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Diet trends are something that has been a part of our society for decades. There’s fruit and juice diets, diets that ban carbs, diets that emphasize one or two super-foods, and diets that have a specific health goal in mind. However, one of the things that’s recently become popular are diets that go hand in hand with a lifestyle as well. Among the lifestyle diets, the Paleo community is by far one of the largest and fastest growing, in part because the focus is not losing weight.

Rather than encouraging its members to obsess over body image and scale pounds, the Paleo diet is all about eating the foods your stomach evolved to process by thinking about eating from a ‘caveman’ perspective. Meat, nuts, berries, and root vegetables are staples of this trend because they, far better than processed flower, sugar, and fat packed packaged food, ensure you get all the nutrients, healthy oils, and dietary fiber we need. But what about snacking?

If you’re dedicated to staying paleo this year, you’ll need a plan to deal with sugar cravings and, worse, friends tempting you with non-paleo sweets. When it comes to a diet, often the best defense is an amazing, sugar-packed offense in the form of specialty desserts. To fight the temptation of processed sugar, bleached flower, and partially hydrogenated corn syrup, consider breaking out the recipe book and wowing your friends with a few delicious paleo cookie recipes.

Paleo Gingerbread Cookies

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean that gingerbread cookies are ‘out of season’. Simply that you can now cut them into any shapes you want without the obligation to make and eat little people. Of course, nothing’s stopping you from using your gingerbread man cookie cutters either and delighting in biting off little heads and feet if that’s still your favorite part of the gingerbread cookie. While you may have given up grains, you can still have some amazing cookies (in moderation) made from scratch at home.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 2/3 Cup Arrowroot Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 4 Tablespoons Maple Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Molasses
• 3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

To Make the Gingerbread Cookies…

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together
• Boil molasses in a saucepan, then stir in oil
• Pour molasses and oil into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed
• Sprinkle arrowroot flour on a piece of parchment paper
• Roll out Dough onto parchment and cut circles or shapes
• Carefully peel away the excess dough and place the gingerbread men on a greased cookie sheet
• Bake for 10 Minutes
• Re-roll the dough and repeat until gone.
• Final dough can be pressed into circular cookies

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are one of the most integral desserts in our culture and has quite possibly topped apple pie as the top national sweet. However, seeing as the paleo diet does not include grains, it’s fallen to us to figure out how to replicate that amazing soft gooey experience following a new set of recipe rules. Among all the possible paleo chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, this one is sure to convince your friends and family that your paleo diet might just be a good idea after all.

Ingredients

• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Smooth Almond Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil – melted and cooled
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar
• 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/4 Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/8 Teaspoon Fine Grain Seas Salt
• 1/3 Cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips

To Make the Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Preheat the Oven to 350 F
• Beat the egg, almond butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth
• Combine the rest of the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk
• Mix wet and dry ingredients until a dough is formed
• Roll the dough into small balls and press flat
• Place flat dough cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet
• Bake for 8-10 minutes

This year, you can defeat the temptation for off-diet treats with a platter of each of these two classic treats. Your family won’t be able to believe that you made them completely without grain or dairy following the paleo rules. They might even be willing to try some of your more alien-seeming raw recipes after trying a few bites of gingerbread arm or your paleo chocolate chip cookies.

Welcome back to the second half of our two-part article on how to enjoy your body after turning 40 despite what media and possibly your own instincts are telling you. Just when you’re starting to feel like slowing down is the perfect time to find a routine that works well for keeping your body healthy and comfortable. Last time we talked about the importance of walking and swinging your hips in general, as this both works out a large variety of muscles and moves your digestive system forward, along with the benefits of hot baths on aches though society has turned to showers. Let’s pick up where we left off at the right foods for a pleasant experience.

3) Eat Rabbit Food

One of the last things anyone in their 40s and 50s wants to hear is another person pushing them to change their diet but we’re going to talk about diet anyway. The way your digestion treats you will depend a great deal on what you eat. As the computer crowd likes to say “Trash In, Trash Out” and this absolutely applies to your diet as well. Now I’m not saying that you need to give up the burgers and steak altogether, just think about what you’re mixing together and how that will bond in your belly.

The key is to sneak vegetables, rice, and other forms of natural roughage into your diet whenever possible. This is actually easier than it sounds. Try including half a bowl of oatmeal with your regular breakfast. If you tend to live on instant noodles when really getting to work, throw in a handful of dehydrated vegetables. Eat a side of rice and a side of steamed and seasoned vegetables with your steak, eat a salad with your burger, and consider putting together raw veggie dip platters for your desk snacking. Your digestion will thank you.

4) Build Up Muscle

Finally, now is your last best chance to build up muscle before your body decides that it’s time to retire and no, it’s not about looking good. Most of us by 40 have accepted that our body shapes aren’t likely to change very much without extreme effort and that, for the most part, we just don’t have the time for the hours of exercise and mood swings involved in seriously cutting. On the other hand, being strong is incredibly useful and something you’ll value in your later years. Strength itself isn’t about appearance, it’s about the ability to do things. Being strong means that you can lift and move furniture at will, get household tasks done quickly,  and open jars for smaller and younger people. You also start losing muscle mass when your body finally decides that you are official “old” so you’ll want plenty stored up to help you stay strong for a good long time.

This means that right now, while you’re still “In Your Prime”, is the perfect time to build up and maintain muscle through regular exercise. If you don’t want a flight of stairs to take out you and don’t want to become frail in your old age, muscle now is the key to independence and capability later. Plus, you get the bonus of admiration for gaining extra strength today while you’re still frequently asked by friends and family to help move heavy furniture or open jars.

Being healthy isn’t about impressing anyone or looking like you’re 20 again, it’s about being as comfortable and capable as possible in the body you have today. When you treat your digestion, joints, and muscles correctly, they’ll carry you through retirement with far greater comfort and reliability. With these 4 tricks, you’ll enjoy being 50 possibly even more than you enjoyed being 35.

While media plays down the natural aging cycle, most people start to feel their years somewhere around 30. While you may still officially be “In Your Prime”, what this means is that you’re at a plateau of personal energy and that, after your ‘prime’, things will start to slow down. Everyone handles the transitions from young adulthood to mid-adulthood to older adulthood differently. Some people are possessed by the need to stay fit and become those whip-thin older people you see out jogging every day but, for the most part, we tend to settle into our jobs, accept the reality of a spare tire, and stop worrying too much about health and fitness. After all, we all get older and rounder with time and there’s no point in getting stressed out about it, right?

Unfortunately, there are also more than a few negative side effects to becoming complacent with the slow natural deterioration of health and fitness that comes with getting older. Sitting too long at your day job, for example, can give you blood clots and heart problems. Eating unhealthily can make you sick and cause unpleasant digestion, while simply gaining weight can wreak havoc on your joints, and this isn’t even taking into account the usual aches and pains of aging. The fact of the matter is that many people turn to fitness techniques simply to be more comfortable in their own body.

Getting into exercise may be a big step for you, but here are four tips that can at least make it more enjoyable to live in the body you have.

1) Swing Your Hips

The vast majority of people in their middle to late adult years have painful and unpleasant digestive experiences. Being ‘blocked up’ is a common result of two things that are like epidemics in our society: inactivity and dehydration. If you’ve been finding that your digestion varies wildly and uncomfortably toward one or both of the extremes, then it’s time to take charge of your health. What your body is telling is that you’re both eating the wrong things and not making sure that everything gets shaking through your body at the right pace.

This kind of intestinal discomfort and misbehavior are exactly what your hips are for. The hips, specifically when you’re walking or running, turn the “gears” of your intestines. In other words, the more you walk, the more smoothly your digestion will run because of the way your hips work. With each step, you make it easier for your stomach and intestines to process things quickly and efficiently, soaking up nutrients where they can and moving everything along down the line. This is exactly why people in previous era s had a tradition of post-supper perambulation.

The more you ‘walk off’ your meals, the more easily they will digest and the more comfortable you will be. If you can’t get out for a long evening walk, treadmills will do but both stationary bikes and running in place won’t have as beneficial an effect.

2) Soak Your Bones

Do your joints hurt? Do you have one joint in particular that aches when a storm’s coming or when the weather turns cold? This is incredibly common for most people in their 40s and 50s and you don’t have to be an old-timey sailor to earn the right to a creaky knee that can predict the weather. Joint pain is just another natural part of aging as the pads and cartilage in your knees, elbows, and other joints wear down over time. Some people are dealing with a past injury, others are dealing with arthritis, but almost universally getting older involves a few achy joints.

Fortunately, the solution is universal and quite enjoyable. At least once a week, draw yourself a nice hot bath. I know, guys don’t normally do the whole ‘bath’ thing and these days they’re building houses without bathtubs at all, but take my word on this one. Soak your bones. Heat relaxes muscles, eases pain, and promotes blood flow which means that your achy joints will be able to simultaneously warm up, relax, and float without pressure for a while. You may be surprised how good you feel afterward.

Join us next time for the second half of this two-part article where we’ll talk about how you eat and how to prepare your muscles for a long and happy life of moving furniture and opening jars at will.

Life is tough. There is no getting around that fact. And you have two choices: you can either run from the hardship, or you can embrace it. At Open Eye Wellness, we have realized that only when you face up to life’s difficulties do you really truly live. We understand that you may be feeling down. And believe us, you are not the only one. Everyone has their days – or weeks, months, or years – when they feel lost and weak. Everyone knows what it is like to lose sight of their goals. But a few people know what it is like to push through the gloom and come out on the other side. It is going to take some grit. But we know you can do it! Whatever you are going through, here are six things to remember that will help you regain your lost determination.

1. I will not be satisfied with average. Anyone can be average. And sometimes we try to get away with just doing what is expected of us and no more. But it is the people who are willing to work harder, stand taller, and fight longer that get the gold. It is the people who are willing to go above and beyond that reap the rewards.

2. The pain I feel today is the strength I will feel tomorrow. Sure, we may be going through some painful experiences. And it is not easy to keep on our feet. But remember the old saying, “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”? There is actually truth in that, even if it is overused. If you can make it through the pain today, you will find yourself stronger and more beautiful when the sun rises tomorrow.

3. I have come too far to quit. Do you even realize how much you have accomplished already? Whether you have taken one step or one hundred, you have done too much to quit on yourself now. Don’t leave your work unfinished. Don’t come close to your goal, but never actually reach it. You are better than that! You have survived so far, so face life with a smile and keep pushing.

4. Improvement is defined by what I used to be, not by what other people are. We are tempted to compare ourselves to others on a daily basis. The people around us are the ones who define our successes or defeats in our mind. This gives us and unreal and unhealthy view of who we are! We need to remember where we are and where we came from. If we are a better person in some small way than we were before, that is a victory! It doesn’t matter how other people look at you. Just keep climbing.

5. I will win or I will learn. Too often, we view ourselves as either winning or losing. But the truth is that what we may consider a loss is actually an opportunity to learn and grow. Sure, things may not turn out like we expected them to. But if we learn something in the process, the effort was not wasted.

6. My future begins today. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, after all. You may not get to decide the circumstances of your future, but you can decide what to do about them. Do you want to reach a specific goal? Do you want to become a better person? Remember that today is what shapes your future. The decisions you make will be massively important years down the road. So choose to be strong!

Being strong doesn’t mean you never feel weak. It means you hold your head high, even when you don’t feel your best. So, chin up, champion! Look tomorrow in the eye with a smile on your face.

As much as we wish to see ourselves as unique individuals in control of our lives, there is more automation to our bodies than meets the eye. Muscle memory is the best example of the machine that our body is capable of becoming.

Your Brain and Your Brawn

While muscle memory is a popular term to use for motor learning, the phrase is more than just a catchy image. It is the cerebellum, located in the back of the brain, that is responsible for tapping into and activating muscle memory.

It makes sense that the cerebellum would be the locale for establishing muscle memory. The cerebellum is also responsible for helping you to maintain your balance and equilibrium, in addition to coordinating your voluntary muscle movements.

Memory in Motion

There is a certain artistic beauty to memory in motion. Think of the experienced pianist who can daydream about mundane duties to be performed later on, all the while playing a complex work that demanded hours of dedicated practice.

Similarly, the gymnast who spends years learning how to get into a handstand and then to maintain it as naturally as standing upright. The many hours of frustration, shaking shoulders, and lost balances ultimately morphs into a posture that appears to be as normal as sitting in a chair or relaxing on the couch.

This is the idea of taking an action or motion and learning it so deeply that it becomes a memory, something easily and readily performed without conscious control beyond the decision to start.

Trusting Muscle Memory

Whether it involves arts, sports, or even daily activities, muscle memory goes to work without us realizing it most of the time. Interestingly, when we learn to trust muscle memory, we become more efficient beings than when we insist upon relying upon brute force and manual control.

The easiest way to throw off another person is to ask them to think about what they are physically doing at any given moment.

Try to consciously control your breathing. Decide when you will inhale and when you will release that breath. Commit to being aware of breathing for just five minutes.

Are you surprised to find yourself unable to focus upon such a simple task as breathing for merely 300 seconds? Did you instead start making shopping lists, think about last night’s dinner, and make plans for the upcoming weekend?

If so, congratulations! This proves you are completely human, with a perfectly functioning mind that wanders like a kitten in a room filled with catnip toys.

The reason your mind went on vacation is that breathing is a natural function. Of course, we can hold our breath, take in large gulps of air, and perform other fantastic feats of breath control. We just do not need to control it, because we trust our body to do an outstanding job of that on its own.

The Benefits of Muscle Memory

We like to believe that multitasking is a fairly new concept. The truth is that most animals are amazing at managing more than one job at a time.

In the wild, a prowling tiger is approaching a prey while also calculating the possible paths of escape its intended victim may attempt. It also needs to “know” the terrain it is running across, making slight adjustments for boulders, shrubs, trees, and hills it will encounter.

Meanwhile, the tiger has likely not eaten for a week or longer. So it is hungry and in a weakened state. It has one primary focus: to find sustenance and gain much needed proteins.

None of the above are conscious thought processes of the tiger. It is a condition of being aware of providing for its basic needs. She is in an automatic mode of operation, a state she goes into regularly.

Whether or not she succeeds this time, she knows it is the only way to survive. That is the core benefit of muscle memory.

The Gift That Muscle Memory Bestows Upon Humankind

It is generally agreed that humans are the most intelligent creatures on Earth. (At least among humans there is this consensus!)

Being conscious offers many benefits, as is evidenced by the incredible advances our species have made in our short history. We travel across the surface of our planet faster than any other animal, we communicate globally using sophisticated equipment, and we imagine and create different realms of reality (think books, music, and film).

But beyond this magical component of being human is the still and always miraculous capacity of muscle memory. We can even say that it is thanks to our muscle memory that we have freed out minds to truly soar and discover worlds beyond our imagination.

Because our bodies are subconsciously serving our basic needs, we became creatures of leisure. And this extra time turned us into creatures of curiosity, excited at the wondrous discoveries waiting to be uncovered.

Meanwhile, our bodies keep on ticking, in unconscious gratitude to our muscle memories.

Fear is paralyzing. It makes us forget who we are and what the world around us is. It is like a fence that hems us in on all sides. But the fence can be climbed. Here are six things to remember that will help you face your fears like a boss!

1. Remember that fear is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their own personal fears and doubts. It is the way that we deal with these fears that shows who we really are, not the fears themselves. Accept the fact that you will be afraid at times in your life and feel free to share your fears with others. Your fears are just another test, another way for you to build your courage and prove your strength.

2. Remember that you are different from other people. You may feel the urge to compare yourself to others, realizing that you are weak in areas where they are strong. But remember that, although they may not struggle with the same fears you do, they have their own weaknesses. You are not a coward just because you have fears that someone else may not have. Instead, you are a unique and beautiful person who is learning to conquer his or her own personal struggles.

3. Remember that sometimes wisdom is the better part of valor. Fear, at it’s most basic level, is meant to protect us. It simply gets out of hand. Assess your situation and try to identify what is truly dangerous. Your fear can actually be an asset to you, as you begin to understand what you should avoid. Your fears may have a purpose – they may be trying to teach you something – and it is up to you to find out what it is.

4. Remember that what you might call failure is really an opportunity to learn. Underlying almost any fear is the fear of failure in life. But failure isn’t even failure when we approach it rightly. Sure, we may try something and it might go wrong. But if we learn from the situation and come out wiser on the other side, the “failure” is a truly valuable experience. What you might call failure is simply one more stepping stone on your path of victory!

5. Remember that by not facing your fears, you miss out on beautiful experiences. Our fears keep us from so much. We shy away from things that will make us feel the least bit uncomfortable, little realizing what we are missing out on. Giving in to our fears robs us from both inward and outward beauty. Facing our fears opens up a whole new world.

6. Remember that you are as strong as you allow yourself to be. In the end, you have the make the decision to face your fears instead of running from them. It is not going to be easy. But we promise that you have it in you. As you take the first step in facing your fears, you will find the courage to take the second step and the third. You are perhaps the only one keeping you from being as strong as you want to be. So put your chin up, and look your fears in the face.

At Open Eye Wellness, we understand that “fearless” is a myth. Fear is something that each and every person struggles with. Some will crumble and fall. But others will gain the victory. These are the people who are willing to fight and willing to learn. These are the people who are willing to fail and try again. These are the people who believe that they can do it and take a step forward. We want you to be that person!

There’s nothing like a journal to help a person see just who he or she really is. Many famous people kept journals. Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Winston Churchill walked around with notebooks to record their every day thoughts. Susan Sontag is said to write things in her journal that she could not say to people’s faces. These famous people were busy recording things that were meaningful to them.

Journals vs Diaries:

A journal is not quite like a diary. Diaries are bound to dates. The concept of a diary comes from the concept of datebook. The first definition of “journal” is a newspaper, a gazette, works containing recordings (of course, quite often what are labeled “diaries” are really “journals). Many people are repelled by the idea of a diary–writing down the trivial events of their days. They can be attracted to the idea of dissecting and untangling the incredibly complex things that pass through their minds every day.

People write journals, speaking to a personal future, some even in the hope that some future sympathetic soul will read what they have written to discover some hidden value in it, that they themselves could not see, or weren’t permitted to see, in their own time. You could put it as one blogger did,

“What a journal allows you to do is to have a ‘vehicle for my sense of selfhood.’”

Journals and Growth:

A journal is a safe-haven that can soothe you, sadden you, motivate you, allow you to reflect and make you love yourself for who you really are. Most people realize that daily life in a complex, competitive, driven, social environment sometimes buries them, drives them further and further from who they are deep down. A journal is a constant, always there for you, stabilized by the continuity of your experience and your memory.

Turning Thoughts into Written Words:

Writing your thoughts is a way of amplifying them and forcing them into an intelligible form. It is something like talking to yourself when the mental environment is too noisy. Writing is a challenge because the logical format as you see words spread on paper is not as jumbled as the way ideas and impressions flow through your mind. Writing improves memory by purifying the stream of ideas. That  was one of the reasons writing came into existence, to meet an important human capacity. Writing makes ideas sharable, even if you don’t share them.

When you put things on paper you have to order them, clarify them, and solidify what you are thinking. As novelist, Virginia Wolf observed in one of her journal entries, when she re-read her old volumes, she found the significance of things to lie in places where she never saw it before. In his analysis of dreams, Freud found that the mind compresses symbols together, so that one image can signify a complex and multi-leveled story.

Journaling, Introspection, and Meditation:

 Meditation and journal writing are both time-out practices. The surface of our lives is in constant motion and we are driven, sometimes uncomfortably by the rapid and continuous flow–the buzzing confusion (as Henry James called it). Writing requires that you sit separate from the flow of life and thought so you can view it in safety. It is a chance to document our practices, to reflect on meanings, to release longings and questions. Sometimes journaling takes the form of drawing or even music, depending on how your emotions emerge.

The combination of meditation and journaling is a natural fit. These practices represent a practical use of introspection. When you look deeply enough, you find how valuable, subtle and beautiful your complex, layered world of sensation, memory and thought really are.

One in ten people suffers from migraines. Most migraine sufferers know firsthand how debilitating these headaches can be. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, the condition is a neurological disorder that involves neural pathways and brain chemicals.

These throbbing headaches are recurring, usually affecting one side of the brain.  Patients experience additional symptoms involving the gastrointestinal system (nausea and vomiting), and vision (temporary blindness, scrambled sight, bright sparks, and lights).

Sufferers never know when they’ll strike. Migraine headaches can last several hours, days, or even months. For some unlucky sufferers, they can turn into a chronic condition.

Although you can’t always prevent a migraine headache, it’s possible to identify triggers and reduce their frequency.

If you’re a migraine sufferer, OpenEye Wellness has a detailed guide to help you manage your painful migraine days.

Migraine Symptoms

According to the Mayo Clinic, patients can experience their first migraines during childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. The majority of sufferers are women.

These painful headaches have four stages: prodromal, aura, headache, and post-drome. Not all sufferers experience these stages.

• Stage 1 – Prodromal: The prodromal phase begins two days before a migraine. Individuals suffer from constipation, mood changes, a stiff neck, fatigue, and thirst.
• Stage 2 – Aura: This stage happens immediately before a migraine. Aura involves visual phenomena like bright lights and vision loss. Physical symptoms include pins-and-needles sensations, numbness, or jerking muscles.
• Stage 3 – A Migraine: The attack lasts four to 72 hours. Sufferers experience pulsating headache pain, light sensitivity, vomiting, blurred vision, and light-headedness.
• Stage 4 – Post-Drome: The final phase is the post-drome. Some individuals feel euphoric; others drained. Individuals feel confused, moody, weak, and dizzy after a headache ends.

Go to the emergency room if you have:

• An abrupt, severe headache.
• A headache with a fever, mental confusion, seizures, weakness, or double vision.
• A headache following a head injury.
• A chronic headache.
• A severe headache (if you’re 50 years or older).

Preventing Migraines

Although sufferers can’t always prevent migraines, you can reduce their frequency with alternative therapies and diet. Keep in mind that these are suggestions.

They are not a substitute for medical advice. Get evaluated by your family doctor before starting any complementary treatment.

1. Keep a migraine diary. Migraine sufferers can have products, foods, or stressors that trigger their headaches. Pinpoint your triggers by keeping a journal. You can get a plain notebook or a leather-bound one. Use a bullet point format to chronicle events. Catalog your diet. You may notice a pattern. Remember, no two migraine sufferers are the same. Everyone has different triggers.
2. Track your migraines. You can use applications that track migraines like Curelator or Migraine Buddy.

Avoid Triggers

1. Avoid scented products. Some headaches are triggered by scented hand soaps, lotions, and shampoos. Don’t use products with strong smells. Ask your partner to stop using colognes or perfumes that can make you sick.
2. Avoid foods that trigger migraines. Food sensitivities and allergies can initiate headaches. Triggers include food additives, aged cheeses, processed meats, monosodium glutamate (MSG), chocolate, caffeine, gluten, and histamines.
3. Manage light-related migraine attacks. Computer screens, indoor lighting, and televisions can also trigger headaches. Wear indoor shades specifically made for migraine headaches.

Additional Triggers

1. Hormonal changes before menstrual cycle. Female sufferers get migraine attacks before menstruation due to hormonal changes.
2. Stress and emotional upsets. Traumatic events can instantly trigger a migraine.
3. Fatigue and exhaustion. Overexertion or physical fatigue can spark headaches.
4. Changes in sleep patterns. Get sleep. Erratic sleeping patterns can initiate a headache.
5. Stormy weather. Another common cause of migraines is weather pattern changes. The barometric pressure drops during storms. This can trigger a migraine headache.

Easing Migraine Symptoms with Alternative Therapies

If you are suffering from a migraine headache, these tips can reduce its severity.

1. Use Precision-Tinted lenses.  Indoor lighting and sunshine can hurt a migraine sufferer’s sensitive eyes. Wear precision-tinted lenses to block out harmful light.
2. Massage your painful area. Press the area where you hurt the most with a steady, rotating pressure for seven to 15 seconds, then release.
3. Incorporate ice packs. These cold packs soothe the throbbing pain. You can purchase ice packs from your local drug store.
4. Purchase a migraine cap. You can buy specialty caps with warming and cooling compresses to reduce a painful headache. Try the Icekap, Migraine Hat, or Migra Cap.
5. Block out light with a sleep mask. Sometimes, migraine sufferers need to sleep during the daytime. Wear a sleep mask to block out all light. The mask eases eye strain and light sensitivity.
6. Use noise-canceling earphones. Migraine sufferers usually experience sensitivity to sounds. Wearing noise-canceling earbuds will help.
7. Generate white noise. If you don’t have specialty earbuds, don’t worry. Generate white noise to reduce loud sounds. Running a fan can create it. You can also play a CD or YouTube video with the soothing noise.
8. Use glare screens to minimize light sensitivity. If you’re experiencing light sensitivity when using a computer at work, place a special glare screens over it.

Additional Alternative Treatments

• Meditation: This Ayurvedic practice reduces stress and decreases the frequency of migraines.
• Cannabis oil (CBD oil): This oil is still being researched. Cannabis researchers believe the oil inhibits the body’s pain response and reduces inflammation.
• B6 supplements: Some migraine sufferers have a lower level of serotonin in their systems. To optimized body’s serotonin use, add a B6 vitamin to your diet. Additionally, it is available in fortified cereals, eggs, spinach, potatoes with skin, and other foods. For more information on supplements, visit Nature’s Sunshine.
• Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium): This supplement reduces menstrual symptoms. Feverfew can ease hormonal migraines.
• Magnesium supplements: Migraine researchers believe a magnesium deficiency can trigger migraines. Add this supplement to prevent attacks.
• Daith piercings: This piercing passes through the ear’s innermost cartilage. It prevents migraines.
• Botox injections: These shots have shown promise in calming nerve pathways involved in migraines.
• Eat a healthy, whole foods diet. Include leafy green vegetables and organic foods. Exclude sugary treats, sodas, and processed foods. A good diet lays the foundation for long-term health.

Citations:

• Mayo Clinic: Migraine Headaches: Symptoms and Causes
• Chopra Center: Treating Migraine Headaches
• Vitamin B-6 for Migraines
• CBD Oil for Migraines: Does It Work?
• Migraine Research Foundation: What is Migraine

What do you want to be when you grown up?

What are your interests?

Are you on the right track?

Will you make enough money?

What are the benefits like?

How does your family feel about it?

And on and on it goes.

The simple truth is, many of us don’t really have the answers to these questions. Many of us work admirably to support ourselves and our families without really considering what it is that really resonates with us or brings passion and vibrance into our daily lives.

And that’s okay.

Many of us are late-bloomers. Whether we figure it out at age 30, 40, 50 or later, there is no “wrong” way to go about your path-to-purpose. With that said, have a seat, a cup of tea, and relax while you take into consideration our tips on how to find that elusive “purpose:”

Allow it to Be

What does that mean? Well, in short: don’t force it. You might be familiar with the term “gut-feeling.” This gut-feeling we often get might just be a sign of a deeper intelligence within us that should be fostered and cultivated further. In our analytically driven culture, where the mind rules all and practicality is king, it leaves our emotions, feelings, and especially creativity, suppressed, discouraged or both. Have faith that your passion will lead to greater things, and allow it to take you over. Allow it to permeate your life and create itself from within you. As a result, it will create a radiant, more vibrant self that you may not have even realized existed.

Step Away from your Bubble

How often do we repeat the same bad habits or mundane activities day after day? How often do we continue to poison our lives by refusing to feed our life-force with creative, expressive moments? We become, tired, lethargic, sad and in many cases, this breeds depression, anguish, anger, fear; a plethora of poisons unto the mind and body. Show yourself some love and consider engaging in something you’ve always wished to. If you’re not use to it, a different approach can be daunting. Consider these ideas:

• Take an optimistic approach — even if you are skeptical initially. You may find your hard beliefs will begin to dwindle away, opening up to new experiences and grander feelings.
• Meet new people, but of different ilk. The kind of ilk that you wish to emulate. Pick up their habits, and admire their success. Consider how they approach life and pick their brains.
• Be hungry. Human beings are naturally inquisitive. We love to learn, and after years of not exercising that muscle, it may become dormant. But not dead. Pick it up, and re-introduce yourself to a new world of creativity and education.

Stepping out of your bubble is scary, but it can bear fruit that leaves you filled with energy and joy.

Meditation

How often have you seen meditation as a suggestion for, well… most anything. Break-ups, health, fitness, de-stressing; it seems to be highly-recommended — and for good reason. There are countless studies on its benefits and how it leaves many feeling calm, focused, and light. The reason being that meditation, at it’s core, is the act of simply being. Of letting your mind and body rest in the moment from our daily rigors of stress and worry. When we spent a little time with ourselves, to free our kind, we have a much clearer idea of what exactly it is that we want out of life.

No Journey is the Same

Ultimately, what worked for someone else may not work for you. No one is the same. Hundreds of stories can be read on people who have overcome anguish and fear in order to live the lives they always wished, but they all did it their way; and so shall you.

Change your heart, change your mind, change your life: find your purpose. Your journey starts now, and whether it’s taken 3 months or 40 years, be grateful for how far you’ve come, and excited for where you’re going.

We all want to be that kind of person who just seems to emanate joy wherever they go. We envy their cheerful demeanor and their ability to keep a smile on their face, even in stressful situations. And, to be honest, we waste a lot of time just wishing we were like them. But at Open Eye Wellness, we understand that health and happiness doesn’t happen by accident. Rather, it is the result of intentional actions and consciously formed habits. Consistently giving thanks is one of the greatest ways that you can increase your internal joy. Here are five simple reasons for giving thanks.

1. There is a lot to be grateful for. Yes, we know. This sounds dreadfully cliche. But it is absolutely true! We often get so caught up in our problems that we forget to realize how full of good things our life really is. But if we are looking for the good things, we will always find them. There is always something or someone to be grateful for, if we would only notice.

2. You will feel more at peace. As you begin to focus on the bright spots of life, you will begin to realize how beautiful your life actually is. This is the key to contentment, and contentment is the key to joy. When your mind is trained to give thanks, you will start to feel at peace, no matter your circumstances.

3. You will learn to cope with difficult situations. Let’s face it: Life is not always going to go the way we want it to go. But if we have an already formed habit of gratefulness, we will be able to find light even in the middle of tough times. And, believe us, that helps a lot.  

4. People will enjoy being around you. Nobody wants to hang out with a person who complains all the time. People will gravitate to you far more if you are constantly giving thanks. They may not even consciously realize why they find you so fun to hang out with, but they will definitely know that they want to be  friend.

5. You will encourage those around you. The best part about being a joyful person is that you get to share the joy with people around you. You may never know how much your gratefulness may brighten someone else’s day. One word of thanks could even be influential in saving a person’s life. When you yourself have learned the habit of gratefulness, you can give a helping hand to the people around you.

Gratefulness is an extremely important part of keeping our minds healthy and invigorated. But gratefulness, by it’s very nature, cannot just stay in our minds. It has to be heard from our mouths and show in our attitudes. Many of us want to be grateful people, but we simply do not know how to start. Like any habit, gratefulness requires consistency. Here are a few simple tips to help you in becoming a beautiful, grateful person.

1. Write down what you are grateful for. Not only will keeping a list make you stop and actually think about things you are grateful for, it will provide you with something encouraging to read through when you are feeling down. Two birds with one stone!

2. Make a point to thank specific people for specific things. Gratefulness needs to have an object. Make sure you direct your thankfulness to specific people, and mention specific words or actions that you are grateful for.

3. Counter complaints with thanks. There will come times when you need to make a complaint or give a reprimand, especially if you have a leadership position. When you have to do this, soften your message by expressing thanks for something positive.

Making a habit of gratefulness is going to take some thought, and even hard work. But that is the true path to joy.