Winter blues got you down? Here are some tips on how to stay positive.

As we head into the spring season and leave the cold behind, take the time to recharge and don’t forget to stay healthy and keep smiling! :)

12 Methods For Keeping Your Outlook Positive

1. Think, speak and feel positively about yourself, others and situations. Believe in your own worth. Happiness is your decision.
2. Always visualise yourself and your life the way you want it. Dwell on what you want, then you will gravitate towards that.
3. Set goals, but remember you need goals not for what they get us but what they do to us. What you become is more important than what you get.
4. Throw away the labels you hang on to yourself. Don’t place limits on yourself. The biggest limitation is the thought “I can’t.”
5. Slow down. You’ll have fewer accidents and you will avoid hurting yourself and others by accident.
6. Discipline your mind and intellect. You are in control. You decide what you put in there, so you determine what you get back. Knowledge is the essential nourishment for the intellect.
7. See problems as opportunities to learn. You will continually be faced with great opportunities that disguise themselves as unsolvable problems. You have been designed to solve problems and find new ways of doing things.
8. Tackle disasters one at a time. Then they’re not so disastrous.
9. Treat yourself well. Make time for yourself as a necessity, not an objective. Pause on your path, just like “music is the space between the notes.”
10. Surround yourself with good people; people who support you in your efforts to change.
11. Have an attitude of gratitude. This ensures your attention is on what you want.
12. Realise how valuable the present moment is. Make the most of every moment.

-Author Unknown 

Looking for some more inspiration to get out of that winter slump? Have a look at our Motivation Board!

Image source: http://pug-vs-peacock.blogspot.com/2011/02/fat-lorna-jane-fail.html

Feeling stressed or unhappy in your living area or work space? Try owning a pet plant!

I never used to be much of a plant person - mainly, I never really saw the point in buying a plant to "brighten" up my place (I thought my lights did a good enough job of that) nor did I think that they were worth the time.

That is, until I spent three years living wth my best friend, a self-proclaimed Plant Enthusiast. Throughout the three years that we lived together, she was constantly making trips to the local farmer's market, always returning with some new plant cradled in her arms. And every time I would say, "Another one?!" and roll my eyes. I mean, I didn't even see the point in owning one, never mind a couple dozen!

However...gradually...I found myself smiling with each new edition to our ever-growing "garden" (formerly known as our living room) and I began to realize that the plants (even the not so pretty ones without flowers) were making me happy. It felt nice to have some natural green scenery around and I felt proud that the care we were providing them was what nutured these plants and helped them grow. Which is why I wasn't terribly surprised to find out that, aside from keeping our air clean, research has shown that plants also help you feel happy and stress-free. :)

So go on, "brighten" up your living area or work space! Pet plants are easier to take care of than dogs!

Need a little extra help coping with some stress? Try webber naturals' B-Calm .

Image source: http://www.natsci.org/events/eventsnsc.html

Hooray! More reasons to love chocolate…

Ever since I was little, I’ve loved chocolate (and I mean loved it). As a child, I was always the kid who would gravitate towards the chocolate bar over the bag of 5 cent candy, and Halloween was truly my favourite holiday of the year. So you can only imagine how happy my adult self is whenever I’m informed of the health benefits, such as antioxidants, that come along with eating chocolate that contains higher cocoa content - as in dark chocolate (my fav!).

Which is why I am super excited to share some EXCELLENT news with all you chocolate fiends out there (a group in which I happily include myself): There are four new reasons to love cocoa. Yippee!

1. Cocoa is heart friendly – so go ahead and indulge in a piece of dark chocolate or try to incorporate some cocoa powder into some of your meals – it’s Heart Health Month, after all!
2. It helps curb your cravings!
3. Cocoa can make your skin glow! You won’t be eating the cocoa for this one, but making a cocoa mask and putting it directly on your skin can help repair skin cells.
4. It will make you smile :) Cocoa contains compounds that boost your endorphin and serotonin levels, helping you feel happier in no time!

So, indulge away…within reason, of course! I know I will.

Image source: http://www.dailyperricone.com/2011/08/beauty-secrets-a-sweet-treat-for-the-skin/