love, share kindness and believe in the beauty and grace of each new day. Just as I’ve aimed to do with every crisis we’ve gone through (when we didn’t have the opportunity to prepare).

I hope you’ll join me in all of it. 

Here’s to each new day and beautiful sunrises ahead.

It’s my great pleasure to serve and support you in health and happiness.  I’d love to hear from you; feel free to connect with me: connect@angelagaffney.com

Cheers to your health and happiness!

XO,

Recipe:
Roasted Turkey Soup with Harvest Vegetables

Broth Ingredients:

• Leftover roasted turkey carcass *see note
• 1 onion, crudely chopped 2 carrots, crudely chopped 2 whole garlic cloves
• 6 quarts of water
• Broth Directions
• Bring all ingredients to a boil.
• Reduce heat to simmer and cook until it reduces down to approximately four quarts of broth.
• Run the broth through a strainer and discard bones and vegetables.
• Set broth aside and rinse the stock pot to make the soup.
• *Note:
• If you do not have a full roasted turkey carcass, you can purchase turkey breast pieces, roast it and then use the carcass.

Soup Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 4 quarts turkey broth
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks with leaves, diced
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 can kidney beans
• 4 leaves of fresh sage, minced

Directions:

In a stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic to sauté for 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery, sauté 2 more minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are cooked through. Spoon into bowls and enjoy!

Recipe compliments of “The Daily Essentials Cookbook Collection: Lunch” by Angela Gaffney & Janielle Hultberg

But the demands of work and home life aren’t going anywhere so what can we DO about this stress epidemic? Read below for three strategies I’ve found to help manage stress so that it  doesn’t get the best of you!

1. Take proactive measure at the start and end of the day.  Stress rarely just pops up on us.  Typically, we tend to feel a general unease in life that then causes our body to experience a greater response to a stressful situation. The more proactive we are with stress-mitigating practices, the calmer we’ll remain in the chaos. Start every morning with simple, slow, deep belling breathing. Take 5+ minutes to pray, meditate, or just be still as you listen to inspiring music.  Practice gratitude by writing down 5-10 things you’re grateful for that day. And make time for daily movement. You can repeat these practices as often as you’d like and especially before sleep.
2. When the going gets tough, turn inward.  The day is full of constant stimulation; the hum of the refrigerator, the sound of the garbage truck, horns beeping, doors closing, music playing, people talking, notifications buzzing away at you…it’s endless. Throw in a stressful situation and suddenly, your body is on overload!  External events can impact our level of happiness. Joy and contentment, however, reside within.  In a stressful moment, get quiet, center yourself, envision the chaos flying around you like a tornado while you sit protected in the calm of the storm.  This will provide you time to turn inward, consciously decide how you’d like to move forward and address the situation with grace and confidence.  It is possible to experience joy and contentment in troubled times; you must, however, practice, practice, practice.
3. Shift when necessary.  Be aware of patterns; if the same stressful situation pops up every Monday morning, it’s worth exploring ways to make it better.  Assess your personal routine, the processes at work, the communication you’re having with your team, and the potential need for revamping something in one or more areas to alleviate the root cause of the stress.  As a great mentor of mine always says “no change = no change”.  Be open to the possibility that better does exist and act on it.  Sometimes even making ONE small, simple change can have a huge impact on a particular scenario causing you stress.
4. Now, take a deep belly breath . . . in . . .  and out . . . Repeat.

**This infographic was created by McLean DDS

It’s been a full week in our business and in our family life this past week. It’s easy to let a hectic schedule put us on autopilot as we rush from place to place or project to project. When we become overwhelmed, it can be difficult to see all of the beautiful things that are right in front of us.

Not only that, but it’s easy to put our health on the back burner in times of stress. Not getting enough sleep, skipping time for movement, or choosing food that doesn’t fuel your body in health are all choices that are particularly easy to make when we are stressed. But continuing to be your own advocate in health – even during busy times – simply means making one small, healthy choice at a time. So if this week you find yourself in a similar position and are feeling overwhelmed by the fullness in life, I invite you to join me in the celebration exercise below. It just requires a little bit of intentionality and taking a big, deep breath.  Enjoy!

—

Celebrate! Especially when  you feel overwhelmed, you must remember that health is about progression. Achieving life-long health means making one high-quality decision after another, no matter how small! Every healthy choice you make for yourselfcounts. It doesn’t matter how small your successes are – it’s time to celebrate them!

So today (yes today!) no matter how busy you are, stop and celebrate! Whether it was simply choosing a healthy salad for lunch, managing to drink a little more water than usual, or choosing to find an extra 10 minutes for a brisk walk, your choices are worth celebrating.

Keeping track of your celebrations provides you a record to look back on and motivation to keep the momentum you’ve built. One high quality choice can be followed by another. Days of healthy choices will turn into weeks, weeks into months and months into years of healthy living.

So if you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed or busy this week, now is the perfect time to start jotting down quick notes about your progress. It will give you the momentum you need to keep going and provide some perspective and joy in the midst of the busyness.

Click Here For a FREE Tool To Celebrate Your Success!

Stress impacts everyone. It impacts every disease, every sleep problem, and every cell in the body.  Stress spreads far and wide and consumes the lives of our family, friends and colleagues.  In the work we do with small, medium and large businesses, I often ask people to rate their stress on a 10 point scale. I let them know that a rating of 10 means the stress they’re feeling is hindering their daily functioning, causing severe anxiety, panic attacks, sleeplessness and more. What’s remarkable is that it doesn’t matter the amount of revenue, the number of employees or the quality of the work environment . . . people consistently rate their daily stress on average between 6-8! An average stress rating of 6-8 is a BIG problem.  

But the demands of work and home life aren’t going anywhere so what can we DO about this stress epidemic? Read below for three strategies I’ve found to help manage stress so that it  doesn’t get the best of you!

1. Take proactive measure at the start and end of the day.  Stress rarely just pops up on us.  Typically, we tend to feel a general unease in life that then causes our body to experience a greater response to a stressful situation. The more proactive we are with stress-mitigating practices, the calmer we’ll remain in the chaos. Start every morning with simple, slow, deep belling breathing. Take 5+ minutes to pray, meditate, or just be still as you listen to inspiring music.  Practice gratitude by writing down 5-10 things you’re grateful for that day. And make time for daily movement. You can repeat these practices as often as you’d like and especially before sleep.
2. When the going gets tough, turn inward.  The day is full of constant stimulation; the hum of the refrigerator, the sound of the garbage truck, horns beeping, doors closing, music playing, people talking, notifications buzzing away at you…it’s endless. Throw in a stressful situation and suddenly, your body is on overload!  External events can impact our level of happiness. Joy and contentment, however, reside within.  In a stressful moment, get quiet, center yourself, envision the chaos flying around you like a tornado while you sit protected in the calm of the storm.  This will provide you time to turn inward, consciously decide how you’d like to move forward and address the situation with grace and confidence.  It is possible to experience joy and contentment in troubled times; you must, however, practice, practice, practice.
3. Shift when necessary.  Be aware of patterns; if the same stressful situation pops up every Monday morning, it’s worth exploring ways to make it better.  Assess your personal routine, the processes at work, the communication you’re having with your team, and the potential need for revamping something in one or more areas to alleviate the root cause of the stress.  As a great mentor of mine always says “no change = no change”.  Be open to the possibility that better does exist and act on it.  Sometimes even making ONE small, simple change can have a huge impact on a particular scenario causing you stress.
4. Now, take a deep belly breath . . . in . . .  and out . . . Repeat.

We may occasionally think about savoring a bite of food, or savoring a special moment but today I’d like to talk about savoring some “normal” moments in your day.  Taking time out for you; to breathe, be present and find beauty in the simple things.

Beach vacations offer great opportunity to step away from the normal grind, unplug the phone and computer and relish in what is.  I find it hard not to do so when my toes are deep in the sand, the sun shines brightly on my face and the light breeze whisks through my hair.  I’m sure you’ve had moments like this.  If only we could transport ourselves to this beautiful place when we’re back to our work, when the pressure is on, our schedule is tight and we feel like there are too few hours in the day to accomplish all we need to do.

The simple fact of the matter is we can get to this peaceful place, and allow our mind to explore all that is possible even in the midst of chaos or a stressful time.  It just takes a little focus and dedication.

Practice these simple steps and start savoring the “normal” moments in your day:

6. End the day with gratitude:  Before falling into restful sleep, state 5 – 10 things that you’re grateful for.  Focus on the simple moments in your day; the smile you received from a stranger, the beautiful colors in the garden or the simple fact that you were able to problem solve and move forward with a solution. 

None of this takes a great amount of time or effort, but rather a few minutes of time consistently throughout your day.  It is with this consistent dedication and implementation that you’ll begin to feel the calm, and savor the simple or “normal” moments in life, just as you do the big ones.

Enjoy this time for you and savor the calm.

Want more tips for managing your health and daily stress? Check out my YouTube channel!

Here are five things to consider when selecting a sports bar or drink:

1. What purpose will the sports bar serve?
   • Are you eating for pre-workout energy? (in need of a small carbohydrate boost)
   • Are you providing the body replenishment post exercise? (need protein & carbs to replenish)
   • Are you consuming the sports bar as an afternoon snack? (need a pick-me-up)
   • Consider the needs of your individual body and the contents of the bar. While a small carbohydrate boost may serve you well pre-workout, you’ll want more protein accompanied by carbohydrate after you exercise.  And while sports bars might be a quick and easy snack for the long workday, you are probably overdoing it eating one of these bars at your desk.
2. What’s in the ingredient list?
   • Focus on whole food ingredients
   • If you can’t read it, pronounce it or understand it, it doesn’t belong in your body
   • Is it a short list, or long list? The longer the list, the easier it is to hide unwanted ingredients
   • Stick with a list that contains 5 or less ingredients
3. What is the protein source?
   • Select bars with whole food protein sources
     • Nuts and Seeds
     • Hemp Protein
     • Pea Protein
     • Brown Rice Protein
   • Avoid soy and whey protein
4. Identify the sugar sources
   • While it is important to check the amount of sugar you’re consuming per serving, it’s even more important to understand the quality of the sugar you’re about to eat.
   • Select bars that are naturally sweetened with ingredients like:
     • Nuts and Seeds
     • Fruit
     • Dates and Figs
     • Honey
     • Maple Syrup
   • Avoid ingredients like: sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and any artificial sweetener (aspartame, phenylalanine, sucralose)
5. Beware of the calorie count
   • Some sports bars are used as a meal replacement and can contain a high number of calories per serving. It isn’t necessary to consume this type of bar unless you need to replenish a higher number of calories due to longer exercise.
   • While I don’t encourage calorie counting on a daily basis it is important to periodically gauge your food intake and make sure your choices are serving you well.

There once was a time when sports bars did not exist and people relied on whole food options to fuel their bodies for exercise and health.  You can challenge yourself to do the same!  It’s also an incredibly important skill to teach your children to make healthy food choices at an early age, and many sports bars are even specifically targeted at children! Focus on plant-based foods that provide the body good sources of protein, carbohydrates and fat; you’ll provide the body the fuel it needs while giving it a dose of high phytonutrient-content food to boost the immune system, fight disease and support you in your healthy lifestyle.