Finding Balance with 7 Fall Essentials

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Warm sweaters. Crunchy leaves. Vivid colours.

Our favourite season is in full swing and our calendars are packed with fun festivities to connect with loved ones and enjoy the vibrancy of the season. Whether it’s apple picking, baking pies, sitting by the fire, carving pumpkins or strolling outdoors, fall summons an array of warm scents that inspire reflection, connection and gratitude.

Autumn is in the air! Regardless of what you’ve got planned for yourself or loved ones, we’ve gathered seven fall essentials that are perfect to help you find balance in mind, body and spirit! By Young Living Canada.

What are your favourite oils to reach for in the fall? Share with us in the comments below!

xxxxxx,

Janice

If music gives you goosebumps, your brain might be special

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Do you ever get that feeling when listening to a great song that makes all the hairs on your arm stand on end?

Personally this writer can remember getting chills when listening to ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin on the number 9 bus from Stourbridge when he was 16.

Experiencing sensations like goose bumps or a lump in the throat when listening to music is quite rare and unique.

Matthew Sachs a former undergraduate at Harvard, last year studied individuals who get chills from music to see how this feeling was triggered.

The research examined 20 students, 10 of which admitted to experiencing the aforementioned feelings in relation to music and 10 that didn’t and took brain scans of all of them all.

He discovered that those that had managed to make the emotional and physical attachment to music actually have different brain structures than those that don’t.

The research showed that they tended to have a denser volume of fibres that connect their auditory cortex and areas that process emotions, meaning the two can communicate better.

Sachs’s findings have been published on Oxford Academic but he is quoted by Neuroscience as saying:

The idea being that more fibers and increased efficiency between two regions means that you have more efficient processing between them.

This means if you do get chills from music you are more likely to have stronger and more intense emotions.

Plus these sensations can also be associated with memories linked to a certain song, which cannot be controlled in a laboratory setting.

Although the study was only small in size Sachs is currently conducting further research which will look at the brains activity when listening to songs that register certain reactions.

By doing so he hopes to learn what neurologically causes these reactions and could actually tap into treatment for psychological disorders. Via indy100 by Greg Evans.

Depression causes an inability to experience pleasure of everyday things.

You could use music with a therapist to explore feelings.

xxxxx,

Janice

35 Little Acts of Kindness

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Photo: Thinkstock

One small, thoughtful gesture can make someone else’s day…

1. Say “Good morning” to a person standing next to you in the elevator.

2. Pay the toll for the driver behind you.

3. Take a minute to direct someone who is lost, even though you’re rushing.

4. Write a letter to a child who could use some extra attention. Kids love getting mail.

5. Offer to pick up groceries for an elderly neighbor, especially in extreme weather.

6. Give a homeless person your doggie bag.

7. Say “I love you” to someone you love.

8. Put a coin in an expired meter.

9. Help a mother carry her baby stroller up the subway stairs, or hold a door open for her.

10. Each time you get a new item of clothing, give away something old.

11. Take someone’s shift as the car-pool parent.

12. Bring your assistant coffee.

13. Out of the blue, send flowers to a friend.

14. Say “please” and “thank you”—and really mean it.

15. When you’re on a crowded train or bus, offer your seat to an elderly, disabled or pregnant person.

20 more easy ways to brighten the world around you

16. Don’t interrupt when someone is explaining herself.

17. Let a fellow driver merge into your lane.

18. Offer to baby-sit for a single mom.

19. Put your shopping cart back in its place.

20. Call or write to a teacher who changed your life.

21. Bring a box of doughnuts to share at the office.

22. Forgive someone a debt–and never bring it up again.

23. Listen with all your senses.

24. Write a note to the boss of someone who helps you, and explain how great a job that person is doing.

25. Simply say “I’m sorry” when you’re wrong.

26. Throw away your trash—and someone else’s—after a movie, picnic or visit to a park.

27. Encourage someone who seems despondent.

28. Volunteer to take care of a friend’s dog while he is vacationing.

29. Help a friend pack for a move.

30. Ask someone “How are you really doing?”—and then really listen to her response.

31. Offer change when the person in front of you at the register comes up short.

32. Before a friend moves away, give her your favorite recipe or quote and a photo of the two of you together.

33. Leave a generous tip for a pleasant waiter.

34. At work, offer to transfer a caller who needs help from another department.

35. Pass along a great book you’ve just finished reading.

More Ways To Spread Smiles

What really makes people happy

10 happiness quotes we love

We asked: What boosts your mood?

From the December 2000 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.

xxxxxx,

Janice

The case for putting my wife before my children

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IMAGE SOURCE: THINKSTOCK

It’s usually 8:30 PM when I give the first warning shot to my two teenage daughters.

At 9 PM, I say, “It’s time for you two to head upstairs.” I repeat this nearly every night.

And nearly every night they argue. “But why do we have to go to bed at 9?” they lament. “We’re not children anymore.”

“You don’t have to go to bed, but you can’t stay down here in the living room past 9. That’s our time. We haven’t seen each other all day, and most of the day we’ve been focused on you and work. We need our time, too.”

They roll their eyes and huff at us.

The other night, I went as far as to sing the Semisonic song “Closing Time” until they threw pillows at me. I kept repeating, “Closing time, you don’t have to go home but you can’t … stay … here!”

They didn’t laugh. At all. We, however, thought it was hilarious.

To be honest, we’ve had this rule for as long as I can remember. We’ve been parents for nearly 15 years now, and there has never been a time where our children were allowed to dominate ALL of our time in the course of the day. They dominate a lot of it, mind you, but not all of it. We love our children and we consider our role in their life to be a huge investment. We committed a long time ago to be there for them and to always be hands-on and involved in their lives.

But, there’s still us. There’s still our relationship. There’s still the health of our marriage to consider and pay attention to.

We have some big reasons why this is so important to us. Here are a few …

A healthy marriage is the cornerstone of the home.

The cornerstone of your family is not your children. They are a part of the foundation and make up a major part of the structure, but they’re not the main thing that holds this whole beautiful mess together. That’s you — you and your wife, you and your husband, you and your partner. It’s your responsibility to lead your family, and your home. Your children are looking to the two of you for direction and example (more on this in a minute).

Before them, it was us.

Before they existed it was the two of us. We fell in love, skipped class to be together, stayed up too late talking on the phone (that was tied to the wall by a cord), and eventually committed to forever with one another. We were the beginning. We kicked this whole party off. Then these beautiful children came along. And we’re sure thankful they did because they fill our life with so much joy. But, our union is sacred. Our union is holy. With all of our power we must protect that sacredness.

After them, it will be us.

Nothing lasts forever. Our darlings are going to grow up and move out of our nest at some point. I don’t know about you, but there’s no room for a 30-year-old kid in my basement. After they’re out in the world, living on their own, raising their own family, being the human beings they were meant to be, it will be just the two of us once again. And we want us to be healthy, strong, and still as committed as we were when we first began this journey. In order to make sure the future us is protected, we must put us first today. This is not easy. We’ll get to that in a second…

We need to set a future example.

As I mentioned earlier, your children and mine are looking to us for life-cues, direction, and example. As children, they’re watching our every move to determine how they should live their lives. We often say, “We are raising adults, not children.” I don’t know about you, but I want my children to grow up with a healthy view of relationships — dating, engaged, or married. I want the health of my marriage to give them a healthy view of what marriage is, and what it should be. That’s why I put my wife first, and them second. Close second, but still second.

At the end of the day, this is a tension you must manage. Your children do need you, and they are important. After your spouse, they come next. Not friendships, not careers, not hobbies. Them. And you must take care of them. But take care of your marriage first and foremost. If that crumbles, the confidence that your children have now will begin to erode. When they see you loving their mother, or their father, they will love them too. But most importantly, they will have a confidence in themselves, and a confidence in the world around them.

Our schedule is busy all the time. I mean all … the … time! It seems to never stop. We are on with our children all the time. That’s why we guard 9 PM on each night. That’s why we intentionally schedule date night a couple times a month. It must be a value. It must be consistent. Mike Berry via babble.

We must come first.

xxxx,

Janice