Healthy Lifestyle Choices Do Make a Difference

No matter what life may throw at us, one of our best lines of defence is making healthy lifestyle choices. Those include consuming nutritional food and beverages, regular exercise, sufficient sleep, stress management and self-care. Vitamin/mineral supplements can also be beneficial in many cases but it is advisable to discuss anything of this nature with a physician in order to ensure that it is a safe choice in your unique case.

When it comes to making healthy lifestyle choices, they don’t need to be extreme in order to make a difference. Doing things in moderation is typically the way to go. It’s also quite possible to implement choices that are likeable and enjoyable. When we enjoy what we eat and the things that we do for our wellbeing, it makes the whole process of having and maintaining a healthy lifestyle much less complicated.

I’ll be the first person to say that it can be incredibly challenging to keep healthy lifestyle choices at the top of the priority list in cases of, say, dealing regularly with a narcissistically-inclined individual. When feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and lost, self-care may feel like it takes too much effort or that it’s a lost cause. However, now is EXACTLY the time that healthy lifestyle choices, especially self-care, can help us the most.

The bottom line is that choosing good options for ourselves when it comes to food, beverages, exercise, sleep, stress management and consistent self-care is one of the most positive and beneficial actions we can take, regardless of what is going on around us. These choices, no matter how small or simple we need for them to be at times, are the ones that will fuel our brains, mental wellbeing and bodies every day, which will, in turn, help to maintain the favorable momentum along with promoting and supporting long-term health and wellness.

Until next time,

Heather ~Natural Clarity Coaching~ http://www.naturalclaritycoaching.com naturalclaritycoaching@gmail.com Natural Clarity Coaching on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

The Silent Treatment (narcissists love using it)

So, my last post touched on how narcissists use words to control. Typically, if words don’t have the desired impact that a narcissist wants, they will turn next to the silent treatment. Simply put, this involves the refusal to communicate verbally to a certain person or people. It’s a form of punishment, control, avoidance and/or disempowerment.

For example, let’s say I have stood up to a narcissistic person who has been verbally abusive towards me. They have then attempted to justify their poor behaviour by blaming it all on me and then tried to twist reality to say that I have, in fact, somehow victimized them. But I’m not having any of it and I let them know it. Next tactic – the narcissist begins giving me the silent treatment by refusing to speak to me any further in that moment and then possibly for days, weeks or more beyond that. Chances are that this will be happening in conjunction with a smear campaign (see prior blog post in archives) in an effort to turn others against me as further punishment. That’s pretty much how this process works, with minor variances.

Depending on who the narcissist/narcissists is/are in your life, being given the silent treatment can be a very challenging experience. It can bring with it feelings of guilt, shame, abandonment, loneliness, loss, betrayal and so on. But, just like most things related to narcissism, it’s all about control for them. Controlling with words, controlling with silence, controlling with other forms of abuse. Consider the source. This is a disordered individual with a hypersensitive ego that they will do almost anything to protect. Their behaviour has nothing to do with anyone but themselves and their own issues.

So, what are some potential ways to deal with someone who is behaving in such an uncommunicative, juvenile and hurtful fashion? Well, depending on your situation, you could completely ignore them and get on with things while their behaviour runs its course. Alternatively, you could let them know that you can see what they are doing and that you aren’t interested in playing that game, and then forget about them entirely until they stop with the nonsense. Low contact or no contact are also options, either temporary or permanent (see post on this topic in archives). Of course, you could beg them to speak to you or scream until you’re hoarse, but that only serves to give them exactly what they want – control and power.

The end goal in dealing with a narcissistic-type person is to keep your wellbeing and sanity in place. Do what you feel you need to do. But, also, the constant theme should be to ensure that there are boundaries in place to protect yourself on all levels, and that means not allowing yourself to be drawn into their regular attempts at manipulation and control.

No matter what, your wellbeing comes first. Focus on your own life, keep busy, exercise, engage in hobbies, spend time with non-narcissistic friends/family and try to put negativity out of your mind. Silent treatments are rarely permanent. In the meantime, see it for what it is (basically a sulking toddler) and don’t give away any of your power or sanity to it. It gets easier every time. And if you arrive at a point where you simply choose not to have much or any future contact with this individual, that’s your prerogative. It’s your life and you have the right to live it as you see fit.

Heather ~Natural Clarity Coaching~ http://www.naturalclaritycoaching.com naturalclaritycoaching@gmail.com Natural Clarity Coaching on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep – The Big 3

Nutrition.  Exercise.  Sleep.  These three items are integral to our overall health and wellbeing.  Making them part of a daily routine helps to ensure that we regularly include them in our lives in positive ways.

One thing I have found to be very true is that moderation is key when it comes to eating.  Quantity and quality are meaningful here.  Try to eat three adequately-portioned meals per day with a couple of snacks mixed in.  Check out food/calorie guides to determine your best options in your circumstances.  Keep vegetables, fruits and nuts in your daily regimen because they typically pack in plenty of nutritional benefits.  From my experience, it’s preferable to allow for occasional ‘cheats’ because, for many of us, restricting ourselves from a certain item almost always leads to a greater desire for it.

Exercise is another big area.  Try to get yourself moving as much as possible, especially in this time of more sedentary work-from-home situations.  Walking, biking, hiking, dancing, swimming, yoga, sports, skiing, working out, and so on – whatever you like and can manage to do regularly, make it a solid routine.  Do what you enjoy and it will never feel like a chore.

Sleep, although it may seem like something we can do without at times, is integral to our mental and physical wellbeing.  Sleep gives our bodies and minds time to repair and recharge.  Without proper amounts of slumber, we will inevitably begin to decrease in our functionality on both mental and physical levels.

What it all boils down to when it comes to overall wellness is that MODERATION is key.  Someone very close to me who aged gracefully and healthfully, both physically and mentally, into their 100’s, lived life by that very motto.

Nutrition, exercise, sleep – the Big 3!  Maintaining this trio can create huge benefits that will make for a more enjoyable, fulfilling, healthful and possibly long life.

Until next time,

Heather ~Natural Clarity Coaching~  http://www.naturalclaritycoaching.com  naturalclaritycoaching@gmail.com  Natural Clarity Coaching on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Perspective – A Skill (Superpower?) Well Worth Developing

Perspective is a significant part of our day-to-day lives.  As the saying goes, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” (Wayne Dyer).  Negative, positive or neutral, our perspective is our choice.

It’s worth mentioning that we all have struggles, some of which can be incredibly challenging.  No matter how difficult, though, we always have the option to change our perspective in terms of how we choose to view any situation.  Sure, life can throw us really rotten curve balls, but viewing something as a learning experience, for example, can take the edge off of the situation and possibly open the mind to solutions.  The school of hard knocks can literally make us stronger people if we rise to the challenge.  We can also opt for changing our perspective in order to reduce stress levels and keep up our momentum for moving forward.

At the end of the day, perspective is a choice.  And that choice can literally change our lives if we actively engage in awareness of our ongoing perspectives and then opening our minds to other views.  It can be quite an empowering skill (maybe even a superpower!) once we develop it and learn to put it into practice regularly.

Until next time,

Heather  Natural Clarity Coaching  naturalclaritycoaching@gmail.com  http://www.naturalclaritycoaching.com   Natural Clarity Coaching on FB, Instagram, Twitter