The Unexpected Benefits of Gratitude

This week I had the chance to practice what I preach. I felt grateful and made a point of letting everybody know.

Did you know that feelings of gratitude lower your blood pressure, diminish anxiety, stress, and bring you to a state of joy?

Well, that's pretty much how I glided through this week when Nathalie The  Beauty Diva mentioned a video of mine in her monthly favorites. It's so cool to see how people make use of your content and actually put it into good use. Oh what a feeling! 

When I started to see my subscriber count on Youtube go up, that was the cherry on top. Now, don't think that my channel became huge or anything like that, but let's just say I have more friends compared to last week. Hooray! Have a look and join the team here if you haven't already! 

Youtube and blogging have been so rewarding to me. Not only as a creative outlet. I met so many amazing and kind people on line. I met this one in person!

Here's the happy feely video. Remember to use that muscle and be grateful for regular everyday things (a cup of tea, a beautiful tree, rain, a thunderstorm, or the sun) and prepare to see the immediate benefits in your mind, body, and soul!   

Confessions of a Mental Health Professional Who Takes Selfies...

Have you ever taken a selfie in public? Were you self conscious, self aware, and maybe worried about what others would think? I have taken my fare share of selfies, and I did feel like that!

I even vlog in public for crying out loud. Ahh that's a tough one...turn your camera on, and all eyes will be instantly on you. At least that's what it feels like, that's how I (an introvert) feel. Even Zoella (the Queen of vlogging) admits to having a hard time filming in public!

I think that it all boils down to prejudice. People, especially older generations, tend to think that if you take a selfie, you must be "so full of yourself" basically you get the diagnosis in a matter of seconds: "Narcissist!" 

There are even renowned Mental Health professionals that firmly believe that Instagram is, at the least, not a good thing. I beg to differ.

I don't know if you know...but although I'm a Prof. Counselor, I have a background in Human Resources and Public Relations, and I think Instagram is a brilliant marketing tool. It can help you grow your business immensely if used smartly. You can even sell your products on Instagram. It's a genius app.

Instagram is also a great resource people use to connect with the world. I really really like it.  

I believe there's a misconception. It's not about the app. It's about the person that uses it. It's about balance. If someone struggles with self esteem related issues, or with highly narcissistic tendencies it'll show in every day life, at school, at work, at home, and on Instagram.

Nasa posts these impressive photos, Matthieu Riccard's (the Buddhist monk) does the same in his own way. 

Even the Police department at Reykjavik Iceland, one of my favorite accounts, owns an account on Instagram. Check it out if you haven't, I never thought a Police department could radiate joy!

       

I think that balance is key. Balance applied to everything we do is key. So why not apply it to Instagram and selfie taking?

I guess what I enjoy the most about Instagram is the mind opening factor, and that I have Insta friends that show me the world daily, and everything from the comfort of my own phone! 

 

If you are interested in learning about the 4 main types of narcissism, this is the video for you.

 

Wait...What?

"When you find no solution to a problem, it's probably not a problem to be solved, but rather a truth to be accepted"

Cognitive dissonance is the stress you go through when your beliefs are contradicted by new information. In the case of a relationship with a highly narcissistic person you will experience a lot of this stress when you start to understand what is really going on. You will be confronted with new evidence that completely destroys your core beliefs. This is not an easy process. It's even physically painful but I believe that the way to healing is by learning and educating yourself on Narcissism and Cluster B personality disorders, as well as taking advantage of other resources like therapy, talking to friends, or support groups.

Above all, be compassionate with yourself and take care!

You can watch the video here 

What are Flying Monkeys? Narcissism Series

First of all, a disclaimer for those of you that are not into Mental Health, I hear you, my next post is not going to be mental health related. It's going to be a vlog with beautiful pictures of one of the chicest neighborhoods in the city of Buenos Aires. Recoleta is usually referred to as "Little Paris", and you will know the reason why when you see it! Can't wait to show you!

But today we are talking about Flying Monkeys. The term is used to name the Narcissists enablers or minions. They are like a small army that buys into the lies they say and attack the victim. 

As if the abuse is not enough, the target of this kind of relationships has to deal and endure the accusations that come out of the blue, from unexpected people. 

More on that in today's video. See you soon!

Yoga and Psychology Have a Lot In Common

Although sometimes I do manage to come up with very creative ideas, I can hardly find any excuses to skip my Yoga With Adriene daily classes. Western medicine has been proving the benefits of Yoga on our physical and mental health for decades. 

From reducing anxiety and depression to regulating hormones in the stress response system, the ancient yogis knew exactly what they were doing. 

Given that Yoga is a meditation within a workout, you can experience the benefits immediately. Whenever I do a class, I know that day I'm going to be productive. Case closed. No need for fancy medicine papers. If you ever tried a yoga class you probably know, your body knows, and your overall mental state shows the blessing of "finding what feels good". 

I have to credit Adriene (yet again) because I honestly think I wouldn't be doing yoga if it weren't for her. I wrote in the past about how I had to go to the gym, pretty much like a zombie, completely forcing myself, knowing that I wouldn't enjoy any of the classes that I was mindlessly doing there. You name it: spinning, aerobics, weight training. 

Having said that, I'm open to try Tae Bo though. Being the grand daughter of a, very fit, amateur boxer, I guess I've always been curious about the training part, and I hope I can try that discipline soon, before I get too old!!  

In this video I found some similarities between yoga and psychology and rambled for quite a while about my yoga journey, apologies in advance. 

Believe Things Into Existance

Isn't this the way things unfold really, isn't this how entrepreneurs develop businesses, people get degrees, or jobs? Or even how you and I exist on this planet, how humanity managed to evolve? Somebody had to first believe we would be here! 

Although "Believe Things Into Existance" has a magic component to it, it's actually not that far from what happens in life. In order to make things happen you need to have some sort of belief in that you will be able to do it, you need energy to accomplish whatever your goal is, and energy to go after it. Otherwise things wouldn't get done, right? 

In this video I talk about Narcissistic Supply and why it's so important to know when you are giving your power away. Have you ever felt as if, after interacting with certain people your joy, your peace, your well-being, your energy, has been stripped away?

This video has a lot to do with safeguarding your positive energy and taking care of yourself through developing boundaries.

I hope you find it helpful!