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February 12, 2026

Can Stress Kill You??

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We have all felt the impacts of stress at some point in our lives, whether it be our own or those around us. From work deadlines to school assignments or even paying off the bills, stress appears in many different aspects of our lives.

Short-term stress can make us feel anxious, exhausted, and irritable but is sometimes necessary for productivity and accomplishing our goals. However, chronic stress can have serious impacts on our health and well-being, which ultimately can lead to a shorter life span.

Chronic Stress

Long-term stress has proven to have negative effects on our health and is much more common than one would imagine. According to The American Institute of Stress (stress.org), 55 percent of people report feeling repeated and extreme stress throughout their daily lives, while 47% of workers feeling stressed from the workplace.

The causes of chronic stress can be anything from financial problems to a high-pressure job, to issues with family or our relationships. There are various ways that stress directly impacts our health, especially over the long term.

Symptoms of Chronic Stress

There are many indicators that a person may be experiencing chronic stress. If they are overwhelmed and constantly busy, it may not be that easy to identify the symptoms and admit that they are stress related.

One of the most common symptoms of chronic stress is frequent tension headaches. This can occur due to the fact that when under stress, you are likely not giving your mind as much oxygen as it needs. The built-up emotions that stress brings to the mind increases muscle tension and can impact our sleep. Can’t lose weight? Stress can affect your ability to process sugar and carbohydrates leaving the body more vulnerable to weight gain, and leave you susceptible to developing diabetes.

Stress can also increase our general anxiety levels, leaving us on edge and irritable throughout the day. Stress-related anxiety causes rapid breathing, high blood pressure, frequent stomachaches, and a weakened immune system. These impacts on the body leave you at risk for heart attacks and potentially very serious diseases.

Long-Term Effects

According to the American Institute of Stress, it is not the stressful situations that can kill you, but how you deal with the stress that affects your health. When your stress is excessive over long periods of time, you will begin to experience these symptoms and have a high risk for anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

A study done by the Mental Health Foundation discovered that 32 percent of respondents who were experiencing chronic stress admitted to having some form of suicidal thoughts at one point in their lives.

Heart disease is another common way that stress impacts the body. People often turn to excessive eating, drugs, or alcohol to manage chronic stress, but in reality, this worsens their symptoms and long-term health.

The high blood pressure and cholesterol that results from these decisions can damage the artery walls and eventually lead to life threatening heart problems. One also is at risk for developing dementia as stress hormones adversely affect the brain.

Preventing the Effects of Chronic Stress

Fortunately, there are many ways to overcome chronic stress and prevent it from having lasting impacts on your health. One of the best ways to manage stress is to stay away from alcohol, drugs, and caffeine. Practicing deep breathing, mindfulness, or meditation help with calming the nervous system and provide relaxation.

Having a set daily routine allows the body to not feel as stressed and overwhelmed with responsibilities. This can also allow you to maintain a healthy lifestyle and make time for exercise each day, even if it means waking up an hour earlier.

Routines also help with maintaining a good sleep pattern and getting the proper amounts of sleep each night. You will not experience problems falling asleep if you go to bed at the same time each night and your body will get adjusted to waking up early in the morning.

There are many ways to manage stress and overcome it in order to prevent the life-threatening impacts that stress can have on the body and your overall health. It is important to take the necessary steps to avoid these problems and stay mentally and physically healthy for the long-term. Can you stress kill you – the answer is yes! If not properly managed.

“It’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it” — Hans Selye

February 4, 2026

What Is Impostor Syndrome and Do You Have It?

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Have you ever been in a situation that you succeeded but didn’t feel as if you ‘did enough’ or that it was due to someone else’s contributions? Do you hold back on going for that job promotion or struggle with feeling like a failure? If so, you are not alone. You most likely are suffering from imposter syndrome.

Impostor syndrome is best described as the fear of being considered a fraud or doubting one’s accomplishments. Even those who have reached a level of success in their chosen field are often full of anxiety and crippling thoughts of being considered a fraud.

According to the Journal of Behavioral Science, it is estimated that 70% of people in the U.S. experience impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome (IS) is an internal feeling that you believe you are not as qualified as others may think you are. This is often connected to thoughts of perfectionism and can be applied to your intelligence or achievement. If you have feelings of being a fraud or that you did not deserve that raise, then you could be dealing with impostor syndrome.

Five Characteristics of Impostor Syndrome

Those who suffer with impostor syndrome doubt their own skills and accomplishments despite the evidence of the success. Below are four common indicators you may be dealing with impostor syndrome.

Deep-seated feelings of fear that you aren’t able to meet expectations.
Undermining your achievements even when you worked diligently towards that goal.
Setting unrealistic goals and then feeling disappointed if you do not meet those goals.
Doubting yourself no matter what you’re working on or working towards
Not moving forward on what you truly want and feeling you don’t deserve to have it

If you recognize any of the above, there some things you can do to move past these feelings.

Begin by confronting your feelings and any beliefs you hold about yourself. If you struggle with any of this, consider speaking with a professional or close friend. Confiding in someone can help you gain clarity on your feelings and beliefs.

Impostor syndrome can be ingrained in you as a child and continue well into adulthood. Struggling with feelings of being a fraud can happen to anyone but is seen mostly in successful women.

According to research done with Psycnet.apa.org, “despite their outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, women who experience the impostor phenomenon persist in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise.”

Do You Have Impostor Syndrome?

So, how do you know if you suffer from impostor syndrome? One way to know if you are dealing with it is to take a free online test. Simply answer the questions that you can find through a quick online search, or try the free test on at Psycom.net.

You can remove impostor syndrome by first recognizing it in your life and seeing how it is affecting you. Progressively work towards breaking those limiting beliefs by thinking of the quality of work you are performing versus the quantity.

If someone pays you a compliment, remind yourself that it is a fact and that you deserve it. Another way is to write out your accomplishments, say in the last few days, to see what led to them, i.e. your thoughts and actions, your motivation and drive to make them happen.

Begin to recognize your own successes and take time to celebrate the wins in your life. When you recognize that your successes begin with you, you will begin to have more confidence; eventually, your inner voice will support your new positive thoughts so you can overcome the feelings of impostor syndrome.

“Impostor syndrome” is a paradox: Others believe in you – you don’t believe in yourself. Yet you believe yourself instead of them.” — (Adam Grant)

January 27, 2026

Top Types of Meditation and The Benefits They Bring

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You most likely hear that a good way to reduce stress and anxiety is to mediate. Sounds easy, right? Well, calming the brain and the body is actually difficult until you develop good practices that will help.

But do you know that there is more than one type of meditation? In fact, there are countless forms of meditation – each of which has different goals and methods.

The question then, is which type of meditation is right for you – and how do you get started with the one you choose? This guide will help you to understand more and decide.

Mindfulness Meditation

We’ll start with this one, only because it has become so popular recently that it’s the type many people may be familiar with.

Mindfulness meditation comes from cognitive behavioral therapy – a psychotherapeutic approach in psychology. The idea here is not to empty your mind of thoughts – as it is in many other forms – but rather to try and detach yourself from those thoughts and not be affected by them. Note which thoughts float by, but don’t try to change them.

Body Scan Meditation

Closely linked to mindfulness meditation is body scan meditation – this is a form of meditation that involves focusing on each part of your body and progressively relaxing. It’s great for refreshing the brain and chilling after a hard day.

Transcendental Meditation

This is another of the more popular and well -known forms of meditation. The goal here is to clear your mind and to do so usually by focusing on a mantra (umm, omm, calm or peace), a picture, or perhaps an imaginary point in space. Doing this can help you to eventually close down areas of your brain while retaining consciousness.

Loving Kindness Meditation

Loving kindness meditation is a form of meditation that involves focusing your mind on a specific feeling – in this case love and kindness! By doing this, you will feel happier and you will become better at forgiving people. It also feels fantastic in the moment.

Kundalini Yoga Meditation

Kundalini yoga meditation is a form of moving meditation. The idea here is to move gently into different positions while focusing on controlling your breathing and staying calm and focused. The result can be highly relaxing while also improving your overall health and wellness.

Religious Meditation

Religious practitioners can engage in meditation by focusing deeply on a passage of text from their scripture, or on a prayer.

Zazen

Zazen is a form of meditation associated with Zen Buddhism. It must be taught under the leadership of an instructor and involves a number of specific steps. However, the objective is once again to focus primarily on detaching yourself from your thoughts and letting go of judgement.

To get started and be successful with meditation, here are 3 ways to help:

Find a quiet place – since the purpose of meditation is to calm your thoughts, you want a place that is free from distractions and gives you a sense of calm and peace (which you can create). It can be an area in your bedroom or living room, a porch or patio, or even outdoors. As you will be establishing regular routine, you want the space to be inviting and accessible.
Map out time and starting small – meditation is a gift you are giving yourself, so you want to set time to receive and enjoy the gift which starts with time. You can set a timer – start with 2 minutes, then work your way up to an amount of time that works for you. It might be easier to put it in your schedule, such as before you eat breakfast or before bed; using a planner or calendar will ensure you develop a routine.
Focus and relax – as the intent of meditation is to take away your thoughts but to not act on them, it will be easier in the beginning to focus on your breath sounds or a picture on the wall. There are guided meditations you can find on YouTube, SoundCloud, or buy from a retailer.
Monitor and review – it’s important to monitor how your feel after each session and, then, overall, as your meditative practices and their effects. This will give you confirmation that it is working and the benefits you are receiving. It’s important to remember that it may take up to 4 days before you feel any change in your mood, feelings, thoughts, responses. Be easy on yourself but continue with your sessions, no matter the struggle.

“As we practice meditation, we get used to stillness and eventually are able to make friends with the quietness of our sensations.” (Sharon Salzberg)

December 1, 2025

Self Motivation – A Short Guide to Goal Achievement

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Today is the beginning of a new month, and the final one before we start the new year. Hard to believe that 2026 is only four weeks away. What you may not realize is that this is a great time to finish your goals – you don’t have to put them away to start ‘fresh’ once the new year starts. Many think of resolutions when setting goals.

Unfortunately, research suggest that only 8-10% achieve those resolutions, with many abandoning their goals on what is known as ‘Quitters Day” or the second Friday of January, while 80% stop working on their goals by the second week of February. Those odds aren’t good.

So what stops people from not fulfilling the very aspects they want to improve upon?

First, using the word resolution, which means to resolve or not do something’ gives off a negative vibe which is not very motivating. Change the word to call it ‘intention,’ as this means you are committed to what you decide and with determination. That mindset alone will get you into action-mode and accomplishment.

Second, most people don’t know how to set goals or are not intentional with them. Starting with a strong determination will make the goal clearer and see what actions are needed to accomplish them.

You may have heard of SMART goals, which is one way to set goals: Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Time-Limited. All are essential but specific and time-limited are the two most important of them; if you cannot state a goal in specifics, your brain can’t come up with the steps needed and they won’t be as motivating. Putting a time-limit on when you want to achieve the goal is what will give you the momentum and accountability as you are working the steps.

But what about motivation, or the drive behind one’s actions. Let’s say you’ve set clear and compelling goals and start working them, but you seem to have hit a wall and the goal doesn’t seem so important, leaving you wanting to do nothing, even the things you love to do. Then idleness starts to take its toll and you find yourself working the goal less and less.

As a result, a new pattern emerges of not acting which brings up guilt and shame, hence letting negativity cloud your mind and effort. This is called lack of motivation and, if this situation sounds familiar, then pay attention to the following points:

Assess your present situation

Why exactly are you feeling this way? What is lacking, both in what you want to achieve and your desire for it/them? Is this because of an isolated event or due to an accumulation of factors? Are there current circumstances that you have to focus on, while trying to make changes? Regardless of the situation, you should be sure that your situation is a manifestation of incongruence between reality and your own ideas. Your job is to identify the schism first, then develop small, attainable changes which will close the gap.

Never make goals

It probably caught you by surprise because everyone else seems to scream the words ”make goals”. Instead of making goals, make choices that will cumulatively reflect your values and also desires. Try making unrealistic goals which are not compatible with your lifestyle, nor reflective to your current resources or capabilities and failure will be raring its ugly head on you. Then it becomes a predictable outcome powered by an impractical wish.

If you want the incongruence that exists between reality and dreams to slowly fade, make daily choices that will bring about the wide paradigm shift. A more uplifting way to set goals is through the method of Everest Goals, where you start with the goal being achieved and then work backwards in how to achieve them; this method, based on those who actually climbed Mt. Everest, opens the brain up to finding solutions that will make your goals a reality.

Create room for the bad

We all have strengths and weaknesses and, sometimes, what we try to avoid ends up getting the best of us. Rather than being deceived on the idea of eliminating the bad instantly, focus on doing the good first before the bad can come last. What this means is to allow yourself space that your drive may ebb and wane at times which can take the pressure off of having to constantly achieve to prevent any guilty feelings that may arise. If one day you wind up eating that piece of cake, just determine to get back to the goal the next day.

Change is not easy and you may find resistance but, with a positive mindset and seeing the outcome of the goal, along with the benefits you will get by having that outcome, you can diminish and then overcome any resistance you may find and your motivation will return stronger than before.

“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.”

(Steve Maraboli)

October 15, 2025

How To Turn Inner Peace Into a Habit

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Does this sound familiar? You feel at a point where your life is embattled with chaos, both externally and internally. You’re overrun with negative emotions, busy overthinking as you try to juggle your hectic schedule and all the other stress life has landed on your doorstep. The current events taking place, all over the world, seem to have a negative effect on you. Work and life are out of ‘balance,’ or you’re worried or unhappy about your job, unsure of what to do next.

We all know how draining it can be – life is overwhelming! Sometimes it seems hopeless. Sometimes you feel helpless. Sometimes it seems as though inner peace is an impossibility.

Dispel those fears right now because I want to provide you with the practices necessary to turn inner peace into a habit. In no time, it will just be another part of your day. Except this is one you’ll look forward to because with it comes serenity. Inner peace is the state of being stable and calm, while serenity involves the practice and quality to achieve this.

Here are daily practices you can start with today:

Release Control

There is only one thing you have control over in this world and it’s you. You control your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. That’s it – not external circumstances, not other people. The only thing you control in those situations is how you respond. It is far more beneficial to your inner peace and happiness to recognize, understand, and remember this. The best thing you can do is let go and focus on you.

Unconditional Living

Does your mood depend on the conditions in your environment? Your mood is high as you walk into work because you caught every green light on your commute. Your mood is low as you walk into work because you caught every red light on your commute. Your children misbehaved and it tipped you over the edge. Your children did their chores and it dragged you back from the edge.

Do you see the problem? You’re allowing yourself to live conditionally. You are being led by your environment and the behavior of others.

What does it all mean? If you want to find inner peace you have to stop expending your emotional energy on the conditions around you. Unconditional living simply means that you won’t let the conditions of your life influence how you feel.

Directed Focus

This is perhaps the most powerful aspect of turning inner peace into a habit. Think of focus as a gift from the universe. It’s something that will help build your appreciation of it, considering how often you need to focus. This walks hand-in-hand with the previous point. When you choose to live unconditionally you are shifting your focus from circumstance to self. While you will still be aware of what’s going on around you, you aren’t going to focus on all of that noise. You’re only going to focus on creating the reality you want to live in.

Don’t People Please

There are two reasons we tend to go out of our way to please others. The first is that we get satisfaction from being helpful. It gives you a little buzz. The second is we are too scared to say no and disappoint someone. The truth of the matter, though, is that people-pleasing just causes resentment, it stresses you out, and you get so busy pouring everything out into others you forget to refill your cup.

You can still help others, but don’t break yourself at the expense of others. Set your boundaries today; “no” is a sentence.

These techniques will need consistency with daily practice so they become a long-lasting habit, one that make you mindful of all that surrounds you and brings you the inner peace that can help you get through any stressful situation you encounter.

The road that you walk to find inner peace will be an exciting journey. You will uncover many truths about yourself, as well as finding out how to handle stressful situations that life throws at you.

It’s about believing that everything will work out for you, even if it might not feel or look like it.