Three things that I have learned about myself is that I love to talk to myself and we all actually do this except some of us do it out loud. Talking to yourself can be positive or negative if you are saying your daily self affirmation then it is beneficial but if you are self doubting yourself then it is very negative for your Mental Health. By promoting yourself or hyping yourself up it actually boost your confidents and self esteem. The second thing I have learned about myself is I create scenarios inside my head when I don't need to, anxiety lives rent free in my head. This is unnecessary for my sake of mine, I decided I had to cut it. I do that by simply just living in the moment rather than living in the future. Focus on not the past or future but only now. Take one step at a time.... The third thing I have learned about myself is that I am not consistence. I believe that it is an advantage to realize this about myself now better than when I am already an adult or before it's too late. In order to overcome that I create a to do list everyday that will help me acquire my goal and at the end of the day I would come back and reflect on those goals to see how much I have accomplished during that day. Another useful skill that have helped me throughout this journey is Manifestation, because anything is possible with the power of your mind and once you put in the grind.

A lab exercise that I've found that was the most useful is Lab 2.1 Daily stress journal due to the fact that I get to acknowledge my stress throughout the day while accounting the time and level of stress during the day. This exercise helped reduced my stress because it brings awareness to what I am stress the most. It allows me room for improvement. Another exercise that have helped me is Lab 2.2 Stress Profile. This assignment allowed me to view what kind of stressor I am and if I am a high risked stressor. I finally realized that I am a heavy stressor I would have never know with out this assessment. This gave me a realization moment to wake up and do something about it before it is too late !

The Rick Hansen book covers many techniques for individuals to handle stress better, educate people on food that nourishes the brain, exercise & breathing techniques, and mindfulness practices. Educating people about vitamins/minerals that will repair the Brian, build your immune system, and enhance energy. I choose to focus on Chapter 10 , nourish your brain for two weeks. This Chapter educated me on the benefits of wholesome foods and what is nutritional for my system especially on PG.51 providing a list of the impact of shortage on different vitamins. “Significant shortages in any one of the dozens of nutrients your brain needs will harm your body and mind,” I included healthy fat, vitamins, and minerals in my diet. Over the two weeks I consumed food that was rich in all these nutrients especially in Omega 3 such as Avocados, fishes, nuts, and seeds. Omega 3 also influences the endocannabinoid system and protects layers of our brain. Not only do I include these beneficial minerals in my diet, I also cut off dairy completely from my diet that includes food that has dairy ingredients. As the book mentioned in Chapter 11 , PG.55, avoid food that sets off your immune system and cause inflammatory reactions such as dairy and gluten grains. Dairy is not essential for our diet at all as we see that people in Asia barely don't consume dairy at all and they have a longer life span and less dietary health conditions such as obesity & diabetes. I also cut off processed food from my diet including frozen foods and package products. Instead I would cook fresh food with natural ingredients for every meal and limit sugar intakes. For the first two days I’m not going to lie, it was a little challenging for me due to the fact that I have to cook every meal but I took this opportunity as an advantage and Iearned a new skill which is time management. I was also learning the benefits of different herbs along the way as we know that herbs are the best natural remedies with numerous medicinal purposes. After about 4 days I acknowledged a significant change in my energy level. I was not feeling fatigue throughout my day, rather I would wake with a burst of energy and that was very rare for me because I usually wake up feeling tired. About a week in I realized my emotions/mood shifted. I was feeling a lot of euphoria almost like a natural high, I was not as moody as I normally would be, and I was feeling optimistic as I went through activities throughout the day. When I would encounter an obstacle I was not feeling a rise of anxiety or stress instead I would take it slow and breath through trying to find solutions rather than stress it out. I recognized that I was a lot more calm when I encountered a situation after a week and a half. I definitely would keep continuing this diet since I have seen significant changes in my overall wellness.

The Rick Hansen book influence people to consciously change their mind to perceive the world from a different perspective. This book promote different approaches to deal with stress. Chapter 12 Take pleasure, focuses on elevating the quality of life by enjoying pleasure in life. Enjoying pleasure activates the parasympathetic nervous system allowing you to calm. This technique also allow us to find joy and appreciate every little thing in life. Over the pass two weeks I choose to focus on Chapter 12, Take Pleasure. I followed the recommendation of relish the sensation of life. Before each meal I would acknowledge my food presentation then I would smell my food/drinks to absorb the aroma, my favorite was tea. This technique release a Zen vibe that feeds my soul. Next I would pay attention to the taste of each ingredient and try to guess where it came from or what ingredients are in the food. Next technique was environment. Sometimes you just have to take a break from reality and live in the moment. Life is too short to not enjoy it and live it to the fullest. By that I learned to be observant of my environment, I recognizes every little thing in life. The beauty of this technique is to be within and become one with the soul and by that you have to seize the moment and replenish your soul. So start feeding your soul.