3 Ways to Practice Gratitude

by Samantha Beach | Dec 17, 2021 | Health

If I asked you what you think might be the most powerful weapon against the evil forces who are currently working against every human being on the face of the planet, what would you say that was? Love? Faith? Prayer? Worship?

Well you’d be right. If you don’t believe me, go read Ephesians 6 which outlines the armor of God for the purpose of fighting against the evil that is constantly plotting against all of creation. But what if I told you there was one simple strategy that would stregthen every single piece of that armor at the same time? Interested? Yeah, me too. That’s what gratitude does. When I am daily in the pratice of intentional gratitude, I am stregthened in almost every other area of my walk with Jesus. Do you want to be able to love Jesus and others well? Practice gratitude. Want to engage in meaningful worship and prayer? Gratitude. Do you want to increase your faith and trust in the Lord? Practice gratitude.

It makes sense because gratitude is when you let go of things that you don’t have, and even just for a moment you are aglow with the amazing awe and wonder that comes from thanking the Father for his good gifts.

“But Sam, I don’t have anything to be thankful for!”

Friend, I’m not saying there may not be some crappy stuff going on in your life, but if Paul can author a huge portion of the new testament (which is chalk full of gratitude) from a prison cell while facing the very real possibility of being executed many days over, you can find something to be grateful for. Are you breathing? Thank Jesus. Are you able to speak, walk, sing, move? Thank Jesus. Are you going through a trial? THANK JESUS. (Go read James 1:2-4 if that last one threw you for a loop.)

Here are 3 practical and easy ways to help you practice daily graditude:

1. Start a gratitude journal.

There’s something so powerful about spoken and written words. Writing something down just seems to give it more weight-enter the gratitude journal. There isn’t just one way to journal gratitude, and honestly I’ve tried a few ways that didn’t really work for me. Whatever way you choose, be on the lookout for your gratitude turning into a chore. Find a way to do it that is easy and quick and that you will ENJOY. There’s a million different gratitude journals on the market that you can buy. Some have daily prompts, some are blank, some have devotionals and verses attached- to be honest, a gratitude journal can be a regular old notebook.

When I was in college I worked at the gym on campus, and sometimes that job came with a lot of downtime (there’s only so many times you can wipe down weights and yoga mats in an empty gym at 6:00 in the morning). We weren’t allowed to have our phones or do homework while we were on shift, so sometimes while I was sitting alone at the desk downstairs I would take a couple of pieces of the recycled scratch paper we had for writing down customer notes and just write a couple of prayers to God. More often than not, I was just thanking God for random small things. At the end of my shift, I would take those little paper scraps home and stick them in a little box. I didn’t really think about it at the time, but I was making a gratitude journal.

Nowadays, I use an app called Gratitude. (This post has a list of gratitude apps and the very first one is the one I use!) I use the free version of Gratitude, though you can pay for the extra perks if you want to. I think the only downside of the free version is that your journal isn’t backed up on anything so if you lose your phone or get rid of the app you’ll lose what you saved. Something that I love about journaling gratitide this way is that I get to add pictures to any entry that I want. That means that if I’m struggling with thinking of something to be grateful for I can look through the pictures on my phone and that usually provides inspiration. The app also gives you prompts if you want and you can set a notification to remind you! (Btw, I’m not being paid by the makers of this app for saying any of this… your welcome Gratitude for the free advertising. 😉) Whatever way you choose to journal remember that the purpose is to think about the good things and change negative thoughts into positive ones.

2. Start and end your day with graditude.

This one is simple, but also so effective. I am NOT a morning person, but honestly waking up to your alarm with thoughts like “Ugh, I don’t want to go to work” or “I’m so tired” or “I hate my life” (No kidding, I actually used to think that last one just because my alarm was going off…) doesn’t exactly set a good precedent for the day. I know it seems like a little thing, but it can change your whole mindset if you strive to make your first thoughts positive ones. I really struggled with this, so I use music. The first thing I do when I wake up is play a worship song, that way it’s a lot harder for those complaining thoughts to worm their way in. You can also set your alarm to be a worship song, but when I tried that I started to really hate that song (seriously not a morning person 😆).

In the same way, you can also affect your sleep by ending your day with gratitude. This article by PsycologyToday lists 2 different studies that show how gratitude can positively impact both length and quality of sleep. So let the last thoughts you have before your eyes drift close be thoughts of thankfulness!

3. Surround yourself with grateful people.

There is something to be said about who you choose to spend your time with. When you spend long enough around someone you will eventually be influenced by their behaviors. Sometimes those influences are positive-like a friend who eats really healthy foods may inspire you to change your diet. Sometimes those influences are negative-like a friend who is really critical of others or always negative toward themselves. Eventually those thoughts will start to creep into your inner dialogue. Should we cut those people out of our lives and never speak to them again? Not necessarily. But we do need to be careful around those people. When I was teaching, there was a lot to complain about- if you think teaching is easy then I dare you to go spend a day in an elementary classroom. However, just because I had something worthy of complaining about didn’t mean that I should be making that my sole mindset (or should I say soul mindset 😉). I noticed that some collegues were pros at taking any conversation and steering it toward a good long trading of woes. This is where it gets tricky, where to draw the line between much needed venting and soul-sucking complaining? Honestly, I’m not really sure… but when your negative thoughts start to outweigh your positive ones, I’d say it’s time to reassess. After a conversation think about whether or not it made you feel better or worse. Did it help you become better at your job? Or did it just discourage you? If you feel worse and discouraged then that’s the kind of conversation to watch out for!

Okay so you’re going to be on the lookout for positive people in your physical life, but let’s talk about your digital one. Social media has the potential for equal parts good and evil, and I think that the way you use it will define it’s influence on your life. I keep using the word influence, but social media has it’s own term and you probably alrady know it-influencer.

An influencer is someone who has the power to affect the thoughts, actions, and purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience.

Whoa. That’s a lot of power to give someone over your life! Influencers can be a great way to inspire you, show you great products, make you laugh and entertain you, but they can also do the complete opposite! I challenge you to take a scroll through your social media feed and think about the people that you follow. Are they uplifting? Encouraging? Do they help you to adopt a feeling of gratitude? If you can scroll for more than 5 minutes and not find a single person like that then it’s time to start hitting the unfollow button. Make no mistake, what you are engaging with on social media WILL affect the ways you think. Need some suggestions of who to follow? Here’s a list of positive influencers to get you started: Bethany Hamilton, Craig Groeshel, Tabitha Brown, Jennifer Gardner, Steven Furtick, Laura Clery and so many more!

There you have it! 3 easy ways to start stretching your thanking muscles. I’ll leave you with this- thankfulness leaves you full of goodness (the word FULL is literally in the word thankfulness) and when you are full of the good the bad has nowhere to get in!

If you’re reading this, I’m thankful for you!

5 Things to do when you are anxious…

by Samantha Beach | Aug 1, 2021 | Health

Let’s be real. Anxiety sucks. The hard thing about anxiety is it’s so different for everybody. It manifests itself in distinct ways for different people and can also be triggered by a ton of different things. For me, anxiety often feels like nausea/GI symptoms, panic, and feeling hot. And for me it’s often triggered in new social situations or when I’m stressed-because that’s exactly what I need when I’m meeting new people… “Hi, I’m Sam and I feel like I’m about to puke.” Great first impression right?

Honestly my anxiety didn’t used to be that bad, but then a certain virus sent the world into isolation. After a couple of months out of practice in social situations and at the same time having a bunch of GI health issues arise, I started struggling with anxiety.

No matter the cause of your anxiety there ARE things you can do about it! Do not believe the lie that anxiety is just part of who you are now. Try these 5 things and see if any of them work for you:

1. DECLARE

When working with kids, counselors and teachers will often have kids “talk back” to their big feelings. This helps the kid recognize that they are in control of that feeling and not the other way around. Now, I’m not saying that you are a child, but the way that we talk to ourself MATTERS. There’s a really awesome podcast by Craig Groeshel called Winning the War in your Mind (listen to it here), and in the podcast Craig talks about declaring truth outloud over yourself. These declarations are often referred to as afirmations. Laura Clery (a hilarious online content creator) also talks a lot about affirmations and how they helped her overcome addiction and depression. In fact there are several studies that prove that declaring things over yourself can have a profound impact on your brain. Studies like this one, or this, or this. So when you are feeling anxious start declaring either outloud or in your head things that you have prepared in advance EVEN IF THEY DON’T FEEL TRUE. Better yet, make affirmations a daily habit and see how it changes your life! Start with things like:

“I am not a slave to anxiety.”

“I have the peace of God-it is not based on circumstances and can’t be taken from me.”

“Fear doesn’t control me.”

“I am confident.”

You get the point. Need more affirmation ideas? Go here.

2. PRAY

Do you know my savior Jesus? If you don’t, you are missing out. He cares deeply about your emotions and he is faithful to help in times of distress. My friends, stop believing the lie that your anxiety is a sin. God told us not to be afraid, notice he did not say we couldn’t feel afraid. In other words, it’s okay to feel afraid, but don’t let it control you! It is not who you are. God does not love you less because you feel anxious, but he wants you to lay your fears down in front of him. When in the garden the night before he was crucified for our sins, Jesus was in constant prayer because he was dreading the trial in front of him and he asked the Father to remove the trial if it could be removed. (Mark 14:32-42/ Matthew 26:36-46) Do you think his heavenly Father was looking down on him with disappointment or compassion? Don’t you think Jesus understands our struggles? Try talking to him and see what he can do-I promise it’s more than you can ever think or imagine. Not sure what to pray? Here’s a few verses to get you thinking:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience the peace of God, which exceeds anything we can understand.

Phillippians 4:6-7

3. BE GRATEFUL

Did you know that thankfulness isn’t just for Turkey Day? Gratitude is like a weapon we can use against our negative and anxious thoughts. Oftentimes when I am anxious I will start listing things I am thankful for in my head. It’s okay to list obvious things, but try to get creative with your gratitude and think of things to be grateful for that you haven’t thought of before. There’s an app I have on my phone called Gratitude that has a gratitude journal as well as an affirmations tab. The gratitude journal has daily prompts that help you get creative in your gratitude, and the affirmations tab has a place for you to write down your declarations and then you can play them like an instagram story. If you need gratitude inspiration, just go follow Bethany Hamilton on any social media site! That girl has gratitude oozing out of her very pores.

4. SINK IN AND BREATHE

Okay this one is what I do when I’m in a full blown anxiety attack, or I feel one coming on. Like I mentioned above, anxiety often manifests for me in my stomach and I fell nauseous and sometimes even dizzy. Well when I’m in public that often makes me panic that I’m about to be sick in front of other people and that contributes to my anxiety and makes it worse. So instead of panicking and trying to fight the anxiety, I visualize myself sinking slowly into the feeling just like sinking underwater. Allow it to overwhelm you for a second and pay special attention to what you’re feeling. Nausea, stomach knots, shakiness, hard to concentrate, racing heart, let all of it just wash over you and force yourself to relax into it. Then start breathing and imagine that with every out breath you are gently rising out of the feeling-like a leaf floating to the surface of a pond. Make sure your out breath is longer than your in breath.

This kind of visualization works for me, but find what works for you. What do you need to visualize to stop the panic and just breathe?

5. JUST DO IT

No I’m not talking about a Nike t-shirt, but I did steal their slogan. Especially for those of us who’s anxiety is triggered by new or stressful situations, this is something we need to hear. Go to the event. Take the plane trip. Go introduce yourself. Sign up for that opportunity. Do the interview. Jump off that diving board. JUST DO IT. We have to stop avoiding situations that are triggering our anxiety, because if we do the anxiety is just going to get worse. Arm yourself with the tools that work for you and act like your anxiety isn’t even there. I’m not saying that you should hide your anxiety, but do not let your anxiety decide for you. And every time you do something scary despite the fact that your anxiety told you not to, reward yourself! Give yourself a mental pat on the back and memorize the feeling. Next time you do it, it will be even easier.

What other tools work for you when you are dealing with anxiety? Share in the comments below!

Healthy To-Go Lunch Ideas (for the procrastinator)

by Samantha Beach | May 2, 2021 | Health, Recipes

I am not a morning person…

This isn’t a trait that I chose for myself, it kind of just happened. I don’t enjoy getting out of bed, I am the queen of snooze, and I’m also not a coffee drinker. More often than not, the fight with the alarm clock leads to a somewhat rushed morning routine. Making a healthy lunch to take to work just doesn’t seem to fit! It used to be that I would shove items from the fridge into my lunch bag with one hand (can anyone say “frozen burrito”?), searching for my keys with another, while chewing on a piece of toast. My system was fine… I was surviving. Then, my gut health took a turn for the worse and I ended up changing my entire diet (more on that in another post).

All of a sudden, I was left staring at the fridge with 2 minutes to be out the door and no idea what to eat. But necessity is indeed the mother of invention… and after some trial and error I’ve found a few ideas that helped me stay on track with clean eating- without requiring me to be singing with the birds at the crack of dawn to make lunch.

Dinner for the Winner

The best advice I can give you is to form the habit of making your lunch for tomorrow while you’re making tonight’s dinner!

Odds are that you’re already chopping and slicing for dinner, so while those zoodles are cooking or that beef is sautéing and you have an extra minute, throw something together for lunch tomorrow! Even better-make a little extra dinner and save some leftovers in a small container for the next day. Then when you wake up in the morning you’ve got a grab and go lunch with no prep!

Grab Now, Chop Later

Okay, remember how I’m normally grabbing things as I race out the door? Sometimes the most time consuming part of a healthy meal is the time it takes to chop, slice and dice.

Veggies and fruit are awesome, but they can be somewhat high maintenance. So why not grab now and chop later? Here are some excellent things you can grab as you are running out the door:

Banana and pecans: make sure you have a butter knife and some kind of plate (I store some paper plates at work). At lunch time peel and slice your banana and enjoy a pecan with each bite! Super filling and totally satisfies that sweet tooth. If you want to get fancy with it, take some cinnamon along and sprinkle on your banana slices… you’ll think you’re having dessert for lunch!

Strawberries and almond butter: I usually have a small portable jar of almond butter (be careful of added sugar here and make sure you read the label!) and then I grab some strawberries on the way out. You can either chop your strawberries at lunch time and smear them with the almond butter or keep them whole and dip away!

Cheese and Crackers: Don’t go crazy here, but there are actually some decent crackers out there that won’t set you back in your health goals. My go-to crackers right now are the Blue Diamond Flaxseed Almond Crackers. They do have some empty carbs in them (rice flour and potato starch), but overall I can read and understand every ingredient and flaxseeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. Bonus-they are gluten free and delicious! I wouldn’t recommend taking a whole block of cheese with you, but I have taken a chunk of cheddar to slice at work or sometimes a Happy Cow soft cheese wedge is the way to go. Throw in some baby cucumber or carrots and you’ve got a meal!

Salad in a Jar

If you don’t want to chop on the go, or you are making lunch during your dinner then here’s a great idea for you!

Grab a mason jar and the contents of your crisper. Now stay with me… You might be thinking that a salad is not going to cut it for lunch, but I’m not just talking about some chopped lettuce. The key to a nutritious and filling salad is everything that gets added to the greens! One thing that makes this a bit tricky is that you’ve got to do some thinking ahead- luckily I’m going to give you some tips on what that looks like. The necessary ingredients will quickly become regular food staples on your grocery list, and with a little bit of strategy you’ll quickly become a pro. The great thing about this is how very customizable it is! Your going to build your salad like this:

Grains/Legumes (this will help you stay full longer), Greens (choose them wisely!), Nuts/Seeds, Extras (this is where we add flavor!), and Dressing. Here are some ideas for each category:

Grains/Legumes: Brown rice, quinoa, black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, soy beans… you get the idea.
Greens: Mixed greens, arugula (so flavorful!), kale, or spinach.
Nuts/Seeds: Green pumpkin seeds, chia, pecans or walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds.
Extras: Berries, apple, carrot, cucumber, tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper… pretty much any fruit or veggie will do.
Dressing: Combine lemon or lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Make ahead and store in a separate jar!

Wait! This is supposed to be a recipe for a procrastinator… This is sounding WAY to complicated. Don’t worry! It only seems complex when you think about taking out all those ingredients and chopping and slicing and mixing and dicing while you’re still rubbing sleep from your eyes… No my friend. What you’re going to do is prep your fridge.

What is prepping your fridge?

You see when you are thinking about making a salad, and all those fruits and veggies are sitting in your crisper or your fruit basket, it seems like a bunch of work. But, if you prep your things for the week then you can pull everything together really quickly before you make it out the door-or even better the night before. What does that look like?

Start by picking your base for the week. If you choose rice or quinoa then you’re going to cook a few cups of it and then stick it in the fridge. If you choose a legume then you’re going to open and drain them and put them in your fridge. Best of both worlds? Combine a grain and legume into one container. I usually do this when I’m making dinner on Sunday.

Next, the greens. If you’re really looking for good nutrition then you’re going to want to stay away from iceberg lettuce and opt for a more nutrient dense option. My personal favorite is kale- YES KALE!- and I normally try to get it pre-chopped. If you aren’t buying an already chopped option then the only prep work you have is to get to shredding. Store your prepped greens next to your base.

*Note: Kale is notorious for being high in pesticides so this is one area that it’s best to opt for organic. If that’s not possible then you are definitely going to want to prewash it for the week.

Okay time for the extras! This is the flavor packed section of your salad. I am partial to berries, but any added fruit or veggie will be an asset, I try to keep it simple and choose one or two for the entire week. Chop and store in a separate container from your grain. (If you are prepping your extras the night before then you can combine all ingredients in your jar for the morning!) My favorite and easiest is frozen blueberries. The night before I’ll just pour some frozen blueberries in a small container with some lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper, and oil. They will thaw in the fridge overnight and make the best and simplest dressing/topping on your salad. As for seeds, no prep necessary! Seriously, just go to the bulk foods section and grab some chia seed, pumpkin seed, and pecans or other favorite nut.

*Not all nuts are created equal. Peanuts are fine for some people, but avoid them if you struggle with candida as they contain mold and can make your candida worse. If possible, opt for raw and unsalted!